Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The USA was so committed to the containment of Communism that direct conflict was inevitable

The USA was so committed to the containment of Communism that direct conflict was inevitable American intervention in the conflict in Vietnam started on its inevitable path ever since the closing months of the Second World War. The fate of Indochina was discussed (but not a high priority) at the Potsdam Conference, which began on 17 July 1945. The settlement called for the division of the country at the 16th Parallel in which the Allies (mainly the British) were to occupy the South and to have Chiang-Kai-Shek's Nationalist forces occupy the North to disarm the Japanese. A few months later, Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) on 2 September 1945.Ho Chi Minh along with General Giap and the Vietminh were able to win Allied confidence through their operations against the Japanese during the war. Ho appealed for international aid. He first had trouble with the Chinese Nationalists who had set up the Vietnam Revolutionary League (Dong Minh Hoi) and was against Ho's Communist movement.Và µ Nguyà ªn Gip (left) and Há »â€œ Chà ­ Minh in H...But he was able to sway them and gain control of the Dong Minh Hoi by saying he was a Nationalist foremost, and a Communist second. This made the Vietminh a mixture of both Communists and Nationalists. He was able to advance the Vietminh cause with help from Chinese Communists, Nationalists, Americans and British.1After the war, Ho sought for the recognition of an independent DRV. The Allies ignored him because they were more concerned with maintaining good ties with France than supporting his idea of Vietnamese self-determination.2 By 1946, communication between the DRV and the USA ceased which made Ho suspicious of their motives. US President Harry Truman feared Communism and refused to deal with Ho because of his Communist beliefs, despite also being a Nationalist and Democratic.With Ho's allies failing him, he sought recognition instead from fellow Communist countries USSR...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight first founded Nike Inc. Essays - Nike

Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight first founded Nike Inc. Essays - Nike Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight first founded Nike Inc. in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1971, it was re-named Nike after the Greek winged goddess of victory, strength, speed, glory, and fame. The Nike swoosh is meant to represent the wings of the goddess Nike, as she was often depicted in mythology with. The iconic swoosh was created by Caroline Davidson, an advertising student at Portland University. She was a freelancer asked to design a graphic logo that could fit on the side of a shoe by Phil Knight; she was paid $35 for her design. The first interaction between the founders of Nike was in 1959, when track coach Bill Bowerman met Phil Knight; who was a runner at the University of Oregon where he was coaching. The need for the company arose out of Bills desire to find lighter, more durable racing shoes for his university track team, and Phils desire to find a way to make a living without having to give up his love of sports. The two put their heads together, and the end product was a company that now dominates the market in its sportswear segment, despite having begun as a small distributing outfit from the back of Phils car. While Phil was obtaining his MBA degree at Stanford in the 60s, Professor Frank Shallenberger assigned his students with a project; the goal of which was to devise a small business and a marketing plan for its success. Building on his earlier brainstorms, Phils project consisted of the idea that quality running shoes could be produced at low cost in Asian countries like Japan, and shipped to the U.S. for distribution. In 1963, Phil actually traveled to Japan, and scheduled an interview with a Japanese businessman affiliated with Onitsuka Corporation and its subsidiary Tiger; to whom he presented himself as an American distributor with an interest in selling Tiger shoes to American runners. The boardroom executives liked what they heard; and Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) was born. By 1964, BRS had sold 8,000 pairs of Tiger running shoes and had added salesman Jeff Johnson to the team. By 1971, the trademarked swoosh was implemented, BRS officially became Nike Inc., and the company hit $1 m illion in sales. Later into the 70s, Nike went from $10 million in sales to $270 million in sales and was hugely benefiting from (if not leading) Americas craze towards popularized fitness; a revolution that caused the idea of exercise and game-playing to transcend from an extracurricular that the average American did for fun, into a cultural signifier of status for health and wealth. Nikes brand prosperity is clearly evidenced in a quote from 1996 in Advertising Age (a magazine that analyzes data on marketing and the media), the ubiquitous swoosh was more recognized and coveted by consumers than any other sports brand. That same year, Nikes revenues were $6.74 billion, with $8 billion expected in the upcoming year, and a target of $12 billion by the millennium. With all that said however, Nike was still mindful of its competitors and the risks they pose on its global stage. For example, Nike is the main leader in its industry of sportswear (footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories) and is valued at 10.7 billion, but it does have a hefty amount of competition. Nikes main four competitors are Reebok, Adidas, Fila, and New Balance. Nike is the industry leader with a 47% market share, Reebok is in second place at 16%, and Adidas comes in third at 6%. The biggest contributor to Nikes edge over its competitors is its marketing and global business strategy. Nike relocated all of its factories overseas where it could utilize a more inexpensive workforce to fabricate its shoes, and 86% of its total products are now produced in either Taiwan or South Korea. With Nike cutting costs on the labor and production expenses, more capital was freed up and put towards increasing their advertising budget. For example, Nike spent four and a half times as much in advertising expenses as Adidas in 2003. This helped Nike gain much more awareness in the regions where they were marketing their product by demographic statistics. A tactic Nike has also relied on heavily to hold

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Assessment of a Fictional Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assessment of a Fictional Family - Essay Example The child, on the other hand, has his share in influencing the family as well. In the family, when a member, usually a child or adolescent, has a (psychiatric) disorder, this influence is magnified. And for diagnostic purposes, the effect of the family on the child and the child’s effect on the family must be assessed to prepare for optimal treatment, according to Allan M. Josephson, M.D. A comprehensive family assessment is the process of identifying, gathering, and weighing information to understand the significant factors affecting a child’s safety, permanency and well-being, parental protective capacity, and the family’s ability to assure the safety of their children (Johnson et al, 2006, p.1). There are several sequential functions included in family assessment, which are (1) screening and general disposition, which usually takes place during intake; (2) definition of the problem, which may include diagnostic assessments (or quantification of problem severity) that takes place during intake and investigation procedures; (3) planning, selecting, and matching services with identified problems; and (4) monitoring progress and evaluating service outcomes (Hawkins, 1979). In short, the family plays a major role in this context, and the role it will play in the treatment process should be based on a balanced case formulation which can be realized through a complete, systematic, and detailed family assessment. A good family assessment doesn’t only gather information to be able to formulate a well-made treatment plan for the patient, rather it is also relationship building. It involves everyone in the family to take part, exploring goals, values, and strengths to help build mutual trust and respect among them. This relationship can be built when problems arise -- a slice of truth in the saying that problems do create opportunities for a brighter tomorrow. In short, the family assessment identifies areas for intervention and engages the family