Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 5

Economics - Essay Example Friedman’s main argument is that tax cuts and little or no intervention by the government in regulating private enterprise would help entrepreneurs to produce more at a lower cost. Thus consumers would benefit from plenty of cheaper goods. However conservative economics has acquired a newer dimension in that the absence of concern among conservative economists for environment related problems is changing for better. Karl Marx, the German political thinker, is better known for his ideological premises expressed in his treatise Das Kapital. Marxian economics is based on these thoughts, though most of his teachings are basically centered on the perpetual conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. His economic thoughts though aren’t substantial are concerned with how working classes are able to run the country’s economy with fair play and social justice. When all productive resources are controlled by the proletariat a comparative cost/benefit analysis is not possible. This paper takes the free market appraoch as the point of refernce for comparative analysis. Market forces, demand and supply, move in opposite directions with respect to price changes. When the price of a good is high the demand for it is less while the supply of it is greater. This is economic sense but nevertheless this positive economic statement about the predictable behavior of the consumer does not hold true when the demand patterns for Giffen and inferior goods are factored in. For instance when income, of the individual consumer, rises his demand for inferior goods such as potatoes, would rise. This is because the consumer’s purchasing power increases when his real income increases. Consumer sovereignty principle illustrates the fact that in a free market economy the consumer is free to consume what he wants. However, the consumer’s sovereignty does not have meaning if he/she is unable to buy what he/she wants. This paradox

Performance Analysis Between Told by and Idiots The Horse You Rode In Essay

Performance Analysis Between Told by and Idiots The Horse You Rode In On and Earthfalls The Factory - Essay Example Analysis of a play or a stage show initially demands the nature of its theme and in this point of viewer can make out the theme of political satire in And the Horse Your Rode In On. It is not possible for a viewer or critic to approach the Horse Your Rode In On merely an entertainment and the plays have need of a special attention from the viewer because of its effort of social criticism. In the same way, the dance program entitled The Factory bestows a new theatrical experience for the viewer through its magnificent performance. As a piece of popular theatrical performance, both Told by an Idiot and Eartfall made a unique effort in creating their latest works as a delighting one. It is obvious that And the Horse Your Rode in On captures the attention of its viewers through its theme and unique structure. Unlike And the Horse Your Rode in On, Ear fall’s The Factory marked its greatness through its magnificent movements. Both of them have their own compensations as well limitat ions in designing and performance. Hayley Carmichael and Paul Hunter tackle politics in first time and most of the events in this stage show concerned with politics and related violence. Advocates of the show design the performance of the characters of the show with the presence of number of intersecting narratives which illustrates political events. In this respect Brian Logan observes; â€Å"the show's ostensible subject is "extreme acts of violence and the lengths people will go for their beliefs" (Logan, 2011). Producers of the show effectively used the possibilities of black humor in their play. Director practices variety of performance strategies like mime, singing, one act play, and fart noises. All these techniques help the viewer to justify the intentions of its makers. The image of Conrad’s bomb-carrying anarchist permits the viewer to analyze the existence of armed revolution in modern world. Characters of the play made a conscious effort to create funny moments t hroughout the play and through these funny moments they transformed their criticism. Mat Trueman rightly comments that â€Å"Its outwardly jocular demeanor delights in slapstick and silly voices, but its core is a passionate reflection on revolution drawn out of a pop-cultural mash-up† (Trueman, 2011). The problem of identity crisis and gender issues that affected in modern society are obviously weaved in the play and viewer can hit upon the fact that the honest approach towards its theme is a significant reason for its general acceptance. One can begin the discussion about the performance of the play And the Horse Your Rode in On with a statement that it is not possible for a viewer to come across many occasions which makes much sense. Therefore, it is better for a viewer to watch it without prejudiced mind and stay away from questions about the reason behind it. The great thing is that the conclusion or moral of the play is brilliantly formed through a serious combination o f different stories and the outstanding performance of its actors. The entire play mirrors the inability of common people to have a handle on the real intentions of political parties and also the failure of people to be aware of terrorist’s motivations. The viewers can understand how an individual or a person with good intentions changed into an anarchist or how the lives of victims or revolutionaries changed into a moment of explosive. The great challenge that the performers faced was that the creation of humor in the play. It is evident that the

Pharmaceutical Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pharmaceutical Industry - Essay Example This is to ensure the safety of administering a new drug to health volunteers and patients (Novartis 2004). Prior to the therapeutic trials in patients, which is the Phase 1 trials, the pharmaceutical company will need to have: the preclinical testing data and findings from the laboratory studies, the manufacturing information, clinical protocols and investigator information in the form of an Investigator's Brochure which will contain all the information about the study drug (MHRA 2006). This information will be required by the licensing authority, which in the UK is the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as part of the application for a Clinical Trials Authorisation which would enable a trial to be conducted in humans. In addition to this Authorisation, the pharmaceutical company will need to obtain a favourable ethical opinion and approval from the site where this drug will be tested. Once all required approvals are in place, the drug can be tested in a Phase 1 trial in healthy subjects. If the results of this trial are positive and no serious adverse events or suspected unexpected serious adverse events occur, then this progresses to a Phase 2 trial in subjects with the disease or medical condition. The key issues that

Preferential Hiring in the North Essay Example for Free

Preferential Hiring in the North Essay Inuit in the north, specifically in Nunavut, have an agreement with the government that they receive special benefits to help with day-to-day problems because of what happened to their people in the past. It is common knowledge that when explorers and traders first went to the north, they mistreated the aboriginals up there. They introduce alcohol and tobacco, they forced them to become sedentary by killing off their sled dogs and setting up trading booths for fur trades and such, and they quickly made them become â€Å"Europeanized†. This is not a proud part of Canadian history, and there have been measures taken to try and make up for the wrongs that were done. One of these measures is preferential hiring for Inuit. Although preferential hiring may seem like a fair arrangement given all that has happened, it is incredibly unjust and creates unnecessary problems. It is a fact that in the north the government has to hire a certain percent of Inuit when they are filling job positions. I do not agree with this because what ends up happening is that to be able to meet the agreed amount of beneficiaries hired, the government then has to employ people who may not have the qualifications necessary for the job, or who aren’t as trained and competent as other candidates. What also happens in many cases is that the requirements necessary to apply for a position get watered down until they are simple enough to target a larger crowd. This results in a slow-moving government with poor decision-making skills and no proficiency nor productivity. For example, a couple of years ago, in Iqaluit, there was a position as a secretary of a school that needed to be filled. However, there were no Inuit who applied that had enough qualifications for the job, so the school board then had to change the contract, saying that the minimum education requirement was a grade 10 education. A secretary of a school has many responsibilities, and I feel that it is needless to say that a pers on working in a learning facility should have a minimum of a high school diploma. That example was not an uncommon occurrence, it happens far too regularly in the north. It is a huge part of the reason why there is no motivation for a higher education in the youth of the north. These individuals know that if they can at least graduate high school, then they are almost guaranteed a job, and often a six digit salary (or very close to  it). They become lazy, and do not want to waste their time going to get a post-secondary education when they can easily get a job without one. This leads to my next point. There are many people who apply for the government jobs who have all the necessary qualifications and have the proper training and experience for the job, who don’t even get considered simply because of their nationality; if they aren’t Inuit, they aren’t wanted. This is borderline racism. The most qualified person should receive the job; all other factors (within reason) should be irrelevant. It is unfair towards all those who take the time and spend their money going through university, to be overlooked because there was a beneficiary with a high school diploma who also applied for the job. My final point is that there is no reason whatsoever for an Inuit not to have the proper credentials for a job apart from pure laziness. They are given all the opportunities imaginable, and it is their own fault if they do not take them. There is no excuse anymore for them not to have an education, because the government pays for their entire schooling. In fact, Inuit students get paid to go to university and other educational facilities. They are actually making money instead of going in to debt like most students. Therefore, one might wonder, why would someone not want to go to university and get a higher education if they are being paid for it? And the answer is because they do not need an education to get well-respected and well-paid jobs. There are plenty of examples why preferential hiring for Inuit is in fact handicapping them instead of helping them. The efficiency of the government in the north is nowhere near the same as the rest of Canada, and it is due to a lack of qualifications of those who are preferentially hired. By eliminating preferential hiring, you would be increasing motivation for a higher education and a better working society.

Historical Perspectives of Male Nursing

Historical Perspectives of Male Nursing Rachelle Neighbarger Introduction Predominantly, nursing has always been considered as female dominated profession guided by extreme stereotypical perceptions of sexuality. Generally, the nursing profession is marred by wide apparitions of gender imbalance on the perception that nursing has its foundation in the prospects of Florence Nightingale thereby ever since it is often defined as a marginalized profession most suitable and deserving for women. The public at large has the preset perception that men who settle for nursing as their profession do so simply because they were rejected into a medical school and for self actualization purposes. Many at times those men who settle on nursing as their career choice often do so simply because they failed in a particular field and many at times they usually end up quitting their jobs the first few years. This is simply because men in the nursing industry experience a great deal of discrimination and professional barriers that generally inhibit their full specialty that pus hes them to hold onto such a job for long. However, this stereotypical perception does not help in the push for more number of nurses be it male or female who simply get into the profession for purposes of caring for individuals who are ill or need close medical attention on a round the clock basis. Historical Perspective of Male Nursing In the long run, the stereotypical perceptions lead to male nurses being discriminated against where there full working rights are denied on the basis of socially constricted gender roles. Take for instance, situations in the nursing profession where male nurses cannot be promoted to leadership role on the basis of their gender, with regards to varied forms of nursing training which leads to their exclusion in practicing in fields like gynecology or obstetrics. Perhaps it is simply because of their lack of will to practice in these fields or poor networking or rather the basic underlying problem-gender discrimination. The numbers of men enrolling in nursing educational programs is minimal, a majority of those enrolling are the female counterparts; perhaps this trend is conceptualized by the fact that the nursing profession is perceived with a feminine touch to caring (Paterson Saydack, 1996). This paper thus seeks to examine how the man has adapted to the nursing profession, the his torical background of male nursing, the advantages and disadvantages of practicing as a male nurse, infer on the impact of men turning to nursing as a profession and finally juxtapose all the aforementioned details with a slight touch of personal perception of men in the nursing industry. Underpinned in this paper’s discussion of male nursing is a clear cut inference of discrimination in the nursing profession that is guided by gender-based stereotypical connection. Historical Background In the 20th Century specifically during Florence Nightingale’s time, nursing was considered a woman-only occupation were men were strongly vilified and perceived as being incapable of offering any caring services simply because of they had ‘horny’ hands that were considered unfavorable to care offer thus prompting their exclusion from the profession of nursing (Kippenbrock, 2010). Furthermore, males are considered to lack empathy as opposed to their female counterparts who are considered to have varied ways of expressing their feelings thereby easily getting in touch with their patients more easily. In actual sense, there exists documentation that men played the roles of nurses in Egypt dating back to 250 B.C.E; Nightingale professionalizing nursing is what has created the existing dispersed discrepancy where it is mostly defined as a woman profession while on the other hand being greatly marginalized to men. The existence of a marginalized profession has thus pus hed our education system where a majority of those allowed to enroll into school are female and even if a man gets to successfully finish his nursing education, it is a daunting task for them to practice comfortably in the nursing profession simply because of their gender makes them to be discriminated against. On a broader perspective, even if a man successfully gets to be enrolled into a satisfying nursing profession there still exists numerous prohibitions that inhibit their career progress simply because they are channeled into departments that do not help them grow personally. Take for instance the case of the Canadian Forces or rather the avert United States Army which up until 1967 did not give authority for men to sign up into their systems for nursing. Irrespective of the fact that there was constant development in the nursing profession allowing men to practice, legally by 1970 male nurses were still being barred from making rotations in some sections of hospitals. Analysis of literature related to nursing demonstrates that only a minimal number of men practice nursing, a trend that is fuelled by the larger prospect of women and men nursing registries being separated from each other thus closing out some nursing privileges like further education to the male nurses who have the will power to grow in the profession just like their female counterparts. Patients are also not to be left out in the historical description of the nursing profession as being inclined towards the men; most patients have always considered their nurses to being female, a survey c arried out by Bernard Nodes Group demonstrates that a majority of patients irrespective of their age and gender preferred to be attended to by female nurses as opposed to the males whom they found really awkward offering care services to them. Pros and Con of Men Practicing as Nurses Reflections on the introduction and the historical background of male nursing, it is evident that this is a profession muddled with great gender-related discrimination that is inclined to have a feminist touch. With the aforementioned details in mind and after scouring through various peer reviewed articles on male nursing, it was deductible that the cons outweigh the cons when it comes to men taking the turn of choosing nursing as a preferable profession for them. Important to note above all is the fact that when pushed by personal will to go after something, one is usually self-driven into attaining their set goals irrespective of what the general public thinks of their choice; similarly as a man when one is willing to pursue nursing as a career, nothing stops them. Firstly, the nursing profession though gradually evolving has always been guided by the traditional Victorian family ideology where the role of men is to be ‘doctors’ considered as heads of organizations, t he women taking up a latter role of being the handmaiden which is in most cases defined as the nursing role and finally the patient role is played by children who need to be taken care of by doctors and handmaidens. It thus became a tradition that the role of being a nurse was strictly meant for women which in the long run has pushed men away from enrolling into nursing schools. Irrespective of the fact that this model is no longer practiced in the nursing profession, a great deal of nurses is guided by its tenets as evident by the dominance of women in this profession. The fact that there exists extensive barriers in the way of men enrolling into the nursing profession; men usually exhibit varied difficulties before they turn out as clinical nursing professionals. Society’s perception of nursing as a female profession exerts extreme pressure on men who sign up to be nurses; they are expected to perform way better in comparison to their female counterparts. Another issue that is a disadvantage for males enrolling for nursing from an educational setting to a hospital setting, males is generally outnumbered. To an extent it pushes them to a higher level of scrutiny and the education curriculum is inclined to only suit female students. The fact that they are male also in many circumstances dictates that they be given heavy tasks, in other situations, they could also miss out on educational opportunities like scholarships for nurses which in many circumstances are usually meant for female students. Though it is rarely experienced, male nurses are often ridiculed on the basis of their gender and it is an issue that keeps many from pursuing a nursing career; men are scared of being ridiculed for signing up for a female dominated profession. The general public looks down upon men who are nurses which in the long run push the men nurses to be stigmatized and perform their duties with extreme anxiety and in some cases it becomes stressful for them. On the offset, a flip on the other side of the coin demonstrates that men who turn to nursing as their preferred profession have an upper hand when handling medical cases. Patients prefer being handled by a male nurse as they consider they are confident in handling critical situations in which the female counterparts in some instances cannot be handle comfortably (Thetis Roberts, 2008). Men enrolling in nursing school also demonstrate a drive by men to help curb the nationwide shortage of nurses which with regards to World Health Organization data that suggests there has been a drop in nurses between the year 2000 and 2001 (Burth, 2005). Men filling up the deteriorating gap are ideal way which is not only beneficial to governments but also has great salary packages that a great deal of people are willing and greatly looking forward to earning such paychecks. The misguided notion that nursing is meant for women should not deter any male from pursuing their dream of being professional nurses; it should be a stepping stone towards the path of offering care services to the medically ill and needy so that the basic prospect of nursing is attained and generally achieved in the long run. Provision of intimate care for male patients has always been a problem for female nurses, men enrolling as nurses helps cater for such an issue in the medical industry. Personal Statement on Male Nursing Making the decision of becoming a male nurse comes with a great deal of responsibility and the need to be prepared for varied proponents considering that it is a female dominated field. In actual sense, gender is not in any way beneficial to anybody with regards to turn towards offering medical services to patients. Furthermore, women in a working environment tend to be more open to their male counterparts as opposed to their fellow women thereby creating a conducive environment for working where all and sundry can share their experiences thus establishing a working environment where nurses have a broader sense of belonging. With the extensive strides being made in nursing that is aimed to changing the public’s perception of nursing as a female profession, more and more men are continuously turning to be great nurses though in minimal numbers but the change is eminent. Although the nursing fraternity has opened its arms wide open for men, some aspect of the nursing profession are still hostile to male nurses; take an example of a situation involving a mother-baby rotation, the patient in this case-a woman will not be willing for a male nurse attend she will strongly prefer that all her care needs be handled by a female nurse. That aside, the general population of patients has received male nurses attending to them with a warm heart though in the beginning the reception of being attended to by a male nurse is usually a surprised one but later they get warmed up to the general idea. The most important thing when dealing with discrimination against male nurses is attending to the foundational problem of men not being willing enough to sign up for , finding ways of changing this perception by the men themselves is the first step towards transitioning nursing from a female dominated field to one which is accommodative to people of both sexes. Impact of Male Nursing on the Nursing Profession Men play an instrumental role in service provision in the nursing environment with a unique combination of skill set, a fact that has prompted the need for governments to turn into a rigorous exercise of recruiting and accepting men into the nursing profession which retrospectively caters for the problem of a deteriorating workforce. Men turning to nursing as a profession of choice, is good news for the looming nursing scarcity which has been experienced lately; men joining the equation is the most ideal and probable way by which this shortage can be catered for. Demographics relating to nurse numbers have been changing over the years with the acceptance of more men towards the profession: in the late 20th Century male nurse numbers was estimated at around 45,060 but by spin of over two decades down the line the number of male nurses has gradually developed to levels of 568,185 male nurses in the United States (Barkley, 2010). Great steps are being made by nursing organizations that have pushed for recruitment initiatives mainly targeted towards pushing more men to enroll into nursing schools and now currently scholarships targeted to male students are being offered. Consequently, personal appeals are being made to students in an effort to turn their misperception as a career meant only for women. Important in the whole transitioning process from a female dominated profession to a multifaceted one is the fact that the healthcare industry is offering comparatively high wages for nurses coupled up with the ideal of stable employment opportunities. References Barkley, K. (2010). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration . Retrieved 2015 13-January from The Registered Nurse Population: Initial Findings from the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses: ,http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/rnsurveys/rnsurveyinitial2008.pdf. Burth, A. (2005). Gender bias and discrimination in nursing education. Can we change it? Nurse Educator , 64-65. Kippenbrock, S. (2010). School of nursing variables related to male student college choice. Journal of Nursing Education , 118-121. Paterson, T., Saydack, C. (1996). Learning to care: Gender issues for male nursing students. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research , 25-39. Thetis, M. G., Roberts, J. I. (2008). Nursing, Physician Control and Monopoly. Indianapolis: Indiana Univeristy Press.

Morality vs. Culture :: Free Essays

Is morality Relative to culture? This argument’s foundation is the basic question on whether morality is relative to culture, or owns own desires. The pros of this argument are that we get to establish whether or not morality is a true sense of justice. As Melville J. Herskovitz indicates who is in favor of the cultural relativism notion, â€Å"Morality is a diverse unique variation of codes and ethics threat arises from culture to culture, belief to belief.† He argues that we cannot judge society based on its laws, and that we have to right to declare them inhumane. The pro’s of his argument supporting cultural relativism are that we as a superior society in the United States need to respect the laws and traditions as what is deemed acceptable in other third world nations. After all he eluded, it was by force that Europeans imposed themselves upon African cultures. This serves as the basis for his argument. That we are in no right to judge simply because we live a different lifestyle and fear change. His opposition, Louis P. Pojman makes a great counter attack. He agrees with Herskovitz in that social morality does indeed differ from culture to culture, but that does not make them necessarily right. He continues his argument by accentuating that if conventional relativism is accepted, then racism genocide of unpopular minorities, oppression of the poor, slavery, and even the advocacy of war for its own sake are as equally moral as their opposites. I believe this is where Pojman solidifies his argument. â€Å"Conventionalist relativism seems to reduce to subjectivism. And subjectivism leads, as we have seen, to the demise of morality altogether (Pojman).† I cannot pinpoint a con on Pojman’s argrument because he acknowledges the importance of ethical diversity, and he strongly recommends that we scrutinize the cultural relativism argument to find the many loopholes that the naked eye can’t see.

Boston matrix analysis for BHP Billiton Group

Abstract The paper provides an analysis of BHP Billiton Group based on the Boston matrix. It is indicated that this matrix is a solid marketing tool to determine the financial performance of organisations. It focuses on companies’ market share and market growth. As a result of the implementation of the Boston matrix analysis to BHP Billiton Group, it is concluded that the company is at the position of a cash cow on the matrix. This finding has significant practical implications, and thus recommendations to use certain strategies are provided. Introduction The Boston Matrix represents a marketing tool, which is commonly used to conduct product portfolio analysis and management. This instrument was introduced by the Boston Consulting Group in the 1970s (Stern and Deimler, 2006). The Boston Matrix mainly focuses on the dimensions of market share and market growth, as these aspects are considered important to identify the areas in which companies need to utilise resources in order to optimise their profit generation capacity (Kotler, 2006). The matrix indicates a focus on a product management perspective as an integral part of the analytical process. Market share refers to the percentage of the total market, which is attained by organisations. This value can be measured by considering the percentage of revenue or unit volume. It is usually assumed that a high market share suggests significant financial benefits to a company. Market growth relates to the attractive parameters identified in a particular market (Schermerhorn, 2013). Businesses are usually grouped into four major categories: dogs, cash cows, question marks and stars. Dogs are companies that encounter the challenges of low market share and low market growth, while cash cows tend to have a high market share in low growing markets (Kotler, 2006). Question marks have a low market share in high growing markets. Stars represent the ideal situation for organisations because they tend to have a high market share in a rapidly growing industry (Stern and Deimler, 2006). These elements are reported by Stern and Deimler (2006) to generate sufficient cash and extensive opportunities for development. By applying the Boston matrix analysis to the performance of BHP Billiton Groups, it appears that specific information and trends from the company’s segments should be considered. The iron ore segment of the organisation has been following a star strategy by focusing sales in Australia due to its intention to decrease production costs, which would help the corporation obtain a bigger share of the market. This may happen even though growth in Chinese steel output significantly decreases (BHP Billiton Ltd., 2013). BHP Billiton Groups has a high market share in the Chinese location but low growth, which reflected in the price drops. This in turn decreased the revenues from the company’s associated segments. According to this dimension, the corporation has been following a cash cow strategy. The iron ore segment of the organisation is facing persistent challenges related to the decline of iron price, workers strike as well as strengthening Australian dollar (BHP Billiton Lt d., 2013). The copper segment is also affected by copper prices. As a result, the organisation has been following a question mark strategy by indicating a low market share in China due to the overall decline in copper revenues. Yet, the strategy of the company is to maintain a high market growth because of its positive production outlook in the respective segment. Similarly, the coal segment is negatively affected by low coal prices and rising cost. However, the corporation’s coals continue to be recognised as the most highly valued, supporting strong long-term margins, implying that BHP Billiton Groups has been following a star strategy in the Chinese and Australian locations (BHP Billiton Ltd., 2013). Future supply growth in the coal segment indicates that it is predominantly Australian, which directly sets the organisation at the position of a star on the Boston matrix. The fact that the outlook for the petroleum segment looks good is important to predict that the company may return to its position as a star on the Boston matrix. One of the expectations in this context is that total shale production is most likely to rise in the future (Stern and Deimler, 2006). In terms of the company’s geographical locations, it seems that geographic factors limit competition for the organisation. The company operates in more than 100 geographical locations across the world. The company’s market share is high due to its diversified portfolio of services. Moreover, its market growth is relatively high (Grant, 2013). Therefore, BHP Billion is pursuing a star marketing strategy considering the mentioned aspects. With regards to the company’s aluminium segment, it can be argued that BHP Billiton is pursuing a star marketing strategy, considering its both high market share and high market growth. For instance, the corporation’s total aluminium production for the fiscal year of 2013 is approximately 1.2 Mt (BHP Billiton Ltd., 2013). This means that the company’s market share is extremely high in this segment, which along with its high market growth in markets of Western Europe and Asia makes the corporation in a winning star position on the Boston matrix. The manganese segment of the company shows its adoption of a star strategy because approximately 80% of its production is sold directly in countries, such as China, India and South Korea (Grant, 2013). This aspect implies that BHP Billiton has both high market share in the mentioned markets and high market growth. It can be argued that BHP Billiton Group’s share prices were relatively low in 2012. This aspect prompted the company to follow a question mark strategy because despite its low market share, the provision of various natural resources took place in a high growing market (Schemerhorn, 2013). However, at the end of 2012, the corporation gradually started expanding its share prices by representing an adequate price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. This means that the group has focused on following a star strategy in its main segments. Yet, it is challenging to estimate the market price for each product due to the extensive diversity of the company’s products (Grant, 2013). Another challenge associated with the quantification of returns is the categorisation of returns in different currencies. As previously indicated, BHP Billiton Group placed importance on location when it comes to making investments. In the United States, the corporation has been extensively concerned to adhere to a star strategy on the Boston matrix by distributing crude petroleum (BHP Billiton Ltd., 2013). It is essential to note that the company relies on its current strength of occupying a leading position in global commodities prices that are related to the health of the international economy. This suggests the potential of the corporation to predominantly follow a star strategy, which would guarantee it a better position compared to other organisations operating in the same industry sector (Grant, 2013). Nonetheless, the company is unable to predict currency assessments, which may lead to the adoption of a cash cow or a question mark strategy according to the Boston matrix. It has been indicated that certain flaws in the global economy negatively affect the performance of the corporation in the sen se of decreasing its market share in certain segments. For instance, such flaws may lead to a reduced demand for commodities, which may directly reflect in lower prices and reduced profitability of the company. The diverse portfolio of assets provided by BHP Billiton Group has assumed a solid market position of the company in its major segments. It is important to note that the corporation occupies a leading position in the trade of uranium in Australia after Olympic Dam Mine as well as of other natural assets, such as silver and copper (BHP Billiton Ltd., 2013). This places the company at a quite favourable position regarding its trade activities and thus it is more likely to adopt a star strategy in its home country. The fact that the corporation is a leading producer of nickel globally is indicative of the high market share it has in different segments and in different locations across the world (Stern and Deimler, 2006). As a result of the application of the Boston matrix analysis to the performance of BHP Billiton Group, it can be suggested that the company has the potential to make a substantial impact on the global delivery of natural assets. Its position as a star in most of its seg ments and in most locations shows solid management and leadership practices present at the organisation. It is important to note that the major purpose of the Boston matrix analysis is to help BHP Billiton Group decide which of its business units should be kept as well as in which areas it can invest further (Grant, 2013). There are different strategies to be applied considering that the organisation is in the position of a cash cow on the Boston matrix. One of these strategies is to hold in order to maintain its sales or market share (Schermerhorn, 2013). Another strategy that can be utilised is to defend its position regardless of the challenges the company faces with regards to its market share and projected market growth (Kotler, 2006). BHP Billiton Group can also implement a strategy, which is identified as ‘milk’, implying that the company is expected to use the cash it generated in the fiscal year to return to its position as a star on the matrix from the period of 2011 to 2012 (BHP Billiton Ltd., 2013). The fact that the company is at the position of a cash cow means that its profitability ratios have significantly declined. For instance, the organisation’s net profit margin, operating profit margin, ROE and ROA deteriorated in the period from 2011 to 2012 and from 2012 to 2013. It can be suggested that the company should seriously rethink its position in the market so as to try its best to restore its star position from the past (Schermerhorn, 2013). The application of the Boston matrix analysis to BHP Billiton Group’s performance yields significant conclusions about the company’s challenges and opportunities that can be addressed. Conclusion This paper has provided an analysis of BHP Billiton Group’s financial performance based on the Boston matrix. It has been indicated that the organisation is currently at the position of a cash cow on the matrix considering its high market share and low growing market (Kotler, 2006). Certain strategies have been provided so that the organisation can implement them in order to improve its position and return to the status of a star, which represents an ideal combination of a high market share and fast growing market (Grant, 2013). References BHP Billiton Ltd. (2013). Stock Analysis on Net [online]. Available at: http://www.stock-analysis-on.net/NYSE/Company/BHP-Billiton-Ltd/Financial-Statement/Income-Statement [Accessed: 14 August 2014]. Grant, R. M. (2013). Contemporary Strategy Analysis. New York: Wiley. Kotler, P. (2006). Marketing Management. New York: Pearson Education. Schermerhorn, J. R. (2013). Exploring Management. New York: Wiley. Stern, C. W. and Deimler, M. S. (2006). The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy: Classic Concepts and New Perspectives. New York: Wiley.