Strategy analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategy analysis - Case Study Example The company has a low cost approach, despite being the standard price of the market. The company aims at giving the customers value for their money, while ensuring that the employee welfare is taken into concern. Besides having fair prices, the company has extremely good customer relations. Cliff Bowman argues that there are five routes in defining companies’ strategies (Bowman and Faulkner, 1997). The low price or value strategy involves companies selling on the price factor alone given the little differentiation of the products offered. The low price and the differentiation strategy are similar to the arguments explained by Porter. The focused differentiation aims at offering highly valued products at a substantial premium price. The hybrid approach, on the other hand is the best-cost provider strategy that combines a low cost approach with an emphasis on differentiation. The hybrid approach, according to Bowman, suits the strategy implemented by Southwest

Changes in Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct Essay

Changes in Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct - Essay Example At Apple, we value our workers as really, they are the reason for our success. We, therefore, require of every supplier that transacts any dealings with Apple to exhibit genuine intention to protect the rights of our workers at all times. A maximum of 60-hour work week should always be observed. We ensure that our suppliers strictly follow this. This ensures that our workers are not over-worked, and hence they remain productive. By 2014, about 92% of our suppliers complied with this. We are custodians of human rights as well. This is seen in our use of conflict-free minerals in our products. Suppliers affiliated with Apple are usually held accountable to hiring procedures that are ethical.For productivity, good health is key. That is why at Apple, we really care about the safety and health of our workers. In order to ensure that this is maintained, we have sought to train our management staff and workers. In an effort to assure that safety and good health is maintained, we launched a bout 870 projects in 2014 to improve conditions at the places of work. This was done through the Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Academy. We have also come up with a comprehensive mapping program that aims to make steadfast our chemical management functions.We have great regard for the environment at Apple. That’s why we ensure that our products and services are environmentally conscious. We are doing all we can to ensure that the natural resources that have been bestowed upon us are well conserved.

Triangular Love Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Triangular Love - Research Paper Example in most western countries foster independence from a young age, so individuals have autonomy in their life decisions including their selection of a mate. Collectivist cultures on the other hand, prioritize the goals of the group or ‘collective’ over their own desires; they identify themselves in accordance with the relationships they have with other people, such as family, extended family and friends (Myers, 2005). Collectivist cultures evident in many Eastern countries promote dependence or interdependence that cultivates a concern for others in all decisions made throughout a person’s lifetime, including their selection of a mate, which in some cases is made for them. Sternberg (1986) hypothesized love as a phenomenon that changes many times; in other words it is a process with three interrelated constituents that he conceptualized as a triangle: intimacy, decision/commitment and passion. Sternberg (1986) describes intimacy as love pertaining to â€Å"closeness, connectedness, and bondedness† (p.119); while decision/commitment relates to the â€Å"decision that one loves someone else† and the â€Å"commitment to maintain that love† (p.119); passion on the other hand refers to the â€Å"drive that leads to romance, physical attraction, sexual consummation†. As love is revolving and varying the three components are not necessarily evident at one time or they may not be balanced. Sternberg also posits that the three triangular components can come together in combinations that generate eight different types of love (1986, 1988), and one relationship is capable of experiencing all eight types over time. Within an individualistic culture a person very often selects their mate based on passion and desire for the other person which Sternberg calls infatuated love and they then make a decision to commit to the relationship; thus two components of Sternberg’s triangle are combined to form what he refers to as fatuous love. With the ability to make their own

Goals and Intentions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Goals and Intentions - Research Paper Example While these art genres constitute overarching modes of production, there exists tremendous intention and variability within these genres. This essay compares Edouard Manet’s impressionist work ‘A Bar at the Folies-Bergere’ with Jules Bastien-Lepage’s ‘The Haymaker’ and examines both works for the artists’ intentions of creation. Comparative and Contrasting Elements Overarching Elements Edouard Manet was one of the most prominent impressionists working in the 19th century. While his work is seminal as an artifact of impressionism, it also has a number of notable individual elements. In this context of understanding one considers Manet’s ‘A Bar at the Folies-Bergere’. Created in 1882 this was Manet’s last major work. While Edouard Manet’s ‘A Bar at the Folies-Bergere’ is firmly rooted in the impressionist genre, Jules Bastien-Lepage’s ‘The Haymaker’ is understood to rooted in naturalism. This specific work was created in 1878. There are a number of comparative and contrasting elements to these works’ outward intentions. Manet’s outward intention in the creation of the work is to depict the Folies-Bergere nightclub from Paris, France. The work itself contains a great amount of materials that function to situate it as a visual depiction of the Folies. Researchers noted a pair of green feet in the upper right hand corner; these are the depiction of a trapeze artist that is performing at the club. In addition to this visual element, the specific ale featured is also reminiscient of the Folies-Bergere, namely Bass Pale Ale; this is noted by the red triangle on the bottle. Conversely, Bastien-Lepage’s work ostensibly depicts a woman sitting in a field, with a man passed out beside her; the obvious understanding is that they have been making or gathering hay. When considered in contrast to Manet’s work a number of notable elements emerge. Perhaps the most notable consideration outside of genre is the divergent socio-economic depiction. While Manet’s work is concerned with urban Parisian existence, Bastien-Lepage’s painting explores notions of the rural working class. Lombardi notes the woman is a peasant and considers that, â€Å"She is exhausted by hours of work, certainly not dreaming, but bearing all the signs of her human condition† (Lombardi, pg. 28). Ultimately, the most notable difference is this divergent depiction of socioeconomic status. Thematic and Artistic Intentions While there are divergent depictions of socioeconomic class, the two works demonstrate a number of convergent thematic concerns. One connotation as articulated in both works is an underlining sexuality. Referring to his creation of the work Bastien-Lepage wrote a letter to a woman noting, â€Å"You make one feel the scent of the hay and the heat of the meadow† (Bastien-Lepage, pg. 37). This statement carr ies with it a number of interpretive possibilities. For instance, the woman’s exhaustive state, while ostensibly demonstrating her exhaustion from work, could also function as a metaphor from the post-sexual act. Similarly, one considers the woman’s face in the Manet work wherein she contains a contemplative and tired look, perhaps reflecting on her sexual interaction with the man depicted in the mirror. One consideration is the nature of the bar as a marketplace. It’s understood that the Bass Pale Ale is a beer that tourists would drink rather than regular Parisians. When one considers the

The Royal Mint Marketing Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Royal Mint Marketing Research - Essay Example Further, marketing research can be identified as the process that links customers, marketing agents and the pubic – to the marketing agents in question, through knowledge – which is utilized, in the process of defining and identifying marketing problems, and opportunities. The process is also focused at the generation, refining and the analysis of marketing activities. The process also involves the monitoring of marketing routines, and improving the comprehension of marketing as a progression. Also, marketing research offers the specifics of the information needed to address these problem areas, offers insights into the designs of collecting necessary information, and offers a platform for the implementation and management of the data collection models under usage. Marketing research, also aids in the analysis of results from marketing inquiries, as well as offering models of communicating the conclusions and the implications of their implications. Further, marketing re search may be split into two, depending on the focus of the information quest – these including business to business marketing inquiry and consumer marketing exploration (Bradley 2007; Marder1997; Young 2005). The practice of marketing research is guided by the target market under question, or the methodological approach in question. Consumer marketing inquiry is an applied study of the preferences of the market, seeking to understand the attitudes, preferences, and the behaviors of the customers in a market oriented economy. The aim of the inquiry is to comprehend the comparative success and the effects of marketing promotions. This field of consumer research – as a statistical study was founded by Arthur Nielsen, especially, during the 1923 after the creation of the ACNielsen Company. On the basis of the coverage of the marketing research, this field may be described as an objective, systematic identification, evaluation, collection, and transmission of information f or the course of aiding management teams, during the processes of decision making. This is in relation to the recognition and offering of solutions of problem areas and opportunities under marketing (Kotler & Armstrong 2007; Malhotra 2002). The research Proposal Introduction Royal Mint has been in operation for more than 1,100 years ago. The company has developed into a global, market leader in the manufacture of coins, military medals and commemorative coins and medals for different organizations, these including schools, businesses and governments. The company has grown to become the world’s leading exporter of coins and medals. In 2009, the company was commissioned by the HM Treasury, for the manufacture of all the coinage used in the U.K. The company is fully owned by the HM Treasury, and is considerably established across the globe, but more established at the U.K, where the company’s operations are secured by the Ministry of Defense personnel –

Sensation Perception and Attention Essay Example for Free

Sensation Perception and Attention Essay Sensation, perception, and attention are crucial when working in a learning team. What we sense, how we perceive, and how attentive we are to the task at hand are all extremely important. What we sense will not always be the same thing. How we perceive an assignment or how we perceive each other will differ. The attention that we pay to detail or to each other will also differ. Sensation, perception, and attention can either be our strengths or the reason we fail. In a learning team environment, it is important to communicate with each other so that these things do not interfere with the tasks at hand. This paper reflects on each team member’s threshold for auditory stimuli, dichotic listening, the cocktail party effect, divided attention, and problems within the group related to sensory perception. As a whole, our group has a low threshold for auditory stimuli. What does this really mean? The question â€Å"What is your threshold for auditory stimuli? † is answered differently when taking into consideration distractions, environmental factors, and personal factors. Sickness, hearing loss, and tiredness can affect personal auditory thresholds. Background noise and interruptions can also affect personal auditory thresholds. Upon analyzing the answers to the question â€Å"What is your auditory stimuli? † from the members of the group, we concluded that we each work well without background noise, free from interruptions, when we are feeling well, and are well rested. Dichotic listening is studying the auditory process of individuals. It allows one to see just how much they are receiving in each ear. A good example is having simultaneous conversations with more than one individual. According to Marciela and Tanisha, they have no problem with dichotic listening. This is due to the fact that they have incorporated motherhood in dichotic listening. They both have children and can divide attention between each individual conversation. For these two women, they are able to differentiate between the children, hear what each has to say or is requesting, and are able to effectively answer them, even though they are talking at the same time. Tanisha contributes her dichotic listening skills to being a police dispatcher. An occupation as such requires good skills to best concentrate on the importance of the call while collecting and recording key information needed in order to dispatch the call properly. Charleen, Kelley, and Candace have a more difficult time with dichotic istening. It is easier for them to hear one person at a time. Multi-tasking in conversation is more difficult for them because they are unable to separate the conversations being held in each ear. Important information can be missed when trying to hear more than one person. What is being processed tends to be translated into something else. When this occurs, what is thought to be heard may not actually be what was spoken at all. It follows with people coming up and speaking to one directly or in a lecture setting. In the lecture setting, one person talks while others take notes. It becomes a personal skill to figure out the best way to hear what is being said and to properly make sure all information is being recorded. As many already know, everyone learns differently but there are still many similarities that affect how people learn. An example of this is how dividing attention can facilitate or impede an individual’s learning. In our team learning group, all of us agreed that trying to divide our attention on more than one task at a time will impede on our learning. Some of us feel that we are able to multi-task well but the fact of the matter is that multi-tasking leaves room for mistakes. Some team members felt that divided attention can also impede with memory. â€Å"Other researchers have found that working memory as a whole does seem to have a limited capacity—people cannot do and remember too many things at the same time. † (Kowalski Westen, 2011) Sometimes it may seem that multi-tasking or focusing attention on more than one task at the same time is harmless and easy to do. What is actually happening is attention is not focused at all and information is not being adequately retained. For example, one team member thought it was a good idea to listen to music while studying. She later realized that it was not a good idea when she noticed that she had stopped reading to start listening to the words of the song. She understood that the progression to complete her reading assignment was delayed because of the distraction the music caused. As a majority, Learning Team D team members concluded that dividing attention is not a productive way to learn and could cause more damage than good. Recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli is solely based of an individual’s memory. Each individual within the team has a different sensory perception on how we work together in team form. Kelley sees a sensory perception problem in the way we can communicate with one another. She says, â€Å"The sensory problem I see within the team is that we are distracted by the inability to not communicate as a group in a group setting. We have to communicate within the forum and through email which creates the inability to concentrate at the actual task at hand. It diverts our focus not being able to be face-to-face. † Charleen agrees with Kelley and says, â€Å"Our sensory perception is lacking due to a failure to communicate properly. If we had better communication with one another then the group would be smooth sailing. Tanisha also feels, â€Å"There is no auditory processing taking place because we are not speaking to each other and all the communication is being read, which leaves each person to be responsible for understanding what all the other team members are trying to express. † Maricela recognizes that our team is filled with auditory learners. She states, â€Å"I believe that being able to elaborate on a subject as a group, and really being able to cover a subject thoroughly can help everyone understand what they must do to complete the assignment. Checking in daily can cancel out any misunderstandings about the assignments and can even help our teammates that are struggling. Candace feels like sensory perception is hard to explain because, â€Å"It is taking a lot to really break down to receive an understanding. When trying to identify the sensory perception, I came across the sensory adaptation. It’s a change in response to our stimulus. Our responses vary each time we switch over from one task to another. † Our sensory perception is like mental organization. As a team, we must work together and be on the same page to acquire positive and organized sensory perception. Everyone learns differently, whether they are auditory learners or sensation learns, even perception learners. Everyone has his or her own effective learning strategies. According to our team most of us are auditory learners meaning we need visual and auditory stimulation in order to understand the concept more effectively. Communication in the team forum allows the team members to ask questions and elaborate on the responsibilities of each individual in order to understand each assignment better. Checking into our learning teams daily helps to clear up misunderstandings about assignments and can even help our teammates that are struggling. Everyone has questions, and working as a team means we may have to answer those questions to clear up and prevent confusion. Team members can call one another if they need an answer to a question. The good thing about working in a team is we have several people to call. It is important that we each focus on what we are doing to contribute to each assignment. Each team member is responsible for a portion of each assignment and when they do not contribute their part, it hurts the team as a whole and the individual does not receive credit for the assignment. The most important rule in our team is to help our teammates by completing our portion of each assignment. Incorporating everyone’s learning requirements is easy but working as a team can be a change for everyone. Although we are individuals, we still share a common ground within our team setting. We are all auditory learners meaning we need visual and auditory learning situations. Our comfort level varies due to our perceptions being different from one another. Most of us can only focus on the task at hand and have trouble communicating in variations all at once. Through this, we were able to identify our sensory perception on how the team is facilitated. We have the same yet different views on our sensory perception, but, feel like we share a common understanding. Suggestions were implemented to give direction for the team and its assignments due. As a team, our goal is to check in daily to observe the group’s needs, ask and answer questions when needed, and do assignments in a timely manner. As a team, we are working together through our sensation, perception, and attention differences to bring to the table the best of our teamwork and assignments directed by the professor. ?

Causes of Rwandas Involvement in the DRC

Causes of Rwandas Involvement in the DRC To what extent has Rwandas involvement  in the DRC been of economically  rather than militarily motivated? Abstract Conflict! That word represents the history of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in terms of their internal struggles as to who will control the destinies of these countries. The saga has encompassed over forty years, and as neighbours, has affected and impacted both countries negatively. Africa is known for its high degree of internal power struggles that have left its masses in poverty as a result of its leaders seeking political control at almost any cost. This condition has not escaped either Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study shall seek to understand the dynamics of the national connection between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in terms of the extent that Rwanda’s involvement has been economically or militarily oriented. The preceding represents the opportunity to examine the relationship of these two neighbouring countries to uncover the extent as well as nature of the dynamics that have and are shaping their interaction. Introduction The purpose of this examination has broad and far-reaching implications, in that it seeks to look ate the very core of the relationship of these two African nation states. As such, the objectives will entail: The formulation of an understanding of the historical nuances and overt interaction between these two countries. Taking a look at the military as well as economic involvement. Delving into the political and regional circumstances that have had and or are having a bearing on the foregoing. Equating the extent that military or economic involvement has been and or is an issue The nature of this inquiry requires an examination of two dissimilar areas, economics and military activities, as well as how these might and or have dovetailed into each other, as the lines of separation are not always clear. Background Key to understanding the nature of the question that asks the extent that Rwanda’s involvement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been economically rather than militarily motivated, a brief understanding of the histories of these two countries will provide a foundational underpinning to uncover the direction of their relationship and national connections. Rwanda is located in the east-central region of Africa, bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in an area that measures 26,338 square kilometres[1]. Figure 1 – Map of Rwanda[2] Orginally inhabited by a Pygmy tribe called the Twa, the agriculuturally founded Hutus suplanted them some six centuries ago[3]. In order to plant crops the Hutus cleared forests and established permanent settlements[4]. The Twa still remian in Rwanda, although their population is estimated to number approximately 1 percent of the overall total[5]. As was the case with Africa in that period, other tribes migrated to the region, whose greenery and grasslands drew the cattle owning Tutsi[6]. Aslo known as Watutsi, they came to the region of Rwanda around the 1600s and were consisted as more elite than the Hutus even though the two groups speak the same language[7]. Part of the reason as to why the Tutsi (Watutsi) were considered elite is that they are extremely tall, averaging 2.1 metres in height, and of thin build[8]. The aristocratic leanings of the Tutsi, they held the peasant Hutu in fuedal subjugation[9]. The opinions on the differences between the cultures of the Hutu and Tutis is marginal, consisting primarly of the agricultural versus cattle tendencies of the aforementioned. Considerable intermarriage between the two groups further watered down differences, with the couple assuming the race of the fathers, and the difference in terms of tribe constructed along the lines of a caste system whereby the Tutsi are considered the higher class[10]. Prior to the arrival of the Germans, the administration system that existed in Rwanda was highly organised and presided over by what is termed as a Umwami (king) that was usually of the Nyiginya clan of a Tutsi sub-group[11]. In the administrative pecking order the Umwami had almost absolute power, and was assisted bt three chiefs[12]: A military chief that oversaw the army and saw to the maintenance of integrity of the territory and expansion. A cattle chief that supervised all matters representing cattle, grazing as well as the settlement of disputes, and A land chief that oversaw agriculture, produce and allied concerns. The preceding is in keeping with the cultural make up of the territory that was comprised of cattle and agricultural tribes, along with their protection and securing additional lands. Within the aforementioned pecking order the Umwami and the military and cattle chiefs were Tutsi, with the agricultural chief generally being Hutu[13]. The Rwandan society represents a system that is termed as ubuhake, that is a type of caste system of the landed gentry, the less landed, and the ordinary citizens[14]. There are those who argue that in reality that the economic system of Ubuhake enables a symbitic relationship between the wealthy and priveged calsses with the less priviliged[15]. The preceding system and class relationsips enjoyed a 400 year history of peacefulness. The German’s colonised Rwanda in 1899, ruling the country indirectly through the Mwami and the three chieftans via a protecorate arrangement as a result of the effectiveness of the Rwandan Ubuhabe system[16]. During the first World War the country became known as Ruanda-Urundi, which represented a combination of Rwanda and Burundi under a Belgian League of Nations mandate[17]. The preceding established a trust territory under the United Nations that lasted until 1946[18]. During that period the Belgium administration at first maintained Tutsi dominance in the Ubuhabe governmental system overseen by the Mwani and the three chieftans[19]. The preceding was slowly changed to a power sharing arrangement between the Tutsi and Hutu after ethnic tensions escalated into a civil war that forced a large number of Tutsi to leave the country[20]. The 1st of July 1962 saw the mandated country of Ruanda-Urundi seperated back into Rwanda and Burundi, with the more numberous Hutu’s rul ing the country. With a majority of the population represented by Hutu (85%), to just 15% for the Tutsi, the change in political structure in 1962 was inevitable[21]. It is important to note that the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi began as early as the 1950s when Tutsi forces attacked the Hutu politician Dominique Mbonyumutwa, setting off what is called â€Å"†¦ the wind of destruction †¦Ã¢â‚¬  as the Hutu attacked the Tutsi population[22]. In 1959 the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi king, which also contributed to the preceding[23]. Some 150,000 Tutsi that flew the country as a result of Hutu control setting up guerrila goups in neighboring countries, noteably Uganda[24]. Over the ensuing years, the children of the exiles formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front, that started a civil war in 1990[25]. The preceding historical background is important in understanding the chain of events that transpired in Rwanda, bringing it to present day. That history, present day stemming from the 1990s, contains the fore runner as well as aftermath of events that represent the purpose of this study, that will be investigated in a review of literature to delve into background facets. As Rwanda represents the central country in this study, the Democratic Republic of the Congo shall be explored later. The focus of this examination is to look into the extent that the involvement of Rwanda with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been movitivated more by economics than military reasons. Methodology The investigation as proposed by this study is a question that entails looking deeply into the status and ramifications of the relations of these two countries on a number of levels. As it is probable that there is no literature or other research information available that equates this question directly, the approach to this study will have to take on varied directions and research approaches to uncover information germane to the examination. The preceding being the general overall case, the research methodology will of course include a wide breathe of secondary research sources to secure historical as well as contemporary information. Given that this study entails two sovereign countries, the history between these two nations represents the logical starting point, as the timeline of convergence with respect to the Rwanda and the Congo thus represents the starting point in examining the nature of their relations. The preceding represents a key to this study as the answer to the question as posed by this examination exists somewhere within the foregoing. Secondary research provides the opportunity to review the largest and broadest amount of information possible as it entails books, journals, magazine articles, newspapers and Internet sources[26]. The foregoing affords the opportunity to look at many differing facets, as the scope of economic and military interaction can take on many forms, especially in the context of the unstructured region of Africa that has a long history of intra nation conflicts and other disputes. Secondary research represents a technique that is used extensively as it provides a broad realm of informational possibilities and inputs as well as opinions that might contain and or provide insight and or information that aids in the examination. The shortcoming of the process of utilising secondary research is that the possibility exists that one might be subject to the possible bias of the author whose work was conducted to delve into, prove, understand or make a point. However, secondary research also provides a means to minimise that potential through using and or searching for facts that reveal themselves in more than one source. The preceding duality of data provides some assurance that the information and or information direction has some validity. Powell[27] asserts that the foregoing represents a sane course of research in that secondary sources: are generally plentiful, that in using secondary sources, one needs to exercise care in looking for as well as drawing out pertinent information, that a benefit of secondary research is that large volumes of data can be correlated in a time frame that is reasonable, the expense of obtaining secondary research is extremely beneficial, the broad range of possibilities as offered by the exposure to a wide breathe of information makes secondary research more valuable in that it is easy to verify most information. As is always the case with an upside in any endeavour that are the negative connotations as well. Powell[28] brings forth these areas by advising: In terms of word usage and meaning, the seeming direction of statements can take on a different connotation and or meaning in a specific context or series of contexts than one might be prepared to understand or acknowledge. The aforementioned bias in terms of the source can skew information as indicated. The recommended method to minimise such an occurrence is by comparative information from other sources. The dating and or ageing of information can potentially change the validity of researched data if new developments have changed the outcomes, or data is uncovered later that invalidates conceptions that existed before. Seeking historical and contemporary research to look for consistency with regard to the foregoing aids in minimising dated or information that has lost its relevance. In keeping with the preceding need to ensure that recent information, discoveries and or findings did not or had not changed the conditions of the study, the Internet was utilised to look for potential modifications in approaches, as well as to compare source reliability. The research used quantitative research to a small degree as it helped in the understanding of question components from an historical perspective. Daymon and Holloway[29] advise that quantitative measures tend to have a large-scale approach that focuses on specific factors that are thus looked at in relationship to other data. Given the need to uncover information in a quest for the answer, which at the time of beginning the research was unknown, quantitative research was the only viable course of action. Literature Review In conducting the examination of the historical Background of Rwanda in Section 2.0, a look into the developmental aspects of the country brought forth the progression of events that helped to shape the country up to the 1990s. In order to bring into focus the purpose of this study as represented by to what extent has Rwanda’s involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) been of economically movitated as opposed to military reasons, a brief look into the developmental path of the country from the 1990s is in order. 4.1 Rwanda As brought forth in Section 2.0 Background, the country’s history was shaped by the administrative skills of the Tutsi who took control of the country nearly 400 years ago. That rule lasted until 1 July 1962 that saw the mandated country of Ruanda-Urundi seperated back into Rwanda and Burundi, with the more numberous Hutu’s ruling the country[30]. The civil war that gripped the country in the 1990s was, has has been the history of Africa, and the world, a struggle for power and wealth[31]. Though vastly outnumbered in terms of population, the Hutu were not as organised or bloodthrusty as the Tutsi. A large number of the exiled Tutsi served in the Uganda rebel forces and learned guerilla tactics, thus providing them with needed experience[32]. The preceding provided the foundation for the Rwandan Patriotic Front under Paul Kagame to gain recruits and thus their planned invasion of Rwanda[33]. The fierce fighting for the three year period between 1990 and 1993 prompted a cease fire that became known s the Arusha accord, which was devised to organised a power sharing government to end the civil conflict that had caused the displacement of over 1.5 million Hutus that had been massacred by the Rwandan Patriotic Front[34]. The preceding Arusha accord crumbled as a result of an assassination of the Hutu Burundi president Melchior Ndadaye by Burundian Tutsi in their army[35]. That event spurred a new era of Hutu / Tutsi hatred that caused the accord to crumble. Ensuing events saw the Rwandan Patriotic Front bomb the Rwanda capital of Kigali, as well as assassinate the Hutu president of Rwanda as well as the Hutu president of Burundi by shooting down their jet as it attempted a landing in Kigali[36]. The preceding evnts caused an intensification in the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates[37]. The Tutsi led forces continued their military campaign, capturing the capital and eventually caused over 2 million Hutus to flee the country [38]. The Tutsi dominantion again asserted itself in Rwanda as it took control of the government in 1994 at the end of the civil war and have held power since, The Rwandan Patriotic Front re-wrote the history of its genocide and placed its version of how events transpired into the consitution[39]. 4.2 The Democratic Republic of the Congo The area known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was inhabited approximately 10,000 years ago, and was settled by the Bantu people from what is now known as Nigeria between the 7th and 8th centuries[40]. The â€Å"†¦ Portuguguese navigator Diego Cao †¦Ã¢â‚¬  discovered the Congo in 1482, and it is well known as the locale that was â€Å"†¦ explored by English journalist Henry Morton Stanley †¦Ã¢â‚¬ [41]. Figure 2 – Democratic Republic of the Congo[42] The Congo was originally given the name Zaire as a result of Diego Cao misspelling the Kilongo term for river[43]. At that time, the Kongo kingdom as it was spelled then[44]: â€Å"†¦stretched from northern Angola to the north bank of the Congo River, in the area now known as Bas Zaire. The kingdom, with its capital at Mbanza Kongo, had a well-established centralized system of government; it was divided into six provinces, each administered by a local governor appointed by the king. Within each province Kongo district chiefs governed in their respective areas, and at the village level headmen were accountable to the district chiefs. The king was elected from the male descendants of the individual who had conquered the area. Although he was a member of the aristocracy and appeared to have absolute power, the king was in fact subject to the control of a council of elders who could depose him.† Soon after Diego Cao’s discovery the Portuguese government established diplomatic relations with the kingdom that fostered socioeconomic exchanges[45]. The influence of that union brought Catholicism to Zaire (The Democratic Republic of the Congo), along with Portuguese customs[46]. The preceding[47].: â€Å"†¦ greatly facilitated development of the slave trade in the region. Slaves purchased from the Kongo provided cheap labour for plantations on nearby Portuguese islands and, subsequently, the Americas† The slave trade escalated into an issue as it depopulated vast areas and also resulted inborder raids thus causing warefare with neighboring tribes[48]. The economics of the slave trade cause fighting within Zaire itself as rival groups fought for dominance[49]. Internal infighting over â€Å"†¦the slave trade undermined political authority and created social stratification in the kingdom† [50]. The history of the Congo was not as politically charged as Rwanda, yet as has been the case in all Afgrican countries, the paths to independence and after have been faught with issues. In addition to the slave trade, there was also the ivory trade that brought Arabs into the Congo fostered the slave trade as well as in ivory[51]. In the late 1950s the subject of decolonialisation was brought up by President Charles de Gaulle for the French colonies in Africa fueling the desire for the same status in the Congo[52]. The Belgians â€Å"†¦were given some indication of the extent of Congolese nationalist feeling when riots broke out in the capital† in 1959[53]. The change in the overall political approach to Africa fostered the offering of free elections in 1960 and resulted in installing â€Å"†¦Patrice Lumumba as prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu as president of the renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo† [54]. Lumumba’s victory was by a narrow margin, with his party gaining just 24% of the 137 seats in the Assembly, thus â€Å"†¦underscoring the fragmentation that existed in party affiliations† [55]. As a result of the foregoing independence did not achieve the expectations that the country dreamed of. Within two weeks of the elections the country plunged into a maj or crisis â€Å"†¦following the mutiny of the former colonial army and the secession of Katanga, its richest province†[56]. The new Democratic Republic of the Congo was suffering its first crisis that lasted for four years and resulted in the deployment of U.N. peacekeeping forces[57]. Patrice Lumumba was assassinated on order from then U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower as a result of his strong communist affiliations during the Cold War period[58]. That situation enabled the United States to install their hand picked selection â€Å"†¦ Joseph Desire Mobutu, who later changed his forename to Sese Seko†, who had been a sergeant in the army The preceding was accomplished by a coup d’etat in 1965[59]. Mobutu established a dictatorship that was backed up by his military cronies, as well as the United States, Belgium and France in order to ensure that communist party forces could not regain control of what was now called Zaire[60]. The foregoing alliance was needed as Mobutu faced rebellion â€Å"†¦from armed insurgents seeking to overthrow him† [61]. The arrangement failed in 1997 when the rebels forced Mobutu to flee the country[62]. Nzongola[63] helps us to understand the linkage between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire) as he advises[64]: â€Å"The insurgency that brought about Mobutus demise is directly related to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the defining moment of the current political situation in the Great Lakes region. Like the ethnic cleansing in the Katanga and Kivu provinces of Mobutus Zaire, the Rwandan genocide was partly a result of the violent backlash of authoritarian regimes against the democracy movement. In the Rwanda case, the late President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, had been in power since 1973. During 20 years of personal rule, he steadfastly refused to allow Tutsi victims of the 1959 pogrom and subsequent violence, who were in exile in neighbouring countries, to return home. Under the leadership of the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), the Tutsi diaspora in Uganda launched a military campaign to overthrow the Habyarimana regime in October 1990. France, Belgium and Mobutus Zaire came to the dictators rescue and prevented an RPF victory.† The background history on Rwanda, in terms of the Arusha Peace Agreement that was signed on 4 August 1993, brings these two countries developmental path into closer proximity [65]. The Congo shares part of its border with Rwanda, thus affording the Tutsi a location as a rallying point for raids and attacks. Nzongola tells us[66]: â€Å"In this situation, the disintegration of the Mobutu regime provided Rwanda with an opportunity to make incursions into the Kivu provinces in order to destroy the bases of the ex-FAR and the Interahamwe, beginning in August 1996. When it appeared that the Mobutu regime was militarily incapable of challenging these incursions, Rwanda and Uganda assembled a coalition of states in Eastern and Southern Africa including Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe with the objective of getting rid of Mobutu altogether.† 4.3 Common Histories Between the Two Countries The preceding historical summaries of the violent regimes in Rwanda and the Congo have a commonality, control of these respective countries. The series of conflicts in Rwanda has resulted in large refugee populations in its neighbouring countries, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo receiving the largest number of them since the genocide of 1994[67]. The displaced persons formed the foundation for the long series of conflicts in Rwanda that â€Å"†¦has had a destabilizing effect on the entire Great Lakes region, including Rwanda[68]. As set forth in Chapter 2.0 Background, the Hutus comprise approximately 85% of the Rwandan population as farmers. One of the economic problems that has and does face the country is the scarcity of land for agriculture, along with access to resources[69]. The problem has caused cultivation to encroach on wetlands as well as reserve and national park areas in order to met the demands of the poor, with the large numbers of displaced Rwandans pl acing stress on areas such as forests and other ecologically sensitive areas[70]. Given the 85% agriculturally based Hutu population in Rwanda, land scarcity represents an issue that has plagued the country since the 1980s, which has been further exacerbated by the Tutsi / Hutu conflicts. As one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, Rwanda’s land shortage problem has been an historical facet[71]. An example of the dwindling land space in Rwanda is evidenced by the fact that the average land held by household in the country has decreased from 2 ha in 1960, down to 1.2 ha in 1984, dropping to 0.7 ha in the beginning of the 1990s, and as of 2001 just under 60% of all Rwandan household held less than 0.5 ha [72]. The country has an overall area of 26,338 square km, and a population of approximately 8 million that translates into a population density of approximately 300 people per kilometre[73]. Of the foregoing overall land total 1.3 million hectares is estimated as arable, with 165,000 hectares of marshlands, of which an estimated 50% is suitable for agriculture. Agriculture is the cornerstone of the Rwandan economy, and occupies over 90% of the country’s rural area [74]. The preceding foundation, agriculture and the economy, is fraught with issues as represented by[75]: The country has a high density of population that puts extreme pressures on land area and usage. The average cultivation plot per household is around 0.6 ha, which is below the 0.9 ha as recommended by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. The preceding conditions have led to the over utilisation of the land, made more problematic by the lack of proper crop rotation techniques and nutrient use thus leading to continued degradation. The lack of the foregoing as well as conservation methods and proper equipment has further exacerbated the problem. The genocide of 1994 is still impacting land use and agriculture in that plots left to orphans and widows by family members who are deceased has not been managed properly. The land system in Rwanda is controlled under customary law that is skewed towards the partitioning of land via a father to son inheritance system. The preceding, inheritance system, makes the land system unfavorable to women as well as female children. The poverty level of the country means that agricultural are backward, lacking proper equipment, use of nutrients and crop rotation techniques. The preceding are known problems, which the Rwandan government has addressed through the following reform measures[76]: Institutions such as the Ministry of Lands, along with the Human Settlement as well as environmental Protection policies have been established since 1999. The country has moved to develop a National land Policy as well as Land Law that are dedicated to promote the use of good land management. The main innovations under the later are represented by a new legal framework that regulates the registration of land, along with the delivery of its title through a leasehold period of 99 years. It also includes a framework that regulates land planning. Under consideration is a proposal that utilises a centrally based and computerized National Land Information System to facilitate an accurate as well as complete land database through which effective land management can be put into place. The foregoing includes district centres to gather information through survey and documentation of titles, as well as closer liaison in terms of overseeing and delivering land management procedures and utilisation. Limited natural resources in Rwanda, as represented by columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, and wolframite are the most important minerals, followed by small deposits of gold and sapphires[77]. Agriculture represents 43% of the country’s economy, which primarily consists of coffee and tea exports that have yet to return to the pre 1996 genocide levels[78]. The country’s agricultural system is comprised primarily of small family farms that keep approximately 80% of their output for their own consumption, thus leaving little for export[79]. Typical family farm growth crops consists of bananas 62.5%, sweet potatoes – 17.9%, Cassava – 4.5%, Irish potatoes – 4.3%, beans and peas – 3.9%, sorghum – 2.9%, maize – 1.4% along with wheat, soya and groundnuts[80]. In total, the planted areas still represent 87% of the 1994 levels[81]. Economically the country achieved a growth rate of 6.6% in the