Conjunto com bancos de dados relacionais

Conjunto com bancos de dados relacionais Resumo. A programaà §Ãƒ £o orientada a objetos à © utilizada hà ¡ muito tempo em conjunto com bancos de dados relacionais, que à © considerado o padrà £o adotado pelo mercado hà ¡ anos. Entretanto, a passagem de dados de um objeto para uma tabela de um banco de dados relacional, do ponto de vista conceitual, costuma ser incompatà ­vel devido as adaptaà §Ãƒ µes realizadas no modelo relacional para implementar integridades referenciais, facilitar consultas, etc. Por isso, outras tecnologias foram desenvolvidas para tornar a persistà ªncia de objetos em bancos de dados relacional mais natural. Neste trabalho, sà £o apresentadas duas tecnologias com este objetivo: DB4O, que utiliza um banco de dados orientado a objetos, armazenando diretamente a instà ¢ncia da classe no banco de dados e o framework JPA, que mapeia os objetos e seus atributos para suas respectivas tabelas no banco de dados relacional. A ferramenta Eclipse e o banco de dados MySQL foram utilizados para a impleme ntaà §Ãƒ £o das aplicaà §Ãƒ µes neste trabalho. Palavras-chave: JPA, DB4O, Banco de Dados nà £o convencional, Mapeamento Objeto-Relacional, Banco de Dados Orientado a Objeto, MySQL. 1 Introduà §Ãƒ £o 1.1 Motivaà §Ãƒ £o O crescente avanà §o do paradigma de programaà §Ãƒ £o orientado a objetos tornou necessà ¡rio o estudo acerca de novas formas de persistir os dados de um sistema, pois o modelo relacional nà £o à © diretamente compatà ­vel com o paradigma, visto que nà £o foi feito pensando para orientaà §Ãƒ £o a objetos. Existem duas abordagens que sà £o o objeto de estudo deste trabalho para tratar persistà ªncia de dados: bancos de dados orientados a objetos e mapeamento objeto-relacional. Bancos de dados orientados a objetos suportam o armazenamento de objetos complexos, mantendo sua estrutura, ao contrà ¡rio dos bancos relacionais que desconhecem o conceito de objeto. Objetos sà £o abstraà §Ãƒ µes do mundo real e a manipulaà §Ãƒ £o destes à © mais simples de entender quando comparado à  s abstraà §Ãƒ µes de um banco de dados relacional. Embora nà £o seja muito utilizado comercialmente, bancos de dados orientados a objeto và ªm evoluindo bastante, permitindo aplicaà §Ãƒ µes cada vez mais robustas e atuando principalmente nas à ¡reas de manipulaà §Ãƒ £o de objetos complexos como espaciais, som e và ­deo. O mapeamento objeto-relacional justamente serve para mapear os objetos em tabelas de um banco de dados relacional, utilizando todas as vantagens desse banco de dados e sendo transparente para o usuà ¡rio. Isto facilita o trabalho do desenvolvedor e permite uma melhor visualizaà §Ãƒ £o da relaà §Ãƒ £o entre os objetos e as relaà §Ãƒ µes do banco reacional. Este trabalho à © resultado da primeira parte da disciplina ministrada pelo professor Sean W. M. Siqueira no primeiro semestre de 2009. A disciplina trata de bancos de dados nà £o convencionais, e faz parte do currà ­culo de Bacharelado em Sistemas de Informaà §Ãƒ £o da Unirio (Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro) como disciplina optativa da linha de Banco de Dados. 1.2 Objetivo O objetivo deste trabalho à © apresentar duas tecnologias voltadas para o desenvolvimento orientado a objeto (DB4O e JPA) e como realizar suas respectivas implementaà §Ãƒ µes que testam a persistà ªncia em um banco de dados orientado a objeto, mais especificamente o DB4O, e a persistà ªncia utilizando o mapeamento objeto-relacional, atravà ©s do framework JPA. Apà ³s a demonstraà §Ãƒ £o destas duas implementaà §Ãƒ µes, foi realizada uma comparaà §Ãƒ £o entre as duas abordagens, incluindo a abordagem de desenvolvimento tradicional. 1.3 Modelo de classes Para a aplicaà §Ãƒ £o, desenvolvemos o seguinte modelo de classes: 1.4 Estrutura do Relatà ³rio O relatà ³rio està ¡ estruturado em elementos prà ©-textuais, 5 (cinco) capà ­tulos, e elementos pà ³s-textuais. Na primeira parte hà ¡ itens como sumà ¡rio e à ­ndices. Em seguida, està £o os capà ­tulos que està £o brevemente descritos a seguir, e, por fim, os elementos pà ³s-textuais. capà ­tulo 1 explica a motivaà §Ãƒ £o e o objetivo para este trabalho. capà ­tulo 2 apresenta o passo-a-passo para a implementaà §Ãƒ £o de uma aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando a tecnologia DB4O. capà ­tulo 4 apresenta o passo-a-passo para desenvolvimento de uma aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando o framework JPA. capà ­tulo 4 apresenta as conclusà µes do presente trabalho, comparando as tecnologias envolvidas. capà ­tulo 5 apresenta as referà ªncias bibliogrà ¡ficas. 2 Etapas do desenvolvimento de aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando DB4O Este capà ­tulo apresenta o passo-a-passo para desenvolvimento de aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando o DB4O. 2.1 Softwares utilizados Os seguintes softwares foram utilizados para a implementaà §Ãƒ £o dos servià §os. Eclipse JDK 6 2.2 Introduà §Ãƒ £o ao DB4O banco de dados orientado a objetos DB4o à © um software open source de fà ¡cil instalaà §Ãƒ £o e baixa necessidade de recurso, uma vez que ele nà £o à © um SGBD e por isso nà £o possui interface grà ¡fica e outras funcionalidades de gerenciamento. DB4o foi feito para poder ser utilizado em plataformas desktop, celulares, servidores, contanto que o ambiente seja orientado a objetos. Alà ©m disso, ele nà £o exige a necessidade de nenhuma programaà §Ãƒ £o ou ferramenta para mapear a orientaà §Ãƒ £o a objetos para o modelo relacional, pois ele faz uso da orientaà §Ãƒ £o a objetos a seu favor, permitindo que o modelo seja uma representaà §Ãƒ £o fiel do banco de dados. DB4o nà £o possui instalaà §Ãƒ £o. No desenvolvimento realizado, utilizando o Eclipse, a à ºnica aà §Ãƒ £o necessà ¡ria para instalar o DB4o foi importar o arquivo .jar como uma biblioteca para o eclipse. Apà ³s isso, os pacotes com os objetos necessà ¡rios para persistir os dados no DB4o està £o prontos para serem utilizados. Como o DB4o nà £o necessita de mapeamento, tambà ©m nà £o necessita de modelo là ³gico e fà ­sico, visto que ele à © totalmente baseado na orientaà §Ãƒ £o a objetos, logo, o banco segue o modelo de classes. 2.3 Metodologia de desenvolvimento Para realizar o desenvolvimento da aplicaà §Ãƒ £o, primeiro define-se as classes POJO (Plain Java Object). Os objetos que serà £o armazenados no DB4O sà £o pertencentes a essas classes de objetos implementadas no inà ­cio do desenvolvimento. Depois, desenvolve-se uma classe que permite inserà §Ãƒ £o, consulta, alteraà §Ãƒ £o e exclusà £o de objetos do banco. Para isso, à © necessà ¡rio importar diversas bibliotecas externas pertinentes ao desenvolvimento para DB4O e tambà ©m abrir o arquivo onde os objetos serà £o armazenados, instanciando um objeto da classe ObjectContainer, que representarà ¡ o banco de dados. Para inserà §Ãƒ £o de objetos no DB4O, utilizamos o mà ©todo set da classe ObjectContainer, que armazena um objeto passado como parà ¢metro no DB4O. Para consulta de objetos no DB4O utilizamos o mà ©todo QueryByExample, que utiliza um objeto passado como parà ¢metro como exemplo e busca o objeto semelhante no DB4O. O resultado à © armazenado em uma varià ¡vel do tipo ObjectSet. Para alteraà §Ãƒ £o de objetos no DB4O à © necessà ¡rio consultar o objeto que se deseja alterar e armazenà ¡-lo em um objeto da classe desejada. Depois, alterar os dados atravà ©s do mà ©todo set definido na classe POJO e colocar no DB4O atravà ©s do mà ©todo store, definido na classe ObjectContainer. Para a deleà §Ãƒ £o de objetos no DB4O à © necessà ¡rio consultar o objeto que se deseja remover e utilizar o mà ©todo delete, definido na classe ObjectContainer. 2.4 Passo a passo para implementaà §Ãƒ £o de uma aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando o DB4O O DB4O consiste em um arquivo .jar apenas, entà £o o primeiro passo (apà ³s realizar o download do DB4O) à © verificar qual .jar utilizar. Nesse caso, utilizamos o DB4o-7.4-java5.jar, pois à © o indicado para que utiliza o JDK 5 ou 6. 3 Etapas do desenvolvimento de aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando JPA Este capà ­tulo apresenta o passo-a-passo para desenvolvimento de aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando o framework JPA. 3.1 Softwares utilizados Os seguintes softwares foram utilizados para a implementaà §Ãƒ £o dos servià §os. Eclipse Ganymede versà £o 3.4.0 (possui OpenJPA nativo) JDK 1.5 Hibernate MySQL 3.2 Introduà §Ãƒ £o ao JPA O Java Persistence API (JPA) à © um produto implementado pela SUN, especificado para oferecer uma persistà ªncia transparente de objetos Java. O OpenJPA à © uma implementaà §Ãƒ £o disponibilizada como software livre, desenvolvida pela Apache Software Foundation baseada no JPA produzido pela SUN. O JPA define um padrà £o de mapeamento dos objetos do modelo orientado a objetos para o modelo relacional, trazendo as vantagens dos dois mundos: a programaà §Ãƒ £o orientada a objetos, paradigma consagrado de desenvolvimento e os bancos de dados relacionais, igualmente consagrados em termos de utilizaà §Ãƒ £o e desempenho. Alà ©m disso, a tecnologia possui amplo suporte pela maioria dos das grandes empresas do mercado: Apache, Oracle, BEA, JBoss. As camadas que compà µe o framework para o mapeamento objeto-relacional utilizando JPA podem ser visualizadas na Figura 14: O JPA provà ª uma API simples e padronizada de persistà ªncia para Java SE e Java EE. Essa padronizaà §Ãƒ £o permite a modularizaà §Ãƒ £o do provedor JPA que à © oferecido em diversas versà µes por và ¡rios desenvolvedores, dando a opà §Ãƒ £o de escolha o usuà ¡rio final. A padronizaà §Ãƒ £o da tecnologia permite o aumento da produtividade e o uso de anotaà §Ãƒ µes (Annotations) simplifica a configuraà §Ãƒ £o das entidades. Seus objetos sà £o baseados em classes POJO (Plain Old Java Objects) e sua implementaà §Ãƒ £o oferece suporte a heranà §a e polimorfismo. O JPA à © compatà ­vel com a linguagem de consulta Java Persistence Query Language (JP-QL) que utiliza uma sintaxe prà ³xima a SQL, porà ©m à © voltada para consulta de entidades e suas propriedades, criando independà ªncia em relaà §Ãƒ £o à   modelagem fà ­sica do banco de dados. A JPQL à © capaz de realizar consultas està ¡ticas (named queries) e consultas dinà ¢micas e permite a construà §Ãƒ £o de consultas complexas. Portanto, o JPA à © uma soluà §Ãƒ £o completa para mapeamento e persistà ªncia de objetos, sendo composto pelo modo declarativo de descrever mapeamento O/R, linguagem de consulta e recursos para manipulaà §Ãƒ £o de entidades. 3.3 Metodologia de desenvolvimento Apà ³s a definià §Ãƒ £o do modelo relacional, desenvolvem-se as classes POJO referentes as tabelas no banco de dados. Entà £o se insere as anotaà §Ãƒ µes (annotations) que declaram que a classe possui uma respectiva tabela no banco de dados. Entretanto, ainda à © necessà ¡rio registrar essas classes no arquivo persistence.xml, que serà ¡ utilizado para definir o subconjunto de classes que poderà £o ser gerenciadas. Ao escrever o cà ³digo, deverà ¡ ser instanciada um objeto do tipo EntityManagerFactory passando o arquivo persistence.xml como parà ¢metro. A partir deste objeto, à © criado outro do tipo EntityManager, responsà ¡vel por gerenciar o ciclo de vida das entidades que està £o registradas. Ao iniciar a manipulaà §Ãƒ £o dos objetos, à © necessà ¡rio iniciar uma transaà §Ãƒ £o e entà £o registrar os comandos CRUD para serem executados. Entà £o, ao final, realiza-se o commit ou rollback destas operaà §Ãƒ µes. A Figura 15 resume o fluxo de mapeamento objeto-relacional seguido pelo JPA. 3.4 Passo a passo para implementaà §Ãƒ £o de uma aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando JPA O primeiro passo para iniciar a implementaà §Ãƒ £o de uma aplicaà §Ãƒ £o utilizando o framework JPA à © baixar os arquivos JAR necessà ¡rios para realizar as importaà §Ãƒ µes das classes que serà £o utilizadas no programa. Como serà ¡ utilizado como provedor JPA (Figura 2) o framework de persistà ªncia Hibernate, os seguintes pacotes serà £o necessà ¡rios: Hibernate Core, Hibernate Annotations e Hibernate Entity Manager, que està £o disponà ­veis em http://sourceforge.net/projects/hibernate/files/. No desenvolvimento da aplicaà §Ãƒ £o foram utilizadas as versà µes 3.2.0.GA do Hibernate Core, 3.3.0 GA do Hibernate Annotations e 3.3.1.GA do Hibernate Entity Manager. Cabe salientar que pacotes de outras versà µes do Hibernate podem resultar em falhas e erros inesperados em relaà §Ãƒ £o aos procedimentos realizados neste relatà ³rio. O driver JDBC para o MySQL tambà ©m à © necessà ¡rio e pode ser baixado no site oficial do MySQL, em http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/j/5.1.html. Para o desenvolvimento da aplicaà §Ãƒ £o foi utilizado a versà £o 5.1.7 do driver JDBC para o MySQL. Em posse dos arquivos necessà ¡rios, iniciam-se os passos para o desenvolvimento da aplicaà §Ãƒ £o no Eclipse. 4 Conclusà £o Conforme apresentado, o desenvolvimento utilizando bancos de dados orientado a objetos apresenta diversas facilidades em relaà §Ãƒ £o à   proposta tradicional de desenvolvimento e à   proposta de mapeamento objeto-relacional. Essas vantagens sà £o as seguintes: Modelagem mais real: permite que o seu modelo de classes seja o seu modelo de armazenamento de dados, pois armazena exatamente os objetos como eles foram criados para serem armazenados, sem necessidade de nenhum tipo de transformaà §Ãƒ £o Representaà §Ãƒ £o de dados com formatos varià ¡veis: no relacional, as tuplas precisam ser homogà ªneas e os atributos atà ´micos, enquanto que no OO isso nà £o à © necessà ¡rio. à © possà ­vel ter dados em formatos varià ¡veis. Facilidade de instalaà §Ãƒ £o e utilizaà §Ãƒ £o: à © mais fà ¡cil e rà ¡pido instalar o DB4o do que algum banco de dados relacional, pois nà £o à © necessà ¡rio configurar e criar um banco de dados previamente, nem à © necessà ¡rio realizar um modelo relacional, fà ­sico e là ³gico, pois o prà ³prio modelo de classes à © a representaà §Ãƒ £o dos dados no banco Mas, existem alguns problemas nessa tecnologia. Alguns jà ¡ foram citados anteriormente: Stored procedures: Nà £o existem stored procedures ou triggers, sendo necessà ¡rio programar na aplicaà §Ãƒ £o essas funà §Ãƒ µes, o que pode fazer cair o desempenho do sistema O modelo relacional jà ¡ està ¡ consolidado no mercado, acumulando anos de estudo e aprimoramento, oferecendo bom desempenho, mecanismos de otimizaà §Ãƒ £o, tratamento de concorrà ªncia. 5 Referà ªncias Vasiliev, Yuli, 2008, Querying JPA Entities with JPQL and Native SQL Disponà ­vel em http://www.oracle.com/technology/pub/articles/vasiliev-jpql.html. Apache Software Fundation, Apache JPA Users Guide Disponà ­vel em http://JPA.apache.org/builds/latest/docs/manual/manual.pdf. OLIVEIRA, H.E.M, 2008, JPA Passo a Passo, TDC The Developers Conference 2008 Disponà ­vel em http://www.thedevelopersconference.com.br/arquivos/TDC2008Floripa-jpa-henrique.pdf DB4Objects, DB4O Tutorial Disponà ­vel em: http://developer.db4o.com/files/folders/db4o_74/entry49672.aspx ENGIEL, P., 2008, Comparaà §Ãƒ £o entre as formas de persistir a programaà §Ãƒ £o orientada a objetos

Internship at malaysiaairlines Essay

As a part of requirement of Bachelor in Accountancy Programme, an internship training programme for six months is mandatory for every student in 7th semester. Therefore, it is necessary for me to complete my internship session in any company which offers relevant job scope and experience to my area and specialization. Previously, I had experienced working in an audit firm and now, I chose to be working in industrial and commercial sector in order for me to experience a new working environment. Hence, that is the reason why I decided to undergo my internship programme with Malaysia Airlines. I began my internship programme on 1st February 2013 with MAS and it ends on 31st July 2013. During that time, I was attached to Accounts Payable Department, 4th Floor, Admin 2 Building, MAS Complex A, SAAS Airport, 47200 Subang, Selangor. The department is headed by Cheah Paik Un and the Manager of the department is Pn. Nik Azlina Bt Nik Yusoff. I was put under the supervision of Nurul Izzati Bt Noordin and my immediate supervisor was Azizah Bt Azmi. 2.0 MALAYSIA AIRLINES (MAS). 2.1 Company Overview Malaysia Airlines (MAS), formerly known as Malaysian Airline System Berhad was found in the year of 1947. It is a Malaysian-based company engaged in the business of air transportation and the provision of related services. Basically, it operates in two segments. The first segment is airline operations, which engaged in the operation of aircraft for passenger and the second segment is cargo services which related to the operation of aircraft for cargo and mail services. In addition, MAS’s other business segment also includes catering, engineering, computerized reservation services, trucking and warehousing services, retailing of goods, terminal charges and tour and travel related activities. Up to now, MAS has over 20 subsidiaries with 13 of them are fully owned by MAS. Some of the subsidiaries are Abacus Distribution Systems (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd, FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, MAS Golden  Holidays Sdn Bhd, and many more. Malaysia Airlines has its headquarters and registered office on the third floor of Administration Building A at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Selangor. 3.0 WORK EXPERIENCES. 3.1 Duties and Responsibilities. Since I was attached to the Accounts Payable department, basically my tasks involve the handling of incoming invoices from arrival to post. Usually, I would first classify and sorts the invoices into various categories. Then, after performing invoice verification, I would enter the park invoices and update it using SAP system. After that, the superior may have to check and approve the invoice and if there are no variances, the invoice is posted into the accounting system. Apart from that, I also need to update the manpowers’ time sheet and summary as well as the fuel uplift quantity and buffered flights using the Integrated Fuel Management System (IFMS). Therefore, I can state that I already had a clear picture on how exactly MAS handle their accounts payable. In addition,I am well aware that accounting departments are constantly challenged when it comes to validating the accuracy of invoices, obtaining agreement and sign off for expenditure and taking measures to eliminate double payment occurrences. 3.2 Exposure to the Airline Industry. As a part of exposure to the airline industry, Finance Business Support Department has provided all the practical trainees the Internal Finance Module (Basic Airline Economics) on 26th February 2013. I found it very beneficial to me as I am able to apply my knowledge on costing specifically for airlines industry. I was exposed to different cost classification which MAS applied on its expenditure incurred, for example variable costs can be divided into flight related,traffic related and revenue related. After that, on 4th April and 12th April, I went for a half-day visit to Engineering Hangar and Malaysia Airlines Academy where I had the opportunity to observe how the aircrafts are being maintained, CCTS mock up, flight safety demonstration and so on. 3.3 Achievements. During my training period, I have acquired many new skills and knowledge on accounting mainly for airline industry. First, to me it was a success when I was given the opportunity to learn in depth on what type of expenditure incurred by MAS, and other related issues in the way of settling it. Next, this internship programme has certainly enriched my curriculumvitae (CV) and my interpersonal skills as I was given the chance to interact with most staffs from every different level. This has largely broadened my perspectives on career opportunities available in the accounting profession as they always provide me with good advice on it based on their experiences. Thus, I am able to shape my career goals more clearly and it will surely benefit me in the near future. Lastly, I am more familiar with accounting systems such as SAP and ESKER solutions as well as IFMS which is a system mainly developed for managing fuel. I can confidently use it with ease and I found that these systems really make accounting as one of the most enjoyable fields to deal with. This is because, from what I have observed, since ESKER is being used by Accounts Payable Department on 3rd of June 2013, it helps on reducing the problem related to traditional invoice processing method. Some of the problems linked to traditional method are increase in the chance of error due to multiple sources and paper invoices are also hard to monitor as well as labour intensive. Therefore, ESKER solutions really make paper-free AP a reality and helps in cutting operational and administrative AP costs as the invoice approval workflow is simplified and consolidated. 4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS. I must recommend MAS to create a more structured training programme where supervisors are directed to plan a more comprehensive and organized training schedule for every trainees in order to optimize the training period with significant tasks in developing the trainees’ knowledge and skills rather than focusing on the same task for the whole period. Next, I suggest that Accounts Payable Department should once in a while organize a team building exercise for its staffs in order to bring them closer and I am sure that  this would encourage them to appreciate the importance of team work and able to share personal experiences and ideas. 5.0 CONCLUSION. In conclusion, I can state that my internship at Malaysia Airlines was a rewarding experience. This is because, it provided me with some new perspectives that I did not come across during my studies back at the college and the work experience I gained here was very different compared to the private practice sector due to the specific job scope. Next, I would like to attest both of my supervisors (Nurul Izzati Bt Noordin who was my senior supervisor and Azizah Bt Azmi who was my immediate supervisor) at Accounts Payable Department, MAS for the good job. Above all, working together with them was a true pleasure and theirs faith in my abilities was a real source of motivation. I really appreciate the way I have been guided through this internship programme with MAS, beginning from the opportunity to take the time I needed to refresh and expand my knowledge in several issues concerning every single expenses incurred by MAS and ways to make payment, over a somehow protected period where I could discover and learn to value my new working environment, and finally earned the confidence to deal with assignments myself. Last but not least, I need to stress that all the staffs in this department contributed greatly to making my stay at MAS a very enjoyable one. It is through them that I did enjoy my work every day and I am very grateful for the internship opportunity given by MAS.

Chinese Wedding Tradition Essay

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A wedding day is considered as the most important and memorable event in one’s life because it is their way of affirming their love and intimacy in public. At that very moment, the couple makes sure that everything is perfectly planned, from proposal to reception. This is because the groom usually wants to offer the best to his bride. A wedding is also considered among many nations as a very sensitive event because all aspects of the wedding shall conform to their beliefs and traditions. The date and place of the wedding are also given considerable significance. Moreover, the wedding rites are meticulously carried out because everything used symbolizes something especially among Chinese.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Chinese tradition, the wedding is purposely to continue their clan and to strengthen the relationship of the two families. It is in the best interest of the parents and so they exert a great deal effort of finding good match for their son. The matching is made very carefully through rituals to ensure the absence of bad omens. Furthermore, a traditional Chinese wedding is interestingly coupled with complicated beliefs to ensure luck, joy, and happiness for the couple. Before the Wedding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The proposal in Chinese wedding is not made by the boy, instead, his parents find a girl that matches him. When the match has been found, the proposal and expression of the match is done through a â€Å"go- between† who would present a gift to the girl’s parents. If the proposal is received, the go- between will get the girl’s birth date and birth hour to be recorded in a formal document which will be placed in the altar of the boy’s family for three days (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). If within three days, no inauspicious omen occurred like trouble between the two families, the information is given to an astrological expert for confirmation of the match (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). When a favorable horoscope is found, the girl’s family will also do the same ritual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The next process is the bethrodal where both parents exchange presents as a form of their intentions. During the bethodal, the parents would extensively bargain for the amount of money and goods as a gift to the girl’s family. Usually, the bethodal gifts includes, tea, dragon and phoenix bridal cakes, pairs of male and female poultry, wine, tobacco, and others (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The cake received by the bride is shared to family friends and relatives as a sign of the wedding announcement and invitation. In exchange, the girl’s family would offer foods and clothing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the same day, the wedding date is set. It is important among Chinese that the wedding date is a lucky day. The date is chosen according to the lunar calendar when the moon and the stars are properly aligned with the guidance of an astrologist (983Weddings.com). Moreover, it has been a practice that the couple marry when the hands of the clocks are moving up instead of down because it is their belief that their married life would begin in an upswing manner (983Weddings.com).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before the wedding day, the bride is required to stay in seclusion together with her closest friends where she would be rendered a lamentation for her separation from her parents (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). Another preparation made is the installation of the new bridal bed by married men or women having many children. The night before the wedding day, the groom is required to sleep on the bed with an innocent young child to invite fertility. Wedding Day   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the very day of wedding, the bride takes a bath in water filled with pomelo and other varieties of grape fruit to cleanse her of evil influences (Chinese Weddings by the Knot). Her hair is combed by a married woman four times and each stroke symbolizes good luck, fertility, longevity, and happiness, respectively (Helium). Her hair is styled in a bun at the top of her head like that of a married woman. Moreover, her hair dress, made of either red silk veil or curtain of tassle or beads, is hanged from her Phoenix crown so that her face will be covered (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The brides wear a simple yet elegant red wedding dress and red shoes (Helium). The presence of a â€Å"good- luck woman† is also required during the bride’s preparation (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). After all the preparations, the bride bows to her parents and to the ancestral table then waits for the bridal procession (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the groom wears a long gown, a red silk sash with a silk ball on his shoulder together with red shoes, (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). As he kneels before the altar, his father places the cap, which is garnished with cypress leaves, on his head (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). Before the groom goes on a bridal procession, he is required to kneel before the tablets of Heaven and Earth and his ancestors then to his parents and relatives (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Noticeably, the color used for wedding dress, invitations, and envelopes is red. For the Chinese, red stands for luck, joy, happiness, and courage. On the red wedding invitations and decorations, the symbol of double happiness is placed on them to represent a wish of happiness to the newly wed (Fong & Chuang, 2003, p.138).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the preparation, the groom leads the bridal procession to pick up his bride. The procession is accompanied by the noise of firecrackers, loud gongs and drums (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The groom is also accompanied by a child to symbolize his future sons (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The wedding ceremony itself is simpler than the preparation. The couple is led to the altar to pray to the Heaven and Earth, to family ancestors, and to the Kitchen god, Tsao- Chun (Hudson Valley Weddings). Afterwards, a tea with lotus seeds is offered by the couple to the grooms parents (Chinese Historical and Cultural Project). The marriage ceremony is completed when the couple bows at each other.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The wedding feast is prepared by the bride’s family separate from that of the groom’s family. On each feasts, the men sits separately from women. Then bride and the groom are presented with the two goblets of honey and wine tied together with red ribbon (Kingma, 2003, p. 166). They partake in these two drinks to represent that they have come together in marriage in love and in courage. After the Wedding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the day after the wedding, the bride is required to wake up at dawn to honor their ancestors and bow before the groom’s relatives as she receives gifts from them. That is the only day when the bride is formally introduced to the grooms family and relatives. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It can be considered that the trditional Chinese wedding is the most complicated and meticulous yet most elegant wedding there is. It can also be said that since the wedding has the longest preparation, the parents of both partners may plan for it while the future couple are still young. Moreover, the wedding ceremony itself is given utmost importance as it is enriched by beliefs to ensure good things for the couple and for their family. Works Cited â€Å"Chinese Wedding Traditions.† 2008. Chinese Historical and Cultural Project. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"A Guide to Chinese Wedding Customs.† 2008. Helium. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"Chinese Wedding Traditions.† 2008. Hudson Valley Weddings. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"Chinese Wedding Traditions- Marriage Customs.† 983 Weddings.com. 4 June 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Fong, Mary & Chuang, Rueyling. Communicating Ethnic and Cultural Identity. Rowman &   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Littlefield, 2003. Kingma, Daphne R. Weddings from the Heart: Contemporary & Traditional Ceremonies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   for an Unforgettable Wedding. Red Wheel, 2003. â€Å"Wedding Style: How to Make Your Wedding Unique.† 2008. Chinese Weddings by the Knot. 4 June 2008 .

Prime Minister John Turner Biography

John Turner was a Prime Minister in waiting for too long. By the time John Turner had waited out the Trudeau era and was elected Leader of the Liberal Party to become Prime Minister in 1984, the country was fed up with the Liberal government. Turner himself seemed out of date and out of touch. He made a number of political gaffes, including calling an early election, and the Conservatives won a massive majority. For six years as Leader of the Opposition, John Turner fought, unsuccessfully, against free trade with the United States. Prime Minister of Canada 1984 Birth June 7, 1929, in Richmond, Surrey, England. John Turner came to Canada as a young child in 1932. Education BA - University of British ColumbiaRhodes Scholar, BA in Jurisprudence, BCL, MA - Oxford UniversityUniversity of Paris Profession Lawyer Political Affiliation Liberal Party of Canada Ridings (Electoral Districts) Over the years, Turner held ridings in three different provinces - Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. St-Laurent - St-Georges 1962-68Ottawa-Carleton 1968-76Vancouver Quadra 1984-93 Political Career of John Turner John Turner was first elected to the House of Commons in 1962.He was a Minister without Portfolio from 1965 to 1967, and Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs from 1967 to 1968.He ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 1968 but lost to Pierre Trudeau.In 1968, John Turner became Solicitor General of Canada.He was Minister of Justice from 1968 to 1972.From 1972 to 1975, John Turner was Minister of Finance. In 1974, his second budget was voted down in the House of Commons, and a general election was called.The Liberals won the 1974 general election and John Turner was again appointed Minister of Finance.Unhappy with the job of Minister of Finance and the economic policy of the government, John Turner resigned in 1975 to return to the practice of law in Toronto.When Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau retired in 1984, John Turner was elected Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.John Turner was sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada in 1984.A series of patronage appointments by both Pierre Trudeau and John Turner, and an electorate tired of 16 years of Liberal government led to a Conservative victory in the 1984 general election. Brian Mulroney became Prime Minister.John Turner stayed as Leader of the Opposition for six years from 1984 to 1990.He retired from politics in 1993 and returned to the practice of law.

A Biography of US Senator Rand Paul

Rand Paul is a Republican United States Senator from Kentucky with conservative-libertarian view points, and the son of former Congressman and regular presidential candidate Ron Paul. An eye doctor by trade, Paul has been married to his wife, Kelly, since 1990 and together they have three sons. While Paul has limited political history, he was a frequent campaigner for his father and also the founder of a pro-taxpayer group in Kentucky, Kentucky Taxpayers United. Electoral History: Rand Paul has a very limited political history and did not make a run for political office until 2010. Although he started as a double-digit underdog to Trey Grayson in the GOP primary, Paul took advantage of the anti-establishment sentiment within the Republican Party and was one of many long-shot outsiders to oust GOP-backed candidates. With the backing of the tea party, Paul went on to defeat Grayson 59-35%. Democrats believed they had a decent chance in the general election against Paul due to his lack of political experience. They party picked the fairly popular state Attorney General, Jack Conway. Though Conway led in early polling, Paul went on to win by a fairly comfortable 12 points. Paul was backed by most conservatives and tea party groups, including Jim DeMint and Sarah Palin. Political Positions: Rand Paul is a conservative-libertarian who is ideologically-aligned with his father, Ron Paul, on most issues. Paul is staunchly in favor of states rights on most issues and he believes that the federal government should only legislate where it is constitutionally authorized to do so. He believes hot-button issues such as gay marriage and marijuana legalization should be up for each state to decide, which also seems to be an emerging opinion within the conservative movement. Paul has also been a major figure in minority outreach and a major proponent of criminal justice reform. Rand Paul is pro-life, which is perhaps where he deviates most from the larger libertarian movement. He opposes federal funding of almost everything, including abortion, education, healthcare and other extra-constitutional issues that are meant to be handled by each individual state. The main area of concern for conservatives regarding Paul is on foreign policy. While Paul is clearly on the less interventionist and less activist scale of foreign policy, he is not quite the extremist his father was on the issue. He is strongly opposed to NSA spying programs. 2016 Presidential Run: Picking up where his father left off, Rand Paul announced a run for the 2016 GOP nomination for President. While he started off with decent numbers, his popularity took a dip as he suffered a handful of poor debate performances. While his father often occupied the wild outcast role in presidential elections, Rand Pauls more measured approach actually seems to have hurt him. The anti-establishment crowd drifted away from the Ron Paul/Rand Paul side and over to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, both who have out-maneuvered Paul. His foreign policy views have also become a liability as the Republican Party has shifted back to a more hawkish stance following the off-hands approach of the Obama White House. This has led to the occasional back-and-forth between Paul and fellow contender Marco Rubio, who has typically came out for the better. Financially, the Paul campaign has struggled and it has remained in the bottom rung of candidates. His polling has also lagged, and he has constantly struggled to remain above the debate threshold. Some Republicans have called for Paul to give up on the race and instead focus on his 2016 Senate run as they fear he is wasting valuable resources while damaging his personal popularity.

Global Warming And Its Effects - 928 Words

Global-Warming Mother Earth is burning as we speak; humanity has killed our precious Earth. Global-warming is a vicious killer that was created by the humans on this Earth, and there s no way to cure it. We, as humans, have the power to cleanse the Earth, but instead we destroy it. Heat is absorbed by carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases. A greenhouse gas absorb thermal radiation emitted by the Earth s surface. As the sun s energy reaches the Earth’s surface some of it goes back out into space, some is absorbed by the atmosphere, and the rest is emitted by the earth and warms the Earth. This is what we call the greenhouse effect which is the main reason we have global warming. Human activities disturb the balance of the Earth causes things not to function the way they are supposed to. The greenhouse effect that is normally in motion is trapping in more heat by the day. The imbalanced effect of the greenhouse makes hotspots around the world. To a lesser extent, the clearing of land for agriculture, industry, and other human activities have increased concentrations of greenhouse gas (Global Climate Change: Causes). Also with more heat the more glaciers in colder places melt making sea levels higher creating more danger. A stronger greenhouse effect will warm the oceans and partially melt glaciers and other ice, increasing sea level. Ocean water also will expand if it warms, contributing further to sea level rise (Global Climate Change: Causes). The oceans take aboutShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And Its Effects985 Words   |  4 PagesEnvironmental Science Professor Mahoney 11/11/14 Global Warming Over the last few decades global warming has become one of the biggest environmental issues of all times. Every year, global warming gets worse and it’s affecting the way people live, it is affecting the atmosphere in general, and other living organisms in our planet. Global warming is the gradual and increasing rise of the overall temperature of the Earth caused by the greenhouse effect due to the increased levels of carbon dioxide andRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects Essay1040 Words   |  5 PagesGlobal warming is directly causing the rise in temperature of the Earth. The melting of the polar ice caps causes some of the most pressing issues including the endangerment of species indigenous to this region and the rise of ocean levels. Global Warming Global warming is the steady rise of temperature of the Earth’s surface. What exactly causes global warming? Numerous sources fuel global warming, such as deforestation, permafrost, and even sunspots. Obviously, many factors contribute to thisRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1331 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal Warming Global warming is the causation of the Glaciers melting, sea levels rising, cloud forests drying, and wildlife struggles today. Humans are making this possible because of their release of heat-trapping gasses known as greenhouse gasses by their modern devices. Global warming is the abnormal speedy increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature. It is believed that this is due to the greenhouse gasses that people release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.The greenhouseRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects976 Words   |  4 PagesAs global warming, we understand that is the rise in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. It has been an immense concerning all over the world for the past decades since the current cycle of global warming is changing the rhythms of climate that humans, animals and plants rely on. Scientists have studied the natural cycles and events that are known to influence the change in climate to discover what i s originating the current global warming. However, the amount and pattern ofRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1571 Words   |  7 PagesAs global issues today become increasingly controversial, many people are inclined to believe that Global Warming is an issue that can take a backseat to more significant issues that plague today’s society. The information presented throughout my research in regards to the rising sea levels and the melting of glaciers and ice shelves, highly indicates that it cannot. What many Americans fail to realize is that if sea levels continue to rise due to Global Warming, then more than half of LouisianaRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1544 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal warming is one of the vigorously discussed topic on Earth today. According to a TechMedia Network, â€Å"Global warming is the term used to describe a gradual increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and its oceans, a change that is believed to b e permanently changing the Earth’s climate.† (â€Å"Global Warming †¦ Effects†). We have been witnessing the change in Earth’s climate since past few years, and we are well aware of the consequences of climate change as well. Global warmingRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1432 Words   |  6 Pageshas an effect on climate change and contributes to global warming. Yet people tend to turn a blind eye to global warming and label it as a myth, whether they do not believe in it or it is not in their best financial interest to believe in it. Let us take a closer look at global warming and the effects it has on our people, homes and environments. Global Warming has become a rising problem in our world’s climate. It’s time we show the initiative to understand the concept of global warming and showRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1416 Words   |  6 Pages Global Warming The earth is getting warmer, animals and their habitats are declining, human health is at risk and the cause of all this terror is Global Warming. Global warming will cause many parts of the world to change. In the next 50 years climate change could be the cause of more than a million terrestrial species becoming extinct. Sea levels will raise which means more flooding and is not good for the plants. With too much water the plants will die and herbivores will lose theirRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1312 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal warming is presenting a lot of environmental and health problems to many countries. A lot of heat gets trapped on earth due to formation of a non-porous layer gases below the atmosphere. The worst effect is felt by developing countries, which are also geographically disadvantaged. The establishment of such countries is on low altitude areas. This position makes developing countries to be direct victims of floods from the melting snow at high altit ude areas. A lot of scientific research associatesRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects1512 Words   |  7 PagesGlobal warming is one of the most alarming and pressing issues that the world faces today. Global warming is the rise of the earth’s temperature over time. The damaging effects of global warming have become more and more apparent, with more tropical storms and hurricanes causing massive destruction, more animal species losing their habitats and coming under threat, rising sea levels, etc. According to NASA, the hottest year on record was 2005, which was the same as 1998. In the last ten years, twice

Competitive Advantage Rio Tinto Company - Click To Get Solution

Question: Discuss about the Competitive Advantage for Rio Tinto Company. Answer: E-Learning Material (Week -3) Every business organization faces competition over the production and provision of services in the market especially from firms offering the same products that the company offers. As per David and Davis, (2016, p.120), creating a competitive strategy requires an evaluation of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in the industry. Companies must design long-term competitive strategies to establish a defensive position against the competitors and gain a competitive edge over the rivals. For the international companies to gain a competitive advantage over the other global firms, enhancing universality of customer services in all subsidiaries is crucial. Competitive advantage arises from companies ability to withstand the market demands, attracting new and retaining the existing clients, and its sensitivity when it comes to pricing and after sales services to the clients. However, Kumar, (2011, p.370) argues that companies can not maximize their profitability in the compe titive environment without devising clear goals and objectives. Setting goals helps the management to plan work effectively, motivate and inspire the technical team, provide guidance and direction, and assist in the evaluation and control performance in case deviations arise. Well, set objectives guide the personnel in designing high-quality products that meet the current market demands and utilize resources efficiently so that shortages get avoided. According to Ployhart, (2012, p.80), competing for a strong customer base in the market is important and an excellent tool for innovation and provides opportunities for creative thinking. With creative thinking, innovation of unique product brands follows and this creates a larger market for the company since the newly and high-quality products invented get highly demanded in the industry. Further, after designing the right product brands for the customers, the prices set for the product should be affordable and reasonable, and this cre ates a competitive advantage over the competitors. Application to Rio Tinto Company Rio Tinto is an Australian based company that provides finding, mining, and processing services for metals and minerals in Australia, Africa, Asia, and North American markets. The main competitors that Rio Tinto faces in the global market include Xstrata Plc, De Beers SA, BHP Billiton, Anglo American plc, and Newmont Mining Corporation. However, with the adoption of the above competitive strategies, Rio Tinto can gain a competitive advantage in the minerals and metal market sector in the world. From the analysis, the potential opportunities for the company include expanding the business operations in other territories, rising demand for aluminum in attempts to replace iron, and diversification of business along with other international players. According to Kumar, et al., (2011, p.16), the management for Rio Tinto should invest more financial resources in the mining of aluminum products and ensure that the brand made is of high quality and available in different quantities all over i n the global markets. Since the company has a strong brand presence internationally and has employed the use high technology in the extraction process, the company should establish regulations in particular to environmental conservation and security issues. With strict adherence to the government policies, the company ensures a sustenance growth and development and thus obtaining a competitive advantage. Also, the company should come up with a unique brand positioning statement that communicates its services to the customers and clearly differentiates itself from the competitors Dul and Ceylan, (2014, p.1266). Further, Rio Tinto should establish pricing policies such that the clients do not get exploited as the other firms may not control the charges for the minerals to their direct customers. Therefore, a clear understanding of the opportunities, strengths, weaknesses and threats of a company in the business environment enables the management to create a sound competitive strategy and thus, able to gain a competitive advantage over the rivals. E-Learning Material (Week-4) Innovation and creativity remain critical skills that companies should apply to achieve success in the economy. The fact that creativity involves the ability to produce new and unique ideas, innovation entails the implementation of that creativity; this suggests that creativity goes hand in hand with innovation. Dul and Ceylan, (2014, p.1255) argues that gaining a competitive advantage over the competitors requires a firm to use intensively sophisticated technologies that enhance creativity and innovation. The high productivity of a company depends on the enormous resources invested for; this calls for businesses to invest hugely in fascinating technologies that provide a breakthrough for innovation. The change process must always aim at increase the customer's satisfaction value of a product as well as lowering the costs associated with its production, and this directly reduces the price for the product. As per Haque and Deegan, (2010, p.320) statement, with low prices for an enterp rises products, the company gains a competitive advantage and thus positioning itself firmly in the market. However, the innovation product should effectively target the desired customer. It is necessary for the technical personnel to learn that designing a well-featured product without a target market does not add value to the company, it is only a waste of resources. Therefore, this justifies Mithas, et al.,(2013, p.512) argument that before coming up with a new idea that benefits the company, the management must first analyze the current business problem that the product or service seeks to solve. Further, the technical team in the production sector should clearly communicate the existing gap in the market that needs to get closed, so that the management provides adequate resources for the innovation process. Also, the new idea should aim at long term key performance indicators of the company so that unnecessary costs for changing from one technology to another get avoided. Application by Rio Tinto With the implementation of strategic technology and innovation management, Rio Tinto Company can effectively benefit by enlarging the customer base in the market. Currently, the mining industry is very competitive given the natural advantage possessed by different countries across the world, this call for the adoption of sophisticated technologies by the mining companies so that they may produce unique and high-quality minerals. Rio Tinto should remain alert with technological transformations and always make use of the current technologies in the manufacture of metal items. The technical team should be creative and ready to innovate new ideas that would assist the company to improve its productivity, and this justifies Dul and Ceylan, (2014, p 1267) argument. Improving performance of the company would require investing high amounts of capital in the acquisition of modern production equipment and machinery. The company should provide adequate resources to the technical team so that th e innovation process takes place smoothly. For example, provision of computers and the internet so that the IT managers can spend most of their time browsing for the new offers, new production methods, and new markets for the company's mined resources. Ployhart, (2012, p.81) argues that obtaining first-hand information about the market would enable the business comes up with long term ideas for meeting the market demand, and this creates a great opportunity for gaining a competitive advantage over the world competitors. The management should ensure that all the innovated ideas are unique and secured with passwords such that the competing firms can not have access to the technologies applied by the company in establishing a strong position in the business environment. The innovation process should follow the right channels to avoid confusion in the production sector that would adversely result to poor results and in turn lead to a destabilized position in the market for Rio Tinto Com pany. Therefore, the creativity and innovation processes should be linked, unified, and integrated together such that the ideas developed to meet the market demands. References David, F. Davis, F. R., 2016. Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach, Concepts, and Cases. 1st ed. Oxford: Prentice Hall. Dul, J. Ceylan, C., 2014. The impact of a creativity-supporting work environment on a firm's product innovation performance. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31(6), pp. 1254-1267. Haque, S. Deegan, C., 2010. Corporate climate change-related governance practices and related disclosures: Evidence from Australia. Australian Accounting Review, 20(4), pp. 317-333. Keupp, M. M., Palmie, M. Gassmann, O., 2012. The strategic management of innovation: A systematic review and paths for future research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14(4), pp. 367-390. Kumar, V., Jones, E., Venkatesan, R. Leone, R. P., 2011. Is market orientation a source of sustainable competitive advantage or simply the cost of competing?. Journal of Marketing, 75(1), pp. 16-30. Mithas, S., Tafti, A. Mitchell, W., 2013. How a firm's competitive environment and digital strategic posture influence digital business strategy. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), pp. 511-536. Ployhart, R. E., 2012. The psychology of competitive advantage: An adjacent possibility. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 5(1), pp. 62-81.