Mainfreight Case Study

Mainfreight Group – Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow A case study of a New Zealand Multinational’s Foreign Market Entry Strategy Mainfreight – Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow. This case study examines the strategies Mainfreight Limited has exploited when entering foreign markets. It examines Mainfreight’s successes and failures and investigates whether its market entry strategies played a significant part in these experiences. The Mainfreight Group market themselves as a global logistics provider offering â€Å"managed warehousing and international and domestic freight forwarding† (Mainfreight, 2013).As of 2013 Mainfreight Limited is operating in over 14 countries in four continents. Originally a domestic freight provider, the company now specializes in providing a large variety of services common to global logistics providers such as domestic haulage of both full and part loads, International Air services, International Sea Container service s, Contract Warehousing and Supply Chain Management as well as other service offerings not commonly associated with global logistics providers including â€Å"Fashion Services, Canadian Transborder Logistics Services and Entertainment Media Logistics†(Linkedin, 2013).Mainfreight generally focuses on target areas they identify they can add more value to than â€Å"simple cartage† (Massey University, 2009) Mainfreight attribute their success to their unique culture, stating on their website that they â€Å"have developed a style of doing business, successful not only in New Zealand, but around the world†. Whilst this is a bold statement, Mainfreight has had some great accomplishments. Their success hasn’t been an accident and this mighty oak was once a little acorn.Since its inception in 1978, Mainfreight has grown significantly and is often cited as one of New Zealand’s most successful companies (Otago Business School, n. d. ). Founded by Bruce Ples ted with $7,200 (Mainfreight, 1996) â€Å"and a 1969 Bedford truck† (Fairfax NZ News, 2008) Mainfreight’s business quickly expanded. Neil Graham joined Plested in 1979 as Joint Managing Director and opened their first Christchurch Branch.Growth continued and Mainfreight soon developed â€Å"New Zealand’s most extensive [domestic] freight network† (Mainfreight, 2013) by using coastal shipping to get around draconian laws that required â€Å"all freight travelling on land a greater distance than 150 kilometres to be moved by rail. † (Mainfreight, 1996) Mainfreight Founder Bruce Plested â€Å"By the time land transport deregulation occurred in 1985, we were hardened and experienced after 8 years competing against the system and the giant transport companies.With the playing field almost levelled we were the fittest players, and our company was evolving a deep culture and a vision of what we could achieve† â€Å"By the time land transport dereg ulation occurred in 1985, we were hardened and experienced after 8 years competing against the system and the giant transport companies. With the playing field almost levelled we were the fittest players, and our company was evolving a deep culture and a vision of what we could achieve†Complementary to the company’s special culture Plested believed that some of the company’s success could be assigned to its agility and responsiveness to change, stating in Mainfreight’s 1996 prospectus; Revenue exceeded NZD$10 million for the first time in 1984 and the first Mainfreight International branches, 50% owned by the Mainfreight Limited in conjunction with their managers opened in Christchurch and Auckland also opened. Mainfreight, 1996) 1989 saw the opening of Mainfreight’s first Australian branch in Sydney with a view to offering services that â€Å"would allow customers to treat New Zealand and Australia as one market† (New Zealand Management Maga zine, 2007). Mainfreight International Branches also opened in Melbourne and Sydney and revenue first exceeded NZD$50 million. The period between 1990 and 1996 was typified by geographic expansion throughout Australia and New Zealand.This growth was primarily via two different channels; via organic growth from its existing operations, and through acquisition of competitors or complementary service providers. Service expansion and differentiation formed the backbone of Mainfreight’s organic growth platform through the early 1990’s. Named operations such as Metro Cartage, Wharf Operations and Distribution began to appear alongside the regular Mainfreight and Mainfreight International brands. Revenues continued to grow and the New Zealand domestic and International parts of he business continued to excel. However, the same could not be said for Mainfreight’s Australian operations which did not break even until 1994 (Kennedy, 2000). â€Å"By having a strong domesti c and international presence in both New Zealand and Australia we have a good chance of demonstrating to a multinational company that when it comes to this corner of the globe, we are the people to use. We do not have the choice of only being able to service New Zealand, the multinational is not interested – they see Australia and New Zealand as one† By having a strong domestic and international presence in both New Zealand and Australia we have a good chance of demonstrating to a multinational company that when it comes to this corner of the globe, we are the people to use. We do not have the choice of only being able to service New Zealand, the multinational is not interested – they see Australia and New Zealand as one† Despite these losses Mainfreight’s commitment to the Australian market was never in doubt.Executive Chairman Bruce Plested described the perception that the rest of the world regard Australia and New Zealand as one market and that m ultinationals â€Å"increasingly engage a global freight company to provide all their freighting and warehousing services throughout the world† (Mainfreight, 2002). Plested’s argument was that by having a presence in both Australia and New Zealand it would demonstrate to large multinationals that Mainfreight were the logistics provider of choice and specialists in this geography.He did not feel he could achieve this operating in New Zealand alone. In order to rectify the company’s poor Australian result the business undertook a series of acquisitions through the early to mid 1990’s that included Mogal Freight, MSAS and Premier VIP stores. (Refer to Table 1. 1 for more information on Mainfreight’s acquisitions during the period between 1980 and 1995). TABLE 1. 1 Plested in an interview with Graeme Kennedy in March 2000 reflected on the Australian operations struggles; â€Å"We have struggled to break into the usiness with those bigger customers sin ce we moved into Australia with an interstate freight operation similar to our New Zealand model† â€Å"The business has been difficult to grow and we haven't made the progress in the Australian domestic market we had hoped† â€Å"You've got to have the size and network and employ Australians to get the respect of the bigger companies. Without the size and the volumes, the services you can offer are restricted with a smaller network. They want to see size and network to give them confidence in the operation† We have struggled to break into the business with those bigger customers since we moved into Australia with an interstate freight operation similar to our New Zealand model† â€Å"The business has been difficult to grow and we haven't made the progress in the Australian domestic market we had hoped† â€Å"You've got to have the size and network and employ Australians to get the respect of the bigger companies. Without the size and the volumes, t he services you can offer are restricted with a smaller network. They want to see size and network to give them confidence in the operation†It was the acquisition in 1994 of Premier VIP Stores that finally gave Mainfreight the critical mass of customers required to finally start making profit from their Australian operation. With profitability worries behind them, operating revenues hitting NZD$100 million per annum and all three divisions of Mainfreight Limited’s business operating profitably, the business listed on the New Zealand stock exchange on the 14th June 1996. 35 million shares, roughly 60% of the company’s issued capital, was made available by owners Bruce Plested and Neil Graham to the general public at a price between $0. 5 and $1. 10 per share (Mainfreight, 1996) The listing proved to be an immediate success with Mainfreight’s share price increasing 72% in its first year as a publically listed company. Acquisitions in New Zealand and Australi a continued throughout 1997/1998. Mainfreight purchased 75% of LEP Freightways New Zealand and purchased outright LEP International Australia, Combined Haulage, Senco Haulage and Trade Air Ocean Ltd all significant players in the Australasian logistics industry. Mainfreight’s international growth continued, purchasing minority shareholdings in ISS and Associates in Hong Kong (37. % of Bolwick Ltd) and China (50% of Mainfreight Express Ltd) one month after opening its first Mainfreight International branch outside of Australasia, also in Hong Kong in September of 1998. This signified the start of Mainfreight’s push to become a global player in the logistics scene which continued with the purchase of CaroTrans from Arkansas Best Corp in 1999. Mainfreight bought 49. 5% of the CaroTrans operation with the remaining shareholding taken up by an investor group that included CaroTrans CEO Greg Howard. Refer to table 1. 2 to see how Mainfreight Group had structured its investme nt in other subsidiaries as of 2001.TABLE 1. 2 â€Å"Mainfreight has built a network of businesses which it owns throughout New Zealand and Australia and also operates with joint ownership’s, a network throughout the United States, in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Beyond these regions, in Europe we work with Ziegler (our partner in CaroTrans) and with agents and alliances in most other countries†. â€Å"Mainfreight has built a network of businesses which it owns throughout New Zealand and Australia and also operates with joint ownership’s, a network throughout the United States, in Hong Kong and Shanghai.Beyond these regions, in Europe we work with Ziegler (our partner in CaroTrans) and with agents and alliances in most other countries†. In their 2001 Annual Report Mainfreight described the group of businesses they had acquired over the past 21 years. The period between 2002 and 2007 saw Mainfreight focus on its existing geographies. In New Zealand growth occur red through the opening of new Mainfreight domestic transport branches as well as through the 79. 6% acquisition of the Owens Group of companies in 2003.The company’s Australian operations were also performing with revenues from Australian Domestic and International segments equalling the New Zealand group’s sales performance for the first time. Mainfreight purchased the outstanding 51. 5% of CaroTrans in 2004 and opened additional branches of across the United States and Australia. Mainfreight International opened further Chinese branches in Ningbo, Shenzen and Guangzhou. Table 1. 3 demonstrates Mainfreight Groups financial performance by geographical segment for the year ending 31st March 2007. TABLE 1. 3 Mainfreight USA has now traded some 18 months under our ownership. In that time we have identified a number of shortcomings in the business which we are in the process of addressing. Results are well below our expectations and are poor at best. † â€Å"Mainfr eight Group culture and operating disciplines have been introduced to the USA operations, including a stronger branch management focus, the introduction of our owner driver model for pick up and delivery, and a more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost management. † more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost management Mainfreight USA has now traded some 18 months under our ownership. In that time we have identified a number of shortcomings in the business which we are in the process of addressing. Results are well below our expectations and are poor at best. † â€Å"Mainfreight Group culture and operating disciplines have been introduced to the USA operations, including a stronger branch management focus, the introduction of our owner driver model for pick up and delivery, and a more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost management. † more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost managementMainfreight’s expansi on did not stop there. Target Logistics, a public company listed on the American Stock Exchange was acquired â€Å"in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately USD $53. 7 million† (CW Downer & Co, 2007). This represented Mainfreight’s largest acquisition to date. Chris Coppersmith CEO and President of Target Logistics stayed on with the company and headed up the newly formed Mainfreight USA, however his time in the role was short lived. By the end of 2009, Coppersmith was no longer with the company having been replaced by 14 year Mainfreight Veteran John Hepworth.Mainfreight’s 2009 annual report shed some light on some of the issues the American operation was facing. During this period Mainfreight purchased the outstanding shares from its Management in Hong Kong and China and disposed of its 75% shareholding in both LEP International New Zealand and Australia for AUD $83 million to minority shareholder Agility Logistics Group (Mainfreight, 2007). However t hese setbacks did not slow down the Mainfreight Group, the company achieving sales of NZD $1 Billion for the first time in time 2009.Buoyed by consistent sales growth the company continued with its rapid development and advanced into Europe. The Wim Bosman group of companies, â€Å"one of the largest privately? owned, integrated transport and logistics providers in the Netherlands and Belgium with 14 branches across six European countries, with more than 1,000 transport units, more than 275,000m? of warehouse and cross docking facilities and approximately 1,414 team members† (Mainfreight,2011) was purchased outright in 2011 for 110 million Euros. This time however Mainfreight installed Mark Newman, one of Mainfreight’s first graduates as CEO of the European business.Mark having spent 21 years with Mainfreight, Mark was very familiar with the company’s culture and drive to succeed. In the company’s 2012 Annual Report Newman reflects on his first year in ch arge of Wim Bosman / Mainfreight Europe. â€Å"We have now completed one full year of ownership of the Wim Bosman group of companies. During this period we have been able to integrate Mainfreight’s financial disciplines and begin the process of aligning our new team members to Mainfreight’s culture. Unfortunately, financial performance has not met expectations† â€Å"We have now completed one full year of ownership of the Wim Bosman group of companies.During this period we have been able to integrate Mainfreight’s financial disciplines and begin the process of aligning our new team members to Mainfreight’s culture. Unfortunately, financial performance has not met expectations† Despite these continued expansion struggles Mainfreight is still being awarded accolades, in 2012 winning the â€Å"Best Growth Strategy† award at the Deloitte / Management Top200 Awards Ceremony. So, what has Mainfreight learnt from these acquisitions and how h as their behaviour changed over time? Refer to the tables 1. 4 and 1. for an update on Mainfreight Groups financial performance by geographical segment and the group’s structure as of 31 March 2012, before answering the Questions in Section two. TABLE 1. 4 TABLE 1. 5 Questions / Discussion 1) Can Mainfreight truly be classified as a â€Å"global† logistics provider? Using Collinson and Rugman’s definition from Peng’s 2014 text of a true global multinational enterprise having â€Å"at least 20% of sales in each of the three regions of the Triad consisting of Asia, Europe and North America but less than 50% in any one† we can see that Mainfreight does not quite fit this criteria. Table 1. shows Mainfreight Groups consolidated sales by geographic segment for 2012. Sales in the USA and Europe represented 24% and 23% respectively of the group’s NZD$ 1. 8billion total sales. Asia however contributed only 3%. Strictly following Rugman’s defi nition this would suggest that Mainfreight is not truly a global logistics provider. If we redefine Rugman’s definition to state â€Å"at least 20% of sales in each of three regions but less than 50% in any one† the 54% of sales coming from Australasia would suggest that Mainfreight is still to Australasian centric to be considered a true â€Å"global† logistics provider. ) Has Mainfreight's mode of entry into foreign markets changed over time? If so how, and why? There have been some consistent themes as well as some changes to Mainfreight’s market entry strategies since opening their first Mainfreight International Branch in 1984. The consistent themes have seen Mainfreight continuously pursue Equity modes as means of entry. As a service provider Mainfreight has been unable to pursue some non-equity modes of entry, as it is not possible to export their services to foreign markets, although Licensing and Franchising agreements could have been pursued in other markets if Mainfreight so desired.The main changes in Mainfreight’s approach occurred between 2005 and 2007. This was most obvious when Mainfreight acquired 100% of Target Logistics, increased its shareholding to 100% in both its Hong Kong and Chinese operations and divested its 75% shareholding in LEP New Zealand and Australia. This move to wholly owning their subsidiary’s represented a significant change in thinking for Mainfreight, who up until this time entered new markets in Joint Venture, often sharing costs, risks and profits in conjunction with the subsidiary’s Senior Management. This previous approach was evident in the 49. % purchase of CaroTrans from Arkansas Best Corp in conjunction with CEO Greg Howard and in the Hong Kong and Chinese operations opened in 1998. Whilst the incorporation of CaroTrans into Mainfreight’s business was seen as a success, the introduction into the stable of fellow American company Target Logistics was anything but. Target CEO Chris Coppersmith stayed on when the business transferred to Mainfreight ownership, however the Target business could not adapt to the cultural and financial expectations expected of it by Mainfreight’s Board and Coppersmith was soon replaced by veteran Mainfreight Executive John Hepworth.As of 2012, the American division is still struggling, remaining the least profitable of all geographic segments in terms of its size as indicated in the table below. NZD 000's| | | | | | | NZ| Aus| USA| Asia| Europe| Revenue| 455. 7| 529| 439| 56| 419| EBITDA| 54. 5| 33. 7| 19| 2. 6| 28. 1| ROR| 12. 0%| 6. 4%| 4. 3%| 4. 6%| 6. 7%| Despite Mainfreight continually pushing their culture as the number one reason for their success, it may be that they have overlooked the importance of adapting to certain countries specific norms and values.It certainly wasn’t a new concept as Mainfreight had experienced these struggles in the past, Bruce Plested’s interview with Gr aeme Kennedy in 2000 touched on the cultural differences of the Australian and New Zealand markets stating â€Å"You've got to have the size and network and employ Australians to get the respect of the bigger companies† (Kennedy, 2000) The Wim Bosman acquisition which also saw Mainfreight Executive Mark Newman promoted has also struggled financially.Is it a coincidence that Mainfreight’s joint ventures thrived whilst the wholly owned subsidiaries struggled? The major benefit of joint ventures is the access to partners’ knowledge, albeit whether it relates to regulative, normative or cognitive institutions. It appears this is something Mainfreight has overlooked in the recent past as it moved toward wholly owning its foreign subsidiaries. 3) Why do you think that Mainfreight has entered the markets it has? Mainfreight has applied some logic to the markets it has chosen to enter.Australia is a logical first point of call for many New Zealand firms looking to expan d overseas due to the common language, regulatory environments and similar, albeit different, cultural norms. From an international organizations point of view, these similarities are compounded. Mainfreight’s chairman Bruce Plested stated that multinationals often view both New Zealand and Australia as just one market making Australia a logical first stepping stone in Mainfreight’s overseas expansion. Up until 2010 Mainfreight’s expansion had focused on extending the New Zealand part of the company’s global reach.Statistics New Zealand (2013) states that â€Å"New Zealand depends heavily on international trade, especially with especially with Australia, China, the United States, and Japan† and unsurprisingly these are the countries (excluding Japan) that Mainfreight has expanded into. The cultural differences between New Zealand and the Chinese and American markets are much more significant than those between the New Zealand and Australian markets or other traditional trading partners such as Britain.However, the sheer weight of imports and exports flowing into and out of these countries has made them obvious candidates for Mainfreight to expand into as it seeks to expand into markets complementary to the existing business. The purchase of Wim Bosman is interesting in that it is not a purchase that would traditionally be seen as complementary to Mainfreight’s New Zealand business when compared to markets such as Japan with whom New Zealand has significantly more trade.However, the opening of European markets could be seen as complimentary to Mainfreight’s US and Chinese operations in particular as these operations continue to grow, evolve and mature. 4) What are some of the risks associated with the approaches to foreign direct investment and the markets Mainfreight has chosen to enter? Mainfreight experienced Liability of Foreignness when it first entered the Australian market place. As outlined in my response to Question 1, firms, especially large ones would not give Mainfreight a chance unless they were seen to employ Australians.This was an inherent disadvantage of being a foreign company entering a new market in a â€Å"greenfield† capacity. Later Mainfreight expansion addressed some of these risks through the use of Joint Ventures in foreign markets such as China, Hong Kong and in the purchase of CaroTrans in the USA. As Mainfreight’s market entry strategy changed towards wholly owning their subsidiaries, some of these risks arose again. Mainfreight’s approach in fully acquiring existing business often helped to minimize these dangers as Mainfreight was not competing for a piece of the existing market share as it was previously with its greenfield entry into Australia.Mainfreight has not adopted a consistent approach to renaming businesses it has taken over. For example Target Logistics was renamed as Mainfreight USA, whilst the Wim Bosman acquisition has retain ed the company’s original branding possibly helping to overcome some of the cultural negativity foreign firms experience in other host countries. As a smaller New Zealand based multinational in the service industry Mainfreight has managed to mitigate many of risks that may apply to other companies, however currency risks and rivalry among competing firms are areas Mainfreight is still susceptible to.Regulatory risks are still very real however probably lesser in geographies such as Australia, the EU and New Zealand than they are the United States and China. 5) Relative to smaller logistics providers in New Zealand what are the main advantages Mainfreight enjoys from its MNE status? Peng (2014) refers to firms having OLI advantages or Ownership, Location and Internalization advantages. Using Peng’s framework, relative to non-multinationals operating in the New Zealand logistics industry, Mainfreight has the following advantages.Ownership Mainfreight benefits in that it has control and ownership of a significant part of the supply chain compared to say a New Zealand domestic transport company or a New Zealand warehousing provider. Mainfreight is able to compete with these non-multinationals by offering the convenience of an all in one managed solution to its clients or alternative competing on price with non-multinationals in their market as Mainfreight may be able to cross subsidise certain parts of its business.For example, Mainfreight may sell New Zealand warehousing services at a loss if it guarantees means they may win a customer’s lucrative freighting business. Location Mainfreight’s advantages over a non multinational from a location perspective are much harder to determine. As a service industry Mainfreight would find it hard to capitalize on Natural resources, low cost efficiencies and innovation, however there may be some advantages gained through having a global presence and subjecting Mainfreight’s brand to a global audience.This means Mainfreight could have a distinct advantage over non multinational logistics providers as potential customers (particularly large global ones) are more likely to know of Mainfreight’s operations. Internalization Some of the benefits Mainfreight experiences here are similar to the Ownership benefits outlined above. By not having to pay external suppliers margins on different services within a customer’s supply chain, Mainfreight can potentially offer more competitive services and retain profits inhouse. References Collinson, S. and Rugman, A. (2007).The regional character of Asian multinational enterprises. APJM, Ch. 24. Pp. 429-446. C. W. Downer ; Co. (2007, September 18). Target Logistics, Inc. , Agrees to be acquired by Mainfreight Limited. Retrieved from http://www. cwdowner. com/index. php? option=com_content;view=article;id=72;Itemid=31 Deloitte. (2012, November 29). Top 200 Companies Awards Reflect Future Direction for NZ Enterprise. Retrieve d from http://www. deloitte. com/view/en_NZ/nz/news-room/3ee15be7bf94b310VgnVCM2000003356f70aRCRD. htm Fairfax NZ News. (2008, November 26). Mainfreight's Plested wins Beacon Award.Retrieved from http://www. stuff. co. nz/business/735585 Kennedy, Graeme. (2000, March 17). Mainfreight develops major logistics operation. Retrieved from http://www. sharechat. co. nz/article/69e6e5bb/mainfreight-develops-major-logistics-operation. html Linkedin. (2013, February 28). Mainfreight. Retrieved from http://www. linkedin. com/company/mainfreight? trk=top_nav_home Mainfreight Limited. (1996) Mainfreight Limited Prospectus. Retrieved from http://epublishbyus. com/ebook/ebook? id=10005147#/4 Mainfreight Limited. (1997, July 2). Annual Report 1997. Retrieved from Mainfreight Case Study Mainfreight Group – Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow A case study of a New Zealand Multinational’s Foreign Market Entry Strategy Mainfreight – Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow. This case study examines the strategies Mainfreight Limited has exploited when entering foreign markets. It examines Mainfreight’s successes and failures and investigates whether its market entry strategies played a significant part in these experiences. The Mainfreight Group market themselves as a global logistics provider offering â€Å"managed warehousing and international and domestic freight forwarding† (Mainfreight, 2013).As of 2013 Mainfreight Limited is operating in over 14 countries in four continents. Originally a domestic freight provider, the company now specializes in providing a large variety of services common to global logistics providers such as domestic haulage of both full and part loads, International Air services, International Sea Container service s, Contract Warehousing and Supply Chain Management as well as other service offerings not commonly associated with global logistics providers including â€Å"Fashion Services, Canadian Transborder Logistics Services and Entertainment Media Logistics†(Linkedin, 2013).Mainfreight generally focuses on target areas they identify they can add more value to than â€Å"simple cartage† (Massey University, 2009) Mainfreight attribute their success to their unique culture, stating on their website that they â€Å"have developed a style of doing business, successful not only in New Zealand, but around the world†. Whilst this is a bold statement, Mainfreight has had some great accomplishments. Their success hasn’t been an accident and this mighty oak was once a little acorn.Since its inception in 1978, Mainfreight has grown significantly and is often cited as one of New Zealand’s most successful companies (Otago Business School, n. d. ). Founded by Bruce Ples ted with $7,200 (Mainfreight, 1996) â€Å"and a 1969 Bedford truck† (Fairfax NZ News, 2008) Mainfreight’s business quickly expanded. Neil Graham joined Plested in 1979 as Joint Managing Director and opened their first Christchurch Branch.Growth continued and Mainfreight soon developed â€Å"New Zealand’s most extensive [domestic] freight network† (Mainfreight, 2013) by using coastal shipping to get around draconian laws that required â€Å"all freight travelling on land a greater distance than 150 kilometres to be moved by rail. † (Mainfreight, 1996) Mainfreight Founder Bruce Plested â€Å"By the time land transport deregulation occurred in 1985, we were hardened and experienced after 8 years competing against the system and the giant transport companies.With the playing field almost levelled we were the fittest players, and our company was evolving a deep culture and a vision of what we could achieve† â€Å"By the time land transport dereg ulation occurred in 1985, we were hardened and experienced after 8 years competing against the system and the giant transport companies. With the playing field almost levelled we were the fittest players, and our company was evolving a deep culture and a vision of what we could achieve†Complementary to the company’s special culture Plested believed that some of the company’s success could be assigned to its agility and responsiveness to change, stating in Mainfreight’s 1996 prospectus; Revenue exceeded NZD$10 million for the first time in 1984 and the first Mainfreight International branches, 50% owned by the Mainfreight Limited in conjunction with their managers opened in Christchurch and Auckland also opened. Mainfreight, 1996) 1989 saw the opening of Mainfreight’s first Australian branch in Sydney with a view to offering services that â€Å"would allow customers to treat New Zealand and Australia as one market† (New Zealand Management Maga zine, 2007). Mainfreight International Branches also opened in Melbourne and Sydney and revenue first exceeded NZD$50 million. The period between 1990 and 1996 was typified by geographic expansion throughout Australia and New Zealand.This growth was primarily via two different channels; via organic growth from its existing operations, and through acquisition of competitors or complementary service providers. Service expansion and differentiation formed the backbone of Mainfreight’s organic growth platform through the early 1990’s. Named operations such as Metro Cartage, Wharf Operations and Distribution began to appear alongside the regular Mainfreight and Mainfreight International brands. Revenues continued to grow and the New Zealand domestic and International parts of he business continued to excel. However, the same could not be said for Mainfreight’s Australian operations which did not break even until 1994 (Kennedy, 2000). â€Å"By having a strong domesti c and international presence in both New Zealand and Australia we have a good chance of demonstrating to a multinational company that when it comes to this corner of the globe, we are the people to use. We do not have the choice of only being able to service New Zealand, the multinational is not interested – they see Australia and New Zealand as one† By having a strong domestic and international presence in both New Zealand and Australia we have a good chance of demonstrating to a multinational company that when it comes to this corner of the globe, we are the people to use. We do not have the choice of only being able to service New Zealand, the multinational is not interested – they see Australia and New Zealand as one† Despite these losses Mainfreight’s commitment to the Australian market was never in doubt.Executive Chairman Bruce Plested described the perception that the rest of the world regard Australia and New Zealand as one market and that m ultinationals â€Å"increasingly engage a global freight company to provide all their freighting and warehousing services throughout the world† (Mainfreight, 2002). Plested’s argument was that by having a presence in both Australia and New Zealand it would demonstrate to large multinationals that Mainfreight were the logistics provider of choice and specialists in this geography.He did not feel he could achieve this operating in New Zealand alone. In order to rectify the company’s poor Australian result the business undertook a series of acquisitions through the early to mid 1990’s that included Mogal Freight, MSAS and Premier VIP stores. (Refer to Table 1. 1 for more information on Mainfreight’s acquisitions during the period between 1980 and 1995). TABLE 1. 1 Plested in an interview with Graeme Kennedy in March 2000 reflected on the Australian operations struggles; â€Å"We have struggled to break into the usiness with those bigger customers sin ce we moved into Australia with an interstate freight operation similar to our New Zealand model† â€Å"The business has been difficult to grow and we haven't made the progress in the Australian domestic market we had hoped† â€Å"You've got to have the size and network and employ Australians to get the respect of the bigger companies. Without the size and the volumes, the services you can offer are restricted with a smaller network. They want to see size and network to give them confidence in the operation† We have struggled to break into the business with those bigger customers since we moved into Australia with an interstate freight operation similar to our New Zealand model† â€Å"The business has been difficult to grow and we haven't made the progress in the Australian domestic market we had hoped† â€Å"You've got to have the size and network and employ Australians to get the respect of the bigger companies. Without the size and the volumes, t he services you can offer are restricted with a smaller network. They want to see size and network to give them confidence in the operation†It was the acquisition in 1994 of Premier VIP Stores that finally gave Mainfreight the critical mass of customers required to finally start making profit from their Australian operation. With profitability worries behind them, operating revenues hitting NZD$100 million per annum and all three divisions of Mainfreight Limited’s business operating profitably, the business listed on the New Zealand stock exchange on the 14th June 1996. 35 million shares, roughly 60% of the company’s issued capital, was made available by owners Bruce Plested and Neil Graham to the general public at a price between $0. 5 and $1. 10 per share (Mainfreight, 1996) The listing proved to be an immediate success with Mainfreight’s share price increasing 72% in its first year as a publically listed company. Acquisitions in New Zealand and Australi a continued throughout 1997/1998. Mainfreight purchased 75% of LEP Freightways New Zealand and purchased outright LEP International Australia, Combined Haulage, Senco Haulage and Trade Air Ocean Ltd all significant players in the Australasian logistics industry. Mainfreight’s international growth continued, purchasing minority shareholdings in ISS and Associates in Hong Kong (37. % of Bolwick Ltd) and China (50% of Mainfreight Express Ltd) one month after opening its first Mainfreight International branch outside of Australasia, also in Hong Kong in September of 1998. This signified the start of Mainfreight’s push to become a global player in the logistics scene which continued with the purchase of CaroTrans from Arkansas Best Corp in 1999. Mainfreight bought 49. 5% of the CaroTrans operation with the remaining shareholding taken up by an investor group that included CaroTrans CEO Greg Howard. Refer to table 1. 2 to see how Mainfreight Group had structured its investme nt in other subsidiaries as of 2001.TABLE 1. 2 â€Å"Mainfreight has built a network of businesses which it owns throughout New Zealand and Australia and also operates with joint ownership’s, a network throughout the United States, in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Beyond these regions, in Europe we work with Ziegler (our partner in CaroTrans) and with agents and alliances in most other countries†. â€Å"Mainfreight has built a network of businesses which it owns throughout New Zealand and Australia and also operates with joint ownership’s, a network throughout the United States, in Hong Kong and Shanghai.Beyond these regions, in Europe we work with Ziegler (our partner in CaroTrans) and with agents and alliances in most other countries†. In their 2001 Annual Report Mainfreight described the group of businesses they had acquired over the past 21 years. The period between 2002 and 2007 saw Mainfreight focus on its existing geographies. In New Zealand growth occur red through the opening of new Mainfreight domestic transport branches as well as through the 79. 6% acquisition of the Owens Group of companies in 2003.The company’s Australian operations were also performing with revenues from Australian Domestic and International segments equalling the New Zealand group’s sales performance for the first time. Mainfreight purchased the outstanding 51. 5% of CaroTrans in 2004 and opened additional branches of across the United States and Australia. Mainfreight International opened further Chinese branches in Ningbo, Shenzen and Guangzhou. Table 1. 3 demonstrates Mainfreight Groups financial performance by geographical segment for the year ending 31st March 2007. TABLE 1. 3 Mainfreight USA has now traded some 18 months under our ownership. In that time we have identified a number of shortcomings in the business which we are in the process of addressing. Results are well below our expectations and are poor at best. † â€Å"Mainfr eight Group culture and operating disciplines have been introduced to the USA operations, including a stronger branch management focus, the introduction of our owner driver model for pick up and delivery, and a more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost management. † more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost management Mainfreight USA has now traded some 18 months under our ownership. In that time we have identified a number of shortcomings in the business which we are in the process of addressing. Results are well below our expectations and are poor at best. † â€Å"Mainfreight Group culture and operating disciplines have been introduced to the USA operations, including a stronger branch management focus, the introduction of our owner driver model for pick up and delivery, and a more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost management. † more rigorous approach to both fixed and variable cost managementMainfreight’s expansi on did not stop there. Target Logistics, a public company listed on the American Stock Exchange was acquired â€Å"in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately USD $53. 7 million† (CW Downer & Co, 2007). This represented Mainfreight’s largest acquisition to date. Chris Coppersmith CEO and President of Target Logistics stayed on with the company and headed up the newly formed Mainfreight USA, however his time in the role was short lived. By the end of 2009, Coppersmith was no longer with the company having been replaced by 14 year Mainfreight Veteran John Hepworth.Mainfreight’s 2009 annual report shed some light on some of the issues the American operation was facing. During this period Mainfreight purchased the outstanding shares from its Management in Hong Kong and China and disposed of its 75% shareholding in both LEP International New Zealand and Australia for AUD $83 million to minority shareholder Agility Logistics Group (Mainfreight, 2007). However t hese setbacks did not slow down the Mainfreight Group, the company achieving sales of NZD $1 Billion for the first time in time 2009.Buoyed by consistent sales growth the company continued with its rapid development and advanced into Europe. The Wim Bosman group of companies, â€Å"one of the largest privately? owned, integrated transport and logistics providers in the Netherlands and Belgium with 14 branches across six European countries, with more than 1,000 transport units, more than 275,000m? of warehouse and cross docking facilities and approximately 1,414 team members† (Mainfreight,2011) was purchased outright in 2011 for 110 million Euros. This time however Mainfreight installed Mark Newman, one of Mainfreight’s first graduates as CEO of the European business.Mark having spent 21 years with Mainfreight, Mark was very familiar with the company’s culture and drive to succeed. In the company’s 2012 Annual Report Newman reflects on his first year in ch arge of Wim Bosman / Mainfreight Europe. â€Å"We have now completed one full year of ownership of the Wim Bosman group of companies. During this period we have been able to integrate Mainfreight’s financial disciplines and begin the process of aligning our new team members to Mainfreight’s culture. Unfortunately, financial performance has not met expectations† â€Å"We have now completed one full year of ownership of the Wim Bosman group of companies.During this period we have been able to integrate Mainfreight’s financial disciplines and begin the process of aligning our new team members to Mainfreight’s culture. Unfortunately, financial performance has not met expectations† Despite these continued expansion struggles Mainfreight is still being awarded accolades, in 2012 winning the â€Å"Best Growth Strategy† award at the Deloitte / Management Top200 Awards Ceremony. So, what has Mainfreight learnt from these acquisitions and how h as their behaviour changed over time? Refer to the tables 1. 4 and 1. for an update on Mainfreight Groups financial performance by geographical segment and the group’s structure as of 31 March 2012, before answering the Questions in Section two. TABLE 1. 4 TABLE 1. 5 Questions / Discussion 1) Can Mainfreight truly be classified as a â€Å"global† logistics provider? Using Collinson and Rugman’s definition from Peng’s 2014 text of a true global multinational enterprise having â€Å"at least 20% of sales in each of the three regions of the Triad consisting of Asia, Europe and North America but less than 50% in any one† we can see that Mainfreight does not quite fit this criteria. Table 1. shows Mainfreight Groups consolidated sales by geographic segment for 2012. Sales in the USA and Europe represented 24% and 23% respectively of the group’s NZD$ 1. 8billion total sales. Asia however contributed only 3%. Strictly following Rugman’s defi nition this would suggest that Mainfreight is not truly a global logistics provider. If we redefine Rugman’s definition to state â€Å"at least 20% of sales in each of three regions but less than 50% in any one† the 54% of sales coming from Australasia would suggest that Mainfreight is still to Australasian centric to be considered a true â€Å"global† logistics provider. ) Has Mainfreight's mode of entry into foreign markets changed over time? If so how, and why? There have been some consistent themes as well as some changes to Mainfreight’s market entry strategies since opening their first Mainfreight International Branch in 1984. The consistent themes have seen Mainfreight continuously pursue Equity modes as means of entry. As a service provider Mainfreight has been unable to pursue some non-equity modes of entry, as it is not possible to export their services to foreign markets, although Licensing and Franchising agreements could have been pursued in other markets if Mainfreight so desired.The main changes in Mainfreight’s approach occurred between 2005 and 2007. This was most obvious when Mainfreight acquired 100% of Target Logistics, increased its shareholding to 100% in both its Hong Kong and Chinese operations and divested its 75% shareholding in LEP New Zealand and Australia. This move to wholly owning their subsidiary’s represented a significant change in thinking for Mainfreight, who up until this time entered new markets in Joint Venture, often sharing costs, risks and profits in conjunction with the subsidiary’s Senior Management. This previous approach was evident in the 49. % purchase of CaroTrans from Arkansas Best Corp in conjunction with CEO Greg Howard and in the Hong Kong and Chinese operations opened in 1998. Whilst the incorporation of CaroTrans into Mainfreight’s business was seen as a success, the introduction into the stable of fellow American company Target Logistics was anything but. Target CEO Chris Coppersmith stayed on when the business transferred to Mainfreight ownership, however the Target business could not adapt to the cultural and financial expectations expected of it by Mainfreight’s Board and Coppersmith was soon replaced by veteran Mainfreight Executive John Hepworth.As of 2012, the American division is still struggling, remaining the least profitable of all geographic segments in terms of its size as indicated in the table below. NZD 000's| | | | | | | NZ| Aus| USA| Asia| Europe| Revenue| 455. 7| 529| 439| 56| 419| EBITDA| 54. 5| 33. 7| 19| 2. 6| 28. 1| ROR| 12. 0%| 6. 4%| 4. 3%| 4. 6%| 6. 7%| Despite Mainfreight continually pushing their culture as the number one reason for their success, it may be that they have overlooked the importance of adapting to certain countries specific norms and values.It certainly wasn’t a new concept as Mainfreight had experienced these struggles in the past, Bruce Plested’s interview with Gr aeme Kennedy in 2000 touched on the cultural differences of the Australian and New Zealand markets stating â€Å"You've got to have the size and network and employ Australians to get the respect of the bigger companies† (Kennedy, 2000) The Wim Bosman acquisition which also saw Mainfreight Executive Mark Newman promoted has also struggled financially.Is it a coincidence that Mainfreight’s joint ventures thrived whilst the wholly owned subsidiaries struggled? The major benefit of joint ventures is the access to partners’ knowledge, albeit whether it relates to regulative, normative or cognitive institutions. It appears this is something Mainfreight has overlooked in the recent past as it moved toward wholly owning its foreign subsidiaries. 3) Why do you think that Mainfreight has entered the markets it has? Mainfreight has applied some logic to the markets it has chosen to enter.Australia is a logical first point of call for many New Zealand firms looking to expan d overseas due to the common language, regulatory environments and similar, albeit different, cultural norms. From an international organizations point of view, these similarities are compounded. Mainfreight’s chairman Bruce Plested stated that multinationals often view both New Zealand and Australia as just one market making Australia a logical first stepping stone in Mainfreight’s overseas expansion. Up until 2010 Mainfreight’s expansion had focused on extending the New Zealand part of the company’s global reach.Statistics New Zealand (2013) states that â€Å"New Zealand depends heavily on international trade, especially with especially with Australia, China, the United States, and Japan† and unsurprisingly these are the countries (excluding Japan) that Mainfreight has expanded into. The cultural differences between New Zealand and the Chinese and American markets are much more significant than those between the New Zealand and Australian markets or other traditional trading partners such as Britain.However, the sheer weight of imports and exports flowing into and out of these countries has made them obvious candidates for Mainfreight to expand into as it seeks to expand into markets complementary to the existing business. The purchase of Wim Bosman is interesting in that it is not a purchase that would traditionally be seen as complementary to Mainfreight’s New Zealand business when compared to markets such as Japan with whom New Zealand has significantly more trade.However, the opening of European markets could be seen as complimentary to Mainfreight’s US and Chinese operations in particular as these operations continue to grow, evolve and mature. 4) What are some of the risks associated with the approaches to foreign direct investment and the markets Mainfreight has chosen to enter? Mainfreight experienced Liability of Foreignness when it first entered the Australian market place. As outlined in my response to Question 1, firms, especially large ones would not give Mainfreight a chance unless they were seen to employ Australians.This was an inherent disadvantage of being a foreign company entering a new market in a â€Å"greenfield† capacity. Later Mainfreight expansion addressed some of these risks through the use of Joint Ventures in foreign markets such as China, Hong Kong and in the purchase of CaroTrans in the USA. As Mainfreight’s market entry strategy changed towards wholly owning their subsidiaries, some of these risks arose again. Mainfreight’s approach in fully acquiring existing business often helped to minimize these dangers as Mainfreight was not competing for a piece of the existing market share as it was previously with its greenfield entry into Australia.Mainfreight has not adopted a consistent approach to renaming businesses it has taken over. For example Target Logistics was renamed as Mainfreight USA, whilst the Wim Bosman acquisition has retain ed the company’s original branding possibly helping to overcome some of the cultural negativity foreign firms experience in other host countries. As a smaller New Zealand based multinational in the service industry Mainfreight has managed to mitigate many of risks that may apply to other companies, however currency risks and rivalry among competing firms are areas Mainfreight is still susceptible to.Regulatory risks are still very real however probably lesser in geographies such as Australia, the EU and New Zealand than they are the United States and China. 5) Relative to smaller logistics providers in New Zealand what are the main advantages Mainfreight enjoys from its MNE status? Peng (2014) refers to firms having OLI advantages or Ownership, Location and Internalization advantages. Using Peng’s framework, relative to non-multinationals operating in the New Zealand logistics industry, Mainfreight has the following advantages.Ownership Mainfreight benefits in that it has control and ownership of a significant part of the supply chain compared to say a New Zealand domestic transport company or a New Zealand warehousing provider. Mainfreight is able to compete with these non-multinationals by offering the convenience of an all in one managed solution to its clients or alternative competing on price with non-multinationals in their market as Mainfreight may be able to cross subsidise certain parts of its business.For example, Mainfreight may sell New Zealand warehousing services at a loss if it guarantees means they may win a customer’s lucrative freighting business. Location Mainfreight’s advantages over a non multinational from a location perspective are much harder to determine. As a service industry Mainfreight would find it hard to capitalize on Natural resources, low cost efficiencies and innovation, however there may be some advantages gained through having a global presence and subjecting Mainfreight’s brand to a global audience.This means Mainfreight could have a distinct advantage over non multinational logistics providers as potential customers (particularly large global ones) are more likely to know of Mainfreight’s operations. Internalization Some of the benefits Mainfreight experiences here are similar to the Ownership benefits outlined above. By not having to pay external suppliers margins on different services within a customer’s supply chain, Mainfreight can potentially offer more competitive services and retain profits inhouse. References Collinson, S. and Rugman, A. (2007).The regional character of Asian multinational enterprises. APJM, Ch. 24. Pp. 429-446. C. W. Downer ; Co. (2007, September 18). Target Logistics, Inc. , Agrees to be acquired by Mainfreight Limited. Retrieved from http://www. cwdowner. com/index. php? option=com_content;view=article;id=72;Itemid=31 Deloitte. (2012, November 29). Top 200 Companies Awards Reflect Future Direction for NZ Enterprise. Retrieve d from http://www. deloitte. com/view/en_NZ/nz/news-room/3ee15be7bf94b310VgnVCM2000003356f70aRCRD. htm Fairfax NZ News. (2008, November 26). Mainfreight's Plested wins Beacon Award.Retrieved from http://www. stuff. co. nz/business/735585 Kennedy, Graeme. (2000, March 17). Mainfreight develops major logistics operation. Retrieved from http://www. sharechat. co. nz/article/69e6e5bb/mainfreight-develops-major-logistics-operation. html Linkedin. (2013, February 28). Mainfreight. Retrieved from http://www. linkedin. com/company/mainfreight? trk=top_nav_home Mainfreight Limited. (1996) Mainfreight Limited Prospectus. Retrieved from http://epublishbyus. com/ebook/ebook? id=10005147#/4 Mainfreight Limited. (1997, July 2). Annual Report 1997. Retrieved from

Pork Barrel

Pork barrel literally takes the meaning of setting apart budgets, which initially were taken from the people's money, for the realization of the proposed development projects of the members of the Congress of the Philippines. It usually is intended to benefit a group of citizens of a certain politician in return of their political support, which were either in the form of campaigning or in the voting process. To have these purposes be done neatly is a challenge for every politician.The temptation gets the otter of them at times, and this heads into the downside of having a pork barrel. Normally, in the English language, either addition or omission of words or letters always brings about another meaning into a word/group of words. Just like when pork barrel and scam meets halfway, its result you would never want to hear. But if every politician Just works with conscience, then we won't have any fear in mind regarding the collision of the words. But if otherwise, then it would not prod uce good feedbacks from the people.The Idea of whether or not to abolish the pork barrel is too hard to decide. But if I were to, I would have chosen not to take it away from the system of government. Yes, I may have stated downfalls In some parts of this essay, but I have a larger picture captured in mind. The outcome of abolishing this system I would always fear. What would happen to the Filipino people if the pork barrel for the betterment of the nation Is abolished? Every people must remember this system had its ups In terms of building roads and bridges, program for farmers, scholarships or deserving people, among others.Now, if the pork barrel Is to be scrapped, then It should be a challenge to the government to ensure that those who benefit from the program will not be affected. And that Is exactly what would happen If It Is abolished, there will be no guarantee that these people will continue their education and receive other significant assistance. Thus, the solution for It shall not be termination, but to have a greater commitment and accountability In Its utilization. Pork Barrel A cure, a treat, an alliance, a devastation or just a play. What do we really know about that so called Pork Barrel? All nation introduce to there governance the power of pork barrel stating that it’s a program serving righteous benefits for the society that concentrates on the people’s cost. But as a result of what they said Pork Barrel, I, you, we can’t see a single glimpse of faith brought by them. How can we say were free when we know that our hands and feet are tightly chained, how can we say were free when we know that were controlled by our very own governance who have no pardon for any citizens that relives faith in there own way.Why do Australia, Germany, United Kingdom, Eastern and Central Europe stated that they walk in on the path of righteousness, do that show that we have a bunch of prod, foolish and culprits in our public officials. It’s stated that the government is our government so how the government is working to help people over come co mplex problem if there the one who giving them and courses them in the path of lies and faults. A very good example is The Intriguing Controversy of the Year, The Pork Barrel Scam of Mrs.Janet Lim Napoles whom to be the brains of the lost of more than 10 Billion pesos in the funding of the Nation. And not only she is involve there’s still senators and congressman involve, how can they hold on trough this even then there are peoples supporting and trusting them all the way. Upon all happenings, evidence and controversies Mrs. Janet Lim Napoles can be voted not guilty, what is this happenings do our government just playing and fooling around to this crisis.Majority of the people is grieving for the lost wealth and opportunities just imagine all that money can do, it can feed million of people, can give hundred of thousand opportunities, can build off thousands of houses, can heal hundreds of illnesses, and help our only one nation from devastation. Now knowing these possibiliti es that can do so much, who can upholds this kind of cruel and unjustified act. After they say it’s for our own good how come they manage to control everything? How can we make an act if they have all the choices in life?But then I manage to conquer that after all that mischief I still need to thanks Mrs. Janet Lim Napoles not because of her cruelty and unjustified act people in the world won’t know the alliance and power of the whole Filipino people by means of the abuse of one. Now this day we should do what we know is right and stand on our two very own feet, we should know the path of what is fair and what is not because in the end were still humans and we can’t do every thing. So now a question will be leaven â€Å"Should you fight for what is right or stay on what you know is vogue? †

Non Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Non - Case Study Example Considering the geographical maps as shown in the diagram below of the position of the SAP and FRY, we have privileged information that the naval military of the SAP are majorly docked at the port of Banes and Haba (Heuer, & Pherson, 2011). These ports are directly opposite to two of our ports, that is the Mia and Eyer. Given that there are conflicting reports on the kind of impending attack the SAP are planning, reports of diversionary attack has also reached us. The report indicates that they are planning to attack the port of Eyer and Mia simultaneously. We are therefore expected to consider undertaking a naval reconnaissance in our territorial areas in a bid to understand how and when to place military control for any attack. Following the information on the attacks at the ports, we have to consider monitoring the ports so that any mishap from our adversaries does not materialize. The need to tighten security around the hot spots indicated by the reports should be swiftly put into place to curtail any advancement from the SAP. Following the analysis of the situation of the SAP, we are confident that the situation can be put under control given that we have all the necessary information to do so. The intention to attack us through their ports of Haba and Banes shows all indications to be true given that through our survey, we have noticed increased activities in the ports a clear show that they are preparing for attacks (IBM, 2013). Concerning the intelligence reports that have reached us, we should thus spare no effort to ensure that we cushion ourselves from the impending attacks from our opponents. Despite general sage who is the supreme commander in the SAP military calling for peace from the neighboring nations, it can only be interpreted as a public relation exercise aimed at programming people’s mind that they are for peace while the intention is to

Russian Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Russian Politics - Essay Example The implication of this is that previously, the citizens would not be allowed to take sides in any political contest and those who involved themselves in political contests were meted with harsh penalties; however, there has been a transition that was brought about by the collapse of the formers Soviet Union. Though the democracy in Russia cannot be said to be perfect, it is worth analyzing as the regime has tried to bring some democratic ideals in the Russian society as opposed to the prevailing conditions in Russian politics in the 1980s at the peak of Soviet rule (Hancock et al, 2012). Since 1991 under Boris Yeltsin, Russia, Russia has undergone numerous changes in its politics that had an effect of improving the economic and social aspects of the citizens in Russia. The reforms that were carried by President Boris Yeltsin are a continuation of those that were initiated during the Soviet Union leader under Mikhail Gorbachev. Russia under President Putin The current regime in Russi a under the strong leadership under President Putin’s United Russian Party cannot be described as a democracy despite the citizens of Russia being allowed to participate in democratic elections. ... The democratic process in Russian elections is also subverted through the offering of financial aid and support to largely unpopular candidates fronted by the regime. The Russian elections of political leaders has been proved to be unfair as there have been rampant falsification and improprieties of the elections whereby officials close to the regime disqualify competitors on unwarranted technicalities as well as using state resources to campaign for political posts. The regime has also broken the law by breaking the laws that control election campaign spending. At the election campaigns of 2007-2008, Putin and his supporters played politics of incrimination of the liberal opposition as plotters of the fall of Russia through the help of external forces. Putin claimed that the opposition had learnt from external western players on organizing revolutions and that they had been trained in those countries to do the same in Russia. He also claimed that the opposition forces were funded by foreign missions. President Putin also employs propaganda through the control of the Russian information space where the conspiracy theory is put into great use to win elections and support. Hancock et al, state that after 2011, Russia adopted a new sense of politics in the wake of the protests occasioned by the society’s tedium with tolerance for oppressions and uncompetitive elections of the previous decade. The climax of the society’s frustrations reached its climax when thousands took to the streets to find expression for their anger following the State Duma election that was marred with election fraud. This protest movement continued persistently throughout 2012, as the regime experienced an extraordinary wave of mass protests in cities

Bioinformatics assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bioinformatics - Assignment Example Tasks 1-7 are related to the material in Section B. Task 8 is to be found in Section C and uses the peptide sequence that was allocated to you. Marks are shown in parentheses. Task 1 (no marks) Write down the peptide sequence (near the start of section B) in single letter format (put a space between each letter): C G L V P V L A E N Y N K S Task 2 (8 marks) What do you conclude about the top seven matches for the peptide sequence? The results show that the matches are all peptide sequences which code for transferrin protein, except for one match, ICA, which codes for an inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase in pigs. The sequence matches code for different forms of transferrin proteins in various species. For example the 14 amino acid sequence is codes for serotransferrin in humans while it forms part of the protein code for lactotransferrin in horse. This shows that the same peptide sequence codes for the same protein in different species. Task 3 (1 + 1 marks) Write down: a) The number of amino acid residues: 698 b) The relative molecular mass (Mr): 77,064 Task 4 (2 marks) What are the details against TITLE? Protein Chain A: 329 residues Ligands: CO3 338(A) Metal: FE 339(A) Water: ?138 Task 5 (1 + 2 + 1 + 4 marks) a) What is the number of cleavages for pepsin (at pH 1.3)? 214 b) Why is the pH quoted? The pH can affect the catalyst activity of an enzyme. Extreme pH can denature the active site of the enzyme. pH also gives an idea of the optimum temperature at which the enzyme is able to work. Changes in pH affect the actions of the enzyme. Therefore, at different pH, the hydrolytic action of the pepsin differs. Therefore, it is important to quote the pH. c) What is the number of cleavages for trypsin? 79 d) By reference to average peptide fragment lengths, which of the above two enzymes would be better for producing peptides for amino acid sequencing (and why)? Pepsin can cleave at a greater number of sites than trypsin. This means that cleavage by pepsin can produce much shorter peptide fragments compared to cleavage by trypsin. For amino acid sequencing, usually if the peptide is less than 50 amino acid residues, there is no need to further cleave the peptide. The peptides which are 50 AA residues or less can be sequenced by a cyclic procedure, where the AA is first labelled, cleaved and indentified; the process is then repeated on the shortened fragment. However if the peptide is longer than 50 residues, there is a need to first shorten the protein chain before the cyclic procedure is carried out. This means that the enzyme which makes smaller fragments is suitable for sequencing in this case. Calculating the length of the peptide fragments: Pepsin: 698/214? 3 AA Trypsin: 698/79?8 AA In this case, pepsin makes a fragment which is equal to a single AA. This means that pepsin is more suitable. Task 6 (1 + 1 + 4 marks) a) What is the name of the amino acid residue to which carbohydrate is attached? Asparagine b) What is the position number of th is amino acid in the protein’s amino acid sequence? 432 c) How are sugars attached to proteins? Via glycosidic bonds Task 7 (1 + 1 + 1 + 4 marks) a) Number of disulphide bridges: 8 b) Number of strands: 13 c) Number of helices: 15 d) Why are disulphide bridges important for those proteins that have them? Disulphide bonds have an important role in the stability of proteins. They also help to bring about folding in the proteins. The disulphide bond lowers the entropy of the unfolded form of the protein, thus lowering its

The movie Maria Full of Grace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The movie Maria Full of Grace - Essay Example Maria, Frida and Tita are women that become faced with challenges in life and had to make hard decisions. In Maria Full of Grace, the character Maria is the main character becomes faced with difficult situations in life. Maria Together with other two girls, engage in transporting large quantities of cocaine, from Colombia to New York. At a tender age of 17 years, the young Colombian girl becomes forced to go into selling drugs after she remained the only daughter her family depended on. Despite her harsh economic status even after quiting job from her previous employer. In addition to her problems, she still got pregnant and refused to marry the guy. With increased financial pressure coming from both sides, Maria decided to make a terrible decision. Maria decides to join the Cocaine business as a transporter while in her pregnancy state just to raise money for the up keep of the unborn and her family. In comparison to Tito in the movie Like Water for Chocolate, she also became faced with challenges that made her take appropriate choices. In the beginning of the movie, one could realize the undying love Tita and Piedro had for each other, though her mother, Mama Elena did not consent their union. Piedro ends up marrying his eldest sister, Rosaura. Tita continued her pursuit for her lover by ensuring she cared her nephew after birth more than her sister. Her mother on realizing how Piedro and Tita came closer each day due to the Rosaura’s child, she arranges for Piedro and Rosaura to move to a distant place. This stressed Tita as she was deeply in love with Piedro and his son. The main character in the film Frida, also proved to be a strong willed woman. Even after getting polio, getting involved in an accident, she still manages to pull herself together and learn how to walk. It is her determination to walk after such an accident that shocks many. Furthermore, after recovery from the hospital, Frida manages to walk, but in pain. Are they fit choices or no t? From the three movies, a lot could be derived from the hardships they underwent to become what they did. These women hard to make tough choices some of which were inimical while others good. Tina after struggling with Mother Elena in life and even after life with her ghost, eventually becomes freed from the snare of tradition to marry her true love Piedro despite the many challenges that stood on her way. Tita knew that her eldest sister became forced to marry Piedro in an attempt to obey traditions and hence still persisted knowing Piedro will do in response. The story hence is a love story of two lovers that became bound to be together for life and afterlife. The main obstacle to Tita was her mother, Elena whom hated her. For instance, even after getting hurt after raiders injured her, she still refused food brought to her by Tita, eventually dying due to ingesting overdose of emetics. Tita’s choice of loving Piedro for life proved a terrific idea. For instance, after Pi edro and his wife moved to San Antonio with their child, it died since it was deriving its love from Tita. In as much as she was the youngest in the family, she treated her mother well, though her mother treated her badly. In the movie, when she becomes tormented by the ghost of Elena, she made a decision to condemn it. This ended up badly as Piedro became consumed with the dying flame from the ghost. Another decision Tita made was telling her husband John of her undying love for Piedro. John accepts, but just tells her to decide. Tita eventually agrees to get married to Piedro which they end up enjoying their passion to death. Maria engages in the illegal

About the lottery and contemporary tradition Essay

About the lottery and contemporary tradition - Essay Example It seems reasonable that â€Å"The Lottery† should be existed because it provides a comparative scenario of the contemporary tradition, later is much better than the previous. However, The Lottery is a representative to all the cruel traditions that are passed from generation to another in an unquestionable acceptance. The short story tries to demonstrate the importance of traditions in a particular society, especially by showing the importance of maintaining the culture. The author achieves her notions by using the cruelty aspects of cultural practices and rituals, in a periodic exercise that illustrates the loyalty of the people to the traditions. In this case, the short story depicts the historical event that has been conducted in the previous years consecutively. Therefore, this paper aims to demonstrate the way The Lottery shows why it is important for having traditional maintainability and royalty in a given cultural practice. The first reason is the way the short story shows the importance of contemporary tradition that helps the people in having self-awareness. The Lottery illustrates the historical existence of the traditions in a given cultural diversity. However, the consecutive conduction of the rituals creates self-awareness to the people on the dangers posed by following a tradition blindly. Jackson had a motive of creating a sensible thinking to the people in their efforts of practicing rituals that may affect their livelihood or even cost the lives for the people in the community. The Lottery was sometimes viewed as a modern aspect of refreshing the traditional rituals to conform to the changing world, especially by demonstrating the negative impacts caused by maintaining the traditional practices. In this case, The Lottery was perceived to reflect or encourage the modern way of living by avoiding or improving the traditional rituals. The story demonstrates the importance of adopting other cultural practices into the

Quantitative Methods Individual work2 wk2 Assignment

Quantitative Methods Individual work2 wk2 - Assignment Example She has beat her opponent with a battling average of 0.03 hits/at-bat My criteria for choosing the best player would be based on the batting average of the player. The right player for the scholarship is the one that has the highest batting average. The best player averagely will be Fran Hayes with a battling average of 5.66 hits/at-bat whereas her opponent Millie Marshall had an average of 5.59 hits/at-bat. This makes the analysis choose on Fran Hayes is the best player. She has the biggest overall hits/at-bat and, therefore, deserves the opportunity. However, a factor that must be incorporated in this analysis is that Millie Marshall did not win, but she records the highest hits/at-bat during her senior years than Fran Hayes. She is victorious because of the total battling average of her junior and senior years. Millie Marshall would have been given the scholarship if it were based on observing the current trend in hits/at-bat. She records the highest battle hits /at –bat and, therefore, the current softball team would rely on her to a great extent. If the analysis were focused on selecting a player based on the battling average of her junior years, then the best player in this context would still be Fran Hayes. This is because she records the highest batting average during her junior years. She has a battling average of 3hits/at-bat compared to her competitor who has 2.66 hits/at-bat. The range at which she beats her competitor is 0.34 which is a slightly significant margin. She was good during her junior years, however currently her competitor only beats her by a very narrow margin of 0.03 which is a slight margin. The selection of Fran Hayes as the suitable candidate for the scholarship is still rational and superb. Fran Hayes had a good start of the game during her junior years. She seemed to have gotten a better foundation and learnt the game much faster than her competitor. This is because her batting average during the junior years was very

Positive Impacts on Tourism during the Fifa 208 in Russia in Coursework

Positive Impacts on Tourism during the Fifa 208 in Russia in hospitality businesses - Coursework Example A 2018 world cup benefit the hospitality industry of Russia Russia is one of those countries benefiting from the tourism industry and in 2018 FIFA world cup, it will experience abnormal returns in its hospitality industry because it is expected to record the highest number of tourists ever (Kusluvan, 2003). Therefore, Russia will benefit in such ways as, it will end up with 15 world-class stadiums after the event; more than one hundred hotels are currently under construction implying growth of the hospitality industry and increase of revenue, which will finally boost the GDP of the country. Let’s go through what took place in Brazil during the 2014 FIFA world cup. Brazil hospitality industry recorded increases in its hotel revenues (Siobhan, 2014). The total spending hit records in Brazil when international travellers spent US$188M on Visa accounts. This was a 152 percent increase year over year meaning the number of fans also increased compared to the previous figure of 2010 FIFA world cup in south Africa (Du & Maennig, 2011). There was a triple-digit rise in spending in various host cities compared to the previous period. Much of these increments were recorded by hotels, hospitals and other human-caring facilities. For instance, the number of tourists who arrived in Brazil in 2012 was 5.7 million but it was projected that the number would be 10.2 million with a 3% increase for Rio 2014. Therefore, given the average e.g. room rate of $461 during the months of June & July, it is estimated that about $4.7022 revenue will be collected. For sure, hotels greatly benefit when the number of tourists in a given country goes up. This is because it is inevitable to eat and find a good resting place to spend the night while awaiting the following day’s activities. Rio de Janeiro, one of the FIFA hosting cities in Brazil, recorded handsome hospitality revenues in its history thanks to holding the FIFA world cup final match. Accommodation turned out being a problem

Teenage Pregnancy Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Teenage Pregnancy Master - Essay Example The recent decrease has been ascribed to more information on this social problem and continued work. Knowledge about this problem has been updated so it is now known that teenage pregnancy is both a result and cause of poverty. Young mothers have other problems such as low achievement and low aspirations (Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, 2008). Despite this, there is still a deficit of knowledge about the young people's views of the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the frequency of teenage pregnancy. It has been suggested that the views of young people, specially teenage mothers may suggest ways to reduce the frequency of teenage pregnancy more effectively. One such example may be that young people emphasise on interventions being person-centred. Young mothers perceive a lack of effective communication of health and education messages. They perceive the staff to be less educated and inadequately sensitive to the needs of young people. Peer education and help and services for young men are lacking. In the youth settings, there must be sexual health services for teenagers (Chambers et al., 2002, 85-90). Researchers have pointed to the roles of socioeconomic factors in teenage pregnancy. With rise in awareness, now the trend is teenage abortion which fails the purpose of preventive services, exposing the teenage mothers to a higher degree of vulnerability. It is true that there is no concrete information as to what would constitute better outcomes when dealing with teenage pregnancy. This points to the fact that it is necessary to ask the teenage mothers whether they perceive a pregnancy to be unwanted that ends in either birth or abortion. Indeed, there is an element of lack of understanding due to broader mismatch in communication. Review of literature suggests that other nonsexual health concerns are priorities in the case of teenagers, and sexual health rates lower in priority (Jacobsen et al., 1993). The Teenage Pregnancy Report shows that the UK rates of teen pregnancy are twice as high as Germany, three times higher than France, and Five times higher than the Netherlands. It has been found that the daughters of teen mothers are twice likely to be pregnant at their teenage. It is unfortunate, as the data suggest, that 75% of the teenage conceptions are unplanned, and about 50% of these result in abortion. The inadequacy of the services is highlighted by the fact that 20% of the births to the teen mothers are second teen pregnancies. The roles played by the socioeconomic factors are further highlighted by the fact that 50% of the teenage mothers exist in 20% of the wards with the highest rates (Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, 2008). It may be argued that this distribution has no socioepidemiologic implications. Reviews of interventions directed towards reduction of poor sexual health outcomes, which include unplanned pregnancy, show that interventions have little to no role to influence sexual behaviour and contraceptive use. This has occurred mainly due to the fact that despite increased knowledge about sexual health, knowledge does not seem to influence the decision of the teens to have safe sex practices, cautious and risk-free sexual behaviour, and contraceptive use (Levine et al., 2001). These happen due to generalisation of such interventions across a varied population. Populations are

Terrorism Since Early 90’s Essay Example for Free

Terrorism Since Early 90’s Essay United States of America has constantly remained as one f the greatest nations in the whole world. As if it is the Promised Land, USA was gifted with resources and maintained its high economic status. This country has all access to basic education, enough food, health and welfare, while the remaining majority is desperately trying to reach those resources. Through the years, people would do anything in an attempt to stay and make a living in the perceived promise land. So the majority is divided into two categories: Some of them start to think of flying to developed countries, where they can meet their basic needs; others begin to believe that the reason of all their problems is rich peoples wealth, healthy ones health and educated ones awareness; so they try to destroy all those people and all those resources. Unfortunately, the well off living of the citizens of the United States have encouraged millions of illegal immigrants, overstaying and undocumented that such situation encouraged and became an ideal ground for terrorism. Robert W. McChesney, S. J. , (2001) the director of the Jesuit Refugee Service Immigration Detention Program in Los Angeles has sited several terrorist attacks since the early 1990’s. On Jan. 25, 1993, a lone gunman ambushed motorists waiting at a red light outside the main entrance to the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, Va. Two C. I. A. employees were killed, and three other people were wounded as they sat innocently in their cars. The following month a 28-year-old Pakistani immigrant by the name of Mir Aimal Kansi was charged with capital murder, subsequently found guilty and sentenced to death. As it turned out, he had come to the United States in March of 1991 on a business visa and eventually was issued a work permit. He perpetrated the terrible crime while awaiting disposition of his application for political asylum. One month after the C. I. A. murders, an explosion rocked the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people, wounding more than a thousand and sowing widespread fear. The following year, four Muslim fundamentalists were convicted of the crime. Each was sentenced to 240 years in prison. One had applied for political asylum, while another perpetrator had overstayed a student visa. Still later in 1993, an old cargo steamer ran aground on a sandbar in the surf off New York City. The Golden Venture dumped her human cargo of 286 undocumented Chinese into the water. They swam the last few hundred yards to shore, then were arrested and detained. The Golden Venture quickly became the national news obsession of the day. Every television station in the country played and replayed scenes of what some tabloids described as a â€Å"sea invasion of illegals. † An already nervous public mainstream was now confronted with stark images of drenched Chinese nationals huddling under blankets on a windy New York beach, staring in confusion at the television cameras. After three major incidents within six months, unscrupulous elements of the press found increasing profit in sensationalizing a story of immigrant hordes and terrorists breaching permeable borders to attack the fabric of American society. The immigration and criminal terrorist story lines blurred and became conflated. Popular discourse was virulent and fearful, and politicians took notice. The solution seemed all too obvious: close the borders to â€Å"illegal† and imprison or deport those already here. Perhaps the most infamous event of this period occurred on April 19, 1995, when a Ryder truck parked outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City exploded. The potent mix of fertilizer and fuel oil blew half the nine-story building into oblivion, killing 168 innocent people, including 19 children, and injuring another 500. According to initial press reports, â€Å"Middle-Easterners† were reportedly seen in the vicinity of the crime and were initially regarded as possible suspects. Two days after the blast, however, a Caucasian U. S. military veteran, Timothy McVeigh, was picked up and subsequently convicted of the heinous capital crime. Legislative reaction to the sluggish economy and high-profile crimes and incidents had begun at the state level. In November of 1994 California passed Proposition 187, which placed onerous restrictions on legal and illegal immigrants. The courts subsequently overturned the initiative, but its popular political resonance remained potent.

The Effects Of Divorce On Children

The Effects Of Divorce On Children The term divorce is defined by Merriam Webster Langenscheidts Pocket Dictionary as an act or instance of legally dissolving a marriage. It is usually between a man and a woman. However recent evolution and other social constructs have tended to see divorce as a legal dissolution between partners, for example, a marriage between gay or lesbian partners. The latter statement goes to explain the fact that some jurisdiction recognizes marriages between the same sexes. Therefore the definition of marriage cannot be restricted to the traditional description of what marriage is. It must also be noted that various cultures have a way of dealing with divorce. To Margulies, Sam (2004), the decision to divorce is the beginning of two streams of events. Firstly, filing for divorce triggers legal, emotional and financial process in which the house hold must be split into two. The second stream of event is the building of new lives, households, who has custody of children of the union and new protocols being negotiated. Again, one of the things that makes divorce such a unique and often troubled experience is that it involves a complex interaction between two different processes. Firstly, divorce is a difficult emotional process. It causes intense feeling of sadness humiliation, abandonment, disappointment, rejection and rage. Most of all, divorce engenders fear, particularly fear of loss. People fear lost of identity as spouse and parents, loss of economic and security, loss of control over their lives and loss of dignity. So the emotional process of divorce is one in which people have to manage all their feelings at the same time. As with any other transition, there are stages that most people pass, beginning with initial turmoil, followed by struggle with change, and eventually with adaptation and adjustment. Children of the marriage to be honest are not speared the pain of these processes. Margulies, Sam (2004). For the purposes of this academic discourse, a child is somebody who is primarily under the age of eighteen or someone who is not yet twenty three but still in a training program. For instance, it concerns a person who is studying in a training institution like Sheridan College. The word consequences as would be used in this research represent the various experiences, children whose parents are going through divorce face. This paper will therefore establish and make clear a hypothesis to be analyzed. Various arguments would be adduced to support and prove the said hypothesis. On the other hand a counter argument will be made to refute the hypothesis. A balance discussion on the research will also be delved into. Finally a presentation on the outcome of the research will be done. HYPOTHESIS The hypothesis is there are lifelong consequences for children whose parents go through divorce. Almost 50 percent of children whose parents divorce show signs of psychological damage during the first year after the event. According to a 1994 policy statement from the American Academy of Paediatrics, such boys become aggressive whiles adolescent girls get depressed. To prove further the devastating nature of divorce on children whose parents go through divorce are more likely to develop drug and alcohol problems. Pemberton K.C.(1998) in reviewing Psychologist Judith Wallersteins twenty- five (25) year study on the impact of divorce on children, found out that although the divorcing man and woman might be able to overcome the trauma and challenges associated with divorce, the circumstances of the children are different. Children of such unions can carry the ill effects of divorce into their own adult years. Such adults tend to have fear of commitment, unstable father-child relationshi ps and bitter memories of the legal system. In explaining this position further, Pemberton K.C. (1998), asserts I do not argue that children have no chance of healthy or happiness after their parents had divorced but the challenges children must meet after their parents divorce are severe and devastating. As much as scholars like Pemberton K.C. (1998) and Emery (2004) have painted a horrible picture of the situation, the same scholars have conceded to the fact that some children who experience this phenomenon grow to live a healthy and a successful life. For example there are enhancing programs in our schools that go a long way to support and prepare such children for future healthy living. ARGUMENT TO PROVE HYPOTHESIS As it has been noted, there are various arguments that go to support the premise that, children whose parents go through divorce suffer lifelong consequences. Some of the issues are best explained when put under emotional, physical and social consequences. To most children, divorce will constitute the first major crisis of their lives. Children turn to exhibit many emotional and psychological traumas. For instance in a conversation I had with a child and youth worker at Apple wood Height secondary school as part of my preparation towards gathering information for this project, enumerated that, children whose parents had gone and are going through divorce turn to be withdrawn in class. This behaviour tends to manifest itself in their academic performance. This Psychological effect makes them act aggressive towards their peers and seems to struggle with normal processes of growing up. In much the same way, Emery, E. R.(2004), supported this hypothesis by stating that There are those who contend that divorce inevitable and invariable devastates children and set the stage for a lifetime of emotional problems, period. To prove this point further, he attempted to compare the behaviour and attitudes of children who are perceived to be normal because they are under the guidance of their two parents and those children whose parents are going or had gone through divorce. He found out that, the very process of divorce between parents causes the children to struggle through the pain and upheaval of their parents divorce. Secondly, through sensationalistic media or our own hysteria, we lay the burden of carrying a ticking time bomb on kids by inaccurately trumpeting the tug of war between the parents. Even if parents seem to be doing well by handling the divorce crisis, children are inevitable doomed or damaged because of divorce. After the divorce process, it introduces huge changes into the lives of most children. This encompasses direct involvement in parental conflict, economic hardship, changes in residence and school. To him, divorce also increases the risk for psychological, social and academic problems among children. This increased risk is a legitimate concern for children, parents and the community. Finally, he stipulated that, despite parents fervent desire to protect children of divorce, the mere divorce process is a burden to children. To prove further the long term consequences divorce has on children whose parent are going and had gone through divorce, Emery, E. R. (2004), made available some statistic to throw light on his thoughts. These are; such children are twice as likely to see a mental health professional, up to twice of such children are likely to have problems managing their behaviour. He also said, perhaps 1.25 to 1.5 times are more likely to have problems with depressed moods. Again, twice of such children are likely to drop out of school before graduation. What is more interesting and sad enough to support the Hypothesis is the realization that, 1.25 to 1.5 times of children at one point or the other experienced the challenges of their parents divorced. Similarly, the same children are likely to get divorced themselves. Is this not scary enough to prove the hypothesis? Besides, Price E. (2000), in her book Divorce and Teens has not described the situation in any positive way. She explained that, the issue of parents fighting each other, why are my parents divorcing, why must one parent move out, must I tell my friends and what should be my level of loyalty to each parent, all go a long way to frustrate such children. Eventually, anger takes over and this manifest itself in aggressive behaviour towards life issues. Another practical perspective to the situation at hand is cleverly summarised by his lordship, Mr. Justice Harvey Brownstone as follows; After more than fourteen years of presiding in family court, one question has never seized to amaze me: how can two parents who love their children allow a total stranger to make crucial decisions about their leaving arrangements, health, education, extracurricular activities, vacation time and degree of contact with each parent? This question becomes even more mind-boggling when one considers that the stranger making the decision is a judge, whose formal training is in the law, not in family relations, child development, social work, or a psychology. Now add the fact that, because of heavy case loads and crowded dockets, most judges have to make numerous child custody, access, matrimonial property and support decisions every day on the basis of incomplete, subjective and highly emotional written evidence (called affidavits), with virtually no time to get to know the parents and no opportunities to meet the child whose life is being so profoundly affected. What person in their right mind would advocate for this method resolving parental conflict flowing from family breakdown? This are some of the questions that family called judges agonize over. Some say the answer are complicated and have much to do with social conditioning, economic class, level of education, sophistication, familiarity with community resources and even culture. I say the answers are simple. The institution of marriage has not been a great success in North of America Brownstone, J.H. (2009). P.1. COUNTER ARGUMENT TO THE HYPOTHESIS In spite of the scary picture painted by the various authors supporting the hypothesis that, there are lifelong consequences for children whose parents go through divorce, the same topic and ongoing controversies have resulted in the change of authors views. For instance, Emery (2004) has stated that The Risk of Divorce Are Real but Not the Whole Story. By this, he has discounted some of the arguments he had put forward to support the hypothesis. He acknowledges that divorce increases childrens psychological problems but also sought to emphasize the need to put it into its right perspectives. To him, the large majority of children from divorced families do not suffer from psychological problems. His argument is centred on the theory of correlation and causality. He went further to explain that divorce is correlated with more psychological problems among children but this does not mean that it is the cause of all the problems. Scientific evidence has at least proven that divorce canno t be the cause of all the affected childrens emotional problems. Another important factor, Emery (2004), considered is that what happens after divorce can go a long way to eliminate risk and promoting resilience. Besides, he used the half full and half empty analogy to refute the premise that all the children who experience their parents going and had gone through divorce face, Emery (2004). He duelled heavily on a major national study conducted by Nick Zill, Donna Morrison and Mary Jo Cairo. The study looked at children between the ages of twelve and twenty-one. The study revealed that 21% of children whose parents have had divorce received psychological assistance. In comparison, 11% percent from married families also received similar help. It is a fact that, there is a 100% increase between the two groups. Once again, this situation looks scary but the truth of the matter is that, if 11% of children from the normal situation seek psychiatrist assistance, then it presupposes 89% do not. On the other hand, if only 21% of the said troubled children seek for psychiatrist assistance, then the whole phenomenon is not a case of the glass being half empty and half full but rather the statistics sh ould be looked at in both ways. When this happens, it can be adduced that the glass is only 20% empty and 80% full. There are no doubt that divorce disrupts the lives of almost every child who goes through those challenges. However, great majority of these children are able to sort through these difficulties and succeed. We must not also lose sight of the need to applaud and build on the strengths (strength based approach) of such children. Besides, evaluating it from both scientific and statistical point of view, shows that psychological problems of children whose parents had gone through divorce starts before the actual divorce issues begin to manifest. Emery (2004). To back up his finding, a substantial figure of 50% was found. A BALANCE DISCUSSION ON THE RESEARCH At this point, it is important for one to have a balanced analysis of the overall views of the topics of divorce. That is, the ideas which support the hypothesis and the ones that refutes it. On a personal reflection however, I still stand by the hypothesis that, there are lifelong consequences for children whose parents go through divorce. The opponents of this hypothesis have sought to argue that divorce, in itself, does not impose any lifelong consequences. Realistically, most children from divorced families are resilient. There are instances where such children have gone through those challenges and still succeeded in their life endeavours. Most have good careers and are happily married. This disproves the stance portraying children whose parents have gone through divorce as a serious and unimaginable consequence. To me, what those children go through emotionally are equally experienced by children who stay and grow with their parents. Some have even tended to suggested that, it is a normal process of growing up. As noted above, only 20% of such kids experience the phenomenon. Looking at my social location, I was from a divorced family. However, I had the benefits of some social and traditional structures to support me and my sibling. For instance, my grandmother took up the fathering responsibility so we never felt the absence of our father. Similarly, when we migrated to Canada, the school system has counselling facilities that helped to sustain us to go through the normal processes of growing up. I am proud to say my brother and I are now in college and are determined to succeed in our choosing endeavours. These achievements would probably have not been possible in a case of somebody living with parents. This example goes to support Emery (2004), assertion that even after a separation, what you do is the most important determinant of whether your children are at risk or resilient. In-spite of the argument put up by the opponent of the hypothesis, proponents still argue that children whose parents go through divorce experience lifelong consequences. It has been proven above that such children suffer emotional and psychological consequences. It is estimated that over 21% of such children have mental health issues and are likely to fail in their marriages. To substantiate this point further, I would like to draw once again on the conversation I had with the Child and Youth Worker at Apple Wood Height Secondary School. She explained the following points from her practical perspective. She said children who have experience the consequence of divorce lack trust. They are unable to give back love because psychologically it has been registered within their sub conscious mind that if their parents who claim to love them are fighting and doing things regardless of the interest of such children, then whom are they to trust. Isolation of such children from peers and some school activities affects their ability to develop properly into adulthood. In most cases, they are seen to be withdrawn from extracurricular activities because of the shame, having to explain to friends that their parents are divorced. This is more prevalent in religious based schools like the Catholic schools. The issue of step-parents does not help matters either. In the unlikely event that the step-parents do not get along with such children, it raises tension within the household and puts the child under constant psychological trauma. I am of the opinion that it is some of these problems that makes these children have mental health issues. Finally, what is more dangerous to society is the fact that such children are unable to establish and maintain positive relationships. Some traditional views, though not fully supported by me, have suggested to the belief that it is some of these societal problems that have led to the emergence of the sub-culture like gay and lesbian communities. Research Outcome From the above discussion, it has been established that different communities and different scholars have divergent views on the impact of divorce on children. One perspective view is that such a situation is not serious. However, those who support the hypothesis of which I support still believe that there are lifelong consequences for children whose parents go through divorce. This new found knowledge will form as the basis for new theories to be developed. It will also give the opportunity for other research to be carried out in this area. Practically, it will enable single parents form alliances to advocate for policy change in schools and child centres to strengthen child and youth counselling within such facilities. This research will also assist people within the helping profession such as Psychologists, Child and Youth workers and Social workers to come to the realization that this phenomenon is very prevalent within our schools and that serious efforts should be made to assist children with such challenges to overcome them. As an anti oppressive Child and Youth Worker, it is necessary to pay special attention to the situation even if a child suffers as a result of our inaction to deal with the situation.