Leadership in “Norma Rae” Essay

â€Å"Norma Rae† is a film based on a true story set in a Southern mill-town. The title character and fellow mill workers start a branch of the Textile Workers Union of America through the use of leadership. The two characters of Norma Rae and Reuben Warshofsky combine their talents to empower and lead the people of the mill from downtrodden workers to proactive union members. When Rueben first comes upon the town, he finds the managers of the mill oppressive to their workers. People have no rights. They make small wages. They work long hours. Rueben starts the revolution for the mill workers by inspiring Norma Rae through Superleadership. Norma Rae in turn empowers and motivates the mill workers to attain their common goal: a union. Superleadership occurs when a leader leads others to lead themselves. Superleadership is appropriate for Reuben Warshofsky because it applies well to organizational leaders. Reuben is a representative of the Textile Workers Union of America. He came to Norma Rae’s town to start a union at her mill. For his job to succeed, Reuben needs to be able to start the call for union, and leave the area confident that the cause is in good hands. Superleadership is designed to facilitate the leader within every individual. A leader who exercises Superleadership is not necessarily a â€Å"charismatic† leader. He may have a set vision and great oratory skills, but he does not lead to be followed or obeyed. He leads so that others can lead themselves and better themselves in the process. Superleadership maximizes the human resources of an organization. In the case of â€Å"Norma Rae,† it maximized Norma’s ability to have a voice. In Superleadership, the power is shared. While Reuben started the union movement, he shared a mutual responsibility with Norma Rae once she was up to speed. Followers lead because they want to. They have a stake in what they do. They believe their actions are for a greater cause. A Superleader develops self-leadership through compensation and constructive reprimand. He fosters an environment where people can be free to explore their abilities and gain confidence in what they find. This environment is essential to Superleadership. Only in an open environment can this type of leadership employ the potency and knowledge of the followers. It is the duty of the Superleader to help  develop a group’s skills once power is divided among the followers. Self-leadership can be learned through Superleadership. People are not â€Å"born† to lead. They need not be educated to be motivated or to learn. A Superleader provides a self-leader with direction. He orientates the person with the situation and helps explore the talents and skills necessary to get the job done. Reuben Warshofsky practices Superleadership on Norma Rae. He is a labor organizer looking for aid in a town that is ignorant of unions. The first person he meets is Norma Rae. She is a thirty-one year-old working-class mother of three. She is poorly educated and going nowhere fast. Her two children were by two different men. Only at the beginning of the movie does she brake off her relationship with a married man. Men oppress her in her life. Her bosses at work oppress her. They care not for her mother when she goes deaf. They reject every attempt Norma Rae makes to improve working conditions. She is a woman battered by life, but above it all she reveals an acute understanding of the world. â€Å"You lie with dogs, you get fleas.† She tells this to Reuben on their second meeting shortly after the married man slapped her. Reuben sees this glimmer of life in her and offers her hope when he says, â€Å"I think you’re to smart for what’s happening to you.† Reuben eventually leads Norma to self-leadership. Reuben tells Norma Rae the way things could be at the mill and she is inspired. He explains that the textile industry is the only industry not unionized. Reuben says to people at the first church meeting that things will not change, â€Å"not unless you make it happen.† Reuben encourages the people to join him and share in the goal to unionize the mill. Norma Rae is the only one who accepts the challenge at first. Reuben gives Norma a voice. He teaches her how to fight for a union. She starts by signing a union card. She then wears a union button and hands out others. The woman before was pushed around and uneducated. Now she is typing documents, making copies, and cold-calling her fellow workers; all for the sake of the union. Reuben’s Superleadership extends to things outside of the union. She begins to read Dylan Thomas. She allows blacks and whites to visit her home together. Norma makes her own  decisions. Her priest insults her when he will not allow a bi-racial meeting and without delay, leaves the church. When her new husband is upset with her time-consuming work, she yells back at him, and he respects her for it. Norma Rae no longer allows people to push her around. Her bosses at work continually try to make her quit: they make attempts at character assassination; they work her father literally to death; through it all Norma Rae perseveres. The management posted a sign on the bulletin board to enrage anti-union sentiment. They try to stop her from copying it and she responds, â€Å"I started it, I’m going to finish it!† Norma Rae shows her self-leadership by facing the managers of the mill. She serves a higher purpose that they cannot defeat. She evolved as a person through Reuben’s guidance. When times were tense, he was there to compliment her or to sit her down and chew her out. She was arrested soon after she copied the bulletin board and she was in tears. Reuben explained to her that she had just a taste of what was to come. He prepared her for the battle, and gave her the skills to fight it herself. The path proves to be an uphill battle, yet Norma Rae is able to encourage and motivate her followers at the mill. She bears pressure from management, resentment from mill workers and suspicion from her husband, but she stays true to her goal. She motivated people using situational approaches. She changed certain aspects of the situation in order to fit the needs of the followers. Her means of motivation were great and diverse, but it fit best under the title of the operant approach. The operant approach modifies rewards and punishments based on observable behavior. If someone’s direction, intensity, or persistence needs to be changed, a reward or punishment is delivered. In the case of Norma Rae, if someone aids the union, they can imagine a brighter future. If someone denies unionization of the mill, they will continue to work long hours for subsistence pay. Norma Rae has her own system of rewards and punishments. She knows the workers at her mill. She speaks to them as a fr iend, a friend who knows about them personally. Her reward can be a compliment or a question about a loved one. Through Reuben she developed the ability to influence people by means of flattery. She compels people to volunteer their time for the union movement so that their children can live a better life than they do. Norma knows what  makes people tick and she uses this knowledge to motivate the people to her cause. When her father dies at the mill, he becomes a modern-day martyr to rally around in hopes of a brighter future. The mill workers follow Norma Rae not because she is a saint; they know of her quick temper and sexual history. They follow her because she is passionate about her cause. The more confident Norma becomes in her role, the more she embodies her cause. She does not pretend to be anyone but herself, but she holds the union to higher standards. She is able to command the allegiance of her peers and yet remain equal to them. Her passion is what compels them to follow. In the end she gives them their greatest reward: they become a union. She sacrificed her job–and almost her marriage–to bring her goal to fruition. The union debate came down to a vote, 427 to 373 in favor of a union. This close ballot likely gained the extra needed votes due to Norma’s most memorable moment of self-leadership and motivation. In the climax of the movie, Norma Rae scrawls â€Å"union† onto a board and climbs upon a table. The sign is held above her head for three long minutes. She stands on the table willing to sacrifice everything she has for the sake of the union. She stands on the table holding up a word that is a promise for a better life. On the table, scared but determined, she inspires her co-workers. One by one they turn off their machines. A floor that one moment was a whir of noises and movement is reduced to a deafening silence. Norma demonstrates the power an individual can have to motivate people when they believe so fully in their cause. â€Å"Norma Rae† is a wonderful example of Superleadership and the motivation techniques of a leader. The journey of the mill starts with Reuben Warshofsky and his affect on Norma Rae. She in turn gains self-leadership and is able to use it to motivate her peers to unionize. It is leadership from the bottom up. It is an example of the fortitude of individuals when they are able to channel their power and organize change. It is an example of the change that can be made when backed by the strength of many able followers.

Gender Comparisons in Cognitive Abilities Essay

Gender differences are not only noticeable in physical and reproductive areas as far as men and women are concerned. These physical and reproductive differences are minimal in terms of the determinants of how men and women operate as far as other issues relating to their cognition are concerned (Gur et al. 1999). Sex hormones that are secreted during their development are responsible for the difference in brain organizations of men and women. Men and women have been shown by several studies to learn differently due to the difference in their cognition. Kimura (2000) postulated that even at infancy, girls gaze at objects longer than boys an argument that gives premise to the fact that boys have attention problems. Their sensory systems show a discrepancy even at such a young age, something that persists into old age. In addition to the above, women tend to remember some things like land marks better than the men who remember directions and distance. These are the spatial cues that the men are better off in as opposed to women (Kimura 2000). A myriad of other differences have been suggested especially in linguistic, interpersonal, logical and mathematical, musical, intrapersonal and linguistic among other areas. As the environment starts acting on the individual boys and girls after birth, they already have wired brains that show differences in how they respond to the above areas that lead to the differences. The females and males differences in their intellectual faculties lie in their abilities rather than their Intelligence Quotient, which may be the same in girls and boys, all other factors held constant but the sampled girls and boys will have differences in their linguistic and most probably their spatial abilities. Different areas of the brain are suited for various tasks and which the males and females have differing usage abilities in. Spatial differences On average, studies have found that male outperform female in spatial activities/ spatial visualizations like in situations that require the rotation of objects in a given space or in manipulation of objects in one way or another or just mental rotation. They are also able to outdo women in tasks which deal with maneuvering of their way through a maze of routes but this does not include grasping of landmarks for use as a means to remember their routes while women are able to recall landmarks more than men can. In addition to this, men are better off than women in the accuracy with which they target objects either in movement or in their static positions. They also do well in disembedding hidden objects. This extends to interception or guiding of projectiles and ability to realize any movements in the field of vision. This performance cuts across all ages as shown by Kaufman et. al (1999) that used the Weischeler Adult Intelligence Scales-Revised (WAIS-R) in determining fluids and crystallized differences in men and women. The study states that the ability to target an object develops well before puberty. The performance of men and women on Block Design, Digital Symbol and Information showed that men outperformed women in Block Design and Information while women did better than men in Digital Symbol. Verbal fluency In 2003, Shaywitz et al. were able to discern differences in gender as far as the brain’s language functional organization is concerned. They used a study called the functional resonance imaging and through this, females showed more abilities in verbal fluency than men. This included their manner of acquisition and longer spans of attention in conversation unlike men who lagged behind. They also tended to excel in memory tasks like fluency in generation of synonyms and better rapidity of identification of matching objects or items because their perception skills are better than those of their male counterparts (Shaywitz, B et al. (1995,). Kimura, 1996). They demonstrate better recall ability linked to verbal fluency than men in addition to having a higher episodic memory. They also show a greater ability to reckon words that begin with a certain letter more than the men can do. The fields of priming, semantic and primary memories do not however show any difference in men and women. Men on the other hand showed better performance in semantic measures and a higher order in the crystallized factor of intelligence. Due to the bigger cortical space in females assigned for language and its functions, there is less space left for the working of the spatial space which implies that females cannot be better than men in both language and spatial abilities. Problem-Solving Tasks There are differences in gender as far as the brain’s problem-solving tasks are concerned as reported by Gur et al. (1999) that conducted various studies and presented test to a sample of men and women under same condition. The results were basis for the conclusion drawn. First, arithmetic differences tests showed that men are higher cognitive abilities in terms of mathematics calculations and reasoning than women. In this test, set of mathematical based questions were asked to the selected sample; men responded more accurate and quick than women who displayed slowness and inaccuracy in calculated responses. In another experiment, a piece of paper was folded with a punched hole, and then the participants were asked to determine where punched hole shall fall if the paper shall be unfolded. Most men responded correctly and quickly in determining where the hole shall fall should the paper be opened than their female counterparts. Moreover, objects and images were placed before the participant and asked to rotate objects and manipulate the images. Men excelled better than women on this problem-solving task. Lastly, studies show that when men and women are targeting or aiming at an object, men are more likely to get their target than women can. This implies that women are less accurate in target-directed motor skills for example intercepting projectiles. To assert this finding, the practical example that can be used to explain this target-direct motor skill is by essence that men are good at target involving games like dart playing than women. Therefore, problem-solving task favors men than women in the sense that men perform better than women in spatial undertakings like tasks that involve mental rotating objects. Emotional coping Cognitive abilities of an individual to great extend help in process of coping with stress or depression. The essence that facilitates connection between coping with emotions and cognitive abilities is because through use of intelligence that a person can think, perceive and react to the surrounding. In this regard, intelligence needed to cope with emotions is defined as cognitive ability and content of the thought which differ greatly in men than women (Shaywitz et al. 1999; Gur et al. 1999). The meta-analyses studies conducted found that men are less affected with emotions than women. For instance, women were found to be affected by maladaptive or negative thinking about an emotional problem than male. Men usually indulge in alcoholism, aggressive behaviors and violent behaviors. While women are worse affected by the emotional since are usually depressed and can develop various eating and psychological disorders like bulimic or anxiety. Differences in precision in manual tasks Women are a bit faster than men in precision as far as some manual tasks like placing pegs in the holes on a given board. Coupled with their ability to recall the positions of objects more precisely than men, women show a greater likelihood of replacing an object to its initial position with a greater accuracy than men or state whether a given object had been displaced or not. Women therefore show a better fine motor coordination as compared to men The neuroanatomic difference in males and females has been found to contribute to cognitive abilities especially those that are sexual in nature. Females have XX genetic make-up while males have XY. These genes play a great role in differentiation and it is due to the absence of the Y chromosome in females that leads to the release of androgens which are the male hormones. These hormones cause the female to develop. Some periods when there is the release of sex hormones, there is an impact in the brain which leads to differences in cognition from the periods when there is no hormonal release. Prenatal development period has shown the greatest levels of hormone release according to several researches done (Shaywitz et. al 2003). During puberty the levels of the hormones do rise again and these fluctuations continue throughout one’s life span. Research has established that girls who were exposed to high testosterone levels were shown to display greater spatial skills when compared with other girls who had not been exposed to the hormone. This shows that the male hormone testosterone is responsible for the spatial abilities that males have. Males show some excellence at problem-solving in school more than females in addition to working out multiple choice tests better than females. Such examinations like SATs are performed in better by males than females who, apparently do well in written and untimed tests while getting higher overall grades in their schooling years. Girls have also proved to be better performers in math than males up to high school level where they drop, an aspect that has been attributed to the inclusion of m ore spatially oriented math in which the girls appear to be lower in performance than males (Shaywitz, B et al. 1995). Males are known to have a larger brain than females with a size which is 10% larger than that of females. Some researches have indicated that there is a correlation between the size of the brain and intellectual abilities. The males’ brains have more cerebrospinal and white matter than the brains of females. More white matter according to Gur et. al 2000 (cited in Shaywitz et. al 2003) is responsible for the information transfer to other regions of the brain thus contributing to their superb spatial abilities while the women who have more of the grey matter enhance greater processing capacity and efficiency. As has been stated earlier on, the brain is laterized such that one hemisphere dominate t6he other in a given or given fuction(s). The brain’s two halves are more laterized in the performance of some cognitive functions. In males, the laterization is more pronounced than in the females due to the neurohumoral interactions mediated by the testosterone hormone. Fourie and Stuart (2006) carried out an investigation on the role of gender and temperament in Functional Hemispheric Asymmetry and perception of emotional stimuli. In this investigation, they used a total population sample of 112 with females being 58 and men 54. The sample had four groups of students who were right-handed and chosen in terms of their gender, and temperament. Their levels of neuroticism, introversion and extroversion were measured using a personality questionnaire. The Divided Visual Field Technique, their differential hemisphere performance regarding latency and accuracy were determined. After the use of T-square test (Hotelling’s), the results showed that the accuracy in terms of the response time scores in men and women had a great difference in the way the two genders process their emotional stimuli. Women were found to do so faster and more accurately than their male counterparts in the processing and response to emotional stimuli. There are also some gender differences in maladaptive thinking and coping with stressful situations. The risk of depression in men is 8-12% while in women it has been found to be between 20-26%. Disorders related to depression affect about 70% of women and 30% of men due to the fact that women show uncontrollability in perception more than men (Kaufman, 1999 Voyer, 2005). Individuals with unilateral brain lesions or damages were studied (Inglis & Lawson 2001) and it was found that males lost their verbal ability more than the females after both genders suffered damages in the left hemispheres. Men also lost their spatial abilities after a brain damage on their right hemispheres. Women were found to be better off than men in verbal ability even after suffering the same damage on either lobe. This justifies the fact that language and spatial abilities are bilaterally represented less in men than in women. Brain organization The human brain organization is an important part aligning for performing the cognitive tasks. The human brain has two hemispheres which are specialized in carry a specific kind of activity better that the other hemisphere. Brain organization for male is more lateralized to its cognitive functions than women brain. The major difference in lateralization of the brain is the hormonal roles (Shaywitz, et al. 1999). For instance, the testerone hormone facilitates neurohormonal linkage during early stages of cognitive development creating dimorphism in cerebral (Kimura, 1992). On the other hand, women brain is less lateralized with more of its portion assigned to verbal or language tasks. In electrical activities, men show they use their right hemisphere for spatial activities as opposed to women who use their left hemisphere. Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has discussed with illustrations the major gender cognitive difference between men and women. In the discussion, the paper has Spatial differences, Verbal fluency, Problem-Solving Tasks, Emotional coping, Differences in precision in manual tasks, and Brain organization. However, a point of worth to note is that there is distinct difference between the female and male cognitive abilities which is influenced by brain structures such as hypothalamus region. Moreover, SDN (sexually dimorphic nucleus) is smaller in women while larger for males. References Gur, RC et al. (1999) â€Å"Sex differences in brain; correlations with cognitive performance† Journal of Neuroscience, 29, p. 4042-4059 Kimura, D. (2002). â€Å"Sex, sex hormones and sexual orientation influence on human cognitive function† Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 16, p. 261-268 Kimura, D. (1998). Sex differences in the brain, Scientific American, 10, p. 26-31 Kaufman, A et al. (1999), â€Å"Intellectual growth pattern and decline across the adult life-span for women and men† Journal of Clinical Psychology, 37, p. 759-802 Shaywitz, B et al. (1995), â€Å"Sex differences in the functional organization of the brain for language† Nature, 363, p. 595-610. Shaywitz, S et al. (1999). â€Å"Estrogen changes functional organization of brain† Journal of the American Medical Association, 271, p. 1103-11513. Voyer, D. (2005) â€Å"A meta- analysis of Magnitude of sex differences in spatial abilities† Psychological Bulletin, 107, p. 252-273

Drama and Literacy in the classroom Essay

The widespread saturation of non-literary narrative forms with which students interact in modern society has resulted in a distinct change in the methods and means of literacy skills and education. Researches have discovered that advantages exist for students who are enrolled in cross-discipline curriculums and specific evidence exists to show that the use of drama within a classroom setting provides and ample boost to the educational experiences and efficacy of students. The TES has reported on research from Durham University which found that primary pupils’ academic performance may improve if their schools devote time to drama. Children from inner-London primaries achieved better than expected results in maths and reading tests after their schools took part in an outreach project run by the National Theatre. † (Literacy Trust) Such a boost is the result of the multifaceted levels of engagement and interactivity that drama provides for students. In addition to boosting literacy and math skills, researches have discovered that drama also enhances speaking and listening skills, which, in turn, enhance performances across the spectrum of scholastic activity: â€Å"drama can be a powerful tool to develop children’s speaking and listening skills: National Theatre children learned to speak more clearly and listen more attentively than their matches. † (Literacy Trust) Other cited benefits are: children who participated in drama in the classroom reported an increased enjoyment of school, higher self-esteem and self-confidence, a clearer ability to set and meet goals, and an enhanced understanding and interest in the creative arts: â€Å"When drama is used in literature-based reading programs, it often remains as simulated role play to recall and/or provide an alternative ending for all or part of a story. In order for a drama activity to enhance both literary and literacy development, the activities must engage the children in a thorough reading of the story. † (Hertzberg, 1998) The success of drama-enhanced curriculums may be connected to human brain function, thus demonstrating an organic merit to the dramatic form as a teaching technique and educational aid. â€Å"Education is now beginning to take account of recent research into the way the brain works and the ways in which children learn and to relate this to the teaching and learning of today’s curriculum. The result is likely to be an increase in creative and multi-sensory approaches to teaching, linked to clearly defined learning objectives. â€Å"(Neelands, Baldwin & Fleming, 2003, p. 4) Because drama requires participation in group-work and interaction with sets of individuals all working toward a shared goal, text-work through dramatic readings and performances, â€Å"creates a sense of shared ownership through which children can investigate and develop characters, fill the gaps left in the text, reveal the subtext, and use their imaginations to bridge the divide between writer and reader, integrating and encompassing all aspects of literacy. (Neelands, Baldwin, and Fleming 5) Perhaps most importantly of all, the participation in drama encourages students to engage with texts emotionally, intellectually, and with a vested interest and connection to the material which seems to be absent from traditional learning methods. â€Å"Drama creates motivation for students to participate and facilitates students’ responses in reading instruction[†¦ ]dramatization is a source of scaffolding for emergent readers by providing rich background experiences for future reading[†¦ ] dramatization leads students to develop symbolic representation, which is the same concept children require in order to understand the alphabetic principle. † (Lin,2003). Other benefits certainly exist within the drama enhanced curriculum; only practice of the theoretic techniques and research will fully disclose the potential for this type of dynamic educational process. References Hertzberg, M. (1998). Theory into Practice: Using Drama to Enhance Literacy Development. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 21(2), 159+. Neelands, J. , Baldwin, P. , & Fleming, K. (2003). Teaching Literacy through Drama: Creative Approaches. London: RoutledgeFalmer. www. literacytrust. org. uk 3-31-07, accessed 4-9-07. http://www. literacytrust. org. uk/Database/drama. html#test Lin,Chia-Hui. â€Å"Literacy Instruction through Communicative and Visual Arts† The Clearinghouse on Reading, English, and Communication Digest #186 12-03, Accessed 4-10-07. http://reading. indiana. edu/ieo/digests/d186. html

Use of RFID technologies for identification, tracking Term Paper

Use of RFID technologies for identification, tracking - Term Paper Example There are advanced technologies associated with this method of keeping watch applied by the US while in the battle field. Evidences in support of this are the depth and range of research on this topic carried out by various scholars and interested parties. Their recent operations and raids have utilized space surveillance as a method of staying alert in the battle field. Technology and military theory, as well as the manner, in which it is applied during war and the impact of the aforementioned on the society, will be looked into keenly with the analysis of the works of various researchers on the topic. Another aspect will be that of information warfare. There are other researches on related topics, which support this view from different angles but with similar findings as will be realized subsequently. Revolution in military affairs has put technology in the right perspective when it comes to battlefield awareness. The US military as history has it, made heavy investments on military technology with space craft's as a priority . Use of devices that collect data before putting up a plan of attack while at war takes center stage in the US military operation layout. The socioeconomic paradigm of each era in the US reflects on the investments made in ensuring victory over the wars. In so doing, poor return on technological investments scales escalate. Errors in judgments are associated with such technologies resulting to retarded economic progress. ... Introduction Many organizations are fast adopting the use of RFID systems for easy tracking of counterfeit goods and all sorts of other criminal activities that people might engage in to the detriment of a company. Despite the growing popularity of the technology, the opposition has slammed RFID for its potential threats to privacy of individuals. It is imperative to acknowledge the opposition could be right since every person has a constitutional right to their own privacy. The deployment of RFID systems in the contemporary society is widespread. Philips Semiconductors that manufactures RFID chips has sold more than a billon chips across the world [9]. This may mean that many companies across the world have already installed RFID into their surveillance and tracking systems. Industrialized countries have adopted the technology more than in any other parts of the world [9]. While people may think that RFID systems are some of the latest technology breakthroughs in tracking systems, R FID have been in existent since the World War II. They were used in the war to detect Friend or Foe systems in military aircrafts [9]. In the contemporary world, there are several applications of the RFID systems including; automobile immobilization, inventory management, payments systems, tracking of animals, and in automated traffic toll collection. These widespread applications of RFID have improved efficiencies in accomplishing tasks for companies but on the other hand, have invigorated the debates on their infringement on people’s privacy. How RFID Works RFID tag has two components that aid in its collection, processing and transmission of information. Its part that is integrated into

Multinational Acquisition (MICROSOFT acquired NOKIA Essay

Multinational Acquisition (MICROSOFT acquired NOKIA - Essay Example With this concern, the essay intends to elaborate the acquisition strategy of Microsoft Corporation over Nokia Oyj. Microsoft recently underwent strategic acquisition of different brands of Nokia. The company opt for patent acquisition specifically of certain mobile phones that were traded by Nokia previously. Microsoft acquired patents of around 8500 designs that were previously traded by Nokia. However, Microsoft did not opt for replacing the existing brand name that Nokia is using for branding its products (Singh, 2014). Thus, the essay will analyse the different acquisition techniques followed by the organisation i.e. Microsoft when acquiring Nokia. The type of acquisition, which Microsoft underwent, is patent acquisition. In order to describe the acquisition, it can be inferred that the company acquired nearly 8500 patents of designing certain brands of Nokia. Patent is duly considered to be an intellectual property for the companies. The acquisition of the patent rights eventually provided Microsoft with an added advantage to develop an authority to deal with certain authorities. It is worth mentioning that with the recent development of different phones that designed by Apple and Samsung, the well-developed market of Nokia fell drastically. Furthermore, as the Android technology based smart phones took over the market and developed its leadership over Windows software, Microsoft even faced a massive downturn. The giants of their respective areas of operations faced severe backlogs and developed a huge turmoil during this convergence of the market. Thus, Microsoft went with strategic development of acquiring the 8500 design p atents of Nokia specifically in the field of smart phones (Ali-Yrkko et al., 2013). The acquisition that took place between the two companies was mostly based on the intellectual properties, which are owned by Nokia. Microsoft eventually acquired the business units that

Consultancy business report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

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Impact of the recent financial crisis to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Korea - Essay Example The crisis left devastating impacts on the economies of the four countries (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Korea) as discussed below. The 2007/2008 financial crisis left the four countries with huge financial debts borrowed from the developed economies (Lin, 2014). Generally, most south East Asian states including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Korea had borrowed huge loans before the crisis to rebuild their economy after the Asian crisis that had happened previously. The crisis reappeared in a time when the countries were struggling to repay the loans borrowed for economy reconstruction after the Asian crisis. This placed a heavy burden on respective countries thereby retarding their development progress. These states are still paying the loans acquired before financial crisis set foot in Asia. The financial crisis hiked the cost of living to more than double in the four countries. up to date, the residents in the four countries go through very difficult times because job opportunities are still few and the available jobs are underpaying (Klein & Shabbir, 2007). Furthermore, foreign investors returned back to their countries and the domestic investment has performed poorly since then. Basically, low investments (both domestic and foreign investments) in a country results in inadequate job opportunities and consequently, high poverty levels. The crisis weakened the local currencies of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Korea which caused these nations a huge fortune in terms of time and resources to reconstruct their economies. Poor performance of the local currencies made exports cheap wealthy nations seized the opportunity to develop their economies (Jensen, 2010). Moreover, depreciation of local currencies negatively affected local investment due to dumping by foreign investors. Additionally, depreciation of local currencies in the respective states during and after the crisis led to less demand of domestic products

Power in leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Power in leadership - Essay Example Throughout her career in the military, Johnson was a prime example for her colleagues as she would assists her students with surgical procedures as she was part of the U.S Army Medical Research and Development command. Furthermore, her valiant display of leadership enabled her to break the color and the gender barrier, a sensitive issue that haunted the nation and the army at that era. Without a doubt, Hazel Johnson-Brown has contributed a lot to the field of nursing. I would implement several of her techniques that can become the centric point of my career. First, I would embed her work ethic in my career. In addition, I would try to act as a facilitator for my colleagues and not be selfish about education or experience I possess. Furthermore, her ambitions would allow me to take charge in critical situations that can not only give me a confidence boost but enable me to harness my learning curve as I transition from a student to a professional. Power and influence are two vital aspects that come with integrity, responsibility, and leadership. Embedding the core principle of responsibility in my opinion is one of the most vital aspects of attaining power and influence. In any given profession, it is essential that one â€Å"delivers on time† and fully delivers in critical situations. In addition, responsibility can be a channel for being a leader in the team. Incorporating a hard work ethic and giving dedication in this career allows the hospital staff to appreciate your hard work. Hence, it gives them confidence in you to allow you to give leadership roles in vital situations. If one can implement all these vital aspects, power and influence can be achievable at a higher

Article summary example Essay Example for Free

Article summary example Essay Will Rasmussen in the article â€Å"Egypt fights to stem rapid population growth, writes about Egypt’s dilemma of trying to stop a vastly growing population. Egypts population doubled since President Hosni Mubarak took office in 1981 and it’s likely to double to 160 million by 2050. The nation’s growth has been quite high, in recent years the fertility rate is about 3.1 children per woman in contrast to the United States’ 2.1. Most of the country’s 82 million people compressed in urban areas near the Nile River where some districts host 41k people per square kilometer in comparison to the city of Manhattan that holds 27k people per square kilometer. The state’s officials are having a difficult time trying to find solution to the so called â€Å"pressing problem† as journalist and former member of parliament states The population explosion is a crisis the government doesnt know how to handle. President Mubarak spoke once in a government sponsored conference about the population increase saying, cutting the population growth was urgent. However, Mubarak doesnt mention an exact number of children on the other hand the government prefers a family of two. The countrys urgent problem presents many concerns, one of which is the economy. The nations financial system is frail as estimated recently to be 7 percent and unfortunately has not been steady enough to construct a middle class. Such economy cant support a large population whose one fifth is living on less than a 1$ a day. Additionally, Egypt does not processes many resources as it depends heavily on the water from the Nile and imported goods. Many are concerned about the general welfare of the people as Magued Osman, chairman of the cabinets Information and Decision Support Center states The consequences are areal deterioration in the quality of life and in agriculture land per person. Furthermore, the government has tried to use incentives to modify the nations behavior. A few measures taken to restrict large families maternity benefits that sparked protests. Egypt is not going to legalize abortion which helped Tunisia bring down fertility rate and vasectomy is  barely heard of in the state . Egypt being a predominantly Muslim country, and generally the religion allows contraception. However many Egyptian people oppose the idea of limiting the number of kids to a family. A few believe having a large family is a source of economic strength. Others deem it not for the states or government to decide on such a matter as they say it is up to the creator. Work Cited Rasmussen, Will. Egypt Fights to Stem Rapid Population Growth. The New York Times.The New York Times., n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. .

Research methodology in tourism report

Research methodology in tourism report This chapter outlines the rationale for the research approach and methodology methods chosen and also explains the various processes involved in the research process itself. The methodology is a descriptive part of the research project which provides an evaluation of the methods, techniques and procedures used throughout the investigation. It is used to describe the scope and aims of the various research processes in detail. The subdivision will also briefly outline the meaning and differences between research methods and research methodology. The chapter will also momentarily framework adopting qualitative and quantitative processes. Finally, the research process itself will then be explained and justified and the process of raw data collection will be commented on. 3.2 Meaning of Research It is known that ‘research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge.’ [Kothari, 2004: 25]. There are various definitions of research, one of which suggests that ‘research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organising and evaluating data: making deductions and reaching conclusions: and at last carefully testing the conclusion to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.’ [Kothari, 2004: 25]. However, Kumar [2010: 11] argues that research is the ‘pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and experiment.’ Therefore, the purpose of research aims to determine answer or questions through the application of scientific procedures. Kothari [2004: 25] further illustrates that ‘the main aim of research is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been discovered yet.’ 3.3 Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods A mixed method research can be defined in several definitions which have emerged over time incorporating various elements of methods, research processes, and philosophy and research design. Croswell and Clark [2008: 2] outline mixed methods as the combination of ‘qualitative and quantitative approach in the methodology of study.’ It is the type of research in which the researcher combines elements of qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Croswell and Clark [2008: 4] illustrate that mixed method approach is used ‘for the purpose if breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration.’ Therefore a mixed method research approach combining both qualitative and quantitative research methods will be used throughout the research as it accounts for ‘the primary purpose of a study conducted with a mixed methods way of thinking it to better understand the complexity of the social phenomena being studied.’ [Greene, 2007: 20]. 3.4 Qualitative Research A Qualitative approach to the research is to be taken as it will provide an insight into the setting of the problem to generate ideas and/or hypotheses for later quantitative research. Qualitative research allows an individual to obtain information that is not necessarily all statistical if any at all by conducting interviews, producing questionnaires for numerous amounts of people or providing personal information. Qualitative research can also be best identified as a ‘natural setting where the researcher is an instrument of data collection, who gathers words or pictures, analyses them inductively, focuses on the meaning of participants, and describes a process that is expressive and persuasive language.’ [Creswell, 2008: 14]. Patton (2002) also suggests that the ‘thought of research design substitutes and method adoptions can identify directly to the relative strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative data, therefore the answer to particular questions is primarily a pragmatic one’. Other definition of qualitative can be seen as:- Qualitative research†¦. is based more on information expressed in words†¦This approach is common whenever people are the focus of the study. (Walliman, 2006: 187) Patton [2002: 14] identifies that qualitative method ‘require the use of standardised measure so that the varying perspectives and experiences of people can fit into a limited number of predetermined response categories to which are assigned.’ Furthering to this Patton [2002: 15] argues that qualitative methods characteristically produce a wealth of detailed information from a much smaller sample population that increases the ‘depth of understanding of the cases and studies but reduces generalizability’ [Merriam, 2014: 100], thus, the overall purposes of qualitative research is to achieve ‘understanding of how people make sense out of their lives, delineate the process of meaning-making, and describe how people interpret what they experience.’ [Merriam, 2014: 100]. Hennink, Hutter and Bailey (2011: 97) state that ‘qualitative research is a broad umbrella term that covers a wide range of techniques and philosophies.’ Subsequently, it is not to define as in broad terms qualitative research is an approach that allows a person to examine people’s experiences in details, by using a specific set of research methods. 3.4.1 Strengths of Qualitative Research There are much strength in terms of qualitative research, in forms of personal experiences and a way to gather suitable data which might not have been investigated before. Tracey [2013: 97] states that ‘qualitative research is excellent for studying contexts you are personally curious about but have never had a ‘valid’ reason for entering’. In addition to personal interest or disciplined voyeurism, qualitative data provide insight into cultural activities that might not otherwise be missed in structured surveys or experiments.’ (Tracey, 2013: 97). As a result of these strengths the qualitative research method will be a good research approach as it will identify personal and emotional experiences data and not just statistical this will entail the researcher a better understanding of what emotional motivations people have when travelling, thus reflecting back to the aim is commonly known as quantitative research which compact data that is numerical form which is later evaluated using statistical methods to aid with finding of the outcome of the research obtained. 3.5 Quantitative Research The second research approach will be quantitative research. Quantitative research is scientific investigation that includes both experiments and other systematic methods that emphasize control and quantified measures of performance (Proctor Capaldi, 2006 cited in Hoy, 2009: 1]. Quantitative research is essentially about collecting numerical data to explain a particular phenomenon, particularly questions seem immediately suited to being answered using qualitative methods.’ [Muijs, 2011: 1] ‘Quantitative analysis deals with numbers and uses mathematical operations to investigate the properties of data.’ [Walliman, 2012: 179]. The main characteristic of quantitative data is that it consists of information that is, in some way or other, quantifiably [Rasinger, 2012: 10]. Therefore quantitative data can be implemented into numbers, figures and graphs, and processes it using statistical procedures. 3.6 Research Methods After identifying the types of research approaches that will be used, the next fragment looks at what methods will be most appropriate to this research project. Identifying appropriate research methods are important as Rugg, Gordon, Pete and Marian [2007:2] identifies ‘research determines the overall structure of your research’. 3.6.1 Qualitative Research Methods 3.6.2 Interviews Interviews will be the only qualitative research method used within the research. The purpose of in depth interviewing is not to test hypotheses, and not to ‘evaluate’ as the term that is normally used.’ [Seidman 2013: 9]. Interviews are inherently more flexible, whatever the level of structure, ranging as they do from ‘listening in’ and asking questions in a real-life setting to the standardized recording schedules used by market researchers.’ [Gilham, 2005: 3]. Dougherty [2014: 94] state that ‘different types of interviews produce different types of responses from different people.’ The researcher will identify the most appropriate form of interview to be implemented during qualitative research. There are three common types of interviews; unstructured, structured and open-ended, and structure and fixed response. 3.6.3 Unstructured interviews, Structured and Open-ended, Structured Fix Response Interview Unstructured interviews are characterised by a minimal direction of their content by the interviewer and allow for adapting the questions depending on the respondent [Dougherty, 2014: 94], whereas, structured and open-ended interviews consist of a set of preselected questions that the consultant asks the interviewee. Dougherty [2014: 94] illustrates that ‘this type of interview is considered more flexible than procedures such as surveys and checklists.’ The final type of interview is structured and fixed response. Structured and fix response interviews provide both predetermined questions and responses from which to choose. They allow for standardization and tend to have a high level of reliability. [Beaver and Busse, 2000] 3.6.4 Semi-structured interviews The researcher will therefore use the Semi-structured interview technique used during qualitative research as stated previously ‘unstructured interviews are characterised by a minimal direction of their content by the interviewer [Dougherty, 2014: 94]. By using semi-structured interviews the researcher can seek both clarification and elaboration on the answer given and record qualitative information regarding the topic [Fisher, 2007]. Schensul [1999: 149] best defines semi-structured interviews as a:- ‘predetermined questions related to domains of interest, administrated to a representative sample of respondents to confirms study domains, and identify factors, variables, and items or attributes of variables for analysis or use in a survey’. Semi-structured interviews combine the flexibility of the unstructured, open-ended interview with the directionality and agenda of the survey instrument to produce focused, qualitative, textual data at the factor level’ [Schensul,1999:149]. Semi- structured interviews will therefore accomplish the following objectives, firstly to further clarify the central domains and factors in the study, secondly to operationalize factors variables, thirdly to develop preliminary hypotheses and finally, develop a qualitative base for the construction of an ethnographic survey if required one [Schensul, 1999: 150]. The characteristics of semi-structured interviews are that although there is a question framework to ensure consistency, answers are open-ended and will allow the respondents to communicate their ideas freely. Similar the structured interview, the semi-structured interviews are constructed around a core of standard questions as illustrated in appendix one which identifies the check list the researcher will use to ensure all appropriate questions are asked. The researcher may probe the participant and obtain further classification or detail on a certain topic. As Oppenheim [1998: 81] states ‘the respondent are allowed to say what they think and to do so with greater richness and spontaneity’. 3.6.5 Letter’s to organisations The semi-structured interviews were agreed by the referral of letter as seen in appendix two. The researcher obtained conformation by requesting the arrangement to interview the individual by letter. The letter provided all relevant information regarding the main objectives of the letter and areas of interest, necessary information regarding what the research was about and the need for investigation for the research. The researcher will also request each individual to fill in a consent form, as seen in appendix three. 3.6.5 Who will the interviews by with? The researchers chose three tourism related individuals who all had some kind of relation to the tourism industry within New Quay to conduct interviews with. These particular individuals were chosen as they would be the most appropriate candidate to provide relevant information in regards to the research project. The first interviewee was the General Manager of Quay West. The researcher chose to undertake one of three semi-structured interviews with as Quay West was one of Haven’s Britain’s favourite seaside holiday resort which labelled themselves as ‘Britain’s largest provider of domestic holidays.’ [Haven, 2014]. The researcher could then ask significant tourism related questions that provide interesting findings. The second interviewee was a customer service advisor within the tourist information centre in New Quay. The researcher decided to arrange a semi-structure interview with the tourism information centre as the interviwer can question and obtain an inside knowledge of what types of tourist visit, what motivates tourism to New Quay and their opinion in terms of the reliance of tourism within New Quay. Finally, the researcher requested an interview with a member of the New Quay council. The research choose a member of the New Quay Council with the hope that they can obtain relevant information, first hand experiences with tourism within the town and finally a personal opinion on their thoughts and feeling in terms of tourism within New Quay. 3.7 Strategy of Researcher In Doing Mixed Method Approach The strategy of the researcher in doing the mixed method approach of both qualitative and quantitative research methods was to undertake semi-structured interviews to provide relevant questions reflecting back on the answers that were given to create pilot questionnaires and questionnaires to gather quantitative research. 3.8 Quantitative Research Methods 3.8.1 Pilot Questionnaires and Questionnaires Cargan [2007: 116] defines that ‘a pretest or pilot study is a means of checking whether the survey can be administered and provide accurate data.’ The advantages of questionnaires over interview, for instance, are; it tends to be more reliable, it encourages age’s greater honesty because it is anonymous, its more economical then the interview in terms of time and money and there is the possibility that it may be mailed [Cohen, Manion, Morriosn, 2011: 209]. The researcher will aim to efficiently organize questionnaires as Gillham [2000:6] notes that ‘response to even large-scale questionnaires can be pulled within a matter of weeks’, ensuring questionnaires are returned as prompt as possible. This is why the combined mix methods approach of qualitative and quantitative was used to accomplish more of an accurate research within this dissertation. Consequently, a research instrument like a questionnaire to collect data will be used as the quantitative r esearch methods for its known validity and reliability this can be seen in appendix four. Baring in mind the researcher will also take into consideration the disadvantages of a questionnaire. Which are; there is often too low a percentage of return, if only closed items are used, the questionnaire may lack coverage or authenticity and as Gillham [2000: 2] states ‘they seek to get answers just by asking questions.’ ‘Therefore, Cohen et al [2011: 209] state that ‘there is a need, therefore, to pilot questionnaires and refine their contents, wording and length, etc. as appropriate for the sample is being targeted.’ 3.7 Role of the researchers The first element of the researcher’s role was to contact and arrange interviews via email, the second was to create and distribute questionnaires from answers implemented from the previous interviews. Contacting the interviewee’s was done via sending consent letters to conduct an interview via email as seen in appendix one. Many of the interviews were held during mid-week, Wednesday and Thursday. This was because this was the most convenient time for all interviewee’s and the researcher. The questionnaires were the second element of the researcher’s role. The researcher firstly created a pilot questionnaire as identified in appendix five. This was to ensure all questions asked were appropriate to the research and to ensure the format was correct. Once done the researcher then finalized and distributed the questionnaires on Saturday afternoon during half term in New Quay town. The distribution of questionnaires was 10am to 4pm, providing with enough time t o collect effective data from passing tourists. After the distribution of questionnaires the researcher then collected and analysed. 3.8 Validity, Reliability and Research Ethics The techniques of research selected within the methodology were for the reason that they were convenient, relevant and effective. Alternative motives were that the researcher was able to travel to interviews arranged and collect questionnaires that were distributed. The researcher already had an idea of the area and therefore could co-ordinate her time efficiently during the distribution of questionnaires to the busy areas of the town. To ensure the research was reliable the researcher firstly conducted interviews, from the interviewee’s responses the researcher was than able to create a pilot questionnaire and requested one participant to fill it in as seen in appendix five. Ensuring the pilot questionnaire with all the relevant questions asked was important, once this was clarified the researcher was then able to finalize and distribute the questionnaires, this can also been seen in appendix four. The researcher furthermore had to require ethical approval before data collection commences as ethics is a primary responsibility of conduct of the ethical research which lies with the researcher. This ensured that the data collected during the research process was ethical and did not contravene any of Cardiff Metropolitan University’s ethical regulations. Ethical approval can also be known as a safeguard to the researcher when conducting the research. the research the researcher also considered that occasionally there can be Ethical issues in Research, this includes researchers can be exposed to moral and ethical dilemmas and issues such as two dominant ethical principles in research with human subjects; informed consent and the protection of subject harm.

Does Britain Have an Underclass?

Does Britain Have an Underclass? What is an underclass and does it exist in Britain today? The idea of the existence of an underclass isn’t by any means new. Charles Murray is perhaps the best known researcher who has studied the underclass both in the US and Britain. Murray arrived in Britain in 1989 from the US where he suggested that a huge underclass had already emerged and he wanted to compare Britain to the US. He described in his 1990 paper â€Å"the Emerging British Underclass† that it was spreading â€Å"like a plague through our social fabric†, concluding that Britain does indeed have an underclass and predicting that by the year 2000 it would have grown to dramatic proportions. This essay shall examine the theory of underclass by Charles Murray and some alternative opinions by his critics in order to exemplify what a complex subject the underclass is. Murray’s prediction of an existing and indeed expanding underclass will also be examined. It is impossible to examine the concept of underclass without looking at an example of class theory of which there are many. Just one has been selected, that of Runciman (1990). He suggests that there are seven classes in British society the upper class, three middle classes (upper, middle and lower) two working classes (skilled and unskilled) and an underclass. Runciman describes the underclass as those who are â€Å"excluded from the labour market entirely† (cited in Marshall, 1997). This could be because of disability, being in debt, or through lack of skill and are highly likely to be women or/and in the ethnic minorities. These are not causal factors. The main feature of the underclass is long term unemployment. Murray (1990) agrees that long term unemployment and it’s increase is the cause of the underclass along with the rise of single parenthood. Welfare benefits are too easily available for these groups he argues, thereby creating a â€Å"culture of dependency†. Murray’s definition of â€Å"underclass† is not concerned with the degree of poverty but a type of poverty and supports the view that the underclass are defined by their behaviour. They devalue the work ethic and are often associated with anti social behaviour and crime. He argues that the provision of welfare benefits for single parents have contributed towards the decline of the traditional nuclear family. Murray focuses on illegitimacy seeing it as a different â€Å"problem† from divorce, separation or widowhood. He sees that children who have only ever known one parent from birth are more likely to be in the underclass than those who have, at some point, experienced having two parents. He co ncluded that illegitimacy was more common in households that were poor than rich and also in white families more than black or Asian (although he doesn’t see â€Å"race† or ethnicity, or gender as a contributory factor). He makes a distinction between the short term unemployed and those who are long term â€Å"economically inactive†. The reliance on benefits and devaluation of work perpetuates from generation to generation, thereby forming early socialisation into the counter-culture referred to as the â€Å"underclass†. The class theory of Runciman and the meaning of underclass according to Murray are not the only theories in existence. The complexity of it means one fixed definition cannot be attributed to it. Critics of Murray suggest that there is a tendency in his work to blame the underclass themselves, whereas societal factors need to be considered. Glasgow (1980) argues that the economy has failed to provide equal opportunities. Inequalities mean that some groups are excluded. Field (1989) blames the Thatcher government for rewarding the rich and punishing the poor and suggests that social problems are interconnected. One particular part of Murray’s theory that has attracted criticism is the focus on illegitimate1 children. Brown (cited in Lone Parent Families, Ed: Donnellan, 2004) argues that it is unfair to label illegitimate children as being in the â€Å"underclass†. In many cases of divorce or separation, the absent parent doesn’t contribute financially at all or con tributes very little, thereby placing their child and former partner amongst the groups that are not so well off . Statistics have shown that single parenthood has risen in Britain supporting Murray’s prediction. Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Western Europe, the second highest in the world. The figures for the number of illegitimate children in 1988 in Britain was 25.6%. The 2001 census showed that as many as one in four children are being raised in a single parent family. 90% of single parents are women. Single teenage parents are most likely to be amongst the poorest. Child care facilities are expensive and working hours may not be flexible. Studies have shown that if they do find work they may start at the very bottom of the ladder in part time or temporary positions with few benefits, perhaps only earning slightly more than they would on benefits. If they do try and get themselves out of hardship, it would prove incredibly difficult. Finding work does not necessarily mean that someone will be out of poverty. Murray fails to mention the elderly, often seen in Britain as outside of mainstream society, despite what their position was during their working life. Field (1989) cites the underclass as consisting of single parents, the long term unemployed and the frail, elderly pensioner. Many critics of Murray argue that income and wealth need to be equal to give the elderly better lives. Efforts have been made such as free eye tests, free television license and winter fuel payments. However, this help is not available to all pensioners and those in social policy would like to see a return to a link between pensions and earnings (which was abolished in 1980) which would help lift the elderly out of poverty (source: the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website). Government policies have been implemented to try and alleviate problems. Charles Murray eventually stopped providing Government with possible policies because of pessimism about their capabilities to change things. Figures for February 2006 showed that the employment rate was 74.5% but this figure was down by 0.4% over the year. 51% of those unemployed were women. However, the number of job vacancies had decreased. Those taking part in Government schemes such as the New Deal are not included in unemployment figures. Critics suggest that the Government create these schemes so that unemployment figures drop but putting people into poorly paid work will not lift them out of the underclass. Preston (2005) emphasises that the benefit system for those not working is inadequate and often inaccessible (for example to asylum seeker families) so therefore doesn’t provide the security Murray suggests it does. It is impossible to give an adequate definition of what the underclass is as it is very much a disputed concept. Ideas of what the underclass actually is have been mentioned here, notably Murray who suggests that the British underclass is a subculture in itself and tends to blame the people within it rather than societal circumstances. Critics blame inequalities in education, job opportunities, housing and so on. It can be concluded that there are sections of society that could be termed the â€Å"underclass†, desperately needing Government to create policies to help them out of poverty and that those outside the mainstream society are growing asylum seeker families are certainly excluded from mainstream education and a chance to work adding to those living in poverty in this country. In this respect, Murray was right in that those living in poverty has grown. Social scientists and policy makers however do not always agree on who actually makes up the â€Å"underclass† . Word count: 1252 References Brown J (2004) Quoted in Lone Parent Families Ed: Donnellan, Scotland, Independence Educational publishers Field, F , (1989) Losing out: The Emergence of Britain’s Underclass, Oxford, Blackwell Marshall G (1997) Social class and underclass in Britain and the USA (an essay from Social Differences and Divisions Ed: Braham P Janes L (2002) Oxford, Blackwell in association with the Open University) Murray C (1990) The Emerging British Underclass cited in Morris L (1993) Dangerous classes, London, Routledge Preston G, (2005) Quoted in Child Poverty Action Group Manifesto: Ten Steps to a Society Free of Child Poverty, CPAG (white paper) Internet source Joseph Rowntree Foundation (online) Social Exclusion Unit: Breaking the Cycle: Taking Stock of Priorities for the Future, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004 Internet source

Penelopes Recognition of Odysseus as a Beggar Essay -- World Literatu

In Homer's epic The Odyssey, Odysseus returns to the island of Ithaka disguised as a beggar. He reveals his real identity to his son, Telemakhos, as well as a few others who he would need to help kill the suitors. However, Odysseus does not reveal himself to his wife, Penelope. She recognizes the beggar as her long lost husband and chooses not to unveil his true identity. Penelope does this because she realized that her husband would be in danger, in his current surroundings, if she was to reveal who he really was. Therefore she acts as if she does not know the beggar is Odysseus. However, it is portrayed subtly in the book that she does indeed know that the beggar is her husband. The very first piece of evidence Homer provides that Odysseus would be recognized by his family, is when the old dog recognizes who he was. The dog had been around since Odysseus had set sail on his epic journey. This makes the dog extremely old, and yet it still is able to recognize Odysseus' voice. The fact that the dog recognizes him in disguise so easily foreshadows Penelope's recognition of Odysseus as a beggar. Upon hearing of the travels of the beggar, Penelope is very interested to question him as to whether he has ever crossed paths with her husband Odysseus. The story that Odysseus tells her is for the most part untrue. However, he does give specific details as to what clothes he had worn, so that Penelope would believe that the story was truthful. The beggar then goes on to tell her that Odysseus is coming back to Ithaka in the very near future. It is at this point that Penelope first thought that the beggar could actually be her husband Odysseus, as she was overcome with emotions, and began to cry. From this point on ... ...at if he was not revealing himself to her that there was a good reason for it. Since she knew this, she went along with his act and did not give him away. On numerous occasions she makes comments that would lead one to think that she doesn't know the identity of the beggar, but it is merely the fact that she is highly intelligent and is able to hide what she knows very well. Through all of these examples, it is obvious that Penelope recognized Odysseus to some extent in the beginning, and throughout his time posing as a beggar she became more convinced of his identity. She hides this knowledge only to protect herself and her husband. Their interactions, though subtle to the naked eye, upon closer examination reveal that she did in fact recognize her husband as the beggar. Works Cited Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1996.

Essay --

Nuclear energy comes from the nucleus of an atom. The source, or fuel, of nuclear energy is most commonly Uranium 235 Nuclear energy can be converted into electricity, as a secondary energy source, which flows through power lines and other sources to be transmitted to your home. Fission means to split apart. Inside the nuclear reactor, uranium atoms are split apart in a controlled chain reaction. A slow neutron can be captured by a uranium-235 nucleus, and leave it unstable when undergoing nuclear fission. If a neutron goes too fast, it will not be captured in the nucleus, so neutrons must be slowed down to increase their chance to the captured in the reactors. The pressurized water reactor is better to the environment than the boiling water reactor because more of pressurized water reactor is enclosed in a containment structure, which produces less radiation to the surrounding area. Uranium is found in uranium mines. Searching for uranium is sometimes easier to find than for other mineral resources because the radiation signature of uranium's decay products allows deposits to be recognized and charted from the air. The energy released by the fission that takes place in a nuclear reactor is converted and generated into electricity. Both fission and fusion are actively used in providing power for the missions in space. They create higher velocities that increase the speed of rockets. Nuclear energy can be used by archaeologists, geologists and anthropologists in defining the age of rocks, insects, etc. It can be used in the treatment of cancer through the use of radiotherapy. Nuclear Energy can also be used in Food and Agriculture, Sterilization, Tracing Pollutants, Detecting Leaks in Pipelines, and Power Sources. http://ww... ... energy than what the lasers originally shot at the target. Preparing for a typical fusion reaction takes weeks, but the reaction is completed in less than one-billionth of a second. At the core of the reaction, the pressure is 150 billion times atmospheric pressure. "The density and temperature of the plasma created is nearly three times that at the center of the Sun," Omar Hurricane wrote. Does not emit greenhouse gases Creates a huge amount of energy in small amounts of fuel Can commonly find the fuel to use fusion Does not emit as much radiation as fission We haven’t been able to have a controlled reaction be able unleash huge amounts of energy on earth. We need to have a reaction where we get more energy from fusion than how much energy we need to create it. It only occurs at extremely high pressure and temperatures. Reaction lasts a very short time.

Doctor Who vs. Back to the Future Essay

People always love a good science fiction film or show, because even though it can have the same basic idea, they can be completely different. Doctor Who and Back to the Future are two of the world’s most beloved franchises, however, even though they are both based on time travel, they completely different but have some key similarities. Both of these franchises have a basis of time travel. Doctor Who is about an all-knowing alien named The Doctor, who travels through time and space in his time machine called the TARDIS. He is normally accompanied by a friend or a companion that he picks up along his travels. With Back to the Future, it revolves around a seventeen-year old kid named Marty McFly who, after crazy circumstances, winds up taking the time machine his best friend, Doc Brown or Doc, had invented. Marty is accompanied by Doc from different points in Doc’s time line. The extent of time travel is different for these franchises. Time is one of the most complicated ideas in all of history. When it comes to the time travel perspective Doctor Who is much more complicated than the simple Back to the Future model of time travel. In Back to the Future, Marty accidentally goes back in time and stops his parents from ever meeting. Throughout the movie he tries to get his parents to fall in love. When he begins to fail at getting them to fall in love, he starts to fade away. This idea seems to be pretty straightforward. However, you need to take into account the fact if Marty was never born how did he travel back and stop them from meeting. In Doctor Who it goes much more in-depth and time travel gets more difficult to understand. If the Doctor was faced with the same situation as Marty, a paradox would occur and he would have been from a different time stream where his parents got married, and he wouldn’t have faded away. One of the most immense trademarks that define these franchises is the characters. The trademark characters define this genre of film. The Doctor is an alien from the planet Gallifray, who has been traveling for about 900 years. Marty, is a teenager who gets thrown into a time travel with no foreknowledge about the subject. Marty is a naive teenager who doesn’t know the first thing about time travel, whereas the Doctor knows all about time travel, history, science and, most importantly, what not to mess with. Even though they don’t share the same knowledge, their personalities have some similarities. They both show bravery when needed and are willing to rip through time just to help someone dear to them. However, what shines the most about these two characters are their flaws. Whenever someone calls Marty a chicken, he loses all control of himself and does whatever he can to prove he isn’t. The Doctor, on the other hand, has a dark side. If someone breaks the Doctor enough, who is already damaged, he will show no mercy, and that is the scariest thing about him. Even though no one likes them, the antagonist of each franchise is just as important as the protagonist. In Back to the Future the antagonist is Biff Tannen. Biff Tannen bullied Marty’s dad as a kid and continues to bully him into adulthood. With Doctor Who the main antagonist, among many, are the Daleks. They are a robotic alien race that wants nothing more than to destroy anything that isn’t Dalek and will do anything to survive. Both of these enemies only care about can benefit themselves. Neither of them cares if they hurt anyone, or the disaster they can cause in their quest for power or wealth. The Daleks, however, aren’t the same as Biff. The Daleks are very loyal to their own race, whereas Biff isn’t loyal to anyone. In Back to the Future Biff is thought of as a pain that Marty has to deal with whereas when the Doctor has to deal with the Daleks, he is frightened. The Daleks are pure hate and have no sympathy. Biff is a human being so therefore he does have humanity somewhere in him. The science fiction genre is one of the most celebrated genres in all of history. It is so vast and so loved by many. Even though there are so much science fiction, even though some have the same basic idea, they can be so different with a few key things in common that makes it spectacular. Doctor Who and Back to the Future are two enchanting franchises in their own ways, even with both of them revolving around time travel.

Business Activities To Achieve Result Essay

Question1 Discuss how is each function of the organization is related to each other Answer: Discuss how is each function of the organization is related to each other.  Your business’s functions are the things it does — production, sales, marketing, research and billing, for example. The organizational structure defines the relationship and interactions between the parts of your business, and identifies how the chain of command runs through the different levels. You can set up your business structure around your organizational functions, but even if you don’t, function and structure will influence each other. Planning Vision Directional and motivational guidance for the entire organization Mission An Organization’s reason for being. It reflects the culture and values of ownership.  The planning function of management controls all the planning that allows the organization to run smoothly. Planning involves defining a goal and determining the most effective course of action needed to reach that goal. Typically, planning involves flexibility, as the planner must coordinate with all levels of management and leadership in the organization. Planning also involves knowledge of the company’s resources and the future objectives of the business. Look more:  define problem essay Organizing The organizing function of leadership controls the overall structure of the company. The organizational structure is the foundation of a company; without this structure, the day-to-day operation of the business becomes difficult and unsuccessful. Organizing involves designating tasks and responsibilities to employees with the specific skill sets needed to complete the tasks. Organizing also involves developing the organizational structure and chain of command within the company. Related Reading: How Do Control Mechanisms Affect the Four Functions of Management? Staffing The staffing function of management controls all recruitment and personnel needs of the organization. The main purpose of staffing is to hire the right people for the right jobs to achieve the objectives of the organization. Staffing involves more than just recruitment; staffing also encompasses training and development, performance appraisals, promotions and transfers. Without the staffing function, the business would fail because the business would not be properly staffed to meet its goals. Coordinating The coordinating function of leadership controls all the organizing, planning and staffing activities of the company and ensures all activities function together for the good of the organization. Coordinating typically takes place in meetings and other planning sessions with the department heads of the company to ensure all departments are on the same page in terms of objectives and goals. Coordinating involves communication, supervision and direction by management. Controlling The controlling function of management is useful for ensuring all other  functions of the organization are in place and are operating successfully. Controlling involves establishing performance standards and monitoring the output of employees to ensure each employee’s performance meets those standards. The controlling process often leads to the identification of situations and problems that need to be addressed by creating new performance standards. The level of performance affects the success of all aspects of the organization. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/relationship-between-organizational-functions-organizational-structure-18571.html Question 2 Explain the aims and objectives for any company. Also, draw a process map for any of the function Answer: A business aim business’s aims are targets in from of statement of purpose that defines where an entity wants to be within a certain time span. Any business aim must be measurable, achievable, and realistic, because an entity’ aims are important in defining the nature of policies that will be formulated to run a business unit. It is important for individual to note that, not all business aims are measurable quantitatively, because some business aims are aimed at improved service delivery and maintaining the rapport of an organization Aims are set with this in mind: S- Specific M- Measurable A- Attainable R- Realistic T- Time A business objective  is the plan you will use to reach the goals you need for your organization If you are making a business or organization for your company’s coming you will not garner much success without clearly defined business objectives. A business objective will create a union between the mission and the strategies of your organization (i.e. marketing, productivity, projected profits, results). If you and your employees do not know where the organization is headed—then everyone will just travel in different failing directions The company that I choose is Apple. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers. Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, and the iPad tablet computer. Its consumer software includes the OS X and iOS operating systems, the iTunes media browser, the Safari web browser, and the life and iWork creativity and productivity suites. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976 to develop and sell personal computers. It was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. on January 3, 1977, and was renamed as Apple Inc. on January 9, 2007 to reflect its shifted focus towards consumer electronics. Apple is the world’s second-largest information technology company by revenue after Samsung Electronics, and the world’s third-largest mobile phone maker after Samsung and Nokia.[4] Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012. On September 30, 2013, Apple surpassed Coca-Cola to become the world’s most valuable brand in the Omnicom Group’s â€Å"Best Global Brands† report. However, the company has received criticism for its contractors’ labor practices, and for Apple’s own environmental and business practices. As of May 2013, Apple maintains 408 retail stores in fourteen countries as well as the online Apple Store and iTunes Store the latter of which is the world’s largest music retailer Apple is the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, with an estimated market capitalization of $446 billion by January, 2014. As of September 29, 2012, the company had 72,800 permanent full-time employees and 3,300 temporary full-time employees worldwide. Its worldwide annual revenue in 2013 totaled  $170 billion. As of Q1 2014, Apple’s five-year growth average is 39% for top line growth and 45% for bottom line growth. In May 2013, Apple entered the top ten of the Fortune 500 list of companies for the first time, rising 11 places above its 2012 ranking to take the sixth position. Apple is the most successful startup company of all time, by market capitalization, revenue, and growth Apple has been the biggest public company in the world since overtaking Exxon Mobil to reach the number one spot last year, but Monday’s move means that it has now entered the record books as the biggest company ever. At Monday’s close of trade, Apple shares need to settle at $657.50 for the record to be set on a closing basis as well, according to S&P Dow Jones indices. The shares were trading 2 percent higher to $661.15 at around 1.19 p.m. Apple shares have rallied as investors anticipate the release of the iPhone 5 and possibly an iPad Mini in September as well as more details about the company’s plans for an Apple TV, according to analysts at Bernstein Research. â€Å"Everyone loves a winner, if you play the quick trade be careful,† said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices in emailed comments. â€Å"If you are an investor check the fundaments and business plans, and avoid the hype in your decision.† Apple scaled new heights as fellow technology heavyweight Facebook Inc briefly plumbed new depths. The No. 1 social network slid to a record intraday low of $18.75 on Monday before bouncing back to trade around $20 after Capstone upgraded the company’s stock to buy from hold on Monday. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Apple_Headquarters_in_Cupert http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-an-aim-for-a-business?ad=SEO&an=SEO&ap=google.com.ly&o=102140 Question 3 (This question provides evidence for grading criterion 1.3 ) Identify if there is a quality gateway implemented on the output of the process you had chosen in previous task Answer financial services practice, equally your company and you, in my opinion, are exposed to risk every day. Some of those risks are the same as those faced by every small business, but some are single to the financial services industry In all cases, understanding the risks and the potential for losses keeps you one step ahead. Minimizing risk must be one of your key strategic objectives as you idea the future of your business. Financial Risk Almost all sorts of large businesses require a minimum sort of risk analysis. For example, commercial banks need to properly hedge foreign exchange exposure of oversees loans while large department stores must factor in the possibility of reduced revenues due to a global recession. Risk analysis allows professionals to identify and mitigate risks, but not avoid them completely. Proper risk analysis often includes mathematical and statistical software programs Compliance Changes Every advisor who plans an investment strategy for a client must consider tax and regulatory issues. Investment plans often incorporate tax advantages put into place by the federal or state government in order to encourage investing. The danger arises if tax or regulatory laws change and clients are financially damaged by the changes. Even if you are not held legally responsible, such a situation may damage your reputation. Keeping that risk to a minimum means staying on top of tax law and researching the effects of planned changes to your clients’ portfolios. It should go without saying that you should structure your clients’ strategies on sound investment principles, rather than trying to exploit the latest tax loopholes. Expectation Risk As a professional advisor, you must follow SEC and other federal and state  regulations in your dealings with clients. Many individual clients, however, do not necessarily understand your role in their investments. This can lead to clients believing that you are providing services that you are not, or that you are constantly monitoring their portfolios for them. Misunderstandings in this area can result in litigation and damage to your reputation. In order to ensure that your clients are on the same page with you, draft an engagement letter that clearly outlines your services and have clients sign it. Market Risk The portfolios you manage on behalf of your clients – as well as your own – are subject to the ups and downs of the investment markets. The strategies you have in place for your clients are partially dependent on whether a bull or bear market exists. Data Security You have access to significant financial and other sensitive information about your clients; they expect you to maintain confidentiality and protect their information. A security breach can land you in legal hot water and can destroy the reputation you have built. If you are not sure how to beef up the security around your clients’ data, meet with a data security expert to learn how to properly handle and store confidential information. The Bottom Line It is impossible to protect you and your company against all risks, but you can minimize them through proper planning. Being aware of potential risk pot holes, before you hit them, can keep you on the right road. Gateway Review Process : The Gateway Review Process examines programs and projects at key decision points in their lifecycle. In order to provide a project’s Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) with meaningful, timely advice, a review should be conducted prior to a project  decision point. For example, a Gateway review of a business case should occur several weeks before the business case is submitted through the relevant Public Authority approval process. This enables recommendations to be addressed before the business case is submitted for approval. The review provides a project’s SRO with independent guidance that can improve or advance a project. The primary purpose of a review is to add value to the project team’s own expertise in order to help them be more successful in delivering the project. Gateway reviews are applicable to a wide range of programs and projects. To help you determine if your project may be suitable for a Gateway Review, please complete the project assessment tool. http://www.ask.com/wiki/Compliance_(physiology) http://www.ask.com/web?q=++Compliance+Changes&qsrc=364&o=15732&l=dir http://www.ask.com/web?q=Compliance+Changes&qsrc=19&qo=spellCheck&o=15732&l=dir Question 4 (This question provides evidence for grading criterion 2.1 ) Develop a plan according to the task given by any company In any business we have some steps or point the we have to go under if we are going to open any new business like for example in McDonald is going to open a franchisee in Libya there will be few steps they have to do includes strategic planning, operational planning, market research and financial analysis Strategic planning is an organization’s process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the future direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues through which it can pursue particular courses of action. Strategic planning is the process of looking at an organization’s current status and determining where that organization wants to be in the future. Strategic planning involves looking  at an organizations strengths, weaknesses What Are the Steps in Strategic Planning & Management? There are many different frameworks and methodologies for strategic planning and management. While there is no absolute rules regarding the right framework, most follow a similar pattern and have common attributes. Many frameworks cycle through some variation on some very basic phases: 1) analysis or assessment, where an understanding of the current internal and external environments is developed, 2) strategy formulation, where high level strategy is developed and a basic organization level strategic plan is documented 3) strategy execution, where the high level plan is translated into more operational planning and action items, and 4) evaluation or sustainment / management phase, where ongoing refinement and evaluation of performance, culture, communications, data reporting, and other strategic management issues occurs. Leadership Above all, the strategic planning process needs drive — the continuing commitment to pushing the process on through difficulties, obstacles and opposition. The whole process requires someone to be designated as coordinator and to be responsible for keeping the process moving against the timelines. Without a strong commitment, there will be no outcome . Consultation After this comes the ability to recruit, consult and persuade members and stakeholders. A successful strategic planning process will be genuinely inclusive, involving all its stakeholders — paid and volunteer staff, board, clients, funders, and the community. Resources There are resource implications in embarking on strategic planning. It’s going to take time, staff, and attention away from your day-to-day operations. If your Board isn’t prepared to commit resources to the project then you’re better off not attempting it. Operational planning is the process of linking strategic goals and objectives to tactical goals and objectives. It describes milestones, conditions for success and explains how, or what portion of, a strategic plan will be put into operation during  a given operational period, in the case of commercial application, a fiscal year or another given budgetary term. An operational plan is the basis for, and justification of an annual operating budget request. Therefore, a five-year strategic plan would typically require five operational plans funded by five operating budgets. Operational plans should establish the activities and budgets for each part of the organization for the next 1 – 3 years. They link the strategic plan with the activities the organization will deliver and the resources required to deliver them. An operational plan draws directly from agency and program strategic plans to describe agency and program missions and goals, program objectives, and program activities. Like a strategic plan, an operational plan addresses four questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to be? How do we get there? How do we measure our progress? The operations plan is both the first and the last step in preparing an operating budget request. As the first step, the operations plan provides a plan for resource allocation; as the last step, the OP may be modified to reflect policy decisions or financial changes made during the budget development process. Operational plans should be prepared by the people who will be involved in implementation. There is often a need for significant cross-departmental dialogue as plans created by one part of the organization inevitably have implications for other parts. Operational plans should contain: clear objectives activities to be delivered quality standards desired outcomes staffing and resource requirements implementation timetables a process for monitoring progress Market research is any organized effort to gather information about target  markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy The term is commonly interchanged with marketing research; however, expert practitioners may wish to draw a distinction, in that marketing research is concerned specifically about marketing processes, while market research is concerned specifically with markets Market research is a key factor to maintain competitiveness over competitors. Market research provides important information to identify and analyze the market need, market size and competition. Market research, which includes social and opinion research, is the systematic gathering and interpretation of information about individuals or organizations using statistical and analytical methods and techniques of the applied social sciences to gain insight or support decision making Financial Analysis: Financial analysis (also referred to as financial statement analysis or accounting analysis or Analysis of finance) refers to an assessment of the viability, stability and profitability of a business, sub-business or project. It is performed by professionals who prepare reports using ratios that make use of information taken from financial statements and other reports. These reports are usually presented to top management as one of their bases in making business decisions. Continue or discontinue its main operation or part of its business; Make or purchase certain materials in the manufacture of its product; Acquire or rent/lease certain machineries and equipment in the production of its goods; Issue stocks or negotiate for a bank loan to increase its working capital Make decisions regarding investing or lending capital Other decisions that allow management to make an informed selection on various alternatives in the conduct of its business. http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/bsi/quality-through-standards/why-is-quality-important.html#axzz2v6zOqYVh http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/bsi/quality-through-standards/why-is-quality -important.html#axzz2v6zOqYVh Question 5 (This question provides evidence for grading criterion 2.2 ) List your aims and convert them into SMART aims Business ‘ goals and objectives , missions and visions are important for success . Must be all the work for its own objectives in order to plan accordingly and work hard to achieve it , and setting goals will also help employees to be motivated to work hard and achieve goals condition. SMART objectives : – it is a set of goals that should be , and measurable , specific goals can be achieved by focusing on the specific results on the exact timing . is specified , stretch, and large. is measurable , motivational , and meaningful . is to be achieved , and agreed to and accepted . is for results , and a realistic and reasonable. is for time bounded Specific: – the specific goals and objectives of any business, must be clear, defined well, understood by the all employees whom are working in a specific project. Measurable: – means that the goal is capable to be achieved and know when it is suppose to be achieved. Achievable: – the goals must be agreed by different stakeholder in the company, therefore they would be motivated to achieve the requirement goals. Results: – the availability of the all requirements resources lead to focus on achieving specific results. Time bound: – setting a time to finish the work in order to work hard to make employees work hard to achieve it on time. SMART objective focus on the time and the achievable goals more than the activities and plans to achieve it. Reasons for using SMART: – Clear goals and objectives to be achieved. Specific goals help to analyze and control the business’ future. Give reasons to implement it. Specific goals add value to the daily works and tasks. Goals motivate employees to work more and more. Set a direction for achieving the goals http://www.statuspath.com/business-goal-and-objective-examples/ http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/38292 Question 6 (This question provides evidence for grading criterion 3.2 ) Choose the right system to complete the objective in the most efficient way ? Quality Management  a recent phenomenon Advanced civilizations that supported the arts and crafts allowed clients to choose goods meeting higher quality standards than normal goods. In societies where arts and crafts are the responsibility of a master craftsman or artist, they would lead their studio and train and supervise others. The importance of craftsmen diminished as mass production and repetitive work practices were instituted. The aim was to produce large numbers of the same goods. The first proponent in the US for this approach was Eli Whitney who proposed (interchangeable) parts manufacture for muskets, hence producing the identical components and creating a musket assembly line. The next step forward was promoted by several people including Frederick Winslow Taylor a mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency. He is sometimes called â€Å"the father of scientific management.† He was one of the intellectual leaders of the Efficiency Movement and part of his approach laid a further foundation for quality management, including aspects like standardization and adopting improved practices. Henry Ford was also important in bringing process and quality management practices into operation in his assembly lines. In Germany, Karl Friedrich Benz, often called the inventor of the motor car, was pursuing similar assembly and production practices, although real mass production was properly initiated in Volkswagen after World War II. From this period onwards, North American companies focused predominantly upon production against lower cost with increased efficiency. Why the quality is important for business? The basic model behind most businesses is to create products or services and sell them to customers for a profit. These products or services must live up to a certain quality standard expected by customers. If the quality level is not met, there are consequences to face for the business. Therefore, quality is important to a business for a number of reasons. Customer Retention and Value To retain customers for repeat business, a company must sell products that live up to the customer’s expectations. If a customer has a good experience, they are likely to come back and spend money with your business again the next time they are in need of your products or services. A customer must feel like the product or service he bought from your company was worth the price. If some customers feel that they paid too much for the quality or product received, you will likely not get any repeat business from them in the future. Reputation A company’s reputation relies heavily on the quality of its products or services. This is relevant to both customer reviews and company marketing. For example, high-end clothing designers or expensive car companies often set the bar high through their marketing efforts, which typically promise perfection, as well as the expensive price tags on their products. If those expectations are met by the customers who buy their products, the company maintains its reputation. Customers who receive a lower-quality product than expected will complain to friends, family and co-workers about how the product or service did not live up to expectations, which will ultimately lower your consumer reputation, especially if the majority of your customers have negative experiences. Legal Issues The things you sell to consumers must also be safe, and not just for legal reasons. If you are in the food industry and you sell rotten food to a customer, it can lead to health issues for that person. Similarly, if you sell an electronics device that has not passed safety inspections, it can lead to safety issues for the consumer, like an electrical fire or shock. Malfunctioning or unsafe products are a threat in almost every industry, and could lead to dangerous situations for your customers Safety The things you sell to consumers must also be safe, and not just for legal reasons. If you are in the food industry and you sell rotten food to a customer, it can lead to health issues for that person. Similarly, if you sell an electronics device that has not passed safety inspections, it can  lead to safety issues for the consumer, like an electrical fire or shock. Malfunctioning or unsafe products are a threat in almost every industry, and could lead to dangerous situations for your customers Costs Poor quality increases costs. If you do not have an effective quality control system in place, you may incur the cost of analyzing nonconforming goods or services to determine the root causes and retesting products after reworking them. In some cases, you may have to scrap defective products and incur additional production costs to replace them. If defective products reach customers, you will have to pay for returns and replacements and, in serious cases, you could incur legal costs for failure to comply with customer or industry standards. THE BENEFITS OF QMS Quality management systems, such as the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards, have a number of benefits. While these systems may demand time and resources when being created and implemented, the benefits will continue for as long as the procedures and processes are followed. And this will outweigh any disadvantages or inconveniences that a quality management system brings. Repeatable Processes Quality management systems will provide your business with a number of processes that are constantly repeated to produce a product or a service. Over time, these processes are honed and refined until you have a system that is effective and produces high-quality results. Knowledgeable Staff Because you will have so many repeatable processes, the staff carrying out these actions will have a clear definition of their roles and responsibilities, as well as what you as a manager require of them. In knowing the exact process that needs to be carried out, mistakes and errors will decrease. 9000Resource.com states that staff members â€Å"are more satisfied and motivated once there are defined roles and responsibilities.† Increased Business Many clients actively seek an organization that has some sort of quality  management accreditation, whether it be from ISO or from another body. If you have implemented quality management systems and been accredited by a global body, your company will stand out among your competitors. Supplier Relationships A good quality management system will define a procedure whereby all new and existing suppliers are vetted on a regular basis to ensure their competence and quality of service. Ongoing agreements and relationships can therefore be struck with reliable suppliers, and you can be assured that the service you are given is of the standard that you require. Customer Satisfaction Because a quality management system defines processes and procedures that lead to a high quality product or service, your customers will be pleased at what you are providing. This will prompt them to return to your company, as well as recommend you to friends, family and colleagues. This will boost your business reputation and attract clients and suppliers. Improved controls, discipline (e.g. prevents the use of short cuts and duplication of activities), procedures, documentation, communication, dissemination and customer satisfaction, quicker identification and resolution of problems, greater consistency (i.e. the job is done the same way, time after time and best practices are shared), increased quality awareness, in particular from those departments and people who traditionally perceived ‘quality’ not to be their major concern. A reduction in errors, customer complaints and non-conforming products, services and costs and the retention of customers. Assistance with the liberalization of trade through common rules and language. Responsibility for quality issues is placed firmly where it belongs, with the supplier and not the customer. Reduction in the number of customer audits and assessments and also a reduction in the time taken, leading to a saving in resources need for such activities. Identification of ineffective and surplus procedures and documents and other  forms of waste. better working environment http://blog.simplilearn.com/it-service-management/service-quality http://www.business-online-learning.com/define-total-quality-management.html#.UxdxEx_TkcA Question 7 (This question provides evidence for grading criterion 4.2 ) Devise monitoring and control plan and operationalize it ? Dates of creation revision plan Should reconsider its business plans on a regular basis, especially if the work is to expand quickly, and suffer from cash flow problems, and add new products or services or access to new markets. Align your dates with short-term goals and long-term action plan set out in the original and make a comparative analysis. Depending on your business, and this could be a review of monthly, quarterly or yearly. The development of a tracking system If your business plan contain measurable goals, and to develop a tracking system to evaluate where you stand regularly. For example, if the plan calls for earning a certain amount of revenue per month, and keep track of revenue on a daily or weekly budget to monitor and control the process. This approach allows you to tweak your system if your numbers are off the mark. Monitoring key elements often. Key elements for a plan of action research on the market and competition, as well as the projected income. Each of these elements are subject to rapid change, and must remain aware of where you stand in relation to these issues. Coordination of business and marketing plans Interfere business and marketing plans in several ways, for a review of all the documents at one time on a regular basis can help you to monitor and control objectives and measurements of each plan. If an element of one plan changed dramatically, and assess its impact on other plan. For example, if you invite your marketing plan to be able to launch a major media campaign, but revenue forecasts weak business plan, and review all stay on the right track. Make changes if necessary A business plan is not a document is subject to change. Consideration of the plan liquids that can be tweaked and updated as your business changes and grows. Do not cling to elements of the plan that is outdated or no longer useful. For example, if part of your plan for a period of five years, includes a move to a larger facility, but find that after a five-year facility for your small works just fine, and to review and update the business plan. Constantly reviewing your plan so that you are always looking forward to the one, three and five-year increments, based on expectations of future performance in the past. What is Project Management? Project management focuses on controlling the introduction of the desired change. This involves: Understanding the needs of stakeholders. Planning what needs to be done, when, by whom, and to what standards. Building and motivating the team. Coordinating the work of different people. Monitoring work being done. Managing any changes to the plan. Delivering successful results. More specifically, what is a project? It’s a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product, service or result. A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources. And a project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal. So a project team often includes people who don’t usually work together – sometimes from different organizations and across multiple geographies. The development of software for an improved business process, the construction of a building or bridge, the relief effort after a natural disaster, the expansion of sales into a new geographic market — all are projects. And all must be expertly managed to deliver the on-time, on-budget results, learning and integration that organizations need. Project management processes fall into five groups: Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing Stakeholder management All management is concerned with these, of course. But project management brings a unique focus shaped by the goals, resources and schedule of each project. The value of that focus is proved by the rapid, worldwide growth of project management: In organizations and businesses, project management can be concerned with anything, particularly introducing or changing things, in any area or function, for example: people, staffing and management products and services materials, manufacturing and production IT and communications plant, vehicles, equipment storage, distribution, logistics buildings and premises finance, administration, acquisition and divestment purchasing sales, selling, marketing human resources development and training customer service and relations quality, health and safety, legal and professional technical, scientific, research and development new business developmentand anything else which needs planning and managing within organizations. https://www.google.com.ly/?gws_rd=cr&ei=0XQXU_H3Mqm60gGjqYGYDA#q=Dates+of+creation+revision+plan+