About the U.S. Department of State

The United States Department of State also referred to as â€Å"the State Department† or simply â€Å"State,† is the executive branch department of the United States federal government primarily responsible for administering U.S. foreign policy and consulting with the President of the United States and Congress on international diplomatic issues and policies. The mission statement of the State Department reads: â€Å"To advance freedom for the benefit of the American people and the international community by helping to build and sustain a more democratic, secure, and prosperous world composed of well-governed states that respond to the needs of their people, reduce widespread poverty, and act responsibly within the international system.† The primary functions of the State Department include: Provide protection and assistance for U.S. citizens traveling or living abroad;Assist U.S. businesses and industries operating in the global marketplace;Coordinate and provide support for international activities of other U.S. agencies, official visits overseas and at home, and other diplomatic efforts;Inform the public about U.S. foreign policy and relations with other countries and provide feedback from the public to administration officials. Similar the foreign ministries in other nations, the State Department conduct international diplomatic relations on the part of the United States by negotiating treaties and other agreements with foreign governments. The State Department also represents the United States in the United Nations. Created in 1789, the State Department was the first executive branch department established after final  ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Headquartered in the Harry S Truman Building in Washington, D.C., the State Department currently operates 294 U.S. embassies around the world and oversees compliance of more than 200 international treaties. As an agency of the president’s Cabinet, the State Department is led by the Secretary of State, as nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Secretary of State is second in the line of presidential succession after the Vice President of the United States. In addition to assisting with the international activities of other U.S. government agencies, the State Department provides many important services to U.S. citizens traveling and living abroad and to foreign citizens trying to visit or immigrate to the United States. In perhaps its most publicly noticeable role the State Department issues U.S. Passports to U.S. citizens allowing them to travel to and return from foreign countries and travel visas to U.S. citizens and non-citizen residents. In addition, the State Department’s Consular Information Program informs the American public of conditions abroad that may affect their safety and security while traveling abroad. Country-specific travel information and global Travel Alerts and Warnings are vital parts of the program. The State Department also oversees all U.S. foreign aid and development programs such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. All activities of the State Department, including foreign assistance programs, representing the U.S. abroad, countering international crime and human trafficking, and all other services and programs are paid for through the foreign affairs component of the annual federal budget as requested by the president and approved by Congress. On average, the total State Department expenditure represents just over 1% of the total federal budget, projected to exceed  $4 trillion in 2017.  Ã‚   Brief History of the State Department On July 27, 1789, President George Washington singled a bill passed by the House of Representatives and Senate on July 21, 1789, creating the Department of Foreign Affairs as the first federal agency created under the new Constitution. A law enacted on September 15, 1789, changed the name of the agency to the Department of State and assigned it oversight of a variety of domestic, rather than foreign issues. For example, the law made the Department of State responsible for running the United States Mint and conducting the decennial U.S. census. During the 19th century, these and most of the Department of State’s other domestic duties were turned over to other federal agencies and departments. Appointed by President Washington on September 29, 1789, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, then serving as Minister to France became the first Secretary of State. Appointed before Washington had taken office, John Jay had been serving in as Secretary of Foreign Affairs and continued to function as de-facto Secretary of State until Jefferson returned from France several months later.

Using Material from Item 2b and Elsewhere, Assess the...

Each group in society has a different idea on what the main role of the family is. As Item 2B says, â€Å"Marxists see all social institutions as serving the interests of capitalism.† This includes the family, and they say that it serves the interests of capitalism by maintaining and justifying class inequality and exploitation by the rich. Other groups, however, have different opinions, such as Functionalists who think that the family performs essential needs of society. Marxists and Functionalists opinions are completely contrasted, as Marxists think that we live in a Capitalist society based on unequal conflict between the classes, whilst Functionalists see society as based on â€Å"value consensus†, where everyone agrees. The family is an†¦show more content†¦It is easier for a nuclear family to move for work if they need to, than it would be for an extended family. In the past it wasn’t problematic because big families often stayed on one farm their whole life but in a modern industrial society people often have to move for work. The second, a â€Å"socially mobile workforce†. In today’s society, Parsons said that each person’s status is achieved by effort and ability rather than being ascribed by background. This enables them to be socially mobile, or able to â€Å"climb the ladder†. The nuclear family is therefore better because it can avoid any conflict that may arise between a father, whose ascribed status is head of the household, and a son who has higher achieved status than his dad does, if they lived in the same house. He also intoduced the â€Å"warm bath† theory which shows that the family can be a refuge for emotional support, for example a husband taking his strains from work home where his family act as the â€Å"warm bath† , so that he is able to continue contributing to society, although this doesn’t neccesarily mean contributing to capitalism, just contributing positively to society. Parsons and Murdocks ideas can be criticised because they are both quite old, Murdocks in 1949 and Parsons in 1955. They can also be criticised for favouring the nuclear family too much, as in you don’t need a nuclear family to perform all four of Murdock’s functions, such as reproduction. So, whilst there isShow MoreRelatedSociology5053 Words   |  21 PagesPossible sociology questions January 2012 Item 2A Sociologists analyse the domestic division of labour in many different ways. Parsons describes the division of labour in the traditional nuclear family in terms of an expressive role and an instrumental role. However, this traditional arrangement may have changed as families have changed, and many feminists use the term ‘dual burden’ to describe the woman’s role in the family today. Item 2B Government policies and laws include tax and benefit

Late-2000s recession free essay sample

Within the period of 2007 to 2009, two major retail companies emerged in China: PPG Apparel (Shanghai) Co. , Ltd. and VANCL Technology (Beijing) Co. , Ltd. Though both had similar business models, VANCL was able to excel and profit in places where PPG Apparel suffered tremendously. These included creating a successful supply chain with effective quality control, adopting a variety of improvement measures to ensure a positive customer experience, and shifting most of VANCL’s advertising dollars towards internet marketing. Though successful when first established, PPG eventually collapsed in late 2009 due to their inefficiencies in such areas. Owner of VANCL, Chen Nian stated that VANCL has passed its most risky period and is now within a steady phase. However, though the road ahead may seem safe there are many risks to take into factor. With the future of online apparel in China constantly shifting, VANCL needs to consider whether or not their currently business model will continue to be successful or should evolve with customer needs. Specifically, they need to decide on which ways they can continue to grow as a company while still reigning in profits. Alternatives As a well-respected and established retailer in China, VANCL’s alternatives for growth can be narrowed down into three specific directions. The first is to continue their current business model while penetrating new market segments. This involves using their current forms of marketing to attract an audience they did not previously reach. The second alternative is to create a new retail format directed towards their current market segment. Such an alternative would allow for VANCL to embrace a new marketing strategy towards existing customers to keep them interested in VANCL’s products. Finally, VANCL has the opportunity to create a new retail format directed specifically at a new target market. This alternative might even include launching their product line globally. Solution Having attained such high market share with their product line in China, VANCL has proven that their business model is not one to be tampered with. In this case, VANCL would have the most success taking their current business model into new markets. In most foreign markets they still remain unknown. As an already established online retailer, taking their product line globally will remain generally inexpensive. Launching a campaign towards global markets will allow VANCL to grow as a company and establish global brand recognition. Rationale Shopper Analysis: Referring to the article, VANCL had established its logistic company Rufengda where they received most of their business to ensure speedy delivery. These locations included Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Referring to Figure 1 in the appendix you can see that these cities are located in North, East, and South China respectively. When compared to the rest of China’s regions, these areas are more economically developed and have more wealthy customers. They are highly urbanized, densely populated regions with innovative consumers who often set the fashion trends for the rest of China to follow. Being a part of these first and second-tier regions seek greater reliability, consistency, and integrity while purchasing consumer products. From this we can incur that VANCL’s â€Å"fast fashion† is attractive to explicitly 18-30 year old male and females from generation Y that are either college students or young professionals. They contain moderate purchasing power and have an applicable amount of internet skills. Psychographics for this market segments reveal that they are fashion conscious, but also seek convenience while deciding on retailers to shop at. Being millennials, they are notoriously fickle while choosing fashion trends to pursue. They have an aversion to the status-quo and want to create an identity for themselves. With there still being skepticism in online shopping, expanding globally to a larger target market allows for substantial and guaranteed growth. Reaching out to a global target market of young professionals who have no qualms with internet shopping will help establish brand recognition and bring in positive reviews for the apparel company. Market Analysis: VANCL is a leading Chinese internet-based apparel retailer that has successfully established dominance in the e-tailing world. Their approach to elevating the customer experience includes improvement measures such as online commenting threads and try-on activities. VANCL’s services have helped them diminish any skepticisms the Chinese market had in regards to shopping online. Known for its â€Å"fast fashion†, they have expanded their market range to include most kinds of men’s and women’s apparel, specifically casual-wear such as canvas shoes and graphic tees. In China alone they have captured over 25% of market share in the apparel market and are the 6th largest B2C company in China in terms of revenue. VANCL’s channels of distribution are exclusively their online website as well as their small call-center. Because they are only an online retailer, VANCL uses their own logistics company, Rufengda, and other third party companies to ensure speedy delivery of their products. Their apparel is made from top fabric manufacturers such as Luthai Textile and go through countless quality checks to ensure the best apparel for their customers. In China alone the market for apparel including clothing, shoes, hats, and textiles has grown by a staggering 18. 8% in 2009 according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS). Urban and rural Chinese households spent 10. 5% of their total annual expenditure for 2009 on clothing. Over 5. 8% of China’s total apparel sales were made online in 2009 and are expected to continually grow in such a digitally focused age. Globally apparel retail industry value grew over 2. 0% in 2009, or over $1,031. 5 billion in USD. Taking their apparel line globally could allow them to be a part of this growth and take a share of the pie in revenue. Competition: VANCL’s competition can be separated into two different categories: local competition and foreign. Online retailers in China that have managed to capture a significant amount of market share includes M1 8, Menglu, Masa Maso, and Fashion Revolution. Referring to Figure 2 in the appendix, market share in the apparel industry for these companies in China is 16%, 7%, 5%, and 4% respectively. All four of these companies reach the same target market of 18-30 year olds, offering relatively inexpensive clothing through online services. However, these local companies pale in comparison to the threat foreign competitors impose on VANCL. One of the greatest foreign competitors to VANCL is HM Hennes Mauritz AB, a Swedish multinational retail-clothing company that offers fast fashion of the same moderate build quality to men and women. HM positions their product in the same target market, reaching out to young professionals seeking convenience and fashion-forward apparel. Unlike VANCL, their main channel of distribution is their retail stores located in over 43 countries. However, they also offer online buying of apparel through their website www. hm. com. Their online platform is almost identical to that VANCL offers, as seen in Figure 3 of the appendix. If VANCL were to launch their business model globally they would be in direct competition with HM. One of the disadvantages to competing with HM is their already-established brand recognition in the market place. Until VANCL can establish its name in foreign markets HM will continue to be the dominant competitor in its target market. However unlike HM, VANCL does not have any retail stores which they sell through, allowing them to keep prices on apparel lines low. Price is a key factor young professionals consider when determining where to spend their disposable income. If VANCL can establish brand recognition in foreign markets they will easily be able to steal away market share from HM. Company: Founded in 2007, VANCL was started by Chinese businessman Chen Nian after selling his previously cofounded company Joyo. com. By launching VANCL he aimed at becoming one of the leading men’s apparel company in China. The company entered the market with a focus on menswear, but later expanded onto ladies wear and have recently moved into more highly concentrated clothing segments. Their excellent supply chain, dedication to customer service, and promise of quick deliveries has set VANCL apart from its competitors with a market share of 28. 4% as of 2009. A SWOT analysis of VANCL can be found in Appendix, Figure 4. At the time of its establishment, major competitor PPG Apparel (Shanghai) Co. was the leading apparel company in China. Chen even credited PPG’s business model for providing him with clear direction for VANCL. However, after focusing too heavily on advertising without clear direction, PPG was launched into a series of lawsuits with advertising agencies they had debt with. The company was disgraced publicly and lost most of its senior management just as VANCL was coming into play. Learning from PPG’s mistakes allowed for founder Chen to take VANCL down a more successful road. From the beginning VANCL focused most of their advertising budget towards online marketing, leading to excellent performance with low costs. The total publication price of VANCL’s advertising was estimated at RMB1. 896 billion in 2009 when the company had only spent slightly more than RMB200 million. Other ways they reach their target market is through celebrity endorsements that share the brand’s core values: authenticity, youth, accessibility, energy, and individuality. Chen has stated that VANCL has passed its most risky period and was now within a steadier phase, having experienced great success with their current business model. However, having accomplished reaching their target market in China may lead to staggering sales in the future. Taking their successful business model to a global market could lay the framework for establishing a powerful brand recognition. Taking their advertising strategy globally could be a moderately inexpensive way to expand sales and slowly grow into a dominant e-tail apparel retailer. Environment: Economically speaking, the world recession of 2008-2009 has had a great impact on industries across the globe. Though China’s real GDP growth rate was greater than 10% in 2009, other countries experienced recession throughout late 2008 and 2009. The United States alone experienced a decline in real GDP growth rate of almost -2%, while other major countries such as Canada, Mexico, and parts of Europe were anywhere in the range from -2-8%. Unemployment within the U. S. rose from 5% in 2008 pre-recession to 10% by late 2009. In Europe, unemployment rates in Spain, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and the UK increased. Looking closer at the global apparel industry, many retailers have been forced to close unprofitable stores throughout 2008 and 2009. Within the US over 6,000 retail stores were closer in 2009 with 2,000 of them being apparel retailers. U. S. clothing imports worldwide dropped about 13% in 2009 as consumers slowed their purchases in reaction to the recession. However, one of the few categories of apparel that have shown success throughout the recession are â€Å"fast fashion† retailers. Competitor HM recorded revenues of $15,490 million in the fiscal year ending November 2009, an increase of 14. 1% as of November 2008. Consumers experiencing a drop in income look to these fast fashion retailers in recession as a cheap alternative to some of the pricier department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, etc. Should VANCL choose to go global, they must study the factors of potential global retail markets. Such factors include market size, political stability, corruption, and growth potential. Though many countries are experiencing global recession, VANCL still has much opportunity as a fast fashion retailer to come out profitable. Appendix Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 SWOT Analysis for VANCL Technology (Beijing) Co. , Ltd. Strengths Optimal supplier selection of top fabric manufacturers such as Far Eastern New Century and Fountain Set An excellent quality control team that ensures all product delivered by VANCL are fully inspected before shipment. Efficient measure of customer experience/satisfaction including a commenting thread on their website try on activities, etc. Effective logistics team separated into first-party owned Rufengda and third party delivery companies such as ZJS Express Weaknesses No brand recognition in major global markets. Foreign competitors hold almost 40% of the apparel market within China. VANCL’s channels of distribution are narrow in comparison to competitors, with only a website and a call center to sell their product through. Chinese manufacturing has a stigma, especially within the US, of being low-quality. Opportunities Create a new business model to keep up with the evolving market segment they position their apparel in. Use their current business model to establish brand recognition globally. Use their current business model to attract new market segments within China. Threats Economic recession has hit nearly all countries throughout 2008-2009. Foreign competition has already established brand recognition in multiple markets, creating barriers to entry. Apparel retailers with store outlets have the advantage of gaining sales with customers skeptic to buying products online.

Shingo Prize Award free essay sample

The (SP) recognizes and promotes research, and writing regarding new knowledge, and understanding of manufacturing consistent with the philosophy and criteria of the (SP) for excellence in manufacturing. Shingo has affected numerous of manufacturing practices throughout the world which include: Toyotas production system, Guanajuato Manufacturing Complex North Plan, Gulfstream Aerospace, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Ultraframe UK Ltd. The mission of the Shingo Prize is to create excellence in organizations through the application of universal, self-evident principles of operational excellence and the alignment of management systems and improvement techniques throughout an entire organization. (Shingoprize. org, 2010) The vision is to be globally recognized as the premier Center for principle-based leadership in Operational Excellence and for providing the highest standard of excellence to which any organization may benchmark themselves and plan for improvement. (Shingoprize.org, 2010) Unlike other awards where there is only one winner, the (SP) has different levels of being able to compete for an award such as: Shingo Prize, Shingo Silver or the Bronze Medallion; each one has about 12 winners per level. We will write a custom essay sample on Shingo Prize Award or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However do not underestimate that just because there is 36 possible ways of winning that it will be that easy; there are hundreds of companies that compete for the (SP). Award Criteria The (SP) is like every other awards; companies need to meet certain criteria in order to qualify to receive any of the different levels of (SP). The company must be a manufacturing company, that is pretty much a given hence the mission statement. Also the company needs to pass a series of inspections by a board of examiners consisting of over 175 leaders throughout North America. The board that conducts all of the Shingo Prize inspections is the College of Business at Utah State University. These inspections will consist of making sure that the is meeting all of the criteria focus which are: customer satisfaction and profitability; quality, cost and delivery; lean core operations; and leadership and empowerment enablers. After gathering all the information from each company they will then start the process of elimination, and pick the best companies that demonstrate all of the criteria to its fullest performance capacities. Benefits of the Award What can companies benefit from having a Shingo Prize? After investing so much time and effort in shaping your company into becoming a lean manufacturing which removes all non-value-added activity to a process, improving quality, cost and delivery. All of the skills acquired will remain within the business therefore pushing production to the limits and capitalizing their overall investment in the years to come. The award will allow your company to be transparent to your customers allowing them to see that you care for the overall quality of your product. Statistics have been proved that the companies that do adapt to the (SP) model will increase their business by up to 30% every year. Past Winners This year was a extremely hard competition for their were more than 50 companies that met all of the criteria of the (SP) however only two were picked to receive the (SP) for going above and beyond requirements. Below is the list of the 2010 (SP) recipients honored. The Shingo Prize * Guanajuato Manufacturing Complex North Plant, AAM — Silao, Mexico * Interiores Aereos S. A. De C. V. Gulfstream Aerospace — Mexicali, Mexico Shingo Silver Medallion * Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company — Lawton, Okla. * HID Global — North Haven, Conn. Not only does this award help companies strive to ensure the best quality, customer satisfaction, delivery, profitability, and other areas but it also sustains them to be superior in the market. Being awarded the (SP) in my opinion lets customers know that your company has the courage, the determination, the passion to work towards something that is in best interest for everyone else. I also believe this model should be used for other companies that are not manufacturing because it eliminates the waste of resources, and increases the quality production by about 90%. This award unlike any others when dumping so much time and effort for all of it to be lost if not awarded; the attributes gained by accomplishing all the criterias will leave your company impeccable. Even such people like Harry Zechman, a technology leader for the 2003 Baldrige recipient of Stoner Inc, stated â€Å"We are now using the lean manufacturing strategies promoted by the Shingo Prize to increase the speed at which we create value and to further eliminate waste. It also helped us ramp up to meet the rapid demand increases for our popular product, Invisible Glass  ®. The savings in floor space and productivity improvements have been very dramatic and profitable. The Baldrige and Shingo Prize Criteria complement one another because they emphasize different ways of achieving performance excellence. †(Mawebcenters. com) Just goes to show that by using the (SP) you will have a better chance at accomplishing overall excellence within their company. References: Huntsman, J. H. (2010, January 01). Shingo prize. Retrieved from http://shingoprize. org/ Huntsman, J. H. (2010, January 07). Shingo training amp; education. Retrieved from http://www. shingoprize.