WGS( women work and class) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

WGS( women work and class) - Coursework Example The book Feminist answers defines this as ‘the contrast to unidentified femininity’. Joan Acker further portrays that Hegemonic Masculinity is a form that in most situations is linked with the management of large organizations, and this changes over time as the production also experience change(Acker, 55). By this definition, in her book she brings out the societal view, especially in multinationals, managerial masculinities exhibit different degree especially to the level by which risk taking is involved. Outside the book one can deduce that the principles being referred to by Acker are on how a person working in a company can be considered a better manager since his sexuality is taken to be of certain qualities like risk taking. Joan Acker defines this in relation to class; she states that class is the unequal situation and differing of access of control of economy. She portrays the idea of capitalists’ control of finance to achieve their goals of profits. Joan by this her definition seeks to show how that capitalist provisions of resources to many people undermines the ability of people to provide adequate resources for themselves and their families (Acker, 55). Acker states that some work organizations work as regimes of inequality, and she portrays that these organization make claims for the ‘non-work lives of their members’. The deductions from this claim by Acker is that the bureaucrats and capitalist refuse any attempt to provide needs unless the action has their own interest involved(OECD guidelines). In the life situations, it is evident that multinationals undertake action that can generate those interests but not benefit other members in the company. Unpaid labor is essential to capitalists since it reproduces the working class and accumulates capital. It is evident that Acker shows that the capitalists exploit workers as to generate surplus value. This can be reflected in

Accountability and Outcomes in the Counseling Profession Assignment

Accountability and Outcomes in the Counseling Profession - Assignment Example Most therapy is also not conducted on a quick basis and often takes multiple sessions over a given length of time in order to address the problem. With healthcare reform and the declining economy, many third parties and governmental agencies question whether the counseling they are funding is effective or not. The field of program evaluation aims to attempt to provide a systematic approach to evaluating the methods to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of counseling techniques and strategies. Increasing pressure for efficiency has lead many to question the accountability of therapy techniques used on clients. Is there a way in order to gauge the effectiveness of counselors when they conduct therapy on clients? Many people are interested in a way of showing this effectiveness, but therapists often argue that it is impractical to measure one’s improvement in therapy due to success being really immeasurable (Sexton, 1999). It depends on why the person is coming in for cou nseling. Some are in so that they can get a quick fix to their problems while others continually come in for support; this poses a problem when looking at counseling effectiveness. When looking at counseling programs, we are focusing on the outcomes which can be divided into process objectives and outcome objectives.

Western Front on 1914 Strategies for the Entente

Western Front on 1914 Strategies for the Entente Christopher Mike White Once the fighting deadlocked on the Western Front by the end of 1914, what strategic courses of action should the countries of the Entente and Germany have adopted? Once the fighting deadlocked on the Western Front on 1914 the Entente, specifically the British should have opened a second front while the Germans should have conducted submarine warfare to draw the Grand Fleet into a favorable battle at a time and place of their choosing. Both actions are secondary operations and illustrate how the warnings of Clausewitz to open secondary operations only when they present exceptional rewards still hold true. In the case of the British and the second front in the Dardanelles, the risk relative to the primary operation and achieving its strategic objective of providing relief for Russia and preventing it leaving the war was low. Additionally, it presented a direct way to attack the enemys alliances as suggested by Sun Tzu.1 Finally there was a distinct possibility of the Entente being able to draw undecided nations into the war on their side, nations who already had a reason to fight both the Ottomans and Austria Hungary. In the case of the Germany, submarine warfare would have been a useful tool in the attrition of the British Grand Fleet given the Strategy used by the Admiralty for several reasons. First, submarine attrition of the Grand Fleet would create the conditions for a more favorable battle for the German High Seas Fleet preventing the blockade and subsequent starvation of the German population. Second, the Submarine was a great threat to the British Grand Fleet which was the centerpiece of British control of the seas. Finally, while the use of German submarines would have the effect of forcing the Grand Fleet into action favoring the Germans, it would not have the unwanted consequence of creating a potential enemy of the United States. With the current stalemate, neither France nor Britain could afford to have Russia, whose forces currently tied down German troops in the east who otherwise would join the Western Front, leave the war. To break the stalemate and provide relief for their ally, Britain suggested the opening of a second front. In On War, Clausewitz states that secondary operations only be undertaken when they look exceptionally rewarding.2. In this case, the plan was a landing in the Dardanelles, the narrow strait separating the Mediterranean from the Black Sea on which Constantinople is located. The immediate objective of the operation was to show support and commitment to the alliance with the added benefit of renewing the patriotic spirit of the Russian soldiers giving them greater scope in the fighting.3 Control of the straits would provide a much-needed link between Russia and her allies. This new link would allow Britain and France access to wheat while simultaneously providing a way to give Russi a much needed weapons from the more industrially developed allies. Both coastlines were littered with forts and artillery positions while the waters were lined with mines. The big guns of battleships would quickly neutralize the enemy cannons, and the armada would include minesweepers to clear the way. The battleships would confront Constantinople, shell it if necessary and then accept the Ottoman surrender. A large fleet was raised consisting of 82 ships including 18 battleships both British and French. The loss of control by the Ottomans would pose an existential threat to the Empire. The Entente control of the straits would threaten control of Constantinople which was the Capital of the Empire as well as its principal industrial center for the war effort. This threat would endanger the Ottoman forces from all sides and increase the value of any possible gains in the war and possibly drive them to peace reliving the Suez.4 Any victory against the Ottoman Empire would give a boost to the morale at home increasing national resolve and the strength of the war effort. A final reward from the campaign would be the possible influence of those powers in the region which had not yet entered the war. The taking of the straits and removal of the Ottoman Empire from the war would embolden those nations. Taking the Straits would also provide the opportunity for the campaign to draw in Greece, Bulgaria, Rumania, and Montenegro; who all had reasons to fight both the Ottoman and Austria-Hungary, into the war on the side of the Entente. The new allies would provide a boost both in troop and equipment strength as well as a boost in the morale of the civilian populations. With these nations in the Entente and access to the Black Sea there would be another potential avenue of attack on Austria-Hungary, another German Ally further attacking German alliances. This combination of rewards from what should be a simple amphibious landing performed by the greatest Naval power of the age should produce a positive outcome. The Royal Navy in conjunction with the Royal Army and aided by the French would quickly defeat the already beleaguered Ottoman forces swinging the pendulum of momentum in the war to favor the Entente resulting in a breaking of the stalemate on the Western Front. When war broke out in 1914, the British Navy was the largest and most powerful in the world. The German High Seas Fleet, while formidable, stood little chance against it numerically.5 The German High Seas Fleet prepared for Der Tag, a decisive fleet on fleet engagement that would decide the fate of the High Seas Fleet and could Destroy the Grand Fleet eliminating British rule of the seas and effectively taking them out of the war. With the Grand Fleet blockade of the Northern Sea and the English Channel keeping the High Seas Fleet in port the only type of ship that could leave and perform any type of operation was the U-boat. The U-boat threat had already caused the Admiralty to station the capital ships of the Grand Fleet far away from the German coast to ensure their safety. If the German commanders could go out and use their boats to attack the Grand Fleet at anchor or while unsuspecting at their posts far from the German homeland, then they could have eliminated many of the capital ships of the Grand Fleet. The fear of such an attack was what drove the Admiralty to station the valuable dreadnoughts as far away as Loch Ewe, out of range of the enemy U-boats but creating an opportunity for the High Seas Fleet to disrupt the cross-channel line of communication had they been aware of it.6 This fear displayed by the Admiralty shows how the U-boats had already started to direct the movements of the Grand Fleet even before they had caused any British ship casualties. This ability to create openings, such as the opportunity of the cross-channel line of communication disruption, would have been vital to stopping the distant blockade of the German coast. The result of the blockade was a decrease in the average German citizens diet to 1100 calories per day, resulting in a significant decline in the will of the people to continue the fight.7 If we consider the strength of a nation as a product of force and will to fight, the blockade was a detractor which could have been mitigated but instead sizably reduced that strength. It had already been proven in 1914 that the German U-boat threat to the Grand Fleet was a reality when the cruisers HMS Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir were all sunk by a single U-boat.8 This prompted the Royal Navy to admit that the North Sea was not occupied by the Grand Fleet but by submarines and began to erode their willingness to accept the primacy of the capital ship championed by Mahan. The British Admiralty knew of the dangerous nature of the U-boat, as stated by Admiral Wilson submarines were underhanded, unfair, and damned unEnglish!9 If German U-boats had been used offensively against the Grand Fleet, then the action of admiral Beatty and his battle-cruisers into Heligoland Bight to cover light forces which were under fire from a German force would have resulted in losses to the Grand Fleet vice the High Seas Fleet. The whole of the battle of Jutland could have been more even or, could have started with a German numerical advantage. In the end the idea was that even a fleet action could not force Britain to surrender because a win could not be attained by Germany but it would have been possible with proper submarine employment. Finally, if Germany had gone with attacking military targets instead of merchant shipping then they would have had a much lower risk of bringing the United States into the war as an enemy. The United States was a major industrial power during WWI supplying the Entente and profiting from its trade. The United States had 1.2 million Tons of shipping on the high seas moving between its ports and those in Europe and Asia.10 While that is a lot of merchant traffic it was dwarfed by the British ability of 12.4 million tons. The United States did supply the Entente however the amount of shipping under US flag compared to English was small. If the Germans did not act against the neutral United States, the probability of them entering the war was small given their stated neutrality and desire to stay out of the war that was enveloping Europe and instead would have remained neutral. It can be argued that while the Dardanelles was a great idea it was poorly executed. The poor execution had the opposite effect of what it should have had and therefore was the wrong course of action even given the possible positive rewards. The operation would fail because of lack of real strategic guidance, failure to clearly articulate what objectives were and how important they were and incomplete commitment of forces and resources to run a successful operation. The War Council was seeking a quick, cheap victory. They expected a campaign of sharp gains with minimal resources, in fact, Churchill believed a Navy-only operation would suffice to force the strait.11 The War Council had fallen into the trap of assuming away the risks based simply on the fact that the British were an Empire that was a Great Power and a racist feeling of superiority over the Turks who were no match.12 This overconfidence led to them placing the planning responsibilities upon the operational commander with no actual strategic guidance. There were mistakes at all levels of leadership from the War Council to tactical commanders with little or no experience and a lack of initiative ready to stop fighting at any inconvenience. The result of this lack of guidance was an incomplete commitment of forces and resources throughout the campaign. Without clearly articulating what the objectives were the operational commanders were at a distinct disadvantage. The operational commander takes the strategic objective of the civilian leadership and turns that into his operational idea to be able to attain those objectives. Without clear objectives in this case they were unable to translate the unknown strategic objective into a plan that could be adapted for changes during the unfolding of the battle. As Clausewitz states The Strategist must therefore define an aim for the entire operational side of the war that will be in accordance with its purpose.13 Additionally, the incomplete commitment of resources and forces create another problem, not only was it impossible to come up with a coherent plan but it would also be impossible to adapt that plan due to lack of either resources or troops. Initially there was a stated need of 150,000 troops to succeed in the operation, but due to the prevailing thought of Naval bombardment being sufficient and the Western Front reduced the final number of troops to less than half that needed.14 The summation of lack of guidance, lack of commitment and lack of experienced leaders led inevitably to the failure of the operation and lack of realization of desired outcomes. It can also be argued that the unrestricted submarine warfare was the only viable option for the German Navy to undertake to turn the tide of the war. Since 1914, the war was at a stalemate and not going well for Germany on the Western Front. The Battle of Jutland proved that the High Seas Fleet was not strong enough to defeat the Grand Fleet with the result that any attempt by the High Seas Fleet to attack British merchant traffic would not work as the Grand Fleet would prevent it. This brought about the thought that any attacks on Britains shipping supply would have to be done by submarines. The desired effect would be to break the backbone of British energy and enterprise by depriving her of imported goods.15 The result was Germany deciding on a policy of wholesale unrestricted attack. Unrestricted submarine warfare would deprive Britain of needed supplies for industry and by extension break the will of France and Italy who were being kept afloat by the British and diminish the wi ll of the people to fight by depriving them of necessities and if done swiftly would prevent the United States from entering the war on the side of the British. By German estimation, there was an availability of 10.75 million tons of shipping available to Great Britain. The Grain harvest for the year had been bad world-wide and the supply ships to Britain would have to take longer routes making them more susceptible to German attacks. A monthly destruction of 600,000 tons of shipping would deprive Britain of needed grains forcing rationing and scare Denmark and Holland from trading and in total reducing British sea traffic by 40%.16 The reduction of shipping and needed supplies would force rationing, reducing the will to fight and deprive industry of raw materials reducing the ability to fight while additionally reducing British exports to France and Italy. If the campaign were announced and commenced rapidly, then there would be no time for negotiations between Britain and neutrals, scaring the neutrals and possibly keeping them out of the war.17 The United States would again have to decide against neutrality, and even if they did decide against neutrality, their shipping capacity would have a small impact and take some time to increase to a level that would affect the war. In the case of the Dardanelles, it is easy to look back with the benefit of hindsight and say that the Dardanelles were a poorly executed operation. However, with British Naval superiority supported by the French and a sizeable ground force, there is no reason that the campaign should have failed. The proper course of action was to open a second front and the Dardanelles were a good choice due to location being good for relieving the Russian allies, relieving the Suez, setting up a clear line to commence operations against Austria-Hungary, and most importantly bring in undecided nations in the area into the war on the side of the Entente increasing combat capability. Slight alterations to base strategy were needed but the importance of opening a second front to break the stalemate on the Western Front was a necessity to end the war and lower the cost of victory to a more acceptable level. In the Case of Germanys unrestricted submarine warfare campaign, they would have been better off sticking to purely military targets to decrease Grand Fleet strength compared to High Seas Fleet strength. The submarine force was a danger to the British, and they acknowledged the face by the stationing and distant blockade they chose to implement. Bringing British combat power to their level and selecting the place and time of engagement was the only way they would have been able to achieve victory. If they chose unrestricted submarine warfare, they would have had to have realistic estimates of the shipping capabilities of the British and of the damage that the submarines would be able to inflict on it. Most importantly, they would have to deal with the angry United States which had become the dominant industrial power and would be able to build and deploy ships almost as fast as the submarines could sink them effectively taking away any advantage that they would have achieved. Both available choices were secondary operations or fronts, and secondary operations or fronts must have a definite and direct effect on the enemy. If the impact on the enemy is not direct and obvious, then it was a poor choice for the location or to even start the operation. While the ultimate objective is always victory, it does not mean that the result must be a direct combat success, only that the effect on the enemy has positive impact on your war aims. Secondary operations and fronts must be aimed as directly as possible at the enemy, or they will waste vital resources for little or no gain in the pursuit of the primary object, winning the war. For example, the Gallipoli campaign, in seeking a route to Russia for supply and relief would have been a direct effect on the Germany through the Ottoman Empire. In this case, the whale of Britain, not having an army of sufficient size to meet the elephant of Germany head-on, the result being a stalemate, sought a secondary theater wher e it could use its naval forces. In Germanys case, their choice of secondary operation increased risk by expanding the scope of the war and drawing in a new enemy. While the negative aspect and the possibility of bringing neutral parties into the war as enemies was evident to the German leadrship, the reaction of the United States was poorly estimated by them. By itself their employment of the U-boat fleet didnt impact the German military, making it a low risk but high reward to the war effort on the Western Front. Unfortunately, for the campaign to have the desired effect, US shipping had to be targeted as well which would dramatically increase overall risk. The lesson here is that you should analyze the risks of a secondary front or operation as the worst case, so you dont put your primary objective in danger. 1 Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, (1980), III 5. 2 Carl von Clausewitz. On War: Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret. Princeton. Princeton University Press, (1976), 618. 3 Ibid., 186. 4 Kevin McCranie. The War at Sea.(presentation, Strategy and War Course, Naval War College, Newport, RI, 14 December 2016). 5 Paul M Kennedy. The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery. New York. Humanity Books, (1976), 242. 6 Ibid. 245 7 Kevin McCranie. The War at Sea.(presentation, Strategy and War Course, Naval War College, Newport, RI, 14 December 2016). 8 Paul M Kennedy. The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery. New York. Humanity Books, (1976), 245 . 9 Ibid. 248 10 Kevin McCranie. The War at Sea.(presentation, Strategy and War Course, Naval War College, Newport, RI, 14 December 2016).), 147. 1 Elliot A. Cohen and John Gooch. Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War. New York. Free Press, (1990), 134. 12 Ibid. 134. 3 Carl von Clausewitz. On War: Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret. Princeton. Princeton University Press, (1976), 177. 4 Elliot A. Cohen and John Gooch. Military Misfortunes: The Anatomy of Failure in War. New York. Free Press, (1990), 136. 5 Admiral von Holtzendorf. German History in Documents and Images. Selected Readings. Naval War College, Newport, RI, (2016), 2. 6 Ibid. 3. 7 Ibid. 4.

Teen Pregnancy :: Teenage Mothers

Over the past few years teenage pregnancy rates have grown substantially. More than one million teenagers will become pregnant this year in Canada, and the number is growing. Many socioeconomic factors influence pregnancy rates, such as; different races, different religions, financial status, education and family background. Another influence is the sexual education children are receiving or not receiving at school and at home. While the problem of teenage pregnancy is acknowledged, solutions are coming slowly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some parents feel that pregnancy is a result of the lack of sex education courses taught in schools, while others feel that these courses end up encouraging teenagers to become sexually active. Studies have been done to find out just how important sex education courses are, and what effect they have on pregnancy rates. 'The amount of sex education they receive is not as important a factor, according to a new study.'; (Fewer girls get pregnant when involved in community, E8) Toronto Sun, 1998) Other sources say:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'Sex education courses, advocated to prevent teen pregnancy but denounced as encouraged sexual interest, appear to have little or no effect on teens' sexual activity. Such courses also have no noticeable effect on contraceptive use and pregnancy rates among teenagers. It was found that while students do learn about sex and contraception, they do not appear to alter their behavior.'; (Okie, 1996) The courses that are offered in schools have proven not to have any influence on the teenage pregnancy rates. The reason for this may be that the courses are just not being taught effectively or are targeting the wrong age group:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'Two major goals of the school sex education programs are to reduce the incidence of unwarranted pregnancy as well as the rates of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. However, to be effective, programs must begin early. If we wait until an age when most adolescents are sexually active, we might have to combat an acquired behavioral pattern of ineffective STD/pregnancy prevention behavior. Some statistics found that in the 1984 survey of school superintendents found that children do not all seem to know what we expect them to know.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was found that 50% of schools offered a family life education program. Whereas 87% of urban districts had a program, only 25% of rural districts had a program. Canadian school children ages 9, 12 and 15 showed a considerable lack of sexual education. Only 35% of grade 7 students knew that is was possible for a

Persuasive speech against video games Essay

Attention-getter: Whenever I look out from my window at home, nothing but memories come back to me. The house three doors down was the unsuspecting target of the foul balls we would hit when we use to play home run derby. Or my basketball hoop which held many world championships between me being the bulls and my friends being that year’s runner up. In the park across the street, I ended up blackmailing my neighbor, who was a few years older than me, into letting me play football with him and his friends. That’s how much I loved to be outside and play with my friends. As I become aware that my street has become barren from children playing outside, those memories soon fade away into silence. Thesis/Preview: The truth of the matter is that video games have affected the children who play them. Although video games have been quite influential on our generation, video games have had a lot of negative effects on the children of today. First I am going to describe the phenomenon video games has provoked, next I am going to explain the mental and physical health effects and lastly I am going to talk about the impact video games has had on the social skills of children. BODY I. Children in our country have become obsessed with video games. A. Since the start of Atari in 1972, the video game industry has expanded into a 10. 3 billion dollar a year market, it is only getting larger with the growth of technology. And although these games provide much entertainment, it does not come without a cost. Since the rise of video games, more children have become more obese, more violent and less social. (transition) Now that we know a little about the phenomenon lets look at the effects it has on children II. The growth of video games has mental and physical effects on health A. Initially video games consisted of a frog crossing a busy street or two paddles bouncing a ball between each other. Now games have started to border the line of excessive violence, enacting upon some of our deepest desires, but unable to express them due to laws that would be violated. In Grand Theft Auto, you run a round picking up jobs in an imaginary city. These jobs range from killing union workers to stealing pricy automobiles. In Conker’s Bad Fur day, you play as a playful cartoon squirrel that drinks beer and urinates on the enemy to defeat him. In the Journal of the American Medical Association, 90% of the games played today actually reward the player to injure another person and these were the games rated Teen. These types of gratuitous violence portrayed in video games transfer over into the everyday lives of these children. Studies of children exposed to violence have shown that they can become: â€Å"immune† or numb to the horror of violence, imitate the violence they see, and show more aggressive behavior the more they’re exposed to violence. Some children accept violence as a way to handle problems. Studies have also shown that the more realistic and repeated the exposure to violence, the greater the impact on children. For instance, a child in Kentucky ended up bringing a revolver to school and shot 8 students. Police ended up pin-pointing the source to the video games the child had been playing. The child ended up raking in more than 10,000 hours of a shoot em’ up style game that rewarded bonus points for headshots. Even if the games are not violent, another side effect that video games have on the health of children is with exercising. In a pediatrics journal, it states that 9 million kids are overweight, which is three times the amount it was in 1980. I am not stating that video games are the sole proprietor of this drastic increase, but for children, playing a video game usually takes precedent over exercising. With this increase in body mass, children have become more susceptible in acquiring what are usually known as adult diseases such as diabetes. In an Australian Geographic study, when asked what they wanted to do on a sunny day, only 32% of the children wanted to play outside. III. Video Games also have a negative impact on kids’ social skills and experiences. A. Another problem seen in children playing video games is there inability to communicate with their peers. Dr. Ricardo Salguero states that video games are an addictive behavior much like drug dependency. His results from a test on the dependency of video games concluded that 10% of the children, between 8 and 12 years old, playing video games on home consoles or computers, played for more than 4 hours a day – thus eliminating the socialization that would occur through standard outdoor activities like basketball. The more video games played, the more time it cuts away from relationships outside the ones made with characters in video games. Salguero then states that the earlier the child plays video games the worse the interactions the child has with other children are. CONCLUSION Review: From the information compiled by psychiatrists and doctors, we can see the violence, obesity, and lack of social skills that has accumulated since the beginning of video games. That is why I can say video games have a negative effect on children. Parents need to be more aware, not just of the types of games their kids are playing, but of the amount of time they’re playing. Memorable final comment: And when you end up going home I want you to pay attention and listen for the growing silence so that you may physically observe the impact of video games.

Advantages of PHP Language in Web Design

Now a day, when we talk about web designing, the first language which comes into our mind is PHP. It is one on the hottest scripting language into today's technology world. Well, the reason behind its popularity is no license cost. PHP is an open source, which you can download free of cost and customize it according your project requirements. It comes with PHPMyAdmin, which is supported by database languages like MY SQL2.0, SQL, etc to create database tables. By using PHP, you can build fast, secure and dynamic web portals, as it is the most compatible language. The design and interface is very simple, which makes this language easy to understand. To make you application secure from virus and spyware attacks, the security functions are available with the technical support available worldwide. PHP is widely acclaimed open source programming language which has changed the web development scenario. It requires less processor space, so it doesn't affect the speed of the system. There are certain aspects like scalability, flexibility, usability which comes into our mind while creating a dynamic website. PHP is user friendly covering all these aspects mentioned above and makes it the most suitable language for creating web pages. The modular structure of codes in PHP can adapt the change and custom module can be created very easily. Ready to use framework like Zend can be used to build big web portals. Other frameworks like Joomla and Drupal are commonly used to develop business websites. Your blog system can be enhanced through WordPress Plugins.

How to Use a Geoboard in Math

How to Use a Geoboard in Math A geoboard is a math manipulative used to support early geometric, measurement, and numeracy concepts. A geoboard is a square board with pegs to which students attach rubber bands. If geoboards arent handy, you can also use dot paper, although it doesnt make learning quite as enjoyable for the students. Geo-boards come in 5 by 5 pin arrays and in 10 by 10 pin arrays. Initially, a conversation needs to occur about the appropriate use of rubber bands when using geoboards. Those students who cant use rubber bands appropriately will use the dot paper instead. Once this is known, students tend to make good use of the geoboard rubber bands. Here are some questions for the 5th grade that has students representing figures while also developing concepts about measurement, specifically area. In order to determine if students have understanding, have them hold up their geo-boards each time theyve completed the question. 15 Questions for the Geo-board 1. Show a triangle that has an area of one square unit. 2. Show a triangle with an area of 3 square units. 3. Show a triangle with an area of 5 square units. 4. Show an equilateral triangle. 5. Show an isosceles triangle. 6. Show a scalene triangle. 7. Show a right triangle with an area of more than 2 square units. 8. Show 2 triangles that have the same shape but that are different sizes. What is the area of each? 9. Show a rectangle with a perimeter of 10 units. 10. Show the smallest square on your geoboard. 11. What is the largest square you can make on your geoboard? 12. Show a square with 5 square units. 13. Show a square with 10 square units. 14. Make a rectangle with an area of 6 and state what the perimeter is. 15. Make a hexagon and determine the perimeter. These questions can be modified to meet learners at various grades. When introducing the geoboard, begin with an exploring type of activity. As the comfort level increases when working with geoboards, it is useful to have students begin transferring their figures/shapes to dot paper. To extend some of the questions above, you can also include concepts like which figures are congruent, which figures have 1 or more lines of symmetry. Questions like this should be followed up with, How do you know? which requires students to explain their thinking. The geoboard is just one of many math manipulatives that can be used in math to support understanding of a concept. Math manipulatives help teach concepts in a concrete method which is preferred before attempting the symbolic format.

Essay on Born in East L.a

Essay on Born in East L.a Essay on Born in East L.a David Herman Chicano Studies Born in East L.A On the day we as a class voted on which movie we wanted to watch I wasn’t sure which movie I should raise my hand for. I had this dilemma because I didn’t have a clue what any of the movies were about. I decided I would keep my hand down during the voting process and I’m sure glad that I did because as a class they obviously made the right choice without me. Born in East L.A won with the majority of the votes and little did I know that I would be telling my friends how good of a movie it would be? From the beginning of the movie I’m doing all that I can to hold back my laughter. The main character Rudy seems to be having an off day and you just can’t help but to laugh with him or at him. Many things do confuse me early on in the movie such as the beautiful French women or his car but they all seem to make sense by the time the movie is over. The fact that Rudy gets deported while picking up his illegal cousin was brilliant. That’s one thing I really liked about this movie was that throughout all the events that Rudy has to go through everything seemed to eventually tie in together. The movie flowed with great dialogue and jokes that kept me interested the entire time. The most interesting interactions in the movie for me happened between Rudy and Jimmy. Even writing the two names down you would think they could swap names. It was interesting how Jimmy had Rudy doing all his slave labor and Rudy never once questioned it. Jimmy fit into Mexico so much better then Rudy although Rudy was the one looked like he belonged there. Its not often that you see a white guy hustling a Mexican in Mexico and that’s what it looked like Jimmy was doing to Rudy. Jimmy did seem to have a kind heart, which I found to be a bit surprising. I had a feeling that he wasn’t going to pay for

Analysis of Good Country People by Flannery OConnor

Analysis of Good Country People by Flannery OConnor Good Country People by Flannery OConnor (1925–1964) is a story, in part, about the dangers of mistaking platitudes for original insights. The story, first published in 1955, presents three characters whose lives are governed by the platitudes they embrace or reject: Mrs. Hopewell, who speaks almost exclusively in cheerful clichà ©sHulga (Joy), Mrs. Hopewells daughter, who defines herself solely in opposition to her mothers platitudesA Bible salesman, who turns the clichà ©d beliefs of the unsuspecting mother and daughter against them Mrs. Hopewell Early in the story, OConnor demonstrates that Mrs. Hopewells life is governed by upbeat but empty sayings: Nothing is perfect. This was one of Mrs. Hopewells favorite sayings. Another was: that is life! And still another, the most important, was: well, other people have their opinions too. She would make these statements [†¦] as if no one held them but her [†¦] Her statements are so vague and obvious as to be almost meaningless, except, perhaps, to convey an overall philosophy of resignation. That she fails to recognize these as clichà ©s suggest how little time she spends reflecting on her own beliefs. The character of Mrs. Freeman provides an echo chamber for Mrs. Hopewells statements, thereby emphasizing their lack of substance. OConnor writes: When Mrs. Hopewell said to Mrs. Freeman that life was like that, Mrs. Freeman would say, I always said so myself. Nothing had been arrived at by anyone that had not first been arrived at by her. We are told that Mrs. Hopewell liked to tell people certain things about the Freemans - that the daughters are two of the finest girls she knows and that the family is good country people. The truth is that Mrs. Hopewell hired the Freemans because they were the only applicants for the job. The man who served as their reference openly told Mrs. Hopewell that Mrs. Freeman was the nosiest woman ever to walk the earth. But Mrs. Hopewell continues to call them good country people because she wants to believe they are. She almost seems to think that repeating the phrase will make it true. Just as Mrs. Hopewell seems to want to reshape the Freemans in the image of her favorite platitudes, she also seems to want to reshape her daughter. When she looks at Hulga, she thinks, There was nothing wrong with her face that a pleasant expression wouldnt help. She tells Hulga that a smile never hurt anyone and that people who looked on the bright side of things would be beautiful even if they were not, which could be insulting. Mrs. Hopewell views her daughter entirely in terms of clichà ©s, which seems guaranteed to make her daughter reject them. Hulga-Joy Mrs. Hopewells greatest platitude is perhaps her daughters name, Joy. Joy is grumpy, cynical and utterly joyless. To spite her mother, she legally changes her name to Hulga, partly because she thinks it sounds ugly. But just as Mrs. Hopewell continually repeats other sayings, she insists on calling her daughter Joy even after her name is changed, as if saying it will make it true. Hulga cant stand her mothers platitudes. When the Bible salesman is sitting in their parlor, Hulga tells her mother, Get rid of the salt of the earth [†¦] and lets eat. When her mother instead turns down the heat under the vegetables and returns to the parlor to continue singing the virtues of real genuine folks way out in the country, Hulga can be heard groaning from the kitchen. Hulga makes it clear that if it werent for her heart condition, she would be far from these red hills and good country people. She would be in a university lecturing to people who knew what she was talking about. Yet she rejects one clichà © – good country people – in favor of one that sounds superior but is equally trite – people who knew what she was talking about. Hulga likes to imagine herself as being above her mothers platitudes, but she reacts so systematically against her mothers beliefs that her atheism, her Ph.D. in philosophy and her bitter outlook begin to seem as thoughtless and trite as her mothers sayings. The Bible Salesman Both the mother and the daughter are so convinced of the superiority of their perspectives that they dont recognize theyre being duped by the Bible salesman. Good country people is meant to be flattering, but its a condescending phrase. It implies that the speaker, Mrs. Hopewell, somehow has the authority to judge whether someone is good country people or, to use her word, trash. It also implies that the people being labeled this way are somehow simpler and less sophisticated than Mrs. Hopewell. When the Bible salesman arrives, he is a living example of Mrs. Hopewells sayings. He uses a cheerful voice, makes jokes, and has a pleasant laugh. In short, hes everything Mrs. Hopewell advises Hulga to be. When he sees that hes losing her interest, he says, People like you dont like to fool with country people like me! Hes hit her in her weak spot. Its as if hes accused her of not living up to her own cherished platitudes, and she overcompensates with a flood of clichà ©s and an invitation to dinner. Why! she cried, good country people are the salt of the earth! Besides, we all have different ways of doing, it takes all kinds of make the world go round. Thats life! The salesman reads Hulga as easily as he reads Mrs. Hopewell, and he feeds her the clichà ©s she wants to hear, saying that he likes girls that wear glasses and that Im not like these people that a serious thought dont ever enter their heads. Hulga is as condescending toward the salesman as her mother is. She imagines that she can give him a deeper understanding of life because [t]rue genius [†¦] can get an idea across even to an inferior mind. In the barn, when the salesman demands that she tell him she loves him, Hulga feels pity, calling him poor baby and saying, Its just as well you dont understand. But later, faced with the evil of his actions, she falls back on her mothers clichà ©s. Arent you, she asks him, just good country people? She never valued the good part of country people, but like her mother, she assumed the phrase meant simple. He responds with his own clichà ©d tirade. I may sell Bibles but I know which end is up and I wasnt born yesterday and I know where Im going! His certainty mirrors - and therefore calls into question - Mrs. Hopewells and Hulgas.

Literature Review on Usability Testing on Academic Electronic Medical Coursework

Literature Review on Usability Testing on Academic Electronic Medical Record Systems - Coursework Example This can be disastrous for patients to the extent of causing avoidable deaths. Users of electronic medical systems are practitioners in the medical field and users of academic medical record systems are those who are being prepared through learning to become qualified and full users of electronic medical records systems. As a result, earlier application usability testing on academic medical records stands to eliminate or minimize errors associated with usability of electronic medical record systems. Implementing usability testing on academic medical records systems creates an environment whereby the health care services practitioners understand electronic medical systems earlier and are adequately prepared for the challenge (s) before them. Academic electronic medical records systems do not have much coverage as relate to usability testing but there is an abundance of literature on usability of electronic medical records systems. An academic application of electronic medical records system is very important in enhancing the knowledge and skills of the medical student for the actual task ahead. Amidst all of the debate revolving around product functions, features, and which product is appropriate for which practice setting, one very important aspect that require to be examined is usability. Usability of a product depends on the combination of its functionality, features, visual appeal as well as the usefulness (Emanuel, et al., 2008). A product must be oriented to the context it applies, and it must take into account the characteristics of its users. Generally, electronic medical records are used for handling medical information vital for patient care and enhance the efficiency as well as accessibility of that information. The same purpose is maintained in academic electronic medical records systems only that it will incorporate those training to become actual users in the future. The importance of testing for usability of academic medical records (EMR) system S tudies on the importance of testing usability of an EMR system, involves examining the role of usability testing as concerns evaluation of an EMR system, identification issues with usability by both beginners and more experienced system users, and effect on efficiency and satisfaction of its users (Corrao, Robinson, Swiernik, & Naeim, 2010). Academic practitioner literatures are confronted with both failed and successful implementations of EMR system. Setting up of EMR systems is always accompanied by technical, economic, organizational and cultural challenges. These studies conclude that apart from reviewing content and features of an EMR system, usability testing has the potential of improving chances of an EMR design being integrated with current workflow and process of business in a clear, transparent and efficient manner. In these studies 90% and above of issues and recommendations for rectification identified by beginners have been found to be credible. However, an interesting finding is that a majority of the users experienced in using previously implemented systems that have not been subject to amplified usability testing, had a higher level of dissatisfaction with efficiency as well as overall functionality but higher general satisfaction than expected. This underscores the importance of testing usability in academic EMR systems. Literature on academic EMR sys

Genetic Modification of Human Beings is unaaceptable it strips the Research Paper

Genetic Modification of Human Beings is unaaceptable it strips the human race of individuality and human rights - Research Paper Example This takes place through manipulation of DNA in different ways to adjust to the intended purpose. This has made it possible to put traits of almost any organism (Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy 1). Most of the organisms are produced in large quantities after the process of transformation and improvement is done. On the other hand, the process has made it possible to create foods, pesticides, cells, tissues, and organs (Uzogara 180). The technique has been used mainly to change or alter the plants and animals we use today as food. On the other hand, there has been advancement of genetic modification in humans. In human, it is usually done to change non-functional or malfunctioning genes (Isasi, Nguyen and Knoppers 2). Moreover, such genes are manipulated or supplemented with health genes. In human, two categories of genetic modification are involved. These categories include somatic and germline modification (Isasi et al. 2). In somatic gene therapy, a gene or a gen e element is introduced into a tissue or organ in a human subject with the purpose of curing a disease (Isasi et al. 2). This process does not alter the genetic structure of future generations, as the altered genes do not exist in sexual eggs or sperms. On the other hand, there is germline gene therapy. This process involves the introduction of gene into germline cells (Isasi et al. 2). As a result, there is heritable changes and thus alters the resulting offspring (Gold and Carbone 1). For this reason, this technique has generated a serious debate due to its implementation in humans. Genetic Modification of Human Beings is unacceptable; it strips the human race of free choices, treats human as a commodity, loss of uniqueness and individuality, and leads to increased inequalities. Proofs Genetic modification leads to interference of freedom to make choices. This means that such person has no control making free choices in relation to the modified trait. This makes its inevitable for the person to avoid expressing such trait. The person who initiated the modification process controls the human future (Resnik and Vorhaus 5). For example, if the person is given the gene for specific skill such as football, he or she has no choice but to become a footballer. Moreover, the process limits the options of the person who is modified by limiting their scope of behaviors and life plans (Resnik and Vorhaus 5). This means that the life choices of such people are limited. For example, if there is a modification of a person height to increased height, such a person cannot become a jockey. Additionally, the person’s ability to make free choices is interfered with as the process increase parental expectations and demands (Resnik and Vorhaus 5). This means that their parents in a large percentage inherently limit their destiny. This is because such person life is artificially molded in the way that they could not have chosen (Seck 1). For example, a person with a gene fo r football talent will be under pressure from the parent to become a footballer. Secondly, genetic modification treats human as commodities. This is seen through children arising from the modification process. Such children are treated like products to be designed, perfected, manipulated, and controlled (Resnik and Vorhaus 8). This goes against the basic principle of having children as gifts. Therefore, the parents exercise control over their children to fulfill their own desires. The parent believes that this is possible through genetic control of their

Critical Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Analysis - Coursework Example As noted in the article, the research provided seeks to make readers understand human behavior. Adese’s article focuses on the problems that people face because they are biracial. The article relates to me indirectly, because I have several biracial relatives who may perhaps feel the same way. In my view, Adese has written an excellent article, reflecting on issues of racism and economical status. I agree with the author on most of her views. However, there is one point that I chose to disagree with her. Adese points out in page 242 that she wonders how her life would have been like if she had not grown up thinking of herself in â€Å"parts† (Adem & Thompson, 2010). I think she should now focus more on how to embrace the positives and negatives of the two cultures. The author may perhaps have enhanced her methodological approach, if she conducted interviews from other people. Similar to Jennifer Adese, Danzy Senna also writes an article on children who grow up with similar experiences. There are two questions that arise after one reads her article. Would he views been different if raised from a different racial heritage? Are there positives of growing up as a biracial child? Like Adese, Danzy Senna also uses qualitative research method to portray the data she has researched on while growing up. The author who is also the researcher in this article is subjectively immersed in the topic of her discussion. From this reading, it is difficult to tell whether the author is happy as a biracial person. Senna’s reading also impacts on my experiences in an indirect way. I have friends who have both Mexican and black parents and do not have conflicting views. I find her statement true when she says that in the 1970s, black people connected on shared history and not based on color and hair texture as perceived by most people today (OHearn, 1998). The author uses this point effectively to show the racial issues that exists today and those

Marcus aurelius and septimus Severus and there involvement during the Research Paper

Marcus aurelius and septimus Severus and there involvement during the fall of the roman empire - Research Paper Example Emperor Verus went to lead the campaigns in the east however, the situation was tough. The Campaign leadership was left to Roman empires and to Marcus back in the Roman Empire. The return of Verus and his troops came with a devastating plague racking the empire which was then attacked at the North by Germanic tribes. During the fight with the Germanic tribes, Emperor Verus was attacked by the plague and died leaving Marcus as the sole emperor. Later the Marcomanni and Quadi tribes launched their assault to Danube. Marcus and his armies due to the plague had trouble in maintaining control. However, harsh conditions were affecting his forces. Though his reign was constantly affected by gruesome wars, he still worked on Governmental affairs. Marcus was of little faith and to him Christians were just fanatical martyrs who stubbornly failed to work for the empire. In AD 175, the empire experienced another tragedy followed by a bad fortune according to Winkler (68). The emperor became ill during his Danube campaign and rumor came that he was dead. This almost led to civil wars in the country. To avoid the situation occurring again, he appointed his son Commodus as his co-emperor. The Danube wars seemed to take long, Marcus and his son left for north to lead the troops.

GPS navegation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

GPS navegation - Research Paper Example Dr. Ivan came up with position finding system that relied on the time difference and construction of vehicles that used satellites for navigation. Professor Bradford Parkinson served in the navy under the air force wing. He was the manager for NAVSTAR GPS programs and would be perceived as the father of GPS (Parry, 2010). Not only did Bradford contribute in the air force navigation programs, but also handled research that led to the improvement of GPS used in the world today. On the other hand, Roger L. Easton had profound experience in spacecraft tracking and time. Roger offered his prowess in navigation technology and potential of satellite use in time travel. He also came up with theories and calculations that led to the launch of the first satellite manned with GPS. Roger involvement in the construction of time-based position vehicles and devices became of great use in the military. The creation of the three men and input of technicians gave rise to a component that has changed lives today. GPS became a critical tool in the military force, and that changed the security manning strategies (El-Rabbany, 2002). People started for feel that the military had gained necessary tools to fight menaces across the border and keep track of events that were potential threats to homeland security. Roger, Bradford, and Ivan had intended to give the military exclusive ownership to GPS to enable them hunt and track security-related concerns. However, GPS became beneficial to individuals and corporations. The NAVSTAR program gave the military of United States a fighting edge against the Soviet Union that has launched spacecraft. Air force gained a tool that could be used for accurate guidance in any position on the earth. The public learned of GPS and aired persistent demands on the use of the tool for personal purposes. Civilians saw it as a way of boosting their security and making navigation during travel

No idea Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

No idea - Assignment Example A is a single grade higher than B and the goal is therefore realistic. The goal is timely because it will take two months (Rouillard 47). To raise the performance of the rugby team that I coach, from ten touch downs to twelve, I will train with them on the field for two hours once a week starting next Friday till the last Friday of April 2014. I and the team is the who, training is the what, field is the where, two hours once a week is the when, touchdowns is the which, and raising the performance is the why. Fifteen touchdowns are measurable, training for two hours once a week is attainable, building a capacity to add two touchdowns in one month is realistic and starting next Friday until the last Friday of April, 2014 is my goal’s time bounds (Rouillard 47). To become a more sociable neighbor than I have been, I want to make one new friend in our new neighborhood every month starting in April 2014 so that I will have eight new friends by December 2014. In this goal, I is the who, making is the what, our new neighborhood is the where, every month is the when, new friend is the which and become a more sociable neighbor is the why. Making one new friend monthly and eight friends by December is measurable. The goal to make one friend monthly and eight friends in eight months is attainable. It is realistic that a person can make one new friend monthly and eight months are enough time for it (Rouillard 47). To expand our campus entrepreneurial club by ninety members in the next three months, we will conduct a massive campaign on campus using press, posters, and social media to recruit prospective members. We is the who in this goal, campaign is the what, campus is the where, more members is the which, and expand is the why. Ninety members is measurable and recruiting ninety members in three months is attainable. This goal is realistic because it can be broken down to recruiting thirty new members every month to get ninety in three months

GPS navegation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

GPS navegation - Research Paper Example Dr. Ivan came up with position finding system that relied on the time difference and construction of vehicles that used satellites for navigation. Professor Bradford Parkinson served in the navy under the air force wing. He was the manager for NAVSTAR GPS programs and would be perceived as the father of GPS (Parry, 2010). Not only did Bradford contribute in the air force navigation programs, but also handled research that led to the improvement of GPS used in the world today. On the other hand, Roger L. Easton had profound experience in spacecraft tracking and time. Roger offered his prowess in navigation technology and potential of satellite use in time travel. He also came up with theories and calculations that led to the launch of the first satellite manned with GPS. Roger involvement in the construction of time-based position vehicles and devices became of great use in the military. The creation of the three men and input of technicians gave rise to a component that has changed lives today. GPS became a critical tool in the military force, and that changed the security manning strategies (El-Rabbany, 2002). People started for feel that the military had gained necessary tools to fight menaces across the border and keep track of events that were potential threats to homeland security. Roger, Bradford, and Ivan had intended to give the military exclusive ownership to GPS to enable them hunt and track security-related concerns. However, GPS became beneficial to individuals and corporations. The NAVSTAR program gave the military of United States a fighting edge against the Soviet Union that has launched spacecraft. Air force gained a tool that could be used for accurate guidance in any position on the earth. The public learned of GPS and aired persistent demands on the use of the tool for personal purposes. Civilians saw it as a way of boosting their security and making navigation during travel

Comparison of Heterosexual-Parents and Homosexual-Parents Essay Example for Free

Comparison of Heterosexual-Parents and Homosexual-Parents Essay Most people have an automatic belief that a child who is raised by heterosexual-parents is better off than a child who is raised by homosexual-parents. The belief held by most people may make the task seem more socially acceptable. However, there is no law against it, nor is it written in stone that a child should not be raised by homosexual-parents. Furthermore, with the same amount of love, structure, effort, and stability homosexual-parents can be equally as nurturing to a child. The ideal family has always consisted of having two parents which consist of a male and a female. Nevertheless, having parents of the opposite sex does not mean a child with homosexual-parents cannot get the same adequate amount of love. A child with homosexual-parents has two parents who work and take care of them also. Both heterosexual-parents and homosexual-parents can and do show the same amount of love by spending time with the child, talking to the child, working to provide for the child, and showing the child affection. Homes with heterosexual-parents may seem to have more structure and balance because they do not appear to have to deal with any outside negativity. Negativity can result from a number of things such as race and social status, not just the marital status of the parents. Nevertheless, both a home usually has one or more parents who works and provides for the family and there is typically one parent who devotes a lot of time and energy in focusing on the family, especially on the child. Both types of parents can have rules which have to be obeyed, household chores which have to be done, and family time which is a must for raising a well-developed child in today’s society. Therefore, if heterosexual and homosexual parents disregard whatever outside negativity they may encounter and focus on the family and focus on what is important there will be the same amount of structure and balance to a child with either type of parents. Everything in life that a person believes is worthwhile takes effort and time. Parents have to put forth great effort and huge amounts of time in raising a child, especially if a parent wants a well-rounded, well-mannered, happy, smart, and what they believe to be a perfect child. Both heterosexual and homosexual parents can work towards achieving the ultimate goal of raising a perfect child. However, even though at times it may appear to be an easier challenge for heterosexual -parents, it does not mean the same goal cannot be achieved by homosexual-parents. For the sake of the child both types of parents must put forth a worthwhile effort and spend time focusing on what is best for the child. Society, as a whole, automatically has a preconceived idea that heterosexual-parents create a more stable environment for a child. However, the preconceived idea of society does not mean homosexual-parents cannot create a stable environment for a child. The two different types of parents must ensure stability for a child. Stability enables a child to focus on academic achievements and being a well-behaved child who has a stable home life does not seem to get themselves into as much trouble when compared to a child without a stable home environment. In other words, it does not matter if the child has heterosexual-parents or parents who are homosexual, stability, love, structure, and effort plays a major role in the proper development of a child.

Introduction Of The Rolls Royce Company Management Essay

Introduction Of The Rolls Royce Company Management Essay ABSTRACT This case study aims to analyse strategic management of Rolls-Royce civil aerospace division. The analysis also identifies and explores the factors which are responsible for the current strategic position and development of this company and critically evaluate the factors involves in future growth, development and change. To evaluate the performance of the company analysis tools used are PORTERS FIVE FORCES, SWOT and PESTLE analysis. In the end there is a conclusion for taking the summary of involved company into consideration for its successful in the near future. INTRODUCTION OF THE COMPANY The Rolls-Royce group plc is well known multination company with business around 135 countries and manufacturing capabilities spread in 14 different countries. Around 40,000 employees work in various business ventures ranging from civil, defence aerospace to marine and energy markets. Rolls-Royce services 56,000 aircraft engines for 300 airlines, 2,400 public companies and also over 100 armed forces. Its engines can be found in every type of commercial aircraft manufactured by both aviation industries giant Airbus industries and Boing, whether it is biggest modern airlines or business jets. In world Rolls-Royce is renowned and prestigious brand for its high class quality, reliability and high end technology provider to its customers. Rolls-Royce group plc shows total earning of  £10,414 million which is equivalent to $16,307.6 million for the financial year 2009 ended on December, a well rise of 14.7% over financial year 2008. The operating profit of the company was  £1,174 million equivalents to $1,838.4 million for the financial year 2009, an increase of 32.7% over financial year 2008. The total profit was  £2,217 million equals to $3,471.7 million in financial year 2009, as compared to the total loss of  £1,342 million equals to $2,101.5 million in financial year 2008. MISSION A great company is built by first class, passionate and highly skilled people. We have these in Rolls-Royce and I believe that we will continue to improve our business and deliver excellent value for all our shareholders. Sir Simon Robertson Chairman (February 9, 2011) VISION During 2010, we have continued our programme of investment, funding world-class facilities in all major geographies, providing capacity for future growth, contributing to improved productivity and delivering products with operational lives which may well extend to half a century. We remain confident in our ability to double revenues in the coming decade through organic growth alone. However, we also have the management and financial capability to accelerate growth through acquisition and partnership. Sir John Rose Chief Executive (February 9, 2011) STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE Our consistent strategy, applied over many years, has helped deliver a more broadly based, better balanced and more resilient portfolio. This strategy has five key elements: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ address four global markets, civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ invest in technology, infrastructure and capability; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ develop a competitive portfolio of products and services; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ grow market share and our installed product base; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ add value for customers through the provision of product-related services. Sir John Rose Chief Executive (February 9, 2011) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Rolls-Royce civil aerospace division thinks of a huge chance in terms of future growth for commercial aerospace markets, contributed by increasing air transportation varies from business to individuals. Forth coming 20 years there are need of 141,000 engines which cost more than $800 billion. This increased demand is from fast-emerging markets like Asia, Middle East and Latin America but at the same time from much saturated markets of Europe and North America due to taking off thousands older aircraft to the new ones. Hence creates the demands of aftermarket and services contribute to more than $600 billion for these accompanied services. The most essential part of demand is the business jets. Till now this market leads by mainly US customers but in coming years now there an increase by 50% can be seen from different part of the world as well. MARKET SEGMENTATION There are two main different market sectors in which Rolls-Royce civil aerospace division works are: Sales of brand new aircraft engines to aviation industry leading manufacturer Airbus industries and Boings and to some airlines as well. Spare part to those old purchased engines and aftermarket services and maintenance to its customer airlines. This segment of market consist competitor who specialized in maintenance. The first one is primary market who responsible for selling new aircraft engines, which creates the opportunity to the second market, is secondary market, responsible for spare part and after sales services. There was only 10% commercial aerospace market captured by Rolls-Royce in 1970s. This segment of civil aerospace market is mix of immense commercial and technical competition from General Electric and Pratt Whitney of the USA. The grand investment in development and research for making new engine and avail verity of best services to the customers is the only way to gain major market share. To gain large share in market they need to concentrate on after sale service more than products with services for example information management, inventory management and after flights maintenance services. This market may be considered as vertical due to too less number of purchasers. Rolls-Royce must be concerns about its customer future and present needs. PORTERS FIVE FORCES MODEL Competitive rivalry This oligopolistic global industry is dominated by three players operate in are: General Electric and Pratt Whitney of the USA and of course Rolls-Royce. This market segment of civil aerospace is highly budget oriented as it requires massive capital investment for advanced technology and research and development. It is very difficult to dominate the market for single manufacturer, which leads to the increased competition within the opponents. There is a great completion for new aircraft engine as primary market due to the interdependence on the secondary market of aircraft engine part sales and services. So we can infer that number of purchase in primary market sales will tells about the access power to the secondary market. As in recent years each producer tries to enhance their volume share, which brings a healthy competition to the existing market. Competition getting tougher by each passing day as gas turbine engine is quite mature technology which reduces the difference advantage within competitors. Power of buyers There are less future possible buyers for new aircraft. Therefore cost of the new aircraft engine is set by the buyer as they are market prime player. The globalisation of the many airlines in recent years has enhanced their purchasing power to great extent. It is really a long-term decision to buy a specific aircraft or any combination of aircraft engine. This implies that if an engine manufacturer lost a single order from particular airline affect its business for a decade with that airline. The purchase of single type of aircraft engine produces cumulative effect with another purchaser who is going to buy the same type of aircraft engine. Life time cost ownership; warranty and subsidised maintenance cost are the main concerns of the all airlines. Power of suppliers There is very less influence or power of supplier to the aircraft engine producer. The reason for this is abundance of suppliers to the aircraft engine producer. These suppliers responsible to supply from small parts like nuts and bolts to high end technology like complicated electronic control components pricing hundreds of thousands of pounds. The smaller companies which contribute to most of the supplier base, have now decreased power. The reason behind is that aircraft engine producer involves in many different source supply applying double supplier strategies. Among all type of equipment suppliers high end complicated electronic component suppliers are the most powerful. Threat of entry A well-known name also finds it quite tough to enter in aircraft engine business. The crucial entry factors like extremely skilled experience requirement along with massive power to investment on research and development as well to win buyers confidence are the main hurdle to enter this specialized segment of market. Once a new aircraft engine built then the very next step is going through high standards of testing by authorities to get approved. The name of the company also plays a vital role in this industry due to the sensitive nature of this market. Thus reputed name like Rolls-Royce is well known for its good verity of quality high-technology products. Threat of substitutes Till now there is most likely no other better known way to replace air transportation completely hence so do the aircraft engines. Whereas advancement in technology such as video conferencing facilities and new extremely fast trains however can definitely hamper some air travels business in near future. But still these emerging technology developments taking place along with increasing opportunities of air travel. Summary of Five Forces analysis This analysis gave an idea about the amount of competition as in whole for this particular segment of civil aerospace market. There is clear indication of buyer great influence upon the organisation leads to higher degree competitive market environment in civil aero engine business. Still existing manufacturer share business among them as there is large amount of hurdle for entry and very less threat of substitutes. However, maturity of used technology and decrease in aviation industry growth brings the huge competition for existing engine producers. SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths Weaknesses Major player in aero-engines manufacturing Reach to different parts of the world market High capacity for development and research Way of dealing to legal affairs Decreased budget for operation Opportunities Threats Increased demand for commercial airplane engines New planed acquisitions Increased demand for turbine helicopters High level of competition Government policies compatibilities Major risk for supply chain Strengths Major player in aero-engines manufacturing Rolls-Royce is one of the major players in civil aerospace industry. It is among the top worlds manufacturer of civil aircraft engine, serving more than 30 different kinds of civil aircraft varies from business jets to huge airlines aircraft, with over 13,000 big Rolls-Royce aero-engines under service. Reach to different parts of the world market Rolls-Royce has huge worldwide base. It is primarily works around the world such as Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Middle East. 130 different countries customers are served by this company. Rolls-Royce manufacturing plant, offices and service facilities can be found in more than 60 countries around the world. In addition, there is a huge remuneration can be seen from these above different regions of the world where it operates. The reach to wide world market and fair revenue earning from these each market leads to less risk against this volatile industries as there is no dependency on single market. High capacity for development and research Rolls-Royce developed great platform for research and development along the time. At regular basis this company emphasise on advancement for new technology which is necessary to sustain in the competitive market environment. With the  £7 billion spending on its research and development for the last 10 years Rolls-Royce want to lead with new technological advancements, especially on the basis of collaboration with many universities of the world. Having strong hold on research and development capabilities Rolls-Royce came up as winner against manufacturers, able to keep its high end technology edge to competitors and leads the industries with new advancement in technology. This leads to Rolls-Royce at different high level category in terms of its product line. Weakness Way of dealing to legal affairs Rolls-Royce is a firm, where too many kinds of legal affairs and claims can be seen in every day companys business. Few amounts of the affairs and claims are substantial to some extent. Even though Rolls-Royce cannot forecast the results of these proceedings, however this may be possible it comes as imposition of damages, fines and other remedies contribute to hampering image of the company as well the its business, position and operations. In addition, these types of activities brought bad impression to Rolls-Royce share price market and reputation. Decreased budget for operation There is a big decrease in 2009 budgeting for operation can be seen in Rolls-Royce. A huge decline by 26.3% in financial year 2008 from  £824 million to  £607 million in financial year 2009 has been recoded. The financial position decline is the because of lack of cost effectiveness in management and poor financial decision making and planning by the management. If this trends continue for long it will definitely decrease opportunity of the perceived future growth. Opportunities Increased demand for commercial airplane engines Rapid change recoded around the world in air travel as the new market opportunities and challenges arising. Throughout the world constant demand for airlines is common as new airlines model increases, high growth in emerging economies are responsible stabilized airplanes demand. The Boing big industry giant expect a growth of $3.2 trillion market for 29,000 new aircraft for the forthcoming 20 years and consider this segment of market for near-term realities, a worldwide recession, decrease in air travel and cargo transportation, and uncertain price of fuel. There is an increase of 4.9% expected in terms of passenger traffic for each single passing year for next 20 years. There is a forecast about Asia Pacific region that it will be going to grow to a value of $1.13 trillion. Rolls-Royce is well positioned both geographically and technically to service the huge aircraft market in the future. Hence, the company is well positioned to capitalize on the growing commercial airplanes market. New planned acquisitions Rolls-Royce main objective of strategic acquisition is to raise the demand for sales and earnings growth. For example in the moth January 2010, Rolls-Royce completed the 100% acquisition of Europea Microfusioni Aerospaziali from Finmeccanica, who built precision micro-castings for aero engines. This particular acquisition would enable the company to strengthen its customer base and market position in the Italian market. Strategic acquisitions such as these would provide the company with an opportunity to develop its product base and reach across various segments and geographies. Increased demand for turbine helicopters As the turbine helicopter market segment is increases which lead to force able future, according to Rolls-Royce forecast. New emerging markets circumstances are creating a platform for an even growth in near future. There is estimation for 2010-2019 that total demands for helicopter delivery is increased to 16,400 units as good response from the commercial market fundamentals. In both these particular market division the replacement for old engines against new one will give the rise to for immense growth opportunity to this segment. Rolls-Royce, which offers one of the broadest power ranges of helicopter turbo shaft engines, is well positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for turbine helicopters. Threats High level of competition Rolls-Royce is operating in very highly commutative business environment. This company works in many diversified power field ranging from commercial aerospace market to defence aerospace market, marine market and energy market segment. Rolls-Royce high end technology makes its product different in the market on the basis of fine technology, brand name, cost effectiveness, past performance and timely delivery of the order. The biggest competitors of Rolls-Royce are companies including Hampson Industries, Honeywell International, Safran, and Textron. Few of these organisations have better engineering, production and marketing capabilities as compared to Rolls-Royce. Furthermore in addition continues consolidation for the world defence, space and civil aerospace business has rapidly getting intense to competition results in the decreased number of major contractors present in this field. This increased competition through all operating market segment also affects the share in the market. Government policies compatibilities The organisation is obligated to impose and obey all laws and terms and conditions relating to the formation, management and contract of government pertaining to performance. All contract deals and pricing data must be disclosed and should be certified by these corporate regulations. It also regulates accounting rules to control allowable cost and unallowable cost. At the same time, the organisation is restricted to use or dispose of information pertaining critical to national security concerns and import and export of technical parts and technical data. Organisation operations are immensely affected by at customer level, add up organisations operating costs .If an organization is found involved in violations of these regulations resulted in fines and penalties or even termination of the corporate contract between companies. Definitely these rules and regulation pressurise in terms of cost as well affect the budgeting structure of the organisation. Major risk for supply chain Rolls-Royce different operation facilities and supply chain diversified in different division provides products and services to its customers. As its market position and presence over well-known organisations governed by its success increases its demands to on the performance of supply chain. Rolls-Royce produces nearly 30% of value to gas turbine products; the rest is managed by external supplier. To achieve your business gaol you should be critical about timely delivery, cost effectiveness and of course quality products. When it comes to the worldwide supply chain, it is quite complex due to the reason there is involvement of large number interrelationships across broad network of the organisation. Rolls-Royce is exposed to an increased risk of disruptions to its supply chain, which could have a significant impact on its operating results Supplier capacity constraints, supplier production disruptions, supplier financial condition, price volatility or the unavailability of some raw materials may have an adverse effect on Rolls-Royces operating results and financial condition. PESTLE ANALYSIS This analysis tells about of external environmental factors. This may be a useful tool for this case because: It gives an idea of framework for figure out a huge range of environmental factors. It depicts the different data in the case which somehow acknowledge environmental issues. This also create a basis for the analysis of opportunities and threats, whereas this case itself highlights the context of the civil aerospace competition as an uncertain environment of political and economic unrest for air travellers. According to our identified order shows some key PESTLE factors which is definitely relevant to the involved airline and aerospace industries in general. Political factors Political risk, for examples the Gulf war and terrorism somehow damaging passenger confidence, particularly in the US. Presence of political support and lobbying for major EU/US aerospace businesses Support of EU aircraft manufacturer for Rolls-Royce Subsidies by EU government US tax breaks for Rolls-Royce Carbon emissions under the Kyoto protocol is targets for reduction by EU, creating pressures for reduced impact of air travel Policy formation for example Open Skies liberalisation package (2008), allowing any US or EU-based airline to launch scheduled services between the US and EU. Economic factors Supply/demand factors: unpredictable demand ; over-capacity supply market Increased price of the fuel As we talk about economic cycle for example 2008 and 2009 a global recession, generate decreased demand, excessive production supply, civil aerospace and supplier failure, unavailability of cost for major investment and unpredictable demands. Commercial aerospace segment recession in 2002-3, leads to damaged US passenger confidence after such incidence following 9/11 there are oversupply , loss of residual or resale value for aircraft and specific exposure for Airbus, due to its resale value guarantees Industry structure and competition (micro-economic factors): eg intense competition between Boeing and Airbus in effective duopoly; high barriers to entry (high investment, few major players reaping economies of scale etc); market consolidation, second-hand market; emergence of low-cost airlines. Socio-cultural factors Changes in global demand for air travel, and the emergence of new markets and routes e.g. European regional travel growth and future emerging travel markets, particularly in Asia-Pacific and developing countries (www.airbus.com: Global Market Forecast) Consumer/public/regulatory scrutiny re environmental impacts of air travel Rise in urban growth and congestion, leading to pressure on airports and air traffic management, creating demand for larger aircraft (www.airbus.com: Global Market Forecast) Challenges of cultural differences in dealing with global consumer and industry markets Challenges of cultural differences in cross-cultural organisations and alliances Technological factors Potential for technology-supported added-value products (eg e-ticketing; in-flight Internet access; flight control systems facilitating pilot training; fuel-efficient engines/aircraft) Competitor investment in R D and new product development Potential for continuing innovation Competitive adoption of efficient P S and manufacturing in engine manufacture, spare parts and MRO services Increasing technological complexity placing pressure on global customer support and training Risk of technological obsolescence, with long delivery cycles Legal factors Employment protection Health safety: important in manufacturing and also in liability for air safety Environmental standards and legislation: eg pollution control, emissions reductions, noise abatement EU/US law and WTO rulings on competition Contract law and dispute jurisdiction in contracts between EU and US firms Changes in any or all legal areas, raising change/compliance issues Eco/Environmental factors Policy, legislation and consumer pressure re environmental impacts and sustainability Risk factors: weather impacting on airline activity; spiralling fuel costs; reduction in consumer demand due to concerns re climate change Scarcity/costs of non-renewable fuels, metals and other raw materials of production Altitude, climate and other factors in routes and airport locations, affecting operations CONCLUSION To cope with consistent changes within its business sphere Rolls-Royce has changed its orientation or approach from core engineering to the more of customer concerned business firm. The company now have more proactive approach in terms of customer awareness and their services focus. But in the past this type of dealing behaviour is very less found as this company also following only the market trends. The overall infrastructure is going to renovate according the requirements of new increasing operating facilities need. Within this organisation the working structure is aligned to define good relationship within the business and a well-designed system to meet defined business objectives at the same time. But this structure does not affect the organisation important business culture at any cost within the Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce culture is found in its each employee mind and heart and represented by the way they contribute for this organisation and make decision to develop business strategy. As Rolls-Royce has changed it orientation from core engineering to towards more customer service oriented culture, this need more interaction and involvement towards its customer, with high number of empowerment and quick decision making. To embark a name in todays business world one organisation should be sound in terms of its working culture and physical terms. Rolls-Royce is working rigorously to gain its past reputation over again and achievement of the continuous success as well. As soon they achieve their corporate goals accordingly realigning its financial reporting framework and business monopoly. Finally which leads to change in organisation structure its objective and priorities.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sing :: essays research papers

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In her novel, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings';, Maya states “The black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and the lack of black power';. Fortunately Maya was able to move beyond the crossfire, proving that she overcomes opposition that her status throws her way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being a young black girl in the 1940’s was not the easiest thing to be. At that time, the two kinds of people who were believed to be of little or no importance were blacks and women. Throughout the book Maya never really accepted the fact that she was not going to get anywhere because of her status. She always tried to be the best in whatever she did, and always felt that she was just as good as or even better than many of the white people. It was not until she went to live with her mother that she really put action behind her feelings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Bailey’s departure, Maya felt that “it was going to be impossible to stay where she was, but leaving held no attraction for her either.'; (Chap 34, pg 264, line 2) Eventually she decided to go to work. She had her mind set on becoming a streetcar driver. Even though her mother warned her that they didn’t hire coloreds, she was determined just as well. When she went to apply for the job, the white receptionist put great effort into discouraging her, mainly because she was black. However, this did not discourage Maya. She was even more determined to get the job, and swore “I would have the job. I would a conductorette and sling a full money changer from my belt.'; (pg 268, line 3)

Effects of Income Inequality on Quality of Healthcare Essays -- The In

Positive rights are rights that everyone is entitled to including: the right to a public education, access to public roads, and the right to health care. There are no guarantees when it comes to life, but having health insurance makes a huge difference with preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases. Of course having insurance itself is a great resource to ensure medical care and containing costs, but not all insurance programs are created equal. Insurance programs have caveats, exclusions, varying co-payments, and access to certain doctors and hospitals, which creates an ethical dilemma. Receiving the best care is subjective in most cases, but with money you can buy almost anything, including the best care. Although those living in poverty are given access to healthcare, that does not mean they receive the best or equal care as those who are wealthy. Living in a capitalist society, the richest Americans enjoy larger homes, nicer cars, better education and even health care. Even if we lived in a capitalist society where everyone had access to the same basic healthcare program, the rich would still be able to afford better care. The wealthy are able to pay more in co-payments, prescription costs, and the ability to go outside of the healthcare system in this country to seek help. When you have the disposable resources then the sky is the limit, where the poor have very limited options. They will be confined to their healthcare coverage program and do not have the luxury of seeking additional assistance. â€Å"Poor patients often receive less quality care in the hospital, have more barriers to recovery, and experience higher morbidity and mortality than do patients with higher incomes† (Dracup). The United States is ... ...ndards and practices are more uniform based on circumstance and not based on loopholes, exceptions or lack of insurance. Everyone should be given the same preventive care and be able to receive the same treatment options regardless of location, income, or age. Competition in the marketplace can be good, but there are many complexities with healthcare and many people can slip through the cracks and others can be shortchanged. Works Cited C. Wayne Sells and Robert Wm. Blum, "Morbidity and Mortality among US Adolescents: An Overview of Data and Trends," AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH Vol. 86, No. 4 (April, 1996), pgs. 513-519. R. Wilkinson and K. Pickett, The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, Bloomsbury Press, NY, 2009, in particular pages 49- 173. Income Inequalities , Health and the Garrison State by Christopher Schaefer

Devise a Marketing Strategy to present to the Marketing Director Essay

In this case study, I have been given a number of roles and my task is to consider and provide appropriate answers in the relevant business context where you apply learning from my course of study so far and my own work experiences. Question 1 I am the supervisor in the marketing department and I believe that there is scope for gaining more sales in the standardised sector of the market because of quality differences between my product and those of larger competitors. Devise a Marketing Strategy to present to the Marketing Director designed to achieve this objective Corporate Objectives The Furniture Company, based in a small town in Lancashire, develops, manufactures and markets quality furniture. The firm has a very good reputation throughout the entire region for all its products. The Furniture Company’s Supervisor of the Marketing Department is at present pursuing a strategy to grow its market share in the standardised section of the market because of quality differences between their product and those of larger companies. Marketing Audit Internal Product – High quality standardised products targeted at C1/C2 segments. Considered to be higher quality than those of larger competitors. The firm has a very good reputation for quality products. Pricing -Currently sold to up market retail outlets and on all sales are there is a very high profit margin on a relatively low turnover. Prices are higher than for similar type products in the large retail outlets due to economies of scale in purchasing. Place – Customers mainly consist C1/C2 for the standardised furniture. Potential customers visit the company’s display showroom, fully manned by an accounts clerk, a salesperson, both of whom are full-time and two part-time salespersons at weekend. Promotion – Very little advertising is done. Current advertising is mainly done via local press, and via direct mail all aimed locally. Advertising spend tends to be about 3% of revenue, with higher marketing spend within peak months. External Social – Since consumer trends are always changing, as are several of the products. With the traditional furniture, trends have small effect on sales. Economic – Figures to be confirmed. There is a spend of over à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½750,000 within East Lancashire in the furniture market. The predicted growth for next year is 2% due to current consumer spend (interest rate currently stands at XX, and inflation 2.6%). Competitive – The Furniture Company faces many competitors, on its retail side are many, and on local scale there are approximately 10 similar sized companies, although, the firm has a very good reputation throughout the entire region for all its products. Customer Audit Standardised products are aimed at C1/C2 segments. The competitions products were viewed as inferior to those of The Furniture Company, due to highly skilled craftsmanship. SWOT Analysis Strengths * Availability, either via local showroom, situated just off motorway or via retail outlet * Access, Full showroom with manned staff * Established, very good reputation throughout the region * Established up market retail outlet supplier * Higher quality than those of larger competitors * Innovation, constantly designing new furniture for changing market Weaknesses * Prices are slightly higher than for similar type products Opportunities * Market Development * Selling to mid-market retail outlets Nationwide * Expanding product into Europe & worldwide Threats * Prices are higher than for similar type products in the large retail outlets * Unable to keep up with supplier demand Marketing Objectives and Strategies Market Development Ansoff’s Matrix is a well-known Marketing Tool for deciding upon strategies for growth. First published in the Harvard Business Review (1957) in an article called Strategies for Diversification (see below example). Market Penetration By marketing our existing products to our existing customers, thus increasing revenue, by promoting the product, repositioning the brand. The aim is to encourage people to switch from other furniture manufacturers. Market Development Marketing the product in a new market/target audience. By introducing the product into a new region and also exporting the product. Market Extension/Product Development Selling the existing standard furniture into new markets, nationwide and worldwide, as the product already has a strong marketing competence. Diversification Not required Example of The Ansoff Matrix Product Life Cycle (see diagram below) Launch/Introduction – The product is introduced into new markets and heavily promoted to create awareness. High costs. Due to success in the current markets, risk is fairly low. Growth – Higher volume of sales enables The Furniture Company to benefit from economies of scale. Products become more profitable as sales rise and costs fall. Advertising spend is still high and focuses on building upon a brand name, ready for the maturity and decline stage to introduce new furniture after the brand has been established. Maturity – Sales grow at a decreasing rate and then stabilise. Brand awareness is crucial in continuing success. The company retains its share of the market by capturing sales from weaker rivals by ensuring consistently quality furniture. Decline – At this point there is a downturn in the market for this particular product. Sales and profit decline. New products are introduced or consumer tastes have changed. Product can be removed from the market at this stage and replaced by new furniture or profits can be improved by reducing marketing spend and cost cutting. Elimination/Withdrawal (or extension) When faced with decline in sales, the company will need to decide whether the decline is Temporary, Terminal and Irreversible or Capable of being reversed by an adjustment in the marketing mix Extension To rejuvenate the product to prolong its life by changing the product, the brand, the way it is promoted or the distribution channel. Question 2 As supervisor in the marketing department one of my roles is to devise expansion strategies as question 1. I believe, however, that the high quality hand crafted furniture could sell to a national and ultimately international market especially if at some future point the U.K. joins the single currency. At present these products sell to a regional market and I have already put this idea to the Marketing Director and received a positive response to the extent that he wants you to do a presentation to the full board of Directors on this idea Devise a promotional campaign to be presented to the Board that would reach a national market for the higher quality products. Marketing is defined as the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying the requirements of customer profitably. Product Introduce the standardised range and also high quality furniture into mid-market and up-market retail outlets nationwide. The standardised range is higher quality than those of competitors. The handcrafted furniture provides high quality furniture aimed at the higher end of the market. Price Cost for the standardised product is slightly higher than its competitors. This can stand being higher due being higher quality than the products of competitors. Place The standardised products and the high quality furniture both sell currently to larger retail outlets and also to individual order. Introduction of the furniture into a national market and also international market. Promotion Offer trials to nationwide retail outlets, both mid-market and up-market with the relevant products, with trial offers. Pay for advertising spend to promote the product within the area via local media, and also promote product and brand via in-store advertising and display stands. Brand awareness is very important at this stage. The Promotional Plan * Description of products available * A description of target audience * Identification of the price * Information on where the product will be sold * Methods to be used o Posters – placed at locations in store and places frequented by your target audience o Press Release – Informing of the product to be selling locally o Local Newspaper Advertising – Advertising within locality using established media within the area promoting brand and product o Radio Advertising – Informing of product and brand launch, aimed at prime time listening, selecting stations geared to 35+ and homeowner audience. Question 3 I am employed as the supervisor in the Personnel Department and am responsible for the overseeing of the day-to-day tasks of the department. I am currently studying for the Institute of Personnel Management qualification and have become more familiar with the concept of human resources. Present a paper to the Personnel director outlining the benefits of introducing a HRM approach to the management of people and in particular how this would improve both productivity and motivation. Motivation (Definition) †¦ a set of processes concerned with the force that energises behaviour and directs it towards attaining some goal. A strategic, coherent and comprehensive approach to the management and development of the organisations human resources in which every aspect of that approach is wholly integrated with the overall management of the organisation. HRM is essentially an ideology, quote M. Armstrong, taken from Handbook of Human Resource Management, Kogan Page, 1999. Human resources management activities relate to employees pay, welfare, conditions of employment and training. HRM is based on four principles * Employees must be seen as valued assets in which to invest. It is human capability and commitment, which, in the final analysis, distinguishes successful organisations from the rest, Storey. * HRM is of strategic importance and, therefore, needs to be considered by top management in the formulation of the corporate plan. * Commitment not compliance. The key levers (the development of human resources; evaluation of performance and the rewarding of it) are to be used to seek not merely compliance but commitment. In other words, employees should not be forced to work grudgingly, but by obtaining their wholehearted commitment * Strategic implications of HRM. HRM is therefore, seen to have long-term implications and be integral to the core performance of the business. It must be the intimate concern of the line managers. Line managers have the responsibility of managing their staff. The role of personnel function is to enable the line managers to fulfil their HRM responsibilities effectively. Soft and Hard Approach to HRM The soft approach can be closer than the traditional personnel approach. Soft HRM is an integrated strategic function that is concerned with nurturing people because they are human beings whose feelings should be considered and, developing this valuable resource is the best way to achieve results. The Hard approach is based on the belief that human resources are the key assets, with emphasis placed on * Getting more out of people * Using them in a more productive way The aims of HRM are the same whether hard or soft and as follows * Enable management to achieve organisational objectives via its workforce * Enable people to utilise their full potential * Foster commitment * Integrate human resources policies with business plans * Establish an environment to unleash the creativity and energy of the workforce * Encourage flexibility in the interests of an organisation that is able to adapt to the environment and achieve excellence The main areas of management activity associated with the HRM philosophy * Organisation, design and effectiveness especially in relation to teamwork, communications, customer service and change management * Resources providing human resources required by means of recruitment, retention and training programmes. * Performance management improving performance by means of appraisal * Reward management for example, linking pay to performance * Motivation redesigning jobs and devising rewards to motivate employees * Commitment The integration of the needs of the individual with those of the organisation * Employee Relations Policies and procedures to encourage cooperation to the mutual benefit to all * Flexibility by means of mulitskilling redesigning jobs and new patterns of work * Quality as a way of life * Culture management influencing behaviour and thereby attitudes by means of resourcing, performance management and reward strategies Leadership and Motivation In the HRM school, Leadership should be democratic rather than authoritarian, managers should consult employees on matters that affect them, important in gaining respect of both the manager and the company, motivation rewards of social and psychological, not just financial. Motivation is defined as in influence that cases people (employees) to want to behave in a certain way, and combined with ability can result in performance. The motivated worker will be keen to work, take pride in their work, will not display negative attitude towards the company, display high level of commitment and get satisfaction out of work, benefiting the organisation with higher productivity levels, lower labour turnover, lower absenteeism, improve quality with less waste, greater willingness to accept change, willingness to contribute ideas and take on additional responsibility, allowing the company to overall reap the benefits of even greater financial gain. In production department, for example, possible financial reward could be brought into place looking at Hertzberg’s Hygiene factors of Pay and Benefits, Working Conditions, Company Policy, Status, Job Security, Supervision, Office and Personal Lift all set to motivate Achievement, Recognition, Job Interest, Responsibility and ultimately Advancement. HRM could look at setting up motivating factors with the sales department by setting targets based on achieving sales to new retailers nationwide with additional financial gain based on and over achieving rewards. The key concepts to adapting a HRM approach to the company would provide the following Competition advantage – Aspects of the company that give it an advantage over its rivals Human Resource Management – A strategic, coherent and comprehensive approach to the management and development of the company’s human resources Personnel Management – Management/administration of recruitment, welfare and training of the employees McGregors Theory x and Y (1960) McGregors Theory X and Y (1960) about managerial behaviour had a profound effect on management thinking and practice. His Theory Y principles featured in management training courses for a decade or more. They influenced the design and implementation of personnel policies and practices. The legacy today permeates the axioms of participative and total quality management and the continued practice of staff appraisal. McGregor defined assumptions that he felt underpinned the practices and stances of managers in relation to employees. These were evident from their conversations and actions. Two sets of propositions were dubbed Theory X and Y. He was saying that – what managers said or showed in their behaviour revealed their theories-in-use. Their predisposition led managers to pursue particular kinds of policies and relationships with employees. McGregor’s Theory Y was interpreted and promoted as a one-best-way, i.e. Y is the best. Managers or aspects of their behaviour became labelled as Theory X, the bad stereotype and Theory Y – the good. McGregor ideas were much informed by Maslow’s need satisfaction model of motivation. Needs provide the driving force motivating behaviour and general orientation. Maslow’s ideas suggested that worker dissatisfaction with work was due to poor job design, managerial behaviour and too few opportunities for job satisfaction. On the basis of these ideas about drives – Maslow suggested a classification of needs related to the development of the person – lower level needs giving way developmentally to higher order needs. Thus a hierarchy is suggested although not claimed by Maslow. Example of Maslows Hieratchy Benefits If we introduced a HRM approach to the company ultimately employees at all levels will feel motivated and productive as quoted by carrot & stick philosophy acceptance, and produce the most productivity. Employees will feel more worthy with a much easier line of communication with everyone feeling a valuable part of the organisation. The company needs to introduce a leadership mentality rather than management leadership and nurturer a new leadership approach. At present the organisation’s communications systems are mostly paper and telephone based Present a discussion document to the Personnel director explaining the concept of this electronic office, including explanation of the relevant technologies and their potential benefits You should also point out any potential drawbacks from this innovation and conclude with an evaluation of whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks or vice versa While predictions of the paperless office have yet to be fully realised, modern business now relies on a vast array of electronic equipment to function efficiently and effectively. The concept of a paperless office is to ensure productivity improvement and to use time more efficiently. At present most of the organisations communications are paper and telephone based. Initially, by utilising e-mail (electronic mail, which is the main use of the internet) the following advantages are gained by replacing paper & telephone communication * Speed of movement and data * Paperless office * Accessible via any modem line * Delivery is faster than snail mail (post, especially useful when dealing overseas) * It overcomes the problems of timezones. The recipient does not have to be there to receive it * Like fax, it is possible to send messages to more than one person * E-mail addresses are portable * It enables users to exchange information with people * The cost is not dependent on the distance travelled * It is cheaper than fax or telephone * Cuts out general chat on the telephone * Less formal than a letter * The message will remain in the recipients e-mail account until it is collected * Can be sent with document or picture attachment * E-mails can be stored until recipient discards information Installing computerised systems with each department will also benefit from enabling all staff to access shared data from different departments computerised filing systems, e.g. access into word documents, spread sheets and other programme files. With transportable laptops, the office can be taken anywhere and even used worldwide, to assist in presentations and retrieving documents on a more global scale. Document Management System Another new form of the Electronic Office is the Document Management System offering solutions from the standalone scanner to a whole enterprise solution. E-Business solution companies analyse and advise on new business solutions. The Document Management System is a small step in the way forward for the paperless office, the benefits of incorporating the system is * Reduce office staff non-productivity rapidly locating folders and documents * Retain corporate knowledge and know where it is * Access paper documents within your business application * Scan your cabinets full of documents to secure them in case of Fire, Flood, Burglary or damage * Enable multiple people access to the same document or folder * Safely secure your documents for archival * Reduce boxes of stored paper * Automatically recognise forms and characters on incoming documents and locate them based on their content * Fax and receive documents directly from your desktop * Establish document privacy Electronic Office Manager It is a Human Resources and Process Management System that focuses on the internal operations of your business. The EOM provides businesses with a computerised Office Manager, with everything defined as a procedure, checklist or form. Job Descriptions become daily â€Å"to do† lists. To help manage time with automated reminders covering everything from training events to holiday management. EOM also provides Electronic Human Resource and Training Departments with employee files, applicant databases, and pre-written and editable employee handbooks and job descriptions. It also includes a system for creating and scheduling training. EOM even helps with financial forecasting and business planning features and point-to-point web navigation and link management. Operative Procedures, HRM, Business Development, Scheduling and Education & Training are all available via EOM programme. Electronic Drawbacks Training and monitoring of training will be required at each stage to ensure competence and understanding of new system. With regular meetings required, and management of the change in system. Staff may be dissatisfied with the paperless office, and reluctant to the change. System failure. Without the adequate after support service and/or training there could be potential problems with system errors, which may result in non-productivity if staff rely on PC’s when there is a breakdown. A recent example pf a paperless office is one department of Glasgow Borough Council, who recently had a computerised system developed solely for the use. Originally, each site manager called into an office each morning to collect information on various sites requiring repair assessment visits (approx 20 throughout the day) followed by a visiting to each site and manual completion of an in-depth form, and followed by manually inputting information on the computer for someone else then to call out to complete the repair work. The Borough Council have now developed a computerised system to enable them to receive the site information via electronic organiser, input the repair requirements, and return information upon completion for repairs to be carried out. Not only did this save much time on paperwork, but also time is more effectively managed by receiving full details of jobs throughout the day, which may be in areas the site manager is already working in.    BIBLIOGRAPHY Jewell Bruce R, An Integrated Approach to Business Studies, Longman, [2000] ISBN 0582 40542 4 Ansoff’s Matrix, www.marketingteacher.com/lessons/lesson_ansoff.html [accessed 31/05/02] How do I market My Inventions, http://www.montanaedu/wwwcxai [accessed 20/05/02] The Electronic Office, www.walters.co.uk/brochure/elecoffice1.htm [accessed 06/06/02] Imaging and Document Management Solutions, www.cabinetng.net/paperlessoffice.htm [accessed 05/06/02]