Business Strategy - company analysis Assignment

Business Strategy - company analysis - Assignment Example Over the period of time, Foster’s Group has expanded into its existing as well as current markets by acquiring new businesses and developing its existing business lines. Due to this, firm has been able to launch different brands of beer, wine and soft drinks in Australia and other parts of the world. It is also critical to note that the Foster’s Group’s wine business specially in US is not doing well and it has also written down the value of the division in order to recognize the losses incurred. Firm has also been charged for the violation of the occupational health and safety Act of Victoria, Australia and was fined heavily due to the death of one of the workers. This report will present an external and internal analysis of Foster’s Group besides identifying three important strategic issues faced by the firm. This report will also identify two important strategic actions which firm can undertake beside presenting the recommendations. External Analysis Tw o of the most important tools for performing external analysis include PESTLE and Porter’s Five Forces Analysis. ... Australia has one of the richest sources of natural resources and it is because of this reason that most of the foreign investment comes in the mining and minerals sector. During the current financial crisis, Australian economy remained well guarded due to the fact that majority of its trade takes place with China. (Economy Watch, 2011) Social Factors Total population of Australia is over 21 million1 with majority of population falling in the age bracket of 15-64 years. Such large population chunk therefore provides a really available market for the beer and other associated products manufactured and marketed by Foster’s. 92% of the population of the country is based upon White Population whereas 7% are Asians and 1% of the population comprises of aborigines. These statistics suggest that the social factors may be conducive for the firm to conduct its business with ease. Technological factors Industry for Beer, Wine and Soft Drinks does not particularly depends upon the techno logical changes however, technology can play its part in terms of advertising and marketing the products. Legal Factors Courts in the country are independent and put a real check over the unethical and illegal practices of the companies. Legislations such as occupational health and safety as well as anti-trust laws are in place to ensure that health and constructive competition exists within the economy. Environmental Factors Environmental factors in this industry does not directly affect the industry however, the overall impact of the industrial waste as well as the dumping of empty beer cans can pose significant threat to the environment. Porter’s Five Forces Threat of New Entrants This industry

Prospects and Challenges of the rules and regulations of the Saudi Research Paper

Prospects and Challenges of the rules and regulations of the Saudi Capital Market - Research Paper Example Distinguishing characteristics take account of spreading out of the market to a round the clock global trading cycle, pact animalization, and augmentation in the rate of recurrence of contracts, incessant evaluations, and imitative markets. Antagonists argue that neo-liberalism is the functioning of comprehensive capitalism through military or government interference to guard the interests of multinational conglomerates, over and above this free trade also casts influences on wages and social structures. The Saudi Arabia's Securities Exchange Commission1 and the Saudi Arabia's Stock Exchange (Tadawul)2 established by the enactment of the Capital Markets Law with authority to regulate all aspects of the capital market. The Government of Saudi Arabia has been making significant attempts to strengthen its regulatory and institutional infrastructure for capital markets since 2003. The Government of Saudi Arabia prepared and issued the Capital Market Law, which was concretizing in 2003, through the creation of the Supreme Economic Council and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. These reforms should help galvanize the Saudi Capital market.3 The major objective of this study is to identify the prospect and challenges of the rules and regulations of the Saudi Arabia capital market. The Government of Saudi Arabia has been making significant attempts to strengthen its regulatory and institutional infrastructure for capital markets since 2003. The Government of Saudi Arabia prepared and issued the Capital Market Law, which was concretizing in 2003, through the creation of the Supreme Economic Council and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. These reforms should help galvanize the Saudi Capital market. 3 Objectives of the Study The major objective of this study is to identify the prospect and challenges of the rules and regulations of the Saudi Arabia capital market. In order to reach this objective, the sub-objectives include: 1. An overview of the Capital Market Law of 2003; 2. An assessment of the contemporary equity market in the country; 3. To conduct a survey of the overall institutional, legal and regulatory framework for capital markets. Problem Statement Due to the number of banking and financial crises in the global capital markets, companies have created series of techniques in order to improve the market performance.4 The capital market of Saudi is not well diversified with such techniques as there exists a specialised securities regulator and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) that regulate the market and in this way restrict companies from many lucrative activities.5 Before enacting the Capital Market Law and other Regulations of Saudi Arabia, the capital market lacked some of the basic features of more advanced markets such as a designated supervisory authority and a stock exchange with well defined functions.6 With booming oil revenues, government bond issuance is likely to diminish, causing a contraction in the supply of government debt.7 'There are no controls on portfolio investment in Saudi Arabian government securitiesas well as there are other major problems with the Sauid Arabia capital markets that I will disc uss in this dissertation. Since the enactment of the Capital Market Law of 2003, the Saudi Arabia Government has tried to promote reform programs in all sectors of capital market and these changes have been rapid. Among these measures has been the establishment of the modern Saudi capital market. The Saudi stock market is the largest in the region; and with the enactment of the Capital Market Law, the way is paved for a full-fledged securities market. There is a lack of transparency in the market, whether it relates to a company's expansion

The Effect of Modern War Games on the Prejudices of Children Essay Example for Free

The Effect of Modern War Games on the Prejudices of Children Essay The rise of video games among youth in recent decades has spurred many new studies into the psychological effects of continued video game usage on a high level. According to a study by The Pew Internet American Life Project, 97% of children and teens play video games (Lenhart, 2008). Video games and violence have also had a positive correlation, meaning they have some relation to each other in increased violence levels in adolescents. In recent years there have been a multitude of multi-platform supported games all with a plot that involves Middle Eastern cultures in a negative context. Could the effect of psychological conditioning and consistent positive reinforcement from the gameplay against radical Islamic terrorist groups develop into prejudices and generalized stigmas toward Middle Eastern cultures? These games that are being represented also share a close similarity to military simulation used to condition soldiers to combat, which I believe also proves that aggressive gameplay is indeed supportive, if not at part causal, for aggressive actions or thoughts. The groups who would be affected most by this would be children and teens, as they have the highest usage on a regular basis with teens up to fifty percent who had played a game â€Å"yesterday† (How Can Advertisers, 2009). Looking at both the pervasive and regular usage of children under the age of eighteen, it seems evident that whatever effect may be present would be experienced by a large portion of youth. Video game usage for these youth is happening at a time in their lives when they are forming and developing social ideology. In the stage of human development at this time in their lives, full reasoning skill and acknowledgement of the fact that it is only a game may not be present in all children. The game itself would be very important in the way that it would affect the player. In the same study done by The Pew Internet American Life Project, 86% of teens play games on a console such as a Xbox 360 or PS3 and 73% play games on their computer (Sood, 2008). If we look at record sales of games in the last few years we can see that the Call of Duty series has been extremely successful. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare sold more than 13 million copies since released according to figures from 2009 since the game was released in late 2007(Activision to Showcase, 2009). Its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2, set records with selling 4.7 million copies within 24 hours of its release (Molina, 2009). Another hit game series is Battlefield, especially in its versions Bad Company 2 and now Battlefield 3. In all of these blockbuster and hit games that were just mentioned there is an element of Arab hostility in which the player has to fight against a Middle Eastern militia or military faction. With video games now emerging as a significant industry affecting millions of people, we must consider what possible impact these games could be making on their customers. The psychological effect of conditioning is always in use by our brain, as it perceives stimuli and attempts to analyze it in conjunction to the situation surrounding it. This effect has been experimented on by many, but was fathered by Ivan P. Pavlov and later deeply researched by B. F. Skinner, a strong behaviorist (Staddon, 2003). This psychological paradigm states that all actions can be accounted for, both experimentally and in one’s natural development, by conditioning. Classical conditioning is based on the basic principles of a response that is generated by an unconditioned stimulus (US) which then results in an unconditioned response (UR). In cases, conditioning takes place when certain elements are present that, by themselves, initially do not produce the corresponding UR, this is called the conditioned stimulus (CS). After the conditioning process has occurred, the CS will illicit the same response as the US, before called the UR. The new response when using the CS is called the conditioned response (CR) (Staddon, 2003). In order to better understand the concept, here is an example of the above from a psychologist, John Watson, who conditioned a child, Little Albert, to fear certain stimuli. First, Watson took a rat, dog, and monkey and showed Albert each for the first time in his life. The result of the initial exposure showed that, initially, Albert had no fear of the animals. Watson then took his unconditioned stimulus (UCS), which was a gong noise, which upset Albert, the unconditioned response (UCR) (Swets, 2011). He then introduced the same rat, before not feared, to Albert in addition to the gong noise (UCS), which caused Albert to cry (UCR). After repeating this several times, the rat was then turned into the conditioned stimulus (CS). The fear transferred to the rat (CS) then exhibited the same response of crying, before the UCS and now the conditioned response (CR). Once the hairy rat was taught to be feared in this experiment, Watson then generalized Little Albert to several animals, which is the broadening of a condition to additional similar objects than the original stimuli (Swets, 2011). When a rabbit, which he hadn’t seen before and had no pre-existing condition of fear, upset Albert he associated the hairy aspect of the rabbit with the rat. A mask and dog were also feared. When Albert was shown these, he would then cry. The UCS in the case of the video games would be the enemy combatant. The UCR would be an act of aggression in the game that would defeat the opponent, normally by shooting or otherwise killing. This is obviously violent behavior, but not necessarily in the pretext of the game. The CS would be the fact that normally this enemy happens to be Arabic or Middle Eastern. Over the course of playing the game and repeating the same violent in-game actions, the CR would be thoughts of aggression or suspicion when shown Middle Eastern People. This perhaps leads to a stigma against Arabic people. The aggression documented in studies such as Anderson in 2000, and Ferguson in 2008 may not necessarily be augmented toward this prejudice, but rather it would manifest itself in a much less outwardly violent way resulting in a conscious or subconscious stigma. The connection between the UCR and the CR is that the UCR is learned aggression in gameplay, and that would be transferred into a real world application; an example would be a stigma or a prejudice. The conditioning element example for the racial prejudice is in the example above. It is unfair to credit the video game with the entire generation of such a stigma. There was a study and article just published by Erik Bleich that talks about Islamophobia and how western cultures have generally negative thoughts about Muslim people. The article continues to predict that Muslim-fearing people will become an emerging social group (Bleich, 2011) Bliech theorizes that since prominen t figures, in politics, media, or otherwise, have openly stated or engage in anti-Muslim plans that there is no stopping the movement. Soon people will start labeling themselves or actions by the possible fear of Muslims (Foner, 2011). After 9/11, there was a significant rise in suspicion and hate acts directed toward most Muslim people. With that increase, there was 18 to 26 percent of the civil rights violations that happened at the workplace. In a target group, there was an average drop of seventeen hours per week for younger Muslim Americans (Rabby, 2011). There are clear indications that there is a fear of Muslims. In fact, at the time of September 11, 2001, I was nine years old and I too had developed an irrational fear of all Muslims. The conclusion is that there is, and probably will be, a generalized fear of Muslims, due to ignorance or historical precedent, so long as terrorism has a main role in global politics. There is no general consensus that video games in themselves cause violent behavior, even though there are many studies that show a positive correlation, but it is agreed that it at least promotes aggression in people who already have aggressive tendencies. Video games were seen to provide a mode or method for enacting the violence that the individual would commit regardless of the game’s influence (Anderson, 2000). In a study done by Anderson and Dill in 2000 they also state that, â€Å"We believe that video game violence also primes aggressive thought†. Males during adolescence show considerable aggression toward other males in particular but also toward females. The evolutionary reasoning behind this is because younger males have to compete over possible mates, so a greater amount of aggression would yield a greater possibility of attaining the mate. (Hilton, 2000) Using this comparison, we could stipulate that a percentage of the gaming population is aggressive, given the natural percentage plus the increase because of the age category. Given this fact we would see that the more aggressive nature of the selected population would then be more likely to be affected by any effect the game would render to its players. Movies are also a form of visual information that most people can understand, given the wide presentation of most productions. Studies show that media presentations generate a strong effect on the consumers of the information. (Heusmann, 1994) . For example, in the twentieth century communist Russia was a strong force of fear that was widespread due to actual diplomatic relations and hostility. The movies of that time added unnecessary amounts of fear to the topic by generalizing all Russians as spies or communist invaders. The games present information and realism smoothly into the gameplay so that the user barely notices all of the interactions taking place while playing the game. Anderson and Dill also point out the correlation between general media and video games when they said, â€Å"Entertainment media affects our lives. What behaviors children and adults consider appropriate comes, in part, from the lessons we learn from television and the movies. There are good theoretical reasons to expect that violent video games will have similar, and possibly larger, effects on aggression.†(Anderson, Dill 2000) This could be reasoned because the level of involvement into the game correlates with the level of brain usage, because of the attention levels needed to operate in an immersive gameplay. The brain could be more likely to accept these facts and bits of information as truth presented to it. This truth could then be used to advance a possible, already present, stigma of terrorist to a more generalized stigma against Arabic people as a whole. The overall emergence of video games as a massively used media for youth has presented many areas of study for psychologists. The age of the individual, factoring psychological development phases and increased male aggressiveness, in conjunction with the prevalence of violent video games portraying Middle Eastern combatants sets up a possible prejudice effect on its users. This effect could be explained using simple conditioning and generalization, the natural aggressiveness of the subject, and a preexisting fear toward Muslim people all of which will result in a stigma or increased prejudice toward Middle Eastern people among select gamers. I would like to see a formal study on possible prejudice because its significance could be widespread amongst subjects and could be conveyed as racism. Works Cited Activision to Showcase Some of the Most Anticipated Games of the Year at E3 IGN. IGN Video Game Reviews, News Previews. 27 May 2009. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. Anderson, Craig A., and Karen E. Dill. Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78.4 (2000): 772-90. Print. Bleich, Erik. What Is Islamophobia and How Much Is There? Theorizing and Measuring an Emerging Comparative Concept. American Behavioral Scientist 55.12 (2011): 1535-540. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. Ferguson, Christopher J. Violent Video Games and Aggression. Criminal Justice and Behavior 35.3 (2008): 311. Web. 7 Dec. 2011. Foner, Nancy, and Christophe Bertossi. Immigration, Incorporation, and Diversity in Western Europe and the United States: Comparative Perspectives. American Behavioral Scientist 55.12 (2011): 1535-540. Sage Journals Online: American Behavioral Scientist. Sage Publications, Dec. 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. Hilton, N. Zoe, Grant T. Harris, and Marnie E. Rice. The Functions of Aggression by Male Teenagers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79.6 (2000): 988-94. Print. How Can Advertisers Get Through to Teens? EMarketer. Market Research Statistics: Internet Marketing, Advertising Demographics EMarketer. 30 June 2009. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. Huesmann, L. Rowell. Aggressive Behavior: Current Perspectives. New York: Plenum, 1994. Print. Lenhart, Amanda, Joseph Kahne, Ellen Middaugh, Alexandra Macgill, Chris Evans, and Jessica Vitak. Teens, Video Games and Civics. Pew Research Centers Internet American Life Project. 16 Sept. 2008. Web. 07 Dec. 2011. Molina, Brett. Acti vision: Modern Warfare 2 Sells 4.7M Copies on First Day. News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. World USATODAY.com. 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. Rabby, Faisal, and William M. Rogers III. Post 9-11 U.S. Muslim Labor Market Outcomes. Atlantic Economic Journal 39.3 (2011): 273. SpringerLink. 26 July 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. Sood, Medha. Pew Study Shows 53% of US Adults Play Computer Games. TopNews United States. 10 Dec. 2008. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. Staddon, J. E. R., and D. T. Cerutti. Operant Conditioning. Annual Review of Psychology 54.1 (2003): 115-44. Web. 24 Nov. 2011. Swets, Dr. Benjamin. Learning. PSY 101. GVSU, Allendale. 3 Oct. 2011. Lecture.

Significant accomplishment Essay Example for Free

Significant accomplishment Essay The initiative in creating change has always been an integral aspect of man. Equipped with their relative skills and competencies, they engage in various efforts to create opportunities that will improve their capabilities and cater to the service of individuals. Amidst the trials and difficulties in the process, hard work and determination remains to be a vital factor in attaining their desired objectives and purpose in life. At the heart of this is the innovation that drives the creativity which I feel is crucial to the success or attainment of every accomplishment. It is this mindset which has allowed me to achieve my most significant accomplishment to date which is my success in the fashion design industry. While it was always a dream of mine to make it big in the fashion industry, I never imagined that my success would occur in this manner. I started out designing for a company that had Wal-Mart as a client. Seeing the trends in the industry, I compiled my research and submitted my designs to my supervisor. It was very gratifying to find out that the designs I made were accepted by Wal-Mart and were soon on their shelves in the market. I felt that this was a major accomplishment in my life. Another accomplishment that I would like to mention which is similar to this experience is the success I experienced designing for a Fashion Runway Company in the West Coast. I designed two shirts and sketched in four hours for the owner of the company. This was another step forward in my career because it validated my talents and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed in life.

Similarities And Differences Between Islam And Christianity Religion Essay

Similarities And Differences Between Islam And Christianity Religion Essay In this paper we will examine some relevant similarities and differences between two widely known and practiced religions: Islam and Christianity. Although, these two religions have easily identifiable similarities and differences, they are both large players in the religious world today with an impressive number of followers. Also, each of these religions had been delivered with basic rules of guidance, although the rules in themselves were different. Islam had, from Mohammad, the Five Pillars, while Christians had been given the Ten Commandments, delivered by Moses. Another aspect of each of these religions that is very similar is that each is a Book religion. They each have their own book written down by disciples of their respective religion. The Islamic religion has the Koran, and the Christian religion has the Bible. Because Islam diverged from Christianitys beliefs, there are also some notable differences between the two. For example, the way in which each religion is expected to pray. Muslims pray alone and in congregation. When congregational prayer is executed, there are many rules and strict adherences to which they abide. They must pray this way a certain number of times each day and faces in a certain cardinal direction. For Christians, the prayer which is done alone is informal and at ones own discretion, as it is for the Islamic religion. However, congregational prayer for Christians is much less rigorous and strict, and can be done in a number of acceptable ways. Muslims are also expected to take a journey, called a pilgrimage, to their Holy Land whereas, this is not expected of Christians. Another notable difference is the way in which money is given to the church. In earlier days, and in some cases modern days, Muslims giving was in the form of a tax which was mandated. Christians giv e in the form of a tithe and are asked to give ten percent of their income. A very large and widely disputed part of these religions is the interpretation of the Bible. Some events that are disputed include which son Abraham sacrificed, the Virgin Birth and nature of Jesus, and the interpretation of monotheism and the Trinity. Islam and Christianity are religions based on many similar and different beliefs based on the fact that one was borne of the other. For this reason, we can pick up on a number of things that ring true in each religion and a number of things that are completely different between the two of them. Aside from the similarities and differences, each of these religions is still recognized in todays society despite the fact that they are both centuries old. Islam vs. Christianity Despite the fact that there are many similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity, both religions are significant in todays society, which is apparent in the grand number of followers each has amassed. Islam and Christianity are in themselves, complete religions with many followers. Islam was born of Christianity in that a large part of Islams basic belief structure is based on that of Christianity and some portions of the Bible. Because of this fact, there are a number of similarities and a comparative number of differences between the two religions. The beginnings of Islam are actually deeply rooted in Christianity, based on the conviction by the prophet of Islam, Mohammed that Christians had departed from belief in Gods message as revealed in their scriptures (Pike, 67). Approximately 610, the first of many revelations came to him and these visions were believed to have been delivered from God by the angel Gabriel (Pike, 17). Here we begin to see the similarities between the two religions as Gabriel is also the angel that brings news of Jesus birth (Jesus being the founder of Christianity) in Luke 1:26-32, of the Bible. The message that Mohammed received was that there was only one God, not many Gods as the then present day Arabs believed. This God was the creator of the world (Lewis, 8). For Christians the message of a single God was given during the inception of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3 of the Bible, You shall have no other God before me. The creation of the world by this singular God is documented in Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the Islamic faith it is believed that this God would judge mankind, which also rings true in Christianity in Hebrews 10:30, The Lord will judge his people. For Muslims, followers of the Islamic faith, their single God (known as Allah) was considered just because he would judge every person according to his deeds (Catherwood, 99). In both religions, the result of this judgment day was either heaven or hell. Another similarity between both Islam and Christianity was the idea of forgiveness. Islam teaches that God is always ready to pardon the individual and restore him to the sinless state in which he started life. In Christianity, this same basic concept of forgiveness is accepted (Wiles, 561). After the death of Mohammed, certain essential principles were singled out from his teachings to serve as anchoring points for the Islamic community. These have come to be called the five pillars of Islam (Pike, 99-100). Comparably for Christians, the Ten Commandments are considered daily, divine laws. Also, each of these religions is one that has a book by which believers follow. For Christians this is the Bible, which was recorded by prophets and disciples to Jesus including Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and many others. The Bible is for the most part, ordered chronologically and Jesus teaches in parables (Bowie, 66). Likewise for Muslims their book is the Koran, which was a collection of the sayings and deeds of Mohammad, who was believed to be inspired to teach these things by Allah (Lewis, 44-45). However, because the Koran was assembled from remembrances of those who had learned it by heart, the chronological order is not used. The passages or suras were arranged from longest to shor test. In the beginning, for both religions, these teachings were passed along orally, but were later captured via the written word. These books serve as an additional guide for believers and stress the one idea of one God (Pike, 62). Despite these many similarities between Islam and Christianity many differences exist as well. One of these differences is prayer. Islam recognizes two forms of prayer, one being the personal and more informal form of prayer. The other is a ritual prayer which is often congregational with specific words and postures, to be offered five times a day: sunrise, midday, midafternoon, sunset, and before bed. Before Muslims pray ablutions are performed by washing the hands, feet, and face. A person called the muezzin calls for prayer and chants from a raised platform or minaret tower at the mosque. This prayer is started with the imam, the prayer leader, standing at the front of the mosque facing Mecca, the holy city of Islam. (This is the holy city because it was the death place of Mohammad). Each prayer consists of several units, during which the individual is standing, kneeling, or prostrate. At every change in posture, God is great is recited. The chief day of communal worship is Friday and believers gather at the mosque to pray, listen to portions of the Koran, and hear a sermon based on the text. The sermon may have moral, social, or political content. Islam has no ordained clergy, but there are men trained specifically in religion, tradition, and law (Peters, 126-129). For Christians prayer is done alone as well as in a congregation like Islam, but the rigors are far less painstaking. Prayer alone is done at ones own discretion, but traditionally is done at night or in the morning. Congregational prayer is usually headed by the preacher, priest, or another prominent member of the church. The congregation is usually seated in pews, but this can be done standing as well. Christians have a clergy that have been trained in theology and matters of religion and posses a degree from a seminary. The chief days of gathering is on Sundays, and believers pray, sing, listen to sermons, and read from the Bible during their communal gathering (Morris, 218). As you can see, t his is quite different from the Islamic religion. Another large difference in the two religions is the pilgrimage. For Muslims, the pilgrimage, or hajj, is an annual Muslim rite that every believer is expected to take part in at least once in his lifetime. From the seventh to the tenth day in Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, thousands of Muslims converge on the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to visit the holy shrine of the Kaaba in the Great Mosque, which tradition says was built by Abraham. The pilgrimage was intended to reenact the hegira, the flight of Mohammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 (Catherwood, 100). Christians do not have such a pilgrimage but many do visit the birth place of Jesus, the city of Jerusalem, and consider it an honor to do so. Fasting and the giving of money are two more distinct differences between the two religions. Because the Koran was first revealed to Mohammad in the month of Ramadan, the whole month was set aside as a period of fasting. During each day, from first light to darkness , all eating, drinking, and smoking are forbidden. Upon the end of the fasting period, the second major festival of the Islamic year ensues and lasts several days. In contrast, Christians have the Lenten period, where Jesus was sent to the desert for forty days and forty nights, and was tempted by the devil. During this time, Christians usually give up something of importance, and although some fasting does happen, it is generally not as long as in the Islamic religion. The end of this forty day period is known as Ash Wednesday, which begins the holiest point on the Christian calendar (Good Friday and Easter) (Ware, 146-147). Also, the giving of money is somewhat different. For Muslims, the zakat is an obligatory tax, which is contributed to the state or community. In the modern period, the zakat has become a voluntary charitable contribution (Pike, 100). For Christians, this is known as tithe. Believers are expected to contribute ten percent of there salary to the church for Gods p urposes (Morris, 197). Also, some of the differences between Islam and Christianity are clearly discerned in the holy books of the Bible and the Koran. One such example is the sacrifice of Abraham. This event is interpreted very differently in both religions. Both books make the acknowledgement that Abraham was willing to make a tremendous sacrifice (Shamoun, 57). However, the difference between the interpretations lies in the name of Abrahams son. For example the bible says, By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son (Hebrews, 11:17). With this the Bible affirms that it was indeed Isaac who was offered up as the sacrifice. In Koran, however, Ishmael is the one who is purportedly offered up for sacrifice as Abrahams only son (Sura 11: 69-73). Another incident that is disputed between the two religions is the Virgin Birth and the Nature of Jesus. The Koran does support the virgin birth of Christ, but does not support the notion that Christ was resurrected. The Koran suggests instead that the Virgin Mary gave birth to a prophet, who was free from innate sin because he was virgin born (Dew, 1). The Bible then, supports the notion that the virgin birth existed, and the Virgin Mary gave birth to the son of God, In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him (Dew, 1 John 4:9, 1). Islam states that Christ is not divine, it rejects this ideal and is seen in the Koran, The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was no more than Allahs apostle and His Word which he cast to Mary; a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His apostles and do not say: Three. Allah is but one God (Dew, Koran 4: 171, 1). Jesus in the Bible, however, is believed to be God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). This leads into the Trinity of the Christian faith. Islam is monotheistic in nature, stating, For God hath said, Take not to yourselves two Gods, for He is one God. (Dew, Sura 16:53,1). Christianity is also monotheistic, but that God is made up of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; otherwise known as the Trinity. Christianity says, The Spirit the Lord Him (Dew, Isaiah 11:2, 1), which refers to the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God. Islam does not support this idea and the Koran argues that Christianity supports the notion of polytheism by stating that the Godhead represents three different Gods, not one (Dew, 1). In conclusion, Islam and Christianity are two intricately woven religions that have some basic framework in common, but their beliefs diverge as well. For example, some of the similarities shared in the two are the angel Gabriel as a deliverer of important news, monotheism, God as the creator of the world, and judgment by God after death. Most of the differences seem to stem from Jesus role as a savior. For example, Muslims do not believe that Jesus was anything more than a prophet and therefore, the Trinity can not exist. Also, there are some deviations in similar stories that are related by each religion, like that of Abraham and his sacrificial son. Despite these difference and similarities, we can agree that Christianity and Islam are both significant players in the world of religion and todays society.

Impact of Curriculum Definitions and Theories

Impact of Curriculum Definitions and Theories This essay will examine several definitions of curriculum, relating one to Education and Childhood studies and the impact it has on learners. In addition, the essay sets out to explore curriculum in relation to delivery and Curriculum is often seen as the main concern in the educational field however, the type of curricula to offer to learners is crucial. The concept of curriculum is sometimes characterized as fragmentary, elusive and confusing. Teachers are concerned about the choices to make about the teaching content and methods of delivery. While, caregivers and parents are interested in knowing what is going to be taught to their children. Learners are equally concerned about the content they are going to receive in class. The concept of curriculum is as dynamic as the changes that occur in society. In its narrow sense, curriculum is viewed merely as a listing of subject to be taught in school. In a broader sense, it refers to the total learning experiences of individuals not only in schools but in society as well. Su, (2012) views Curriculum as what teachers will teach and how well learners will learn, it also involves other issues like:ÂÂ   teaching the curriculum, testing the curriculum, ad ministrative curriculum and the hidden curriculum. However, Kelly (1999, p.83), suggest that curriculum is negatively viewed as a syllabus which may limit the planning of teachers to a consideration of the content or the body of knowledge they wish to transmit or a list of the subjects to be taught or both. However, (Braslavsky, 2003) considers the curriculum as educational foundations and contents, their sequencing in relation to the amount of time available for the learning experiences, the characteristics of the teaching institutions, the characteristics of the learning experiences, from the point of view of methods to be used, the resources for learning and teaching (e.g. textbooks and new technologies), evaluation and teachers profiles. A curriculum is an intended programme of learning and has three elements: a set of curriculum standards which set out the expected student achievements (what they know, what they can do and what dispositions they have acquired) at set points of time, the student having taken part in a programme of learning; a set of pedagogical standards; and a set of summative assessment or evaluation standards (Scott,2016 p.4). Having explored some definitions of curriculum, Scotts definition best fits the curriculum delivered on the Education and Childhood Studies programme. The curriculum covers several courses that ensures learners have an informed knowledge of the course to prepare them for the next step in their career. The curriculum covers a range of courses indicate; The curriculum has an intended programme of learning which learners are expected to complete at the end of the course. For each of the modules, the learning outcome is clearly outline which guides teachers to effectively plan and deliver contents to ensure learners makes progress, paying attention to teaching and learning strategies which will facilitate learners engagement and participation. Progress is usually monitored throughout lessons in form of formative assessment ensuring learners know what they do and what dispositions they have acquired. Furthermore, at the end of each module a set of summative assessment are used to evaluate learners achievement and progress. The curriculum delivered in the Skills Company on the Access for Higher Education, is a tailored towards the learner gaining a qualification towards a place to study in a university of the learners choice provided learners achieve the required grades. Ornstein and Hunkins (2009, p.15) contend that curriculum development encompasses how a curriculum is planned, implemented and evaluated, as well as what people, processes and procedures are involved When the phase in life is reached where education begins in earnest, it is vital that the curriculum is integrated, that there is no separation of theory and practice. By this Plato seems to mean that learning the theory of something is by itself of little value unless the student knows how to make it work.

Characteristics of Pure Competition

Characteristics of Pure Competition 1.0 Introduction Basic microeconomic theory states that firms should seek to maximize profits and that this is achieved where marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost. A number of assumptions underpin this theory, including the assumptions that firms clearly understand the nature of the demand for their products, and why people buy, and that they are willing and able to control production and sales as the model demands. In reality, decision makers do not have perfect knowledge and production and sales are affected by suppliers and distributors. However, this basic theory has resulted in the development of market models and characteristics of these in respect of barriers to entry into the industry, the number of firms in the industry, whether those firms produce a standardized product or try to differentiate their products from those of other firm. At the early 1920s, only two distinct market models are present in the economic studies which are Pure Competition and Pure Monopoly. However, economist found out that most firms operate in markets that fall between the extremes of pure competition and pure monopoly. These firms do not face competition from numerous rival producers all selling a homogeneous product at a single price. Instead, most firms in the real commercial world face varying degrees of competition. In some cases, there are competitions offering more or less identical products; in other instances, firms produce and sell differentiated products. In the latter case, a competitors product is merely an attractive su bstitute. In the real commercial world, there may be numerous competitor, or there may be only a few other sellers in a given market. The need of for a more accurate world for markets of this type of this type led to the development of imperfect market to refer to such markets. Imperfect competition refers to markets lying in between the two extreme forms of markets, pure competition and pure monopoly. In order to bridge the gap of these extreme forms of market structure, two economists, Joan Robinson of Cambridge University of England and Edward Chamberlin of Harvard University in the U.S.A., introduced independently a third market world to explain and illustrate the theory of imperfect competition in the year of 1993. In other words, their model of market organization is what as refer as monopolistic competition. As a result of the variations between the markets present, four distinct market structures are introduced: Pure Competition, Pure Monopoly, Monopolistic competition, and Oligopoly. Pure Competiton Pure Competition is a rarity as such as a theoretical market model. Pure competition involves a very large number of firms producing a standardized, non differentiated product that is exactly identical to that of other firms as perfectly competitive. Pure Competition is a market which firms will only make normal profits, the amount required for them to stay in the industry. In Pure Competition market there are no major barriers to entry into the industry so new firms can enter or exit the industry very easily. If a Pure Competition market reaches a situation which supply exceeds demand then the ruling market price is forced down and only the efficient firms survive. Monopolistic competition Monopolistic competition is characterized by a relatively large number of sellers producing differentiated products such as clothing, furniture and books. However, as there are once more no major barriers to entry the above situation concerning profits applies in terms of long run. Newcomers increase supply and although those firms with distinctive products can charge some premium they will still have to move in line with market prices generally, which made the price takers. This will have a dampening effect on profits the firms gained. Monopoly Pure monopoly is a market structure in which one firm is the sole seller of a product or service. Only a small number or even one large firm is dominant and constitutes the entire industry. Pure monopoly is a real opportunity for supernatural profits, in excess of what is required to stay in business since the entry of additional firms is blocked or the barrier is high to entry. Monopolist produces a unique product that the firms make no effort to differentiate its product. Only in monopoly, excess profits could be made if government did not act as a restraint but under normal circumstances their actions in terms of supply and pricing are monitored and regulated. Oligopoly Oligopoly involves only a small number of large firms of an identical or similar product. This situation resulted in each of the firms tend to be wary of each other as rivals and the prices are held back to some extent for a fear of losing the market share. Firms are interdependent and fear that a price decrease will be met by competitors and price increases will not. There are two types of oligopoly, depending on whether opportunities exist for significant differentiation. In all of these models competition is a major determinant of profit potential and therefore objectives must be set with competitors in mind. The firms that we have chosen for this assignment are Tesco Astro Kaspersky Lab Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Nescafe Carlsberg Cavenzi Air Asia Coca-cola Indah Water consortium Bhd Maxis Face To Face Petronas Gas GSCinemas Brands Outlet Nike Casio Tenaga National Bhd Logitech Telekom Malaysia Bhd 2.0. Pure Competition Characteristics of Pure Competition There are few characteristic of pure competition. One of the characteristic is large number of small sellers in this market. Therefore, the action of any single seller does not have a significant effect on other sellers in the market. Also, it is assumed that many buyers and resources (particularly capital) can easily be transferred into and out of the industry. Secondly, there is no product differentiation in pure competition concept. All firm sell identical products. In other words, all products are completely standardized product in this concept. There are numerous firms in pure competition; each one is so small a part of the market that it cannot alter the market price by selling a little more or little less of its own output. Thirdly, pure competition has been used to refer to markets in which firms are price takers historically. Any firm in a market will be price takers accordance to four conditions; 1. All of firm in the market are producing an identical produce; 2. There a la rge number of firms exist in the market; 3. Each firm supplies only a very small portion of the total amount supplied to the market; 4. No barriers limit in the entry or exit in the market. Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd Products Weng Yeang Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd supplies agricultural goods and food products. Justification After I studied market model of pure competition, I have realized pure competition is relatively rare in the real world market; this market model is highly relevant. I founded that Weng Yeong Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd has the characteristic of the closest firm to a pure competition market structure. One of the factors Wenf Yeong Hang Malaysia Sdn Bhd belonged to Pure Competition market is that there is a very large number of independently acting sellers who also sells agricultural goods and food product, often proposing their products in international markets. The product supplied by this firm is standardized or identical. If the price is the same, consumers will be unconcerned about which seller to buy the product from. Besides that, new firms can freely entry and existing firms can freely leave purely competitive industries. Lastly, this firm may is a price taker due to this firm exerts no major control over product price. Each firm produces such a minor portion of total output that gr owing or diminishing its output will not clearly influence total supply or, therefore, produce price. 3.0 Monopolistic Competition Characteristics of Monopolistic Competition One of the characteristic of Monopolistic Competition is that there are many numbers of firms in the industry producing and selling a slightly but yet differentiated product in terms of brand, quality, location, services and other factors. Firms which operate under Monopolistic Competition normally have no control over the price of the product. In a Monopolistic Competition market, the barriers to entry to industry are easy and non price competition with advertising, brand names, trademarks etc to boost their respective ruling over a certain market. Many producers in Monopolistic Competition sell products that areÂÂ  differentiatedÂÂ  from one another as goods but they are not perfectÂÂ  substitutes for that certain product which is similar to it.ÂÂ   Kaspersky Lab Products Kaspersky Labs products for home and home office are specifically designed software to provide hassle-free and quality protection against viruses, worms and other malicious programs, as well as hacker attacks, spam and spyware Justification Kaspersky Lab is considered as a firm operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many firms providing different types of antivirus software in Malaysia. From a roughly estimated report on the internet regarding the numbers of antivirus software present in the current market, there are 10 to 15 antivirus software firms which are selling antivirus software. Even though each of these products shared the same purpose of defending against malwares, but there is still an element of differentiation in each of the products itself. Kaspersky Lab is selling many differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with antivirus firm by other competitors. For example, customers will choose different brand of antivirus as they please. The antivirus industry is easy to entry and exit because the antivirus software that are easy to be replaced by another substitutes and the cost production are lesser compare to the products produced in the monopoly and oligopoly market structures. Nescafe Products Nescafe produces a combination of freeze-dried coffee granules, coffee bean and instant coffee all in one powder. Justification Nescafe is considered as a firm operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many brand of firms is selling instant coffee powder in Malaysia like Power Root and Ah Huat White Coffee. Nescafe is selling a varieties of differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with coffee drink by other competitors. For examples, there are many brands of instant coffee powder with different packaging, ingredient of the product and price. There are independent action means with numerous of coffee firms in an industry, and each firm can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Nescafe are no personal selling because the product is of low unit value and do not have they own chain of retail stores. Cavenzi Products Cavenzi is a company to sell low price and many type of furniture Justification Cavenzi is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are many brand of firm also selling furniture in Malaysia. Cavenzi is selling many differentiated products which is claimed to be substitutable products but not perfectly substitutable with furniture by other competitors. For examples, it had many brand of furniture just different package, design, ingredient of product and price. There are Independent action means with numerous of furniture firm in an industry, and each firm can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Coca-cola Company Products Coca-Cola produces a variety of soft drinks and refreshment beverages. Justification Coca-cola Company is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are large numbers of soft drink dealer in Asia. Based on the current Asia market, it is roughly estimated that there are 10 or more firms are selling soft drinks. Coca-cola is selling many differentiate products which is claimed to be respond to customer requirements. However, among all the soft drink, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. For example, the soft drinks are differentiated by different packaging or creativity advertising. There are some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit lower and that can product many at same time. Coca-Cola Company considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as the creative advertising released by Coca-Cola Company profound att ention to the public. Compare with another soft drink their different of taste and ingredient to making price competition in the market. Face To Face Products Face To Face provided noodle as its main product and there also got sell drinks, fried rice and snacks as like restaurant. Justification Face To Face is considered operating in the monopolistic competition market structure because there are large numbers of restaurant selling in Asia. Fact To Face is selling differentiated products to be perfectly substitutable with restaurants sold by other competitors. For example, if restaurant are full slot and customer has choice go to Face To Face and older food as their like. However, among all the restaurants, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. For example, restaurants have different packaging or some has delivery services. There is some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit lower and that can product many at same time. Face To Face have its own pricing policy and it considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as they are promote many economic food to attr act their product from public. It will consider price competition with other restaurant. Brands Outlet Products Brands Outlet is one of a brand under Padini Holdings Bhd. They offer a variety of brands, styles and items for men, women and children. Another feature of Brands Outlet is that the store layout is designed to make the shopping experience easy and fun. Justification Brands outlet considered as market model of monopolistic competition because there have many other band tee in the market we know, so it consider as relatively large number of sellers. Each of band tee firm own market shares that have a comparatively small percentage of the total market and consequently has limited control over market price. They are no collusion to each firm due to restrict output and set prices are unlikely. Besides that, they always do promotion like graphic tee RM50/ 3 pieces due to product differentiation to do some control over price. The consumers will pay for it to satisfy their preferences. Nike Products Nike is known by every teenager or sporty guy. We mostly recognize this brand though to the sport shoes. They also developed some accessories for sport and tee. Justification Nike considered as a market model of monopolistic competition due to few factors. The first factor is that the Nike shoes industry (Nikes product mainly on sport shoes) has many competitors like Adidas and Puma which is selling similar products. Nike has its own unique design, quality of work to create a sense of differentiation in their products in order to gain the upper hand in the industry. Nike retailing store often compete mainly on the basis of location. Locations which are close to consumers like a busy street or mall. In additionally, they may advertise their produces that differs from rivals product with famous football players. Casio Products Casio produces projector, cash registers, label printer and other product that benefit to businessman. Justification Casio considered as market model of monopolistic competition because either one of product that them selling has a lot of competitors. Like categorises of watches, the rival present are Rolex, Citizen, Seiko and Skagen. Casio has small market shares in each of firm has a comparatively small percentage of the total market and consequently has limited control over market. They have its own independent action each other, with numerous firms in an industry, there is no feeling of interdependence among them. Each of they can determine its own pricing policy without considering the possible reactions of rival firms. Logitech Products Logitech provide computer peripherals that are essential to our laptop and desktop such as mouse, keyboard, speaker and microphone. Justification Logitech considered as market model of monopolistic competition because them have relatively large of number of sellers in the market. There is no collusion between Logitech to other computer peripherals firm. The presence of relatively large number of firms to restrict output and set prices us unlikely. Logitech is selling a bunch of differentiated products to be perfectly substitutable with other computer peripherals sold by other competitors. For example, if one of Logitechs mice sold out, the consumers also can choice other Logitechs mice provided in the shop. However, among all the computer peripherals, each of them may have some differentiated attributes to their product. Different packaging and performance are to be expected on other computer peripherals. There is some but within rather narrow limits due to the changes of price are no cause big effects to their consumer. Moreover, the condition of entry the market those are relatively easy because the cost of production quit l ower and that can product many at same time. Logitechs computer peripherals considerable emphasis on advertising, brand names trademarks as they are promote many computer peripherals to attract their product from public. 4.0 Pure Monopoly Characteristic of Monopoly Monopoly has extensive market control. It controls the selling side of the market. They must pay the monopoly firm if anyone wants to get the production sold by the monopoly firm. This means that the demand curve facing the monopoly is the market demand curve, they are one and the same. There is only one firm but not a lot of small firms in a monopolized industry because there are no close substitutes in the market. A monopoly often owes its monopoly status to the fact that other potential producers are prevented from entering the market. No freedom of entry here. Neither is there perfect information. A monopoly firm often has specialized information, such as patents or copyright which are not available to other potential producers. The most important aspect of being a single seller is that the monopoly seller is the market. The market demand for a good is the demand for the output produced by the monopoly. This makes monopoly a price maker, rather than a price taker. And of course, a Monopoly market structure must have a unique product with no close substitutes to be the only seller of a product. Hence, seller has full control over the market price, and also there is no need to advertise for his goods. ASTRO Products The Malaysian direct broadcast satellite (DBS) Paid TV service. It transmits digital satellite television, movie and radio to Malaysia Bruneis households. The name Astro is an acronym for All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator. Since 2008, a video streaming service to mobile phone users throughout the country (Astro Mobile TV) has been offering by ASTRO and subsequently Astro B.yond Mobile. Justification ASTRO is considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because there are only one number of firm which provide broadcast satellite Pay TV service in Malaysia. They control the market for pay TV equipment and accessories. ASTRO has sole control over price. Besides, ASTRO is selling unique products which is claimed to be non substitutable by other firms products. For example: No other firms give services like ASTRO did, so if costumers want to get the services from ASTRO, they just have to pay them. For ASTRO subscribers, it is nothing but pay, pay and pay for everything from the day of installation and even when they decide for early termination. Late payment charges, reinstallation charges and servicing charges add on. TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) Products TENAGE NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB), the sole provider for electricity in Malaysia. TNB has a monopoly over the transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia. TNB is responsible for electricity generation, transmission and distribution and retail supply in Peninsula Malaysia. Justification TENAGE NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) is as considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because it is the only provider of electricity in Malaysia. TNB has a monopoly over the transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia and it has sole control over the price. Besides, TNB is selling unique products electricity generation, transmission and distribution and retail supply in Peninsula Malaysia which is claimed to be non-substitutable by other firms products. For example: TENAGA NASIONAL BERHAD (TNB) is the only firm which provides transmission and distribution of electricity in Peninsular Malaysia. To get the transmission and distribution of electricity from TNB, all the Malaysian must pay TNB for the respective electricity supply. Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) Products The largest telecommunications provider in Malaysia which offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in broadband, data and fixed-line. Justification Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is as considered operating in the pure monopoly market structure because according to UK definition of monopoly, it says that any company holds more than 25% of the market share is consider as monopoly and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is the largest telecommunications provider in Malaysia which holds more than 25% of the market. Telekom has set up the fibre optic backbone in the westerm Malaysia, this allowed Telekom Malaysia to set a slighty hight than the normal price, along with the governments consent, this made Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) a price maker instead than a price taker. Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd Products Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, a national sewerage company, owned by Minister of Finance Incorporated, is responsible for providing sewerage services, operating and maintaining over 5,750 public sewage treatment plants and 13,000km networks of sewerage pipelines. Justification Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd is as considered operating in the pure monopoly market structure because it is the only supplier of sewerage services, operating and maintaining on sewage treatment plants and pipelines in Malaysia. Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd has a monopoly over the sewerage services, operating and maintaining on sewage treatment plants and pipelines in Malaysia and it has sole control over the price. Besides, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd is selling unique services which is claimed to be non substitutable. For example: Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd provides sewerage service like no other firm did, so if costumers want to get the services from Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, they must pay them. PETRONAS Gas Bhd Products Petronas Gas Bhd supplied petroleum, natural gas, liquidated petroleum gas and other types of fossil fuels to automobiles and household. Justification PETRONAS Gas Bhd is considered as operating in the pure monopoly market structure because there is only one price in market which control by government. Government control the price of the product for there is no close substitute. Government attempted to set the price into the same, so that the price would not has large difference. By this, Government regulates in the public interest. For example: when the price of the petrol are same everywhere in Malaysia, consolidation of smaller companies into bigger ones enabled some very large corporations to escape market discipline by fixing prices or undercutting competitors. 5.0 Oligopoly Characteristics of Oligopoly An oligopoly are maximizes profits by producing where the marginal revenue equals to marginal costs and oligopolies are price setters rather than price takers. The barriers to entry are high but there only so few firms that actions of one firm can influence the actions of the other firms. They can retain long run abnormal profits and their product may be homogeneous or differentiated. They also have perfect knowledge of their own cost and demand functions but their inter-firm information may be incomplete but buyer have only imperfect knowledge as to price, cost and product quality only. The distinctive feature of an oligopoly is interdependence, typically composed of a few large firms. Each firm is so large that its actions affect market conditions therefore the competing firms will be aware of a firms market actions and will respond appropriately. Tesco Products Tesco is a supermarket, it offering a wide variety of food and household products such as meats, vegetables, soft drink, television, air conditioner and etc. Justification Tesco is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other supermarkets such as Jusco, Giant and Carrefour so they always have price war between each other and we as a consumer will get more benefit about this. Let say if Tescos soft drinks price drops then another supermarket soft drinks will also drop because they are interdependent. Tescos price strategy is more focus on Tescos Low Price Guarantee and Every Day Low Price strategy so Tesco is performing long run abnormal profit. Carlsberg lager beer Products Carlsberg lager beer is the flagship in the Carlsberg Groups portfolio of beers. It contains 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Justification Carlsberg beer is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other beers such as Tiger beer, Heineken beer and etc. They have price war between each other like price of the Carlsberg beer drop then Tiger beer will use some reward to retain their sales. Taste of the beers have some different, it mean differentiated and many beers pop out from the market but they cant survive in this market because of the start-up cost are high. Carlsberg has put forward a new marketing strategy for Carlsberg Sport, the energy drink so they already created a new field of the market and this is a long term strategy. Air Asia Products Air Asia is Asia largest low-fare, no frills airline and pioneer of low-cost travel in Asia. AirAsia group operates scheduled domestic and international flights to over 400 destination spanning 25 countries. Justification Air Asia is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because our country has other air travels such as Malaysia Airlines and Firefly. They are provide the same services for customer but they all still have some different. Let say AirAsia offers free seating but the Malaysia Airlines offers assigned seats and the price between each of them also different. This is the product differentiation of both products. The strategy of AirAsia playing is safety, low fare, good services and simplicity so their market can be strong in the economy market of the air travel. Maxis Products Maxis provide a variety of mobile communication products and services. They offer prepaid call plans, monthly subscription plans, international roaming, MMS and WAP. Justification Maxis is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because here have other communication company like digi, celcom, and Umobile. Maxis and digi provide the postpaid service to customers but the price of both are different like maxis is RM28 free 200min voice call and 100 SMS, digi is RM43 free 200min and 200 SMS. They can set the price as low as possible but still have minimum profit to earn so they are retain long run. Strategy of Maxis playing are good network coverage around Malaysia, good deal and special offers for different age groups and also target group and always the first to introduce new mobile plans that why Maxis stand at the first of the telecommunication market. Golden Screen Cinema (GSC) Products GSC is a cinema in Malaysia which is operates Malaysias first-ever boutique cinema with only Gold Class and Premiere Class Halls in The Gardens Mall, KL. Justification GSC is considered operating in the oligopoly market structure because Malaysia has many other cinemas like MBO, TGV and BigCinema. Most of the services provided by them are the same but the feeling give to the customers are different like some people feel that GSC more comfortable than other cinema. They still set the price at RM11 per ticket on the weekdays and weekends even though some cinema was increases the price of the but GSC still maintain the price of the ticket which meant GSC are playing long run profit. GSC offers Special Wednesday Rates, selling ticket for only RM6. Children and senior citizens are offered at a price of RM5 per ticket while student will be charged at RM7 before night on the weekdays by flashing their student cards so now Malaysia already have 23 GSC cinema including East Malaysia. 6.0 Conclusion To conclude this assignment it is useful to emphasize the market structure that each firm is operating, in establishing the main strategies and direction in which each firm should take to maximize its profit or to reduce loss as lower as possible. By using the characteristics of each of the four market models, we are able to sort out the market structure of each firm and figure out the advantages and disadvantages of each of the market model. The table below has shows the major characteristics of each market structures. With the help of the table above and the studies done on each firm mentioned in this assignment, we may sort out the firms that weve selected into their respective market model in terms of activities, products and strategies. The table below shows the firms sorted to their respective market model according to their characteristics.