How to Prepare Past Papers for CS101

How to Prepare Past Papers for CS101It is interesting to see how much effort, time and research went into preparing a program for CS101 Final Term. The detailed homework assignment, long test papers, extensive reading and many more factors are vital in preparing a successful final term. Each student is supposed to do his own work without any supervision. One has to be confident and responsible and may not hesitate to research and correct errors or make suggestions on things that are unclear to him.The degree course would normally end on the last day of Final Term. The paper work would continue till the last day of the last week of assignments. Students will have to complete a paper in this period. Most papers are prepared by the instructors and lecturers.The problems of CS101 are faced by students during Final Term, and they should be submitted at the very end of the period. They can be submitted with notes to the instructor.The future student must study at least two years before app lying for CS101. He must be strong and able to withstand many adversities and challenges. The system will take care of all his problems and the quality of studies will be good and enjoyable.The top priority for all students is to appear smart in papers which would be used to determine if they will qualify for admission. If a student is still in school, it is important to perform well in papers. The past papers can be compared to the marks and the grade given by the teachers.CS101 provides an opportunity to test your knowledge about computer sciences and programming. If you are having problem in solving some problem, you can always consult the references provided by the professors or lecturers.Students should consider paper study in CS101 as a great opportunity to realize their abilities and knowledge. The past papers reflect the character of the student and are also an indication of the future trend of the student.

How Will Wharton Achieve Your Goals?

How Will Wharton Achieve Your Goals?You are required to apply the Power of Wharton and secure success in your life. For those who have gained success in their career by applying this Power of Wharton; that is the only true definition of success. You must apply this Power of Wharton and you must be very wise. You must be more careful with your success as the cost of failure is very high in terms of mental and financial health.In order to acquire success from a successful Wharton graduate; you must read this sample essay carefully. It will show you how can Wharton achieve your goals. It will teach you how to find out a Wharton graduate, and you will learn the qualities of a great Wharton graduate.A Wharton graduate is always certain to pursue his career to the highest level and that is why he is a winner. He has the capacity to attain goals. He is sure to achieve his targets and objectives.The first thing you must know is that a student must write a thesis and he must study his writing ability thoroughly. This will show him how to find a student who can fulfill his objectives.Writing a thesis is not a simple task and this is not something that any student can do overnight. A student must work hard to achieve success in his life. If he fails to do this; then he will fail in life.The essay must be a student's thought; it must show a student the direction of his life and that is the reason why writing a thesis is needed. When the student thinks; he knows everything and when the student writes a thesis; he knows where he is going.You must see that a student who writes a thesis is smart and that is why he should study writing. He must study writing and even his fellow students must see that writing a thesis is needed in his life.The goal of the student is to excel himself, to achieve goals and to get success. The great students always get success. That is why they have written a thesis.

Gender and Female Aesthetics free essay sample

Womantext, Hard Choice by Sunnie Ododo is a play that reveals female aesthetics as well as showing the fact that the female is more naturally adventurous and different examples are shown to back up this view. The term â€Å"Feminism† has different definitions which include: -According to the Oxford Advanced English Dictionary ,’’ Feminism is the belief and aim that women should have the same right and opportunities as men. It is the in equality that exists between the gender -Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining , establishing and defending equal political, economic and social rights and equal opportunities for women. The major feminism analysis will be discussed under the symbolism, images of womanhood, Feminism tendencies and aesthetics, female characterization. First and foremost the play presents to the traditional marriage ceremony between the Igedu prince in the Yoruba land, and the Emepiri princess, Princess Agingae at the play unfolding. This progress to the crisis or conflict that is, the event that caused the theft of King Iginla the prince’ father’s crown which led to the complications that brought about the truth about the queen’s hidden secrets as an adventurous woman. We will write a custom essay sample on Gender and Female Aesthetics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The struggle that arises within the play, also involves some characterization such as Chief Ubanga, the plights of finding the the crown by Bashorun, the emotional stages of the princess whose emotions have been tampered with and there by needs the caresses of her love Prince Oki( page 24). The crisis in the play heightens as it reveals some emotional intensities, such as the Queen’s actions and the consequence of her actions which reveals the female aesthetics in the central character. This female aesthetics will be discussed briefly

Free Essays on Overweight In America

Overweight in America How many hit movies have had overweight people play the starring role? How many ads in the personals request heavy men or women? What newspaper articles describe fat women as â€Å"beautiful†? The answer is close to none. W. Charisse Goodman, the author of the 1995 The Invisible Woman: Confronting Weight Prejudice in America. Her thesis is that â€Å"American society tolerates and even encourages prejudice against people, especially women, who are not thin.† The chapter being analyzed here, â€Å"One Picture Is Worth a Thousand Diets†, she discusses the ways in which the media make invisible or deal with disregard women whom are overweight. This depicts the nation’s values when it comes to overweight people. It does, however, spark emotions due to her examples and word choices. In Goodman’s first paragraph, she blames the mass media for encouraging people to â€Å"absorb as many goods as possible far beyond the saturation point.† (Lunsford, 408) She states that people believe the more have, the sexier and more successful they will be. However, when a woman is perceived as being too fat, she finds that she has committed a â€Å"social crime†. She also argues that thinner women are portrayed as sexier, happier, and more dynamic. (409) Even though this principle may not be acceptable, she makes conscious cases for it in the rest of the article. Goodman claims that movies not only lack heavy women, but that heavy men are not as severely criticized for their weight. She states that people consider size in a man a sign of his physical power. She makes a good point when she asks the rhetorical question, â€Å"can anyone imagine a female version of Cheers’ Norm – a lazy, work phobic, beer-guzzling woman who assiduously avoids home and husband – being hailed as funny, let alone ‘beloved’, as one news article put it?† (410) This article has inartistic appeal because it uses facts and evidence. Goodman randomly... Free Essays on Overweight In America Free Essays on Overweight In America Overweight in America How many hit movies have had overweight people play the starring role? How many ads in the personals request heavy men or women? What newspaper articles describe fat women as â€Å"beautiful†? The answer is close to none. W. Charisse Goodman, the author of the 1995 The Invisible Woman: Confronting Weight Prejudice in America. Her thesis is that â€Å"American society tolerates and even encourages prejudice against people, especially women, who are not thin.† The chapter being analyzed here, â€Å"One Picture Is Worth a Thousand Diets†, she discusses the ways in which the media make invisible or deal with disregard women whom are overweight. This depicts the nation’s values when it comes to overweight people. It does, however, spark emotions due to her examples and word choices. In Goodman’s first paragraph, she blames the mass media for encouraging people to â€Å"absorb as many goods as possible far beyond the saturation point.† (Lunsford, 408) She states that people believe the more have, the sexier and more successful they will be. However, when a woman is perceived as being too fat, she finds that she has committed a â€Å"social crime†. She also argues that thinner women are portrayed as sexier, happier, and more dynamic. (409) Even though this principle may not be acceptable, she makes conscious cases for it in the rest of the article. Goodman claims that movies not only lack heavy women, but that heavy men are not as severely criticized for their weight. She states that people consider size in a man a sign of his physical power. She makes a good point when she asks the rhetorical question, â€Å"can anyone imagine a female version of Cheers’ Norm – a lazy, work phobic, beer-guzzling woman who assiduously avoids home and husband – being hailed as funny, let alone ‘beloved’, as one news article put it?† (410) This article has inartistic appeal because it uses facts and evidence. Goodman randomly...

Australian rural and remote nursing (scope of nursing practice) Essay

Australian rural and remote nursing (scope of nursing practice) - Essay Example This paper is being carried out in order to establish a thorough and clear understanding of the subject matter. The main goal of government and legislative agencies, including the QNC, RCNA, and the NSW Nursing Registration Boards is to ensure that the public receives safe and adequate nursing and health services. Jacobs, (2007, p. 14) emphasizes that â€Å"differences in class, gender, personal experiences, values and beliefs have caused gulfs within nursing throughout its history, and no less than in the political, educational and regulatory development of advanced practice†. In the global setting disparities in the delivery of nursing care has been evident between countries, and even between territories within countries themselves. This is also apparent in Australia where the rural and the urban settings have different applications of nursing practice. Most countries have considered different legal standards and it has been declared that no one size fits all. Nevertheless, healthcare delivery is the responsibility of all states and territories, and majority of such responsibility fa lls on the federal governments. In effect, most states can be manipulated by the amount of money released by the federal government (Gardner, 2005, p. 382). To promote the standards of the practice and ensure the safety and quality of the services, many governments have set forth laws and different systems of clinical governance. In 2008, new guidelines for advancing nursing practice and reviewing competence was announced by the Queensland Nursing and Midwifery Council. The nursing and midwifery practice is all about the â€Å"application of knowledge, skills and attitudes towards alleviating, supporting or enhancing actual or potential responses of individuals or groups to health issues† (Queensland Nursing Council, 2010, p. 9). Their practice also includes administration of direct care, as well as assessing, planning,

Compare & Contrast Hinduism and Buddhism in Ancient India Essay

Compare & Contrast Hinduism and Buddhism in Ancient India - Essay Example This paper will look at the similarities and differences between these two religions in ancient India. Both of these religions which flourished in India recognize the need of man to "escape from the wheel of life." Buddhism and Hinduism teach that man is in a quest to achieve a state where he is freed from all the sufferings of this life. In Hinduism, this is through a transcendental union while the goal of Buddhism is to reach nirvana or become enlightened (Buddha). Both of the religions believe in karma or reaping the fruits of one's actions through reincarnation. These religions teach that a man's life now is the result of what his actions in his past life. Man is not released from the cycle of life unless he attains enlightenment. The basic foundation of a religion is often built on its doctrine of who god is. This is because a religion's god becomes the center of worship. The teachings of Buddhism traces back to the life of Gautama who sought to determine the cause and the cure of human suffering. After enjoying happiness from being the prince in his kingdom, he also exposed himself to sufferings. His prescription is to that a man should live the a life in the middle of these extremes-the middle path. Buddhism therefore doesn't teach salvation through a powerful being becoming a religion which doesn't worship any god. On the other hand, Hinduism is a polytheistic religion worshipping the trinity of god comprised of Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva and other 33,000 dieties. Another difference between Buddhism and Hinduism is their beliefs on the placement of man in the society. It should be noted that as Buddhism teaches the middle path as the perfect way a man can live his life, it strongly pushes for equality among the members of the society. Buddhism teaches that no man should be deprived of the pleasures and life at the same time that no one should be given to sufferings. This ideology pushes for the eradication of the caste society where man is classified according to his social status. In direct contrast, Hinduism adheres to a hierarchical society where some should lead others in order for the society to function efficiently. Thus, the caste system is only just and should be practiced in the whole India. The ends of the two religions are marked by the emergence of a more popular religious belief. In the case of Buddhism, the wide acceptance of Hinduism marks its downfall. The teachings of this religion become confusing to the people with its division into two factions namely, Theravada and Mahayana. With the rise of a hierarchical society which is lead by the wealthy families during the time, its hold in the Indian society is therefore weakened. On the same way, the end of Hinduism is commenced by the arrival of Islam which also introduced new ideas in the society. Instead of ascribing to the polytheistic nature of Hinduism, Islam introduced the worship of only one god as well as the revives the belief on egalitarianism.

WalMart SWOT Analysis

WalMart SWOT Analysis Wal-Marts policies and practices are designed to ensure an environment that is equitable and inclusive. To that end, Wal-Mart solicits feedback from all of their employees, annually, regarding their opinions of their work experience and the companys implementation of Wal-Marts basic beliefs and values. In addition, they provide training on working with people, leadership skills, equal employment opportunities, diversity and sexual harassment prevention. Wal-Mart is committed to providing all employees state-of-the-art training resources and development time to help achieve career objectives. They have a number of training tools in place that keeps then out in front of the competition, including classroom courses, computer-based learning, distance learning, corporate intranet sites, mentor programs, satellite broadcasts, skills assessments, and job announcements. These tools are successfully increasing advancement opportunities for women and minorities. Wal-Mart has been ranked among Training Magazines Top Training 100 companies for two consecutive years. Respect for the individual, one of Wal-Marts companys three core values, is reinforced throughout their training process. Wal-Mart is committed to the customers and communities they serve. Wal-Mart hires locally, representing the diversity and uniqueness of everyones hometown. As the demographics of the nation have changed, so has the family of Wal-Marts employees. More than 15 percent of their employees are over the age of 55, and they are the nations largest employer of Hispanics and African-Americans. Wal-Mart also uses its respectable financial position to attract and retain employees by offering stock ownership and profit-sharing programs. These programs are available to all full-time employees of Wal-Mart and make a significant impact on the earnings of employees. They are allowed to purchase shares of stock at reduced prices, which allows them an immediate appreciation of their portfolio. With the profit-sharing program, the employees receive bonuses at the end of the year based on the success of the overall company. These also provide a significant amount of compensation to their employees. Wal-Mart also has very strong community-based initiatives. They have continually gave college scholarships for high school seniors, raised funds for nearby childrens hospitals through the Childrens Miracle Network Telethon, provided money and manpower for fund raisers, school benefits and churches, Boy and Girl Scouts, park projects, police and fire charities, food banks, senior citizen centers, and more. They also educate the public about recycling and other environmental topics with the help of a Green Coordinator, a specially trained employee who coordinates efforts to make an environmentally responsible store. Along this same line, Wal-Mart has created Environmental Demonstration Stores in Lawrence, Kansas; Moore, Oklahoma; and City of Industry, California. These stores serve as a test tube for environmentally friendly building materials and experimental methods for conserving energy and water. Finally, the corporate structure of Wal-Mart is very well rounded and managed with three core values: respect for the individual, service to their customers, and striving for excellence. The management of Wal-Mart is the backbone to the entire company and these core-values have propelled Wal-Mart to the top of their industry and have allowed Wal-Mart to be the worlds largest company. (S)trengths Marketing The nature of Wal-Marts marketing is in its Every Day Low Price (EDLP) campaign. This is what makes Wal-Mart successful. Sam Walton devised a system for which price setting was to be followed. Sam wouldnt allow management to hedge a price at all. If the list price was $1.98, but Wal-Mart had paid only 50 cents, they would mark it up 30 percent, and thats it. Sams philosophy was No matter what you pay for it, if we get a great deal, pass it on to the customer. The other major campaign Wal-Mart employs is the Rollback. This occurs when Wal-Mart lowers the already lowered Every Day Low Prices. This has really been a successful way for Wal-Mart to increase its patrons. When consumers shop, they are always looking for the best deal, since Wal-Mart already offers low prices, when they rollback prices, they are able to out-price all of their competition. Stemming from the managements core values, Wal-Mart has been known for their customer oriented approach. Wal-Mart maintains one of the best satisfaction guaranteed programs, which promotes customer goodwill. One can return virtually any product to Wal-Mart without any problems. They simply take the product back and promptly refund the price of the product, nearly no questions asked. They also promote goodwill among consumers by employing a tactic, which Sam created known as the Ten Foot Rule. This is simply the idea that if a customer comes within ten feet of an employee, they are required to greet them and ask if they can help them in any way. This is also evident through employees getting to know customers on a first name basis. Finally, perhaps the single most important marketing aspect of Wal-Mart is that they create the ideal one-stop shopping experience. Wal-Mart is organized into ten distinct divisions. These include: Wal-Mart stores, SAMS CLUBS, Neighborhood Markets, International, walmart.com, Tire Lube Express, Wal-Mart Optical, Wal-Mart Pharmacy, Wal-Mart Vacations, and Wal-Marts Used Fixture Auctions. Through these divisions, Wal-Mart offers thousands of products. The Wal-Mart stores contain groceries, clothes, healthcare products, toys, electronics, bedding, sports and recreation, automotive, among other items. Because of this conglomeration of products, the typical consumer can go into any Wal-Mart and walk out without having to stop at another store for anything that they could need. Finance/Accounting Since 2000, Wal-Marts revenue has consistently increased. In 2000, they had revenues of $165,013 billion and in 2002 their revenue had increased 24% to $217,799 billion. This is astronomical growth in revenues considering the overall size and scope of Wal-Mart. Top be able to consistently grow revenues in such a large organization is simply amazing. The increase in revenues has also been very kind to their cash flow. In 1997, Wal-Mart had a positive cash flow of $4,044 billion and in 2002 this number had increased to a positive $9,961 billion. This growth also had an impact on Wal-Marts net income, which is to say that they were able to control their expenses while continuing to grow and expand their operations. In 1997, their net income was a not-so-paltry $3,056 billion, and in 2002, only five years later, Wal-Mart more than doubled their net income to $6,671 billion. The strength of Wal-Mart is also shown through its ratios. Nearly all of Wal-Marts ratios are strengths when measured against the industry averages. Through our ratio analysis, we have shown that Wal-Mart is the best-equipped company to succeed in the marketplace. (The ratio analysis can be found as Figure 3 in the appendix) Another area of strength is Wal-Marts stock price. Figure 4 shows the price of Wal-Marts common stock from October 2000 until the end of 2002. The price has fluctuated, but it has only fluctuated between $45 and $65. Including dividends, an investment in Wal-Mart would perform well. Production/Operations Perhaps the strongest aspect of Wal-Mart is in its access to distribution networks. Wal-Mart uses a system known as cross-docking. This is simply the process of continuously delivering goods to warehouses where they are sorted and distributed to their stores within one day. This enables Wal-Mart to take advantage of economies of scale with shipping trucks with full loads. This also gives Wal-Mart the ability to increase the speed of deliveries, a faster response to market demands, and a low inventory. This system has allowed Wal-Mart to decrease its sales cost by 2 to 3 percent over the industry. This savings is then priced into the products with the earlier discussed EDLP programs. This system is maintained through the most important aspect of Wal-Mart, its employees. With over one million employees worldwide, Wal-Mart definitely has the manpower to move goods. This is also facilitated with a proprietary satellite-based communication system that enables managers and point-of-sale systems real-time information on the needs of each store. Research and Development Wal-Mart does not engage in any research and development. Computer Information Systems As discussed in the production/operation section, Wal-Mart uses a sophisticated system of satellite-based communications. They also offer a safe, secure and complete website where consumers can purchase all of the same products found in the store. The website is strength because it is not only a means for purchasing products, but is also a very thorough informational site. Consumers can log onto www.walmartstores.com and do company financial searches, find employment, learn about the grassroots of Wal-Mart, email the company about problems, and learn about any recalls of products sold through Wal-Mart. (W)eaknesses Management The biggest weakness that Wal-Mart has in the management area is that it does not have a formal mission statement. While they do have core values, they do not explicitly tell their employees or consumers what their business is. This is a fundamental aspect of a company and it provides not definition and direction, but it gives a company a statement on which to rely on to stay strong and focused. Another weakness is that there are few females in top management and there are few minorities employed. With such a societal demand for equality, Wal-Mart is lacking in this category. This is not a very good ethical decision for Wal-Mart to be making. They are really hurting their corporate image by maintaining this position. The other area that Wal-Mart lacks in is with unions. Currently, Wal-Mart does not have any union involvement. This is a problem because of the perception of treating employees poorly. Unions are created to provide bargaining power to employees on issues that involve their compensation, benefits, and working conditions. This is also a weakness because of job security. With unions, job security is not as much of a concern. Marketing The biggest source of marketing weakness stems from Wal-Mart lobbying to expand into new markets. There are thousands of towns across the United States that have tried to block the introduction of Wal-Mart because of the economic impact that it has on small-town stores and shops. Wal-Mart has a damaged reputation because when they move into a location they end up forcing these types of businesses out of business. Finance/Accounting Weaknesses in Wal-Marts finances are seen in three of its ratios. The fixed asset turnover, earnings per share, and average collection period ratios are not very good. The fixed asset turnover ratio is telling us that they have made a lot of investments, but that they are not being fully used at this point in time. The earnings per share ratio is not good because when compared to the industry, they are not earning as much money for each shareholder. However, this is most likely due to the sheer number of outstanding shares. The average collection period is a cause for concern because it means that they are allowing their debtors to carry accounts with Wal-Mart for an above average period of time. This is not good because it increases the likelihood of non-payment. (These ratios can be found in Figure 3 of the appendix) Production/Operations The largest source of concern for this functional area is the slowing speed of checkout lines. This is simply a product of Wal-Marts success. Because more and more people are going to Wal-Mart, and the number of checkout lines is staying constant, the only way to compensate is for the time to checkout increase. This is a problem because it can and will cause people to choose other stores that are less congested. They are basically losing sales due to this fact. Research and Development This is a weakness because they do not actively engage in any research and development. Specifically, they do not do any prior site research before opening a store. They simply approach a local government and build. Internal Factor Evaluation The internal factor evaluation is used to evaluate the major strengths and weaknesses of a company. There are weights assigned to strengths and weaknesses based on how the company responds to them. The ratings are: 1 = poor response, 2 = average response, 3 = above average response, and 4 = superior response. (Figure 5 in the appendix) The key strengths we identified were financial position, employees, customer oriented, one-stop shopping, satisfaction guaranteed programs, employee stock ownership and profit-sharing, well-rounded business, ease of website, good reputation, and favorable access to distribution networks. Along with key strengths of Wal-Mart, we also identified key weaknesses. The key weaknesses are some ratios are not sufficient, non-unionization, no formal mission statement, few women and minorities in top management, undifferentiated products and services, site research, slow speed of checkout service, and finally a damaged reputation. The strengths were weighted: .04 for financial position, .07 for employees, .07 for customer orientation, .14 for one-stop shopping, .05 for satisfaction guaranteed programs, .05 for stock ownership and profit-sharing, .03 for well-rounded business, .04 for ease of website, .04 for good reputation, and .04 for favorable access to distribution networks. The weaknesses have also been weighted. The weaknesses weighted scores were .03 for insufficient ratios, .15 for non-unionization, .05 for no formal mission statement, .05 for few women and minorities in top management, .03 for undifferentiated products and services, .05 for site research, .04 for slowing speed of checkout service, and .03 for a damaged reputation. These weights show the importance of each strength and weakness of Wal-Mart. They are determined by how important that quality is to Wal-Mart and how hard of an impact each has against other businesses. We felt that the most important factors were one-stop shopping and non-unionization. These two factors are very important to Wal-Marts structure and well being as a whole. If these factors are not evaluated regularly, they could put a start to its potential downfall. We rated each strength and weakness based on how Wal-Mart seems to be positioning itself against its competitors. Wal-Marts employees, customer orientation, one-stop shopping, satisfaction guaranteed programs, stock ownership and profit sharing, ease of website, good reputation and favorable access to distribution networks all have been very successful strengths for the company. These are so successful we rated each with a 4. The financial position of Wal-Mart and the well-rounded business that it is has made Wal-Mart what it is today. Because of this success we rated these factors with a 3. In their weaknesses, we thought that minor weaknesses included: non-unionization, no formal mission statement, few women and minorities in top management, undifferentiated products and services, site research, and the slowing speed of checkout service. Since these were only minor we gave them a score of 2. We also rated some major weaknesses. These included insufficient ratios and their damaged reputation, which we rated as a 1. By using these scores in the internal factor evaluation matrix, we came to a total score for Wal-Mart being a 3.01, which is above average. They are above the average company when it comes down to its strengths and weaknesses and how they deal with them. (This is Figure 5 in the appendix) External Analysis (O)pportunities Economic An opportunity available to the industry is the free trade zone. When the government enters into new trade agreements with foreign countries, businesses in the United States have the ability to offer products from these countries in their stores. This simply increases the markets available to retailers. Social, cultural, demographic, and environmental An opportunity facing the industry is that customers want ease of shopping. To provide the ease of shopping the industry is guaranteeing that the customers will find what they want when they want it. This is supported by convenient presentation and the right level of service every time the customer shops. Political, legal, and government An opportunity facing the industry is that the Asian market is virtually untapped by the retail world. By having an untapped market it gives a huge opportunity for companies to expand. It promises unlimited potential for growth and profits. Technological An opportunity facing the industry is that internet shopping is growing. To take advantage of internet shopping, the industry is focused around the customer. The customer receives friendly site designs, efficient order fulfillment, fast delivery and professional customer response. They process returns, refunds, and rebates quickly. Competitive An opportunity facing the industry is that the value of money is weakening. The weakening value of money will help the industry because it reduces the ability of foreign manufactures to offer discounts. (T)hreats Economic A threat is that the economy is very slow right now. There is no way of preventing it and no way to change it. This impacts all businesses and causes profit margins to be reduced as price-cutting ensues to attract more consumers. Social, cultural, demographic, and environmental A threat is customer theft. Manufacturers are fighting back against customer theft by embedding paper clip sized antitheft tags, called electronic article surveillance labels, inside products and packaging. Called source tagging, the process offers several major benefits. For one, merchandise tagged on the factory floor during manufacture or packaging lets retail employees spend less time in the storeroom applying labels and more time on the show floor helping customers. Also, high-theft merchandise previously displayed behind glass can now sit out in the open, boosting sales significantly. Another social, cultural, demographic, and environmental threat is employee theft. Along with antitheft labels there are radio-frequency circuits that are hidden in packages and go unnoticed. The only time they will go off is when the bar code scanner does not deactivate the circuit, which means they stole it. This helps to prevent the two forms of employee theft, which are sweat hearting and sliding. Sweat hearting is when the employee charges the customer less than the actual price and sliding is when the employee covers the barcode at the point of sale. Political, legal, and governmental A threat is the Chinese regulations. China has one of the largest populations in the world; however, the Chinese government does not take kindly to opening their country to foreign establishments. Also, there is rampant corruption among the Chinese, and they have no generally accepted accounting principles. Technological A threat facing the industry is that technological advances may make the products obsolescent. As technology advances, products being sold today are gone tomorrow; this provides less products for retailers to sell. Competitive A threat is that the industry is not following consumer taste. To overcome the threat of not providing consumers wants the industry is expanding rapidly in the urban centers while traditional wet markets are being edged out as the middle-class enlarges and young people flock to the cities. Competitive Profile Matrix A competitive profile matrix identifies a firms major competitors and its particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to a sample firms strategic position. The ratings are as follows: 1 major weakness, 2 minor weaknesses, 3 minor strengths, and 4 major strengths. (Figure 1 in the appendix) Compared together, Wal-Mart, Target and Kmart are very close competitors. They are all retail-variety discount stores making their existence known throughout the world, except Target, which you cannot find globally. These three companies are constantly vying for the reputation as the lowest priced retailer. In the competitive profile matrix, the most critical success factor would be advertising with a weighted score of 0.25. Advertising for these competitors is very critical if they want to compete against each other for the best quality products at low prices. With this, Target was scored the highest with a rating of 4 while both Wal-Mart and Kmart are rated as a 3. This is because Target does a lot more advertising then Wal-Mart and Kmart. The next most critical success factor is global expansion with a weighted score of 0.20. This is somewhat important if you wanted to keep up with the competitors. Wal-Mart was found to be rated the highest with a 4 with Kmart was rated next with a 3, and finally Target rated as a 2. Wal-Mart was ranked the highest because they are found around world, while Kmart was ranked next because they are only found in a few other countries. Target, ranking last, does not have any global branches. This is only a minor weakness because they really do not have to go globally because of how well they are keeping up with the competitors within the United States. Price competitiveness and financial position are ranked next on the competitive profile matrix with a weighted score of 0.15 each. Wal-Mart, ranking the highest in both cases with a 4, is above all competitors. This is because they price reasonably with lower prices then all the competitors and their financial position is great. Target is ranked next with a rating of 3 in both price competitiveness and financial position. Target is known to have somewhat high prices and people tend to see that and want to go shopping elsewhere like Wal-Mart. Their financial position is not that great with the minor strength, but they are keeping up with their major competitor, Wal-Mart. Finally, Kmart is found to have a rating of a 3 in price competitiveness, and a rating of 2 in financial position. This is because Kmart does keep up with the prices of competitors, but they do get pricey in some areas. Their financial position is a minor weakness because of the Martha Stewart scandal and their bankru ptcy. Her products were being sold a lot until the scandal came out. Now they are pricing her products really low just to get the inventory sold. Next, product quality and customer loyalty is found on the competitive profile matrix to have a weighted score of 0.10. Target is found to have a rating of 4 in product quality. In customer loyalty they have a rating of a 3. This is because products found in Target tends to be top brand products, but at the same time, customers see these products somewhere else for a lower price and they tend to go to that place instead. Wal-Mart is ranked next with a rating of 3 in both product quality and customer loyalty. Wal-Mart may not have top brand products but the quality is fairly good. Customer loyalty is also ranked as a 3 because some people do like to get better products no matter how much it costs. Kmart, ranked last with a 2. This is because they do not carry quality products. People tend to go other places for what they want because of the better selection and quality. Finally, the last critical success factor is market share with a rating of 0.05. Wal-Mart and Target are both ranked 3 while Kmart is ranked 1. This is about right because as indicated by the total weighted score, Kmart is the weakest with 2.55. Targets total weighted score was in between but closer to Wal-Marts score of 3.15, and Wal-Marts was the strongest weighted score as 3.50. In conclusion of the competitive profile matrix, Wal-Mart as a competitor rises above both Target and Kmart. External Factor Evaluation An external factor evaluation matrix identifies the industry-wide opportunities and threats. Weights are assigned to the various opportunities and threats based on how well the subject company is responding to the threats and opportunities. The ratings are as follows: 1 = poor response, 2 = average response, 3 = above average response, and 4 = superior response. (Figure 2 in the appendix) The main opportunities that we identified were increasing internet shopping, ease of shopping, free trade zones, the Chinese market, and the value of the dollar. The main threats that we identified were technology making products obsolete, customer and employee theft, slow economy, the Chinese regulations, and not offering what the consumer wants. The opportunities were weighted .15 for internet shopping, .10 for ease of shopping, .10 for free trade zones, .10 for Chinese markets, and .05 for the weak dollar. The threats were weighted .10 for technology making products obsolete, .20 for customer and employee theft, .05 for the slow economy, .10 for the Chinese regulations, and.05 for not offering what consumers want. The weights and are representative of the importance the opportunities and threats presented to Wal-Mart. They were determined by considering the impact that each one has on the industry and how well Wal-Mart is conditioned to react to the situations presented. We felt that the most important factors were internet shopping, and customer and employee theft. These two factors are paramount to the industry and all of its counterparts success. If these factors are not addressed by the industry, bankruptcy is sure to follow. We rated each of the opportunities and threats based on how well Wal-Mart has been positioning itself in the market. Wal-Marts website has been a huge success with it contributing additional revenue to the bottom line; we rated this as a 4. The response to consumer demand for one-stop shopping has also been a success. The fact that you can buy a vast majority of everyday needs such as groceries, clothes, personal care products, electronics, among many other products shows the commitment Wal-Mart is making to the one-stop shopping idea. We also rated this 4. We felt that Wal-Marts continued expansion into foreign countries to be above average and thus rated it a 3. Because China is heavily regulated, we rated their response to the opportunities available in China a 2. This is still a very good score because it is very difficult for any firm to expand into China. Wal-Marts reaction to the dollar weakening has been above average because of its worldwide coverage. They have been able to take advantage of this economic factor with ease and we rated it a 3. The response to threats has been equally impressive. While technology is constantly making products obsolete, Wal-Mart has been able to position itself to be a positive avenue for selling all of the newest and innovative products. Wal-Mart suppliers definitely have a great opportunity for sales because of the vast audience that patronize Wal-Mart. We rated this as a 3. Employee and customer theft is inevitable in all industries. This was ranked as a 2 because Wal-Mart uses the same devices that the entire industry uses. The slowing economy has been a sour point to all industries as well. Wal-Mart has been able to limit its exposure by offering low prices and maintaining its market-leading share. We ranked this factor a 4. Again, because China is such a tough market to enter, we ranked their response to Chinese regulations a 2. The idea that companies offer products that consumers do not want is not uncommon. There have been thousands of products that have flopped after being introduced. Wal-Mart has been able to circumscribe their exposure by offering thousands of products across many different areas. We ranked their response to this a 4. The final score, 2.80, that was obtained from the external factor evaluation matrix shows that Wal-Mart is above average when reacting to opportunities and threats.