Hydro-power and the wildlife damage it causes Essay

Hydro-power and the wildlife damage it causes - Essay Example She implies despite the positive benefits brought about by Hydro power, the environment suffers a great deal of its side effects, notably, extinction of some form of wildlife. With the emergence of Global warming, dams have received a lot of attention despite the fact that they generate huge quantities of electricity without really burning fossil fuels. In this context, multiple questions have been raised concerning the environmental effects of hydropower. Among them, Are dams carbon neutral? What of the energy used in the construction of Dams and the reservoir that are created behind them (deforestation and decomposition). Notably, endless questions have been raised over the impact of Hydropower on the surrounding environment and more particularly, its impact on wildlife. As opponents of hydropower indicate, it appears as if enough evidence has been found to discredit Hydropower as an efficient energy source. Having that in mind, the paper seeks to discuss the negative environmental effects posed by Hydropower with a view to elucidate on the destruction of wildlife habitats. In a study by FWEE on provision of balanced information for water as a renewable energy resource in the North West, it is indicated that, some specific impacts due to a hydroelectric power projects mainly depends on the following variables (FWEE 1). Firstly, the size and the flow rate, secondly, the climatic and habitat conditions, thirdly, design type and operation of the project. Additionally, the habitat and climatic conditions as well as, the project locations play a significant role. In terms of the project location, upstream or downstream location often comes in focus. This clearly reveals that the dynamics involved in hydropower generations affect various sectors that are directly or indirectly related to its production. McCully, in his article of big Dams big trouble, published by New internationalists, close to sixty percent of the world’s largest river system are mostly fr agmented by numerous dams and considerable water withdrawals for irrigation purposes. This implies that the massive fragmentation of and replumbing of the world largest rivers has led to an increased loss of fresh water species. In this regard, close to a third of the world fresh water fish species have been reported as extinct, vulnerable or endangered. Additionally, IEA Hydropower Agreement on Hydropower and the environment: present context and the guidelines for future Action, indicates that construction of the reservoir increased the storage water, thus covering riparian areas stream banks (23). Following these, inundation occurs. A change in the habitat conditions leads to the emergence of a new equilibrium. While this is happening, different set of dynamics begin to affect how species grow feed, spawn and grow within these regions. Though a rise in water levels increase electricity production, the riparian zone is affected since some of the vegetation initially covered by wate r may never re-establish McCully further indicates that a significant but unknown number of , amphibians, shell fish, as well as plants and birds that depend on Fresh water ecosystems are on the verge of extinction or as such, at risk (620). He further points it out that Flooding from Dams has the potential to disrupt Wildlife

Physical Fitness and Nutrition Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Physical Fitness and Nutrition Worksheet Essay In order to obtain optimal health, it is critical to be physically fit and eat a healthy and balanced diet. Becoming knowledgeable about what it means to be physically fit and learning how to evaluate the nutritional value of what you eat may greatly increase your ability to improve your health and wellness. In this three-part worksheet, you identify the five components of health related fitness, critique a recipe for nutritional value, and respond to two short answer questions about nutrition. Completing this assignment is a step towards gaining the knowledge needed to better manage your physical fitness and nutrition. Part 1: Five Components of Health Related Fitness Table Complete the table below. The first row has been filled in for you as an example. Components of Physical FitnessDescriptionHow to Incorporate in Your LifeBenefit(s) Cardiorespiratory FitnessBeing able to exercise at a moderate to high intensity for a long period of timeWalk 2 miles at a brisk pace every day.Reduced the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Muscular StrengthMaximum force able to be exerted by single contraction of a muscle or muscle groupStart out with crunches, lunges and squats.The ability to carry out tasks easier that like yard work. Muscular EnduranceAbility to perform high-intensity muscle contractions repeatedly without fatiguing Do push-ups to build up muscular endurance.Increased metabolism, Reduced fatigue, fewer injuries, and fewer back problems. Flexibility Ability to move joints freely through their full range of motion Start with stretching or yoga to help with flexibility. Being able to keep joints flexible and ability to reach or move. Body CompositionThe amount and relative proportions and distribution of fat mass and fat-free mass in the body By exercising, eating right and managing my time. Living longer and feeling good about one’s self. Part 2: Critique a Meal For this part of the assignment, you critique the nutritional value of a meal. You will select this meal from the USDA website. Follow the instructions below: †¢Access the USDA Recipe Finder search tool at http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/ o(either click on or paste the above link in your internet’s address bar) †¢Search for a recipe using one of the available criteria: oType in ingredients; oType in a recipe name, or; oChoose options from the available categories †¢Select a recipe to critique from the generated results. Review the nutritional information provided for the recipe you selected or added and answer the questions below. Each response should be 75 to 125 words. 1.What is the name of the recipe you are evaluating? The name of the recipe that I am evaluating is Baked Chicken with Vegetables. 2.Which essential nutrients—carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals—are included in the recipe? The essential nutrients that are included in this recipe are saturated fats, carbohydrates, Fiber and protein. Also included are Vitamin A that adds carotene and helps with the eyes; Vitamin C which is important for growth and development; Calcium needed for muscle, bones and nerves. Iron helps with distributing oxygen to the body. Vitamin E helps body tissue from damage. Vitamin K makes proteins for bones and tissue also helps with clotting to not bleed too much. 3.Which ingredients are providing each nutrient? Potatoes have vitamin C, potassium, and carbohydrates. Carrots have vitamin A, E, and K. Onions have potassium, Vitamin C and sodium. Chicken there is vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and iron. If the body is missing any vitamins the body will start to deteriorate. 4.Does this recipe include a good balance of essential nutrients? Explain your answer. I believe it does have a good balance but not to the full extent that it could be. Anything could be added to have the extra missing vitamins and minerals that a lot of people do not get on a regular basis. 5.How could the recipe be altered to include more essential nutrients? The recipe could be altered to include more essential nutrients by adding mushrooms, cheese, nuts or eggs. These items would add vitamin D and E. Vitamin D helps with the absorption of calcium and magnesium. Vitamin E is similar to vitamin C in helping protect the body from damage and helps with red blood cells. So adding the items in one way or another would add to the nutrients that one’s body. 6.Do you consider this a healthy meal? If not, what is a healthy alternative? Yes I do consider this a healthy meal in the fact that it does have quit a few vitamins and minerals that our bodies need on a regular  basis. It is low in fat and calories and will still fill someone up in one meal. With the chicken, carrots, onions, and potatoes there is not too much more that would be needed to supplement the body.

UK Social Enterprises for Sustainability

UK Social Enterprises for Sustainability Abstract Social enterprise is a dynamic and sustainable business model of choice which is able to bring social, economic and environmental benefits to the UK. It operates across all sectors of the economy, serving individuals in the private, public and third sectors. Through out this research will identify the increase levels of understanding of the role and value of Social Enterprise, given that a lack of understanding of the role and value of social enterprises was cited as a major barrier to the acceleration of the use of the business model. I will further state that social enterprises compete in the marketplace like any other business, but they use their business skills to achieve social aims. The purpose of this research will identify the key barriers faced by Social Enterprise and explore how these barriers have/could potentially be overcome to achieve sustainability. There is also a need to recognise that some social enterprise activity will need an element of finance through public fu nds, particularly because they are operating in areas of market failure or a non-commercial market such as providing services to vulnerable people, including supported employment in many cases. This paper is intended to create an environment which will lead to opportunities for social enterprise to grow successfully in the future. Chapter 1: Introduction A brief overview of social enterprise is introduced in the first chapter. Then, the purpose of the study will be next discussed which will end with a specific research question. In the end of this chapter the contribution of this research and limitation of the study are also presented. 1.1 A Brief Overview of Social Enterprise Social enterprises are organisations that supply goods and services as part of the social economy sector; this group constitutes a collection of organisations that exist between the traditionally private and public sectors and has a stronger relationship with the Community and Non-profit sector. This sector has a key role to play in achieving many of its goals, including overcoming social injustice and exclusion Todays completive business world defining social enterprise is a challenging task, according to OECD (1999, p.10) â€Å"there is no universal, commonly accepted definition of Social Enterprise.† However, the OECD (1999, p.10) has defined social enterprise as: â€Å"any private activity conducted in the public interest, organised with an entrepreneurial strategy but whose main purpose is not the maximisation of profit but the accomplishment of certain economic and social goals, and which has a capacity of bringing innovative solutions to the problems of social exclusion and unemployment†. Social enterprises are becoming a recognised part of the local and national economy in the UK, and the organisations operating in this sector are aware that becoming sustainable businesses is the path to independence both financially and in mission. However, social enterprises, in common with many small businesses, find growth difficult, and this could impact negatively on their sustainability. These should be supported and encouraged to grow both as a sector and as individual organizations so as to become more sustainable organizations. 1.2 Purpose of the Study My paper has been developed to explore how the term social enterprise has acquired meaning in England and to illustrate how practitioners, policymakers and academics influence each other in the development of new sustainable ideas, given that a lack of understanding of the role and significance of social enterprises was cited as a major barrier to the acceleration of the use of this business model. These challenges come in many forms. Some are the same as those affecting any other business including access to business support and finance, a lack of affordable premises and finding skilled staff. However, social enterprises also face one huge barrier that seriously affects their ability to assume a position within the market. That barrier is a lack of understanding of how social enterprises work and of their potential value. This lack of understanding exists across the public, private and voluntary and community sectors. The confusion and conflict about what the model could or should be for results all too often in misrepresentation and exaggeration of its potential, fragmentation in the provision of support and real and perceived barriers to accessing contracts and mainstream funding opportunities. So my dissertation will identify the key barriers faced by Social Enterprise and explore how these barriers have/could potentially be overcome in order to achieve sustainability. It examines critical incidents that have shaped the meaning of social enterprise in England and reflects on these incidents to draw conclusions about the future sustainable development of social enterprise practice. Through out this paper I will also examine the potential conditions for the growth of social enterprise through a set of outline scenarios. The aim is to inform both policy-making and the wider debate about social enterprise: what its potential might be and how that potential can be realised in different settings. So my research question is: To explore how the social enterprise is potential for sustainability in the UK. 1.3 Limitations of the Study: During conducting the research I came across certain limitations and among them the foremost one is time constrain. The interviewed person could not provide all necessary information due to lack of time. The research timeline also reveals that time constrain was actually a barrier as there was plenty to find about this research topic. A huge portion of the report is based on primary data collected through interviews which is very lengthy process. The key point here is that social enterprise cannot be identified solely by legal form or pre-set categories. Social enterprises can often see themselves as belonging to more than one category, leading to problems of double counting. For example, a social enterprise may be a charity registered with the Charities Commission or an ‘exempt charity which is also an Industrial and Provident Society. There is also much variation in the categories which have been used in studies to date, making aggregation and comparison very difficult. 1.4 Structure of the Report: This research is divided into five chapters: the first chapter is an introduction with purpose and limitation of the study. In the second chapter, literature based review of definitions of social enterprise, roots of social enterprise, discussion relevant to the sustainability of social enterprise, the nature of their contribution and their sponsors and sources of funding. The third summarises the background information of social enterprise in the UK and the fourth and fifth chapter contain the methodology and the summary of the main findings of the study with implications for policy. Chapter 2: Literature Review This chapter will give an overview of literature and models that are related to the research problem presented in the previous chapter. This chapter will introduce the roots and concepts of social enterprise in order to give a clear idea about the research area. 2.1 Roots of social enterprise Scott specified (Market, Schmarket : Building the Post-Capitalist Society,2006, p50) â€Å"The roots of social enterprises and community enterprise overall can be found in the mutual, self help and co-operative sector which goes back, in the UK, at least to the Fenwick Weavers in Ayrshire 1769 and Dr William King of Brighton in the 1820s (Trimingham, 2007), with earlier antecedents.† Within the development of this movement there has always been an important strand which has focused on the local community-based nature of these organisations and also on the economic development of poorer communities including the need to maintain paid work. For example between the two world wars, local community activists such as Harry Cowley campaigned for housing and work for returning service people and support for small local businesses. He organised marches to demand public works ‘job creation programmes from the local council for unemployed people with some success. 2.3 General Discussion on Social Enterprise Social Enterprises combine the need to be successful businesses with social aims. This is a competitive business, owned and trading for a social purpose. They seek to succeed as businesses by establishing a market share and making a profit and emphasise the long-term benefits for employees, consumers and the community. Bob Doherty and John Thompson mentioned in the journal ‘The diverse world of social enterprise stories (p.362) that social enterprises are organizations which are seeking business solutions to social crisis. These are needed to be differentiated from other socially-oriented organizations. These also need to take initiatives that can promote to communities but which are not wanting or seeking to be â€Å"businesses†. In this esteem these latter organizations remain dependent on endowments and donations rather than build up true paying customers. According to DTI report A Progress Report on Social Enterprise: A Strategy for Success (2003, p.6), social enterprise is such a business which reinvests its surpluses in the business or in the community rather than increases profit for shareholders or owners. Peter Drucker argues that social entrepreneurs â€Å"change the performance capacity of society† (Gendron, 1996, p. 37) while Henton et al. (1997: p.1) speak of ‘civic entrepreneurs as â€Å"a new generation of leaders who forge new, powerfully productive linkages at the intersection of business, government, education and community† . Ali B. Somers (Shaping the balanced scorecard for use in UK social enterprises, p.46) stated â€Å"Social enterprise emphasise creating social and/or environmental value at all stages of their production process, as an intrinsic part of their identity†. Figure:1 describes the production process of social enterprise. Inputs Production Process Outputs: Goods and Services Labour Employee/ Client Raw Materials: from Environmental Sources Can Include: Democratic Governance or training for employee/ client Base Goods and services sold to market: Economic Profit, Social Profit and Environmental Profit Economic Profit flows back to Social Enterprise and Ethical Investors Social and Environmental profit flow to Community Indicates environmental and social motives affect production Figure: 1 Production of Social Enterprise Source: Somers, A.B., 2005. Shaping the balanced scorecard for use in UK social enterprises. Social Enterprise Journal, 1(1), p.46 2.4 Discussion Relevant to the Sustainability of Social Enterprise There has been an unprecedented wave of growth in Social Entrepreneurship globally over the last ten years (Bornstein 2004, pp.3-6). For Example, as part of the 2004 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report a survey was conducted of social entrepreneurship activity in the UK; these data suggested that new ‘social start-ups are emerging at a faster ate than more conventional, commercial ventures (Harding and Cowling, 2004, p.5) There are three sides to sustainability in business activity: environment, economy and community. When aiming for sustainable practice all three factors must be given equal consideration from a local through to a global level. Environment Ensuring that business engages in the proper and careful use of finite resources and the management of waste so as to minimize the negative and maximize the positive impact of human activity. Economy Ensuring that business is financially viable, engages in good employment practice and is of benefit to the economy as a whole. Community Ensuring that business is overall of benefit to communities, their culture heritage and does not endanger them. Figure2: Sustainable Social Enterprise Schulyer (1998: p.3) describes social entrepreneurs as â€Å"individuals who have a vision for social change and who have the financial resources to support their ideas.who exhibit all the skills of successful business people as well as a powerful desire for social change† Greater flexibility in the use of public resources to respond to innovative community proposals, and venture investments from foundations and the private sector could be used to stimulate innovation in areas thought to be too risky for government as the sole investor. As Catford (1998, p. 96) argues that â€Å"social entrepreneurswill only flourish if they are supported by the right environment, which will be created largely by governments together with the private sector†. Social Enterprise seeks surplus generation in order to achieve financial sustainability. The need to financial sustainability is fundamental to social enterprises. Emphasizing financial sustainability in addition to profit distribution becomes a way to account for all activities the organization engages in, including advocacy and in support of bono work. Sacrificing one cause and effect chain for another can have significant implications for both the quality of work and social enterprises financial sustainability. Profit Distribution (Increase Income) Increase Revenue Use Resource Efficiently Trading Revenue Non Trading Revenue Manage Cost Track Advocacy Financial: Promote Sustainability of organization Social: Increase value to target community Whilst many may rely on combination of grant and trading income, ultimately, if an organisation is not financially sustainable, it cannot deliver its social and environmental impact. Fig3. shows how the profit of social organisation is distributed to the organization itself and community. Figure: 3 Financial Sustainability Source: Somers, A.B., 2005. Shaping the balanced scorecard for use in UK social enterprises. Social Enterprise Journal, 1(1), p.50 2.5 Policy Reform and Good Governance DTI report A Progress Report onSocial Enterprise: A Strategy for Success (2003, p.6) describes the three key goals for government as creating an enabling environment, making social enterprises better businesses and establishing the value of social enterprise. The danger in not supporting social entrepreneurship is obvious to Reis (1999: p. 4) who calls for systematic intervention to accelerate and improve philanthropic efforts. Without this he argues that substantial numbers of potential donors and social entrepreneurs could be â€Å"discouraged, turned-off, and lost from philanthropy and social change work†. So, in recent years, the boundaries between the private sectors (in term of market thinking and managerial practices) have impacted the public and voluntary sectors and started to blur traditional distinctions between them (Bull, 2006, 2007). The emergence of radical business alternatives with a strong social orientation, democratic organisation, and positive attitude to profitable trading has led to formal recognition and academic scrutiny (Seanor, Bull and Ridley-Duff, 2007). Brown, H and Murphy, E (2003: p.57) mentioned on Bank of England report that â€Å"Social enterprises, like all businesses, need access to a range of financial products appropriate to their activity and stage of development† An HM Treasury report on Enterpriseand Social Exclusion (1999, p 108) came to the conclusion, arguing that social enterprise was â€Å"less understood and rarely promoted in a consistent way by the existing infrastructure for business support†. Thompson et al. (2000: p. 328) describe â€Å"people who realize where there is an opportunity to satisfy some unmet need that the state welfare system will not or cannot meet, and who gather together the necessary resources (generally people, often volunteers, money and premises) and use these to ‘make a difference†. It is more useful to consider and develop social enterprise capabilities rather than skills and capacity building. The fact that social enterprises need to combine commercial objectives with social mission as well as internal governance, means that a â€Å"capabilities approach† is more comprehensive. This is a useful way of recognising factors additional to individual skills that inter-play to determine the effectiveness and impact of a specific enterprise. It also moves away from limited considerations of a key person or group within the organisation, and their specific skills, towards a more holistic view of what the organisation is capable of doing, irrespective of the location of particular skills. Laville and Nyssens (2001: p 325) argue that while the origins of social enterprises are based in reciprocity and thus form part of the third system, their strength is based in their ability to tap into all three economic principles and systems. They are different from private enterprise in that their goal is not the maximization of profit to benefit owners, although they do develop market activities and generate profits. They are also different from the public sector in that they are independent from direct control by public authorities. But they benefit to a greater or lesser extent from public subsidy. Thus they mobilize market relations to sell services or goods, and can use redistributive relations by utilizing government funding to finance their services. Their long-term sustainability depends on their ability to ‘continuously hybridise the three poles of the economy so as to serve the project. Their complementary use of monetary and non-monetary relations guarantees auto nomy of service based on their connections within communities and economic viability. This view of social enterprises offers an insight into their complexity in terms of the roles they must juggle and of the many forms from cooperatives, community enterprises, social firms, fair-trade companies and more that they take. Dees (1998: p.4) identifies five criteria that social entrepreneurs possess: adopting a mission to create and sustain social value; recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission; engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation and learning; acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand; and exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and to the outcomes created. Catford (1998, p.97) who articulates the issues and one possible solution most eloquently: â€Å"Traditional welfare-state approaches are in decline globally, and in response new ways of creating healthy and sustainable communities are required. This challenges our social, economic and political systems to respond with new, creative and effective environments that support and reward change. From the evidence available, current examples of social entrepreneurship offer exciting new ways of realizing the potential of individuals and communitiesinto the 21st century†. The Progress Report on Social Enterprise: A Strategy for Success(2003, p.68) concludes that there is little hard evidence to demonstrate the impact and added value of social enterprise. The report points out that one of the reasons for the lack of statistical evidence is that social enterprises create a range of social and environmental impacts, beyond their financial return (the ‘double or the ‘triple bottom line) that are hard to measure (even by the social enterprises themselves). Limited information on their social and environmental, as well as financial, impact also means that policy makers, business support providers and finance providers find it difficult to assess the value of targeting social enterprises or of including them in their activities. 2.6 Concluding Remarks Academic writing about modern social entrepreneurship skills is relatively limited, compared to mainstream business or charities. The concept of ‘social enterprise has been rapidly emerging in the private, public and non-profit sectors over the last few years. Currently, the non-profit sector is facing increasing demands for improved effectiveness and sustainability in light of diminishing funding from traditional sources and increased competition for these scarce resources. At the same time, the increasing concentration of wealth in the private sector is promoting calls for increased corporate social responsibility and more proactive responses to complex social problems, while governments at all levels are struggling with multiple demands on public funds. Chapter 3: Background Information of Social Enterprise This chapter will give the idea about the social enterprise types and size in the UK along with the impact, barriers and sources of fund in this organizations. Social Enterprise in the UK The UK government has been at the front position of enabling and encouraging the increase of social enterprises as part of both welfare services delivery and community regeneration at the policy level. The impacts and influence of public, private, and citizen are empirically proven and exhibit that these conventional sectors of society are playing a part in re-evaluating the value creation opportunities offered by market (or quasi-market) mechanisms. [Brief overview of types] According to the UK policy-making community, social enterprises play a vital role in the creation of economic and social value. It has been claimed that, there were some 15,000 social enterprises in the UK SBS(2005, pp.1-2), accounting for around 1.2% of all employing enterprises in the UK. These social enterprises generate around  £18 billion in annual turnover and employ over 775,000 people (475,000 paid employees and 300,000 volunteer staff). Governments Survey and existing data for the social enterprise sector estimated that there are at least 55,000 social enterprises in the UK, with a combined turnover of  £27billion per year which is raised to over  £800 million from the preceding year. This corresponds to 2% of the UKs GDP . The number of registered charities rose from around 120,000 in 1995 to more than 164,000 in 2005, and there are also hundreds of thousands of small community groups. According to Government estimates, social enterprises account for 5% of all businesses with employees and contribute approximately  £8.4billion to GDP (HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, 2006, p.29), around 0.7% of the total economy. The data obtained from the cabinet office website in social sector showed that in the year 2003/04, 56% of third sector organisations reported an increase in activity in the previous year, and 67% of them expected activity to grow in the next three years. Positive aspects of social enterprise: Social enterprise is a varied activity and can include a range of organisations working on different scales and at different levels of trading. Some work at community level, while others work nationally. They can work in public services or commercial markets. They often work in the most disadvantaged areas and work with the most disadvantaged groups. Some organisations work only as a social enterprise while in other organisations social enterprise is often a part of their activity. This most commonly applies in a voluntary organisation or a housing association. According to Bob Doherty and John Thompson (The diverse world of social enterprise stories, p.362) the common characteristics for a Social Enterprise are: They have a social rationale and yields and surpluses are not shared out to shareholders. Reinvested profit can be used to provide training and development opportunities for staff. They use assets and capital to generate community benefit. They pursue this with (at least in part) trade in a market place. Members or employees can also take part in decision making. The enterprise is responsible to both its members and a wider society. Citizenship participation and volunteering are encouraged within the local community The social enterprise model could create new forms of entrepreneurship and employment within a community The model is ideally placed to meet new needs within a community, if supported sufficiently at start up Social Enterprises can offer goods and services to poor and disenfranchised communities The potential of a profits and revenue stream could liberate organisations from the tyranny of fundraising and grant applications Organisations could flourish effectively and creatively under this model There is either a double or triple-bottom line concept. The assumption is that the most effective social enterprises exhibit healthy financial and social returns rather than high profits in one and lower profits in the other. Social enterprise makes an important contribution to the social, economic and environmental development of Scotland. This can be summarised as follows. Fig 4: Beneficiaries of Social Enterprise Source: Social enterprise is extremely varied but, importantly, it works in a number of key priority areas for the UK economy- these include: employment and training; childcare; health; adult care services; recycling; renewable energy; transport; financial inclusion; community regeneration; and rural development. In particular, social enterprise contributes to regenerating our most deprived communities in both urban and rural areas. It often works with the people who have least opportunity in our society, including those outside the labour market, and so it has a major role to play in developing employability and supported employment and ensuring equal opportunities to those people. Social enterprise can add value to many of its activities by focusing on social, economic and environmental benefits, importantly linking these aims in a positive way, which in other business models may sometimes cause conflict. Social enterprise can offer goods and services to its customers in a flexible and innovative way. It can focus on their needs to deliver better public services. Often this is in areas where the market has failed areas where the private sector does not want to go. Social enterprise can make sure resources give value for money where a public-sector contract is needed for the activity. This includes working with very marginalised groups, where the enterprise activity helps reduce the amount of public funding needed. Through encouraging social entrepreneurship in communities, levels of public subsidy and grant dependency can be reduced. Barriers of social enterprise â€Å"†¦often have boards of directors or trustees who come from a voluntary sector rather than a business background. This can lead to a lack of business focus and prevent social enterprise from truly reaching their potential (DTI 2002, p.62) Several challenges remain before the full potential of the third sector can be realised. First, the Government must carry through its commitment to provide a constructive partnership with the sector and resist the temptation to treat it as one of the instruments for the marketisation of the Welfare State. Amicus, a trade union with workers in the public, private and third sectors, is concerned that an expansion of the third sector will be a ‘stepping stone to the privitisation of the public sector (Maskell quoted in Little, 2007, p.31). Second, the majority of third sector organisations are small and under-capitalised and they are constrained in the growth aspirations by limited access to capital (Bank of England, 2003; SQW, 2007). Insufficient capital can lead to either under-investment, or a re-orientation towards market objectives in order to obtain finance, and the consequent re-prioritisation of economic over social and environmental outcomes. To enable third sector organisations to maintain the balance between economic, social and environmental outcomes, the Government must ensure that a pragmatic and realistic assessment of the financial costs of service delivery is incorporated into their policies and strategies (HM Treasury, 2006).Third, a curse of successful activities in the third sector is that they themselves are prone to being privatised and consequently turned into capitalist ventures that adopt orthodox business practices, as has been the case with the demutualisation of the Building Society movement in the UK. According to UK Government and various literatures review shows that there are mainly four significant barriers to accessing appropriate business support and finance for social enterprises throughout the region. 1. Cultural barriers between those setting up social enterprises and mainstream business advisors. 2. Lack of clarity about where to access business support at the local level, largely due to the huge diversity of routes into starting up social enterprises. 3. Limited numbers of accredited technical specialists in key business advice areas where social enterprises require specialist support, for example on legal structure, potential investors or taxation. 4. Limited sources of affordable equity and loan finance of all sizes. All of these barriers inhibit the use of available business support by social enterprise. Many of the issues are cultural, but there are also skills issues, with mainstream business advice agencies not being adequately equipped to address more technical aspects of social enterprise business development. Specialists do exist within the region but many of them are funded through short-term grant finance. This enables the free provision of services but a lack of long-term sustainability for the advice services themselves. To grow and develop social enterprise in UK, we must tackle a range of challenges and issues which have been highlighted by the research and consultation carried out to develop this strategy. Tackling these challenges, which are summarised into five key areas in this chapter, will be a major part of this strategy: Use of the social enterprise business model. Business opportunities. Finance and investment. Business support for social enterprise. Raising the profile and demonstrating value. Sources of Finance The key factor in an enterprises development is access to appropriate sources of finance. Social enterprises are more likely than SMEs to have been rejected for finance, although the majority of those rejected by one lender appear subsequently to be successful with another. In addition, a large minority of social enterprises perceive access to external finance as a major barrier to expansion, including some of those that have successfully accessed finance in the past. While there is no one, clear reason to account for the higher rejection rates among social enterprises than SMEs, this report explores possible contributory factors, which

Slavery in the American South Essay examples -- History African Americ

Slavery in the South Slavery was a big part of life in the South. Many plantation owners relied on slaves and their work to help get the money and crops they needed. There were two types of slaves in the South at this time. There were house slaves and there were field slaves. House slaves consisted of servants, maids, and butlers. They were normally treated better than the field slaves (Biel 14). They got to be inside most of the time. Owners of house slaves would usually not beat them because they wanted the slaves to look presentable for whatever guests arrived or stopped by. With house slaves, the owner’s family enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle (Biel 14). These houses were normally extremely elegant. Some house slaves had the luxury of being taught basic education. Just enough to understand what was going on and what to do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Field slave life was much different than that of a house slave. There was no education taught to a field slave. Literacy for enslaved blacks was clearly viewed as a potential weapon against the slave system (â€Å"Voices of Triumph† 167). Educated slaves were thought not only more likely to rebel but also to pose a greater threat if they did (â€Å"Voices of Triumph† 167). Forty to fifty slaves lived on a typical plantation (Biel 14). These field slaves were very important and was a heavy contributor to the plantation owner’s income. Slavery was a way to use man, woman, and child power to raise crops for sale (Boorstin and Kelly 273). The largest of these crops was cotton, which the Southerners thought was the â€Å"King† of all crops, but also important were tabacco, rice, hemp, and sugar (Boorstin and Kelly 273). From age 12, slaves were expected to get up at sunrise and work until it was to dark to see (Biel 14). It was the black slave, working from dusk to dawn, who planted, tended, and harvested these crops, as well as built fences, cut wood, and fed farm animals (Boorstin and Kelly 273).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The institution of slavery was operated by the planters and through custom. The owner of the plantation was the head guy who ran the plantation. A small planter would go ahead and supervise the plantation by himself if he could. If he was a medium or major planter, he hired an overseer and perhaps an assistant overseer to represent him (Williams, Current, and Friedel 494). An overseer was a position that had the responsibility of watchi... ...they wouldn’t get caught. Some would go as far as turning their own house into a place where slaves could go and hide out for awhile. The people in the north made a big contribution to runaway slaves also. Some Northern states passed â€Å"personal liberty laws† which made it difficult if not impossible to catch fugitives and banned state officers from assisting in their captures (Williams, Current, and Friedel 448). Works Cited African Americans Voices of Triumph. Virginia: Time-Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Books, 1993. Biel, Timothy Levi. The Civil War. California: Lucent Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1991. Boorstin, Daniel, and Brooks Mather Kelly. A History of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  United States. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1992. Goldston, Robert. The Coming of the Civil War. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Macmillan Company, 1972. Pentry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Railroad. New York: Thomas Crowell Company, 1955. Stewert, Jeffrey C. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History. New York: Main Street Books, 1996. Williams, T. Harry, Richard N. Current, and Frank Freidel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A History of the United States to 1877. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1969 Slavery in the American South Essay examples -- History African Americ Slavery in the South Slavery was a big part of life in the South. Many plantation owners relied on slaves and their work to help get the money and crops they needed. There were two types of slaves in the South at this time. There were house slaves and there were field slaves. House slaves consisted of servants, maids, and butlers. They were normally treated better than the field slaves (Biel 14). They got to be inside most of the time. Owners of house slaves would usually not beat them because they wanted the slaves to look presentable for whatever guests arrived or stopped by. With house slaves, the owner’s family enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle (Biel 14). These houses were normally extremely elegant. Some house slaves had the luxury of being taught basic education. Just enough to understand what was going on and what to do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Field slave life was much different than that of a house slave. There was no education taught to a field slave. Literacy for enslaved blacks was clearly viewed as a potential weapon against the slave system (â€Å"Voices of Triumph† 167). Educated slaves were thought not only more likely to rebel but also to pose a greater threat if they did (â€Å"Voices of Triumph† 167). Forty to fifty slaves lived on a typical plantation (Biel 14). These field slaves were very important and was a heavy contributor to the plantation owner’s income. Slavery was a way to use man, woman, and child power to raise crops for sale (Boorstin and Kelly 273). The largest of these crops was cotton, which the Southerners thought was the â€Å"King† of all crops, but also important were tabacco, rice, hemp, and sugar (Boorstin and Kelly 273). From age 12, slaves were expected to get up at sunrise and work until it was to dark to see (Biel 14). It was the black slave, working from dusk to dawn, who planted, tended, and harvested these crops, as well as built fences, cut wood, and fed farm animals (Boorstin and Kelly 273).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The institution of slavery was operated by the planters and through custom. The owner of the plantation was the head guy who ran the plantation. A small planter would go ahead and supervise the plantation by himself if he could. If he was a medium or major planter, he hired an overseer and perhaps an assistant overseer to represent him (Williams, Current, and Friedel 494). An overseer was a position that had the responsibility of watchi... ...they wouldn’t get caught. Some would go as far as turning their own house into a place where slaves could go and hide out for awhile. The people in the north made a big contribution to runaway slaves also. Some Northern states passed â€Å"personal liberty laws† which made it difficult if not impossible to catch fugitives and banned state officers from assisting in their captures (Williams, Current, and Friedel 448). Works Cited African Americans Voices of Triumph. Virginia: Time-Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Books, 1993. Biel, Timothy Levi. The Civil War. California: Lucent Books,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1991. Boorstin, Daniel, and Brooks Mather Kelly. A History of the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  United States. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1992. Goldston, Robert. The Coming of the Civil War. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Macmillan Company, 1972. Pentry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Railroad. New York: Thomas Crowell Company, 1955. Stewert, Jeffrey C. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History. New York: Main Street Books, 1996. Williams, T. Harry, Richard N. Current, and Frank Freidel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A History of the United States to 1877. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1969

Global Politics Essay

Ethnic nationalism is formed by a group with members that may or may not exist within the boundaries of a single state, and yet can be categorized as a group of individuals that share a common ethnic national identity. The nations that practice nationalism share a common heritage, including a common faith, a common language, common ethnic ancestry and a common culture. The first stage in the formation of ethnic nationalism is a form of cultural and moral relativism. It is inspired by a sense of inferiority and resentment against societies (or social groups) perceived to be morally and culturally superior. The architects of such nationalisms begin by insisting on the plurality and equality of (national) cultures, with the fact of plurality being taken as a sign of value. Appeal of ethnic nationalism By the end of the nineteenth century, ethnic nationalism was already the most common type of nationalism in the world. The real meaning of nationalism has been confused by many people. People’s inability to distinguish between different types of nationalism and to perceive the close similarity between the ideologies of ethnic identity and ethnic nationalism, shows how natural it has become for us to think in terms of ethnic nationalism, how unproblematic, how legitimate its vision appears to us. Ethnic nationality is appealing to us because as compared to civic nationalism, it provides superior psychological gratification. It limits individual’s freedom, while at the same time relieves them of responsibility and offers a sense of tangible order. It offers the universal need, to live in a free society, where one may choose one’s identity. It is natural, what with the anomie and the disconcerting indeterminacy of one’s reality, to yearn for the comfort for the regulated world where one is never allowed more than what one can accomplish. It allows for one to be respected and the maintenance of his dignity is assured by his membership in the dignified community irrespective of his accomplishments. The experience of modernity, in other words, created as it is by nationalism, favors ethnic nationalism. (Goldmann etal 34-35) Ethnic nationality has also been promoted by the recent wave of democratization which has spread throughout the world alienation from increasingly impersonal, bureaucratic and centralized states; and the declining importance of class-based political parties and movements. Uneven economic development has often frustrated the desires of regionally based ethnic groups for educational and occupational mobility and an improved standard of living. In this light, ethnic nationalism can be seen as an attempt to maintain or to create a sense of identity and community in the face of the threat of cultural assimilation or cultural destruction. Ethnic nationalism is used by governments, including its use for elite manipulation, its involvement in situations of threat and defense, its relationship to relative economic deprivation and the interstate rivalries that feed on ethnic secession and irredentism for their own needs. Limits of ethnic nationalism On the other hand, ethnic nationalism is associated with several limitations. In the modern world, the rise of ethnic nationalism has often resulted in disruptive changes such as the disintegration experienced by several multiethnic states. As a result, it is incompatible with the idea of the state nationalism that seeks the convergence of territorial and political loyalty, irrespective of competing locus of affiliation, such as kinship, profession, religion, economic interest, race or even language. This may occur, for example, where the government forces the members of certain ethnic groups to agree to ethnic nationalism. For example, the officials of Pakistani present the country as one united nation with a common history, common culture and common religion. But various ethnic groups refuse to accept those lies and, despite a common religion, challenge them with the myths of their own distinct history, culture and language. Due to such reasons many people have sympathized with ethnic nationalism and said that it at least faces up to the negativity of the existing world. (Khan 25) Zhao Suisheng says that repression is not the only measure the state has deployed to retain ethnic minority areas. The role of the state, even the totalitarian state, has its limits. Ethnic nationalism has a resilience of its own; it cannot be easily dislodged from the minds of minority peoples by repression. The state may rewrite history as a means to colonize ethnic minorities and to control them through coercive policies. It can not however eliminate the historical memory of ethnic minorities. The inclusion of identity as a factor in ethnic nationalist should be considered. Many nations that support ethnic nationalism encourage its citizens to follow only one culture, leading to the loss of identity to many people in the country. Maintenance of people’s identity should be considered as it plays a key role in motivating ethnic nationalistic communities, and in explaining the shared goals among the members. While identity is important in explaining the shared goals within an ethnic nationalist community, other factors such as homeland relationships should also not be overlooked. (Zhao Suisheng 79) Question two Multilateralism Multilateralism is a term used in international relations to refer to many countries working jointly on certain issues. There are several principles and features of multilateralism, which it follows for the sake of its effective operation, such as defending human rights, promoting free trade and globalization, conserving the environment and encouraging freedom of movement to mention but a few. Although all the aforementioned principles are set for the good of multilateralism, they may either weaken or strengthen it as an approach to finding solutions to global problems. Principles and features of the international system affecting multilateralism Human rights Multilateralism encourages the leaders of its member countries to consider the humanitarian needs and the human rights of the citizens first, before their personal interests. It also encourages them to maintain good relations with other countries. This is especially the case when it comes to political instability. Due to multilateralism, international organizations have offered help to the member countries, for example, in cases of political instability. On the other hand, politically stable countries have helped the politically unstable ones to regain peaceful relations. This shows the role of multilateralism as a good approach to resolving problems affecting several countries. For example, the United Nations played a big role in the recent fight between Israel and Gaza. A report by the United Nations accused the Israeli troops of abusing the human rights. The troop was accused of human rights violations such as shelling a building they had ordered the civilians to enter, using a Palestinian child as a human shield during fighting in Gaza, shooting Palestinian children among many others. The United Nations was at the fore front of urging the two countries to settle their differences and observe peaceful relations. Globalization and free trade Multilateralism encourages globalization. Globalization is defined as the sense of wide spread international movement. It implies a higher place of organization, where discrete international entities dissolve, so that all major political and economic decisions are transmitted globally. It sees the death of boundaries encouraging free trade; in this sense, it is seen as a factor strengthening multilateralism as the preferred approach for resolving global problems. Globalization has been of utmost performance in reducing barriers to trade in both goods and services and capital flows. Occurrence of unhampered trade has not only caused maximum economic welfare for the participating states, but has also caused peaceful relations among states. No single country is completely self-sufficient in terms of its consumer needs, such as food. Multilateralism has therefore been able to balance the two aspects; it has provided a market for the big producers of consumer products, while satisfying the consumer needs for the people in the low producing countries. Health Multilateralism involves and encourages the movement of people from one country to another. It has seen the movement of people among nations, resulting to immigration. Immigrants find their way in an environment that is new to them due to several reasons such as wars, the search for a better life and famine among many other reasons. Multilateralism has given people the freedom to move to foreign countries and easily acquire passports, work permits and other documents required for one to settle in the country. However, this movement has seen crowding in the developed nations, as the people from the third world struggle to find ways to migrate to the developed nations. It has also resulted to the spread of diseases from one nation to the other. Many of the people who migrate as refugees are not screened for dangerous or contagious diseases. They spread diseases from their home countries to the foreign country. A good example was the spread of diseases that happened in the 20th century is spread of Ebola by Uganda immigrants to the neighboring countries like Kenya and Tanzania, and the spread of small pox by immigrants form Congo. Environmental conservation One of the principles of multilateralism is to oversee environmental conservation, especially today, when global warming has been declared a global environmental crisis. It’s well known that multilateralism encouraged the developed countries to establish industries in the developing countries. However, in doing this, it has accelerated the rate of global warming in the developing countries. Initially, the developing countries have little levels of global warming. When the multinational companies in the developed nations establish subsidiaries in the developing nations, they accelerate global warming through the increased emission of the green house gases to the atmosphere, and increasing chances acidic rain. This, not only poses health risks to the people in the developing nations, but is also a cause for the destruction of their crops as most of them rely on farming. Even though multilateralism intends to encourage environmental conservation and the development of the third world countries, it ends up encouraging global warming indirectly. Works cited 1) Khan Adeel. â€Å"Politics of identity: ethnic nationalism and the state in Pakistan. † SAGE, 2005. Pg 25 2) Goldmann Kjell, Hannerz Ulf, Westin Charles. â€Å"Nationalism and Internationalism in the Post-Cold War Era† New York: Routledge, 2000. Pg 34-35 3) Hider James, UN accuses Israeli troops of Gaza human right abuses; Times Online. 3/24/2009, retrieved on 4/17/2009 from http://www. timesonline. co. uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5962905. ece 4) Zhao Suisheng. A nation-state by construction: dynamics of modern Chinese nationalism. Stanford University Press, Beijing; 2004. pg 79

LM Company Strategic Plan

LM Company Strategic Plan Abstract The market, which any organization serves, is dynamic in nature. This is mainly attributed to changes in the environment in which the organization is existent. The various environments which affect organizations include: Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on LM Company Strategic Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Constant monitoring and evaluation of these environments should therefore be carried out to track any changes that may occur and undertake appropriate measures. These issues should be addressed with immediate effect as failure to do so may cause dire consequences for the organization. This paper will therefore focus on these issues in one fruit producing company, LM as well as a functional strategic plan that will steer the organization in the right direction. Introduction LM is a fruit producing company that has been in business for th e last ­ 20 years. Overtime, the company has reported robust growth over the last few decades which has mainly been attributed to the rapidly changing consumer lifestyle trends. The current health campaign witnessed all over the country has increased demand in fresh fruit and vegetable products. LM has gone out of its way to make sure it meets these needs in a bid to satisfy the customer. As a result of this intervention, the organization has been catapulted to higher levels leading to increased profit margins. The industry has also witnessed entry of new businesses aiming to cut a niche in the rapidly growing market. This has prompted the company to review and adjust its plan in order to position it in such a manner that it will continue surviving and thriving in the market. As a result of the new developments, the organization’s strategic plan will ensure that it addresses these challenges appropriately as well as provide a roadmap for the organization for the next five y ears. Organizational profile The combined produce industry is one that has seen tremendous growth over the last decades as a result of a shift in lifestyle trends with most consumers advocating for fresh fruits and vegetables. LM is one of the companies that identified this market gap and as a result decided to exploit this opportunity. The next 55 years is nothing but a tells of these products include fruits such as apples and cherries and vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions and the like. Customer support LM emphasizes on providing customer support and this is evidenced in the 24 Care centre that offers assistance to customers, addressing their queries. This is also proven by providing full support in the supply chain as it deals with the entire process, starting from farming, packing, logistics and finally to sales. The LM family LM treats every employee, customers and suppliers as family. This helps foster a sense of belonging and association hence nurtures l oyalty. It has a diverse network of growers situated in different states and even countries all having good values and work ethic. Although they may differ in age, language or gender, all are united by one fact, their passion for farming. They are all recognized as part of the LM family. This network ensures that supply of products is constant and subdues any demand eventualities hence guaranteeing fresh quality produce to our customers. Leadership LM success would not have been possible without the dedicated workforce that has made LM be what it is now. The leadership and vision of the management team, starting from the founder and chairman, Joe McGee and President and CEO, John Oxford, down to the employee in the apple orchids, the growth of the company would not have been experienced. They their vast knowledge in the produce market have provided guidance and helped steer the organization in the right direction.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on LM Com pany Strategic Plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Strategic plan According to May, a strategic plan is a firm’s roadmap that details direction that â€Å"guides an organization to achieve its set objectives† (25). Strategic planning, according to Steiner, is an â€Å"organization’s process of defining its strategy or direction and making decisions on allocating resources to pursue this strategy† (16). It seeks to answer the following questions: What do we do? How do we excel? Where do we see ourselves in the future from now? New entrants in the produce market have prompted the need to develop a strategic plan that would steer the organization in the right direction. This will help ensure the organization remains relevant and successful in a competitive environment. The LM strategic plan will therefore provide focus for the organization and also ensure proper utilization of available resources, embracing new t echnologies that would increase production, and embrace relevant technologies that would improve the quality of produce and most importantly, provide alternatives for the development and growth of supplier alliances, retaining the current suppliers as well as attracting new and able suppliers for the constant supply of fresh produce. This will take LM to a new level to even compete in the global platform. IM 2013-2017 strategic plan The strategic plan is detailed to ensure that the organization adopt relevant strategies that will guide the organization in the right direction. It details the challenges that are currently being experienced by the company, provides strategic objectives that will guide the organization in the specified time and strategic goals that aim at achieving the identified objectives. LM external environment The external environment is comprised of the Political, Economic, Social, Technological and Environmental (PESTEL) aspects. However, the external environment is one that is beyond an organization’s control and therefore, the PESTEL analysis is a preventive measure. In the view of evaluating these environments in order to identify their relevance to the organization, a PESTEL analysis should be carried out. The variables that affect the company strategy as per the analysis are detailed below: Political aspect- Following efforts made by the government and other law makers in the industry following their endorsement of encouraging healthy eating habits, this has translated to improved business for the organization. Economic aspect- Throughout the years, rapid diversification of the market has been experienced. This has contributed to increase in food production. It has therefore led to development of strong competitive pressure in the industry that has not particularly favored the organization.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This, coupled with increasing prices of farm inputs that have led to increase in supplier prices as well as high inflation experienced in the market has compromised the strategic position of the organization in the market. This has prompted the need to come up with measures that will deal with these issues as provided by the 2013-2017 Strategic plan. Social aspect- Changing lifestyle trends, with most people opting for healthy food has seen the adoption of fresh produce as opposed to pre-packaged produce. Recent demographic surveys have also revealed increase in population growth rate hence increased demand for food products. This makes business better for the organization. Technological aspect- Technology is ever changing, aiming to simplify work done by human beings. The organization is on the receiving end with this one as it has not adopted advanced technology fully in its processes hence lead to lost or expensive business. Legal aspect- LM has a large aspect of external growers who are guided by contracts offered by the organization. There is need for stricter contract enforcement to ensure that produce are delivered well in their time schedules. Apart from the PESTEL analysis, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis is also applicable, particularly in the Opportunities and Threats aspects. This analysis focuses on analyzing the opportunities that are available for the organization as well as the threats facing the organization in the market such as ready local and regional markets. The above variables will affect the organization in one way or another and contrary to this will place the business on the losing end. Proper undertaking of this analysis will provide guidance to the organization in ways of improving its undertakings. LM’s internal environment This environment is one that is within the organization’s control since it deals with internal aspects of the organization, therefore, a SWOT analysis is carried out. In accordance with the organization, the following strengths and weaknesses are exhibited. Strengths Dedicated workforce- The organization is fortunate to have hardworking and resilient employees as well as suppliers who enable the smooth running of the organization’s day to day operations. Diverse supplier networks- The organization has a diverse networking ranging from growers from different states to different countries. This ensures the constant supply of produce hence guaranteeing supply of products to customers. Stakeholder participation- Participation from government, customers, suppliers and creditors help establish the organization and ground it firmly amidst increasing competition pressure. Weaknesses Low adaptability of advanced technology- Advanced technology benefits organizations in the sense that it lowers production cost hence translating to lower wholesale and retail costs. It also positions the organization in the competitive market. Unfortunately, LM h as not been able to fully adopt new technology hence causing lost business opportunities. Increased competition- LM over the years has faced stiff competition from existing and new competitors. This has resulted to the loss of business for the organization. Therefore, in a bid to address this issue, the organization should adopt the competitive strategies for survival (Michael 233). LM resources LM most prized resource is human resource. This is because it manifests itself in the growers, who supply fresh produce to the organization, as well as employees who run the day-to-day operations of the organization. Other important resources are LM farms which help supplement the organization’s produce, as well as equipment which are used throughout the process. Capabilities The organization has the potential to grow beyond the current level. This is because once it adopts new technology, output will surely increase. It can also improve the sales levels by diversifying the product ba se by adopting products with established markets as well as those in high demand. Core competencies Close supplier relationship- The organization strives at maintaining close links with suppliers. This helps foster stable relationships that have present or future advantages. All operations therefore are carried out in good faith. A good working relationship with suppliers provides a base for good business on behalf of the organization. Employee loyalty- LM considers every employee as family. The feeling of belonging is important as makes individuals to feel wanted and valued hence do their best in their duties. Therefore, this means improved and efficient service. Strategic goals The objectives as detailed indicated below will provide guidance to the organization in the period specified, 2013-2017: Enhance competitiveness of the organization Embrace technology for improved productivity Improve effectiveness of the supply chain Expand product base Strategic Goal 1: Enhance competit iveness of the organization Due to the increased competition in the market, seeing the rise of new entrants and efforts made by the existing competitors, they have posed a threat to the organization. Therefore, in order to deal with this, the organization should incorporate Information and Technology systems in their processes. This will improve customer service hence improve their loyal relationship with the organization. Another way of achieving this goal is by undertaking proper market research. This will help establish gaps in the market that provide the organization with opportunity for improved business and improved product delivery that will satisfy changing customer needs. Researches will also assist the organization determine appropriate fruit products with wide profit margins and in high demand, that the organization can opt at producing for improved business (Philip 348). LM should also embrace value addition. According to Belkaoui, this is the process of improving the or iginal state of a product by â€Å"modifying it for its end use by the consumer† (40). The organization should invest in the appropriate technology to make this possible. This will improve the position of the organization in the market hence steer clear from competitors. Strategic Goal 2: Embrace technology for improved productivity Technology will go a long way in improving productivity. Recent systems that can be applicable for LM include the Enterprise Resource Systems, (ERP). According to Harwood, ERP is a set of integrated systems â€Å"operating in a business that control business functions more effectively and efficiently† (11). This will assist different departments within the organization to communicate, such as the finance department and the operations departments. Another technology that can be adopted is one that interconnects supplier networks sites to the organizations’ own. Therefore, in case there is a decrease in the levels of certain products i n the organization’s inventory, the supplier is promptly notified and therefore fills up the deficiency. This translates to improved business as there is constant supply of products. Strategic Goal 3: Improve effectiveness of the supply chain Proper monitoring of the Supply chain will seek to identify ways and means of reducing costs in the process. This will enable the organization save up and divert the money to other processes that really need it. The organization could also improve the participation of customers by involving them in the process. For instance, LM could adopt an online ordering system that will allow them place their orders electronically. The website should therefore be updated and made user friendly for easy navigation. Strategic Goal 4: Expand product base LM should look into other products in order to diversify their product line. This will translate to improved business. The organization should invest in research in a bid to identify suitable products it could adopt based on market demand and projected sales revenues. Conclusion Therefore, the organization should keep abreast of changing trends in the market and supplement them in the Strategic Plan. This plan should not be static but flexible in order to provide room for change based on the prevailing market trends or aspects affecting the organization. The organization during the planning process should take into consideration its financial position, it should also ensure it implements change effectively in areas where it is required for reception by employees. The organization should finally provide updated financial reports to assess whether it is in the right financial position to implement change. This will make the organization implement the strategic plan effectively. Belkaoui, Ahmed. Value added reporting: Lessons for the United States. Washington: McGraw-Hill Publishers, 1999. Print. Harwood, Samuel. ERP. New York: Sage Publishers, 2003. Print. May, Gary. Strategic pla nning: Fundamentals for small businesses. New York: Sage Publishers, 2010. Print. Philip, Sadler. Strategic management. London: Kogan Page Publishers, 2003. Print. Michael, Porter. On competition. New York: Joessey Publishers, 2008. Print. Steiner, George. Strategic planning. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers, 2010. Print