WAL-MART AND BHARTI TRANSFORMING RETAIL IN INDIA Essay Example

WAL-MART AND BHARTI: TRANSFORMING RETAIL IN INDIA Paper WAL-MART AND BHARTI: TRANSFORMING RETAIL IN INDIA BY -roni2208 WAL-MART AND BHARTI: TRANSFORMING RETAIL IN INDIA This report analyses and evaluates the situation of the retailer Wal-Mart in the Indian industry. On the point of creating a JV with the company Bharti, Wal-Mart has to resolve numerous challenges, range from the cultural differences to problems with its supply chain to strengthen its competitiveness, gain customer loyalty and becoming the go-to place. The Indian Retail Market The competiveness of the Indian retail sector will be evaluated, by applying the Porters 5 forces model. Threat of Entry Due to the competitive pressures of new entrants combined with stringent laws and regulations on FDI, this threat is considered as middle. The fact that the emerging Indian retail sector is ranked among the most promising sectors, the advantage of being the first mover is essential in order to gain competitive advantage. Threat of Substitutes Considered as middle, the threat of substitutes do not dominate the competiveness of the retail industry, due to the growing population, who have to buy their groceries at some places anyway, which they need for their daily life. Nevertheless the entality is changing from Save and Buy to Buy and Pay, there are still price sensitive Indians. Buyer power Regarding the Indian market, which is mainly dominated by unorganized retail, combined with the pressure on low margins, the bargaining power of buyers is very high. However Wal-Mart is known for its EDLP proposition which is essential to meet the Indian customer needs, who are very loyal to the lowest price. We will write a custom essay sample on WAL-MART AND BHARTI: TRANSFORMING RETAIL IN INDIA specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on WAL-MART AND BHARTI: TRANSFORMING RETAIL IN INDIA specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on WAL-MART AND BHARTI: TRANSFORMING RETAIL IN INDIA specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Supplier power The weak supply chain management, which is rather considered as the main factor of the low bargaining power of suppliers, is based on a poor infrastructure, which can ause delays in transportation. Rivalry between competitors This force is considered to have the main influence on the industry and is therefore very high. The JV is facing competition on the one hand from its main competitors; on the other hand from the dominating unorganized retail stores. In conclusion the Indian retail industry is considered as highly competitive, where it is difficult to sustain through a low-cost strategy. However low prices combined with a differentiation strategy would be the key factor in order to stand out from the competitors and to gain competitive advantage. Wal-Mart Wal-Marts core resource and competence is serving its customers with EDLP. Due to this valuable strategy, Wal-Mart is enjoying the cost-leadership and is therefore market leader In tne gloDal retall Inaustry. Wal-Mart estaDllsnea a close relatlonsnlp with its suppliers to bargain prices to lower its own prices and to force its competitors to do so as well. Moreover its main strategy is accompanied by the use of IT, which forms the heart of its business. Leveraging technology enhances planning and strengthens operations to improve the supply chain, which is costly and difficult o imitate. Based on its EDLP Strategy, which requires efficient processes, Wal-Mart stands out from its competitors and is enjoying sustained competitive advantage. Wal-Mart Bharti Joint-venture Regarding the future venture of Bharti, Wal-Mart will have to deal with numerous challenges range from strict laws and regulations to cultural differences. The SWOT analysis below will evaluate how well Bharti will fit into Wal-Marts operating plan. Strengths Bharti has grown the last few years by building global partnership. Its high presence n India combined with its deep knowledge of the growing consumer market can help to extend WalMarts retail expertise. It has built a huge network of suppliers and business partners which will be useful for the JV. Weaknesses Compared to Wal-Mart Bharti is a small company, which could lead to an imbalance of power. Moreover its experience in retail is very limited. The JV will require a lot of co-operating and cross cultural management. Opportunities The change from a S to B mentality, accompanied with an enhancement of the living conditions let the Indian retail market boom. Moreover the growing number of working youth and women leads to increased consumer spending and purchasing power. However Indian consumers still attach importance to lower prices. 2 Threats Wal-Marts poor social image as well as the strict labour laws and regulations on FDI can be serious issues. The poor infrastructure will cause a lot of problems, when implementing WalMarts efficient supply chain. Moreover already established retail companies and new entrants will make it more difficult for the JVto sustain in this highly competitive industry. Recommendation Based on the analysed facts, I deduced two main options open to the JV: Whether entering the Indian market or not. Not entering the Indian market is Justified by the enormous number of threats and weaknesses in the retail industry. This option would include avoiding businesses within India and cooperating with a company that has more expertise in retail. There are other markets with less regulations and customers who are still demanding low prices. Entering the Indian market will be a very risky and costly strategy. In order to succeed WalMart has to focus on its core competences as well as on differences in onsumer behaviour. Beside the low-price strategy, consumer demands a favourable price-quality ratio. Thereby Wal-Mart has to redefine its current strategy by focusing n OITTerentlatlon ana Keeping low prlces. conslaeraDle amounts 0T money will oe necessary to invest in the poor infrastructure in order to implement its sufficient supply chain. Due to the tremendous importance of respecting the Indian culture, Wal-Mart needs to establish social actions by implementing CSR. On the one hand Wal-Mart should adjust its supply chain towards an environment-friendly anagement; on the other hand a positive relationship with the community is crucial, by using local producers and stimulating the local economies. CSR can improve the reputation of the company enormously. A high reputation combined with the sufficient supply chain and a favourable price-quality ratio, can push the JV ahead. In conclusion, I would recommend Wal-Mart to enter the Indian market, while improving its core competences and implementing CSR, which are creating a sustained competitive advantage and thus leads to a strengthened competitiveness. 3

Sexual Harassment Essay

Sexual Harassment Essay With all the means of technology people use recently, they are informed of most of the accidents and incidents, which occur in this world if not all of all of them. It is noticeable that the number of sexual harassment cases taking place is increasing rapidly, which gives a clear idea of the existence of many reasons, one of which is how people in authority are not taking this huge problem into account and are not trying to prevent it. Such actions have serious consequences and, which results in that the world should make fast moves towards preventing these actions from happening and saving many young teens in the best years of their lives from being mentally or even literally destructed. It is most likely for people, who hear the term â€Å"sexual harassment† to think that the victim is from the opposite sex, and is mostly a woman. In this matter it was cleared out that the harasser and the victim can be from the same sex no matter who harasses whom. Sexual harassment is any unwelcome or unwanted attention either by touching or talking to a reasonable person in a way he/ she does not like. This term sometimes extends to include gender harassment, harassment based on sexual orientation, and Sexual abuse. It also in result it is a very important step that the victim tells the harasser that what he is doing is not welcome nor is it wanted. In other words it is legally not considered harassment if the victim does not express his/ her rejection to the action the harasser is forcing on him. The action of assault or harassment is usually carried out by person, who is in a position of power. Harassers know they are doing something against the law or at least wrong and that’s why they work hard to keep it hidden. In order to do that they either have to hide their identity or show it but in the same time have the ability to keep the victims mouth shut under every condition. Being someone’s boss or higher-level co-worker gives the harasser the power to do what they desire and keep it in the dark. Judith Brandenburg wrote in her book Confronting Sexual Harassment: â€Å"Sexual harassment is not an exclusively sexual issue but may be an exploitation of a power relationship. Like any other power struggle, many instances of sexual harassment are initiated and negotiated by a person in a position of authority and are sustained at the expense of another who cannot counter demands without risk of reprisal (student teacher vs. student, principal vs. teacher)† (B randenburg,). As a human nature people don’t do anything unless they want to, in other words the motivation should exist for any action to be done. Although sexual harassment is not an accepted deed within any society, it still does have motivations. Harassers are people and they make mistakes, but there is something that pushes them towards such a behavior. One of the reasons is the way women dress that some times gets beyond attractive to be sexy, which is irresistible for some people. Another motivation, the place of work some women choose to work within. Some women’s profession or study field obligates them to be surrounded with a masculine environment. This will make it more possible for them to hear dirty jokes and manly comments and some how harassed if they don’t like to face such situations, when they still do go through them. Furthermore, the society, culture, environment, morals and people form a person’s personality and way of thinking. For instance, living in a society like the United States or European countries would create people who would commit an action like the harassment. Because analyzing the way the people in these countries live, a person would come out with an assumption that their life is almost all about having fun and drinking and even doing drugs, which all are means that make the person lose his mind in a way or another, and then do things that wouldn’t remember next morning, or he would but with a killing regret. As mentioned above the way people dress is also a huge factor in this problem. Thinking of the way the young interact with each other also gives an impact about what’s going on, for a kiss is no longer valuable as it was. Everybody kisses everybody at all times; happiness and sorrow, which is what makes these teenagers always ask for more. Meanwhile living the opposite side of the world such as the Arabic/ Islamic counties presents a whole different viewpoint. Islamic â€Å"Shari’a† forms the way Moslems deal with everything in their lives. This Shari’a bands any interaction between female and male unless for education, business, work, and all essential elements of living. In addition to that limitation women should be dressed a certain way so that they would not cause the attraction, which then results in problems and crisis that are unsolvable and harmful. Women should cover every part of their bodies excluding the face and hands, and the dresses should never be tight, short, or too long to walk with. It should be a decent color and decent jewelry that does not bring noise. Same for shoes heals, for they cannot cause noise while walking. Cosmetiques are not allowed for two reasons; one is that they change the way God created the person. Secondly, they attract the other sex and cause what is not s upposed to exist. Shari’a also banned looking at peoples’ bodies no matter if they were covered or not. Drinking, doing drugs, and kissing, and any further action in this matter is completely forbidden. This environment absolutely safe, and does not allow any type of harassment to take place. The previous was a small set of the differences between the two societies if a person can limit them in tow. Many consequences rise based on sexual harassment; beginning with the victim on personal bases this person’s life changes ‘180 degrees’. He may develop psychological and somatic symptoms that mirror those of victims of other crimes, particularly sexual assault. He reports anxiety, depression, irritability, anger, weight-loss, uncontrolled crying, fatigue and dental problems. On professional bases they perform decreased job satisfaction, performance and a disruption in his career and relationships with his co-workers. It affects the harasser a little differently, for the harasser does not face any outcomes unless allegations against them were investigated. The harasser will also face both personal and professional reprisals for their behaviors. He will face career related outcomes and strained relationships with coworkers. This person will not be trusted anymore, and his friends and everybody he knows will be shocked and not able to interact with this person any lo nger. He as well may lose his career and family. Not only does the sexual assault hurt the people involved, but it also gets beyond that to get more people harmed. The victim’s family are one example of how people can get worried, feel sad and uncomfortable dealing with a member if their family that went through such a horrible experience. The harasser’s family and friends would not feel comfortable living with this person anymore, because a person heartless like the harasser would either be mentally sick, who needs to be treated or a person that is simply dangerous. Moreover, unfortunately these the whole society gets affected by such cruel actions; people generally would not feel safe for their sons or daughters if they were not home at a certain time, which would make the parents limit their children’s freedom. The regulations people make are not convenient for either of the parents or the children. All these reasons and consequences that some people go through will not come out healthy on any scale. Now is the punishment the right solution? Is the punishment harassers have to face enough for them to stop what they started? Punishment for sexual harassment will range from informal counseling and apology to suspension, dismissal and legal civil and criminal prosecution. The severity and frequency of the harassment will determine the extent of the punishment. Those kinds of punishments are enough fir a person to stop such a behavior. Moreover, a person like the harasser does not have stable personality, which is why during the punishment, no matter what kind it was, he will only think about revenge. The thinking he will be making all this period of sentence will about the next victim; how he or she will look? Where and how? Next step will be the same exact behavior but acted more professionally and more carefully. The society will not achieve anything from this trial or punishment that the government or justice put this person through but making this person even more eager to get his freedom completely and do whatever he desires again like he used to. Off course there are people who learn from their mistakes, who will finish their punishment period live straight ever after. On the other had the question what about the victim and all the changes in his life? Wouldn’t it be much easier if nothing has happened from the beginning? Sometimes, when a person think about it, he finds out it is really hard for the victim to recover and live his life. In other words it seems like a part of this person’s life was ended and no longer exist. He never will trust anybody, and he will always be horrified if anybody touched him or tried to be nice. It is not as easy as it seems, on the contrary it is very hard. For the human kind were created on the base that they need each other to survive. Cooperation and love and help are thing that people can’t miss in their lives. And what this harasser does, is kill every sense of trust this person ever had. Would anybody have the right to end the harasser’s life and let the society live in peace? No body has the right to do that though. Even in the Islamic Shari’a they take the punishment out if the action so the criminal would be punish by death if he killed nay body. Nevertheless Moslems still have to kill this person. For other religions and laws it is banned to kill anybody under any condition. Furthermore, waiting for the punishment to solve the problem, the country would not achieve any improvement towards ending this crisis. Mostly those cases are kept in the dark and not reported for many reasons. First, most women would not report such accidents, because they were threatened when they first were forced to face the attack. They would still have the same feeling after. She would live with the feeling of getting hurt if she tells anybody. Secondly, they take into account the possibility of not proving the action on the harasser, which is when the victim would rather kill herself than live with fear of re-experiencing what she has experienced again. And even if the trail the way the victim and her lawyer hope, what will happen next? The harasser will spend a certain amount of time getting punished and the fear will still exist, for the question then is what will he do after the punishment? Secondly, if the place where the crime took place was a place like a school or a university, this place has a certain reputation that they most likely want to either keep or grow, but never decrease. For those peoples punishment is not the right answer all they have to think about is how to cut this unhealthy deed out completely. They should deal with this the same way they deal with cancer either cure it by cutting it off of the body or let the ill die. There is no other solution. Curing this problem evolves around prevention. The prevention is all programs that can include all kinds of people; families, parents, the young and especially teenagers at school. Because the prevention is not all about stopping the harassers from committing any action, but it is also about making the young aware of the world and what happens around them. They should not be naÐ ¿ve, one the contrary they should know they should not trust anybody. Off course they should have somebody to rely on, but not everybody. Friends and family members, whom they have known for along time, are a perfect example of trustable people that they can hang on to. Programs like these should exist and take place in primary and high schools, in universities and colleges, even in work places. Moreover teacher and principals should be aware of what is going on between students and fats steps towards stopping any action that might be considered as harassment. The younger these pupils were when we start with them the better. Because children always learn faster and never forget something they were taught during their childhood. People consider schools another home for their children, for they spend half of the time in the school, where they form the life friends. For that reason teachers and schools faculty should be carefully chosen. In order to have the young raised right with no problems as being harassed and other problems educational system should make sure they make interviews expanded to include psychologists that could find out the kind of mentality the teachers have and their abilities, and what they are capable of doing. The government should be responsible for people in streets, bars, and nightclubs, and people that are drinking alcohol and doing drugs. The age for drinking alcohol should be raised to 25, because at this age people are mostly mature enough to stop themselves from doing stupid acts. Drugs should be banned entirely and serious punishments should be taken against those who do it or deal with it. Not only do these people dealing with drugs gat themselves harmed, but they also get other innocent young females and males. For instance there are kinds of drugs, which make the person lose conscience for two days in a row. These types of drugs are mostly used in clubs and bars. Guys would drop this drug in the girls’ drinks, them they pass out, and later only God knows what will happen next. At lease they will be raped. Government should also be responsible for people, who stay in the streets all night for no reason, for those people who have nothing to care about not a family, and themselves, would not care about other people’s convenience. It is not that people should not feel free to do whatever they feel like doing. Nevertheless, if this freedom conflicts with the safety of other people, they should choose safety over freedom. On a personal level, families should never give a complete freedom to their children. These young men and women still have plenty of time to use their right and freedom, when they are a little older and more aware of what is going on. Parents should take into account that no matter how wisdom their children seem to have, they still lack the experience they have earned over years. And that is the reason, for which they should make some rules and yet stand for them. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on Sexual Harassment topics at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with custom papers written by highly qualified academic writers. High quality and no plagiarism guarantee! Get professional essay writing help at an affordable cost.

Alzheimer’s Disease Biological Causes

Alzheimers Disease Biological Causes Alzheimer’s disease is driven by two processes: extracellular deposits of beta amyloid and intracellular accumulation of tau protein.[9] â€Å"It is characterized by accumulation of amyloid-ÃŽ ² peptide, generated by proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by ÃŽ ²- and ÃŽ ³-secretase.†[10p554] The APP gene provides instructions for making APP. This protein is found in many tissues and organs including the brain and the spinal cord. It plays a role in cell growth, formation of new synapses, differentiation of neurons, cell adhesion, calcium metabolism, and protein trafficking.[10] The length of APP varies between 695 to 770 amino acids. Protein breakdown generates AÃŽ ², a 39- to 42-amino acid peptide. This form is the primary component of amyloid plaques found in the brains of AD.[10] APP may be processed via a non-amyloidogenic pathway that prevents AÃŽ ² formation or through a toxic, amyloidgenic pathway, resulting in AÃŽ ² plaque formation. In the non-amyloidogenic pathway, APP is processed in peripheral cells. In this pathway, APP is cleaved by an enzyme called ÃŽ ±-secretase followed by ÃŽ ³-secretase. These are integral membrane proteins where cleavage by ÃŽ ±-secretase occurs within the AÃŽ ² domain. Cleavage by ÃŽ ±-secretase prevents AÃŽ ² formation and releases the extracellular secreted APP ÃŽ ± fragment.[11] Research shows that secreted APP ÃŽ ± protects neurons, regulates stem cell production, plays a role in brain development, and promotes the formation of synapses and cell adhesion. The remaining C-terminal fragment of APP then undergoes either lysosome degradation or ÃŽ ³-secretase cleavage, which generates p3 and the APP intracellular domain.[11] In the amyloidogenic pathway, APP is primarily processed in neuronal cells. Within this pathway, APP is cleaved by ÃŽ ²-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 ( BACE1 ), followed by ÃŽ ³-secretase. BACE1 initiates the production of the toxic AÃŽ ² that plays a crucial role ea rly in the pathogenesis of AD.[11] Cleavage of APP by BACE1 releases the extracellular secreted APP ÃŽ ² fragment which is thought to assist with axon pruning and cell death.[12] BACE1 cuts APP to produce a membrane-bound C-terminal fragment C99 that is further processed by ÃŽ ³-secretase to generate AÃŽ ². The site of ÃŽ ³-secretase cleavage within the transmembrane domain of APP can vary and determines the type of AÃŽ ² that is produced, AÃŽ ² 39-42. Once produced, AÃŽ ² is usually secreted into the extracellular space via exocytosis.[12] AÃŽ ² is a major component of plaques that are found in both intracellular and extracellular locations. AÃŽ ² 42 is considered to be one of the main causes of these plaques because it clumps together more quickly than other isoforms, forming clusters and fibrils.[10] In individuals with AD, elevated concentrations of AÃŽ ² plaques can lead to many cellular dysfunctions. The presence of AÃŽ ² plaques alone is not enough to diagnose AD since ma ny people without cognitive decline have plaques. Tau is a protein in the microtubule-associated protein family. It has several physiological functions in healthy axons including microtubule assembly and stability, vesicle transport, neuronal outgrowth and neuronal polarity. This protein consists of 352 to 441 amino acids and presents in various isoforms in the brain.[10] In AD, tau protein is hyperphosphorylated, causing disruption in microtubule transport and loss of neuronal transmission. Tau phosphorylation is the addition of phosphate to a tau protein through regulation of tau kinases. In humans, the tau gene is positioned on chromosome 17. In a normal brain, there are two to three moles of phosphate per one mole of tau, indicating that this amount of phosphorylation is necessary for tau to perform its normal biological functions. When tau becomes hyperphosphorylated, the ratio of phosphate to tau increases three to four fold compared to normal phosphorylation levels. This incr eased amount of phosphate alters the function of tau, making it insoluble and lacking affinity for microtubules. This leads to the degradation of the microtubules and neuronal cell death.[10]

The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) movie - Essay Example Recently university had named its renovated baseball stadium after Alex Rodriguez as he had donated $3.9 million for upgrading the field. The university’s ethical considerations are being challenged. The star athletes like Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, Gio Gonzalez and five other prominent people associated with university and its programs have recently come under investigation for use of banned drugs (Schmidt, 2013). Moreover, various newspaper report claim that they have also links with clinics like Biogenesis that helps them to get performance enhancing drugs. Jimmy Goins the conditioning coach of Miami is suspected of providing drugs to the players. The university has therefore become nexus for drug mafia and is presently under investigation by NCAA. Yes person would initiate a sustained campaign against the athlete program of University of Miami for providing performance enhancing drug to its players. They would do so by using 3 news write-ups about the new research initiative started by university in the area of performance enhancement of athletes. Appiah’s idea of culture mainly relies on empowering people and letting them be the master of their decisions (Appiah, 2006). He says that often the excruciating circumstances of the people become major planks for the developed world to exploit and force their own attitude and ideas in the name for preserving cultures and cultural identities. He believes that ethics, morality and cultural paradigms are critical aspects which become extraneous not because people actually want to but due to lack of resources which makes them opt for new tools of survival. The prank is closely linked to Appiah’s ideas as it indirectly targets the ethical lassitude of the modern academia and its changing priorities for competing in different areas of human interaction. Schmidt, Michael S. Drug Enquiry Focuses on Athletes’ Ties to Team at University of

The duty to accommodate the injured and the disabled employees Essay

The duty to accommodate the injured and the disabled employees - Essay Example Three steps processes used to determine if the employer has made conscientious efforts on accommodation of the less fortunate employee: first is to know if the employee can perform his or her existing job. If the employee cannot, then establish if he or she can perform his or her current job if modified, if still he or she cannot, then determine if he or she can perform any other job existing re-bundled or modified job (David Morton Rayside, 2007). Disability is something that hinders an individual in undertaking life important functions. It may mean mental, psychological, physical, or even habitual. Of all the most complicated, as many employers claim, is mental incapacitation especially when the employee has to get into contact with clients, and habitual disabilities like drug dependency and alcoholism. They tend to be tricky even more than other health complications (David Morton Rayside, 2007). The importance of Human Rights Legislation, as it relates to disability is to protect those who are perceive or actually materially impaired through illness. The said disabilities include physical conditions, congenital deformities, asthma, epilepsy, hypertension, speech impediments, alcoholism and drug dependency, obesity and AIDS or AIDS related complex and any other medical, psychological or physical condition. However the duty to accommodate does not imply a guaranteed job for unemployed disabled person. If a person cannot reaso nably perform the essential duties and requirements after employment, there will be no findings for discrimination (David Morton Rayside, 2007). Accommodation is now a deeply entrenched feature in Canadian labor law. It has been enthusiastically practiced since the start of this decade, but it is already spawning or accelerating three outstanding trends in the arbitration system that are changing the very face of labor adjudication in

Title IX: Leveling the Playing Field Essay -- gender equity in sports

How does one define the success of a high school and college? Is it through standardized test scores, graduates, and college applicants? Is it through winning games and playing beyond the school? Yes, in fact it’s all of these things. America is based on freedom and equality. America is created with â€Å"Liberty and Justice for All†. America is only now starting to treat women as the equals they are. Although Title IX has improved athletic opportunities for women, the ratio of women to men athletic funds is uneven because of the revenue main stream men’s sports bring to the schools. As colleges grew in people and pride, football became the new sensation. With the predominant â€Å"football schools† nationwide, female athletic programs weren’t given much thought. Football provides the schools funding through its massive packed stands. The revenue made funneled back into the football programs and left little funding for any other sport, male or female. In 1972, the nation finally decided to make a stand, and force schools to create and sponsor other athletic teams for females, besides cheerleading and square dancing. Title IX was enacted in 1972 by President Richard Nixon. It â€Å"requires† gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that is federally funded. Many people do not even know that Title IX exists, or if they do, that it applies to more than sports. However it applies to sports, access to higher education, career education, education for pregnant and parenting students, employment, learning environment, math and science, sexual harassment, standardized testing and technology. It forced schools to even the playing field and implement women’s sporting teams. Before Title IX, it was nearly impossible to get a f... ...011. Davis, Paula M. "Imagine Fund Will Offer Race and Gender-based Scholarships in Response to 2006 Anti-affirmative Action Law." MLive. Michigan Live LLC, 20 Aug. 2008. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. Grant, Christine. "A Title IX Presentation." Bailiwick. The University of Iowa Libraries, 25 Sept. 1995. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. Lopiano, Donna. "Title IX Q & A - Women's Sports Foundation." Title IX. Women's Sports Foundation, 26 May 2005. Web. 10 Feb. 2011. Rhode, Deborah L., and Christopher J. Walker. "Gender Equity in College Athletics: Women Coaches as a Case Study." NCAA. National College Athletics Association, 26 Mar. 2008. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. Weistart, John. "Equal Opportunity? Title IX and Intercollegiate Sports." Wilson Web, Fall 1998. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. "Christine Grant | Sports Management Resources." Our Consultants. Sports Management Resources. Web. 10 Feb. 2011.

Make decisions or solve problems Essay

What are heuristics? How do they help us make decisions or solve problems? How do they hinder decision making and problem solving? What does the study of heuristics tell us about how our mind works? Elvira Gubayeva In psychology, the term â€Å"heuristics† is used to describe cognitive shortcuts that our mind takes in order to save time and effort while solving problems and making decisions. Although this rule of thumb technique does not guarantee the solution, it is highly likely to solve the problem. These congnitive shortcuts differ from algorithms as algorithms will definitely solve the problem, although they would consume more time in the process. Thus, heuristics are shortcuts that eliminate the need to consider unlikely possibilities or irrelevant states to reach the final solution. From that perspective, heuristics are useful in making decisions or solving problems. One of the most important heuristic methods was explored by Newell & Simon. They called this method the means-ends analysis. This method implies that the problem solver will note the difference between the current state of the problem and the goal state, the solution. He would then create a subgoal to reduce the difference between the two states. A path, or an operator, would be selected to reach the subgoal. Egan & Greeno(1974) used the Tower of Hanoi problem to investigate this heuristic method. They found that subjects with prior experience with the problem who used the means-ends analysis solved more difficult versions of the problem faster than subjects who did not make appropriate subgoals. Subjects who changed their strategy to means-ends analysis produced better results than those who did not. Overall heuristics are useful in solving problems and making decisions as they reduce the complexity of different solutions that are possible. They do yield good results when they are used in the appropriate context. However, heuristics can also hinder decision making and problem solving. For example, Anzai & Simon(1979) found that many subjects used domain dependent strategies while solving the tower of Hanoi problem. This hindered their process to the solution as they avoided certain states in the puzzle that they believed would not help them, rather than move towards a definite goal/ subgoal state. Subjects were more interested in the goal state and focused on reaching that rather than reaching the subgoal state first. As Thomas(1974) found, this could actually hinder process. Thomas used the missionaries-cannibals puzzle and adapted J. R. R. Tolkien’s hobbits and orcs to replace missionaries and cannibals. To reach the solution quicker, subjects had to move away from the goal state. However, not many were willing to do that. This distraction to reach the goal state caused the subjects to take longer solving the problem. If the subjects found themselves moving away from the goal state, they typically thought they reached a back alley and backtracked. As a result, subjects took longer to solve the problem as they were using the domain dependent heuristic and avoided moving away from the goal. Another heuristic which could hinder correct decision making and problem solving is the availability heuristic. We use data that we can remember better or that which had a bigger impact on us rather than complete data. Thus subjects can make judgements based on what is easier remembered than an unbiased judgement. One availability heuristic that is commonly used is the media bias. The media presents such a great number of fatal accidents that most think that death is more likely to be caused by an accident rather than diabetes. This is not the case, yet because an accident is easier to remember and had a greater impact on the mind most would consider the statement above to be true.