Reflections on the Mozart Effect - 487 Words

Reflections Upon the Mozart Effect Based on my experiences and outside knowledge regarding music and wellness, I would have to agree with the presences and the results of the Mozart Effect. Years ago, I went to a lecture called Music Wellness and since then have come across several, well researched documentaries with high production value describing the connections between music and human development. There is now definitive evidence that music affects the brain and the development in numerous, mostly healthy and helpful ways. While the Mozart Effect seems to centralized in affecting functioning and intelligence, the music quite likely also affects mood and brain chemistry. Professionals in a variety of fields including in areas of music, biological science, neuroscience, musicology, and other areas where science, health, and music overlap, have discovered how music assists in the production of specific endorphins and other assorted neurochemicals that are helpful and healthy for human intelligence, human mental hea lth, and human physical health. Therefore, there is little doubt in my mind that the Mozart Effect is real and that the results produced are substantial. The successful composition and performance of music involves numerous aspects and use of both hemispheres of the brain. Why should the enjoyment, appreciation, or listening of music not produce similar effects throughout the entire brain as well? That is to say that music in general is an activity,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Psychology: The Mozart Effect1332 Words   |  6 Pagesevaluate the questionable validity of the â€Å"Mozart Effect†. The Mozart Effect implies that playing Mozart to a baby will increase its cognitive abilities, a claim which has instigated a rapidly increasing market of â€Å"CDS to make your baby smarter†. This claim, despite having partial merit and widespread popular acceptance, is fundamentally incorrect. Through the analysis of various attempted replication studies, it is abundantly clear that the ‘Mozart Effect’ is a falsehood. This is evidenced by: theRead More Musics Effect on Intelligence Essay1194 Words   |  5 PagesMusi cs Effect on Intelligence Music is said to affect the intellect of humans in several different ways. Specifically, it is said to affect infants more than any other age group. Music can improve learning skills, test taking skills, concentration, heartbeat, and relaxation. Music has been proven to offer several benefits for infants, young children, young adults, as well as for adults. With all of this in mind, how can one connect music with intellect? Many recent research studies focusRead MoreThe Importance of Function Over Form in the Classical Concerto1406 Words   |  6 Pagescharacter that embodied the natural. Though the series of changes from the Baroque concerto grosso to the Classical concerto were gradual and cannot be attributed to a single composer, the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor K. 466 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a skillful representation of the genre in that era. Of particular interest in this concerto is the treatment of sonata form in the first movement. When compared to other instrumental genres of that era, there is a tangible divide between theRead MoreBest Ways To Study Essay804 Words   |  4 Pagesflashcards utilizes an individuals metacognitive faculties (Cohen, 2017). When the back of the flashcards is revealed which are the answers and a person tend to compare his answers to the flashcards and how it differs from the flashcard s. This reflection is a metacognition and research say that metacognition helps memories stick longer in the brain (Cohen, 2017) The last reason why flashcards are a good method to study is because is practices confidence based repetition. Since flashcards are veryRead MoreJohann Von Beethoven : The Greatest Paradox Of The Realm Of Music1480 Words   |  6 Pagesdebut playing a small portion of a composition by Mozart whom he would eventually go to Vienna to seek praise from, and praise he would indeed receive. It is under speculation whether or not Beethoven received any instruction from Mozart, due to his mother’s unexpected death which called him almost immediately back to Germany. However, â€Å"On the other hand, other biographers claim, perhaps more convincingly, that Beethoven was indeed a pupil of Mozart s but only for a period of four months and the subjectRead MoreThe Contribution Of Franz Schubert872 Words   |  4 Pagesillness which caused his dead when he was too young, Schubert’s devoted music works and talent contributed a lot for our music world back then and now. Franz Peter Schubertwas born in Vienna, where all the famous composer, such as Beethoven, Hummel, Mozart or Haydn, had been born in it. This thing helped Schubert to receive many benefits due to its musical offering. His father, Franz Theodorwas a schoolmaster and an amateur musician back then.Theodor met his mom Elisabeth Vietz, who is locksmith andRead MoreMozart, Also Known As Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus1789 Words   |  8 PagesMozart, also known as Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer who was recognized as one of the greatest composers of the Western Hemisphere. Mozart was considered equal to Haydn and beethoven for he improved upon the Viennese Musical School. Some of the things that made Mozart different from other composers was that he wrote and practiced all genres of music, and was quite skilled at it as well. He also had a great amount of skill in his every one of the genres he has practicedRead More Classical Music Essay2395 Words   |  10 PagesThe classical music period extends from 1740 to 1810, which includes the music of Haydn, Mozart, and the first period of Beethoven. The classical period of music combined harmony, melody, rhythm, and orchestration more effectively than earlier periods of music. With the natural evolution of music slowly changing with the culture, the baroque era had ended. That era had left a structure, articulation and periodic phrasing of music which would shape classical music. Among the many musical typesRead MoreThe Opinion : Post Truth And Its Effect On Our Political Society1060 Words   |  5 Pagestruth and its effect on our political society, the different argument types and how they correlate to ‘alternative facts’. Everyone has an opinion. Some opinions rely on reason and critical inquiry – these factors make it easier for the arguer to defend his / her opinion because they have a reasonable basis for it; whilst, other opinions reflect on nothing more than emotions: lacks thought and fall apart with minimal reflection. (in text reference). Social media is the true reflection of what peopleRead MoreThe Effect of Classical Music on Exam Scores Essays2757 Words   |  12 Pagessenses by music. It has been suggested that classical music, due to its soothing tones and slow-tempo, results in relaxation and increased ability to focus on a given task. Utilizing music in the testing environment may result in a more accurate reflection of cognitive ability and enhanced performance on testing results (Saunderson, 2013). This study will focus on the potential benefit of classical background music upon a students’ ability to perform multidisciplinary reasoning. Quantitative

The Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children - 1359 Words

Khan, Mohammad Salman English 1001 Rebekah Barton 5/4/2015 Effects of Violent Video Games â€Å"Boom! Headshot† â€Å"Time to kill that commie bastard† these are not from some war movies or documentaries. These are the dialogues of some recent games in market. In modern age, children often feel proud about the number of people or enemy they managed to kill when they are playing these games in various console. While even a decade before, this would not be the normal past time of an eleven year old teenage kid, but because of the improvement of technology they are seeing this type of violent activity as just another way to pass their leisure time. Against these incidents video game violence has been an important topic for years among the socially aware parents and media. Since the evolvement of old fashioned technology, classic computer games such as Super Mario, Pac man has also been replaced by games such as ‘Call of Duty’, ‘Grand Theft Auto’, ‘Mafia’, ‘Mortal Combat’ etc. where killing, shooting, fighting mostly violence is being used as the medium. Studies showed, among people who play video games in United States, the largest number of percentage is children, These violent acts affects children’s mind and behavior in very negative way and causing so much physical and mental problem, though studies also showed that some video games are also very helpful for kids to enhance their ability and skills. As video games and industries has gone far more away at this Khan 2 -age ofShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children1074 Words   |  5 PagesVideo Games. Anderson et al. (2008), Anderson et al. (2010), Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis (2005), Erwin and Morton (2008), Gentile and Stone (2005), and Jason et al. (2005) revealed a correlation between violent video games with immediate and later aggressive behavior. All of the research for the effects of violent videos games are conducted on older children and current research has not yet studied young children or preschoolers. It is important to note what research exclaims about the long-termRead MoreViolent Video Games Effect On Children1654 Words   |  7 Pagessamples of the dialog talked between kids who play games such as like â€Å"Call of Duty† or â€Å"Halo†. In today s age, kids frequently boast about the quantity of players they figured out how to kill while playing these video games. Two decades ago, this would not be the typical waste of time of an eleven year old, yet now kids are seeing this kind of brutal movement as simply one more approach to take a break on a Saturday morning. Since the video game market is blastin g at this moment because of progressiveRead MoreViolent Video Games Effects On Children934 Words   |  4 Pagestodays’ society is Violent video games effect negatively on youngsters. This issue is growing because many of these games are featured aggressive elements that lead youngsters towards violence. For most players, video games are fun but also violent games take over the lives of some player. Since the world of video games was started in the 1980s, the video games still getting new level of popularity in this world. Most people are getting really addictive of these violent video games. The first importantRead MoreViolent Video Games and Their Effect on Children2104 Words   |  9 PagesProfessor Colbert English 128-03 7 April 2010 Violent Video Games and Their Effect on Children Ever since the creation of the first video game, they have had a certain effect on the individuals who play them. As video games have become more advanced and elaborate, children’s interest is at an all time high. With the degree of violence that has been a part of video games since the early 1990’s, parents and activists have claimed that these games are affecting children negatively. This claim only seems toRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children Essay1558 Words   |  7 Pages† Studies has shown that children that play violent video games desensitize players to real-life acts of violence, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology says that it is a reduction in emotion-related physiological reactivity to real violence. It is also proven that people who are desensitized to violence are likely to commit a violent crime of some type. In 2011 there was a study that resulted in the finding of a link between the exposure of violent video games a nd an increase in aggressionRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children2016 Words   |  9 PagesMaisonneuve Professor Haynes CENG 102 04 December 2015 The Effects of Violent Video Games On Children Newton N. Minow once said, â€Å"Children will watch anything, and when a broadcaster uses crime and violence and other shoddy devices to monopolize a child’s attention, it’s worse than taking candy from a baby. It is taking precious time from the process of growing up†.The media is a powerful tool that in a very influence on children. There are many things that the youth in today s society isRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children1258 Words   |  6 Pagesminutes into playing a violent video game the average person becomes desensitized to the fact that they are killing someone. Now it it may seem like nothing when you play these games. But when people, especially children play them often it starts to become the only thing that they think about. Even if it is â€Å"just a character† in a game it becomes so to them to pull that trigger. I’ve witnessed this happen in my own household and I don’t hesitate to say: violent v ideo games are poisonous to the brainRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children1790 Words   |  8 PagesGaming the Violent Life Throughout recent years there has been many stories, well, more like excuses that adolescents have blamed violent video games for their violent behaviors. Can children truly use this as their excuse anymore? Many studies on this subject have recently been in the spotlight over the concern of young violent offenders, with numerous governing leaders and child developmental specialist concerned whether violent video games are the true cause of violence in children. With the growingRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children902 Words   |  4 Pagesrestless minds. Violent video games are a conflict in modern day society because children are witnessing harsh behaviors that are conditioning them to believe it is acceptable to commit these actions displayed before their eyes. There are many health effects that are involved with participating in these products of entertainment such as an increase in aggression, poor social skills and the formation of terrible habits. The ideas that will be discussed in this essay will pertain to how children are becomingRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children Essay1670 Words   |  7 Pagestoday’s society are adamant about their teenagers refraining from playing violent video games. Specifically, parents worry about their children playing mature-rated video games that feature blood, gore, vulgar language, use of drugs, and intense violence. Quite a few of these parents believe that their children can be heavily influenced by these brutal video games, which will in turn raise their teenagers to become violent, aggressive, and criminal minded individuals. In hindsight, these parents

Essay on The End of Innocence in Lord of the Flies

The End of Innocence in Lord of the Flies William Golding wrote the novel Lord of the Flies to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.(Golding) He wanted to show that humans naturally live in savagery and ignorance with little knowledge on how to live together peacefully. To accomplish his premise Golding strands a group of boys on an island who then must set up government in an attempt to survive. The story uses heavy symbolism to compare the life on the island to the entire civilization of the world. Each character on the island represents one aspect of civilized society; those who represent uninhibited man survive and those who represent intellectual or spiritual man die. One of the more†¦show more content†¦Simon is not afraid of the jungle because he does not fear the beast. He knows the real beast cannot be escaped from or fought with spears and rocks: maybe he said hesitantly maybe there is a beast...maybe its only us.(P97) Simon knows that the real beast cannot be ...satiated with sacrifice and dance. The beast is a part of everyone, a part of human nature. (Dickey) Simon wants nothing more than to tell the others but to talk in assembly was a terrible thing to him.(P97) Simon lives in fear, he is afraid that if he tells the others that they will turn against him, he knows his society would not except him and so he remains quiet. Golding makes several references to Simons spirituality; he is comparable to Christ, an often-misunderstood savior. Simons secret place is a sort of holy sanctuary: ... the butterflies danced in the middle their unending dance. He knelt down and the arrow of sun fell on him.(146) Like Christ, Simon is doing the work of God, when the arrow of light falls on him a sign from the heavens is being conveyed. Like Christ, Simon is tempted by evil, in a vision the Lord of the Flies told him: Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill! ... You knew didnt you? Im part of you? ... Get back to the others and we will forget the whole thing.(158) Simon however does not give in. When the twins, Sam and EricShow MoreRelated Themes in Lord of the Flies Essay682 Words   |  3 Pages William Goldning’s Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel where literary techniques are utilized to convey the main ideas and themes of the novel. Two important central themes of the novel i ncludes loss of civilization and innocense which tie into the concept of innate human evil. Loss of civilization is simply the transition from civilization to savagery; order to chaos. The concept of loss of innocense is a key concept to innate human evil because childhood innocense is disrupted as the groupRead MoreComparison of Lord of the Flies with Peter Pan1716 Words   |  7 Pages The Boys The books â€Å"Lord of the Flies† by William Golding, and â€Å"Peter Pan† by J.M. Barrie, have similar characteristics that will be compared and contrasted in this paper. â€Å"Lord of the Flies† takes place on a deserted island where about 20 British boys have crashed during World War II. Peter Pan, dissimilarly, tells the tale of a boy who doesn’t want to grow up and lives on the magical island of Neverland with the Lost Boys. Both Lord of the Flies and Peter Pan have common themes, symbolsRead MoreKindness in an Unkind World1228 Words   |  5 PagesBeing a kind-hearted person in a savage world is not an easy thing to do. The savage world will usually get through to the kind person and change them into a monster, but not Simon. Throughout William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Simon is the boy who remains good even when the rest of the world remains cruel. Simon is a quiet boy in the story who shows wisdom and civilization, on an uncivil ized and savage island. Simon is first introduced when Ralph calls an assembly with the conch in theRead MoreEssay about Lord of the Flies by William Golding1325 Words   |  6 Pagesof society, humans are capable of committing actions that they would have never thought possible.   Lord of the Flies focuses on a group of boys who are alone on an island without authority. The novel reveals what can become of humanity without the presence of authority.   In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the protagonist Ralph symbolizes leadership, civilization,   as well as the loss of innocence.   Ralph is the closest resemblance to authority that the boys have on the island.   His appearanceRead MoreThe Human Tendency Towards War Exemplified in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies695 Words   |  3 Pageskeep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war . . .† (Hobbes 64). Thomas Hobbes, an enlightenment thinker, believes that humans are born evil, and without a good leade r, everything will turn into chaos. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies rightly gives examples on Hobbes’ viewpoint. Throughout the story, it shows the process in which the boys slowly loses their civilized self and turn into savages, how the boys would do anything just for survival or just purely entertainment.Read MoreThe Genesis of Evil in Lord of the Flies1005 Words   |  5 Pages William Golding analyzes this further in his novel, Lord of the Flies, which is about a large group of boys that crash-land on a deserted Island after fleeing a dangerous England in the times of WWII. These young boys are used to entertain the idea of savagery vs. civilization and how evil lies deep within us all. After reading Lord of the Flies, it is possible that the evil within the boys is driven by fear, power, and the loss of innocence. To begin, fear is portrayed in one of the â€Å"Bigguns†Read MoreLoss of Innocence757 Words   |  4 PagesIt has been said that innocence can be defined as the state or quality of being morally free from guilt or sin, through lack of knowledge of evil. I will examine pieces of literature that convey the loss of innocence to either a particular person, or a group of people. The first piece of writing I have chosen is, The Lord of the Flies by William Golding. In the middle of a war, a plane carrying a group of schoolboys crashed onto an island. The pilot had been killed, so that left the boys to fendRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding1206 Words   |  5 Pageshead when drastic situations arise. We see this primal characteristic of brutality slowly take hold of the boys on the island until the ‘Lord of the Flies’ has claimed it’s latest victims. Not only Simon and Piggy, but all the boys on the island. Throughout the novel, we see all the boys go from having fun and exhibiting civilized behavior to losing control at the end. â€Å"You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you.† (Golding p.143 lines 24-25). The onset of this novel was introduced as innocent as could beRead MoreThe Lord of the Flies by William Golding1257 Words   |  6 Pages LOTF: Good vs Evil Change is inevitable. In Lord of the Flies, three of the characters represent how the human condition can change. Each character handles situations and conditions differently. Their conflicts challenge their existence and eventually lead to their demise. In Lord of the Flies, during the wage of war between good and evil, the true face of everyone is revealed, whether it be Roger, Simon, or the children as a group. There are a lot of ways that good and evil are representedRead MoreLord Of The Flies : Human Savagery And The Flow Of Power1592 Words   |  7 PagesLord of the Flies is a chilling work about human savagery and the flow of power. Golding uses symbolism, characterization, and description to illustrate the occurrences and the underlying themes in the novel. The work has an ominous but irresistible tone that Golding lays out through his description of the island. Golding makes the island seem sinister and irresistible by writing,† The shore was fledged with palm trees. These stood or leaned or reclined against the light and their green feathers

BHP Billiton Strategic Analysis-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Analysis the Strategy of BHP Billiton. Answer: Introduction Purpose of the report The report has been prepared to carry out a study on the internal and external environmental evaluation of the Australian conglomerate BHP Billiton. Company Snapshot BHP Billiton is an Anglo-Australian multinational metal, mining, and petroleum Dual-listed Company that was floated in the year 2001 by a merger between Anglo-Dutch Billiton plc., and Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP). The Australian-registered BHP Billiton Ltd. is registered on the ASE or the Australian Stock Exchange and the English BHP Billiton plc. is registered on the LSE that is the London Stock Exchange. Both the companies continue to exist as separate legal entities but carry out their operations as a combined group under the name of BHP Billiton. The central headquarters of the conglomerate BHP Billiton is based in Melbourne, Australia (BHP Billiton, 2015). Current Trends in the Australian Steel Manufacturing Industry The Australian Iron Smelting and Steel Manufacturing Industry have shown a considerable decline in the last five years. Industry sources predict that the revenue from the industry is expected to decline at the annualized rate of 8.5% over the coming five years. The IVA or industry value-added index which measures the overall contribution of the industry to the national economy is also being expected to shrink by an annual rate of 1.9% in the next five years. A reduction in demand for steel from the downstream markets, lower prices of steel, increased competition from the substitute products and import markets have been the major cause of this decline in the recent years (Iron Smelting and Steel Manufacturing in Australia Market Research, 2016). Internal Analysis of BHP Billiton Assets The BHP operates a large variety of oil and natural gas, mining, and processing operations in more than 25 countries across the world. BHP Billiton is the biggest company in terms of market capitalisation in Australia. This enhances the stakeholders and investors confidence in the company (BHP Billiton, 2015). Competencies The BHP Billiton is the worlds biggest diversified natural resources company and is engaged in mineral production and exploration. BHP is one of the largest producers of base metals, petroleum, specialty products, aluminium, diamonds, iron ore, energy coal, stainless steel, metallurgical coal, manganese, etc. in the world (BHP Billiton, 2015). BHP Billiton Share price trend The following figure shows the ten year share price trend for BHP Billiton. It is seen that BHP Billiton has seen a sharp rise in its share price from 2009 to 2013, and the share price being highest in 2011, when the profits were highest. However, a decrease in share price is seen from 2014 to 2016. A drop in share price is witnessed in 2016, due to decrease in profits and the share price is forecasted to be rising by 5% in 2017 (Stockopedia, 2015). Source: Stockopedia.com BHP Billiton Sales-Five Year Trend It is seen that BHP Billiton has witnessed highest sales in the year 2011, and since then BHP Billiton has experienced a drop in its sales. It is found that sales have been decreasing with and it is all time low in the year 2016 (Amigobulls, 2016) Source: Amigobulls.com BHP Billiton Profits: Five Year Trend The following figure shows the five year profits for BHP Billiton. All the figures are in billion. It is found that BHP Billiton has faced sharp decrease in its profits since, 2011 and the profit being lowest in 2016 and highest in 2012 (Amigobulls, 2016). Source: Amigobulls.com Strengths of BHP Billiton BHP Billiton has a product portfolio that consists of an extensive range of natural resources and holds the position among the worlds largest suppliers of silver, uranium, lead, copper, and aluminium. The company also happens to be one of the largest producers of metallurgical, coal, iron ore, and manganese (BHP Billiton, 2015). The companys energy coal section has eight operations across Australia, USA, South Africa, and South America, and provides thermal coal for general industrial uses and the electric power generation industry. This has also given the company an international presence giving a strong competitive edge over its rivals (Santos-Vijande, Lpez-Snchez, and Trespalacios, 2012). BHP Billiton has shown positive financial returns for the last ten years and through its share buyback campaigns have returned the capital to their stakeholders and investors. The profitability and the solvency ratios of the company exhibit its strong presence in the market (BHP Billiton: The future is yours, 2017). BHP Billiton has a good CSR policy and its active involvement in many social causes has given the company a positive image and added to the competitive advantage that the company enjoys over its rivals. Weaknesses of BHP Billiton The company is facing a lot of legal restrictions from the changes in laws, rules, and regulations in the country in the recent years (BHP Billiton, 2015). BHP Billiton has been facing a number of human resource issues which have affected the operational efficiency of the company. They are facing a shortage of skilled labour in many of its sectors particularly the mining section (Hesterly, and Barney, 2010). The internal and external communication of the company is very weak. The staff is not adequately trained in responding to the stakeholders queries and the media enquiries. The lack of effective corporate communication is detrimental to the growth of the company (Bourke, Smith, Stockton, and Wakefield, 2014). External Analysis of BHP Billiton Macro Analysis - PESTLE analysis Political environment analysis: A favourable political environment: BHP Billiton has been operating under a political environment which has generally been in the favour of the company. The company has received a lot of support from the government of Western Australia. The company has the advantage of being one of the biggest companies in Australia in terms of market capitalisation, which has resulted in the government support the company in many of its ventures (Clarke, and Branson, 2012). Economic factors affecting BHP Billiton: BHP Billiton like the other manufacturers is vulnerable to the economic factors like an increase in the cost of energy, labour, operations, raw materials, etc. which has a direct impact on the profits, expansion and growth plans of the company. However, the company enjoys a good credit rating as the company is one the biggest in Australia in terms of market capitalisation. Therefore, the company can improve its bottom line by its ability to raise capital at lower rates from the market. The business ventures like mining have proved to be profitable propositions, which have improved the financial standing and the brand image of the company (R, 2013). Social factors affecting BHP Billiton: The companies and businesses today are vulnerable to the socio-cultural factors of the communities they are operating from. BHP Billiton has always maintained a good rapport with the local communities it operates in and also with the local administration and has always been at the forefront of contributing to the development of the surrounding community. The company also offers good employment opportunities to the local people as it believes in hiring the local populace in its operations. This has enhanced the brand image of the company in the local communities which has given it a competitive advantage in the market (Hayes, 2014). Technological factors: Investment in the latest and cost-effective technology is one of the basic requirements of BHP Billiton to ensure safe, efficient, and to develop an ability to cope with the change in the market demand structures. The company is also dependent on the advancement in technology for the purpose of exploration and discovery of the new energy and mineral resources. The investment in technology has a major impact on the strategic drivers for BHP Billiton giving it a competitive edge in the market and improving the revenues of the company (Hogan, and Lodhia, 2011). Legal factors: BHP Billiton has always strived to comply with the laws, procedures, rules, and regulations of the country, which has ensured a positive government and local community support for the company. However, in the recent times, the company has been involved in some conflicts with the government and the administration over some issues and problems. This has acted as a deterrent in the business plans of the company and can affect its future operations (BHP Billiton: The future is yours, 2017). Environmental factors: BHP Billiton is a natural resource company and is susceptible to the public policies, laws, rules, and regulations regarding the environment. However, BHP Billiton has always followed a policy of sustainable development through its policies of causing zero harm and has even committed to the cause of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases in its operations. This has proved to be an advantage for the company as it continues to receive a lot of support from the international and national administrative authorities and local communities in its business ventures (Hayes, 2014). Micro Analysis Competitors and Strategic Advantage over Rival Companies The main rivals of BHP Billiton in Australia are multinational companies like Nippon Steel and Exxon Mobil. BHP Billitons business and competitor strategies are based on diversification by geography, commodity, and market. The companys strategy which has given it an edge over its competitors is the companys policy of holding or possessing and administering large, expandable, economical, prolonged-efficacy asset base which have been transformed by physical geography, raw material, and markets. The diversified asset base increases the flexibility of the cash flows of the company by reducing the risk of exposure to any single commodity or geographical location, enabling the company to maintain a good financial performance as compared to its competitors. BHP also has a very good CSR policy in place and makes efforts to improve the local communities and its recent environmental initiatives have made it easier to work and recruit from the local communities (Hesterly, and Barney, 2010). Opportunities The BHP Billiton group has many projects in the pipeline and if these are executed in a cost effective manner, they are likely to become good income generators for the company (Resourcing Global Growth Strategic Report, 2014). The company can use its financial credibility and its good brand name to further expand its scale of operations (Hesterly, and Barney, 2010). The company can seek out partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions with the local companies in the countries it already has its operations to further expand its business in those countries (Resourcing Global Growth Strategic Report, 2014). The BHP Billiton commitment to 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions can become a symbol of sustainable development for the company (BHP Billiton, 2015). Threats The developing countries in the world especially India and China are repeatedly turning to in-house manufacturing reducing the demand for BHP Billiton in the global market (Clarke, and Branson, 2012). The rising level of costs from the suppliers which includes a rise in shipping, energy, and contract labour costs, are proving a hindrance to the growth and development of the company (Hill, Jones, and Schilling, 2014). The political uncertainty and unfavourable political climate in its home country are proving detrimental to the growth of the company (Clarke, and Branson, 2012). The company is facing increasing competition from other international players like Nippon Steel, Exxon Mobil, and many more. This could become a major threat to the companys scale of operations in the coming years (Bourke, Smith, Stockton, and Wakefield, 2014). Conclusion BHP Billiton is recognized as one of the global leaders in the natural resources industry. In order to maintain its leadership position, the company is always looking for new ways to upgrade and optimize its practices and policies. However, in the recent years BHP Billiton has been dealing with strategic issues regarding uncertainty in the political and macro-economic environment, volatility in the costs of the raw materials at the manufacturing stage, complexity in operations due to the changes in the legal environment, and ambiguity in decision-making due to lack of clarity in certain variables and their role in the business strategies of the company like the change in political environment (BHP Billiton: The future is yours, 2017). To counter these strategic challenges BHP Billiton in addition to its existing policies will have to devise additional strategic planning approaches. The company will have to devise certain situational strategic planning strategies that will allow the company to develop different illustrations of the outlook and accordingly change their system of management to prepare for different outcomes in the future References BHP Billiton, 2015.BHP Billiton | Diversity a Source of Competitive Advantage. [online] Available at: https://www.bhp.com/media-and-insights/reports-and-presentations/2015/04/diversity-a-source-of-competitive-advantage [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017]. BHP Billiton: The future is yours, 2017,AFR Business Case Studies | [online] Available at: https://www.afrbiz.com.au/case-studies/bhp-billiton-the-future-is-yours.html?print=1tmpl=component [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017]. Bourke, J., Smith, C., Stockton, H. and Wakefield, N., 2014.From diversity to inclusion. [online] DU Press. 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