Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Challenges that Steven B. Belkin faced and recommendations for their Case Study

Challenges that Steven B. Belkin faced and recommendations for their solution - Case Study Example This paper presents the situation analysis that examines the TTG Company and its environment. TTG was established as a private corporation that provided group travel designated groups of individuals at a low cost. The aim of formation of the group was to meet the increasing demand for low-cost travel groups in the U.S. The industry itself is not yet mature. It is ten years old and is still growing given that it has only ten competitors to TTG. The main customer base of TTG is prime groups that are known to be extremely responsive to group travel such as shrines, medical associations and teacher associations among many others. The main product provided by the firm are deluxe group tours. This analysis provides an examination of the internal and external environment of TTG Corporation. The internal environment is examined using strengths and weaknesses. TTG has the strength of low-cost services compared to its competitors. The company wishes to provide its deluxe group tours at low cos ts of $199 per person for a trip to the Caribbean or Europe. Moreover, the back to back business strategy aims at minimizing airfare because as the firm will be dropping one group for a holiday, it will be picking up another group that has completed its holiday in the same destination. In addition to the cost, the company has an excellent marketing strategy that if implemented, could lead to increased sales turnover for the firm. The firm intends to market its products and services throughout the U.S using agents and different kinds of broadcast media. TTG has several weaknesses that could undermine its excellence in the industry. To begin with, the firm is new in the industry since it is a new firm that is venturing into the industry. Consequently, the company has no experience of doing business and providing group tours. The inexperience of the firm could undermine its marketing efforts. Financial challenges are other issues that are affecting TTG. The company has inadequate capit al to establish and run the firm. Steven and Alan faced difficulties of soliciting funds from investors and other financial companies that lend capital to firms since the company had no assets. TTG had the opportunity of venturing into the lucrative group travel industry. The industry is less developed therefore offering the company an opportunity to venture and grow with the industry. In addition to the opportunity in the industry, TTG has the opportunity of diversifying and venturing into other businesses in future. TTG faces the threat of high competition in the industry. Although the industry is still growing and has only 11 firms including TTG, it is characterized by free entry and exit and therefore, there could be new entrants venturing into the industry. This could trigger rivalry among competing firms. Unfavourable competition from dominant firms could affect the operations of TTG. 7Cs Methodology The 7Cs of consultancy is important to any organization including TTG that is operating in a new environment as described below. Client: customers are important people in an organization as they are the reason for the existence of an organization.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The American Civil War Essay Example for Free

The American Civil War Essay The impact that religion had on reforms from the 1820s to the 1850s can clearly be seen in the effect that it had in contributing to the American Civil War. Religion played a key role in the different positions that the North and the South were going to take with regard to the issue of slavery. The Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist teachings espoused themes of both unity and separation. This was echoed well during the activities in 1837, 1844 and 1845, respectively, when the bond of national unity was broken. Instead of unifying a country, most of the religious influences during this time caused the alienation of most sectors by projecting distorted images. In turn, this led to the establishment of independent sects in a once united country. This rift and sectional independence was sustained by the growing moral outrage that each side felt for each other. The overemphasis of the church, during this period, on individualism failed to provide the leadership necessary to steer the nation through many issues, none more pivotal than that of slavery. An example of this would be the reforms instituted by the Republican Party. These reforms were rooted on a form of Calvinism that was deeply moderated. The southern evangelicals on the other hand, attempted to resist the influence of religion into politics by supporting the confederacy. The opposite reforms that each side was about to take from the 1820s to the 1850s was caused by the inability of religion to collectively and squarely address the issue of slavery. For the north, it was reforms that were rooted on social action while the South focused their reforms on personal piety. While both sides championed the Bible in their quest to resolve the issue on slavery, they each took opposing opinions which eventually took them down the path of one of the most radical reforms in American history.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune Essay -- Dune

The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune Frank Herbert’s Dune is arguably one of the best science fiction novels ever written. A milestone of the genre, the work incorporates an intricate plot with a unique setting and memorable characters. Dune is rich with thematic material, touching on such varied issues as ecology, economics, religion, and politics; ultimately, it is a novel about control, the consequences of power, and human nature. Any reading of Dune and its sequels inevitably arrives at an analysis of Paul, who begins the novel as the youthful ducal heir to House Atreides. Trained both by his mother, a sister of the enigmatic Bene Gesserit School, and by the mentat Thufir Hawat, the human equivalent of a supercomputer, Paul is obviously quite gifted. Through some combination of his genetic makeup and his education, Paul has exceptional mental clarity, often seeing connections where others would see nothing; sometimes his abilities, especially his prophetic dreams, transcend rational explanation. Early on in Dune, House Atreides is pressured into a change of fief from their ancestral home of Caladan to the unforgiving desert planet Arrakis—the sole source of the spice melange which, among other things, promotes long life and gives the Imperium a means of interstellar transport. The victim of a â€Å"work of art among vendettas,† Paul’s father, Duke Leto Atreides, is soon deposed and assassinated by the Atreides’ hereditary rival, the Baron Harkonnen. Having managed to escape House Harkonnen’s clutches, Paul and his mot her, Lady Jessica, find themselves lost in the desert wilderness and are soon captured by a tribe of the indigenous Fremen. With the guidance of his mother, Paul works himself into the implanted ... ...s character, Herbert asserts that in messiahs we must not look for domination, but for inspiration. Works Cited Herbert, Frank. Dune. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1965. Herbert, Frank. Dune Messiah. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1969. Kucera, Paul. â€Å"Listening to Ourselves: Herbert’s Dune, â€Å"the Voice† and Performing the Absolute.† Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 3. Fall 2001. 232–45. Mulachy, Kevin. â€Å"The Prince on Arrakis: Frank Herbert’s Dialogue with Machiavelli.† Extrapolation. Vol 37, No 2. Spring 1996. 22–36. O’Reilley, Timothy. Frank Herbert. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. New York, NY. 1981. Stratton, Susan. â€Å"The Messiah and the Greens: The Shape of Environmental Action in Dune and Pacific Edge.† Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 4. Winter 2001. 301–16. Touponce, William. Frank Herbert. Twayne Publishers. Boston, MA. 1988.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Dr. John Henry doc Holliday :: essays research papers

On August 14, 1851 in Griffin, Georgia, John Henry Holliday was born to Henry Burroughs and Alice Jane Holliday. Their first child, Martha Eleanora, had died on June 12, 1850 at six months of age. When he married Alice Jane McKay on January 8, 1849, Henry Burroughs was a druggist by trade and, later became a wealthy planter, lawyer, and during the War between the States, a Confederate Major. Church records state: "John Henry, infant son of Henry B. and Alice J. Holliday, received the ordinance of baptism on Sunday, March 21, 1852, at the First Presbyterian Church in Griffin." Alice Jane died on September 16, 1866. This was a terrible blow to young John Henry for he and his mother were very close. To compound this loss, his father married Rachel Martin only three months later on December 18, 1886. Shortly after this marriage, the Holliday family moved to Valdosta, Georgia. Major Holliday quickly became one of the town's leading citizens, becoming Mayor, the Secretary of the County Agricultural Society, a Member of the Masonic Lodge, the Secretary of the Confederate Veterans Camp, and the Superintendent of local elections. Because of his family status, John Henry had to choose some sort of profession and he chose dentistry. He enrolled in dental school in 1870 and attended his first lecture session in 1870-1872. Each lecture session lasted a little over three months. He served his required two years apprenticeship under Dr. L.F. Frank. On March 1, 1872, the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in Philadelphia conferred the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery upon twenty-six men, one of whom was John Henry Holliday. Upon completion of his training and graduation, Dr. Holliday opened an office with a Dr. Arthur C. Ford in Atlanta in 1872. Then, because of the session of the Southern Dental Association, Dr. Arthur C. Ford, D.D.A. was unable to serve patients, until the middle of August. Taking his place was Doc Holliday. John was a good dentist, but shortly after starting his practice, he discovered that he had contracted tuberculosis. Although he consulted a number of doctors, the consensus of all was that he had only months to live. However, they all concurred that he might add a few months to his life if he moved to a dry climate. Following this advice, Doc packed up and headed West. His first stop was in Dallas, Texas, the end of the railroad at the time. Dr. John Henry doc Holliday :: essays research papers On August 14, 1851 in Griffin, Georgia, John Henry Holliday was born to Henry Burroughs and Alice Jane Holliday. Their first child, Martha Eleanora, had died on June 12, 1850 at six months of age. When he married Alice Jane McKay on January 8, 1849, Henry Burroughs was a druggist by trade and, later became a wealthy planter, lawyer, and during the War between the States, a Confederate Major. Church records state: "John Henry, infant son of Henry B. and Alice J. Holliday, received the ordinance of baptism on Sunday, March 21, 1852, at the First Presbyterian Church in Griffin." Alice Jane died on September 16, 1866. This was a terrible blow to young John Henry for he and his mother were very close. To compound this loss, his father married Rachel Martin only three months later on December 18, 1886. Shortly after this marriage, the Holliday family moved to Valdosta, Georgia. Major Holliday quickly became one of the town's leading citizens, becoming Mayor, the Secretary of the County Agricultural Society, a Member of the Masonic Lodge, the Secretary of the Confederate Veterans Camp, and the Superintendent of local elections. Because of his family status, John Henry had to choose some sort of profession and he chose dentistry. He enrolled in dental school in 1870 and attended his first lecture session in 1870-1872. Each lecture session lasted a little over three months. He served his required two years apprenticeship under Dr. L.F. Frank. On March 1, 1872, the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in Philadelphia conferred the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery upon twenty-six men, one of whom was John Henry Holliday. Upon completion of his training and graduation, Dr. Holliday opened an office with a Dr. Arthur C. Ford in Atlanta in 1872. Then, because of the session of the Southern Dental Association, Dr. Arthur C. Ford, D.D.A. was unable to serve patients, until the middle of August. Taking his place was Doc Holliday. John was a good dentist, but shortly after starting his practice, he discovered that he had contracted tuberculosis. Although he consulted a number of doctors, the consensus of all was that he had only months to live. However, they all concurred that he might add a few months to his life if he moved to a dry climate. Following this advice, Doc packed up and headed West. His first stop was in Dallas, Texas, the end of the railroad at the time.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Analysis of Competitive Advantage in an Absolut World Essay

Currently the fourth largest spirit brand in the world, Absolut Vodka is a subsidiary of Pernod Ricard, the world’s co-leader in spirits and wines. (Top Ten Premium Spirit Brands Worldwide 2007, 2007). Considerably young in the market, and then a part of ‘V & S Vin and Sprit’, Absolut started branding and exporting their premium blend of vodka a mere 30 years ago, in 1979, where in, began the start of the iconic ‘Absolut’ brand. History of ‘Absolut’ Though the production and export of Absolut started in 1979, the start of the story goes aback a hundred years to 1879, when in Ahus, Sweden, a young man named Lars Olsson Smith, also popularly know as the ‘King of Vodka’ revolutionized the production and purification of Vodka by a process called ‘Continuous Distillation’. He called the Vodka made through this process ‘Absolut rent Branvin’ which in Swedish means absolutely pure Vodka (Lewis, 1996). Realizing the power of the name ‘Absolut’ he registered the brand name in 1879. A hundred years passed, as Absolut vodka continued to be refined and sold in Sweden, but by the late 1970’s, it became obvious that in order to sustain the distillery, they had to export their vodka to improve sales. The American market were the biggest consumers of vodka in the western world, so it was natural that Absolut decided to start their journey in America in 1979. In five short years, Absolut Vodka found itself being available in eighteen countries and by 1985, it was number one among imported vodkas being sold in the United States. (Absolut The Story, 2004) Production – The ‘One Source’ Concept Lars Olsson Smith had transformed Swedish Vodka, which was traditionally unrefined since the invention of the continuous distillation process. Absolut has continued to produce vodka in this manner. This production of superior quality vodka involves the use of high quality raw materials. Absolut’s concept of production is the ‘One source’ concept, where in, all the raw materials have been obtained from the same, singular source. The raw material for Absolut, which is winter wheat, is cultivated in fields surrounding the small town of Ahus in southern Sweden. The water which is used comes from their own deep wells which they claim are untouched by pollution and impurities, and the vodka is distilled, produced and packaged in the Absolut’s Ahus distilleries. 50,000 bottles of Absolut that are produced everyday are shipped from the small Ahus Harbor, to consumers the world over. Every single bottle of vodka imprinted with the Absolut brand name comes from this one source, ensuring that Absolut Vodka tastes exactly the same wherever it is sold in the world (Absolut The Story, 2004). The Absolut Brand When V & S Vin & Sprit decided to export their brand of Vodka, they hired Gunnar Broman, a creative director from a Stockholm agency to help with the branding, packaging and marketing their product. After much deliberation on possible packaging, they chose a bottle design that had been inspired by an old Swedish pharmacy bottle they found in an antique shop in Stockholm (Absolut The Story, 2004). As opposed to other alcohol liquor bottles that had long necks and square shoulders, the Absolut bottle had a short neck and round shoulders. The team decided to have the label printed directly onto the bottle, which was a brilliant innovation, as it further established the quality and clarity of the product (Lewis, 1996) As observed by Giep and Moriarty (2009, p. 79), â€Å"Thanks to its cylindrical simplicity and transparency, the Absolut bottle, though solid and heavy, is elegant and utterly distinctive†. With bold and colorful typography proclaiming the brand name and a brief story about the brand, these different and distinct features made the bottle stand out, and this is how the iconic ‘Absolut’ bottle came to be. The Absolut bottle has been at the forefront of every single advertising and marketing campaign that the company has put out, and is, literally as well as figuratively the image of the brand.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Vision Quests †An Integral Part of Native American Culture

Vision Quests – An Integral Part of Native American Culture Free Online Research Papers Vision quests are an integral part of Native American culture. Boys that are in their early teens usually do vision quests. Girls are not allowed to go on a Vision Quest. First they go to the medicine man and tell him that he is ready to go on his quest. Then, the medicine man and the boy go into the village sweat lodge so that the boy can purify his soul in order to meet his spirit animal. Next, the boy goes into a sacred place that has a circle of rocks about ten feet wide, in which he sits in the middle of. The boy will spend the next two to four days becoming one with nature. After awhile the boy will have a vision in which he will meet his spirit animal. This signals the end of the vision quest and the boy is free to return to his tribe. The vision quest is an important time in the young boys life because it helps to give him a sense of who he is and to tell him his purpose in life. The boy would not know what his role in the tribe; much less his life would be if he were to have an unsuccessful vision quest. Not everyone gets a vision quest the first time that they go for a vision. Some people can take two to three times before they get their first vision. But once you do have a successful quest, you have your strength for life. For a male youth, the quest is a rite of passage that is the most important event in their life. Even their weddings do not come close to the level of importance as that of the vision quest. Without the vision quest, the boy might not ever meet his spirit guide. If that happens, the boy never fully reaches manhood and cannot participate in any tribal activities such as raids or scouting parties. It’s really quite sad because the only tasks that he is allowed to partake in are â€Å"womans duties†. Who wants to skin animals or beat a hide when you could be in a hunting party killing game with your friends? I know I would not to be the guy that was thought of as more of a woman than a man. Vision quests have endured to this day because they provide a link to the past for Native Americans. I think that in todays times, everyone is moving in such a hurried pace that there is no time to settle down. This provides a way for Native American youth to slow down and be able to have a link with their ancestors. I am not sure exactly what might happen if they were not able to connect with their families but I am also fairly certain that I will not have to ponder over this question because they are able to connect with their ancestors and have a sense of self. Native American children know that when they go on a vision quest they are participating in a centuries old tradition. Who knows these boys could be standing in the exact same spot that their great-great-great grandfather stood in when he meet his animal spirit and now here they are in that same spot, meeting that same animal spirit that is now supposed to guide them throughout their life. Although, not every vision q uest has to be solitary. There is a group vision quest that is very famous in todays time, but you do not hear it called a vision quest. Instead, you hear it called the Sun Dance. This is where many clans from a specific tribe will gather and play the games and do the dances of their long ago ancestors. I think this is why the vision quest has endured to this time. Because these extraordinary people had the strength and integrity to keep this tradition alive, even in the face of such adversity. Native Americans have had to endure many hardships such as boarding schools and extermination, yet they still managed to hold on to their culture and keep it alive. The details for vision quests will differ from tribe to tribe. The Kiowa tribe will send their seeker out to a high place in the Wichita Mountains where they will lay on a bed made of sage, and lie under a buffalo robe and lay on top of a shield. Also, â€Å"a typical task was to collect physical objects such as distinctive stones (especially quartz or other crystals), oddly perforated bones, feathers, animal hair and other objects considered to be imbued with supernatural power in order to create a â€Å"medicine bundle† (2). Another tribe to have an unusual vision quest was the Papago tribe in Arizona. These seekers would run for a week on a pilgrimage for salt along the coast of the Gulf of California. Once they arrived at the salt deposits, these people would then run again for a distance of ten miles to and from a headland. They were hoping that while on the run, they would receive the vision that they were hoping for. This run was said to be so hard that some o f the runners would actually pass away from the sheer exhaustion of it all. Vision quests will also vary in description from place to place. Some sites are located in caves and rock shelters. They were in hard to find places around water sources such as springs, streams, lakes, and waterfalls. They were in very dry climates like deserts. Sometimes you would have picturesque views from hilltops, mesas, and mountain ridges. They had uniquely formed and colored rock formations. Some of the rock formations even had amazing acoustic abilities and one was able to hear brilliant echoes. These are in very remote locations and are very hard to find because only only one person, the seeker, usually traveled them. Because of this, no real evidence of these sites survives today. You have to really know what you are looking for or who knows, you could walk right by it and not even know its there. The neat thing about the vision is that the animal speaker would sometimes give the seeker a special song or dance so that if the seeker might ever need him then all he would have to do is repeat the dance or song and the spirit guide would come. Songs also differed from tribe to tribe. The Wenatchi tribe in British Columbia had very distinctive songs that were different from other tribes. The Upper Skagit tribe tended to have songs that were pretty much indistinguishable from one another. Vision quests are going on even today when we least notice it and it is not always Native Americans that can have the visions. You can be in driving in your car or lounging around at your house. Sometimes you do not even know you are having a vision. It is called an in between state. This is a state that is in between (get it?) wakefulness and sleep. In this state, you are more acquiescent to the varying states of consciousness. This is sort of what the ancient Native American tribes went through when they went on their quest, but they usually hade a little help from psychotropic drugs just to give them a sort of helping hand. Small tribes from California would drink a jimson weed concoction while some tribes along the Missouri River would consume mescal. All in all, I think it made for a great vision, but back to modern times. Have you ever experienced a sense of Dà ©j vu? This could be easily explained. You had a vision and now it is coming true. The Native Americans c all it wild nature. We enter it every night when we fall asleep and dream. And everybody will go through the biggest vision quest of all when we pass away because that is all death is for Native Americans. It is simply a passing from plane of consciousness into another. Would that not be the wildest ride ever? I think so. Vision Quests can be compared to that of the hero journey if you think about the archetype of the vision quest. Think about it. You have the boy (the hero), he goes on the vision quest (the journey), he does not eat or sleep (the hardships), he finds his vision (the outcome), and he is a man (the reward). It is a rite of passage that you can still see in today’s times even. In today’s standards, you are a man when you hit certain milestones. When you turn sixteen and get your license; when you turn eighteen and you can vote; when you turn twenty-one and you can drink. We have many rituals for our young people when they hit certain ages and so do the Native Americans. The ritual for Native Americans is to do a vision quest. Some will do this a few times and there are many reasons for them to do the quests. They do vision quests because maybe they did not get a vision. Or maybe they had a dream and need to do a vision quest to interpret the dream. They also do vision quests as a way to pay homage to the Gods. When they get to the site, the seeker will approach first with a pipe. Then the seeker will get into the circle, stand in the center, face west, and pray. After that he stands by the pole that is facing west where he prays with the pipe in his hands. Finally, he will return to the center pole. The seeker will repeat this process facing in each of the remaining directions. They do this to show reverence and fear. If the Gods are not paid the respect that they are due, then the crops will not grow. There would be a shortage of animals to hunt and the tribe’s people would starve. It is the same reason that we go to church today. To worship our god and show our love and respect. Also, if you think about it, you can compare vision quests with other cultures. Let’s compare them with pagan seers. The seer would wrap himself (notice I said himself and not herself) in animal skins and go to an exotic location (may be with a waterfall?) to get a dream or vision. â€Å"Even Buddha, Christ, and the Prophet Mohammad all reportedly retreated alone into nature in order to achieve their definitive spiritual orientation†. Vision quests are mainly a Native American tradition. Boys take it usually in their early teens. The go off to an isolated and remote piece of land. Once there they will spend two to four days completely alone and cut off from everybody in the tribe. They will have no food or water. They will smoke tobacco and wait for the vision to come to them so that they can pass into manhood. They were and still are an integral part of the culture and are practiced by people today that are not of Native American descent. Research Papers on Vision Quests - An Integral Part of Native American CultureOpen Architechture a white paperThe Hockey GameHip-Hop is ArtBringing Democracy to AfricaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Spring and AutumnInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

Monday, October 21, 2019

John Wayne An American Icon essays

John Wayne An American Icon essays Marion Morrison, also known as John Wayne, is perhaps one of the most popular movie personalities ever. He began as a mere stagehand, but by the end of his career he had developed himself as a very successful actor, producer, and director. Marion Michael Morrison was born on May 26, 1907, in Winterest, Iowa. His father, Clyde, worked as a pharmacist, and John Wayne thought of his father as the kindest, most patient man I ever knew. Later on in life, John Waynes father developed a critical lung disease. Wayne said that his mother, Mary was a tiny, vivacious redheaded bundle of energy. John Wayne was nicknamed The Duke after his pet as a child that was named Airedale. Early in his life, John and his parents moved to California. After graduating from high school and failing admission to Annapolis, John Wayne went to the University of Southern California (USC) and played on a football scholarship from 1925-27. During this time, Tom Mix, a friend of Johns, got him a job as a prop man for a director by the name of John Ford. Ford and Wayne became close friends and Ford used Wayne for small parts in some of his movies. Then finally in 1930, Ford suggested to Raoul Walsh that Wayne star in The Big Trail. The film bombed, but it was a start to Waynes career as an actor in leading roles. Waynes first feature film was also in 1930. It was titled Men Without Women. After more than seventy low-budget adventures, John Ford cast Wayne in Stagecoach in 1939. This movie is where John Wayne emerged as a major star. From this point on, there was no turning back for The Duke. But in 1963, Wayne began to have health problems. He had a cancerous lung removed during in 1963. Then in 1978, he had open-heart surgery. He then had his stomach removed in 1979, just before dying from lung and stomach cancer on June 11, 1979. Throughout his career as an actor, Joh...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

History of Mandarin Chinese

History of Mandarin Chinese Mandarin Chinese is the official language of Mainland China and Taiwan, and its one of the official languages of Singapore and the United Nations. It is the most widely-spoken language in the world. Dialects Mandarin Chinese is sometimes referred to as a â€Å"dialect,† but the distinction between dialects and languages is not always clear. There are many different versions of Chinese spoken throughout China, and these are usually classified as dialects.   There are other Chinese dialects, such as Cantonese, which is spoken in Hong Kong, that are very distinct from Mandarin. However, many of these dialects use Chinese characters for their written form, so that Mandarin speakers and Cantonese speakers (for example) can understand each other through writing, even though the spoken languages are mutually unintelligible. Language Family and Groups Mandarin is part of the Chinese family of languages, which in turn is part of the Sino-Tibetan language group. All Chinese languages are tonal, which means that the way words are pronounced varies their meanings. Mandarin has ​four tones. Other Chinese languages have up to ten distinct tones. The word â€Å"Mandarin† actually has two meanings when referring to language. It can be used to refer to a particular group of languages, or more commonly, as the Beijing dialect that is the standard language of mainland China. The Mandarin group of languages includes standard Mandarin (the official language of mainland China), as well as Jin (or Jin-yu), a language spoken in the central-north region of China and inner Mongolia. Local Names for Mandarin The name â€Å"Mandarin† was first used by the Portuguese to refer to the magistrates of the Imperial Chinese court and the language they spoke. Mandarin is the term used through much of the Western world, but the Chinese themselves refer to the language as æ™ ®Ã©â‚¬Å¡Ã¨ ¯  (pÇ” tÃ… ng hu), å› ½Ã¨ ¯ ­ (guà ³ yÇ”), or è  ¯Ã¨ ¯ ­ (hu yÇ”). æ™ ®Ã©â‚¬Å¡Ã¨ ¯  (pÇ” tÃ… ng hu) literally means â€Å"common language† and is the term used in mainland China. Taiwan uses å› ½Ã¨ ¯ ­ (guà ³ yÇ”) which translates to national language, and Singapore and Malaysia refer to it as è  ¯Ã¨ ¯ ­ (hu yÇ”) which means Chinese language. How Mandarin Became Chinas Official Language Due to its immense geographic size, China has always been a land of many languages and dialects. Mandarin emerged as the language of the ruling class during the latter part of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). The capital of China switched from Nanjing to Beijing in the latter part of the Ming Dynasty and remained in Beijing during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). Since Mandarin is based on the Beijing dialect, it naturally became the official language of the court. Nonetheless, the large influx of officials from various parts of China meant that many dialects continued to be spoken at the Chinese court. It was not until 1909 that Mandarin became the national language of China, å› ½Ã¨ ¯ ­ ( guà ³ yÇ”). When the Qing Dynasty fell in 1912, the Republic of China maintained Mandarin as the official language. It was renamed æ™ ®Ã©â‚¬Å¡Ã¨ ¯  (pÇ” tÃ… ng hu) in 1955, but Taiwan continues to use the name å› ½Ã¨ ¯ ­ (guà ³ yÇ”). Written Chinese As one of the Chinese languages, Mandarin uses Chinese characters for its writing system. Chinese characters have a history dating back more than two thousand years. The early forms of Chinese characters were pictographs (graphic representations of real objects), but characters became more stylized and came to represent ideas as well as objects. Each Chinese character represents a syllable of the spoken language. Characters represent words, but not every character is used independently. The Chinese writing system is very complex and the most difficult part of learning Mandarin. There are thousands of characters, and they must be memorized and practiced to master the written language. In an attempt to improve literacy, the Chinese government began simplifying characters in the 1950s. These simplified characters are used in mainland China, Singapore, and Malaysia, while Taiwan and Hong Kong still use the traditional characters. Romanization Students of Mandarin  outside of Chinese-speaking countries often use Romanization in place of Chinese characters when first learning the language. Romanization uses the Western (Roman) alphabet to represent the sounds of spoken Mandarin, so it is a bridge between learning the spoken language and beginning the study of Chinese characters. There are many systems of Romanization, but the most popular for teaching materials is Pinyin.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Sampleing Under Pressure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sampleing Under Pressure - Assignment Example A simple randomized sampling strategy was used to provide an estimate of the total number of species inhabiting the ecosystem. Table 1 below shows the summary of the number of species discovered from the forest and their exact population in the sample areas. According to this data, the total number of species identified is 42 % lower than the expected number, which is 42, according to the lab manual. The data also shows that more than a half of the total number of species discovered has a population of greater than three in the whole sampling area. This low frequency number may be accounted by the nature of sampling strategy used, which aimed at getting a diverse and species rich data. To provide an estimated number of the species present in the habitat a cumulative number of new species discovered in each sample was recorded. This cumulative number was plotted against the number of samples as shown in figure 1 below. The slope of the graph shows an increasing number of new species discovered with an increase in the number of the samples collected. This association is not observed after the tenth sample where further increase in the number of samples has insignificant effect on the number of new species found. This is perhaps at this point the number of new species is nearly exhausted. A general rule to determine the total number of species can be formulated from the shape of the plot. For instance, the total number of species can be determined by taking ten samples, doubling the cumulative number of new species and subtracting 10 (the number of samples taken). This rule however, has an error margin of 4.7 percent and still needs further validation. When applied in this lab, the rule gives an estimated number of 40 species, which is relatively closer to the exact number of species in the habitat. There are several sampling schemes that can be used to collect data in different case studies of this nature. For

Friday, October 18, 2019

The European Union is being successful in spite of itself and its Essay

The European Union is being successful in spite of itself and its skeptics - Essay Example Napoleon and Hitler had no better success than the Roman Empire and the staggering costs of the last two world wars was motive enough to inspire another more democratic solution. The fact that nations continue to apply for acceptance into the European Union (EU) and the fact that only one EU member has ever renounced its EU citizenship speaks for the effectiveness in unifying diverse and autonomous nations. This combined with the lack of war on the European continent despite major differences and the fall of the Soviet Union, demonstrates the pacifying influence of the EU. While the world wide press continues to coin gleefully cynical terms like Euro-Skeptics, Europhobiles, Euro-pessimists and Euro-cynics, the unification of Europe is an idea whose time has come. This union is maintaining peace. Regardless of all of the sovereignty issues, problems with democracies and economies...its fundamental reason for conception has been more or less maintained by standing as a pillar uniting the Continent of Europe rather than allowing it to dissolve into war. One of the ways that this peace has been maintained is through the creation and acceptance of European wide rules of law and economic criterium. The source of some criticism comes from younger ages groups disenchanted with unemployment issues. Seeking easy answers to their plight they have blamed the European Union on their situation. One potential pitfall to the unification of Europe is changing demographics of the continent as those with vivid memories of war pass on business and political leadership to a generation that doesn't remember what a real air raid drill was all about. The memory and fear of world war had a lot to do with the creation of the EU. New treaties and agreements will have to go beyond peaceful co-existence and address employment and social issues more directly than the original organizing policies have done if long term stability is to be maintained. With post World War II reconstruction proceeding to return Europe to a functioning collection of individual nations, the idea of a unified Europe rose to the top of the continental discussion as it had after World War I. "A number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically"(U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 2006). The Treaty of Amsterdam on the European Union (EU) which came into force on 1 May 1999 states that the EU: must be maintained and developed as an area of freedom, security and justice; (an area) in which the free movement of persons is assured; in conjunction with appropriate measures with respect to external border controls, asylum, immigration and the prevention and combating of crime. (Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security of the European Commission, 2006) The European Commission has gained the ability to resolve international disputes peaceful because member nations have given up some of their autonomy for the greater benefits afforded its members in politics, economics as well as social structure. The EU -15 as they were referred to seem to have come to the Union for economic reasons according to most

Zero Tolerance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Zero Tolerance - Essay Example In Simon’s case, he had participated in contravening a company’s internet policy (Gerson, Parker, Volokh, Halloran, Cherkasky, 2006). Simon had utilized the company’s intranet to communicate with an unauthorized personality out of the network. The violation was gross since the company had sculptured clear conditions about the policy. This included clear indication of the relevant consequences. The management had notable controls in the same situation. To begin with, it laid a clear policy. This policy indicated that it banned use of the company’s internet and intranet in communication under unstated uses. The company also stated that unwarranted internet use and e-mailing could result into the termination of employment. In addition, the company employed strategic measures of terminating Simon’s tenure. The management made an indirect approach of firing Simon. This would be followed by an explanation of the act that led to the tenure termination. The re are controlling and coordination skills that are necessary in this situation. To begin with, it is vital that the company harnesses a proper communication channel. This is a system whereby each employee has adequate information about the company’s policies. In this perspective, the company can invest in an automatic e-mail system that updates on company’s policies and the consequences of breaching the provisions. Besides, meetings, between the management and employees, should be regular for physical information and discussion. In certain instances, zero tolerance policies might be stringent. In this sense, discussion can modify the policies to suit multiple scenarios. It is crucial that employees design and agree to zero tolerance policies. This would absolve the management from blame in cases of grim consequences to employees. The solution that the company employed had particular details. The management strove to strike a vital point in terminating Simon’s t enure. Companies would usually employ sane and rational employees. This means that it could apply formal means of communicating with an affected employee (Brooks & Dunn, 2009). Such communication would take the letter or e-mail method for information. Simon could not have possessed the option of not leaving the company. The use of guards was an informal sense of terminating Simon’s employment. It is devoid of modern managements skills since it seeks to be autocratic oriented. This is because the guards could have employed forceful means in case of resistance by Simon. Element of force is evident from the communication between the security officers and the management. The management was monitoring Simon’s reaction for an additional strategy. However, the company had a proper strategy of informing Simon. To begin with, this demonstrates of zero tolerance on certain violations. It also highlights that the other employees should educate themselves of company’s polic ies. However, the company can utilize other strategies. This pertains to drawing the same sense on a company’s reputation. The vital element in zero tolerance policies should regard their intentions. Zero tolerance policies should seek to highlight the sense of certain behavior. This is different from the focus of merely humiliating employees. Policies should concentrate on processes rather than the consequences of the same. In this view, the company could have employed an alternative strategy of terminating Simon’s benefits. Termination of benefits could achieve the orientation of the breach. In case of an internet’s condition, Simon could have been barred from the connection. Besides, the company could lock Simon from accessing certain information. Additionally,

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Lidl in the UK Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Lidl in the UK Market - Essay Example It has presently 500 stores in the UK with a turnover of 44 billion Euros.   Due to the recession of 2007-2010 Lidl has gained a lot of foothold in 2010.Due to the credit crunch available in the market because of recession, people look to reduce their budgets in the food and household items. This is where Lidl comes in. It provides quality products to the customer at very low prices and has been able to give a challenge to established retailer stores in the UK such as Tesco. Lidl has gained its reputation as a no-frills supermarket ( others in this category are Aldi & Netto) that sell food, drink, and non-food products at extremely low prices but no extras are offered to the customers at a Lidl store. They do not provide even free carrier bags. No help is provided to pack your shopping and its stores are marked by the absence of any service counters. The success of Lidl has been primarily based because of the reason that it provided value for money to the people in the times of recession. This document analyzes the Lidl stores from the point of view of se rvices marketing   Along with the four traditional Ps that are associated with regular marketing – Product, Place, Price, Promotion; three other Ps are essential features for a services product which consists of People, Physical evidence, and process. (Donnelly, 1981)   Many researchers are of the view that the basics of marketing like the need to have a well-defined marketing strategy, targeting the markets best suited and the proper positioning for this target segment is essential in the marketing of both – goods and services.

Psychology of lifespan development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Psychology of lifespan development - Essay Example Discussing these stages, characterized by several general characteristics in physical, cognitive and social/emotional development that the individual must meet and come to terms with, this paper will focus on infancy/early childhood, middle children, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood as well as how specific behavior patterns can be traced through the various life stages. Sensory and motor domain development is most noticeable during the first year of life with physical growth beginning to slow at about one year of age. Parents may notice a decreased appetite at this time as they observe that their children seem to eat virtually nothing comparatively yet continue to grow and are healthy. As children begin to walk, their posture appears as if there may be cause for parental concern but the bow-legged child with their belly sticking out and inward curved back is quite normal for this age. Children are half grown already by the age of two. By age three, the body becomes leaner as the child’s proportion of body fat decreases and muscles increase in tone. By this age, the vast majority of children are physically able to control their bodily functions. Most children follow a predictable pattern of physical growth. Visits to the doctor enable parents to monitor growth in relation to other children of similar age and also allows for comparisons of wei ght gain to height gain. During the preschool years, growth in height and weight is steady. Variations may occur in physical growth during the period of middle childhood, though there is a great deal of predictability. The body continues to change in both height and weight. Weight gain in this period typically varies ranging on average from 3-5 pounds gained annually. Body height may increase by as much as 2-3 inches annually as well. The head of the child remains proportionally larger than the rest

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Lidl in the UK Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Lidl in the UK Market - Essay Example It has presently 500 stores in the UK with a turnover of 44 billion Euros.   Due to the recession of 2007-2010 Lidl has gained a lot of foothold in 2010.Due to the credit crunch available in the market because of recession, people look to reduce their budgets in the food and household items. This is where Lidl comes in. It provides quality products to the customer at very low prices and has been able to give a challenge to established retailer stores in the UK such as Tesco. Lidl has gained its reputation as a no-frills supermarket ( others in this category are Aldi & Netto) that sell food, drink, and non-food products at extremely low prices but no extras are offered to the customers at a Lidl store. They do not provide even free carrier bags. No help is provided to pack your shopping and its stores are marked by the absence of any service counters. The success of Lidl has been primarily based because of the reason that it provided value for money to the people in the times of recession. This document analyzes the Lidl stores from the point of view of se rvices marketing   Along with the four traditional Ps that are associated with regular marketing – Product, Place, Price, Promotion; three other Ps are essential features for a services product which consists of People, Physical evidence, and process. (Donnelly, 1981)   Many researchers are of the view that the basics of marketing like the need to have a well-defined marketing strategy, targeting the markets best suited and the proper positioning for this target segment is essential in the marketing of both – goods and services.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art - Essay Example The paper "African Masks in Pablo Picasso's Art" explores the role of African art in Pablo Picasso's art and in the culture of the whole world. The history of African masks dates back to before the Paleolithic era. A major feature used by the Africans to represent culture was through the use of masks in ceremonies, feasts and rituals. Furthermore, the traditional African masks exemplified heroes, ancestors, spirits, codes of conduct and animals. Usually, the raw materials used to make the masks include wood, pottery, textile, bronze and copper. The substitute details in the masks would be made using sea shells, egg shells, animal feathers, horns, hair and bones. Because of the belief that the masks represented the spirits, the makers were regarded as superiors in the village. Also, the art and talent of making masks was believed to be passed in the family hence was considered a part of inheritance. On the other hand, the history of African art by Pablo Picasso dates back to the 19th century during the colonization of Africa especially the North and West coasts by France. The scramble and partition of Africa prompted the expeditions and the travels of West elites in search of riches and adventures which resulted to the promotion African art. After painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Picasso’s paintings were influenced by the two figures on the right side which basically were based on African art. Most of the African arts at that time were being interpreted to be signs of slavery, cannibalism, and mistreatment.

The Best Way of Communication Essay Example for Free

The Best Way of Communication Essay Nowadays, much of the communication that takes place involves some sort of equipment, such as faxes, telephone calls, and e-mails. According to an investigation by The Associated Press (2010), communication equipment is becoming indispensable to people. In other words, people rely on it as never before. Is it proof that face-to-face communication is no longer important? Absolutely not! Face-to-face communication lets people directly know the actual personalities of people, and interact with each other without any barriers. Although as advanced technology develops, people have many new ways to keep connect with others, face-to-face communication is still the most important and effective method to communicate with others in education, business, and daily life. Education Online education is a teaching method, which uses a network media to allow students and teachers to carry out teaching and learning activities even thousands of miles away. First of all, it really breaks the constraints of time and space, because students and teachers do not have to go to school buildings. They can learn or teach anytime and anywhere. For example, Open University of Britain offers an online and distance education system called ODE, which has a worldwide reputation for education. This program, which has flexible teaching time, exclusively utilizes the online mode of teaching without any face-to-face sessions. In this way, Open University enrolls new students worldwide, and it gives people who do not have much time opportunities to gain professional knowledge. The students do not have to go to Britain, and they do not have to pay the high living expenses of studying in the UK. What’s more, the ODE, through a network teaching platform called FirstClass, provides online learning guides, software demo sites, articles, reports, books, and information resource links to students, and the students can get those resources at anytime. There are other online courses offered by reputable universities and colleges that allow students from different countries to opt for courses pertaining to their individual fields of education. According to an investigation by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, there were over 3,000 open courseware courses  available from over 300 universities worldwide in 2006. For example, Open Yale Courses provides free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University. The aim of the project is to expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn. In addition, each course includes a full set of class lectures produced in high-quali ty video accompanied by such other course materials as syllabi, suggested readings, exams, and problem sets. The lectures are available as downloadable videos, and an audio-only version is also offered. These courses allow people access to information and knowledge in their favorite fields. However, distance education lacks discipline and provides poor opportunities for interaction and social networking. This is because distance education operates through the Internet. This makes it unnecessary for professors and students who are in the same course to synchronize with others in the same time and space. It acts as a driving force for mobility of students, which causes confusion for classes and makes it hard for professors and administrators to supervise students. In addition, the students who attend online courses come from all walks of life, and their social rank, life experiences, attendance goals, learning styles, and cultural and educational backgrounds are all different. These things also increase the difficulty of management in the online education. On the other hand, in face-to-face education, teachers and administrators can monitor and manage students completely, making it possible to keep matters in good order. Students in online courses can, however, access knowledge and information much more easily. It makes students rely on the Internet, not only for personal uses but for work and study as well. As a result, students will sit in front of computers for hours each day and lack enough emotional communication. Today’s distance education neglects the factor of the emotions of students, and is not concerned with the emotional communication between teachers and students. More importantly, emotional education is a significant part of education, particularly in primary and secondary education. Teenagers form their values and moralities when they communicate with teachers or classmates in classes and schools. This is what distance education cannot achieve. As John Dewey (1944) said, Science and technology are not personality forces. They only act as intermediaries in education. No matter how powerful distance education is, if it ignores the  human emotions, it will lose the fundamental purpose of education. Therefore, distance education should never be a substitute for face-to-face education. Last but not least, in distance education, when teachers, students, and educational institutions use copyrighted materials, they cannot get the same treatment as people in physical classrooms. In other words, distance education will suffer many copyright infringement problems. According to the U.S. Copyright Law (1976), Section 110 (2), distance education has three weaknesses. The first is that the law has limited the types of copyrighted materials it recognizes in distance education: only non-dramatic works, articles and music are allowed to be shown in distance classes. Also, in the process of distance education, teachers, students and education institutions easily land in copyright infringement problems. Business With the development of technology, communication equipment is constantly emerging, such as email, the cell phone, text messaging, etc. In business communication, email is the most common method all in use over the world. It has three main advantages: it makes business information more accessible; and it provides for swifter communication in business activities; it breaks the constraints of time and space for business people to make contact with business partners. According to an investigation by the Direct Marketing Association in 2009, if an American business person invests $1 in commercial email, he would get $43.61 in return in one year. It seems that sending e-mails is a best way in business communication. However, the prospects for commercial email have not been good recently. When people receive hundreds of junk emails each week, the high rate of investment return will no longer exist. According to an investigation by FOB Business Forum, subscribers’ inboxes are full of needless emails currently, and 60% of subscribers choose to ignore all emails, this dashes to pieces business people’s hope for electronically establishing relationships with clients. On the contrary, in face-to-face communication, there is not much guesswork involved. Therefore, business people can set the foundation for trust with customers swiftly, and lasting business relationships easily. Video conferencing is also a popular commercial communications media in the 21st century. It is almost like the face-to-face meeting and non-verbal communication is also possible in video  conferencing. In fact, Dr. Albert Mehrabian, author of Silent Messages, said that over 90% of human communication is through nonverbal language like postures, gestures, eye contact and facial expressions. Video conferencing allows people to observe others’ appearances, movements and facial expressions in the same conferencing. What is more, people can show any material object, drawing and document they want. It enables businessmen to maximize the effectiveness of their negotiations. On the other hand, the success of video conferencing proves that face-to-face communication in business is still more effective than other types of communication. However, establishing video a conferencing network requires a great deal of funds, and the cost of maintaining and repairing the video equipment is also very high. It seems that video conferencing is not appropriate for all companies or organizations if face-to-face communication is still feasible. Email and video conferencing are not substitutes for face-to-face contact at all. As the economists Jess Gaspar and Ed Glaeser (2007) have pointed out, they are complements to face-to-face communication. Daily life In today’s world, a variety of communication equipments are packed into our life and electronic communication is better and cheaper than it is ever been. However, abusing communication equipments make people lacks emotional communication and provides poor opportunities for social networking. For example, in workplace, personal face-to-face communications can help people build relationship with their colleagues. The complexities of interpersonal relations cannot be interpreted by an e-mail, and a quick e-mail is absolutely not enough to maintain close association between two people. What is more, face-to-face communication is the key point in teamwork. According to an investigation by Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (2006), people who worked together and communicate with colleagues face-to-face did a better team job than another team who only use intercom to communicate with each colleague. Conclusion We live in the 21st century, an era of advanced science and technology, in which we have a great variety of communication equipment, such as cell phones, faxes, Internet, etc. These things bring a lot of benefits for all aspects of people’s lives. However, other types of communication can never  be a complete substitute for face-to-face communication. In business, education or daily life, face-to-face communication is the best method to communicate with others. References Browning, Dominique (Dec 4, 2011). Talking Face to Face Is So Yesterday. New York Times (Dec 4, 2011), p. SR.5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com Gopal, Namita (2009). Business Communication. New Age International, Daryaganj, Delhi, IND, 74-77. Harford, Tim. FT.com site: Undercover economist: Keep it real. FT.com (Jan 26, 2007), p. 1. Retrieved from http:// www.ft.comLoose, Cindy. Online Education to Be Free; N.Va. Billionaire Envisions Cyber-U. The Washington Post (Mar 15, 2000), p. A.01. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com.libproxy.bridgeport.edu

Monday, October 14, 2019

Epilepsy and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Case Study

Epilepsy and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Case Study People with chronic and complex conditions are usually characterized by complex causality, multiple risk factors, a long latency period, a prolonged course of illness that cannot been cured, and functional impairment (Wilkes, Cioffi, Warne, Harrison, Vonu-Boriceanu, 2008). These people are often treated by primary care professionals such as the community care. Community care plays a key role in our health system; it can avoid patient readmission to the hospital, reduce healthcare costs, and make patients feel more comfortable when they have treatment at home (Wilkes et al., 2008). In the case study, Jessica is suffering epilepsy and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, which affects her daily life and her self-care behaviour. As a community care registered nurse (RN), I will promote Jessica’s knowledge about her chronic illness and health history, perform nursing assessments, and support her and her family with regard to her continuing nursing care. My primary goal is to improve Jessica ’s health condition and help her maintain her normal daily social and career life style (Lubkin Learsen, 2013). As an RN, on the first day visit with Jessica. At the beginning, I will establish therapeutic relationship with her by communication and also observing her facial expression, body language and listening voice tone. Arnold Boggs (2011) stated the foundation of nursing skills are approaching to therapeutic relationships and good communication in nursing practice and identifies trust, respect and honesty which are guiding professional actions. Meanwhile, her health history needs to be obtained by using oral communication skills, such an interview with her and her partner, without any judgment and by using open-ended short questions (Lubkin Learsen, 2013). In addition, the RN need perform a physical examination that includes general observation and checking BP, pulse, temperature, BGL, height, and weight. The information obtained during this phase contributes to an overview that identifies Jessica’s current and past health state and provides a baseline assessment to evaluate fut ure changes (Brown et al., 2014). It is important for the RN to indicate Jessica’s past and present medical conditions and treatments, which can create a suitable care plan and provide unique care. Ekman et al. (2011) believe all care providers should create personalized nursing care to people with chronic illness and help them to achieve their individual goals. The research shows epilepsy is the most common serious chronic neurological disorder of young people, with public misinterpretation inducing fear and social stigma, which leading to prejudice and discrimination in school, workplace, and community (Coker, Bhargava, Fitzgerald, Doherty, 2011). As a RN should educate Jessica by explaining the pathophysiology of epilepsy; for example, McCance, Heuther, Brashers, Rote (2014) state that â€Å"seizures are the abnormal discharge of electrical activity within the brain; the epilepsy is repeated recurrence of seizure activity which results from underlying disorder of the Centre Nerves System (CNS)† (pp. 679). In the past, Jessica’s seizures have been infrequent, brief, and often well controlled by medication. However, she may also suffer from greater degrees of depression, anxiety, and be prone to the social and vocational limitations that the illness usually brings (Coker et al., 2011). Furthermore, there are many risk factor s that can cause breakthrough seizures; these include diet, medication withdrawal, and alcohol consumption. Jessica may not aware of such factors due to a lack of specific knowledge (Coker et al., 2011). At the moment, Jessica is starting to withdraw from her anticonvulsant medications and avoiding her GP’s advice by continuing to drive her car; she also went to a dance club and drank alcohol. All of these affect her health conditions. Jessica also has Type 2 diabetes, a common chronic multisystem disease related to abnormal or impaired insulin production, with high risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications that lead to illness or disability and death (Hicks, 2008). There is no specific research on the association of epilepsy and Type 2 diabetes, but studies have found that seizures can occur during diabetic ketoacidosis when the body cannot get enough insulin; meanwhile, in many cases, epilepsy-related seizures may be mistaken for the symptoms of hypoglycaemia (Schober Holl, 2011). The aim of treatment is to control her blood glucose level (BGL) between 4 to 7 mmol/L, which reduces the risk of diabetes complications (Hicks, 2008). Currently, Jessica’s BGL shows12.9 mmol/L because of poorly controlled diet and excessive weight, which presents a greater great risk of cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases. After explaining the two chronic diseases to Jessica, during the time as an RN, I will perform a nursing assessment that includes a neurological observation assessment, nutritional assessment include regular BGL checks, behavioural assessment, and psychological assessment. Neurological observation is the collection of information on a patient’s central nervous system and neurological status, incorporates monitoring of the patients level of consciousness, pupil reaction and motor function, and observation of vital signs (Brown et al., 2014). It is important to monitor Jessica’s neuron function due to frequent seizures, especially after being hospitalized with tonic-clonic coma and unconsciousness. Regular BGL checks will help with her awareness of her glucose level and encourage regular administration of her hyperglucagonemia medication. The aim of intervention for Jessica is to control her high BGL and assess her normal diet, which can reduce diabetes complications so t hat she can achieve the quality of life she desires. Research has found that to control chronic complications from diabetes, a patient needs good self-care behaviours; for example: healthy diet, regular exercises, weight loss, taking medications as prescribed, blood sugar monitoring, and good support from family (Huang, Hung, Stocker, Lin, 2013). Behavioural assessment can help monitor her health condition and achieve goal setting, problem-solving, and medication adherence. The nurse can provide an accessible, relaxed environment to help Jessica focus on what she can do rather than what she cannot do, and act as a channel for her and her partner to discuss their fears and anxieties associated with her chronic illness (Welsh, 2008). She also told her GP that she did not need any more prescriptions for her anticonvulsant medication. Studies show that withdrawal from epilepsy medication has significant implications for lifestyle and circumstance, and that the patient should stop drivi ng (Coker et al, 2011). As the result, as an RN I need to consider Jessica’s dilemma carefully as it impacts her independence regarding transport and that, in turn, impacts her employment and income, self-esteem, and quality of life. The nursing intervention can include broader aspects of care including assessing Jessica’s needs, providing advice on associated topics to help her understand her condition and the management plan, and asking her partner to join her care (Welsh, 2008). For example, her partner, Martin, should be aware of her health condition including driving, potential pregnancy, alcohol use, employment restrictions, and other safety issues. On the point of RN also provide referrals to other professionals such as dietitian, social workers, counselling services, and family support groups. The role of the community RN is not only managing a patient’s chronic illness, but also to seek more assistance or research to improve the effectiveness of patient cares (Chen et al., 2012). The research shows that education in combination with psychological intervention can support medication adherence (Dean, Walters, Hall, 2010). In Jessica’s case, the RN needs to understand the negative impact that psychological issues can have on her lifestyle and chronic disease management, for example the chronic disease may cause her anxiety, and depression. As the result, we might arrange for Jessica to attend some group meeting or study conference about young people with chronic diseases. The fundamental nursing requirements are skills in communication, listening, counselling, and teaching to support the patient and her family (Welsh, 2008). There are two priorities for the RN’s follow-up with Jessica. As we noticed that before the current seizure, Jessica had weened herself off her anticonvulsant medications because she wanted to become pregnant and is perpetually in noncompliance with regard to her diabetes. The aim of the community service nursing intervention is to improve Jessica’s quality of life through needs-led primary health care with a person-centred approach to her individual needs and create a treatment plan that will improve health outcomes (Ekman et al, 2011). As Jessica is of child-bearing age with epilepsy, she merits unique consideration. Because withdrawal her antiepileptic drugs will increase seizure frequency, as an RN will need to be informed when Jessica contemplates pregnancy and refer her to a specialist before conception. Meanwhile, an occupational therapist will assess any risks in her home environment; a counselling service also be needed. From this point, the RN should consider the patient’s needs and communicate with a multidisciplinary team (Lubkin Larsen, 2013). We will need to motivate Jessica to take responsibility for her own self-care by using motivational interviewing and health coaching to incorporate behaviour change principles that promote healthy activities (Lubkin Larsen, 2013). For example, as an RN need to understand and explore Jessica’s motivation for becoming pregnant and keep her current life routine by listening with empathy because her opinion and methods may be different than they would be with a person who didn’t have complex medical issues. This will empower Jessica, encouraging her hope and optimism to follow the current treatment plan as well as to consult other health professionals. The primary goal is to maintain good self-care attitudes that will enable Jessica’s knowledge and understanding related to her ability to successfully cope with the disease in her normal life (Coker et al., 2011). A study by Soubhi et al. (2010) shows that strong self-management programs are amongst the best evidence- based interventions for improving outcomes. Thus, promoting self-care will empower Jessica to make independent decisions. The result will be an improvement in her quality of life and a reduction of psychosocial problems. In conclusion, from a community nursing service perspective, the experience of care giving to Jessica with her chronic and complex conditions has been extensively addressed. Meanwhile, an RN with an increased understanding of Jessica’s experiences will gain greater insight into the care she needs to improve her health and provide more effective healthcare delivery in the community (Soubhi et al., 2010). References Arnold, C. E., Boggs, U. K. (Eds.). (2011). Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses (6th ed.). Missouri: Elsevier. Brown, D., Edwards, H., Lewis, S. L., Heitkemper, M. M., Dirksen, S. R., O’Brien, P. G., Bucher, L. (Eds.). (2014). Lewis’s medical-surgical nursing: assessment and management of clinical problems (4th ed.). Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier. Coker, M. F., Bhargava, S., Fitzgerald, M., Doherty, P. C. (2011). What do people with epilepsy know about their condition? Evaluation of a subspecialty clinic population. Elsevier Ltd: Seizure 20, 55-59. doi: 10.1016/j.seizure.2010.10.007 Chen, M. S., Creedy, D., Lin, S. H., Wollin, J. (2012). Effects of motivational interviewing intervention on self-management, psychological and glycemic outcomes in type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled trial. Elsevier Ltd, International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49, 637–644. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.11.011 Dean, J. A., Walters, J., Hall, A. (2010). A systematic review of interventions to enhance medication adherence in children and adolescents with chronic illness. Arch Dis Child, 95, 717–723. doi:10.1136/adc.2009.175125 Ekman, I., Swedgerg, K., Taft, C., Lindseth, A., Norberg, A. †¦Sunnerhagen, S. K. (2011). Person-centered care-ready for prime time. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing 10, 248–251. doi: 10.1016/j.ejcnurse.2011.06.008 Huang, C. M., Hung, H. C., Stocker, J., Lin, C. L. (2012). Outcomes for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with diverse regimens. Blackwell Publishing: Journal of Clinical Nursing, 22, 1899-1906. doi: 10.1111/jocn.12123 Hicks, D. (2008). Recent developments in the management of type 2 diabetes. British Journal of Community Nursing, 6(11). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2001.6.11.9458 Lubkin, I., Larsen, P. (Eds) (2013). Chronic illness: Impact and interventions (8th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett. McCance, L. K., Heuther, E. S., Brashers, L. V., Rote, S. N. (Eds.). (2014). Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Schober, E. Holl, R. (2011). Epilepsy in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes Voice 56(2), 43-44. Retrieved from https://www.idf.org/sites/default/files/attachments/DV_56-SI2_Schober-Holl.pdf Soubhi, H., Bayliss, A. H., Fortin, M., Hudon, C., Akker, V. D. M., Thivierge, R. †¦ Fleiszer, D. (2010).Learning and caring in communities of practice: Using relationships and collective learning to improve primary care for patients with multimorbidity. Annals of Family Medicine, 8(2), 170-177. doi:10.1370/afm.1056 Welsh, M. (2008). The practice nurse’s role in the management of epilepsy. British Journal of Community Nursing, 6(3). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11923723 Wilkes, L., Cioffi, J., Warne, B., Harrison, K., Vonu-Boriceanu, O. (2008). Clients with chronic and complex conditions: their experiences of community nursing services. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17(7b), 160-168. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02454.x

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Gender Equity Essay -- Essays Papers

Gender Equity Are male students and female student’s receiving the same opportunities when it comes to Math and Science in the schools? I don’t believe they are. This is why gender equity is a major problem facing our schools today. Many girls are having very negative attitudes towards Math and Science. Through doing research on this topic I found out why. In the article How Research Helps Address Gender Equity, a very shocking and eye opening thing was written. I learned that children as young as kindergarten already have formed set stereotypes about Science and Math. The boys in the class wanted to and believed that they could be Scientist while the girls in the class did not. They perceived being a Scientist as a mans job. As children get older and move up in their grades things don’t seem to be getting any better, only worse. A three year study was done in fourth, sixth, and eighth grade classrooms in four states and they discovered that teachers actually call on and give more feedback to boys. The teachers answer to this study was that boys were more demanding and they called out more then girls. However it was found that if girls act this way they were penalized for it (Sadker D, Sadker M, and Stulber L, 1993). Teachers also challenge boys if they give the wrong answer, and if girls give the wrong answer they are more apt to call on another person. I was surprised by this research because I hadn’t actually noticed these things occurring while I was in school, but now that I look back at it I realize that it did. As I got into course three Math, a lot of girls had dropped out including myself. One of the major reasons I dropped out was the fact that my Math t... ...on since I will be going into teaching shortly. I know that it will be my job as a teacher to promote equality in my classroom. Works Cited Bailey,S., & Campbell, P(1999). The Gender Wars in Education. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18,2001: http://www.trac.net.users.ckassoc.gender_wars.htm. Baker Dale(2001). Teaching for Gender Difference. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18,2001: http://narst.org/research/gender.htm. Beyond Title IX:Gender Equity Issues in School (2001). Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18, 2001: http://www.maec.org/beyond.html#intro. Damnjanovic, A., & Kahle, J. (1997) How Research Helps Address Gender Equity. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18, 2001: http://narst.org/research/gender2.htm. Sadker, D., Sadker, M., & Stulberg, L (1993). Fair and Square. Instructor Gender Equity Essay -- Essays Papers Gender Equity Are male students and female student’s receiving the same opportunities when it comes to Math and Science in the schools? I don’t believe they are. This is why gender equity is a major problem facing our schools today. Many girls are having very negative attitudes towards Math and Science. Through doing research on this topic I found out why. In the article How Research Helps Address Gender Equity, a very shocking and eye opening thing was written. I learned that children as young as kindergarten already have formed set stereotypes about Science and Math. The boys in the class wanted to and believed that they could be Scientist while the girls in the class did not. They perceived being a Scientist as a mans job. As children get older and move up in their grades things don’t seem to be getting any better, only worse. A three year study was done in fourth, sixth, and eighth grade classrooms in four states and they discovered that teachers actually call on and give more feedback to boys. The teachers answer to this study was that boys were more demanding and they called out more then girls. However it was found that if girls act this way they were penalized for it (Sadker D, Sadker M, and Stulber L, 1993). Teachers also challenge boys if they give the wrong answer, and if girls give the wrong answer they are more apt to call on another person. I was surprised by this research because I hadn’t actually noticed these things occurring while I was in school, but now that I look back at it I realize that it did. As I got into course three Math, a lot of girls had dropped out including myself. One of the major reasons I dropped out was the fact that my Math t... ...on since I will be going into teaching shortly. I know that it will be my job as a teacher to promote equality in my classroom. Works Cited Bailey,S., & Campbell, P(1999). The Gender Wars in Education. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18,2001: http://www.trac.net.users.ckassoc.gender_wars.htm. Baker Dale(2001). Teaching for Gender Difference. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18,2001: http://narst.org/research/gender.htm. Beyond Title IX:Gender Equity Issues in School (2001). Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18, 2001: http://www.maec.org/beyond.html#intro. Damnjanovic, A., & Kahle, J. (1997) How Research Helps Address Gender Equity. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on March 18, 2001: http://narst.org/research/gender2.htm. Sadker, D., Sadker, M., & Stulberg, L (1993). Fair and Square. Instructor

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Subculture Essay -- Punk Subcultures England Essays

Subculture There is something about the ideology of a subculture that sparks an interest in me. Maybe it is intriguing due to its members’ originality, courage to stand up for beliefs, or freely expressing their own self- identity. A subculture forms by individuals taking a risk, separating themselves from the mainstream, and forming their own distinctive norms, not caring what the â€Å"normal† members of the mainstream society think of them. Or do they care? Maybe that is the exact statement a subculture is making. Maybe these individuals are forming these groups so that people will care. Maybe their rebellious attitude is a final, somewhat desperate approach to getting that response. The images being portrayed in most subcultures are indeed attention- getting. Perhaps then, attention- seeking is the main goal of these groups. In analyzing the specific subculture of â€Å"punk†, these questions seem to fall towards the greater issue of â€Å"external vs. internal† . External indicates that this subculture is making a statement, merely through an image culminated on the exterior. Internal suggests a deeper, often political, and vigorously bold statement, such as protesting for citizens’ rights, rebelling against class structure, or publicly claiming a self- identity. Also, was punk a movement that said what it wanted to, and is now only a historical memory of the past? Or is America carrying out the motives of what England’s punk culture did at the time? The subculture defined as â€Å"punk† originated in England in 1976, with its end in 1981. There were several reasons for the emergence of such a radical movement. Its popularity grew day by day, with millions of kids who could identify with these people. Millions of kids, not only from the... ...culture today falls directly onto the external, with little substance holding it up. Punk has allowed it to become a community of elitists, and has become as restrictive as the mainstream culture they once so strongly opposed (Chamberlain). In the end we can only ask, although the official era of punk was over in England in1981, is punk really dead? Or has it simply evolved from an internal, deeper movement into an external, superficial image? Perhaps throughout the last three decades, the image taken from the initial punk has evolved into a style that is merely external. Maybe that is all that original punks would want. Works Cited The Quintessential Punk†. Bryn Chamberlain. Dec. 1995. 2 April 2004. . Wells, Steven. Punk: Young, Loud, and Snotty.† Thunder’s Mouth Press NY, NY. 2004. Subculture Essay -- Punk Subcultures England Essays Subculture There is something about the ideology of a subculture that sparks an interest in me. Maybe it is intriguing due to its members’ originality, courage to stand up for beliefs, or freely expressing their own self- identity. A subculture forms by individuals taking a risk, separating themselves from the mainstream, and forming their own distinctive norms, not caring what the â€Å"normal† members of the mainstream society think of them. Or do they care? Maybe that is the exact statement a subculture is making. Maybe these individuals are forming these groups so that people will care. Maybe their rebellious attitude is a final, somewhat desperate approach to getting that response. The images being portrayed in most subcultures are indeed attention- getting. Perhaps then, attention- seeking is the main goal of these groups. In analyzing the specific subculture of â€Å"punk†, these questions seem to fall towards the greater issue of â€Å"external vs. internal† . External indicates that this subculture is making a statement, merely through an image culminated on the exterior. Internal suggests a deeper, often political, and vigorously bold statement, such as protesting for citizens’ rights, rebelling against class structure, or publicly claiming a self- identity. Also, was punk a movement that said what it wanted to, and is now only a historical memory of the past? Or is America carrying out the motives of what England’s punk culture did at the time? The subculture defined as â€Å"punk† originated in England in 1976, with its end in 1981. There were several reasons for the emergence of such a radical movement. Its popularity grew day by day, with millions of kids who could identify with these people. Millions of kids, not only from the... ...culture today falls directly onto the external, with little substance holding it up. Punk has allowed it to become a community of elitists, and has become as restrictive as the mainstream culture they once so strongly opposed (Chamberlain). In the end we can only ask, although the official era of punk was over in England in1981, is punk really dead? Or has it simply evolved from an internal, deeper movement into an external, superficial image? Perhaps throughout the last three decades, the image taken from the initial punk has evolved into a style that is merely external. Maybe that is all that original punks would want. Works Cited The Quintessential Punk†. Bryn Chamberlain. Dec. 1995. 2 April 2004. . Wells, Steven. Punk: Young, Loud, and Snotty.† Thunder’s Mouth Press NY, NY. 2004.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Is Coca Cola the Perfect Business? Essay

A. One of the most important skills to learn in managerial economics is the ability to identify a good business. Discuss at least four characteristics of a good business. Based on the article about Coca-Cola, there are five essential characteristics of a business for it to be considered as a â€Å"Good Business†. First, it should be appealing to both young and old alike. Second, it must have a distinct characteristic which cannot be easily imitated by others. Third, it must already made an impact to the market because it has already earned a large portion of market share. Fourth, profit margin and rates of return should be high. And Lastly, it must have a competitive advantage or economic moat. Appealing to both young and old alike. The product that the company sells / offers can be used or consumed by people of all ages. It must be enjoyed not only by selected markets rather it should be enjoyed by all. Distinct characteristic which cannot be easily imitated by others. The product that the company sells / offers must be unique and exceptional. It must safeguard it’s â€Å"secret ingredients†. So that it cannot be easily imitated by others. Large portion of market share. The product that the company sells / offers is used or consumed by a large portion of the market and must be preferred above other companies who are in the same line of business. A good business must able to deploy a lot of incremental capital at an above average rate of return for a long time. If a business is able to do that, it will in effect be helping its shareholders compound their money at a good rate of return and saving them the trouble of having to invest the extra dividends they would have received if the company didn’t reinvest in its operations. A durable competitive advantage or economic moat is what sets apart the good and great companies from the mediocre and downright lousy companies. A significant competitive advantage allows a company to earn better than average profits or maybe even excellent profits, and protects the company’s profits from competitors that want to get a piece of the action. A strong brand, being the low-cost producer, patents, and having a near monopoly over a certain market are some sources of competitive advantage. B. Identify and talk about at least four companies that you regard as having the characteristics listed here. Apple Company – This popular company is the brain behind gadgets like iPod, iPad, iPhone, and MacBooks. Their products are user-friendly and can easily be used by people both young and old. Also, Apple always sees to it that their products offer unique features which suit the people’s wants and needs enabling the people to patronize their products; thus in return, earning a large portion of market share compared to other competitors. SM Investments Corporation – This is composed group of companies: Retail, Mall Operations, Property, and Banking & Finance. RETAIL – SM is the Philippines’ most dominant player in retail with 193 stores nationwide. Of these, 46 are SM Department Stores; 37 are SM Supermarkets, 76 are SaveMore branches; and 34 are SM Hypermarkets. MALL OPERATIONS – SM is the Philippines’ largest shopping mall developer and operator with 46 malls nationwide. SM Prime also owns 4 malls in China’s second and third-tier cities, namely Xiamen, Jinjiang, Chengdu, and Suzhou. By the end of 2012, SM Prime will have a total of 46 malls in the Philippines and five in China with a combined GFA of 6.3 mn sqm. PROPERTY – SM’s property group is a fast emerging business with interests in residential, commercial, leisure and hotel development.SMDC is rapidly growing with 15 residential projects under its SM Residences and two projects under its M Place brand. BANKING & FINANCE – SM’s bank network is the largest in the Philippines with its 41% interest in BDO Unibank and 20% interest in China Banking Corp. In 2Q 2012, BDO became the country’s largest bank in terms of assets with 744 branches nationwide. Chinabank is the 8th largest with 307 branches nationwide. ABS-CBN – is a major Filipino commercial television network owned and operated by the Filipino media conglomerate ABS-CBN Corporation, a publicly traded company. It is the country’s leading television network with an advertising revenue amounted to 17.5 billion pesos for the fiscal year 2011 San Miguel Corporation – is Southeast Asia’s largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific region. San Miguel carries many brand names in the Philippine food and beverage industry, including San Miguel Pale Pilsen, Ginebra San Miguel, Monterey, Magnolia, and Purefoods. San Miguel Beer is one of the largest selling beers and among the top ten selling beer brands in the world. SMC manufacturing operations extend beyond its home market to Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia; and its products are exported to 60 markets around the world. C. Suppose you bought common stock in each of the four companies identifies here. Three years from now, how would you know if your analysis was correct? What would convince you that your analysis was wrong? Supposing I bought common stock in each of the four companies indentified above; three years from now, I would know that my analyses were correct by simply looking back and evaluating if the company still suffice the list of characteristics of a good business. I will be convinced that my analyses were wrong if it will not suffice even just one of the characteristics listed for it to be considered as a â€Å"good business†.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Effective Career Management and Planning Essay

For individuals career management is one of the important tasks which should be arranged in order for theme to be employable, and successful in their work and life. This essay introduces terms career management, career planning and explain how these two tasks are linked together. Subsequently it also explain how to effectively manage careers. Lastly conclusion and explanation will be given on who is responsible for managing careers, as well as who should plan individuals career to improve effectiveness. There is many ways to describe career management. As it is described by American Management Association it is a cycle of events that enables individuals and companies to achieve their goals (HR Focus 1999). Good management of careers would preferably put employees in most profitable and competitive situation for the businesses, at the same time employees are required to understand what skills will help them to improve and develop in order to achieve rewards from work and personal life. There are two different career managements: organizational and individual (De Vos, A et. all 2008). Organizational career management is set to improve workers effectiveness, this is achieved by findings what workers want and helping them in achieving the goals, at the same time selecting the employees who deserve opportunities the most, in order to motivate them. Individual career management is effort which individual puts to improve career aspiration, it is also very important that employees, while satisfying their personal goals, also satisfy the goals of the organisation. In changing economy of 21st century, people are not able to remain in only one job for the duration of their life. As Handy (1976) said traditional careers are not compatible with new organisation structures. It is also proven by Guest and Mackenzie (2006) that the number of the opportunities of work promotion decreased which would make it more difficult for the employees to move up the ladder in their organisation (Newell 2000). Due to the changes in the organisations, and the fact that employees are not able to work for one employer for the duration of their career, puts more responsibilities for managing careers on the employees themselves in order to achieve their life ambitions. Career management in today’s world requires people to learn continuously for the duration of their career due to increasing amount of technology being used in day to day work. To be competitive in the work, employees have to be current with new technologies and skills, which will increase their employability. Another very important skills employees have to develop are relationships with colleagues and competitors, which will help in observation how the industry is changing, to be modern and competitive in the workplace. Psychological contract is a mutual obligation of employees and employers, this obligation can include promises and expectation from both parties of the contract. Over the years Psychological contract has changed dramatically due to changes in the economy. Psychological contract no longer gives job security, and mainly focuses on short term financial relationship (Atkinson, 2002). These changes put more responsibilities on employees and demand from them to be highly skilled, and marketable. Career planning is a part of career management which consist of activities which lead to achieving career goals, as well as finding their strength and weaknesses (Orpen 1994). Tasks are associated with exploring people’s interests and abilities; it also should include identifying new skills people want to develop. Career planning also involves drawing action plans and making sure the plans are realistic. Planning is one of the tasks which are compulsory to remain employed and competitive in employment market. Planning of career must include variety of strategies carried out in order for the individual to be successful. In order to develop a career plan individual have to go through four steps: self assessment which helps people identify their skills and qualities, research which is design to introduce individual to job from inside, decision making requires individual to choose one of the options available, and lastly taking actions such as looking for jobs as well as keeping in touch with the people in the field (Zigelstain, T). Each of these steps is design to help individual find his ideal career based on skills and attributes of individual. Research conducted by Orpen (1994) shows that the employees who plan and use different tactics are more successful in their careers even if the tactics do not work. The responsibility of managing and planning the careers for individuals lies between the employers and employees, mainly because employment is seen as a relationship between these two parties. It is very important that there are different tasks assign to this two parties in order for them to work effectively. Then again career management on the organization side helps empl oyee become more successful, encourages workers to identify what they want, it also support self-development (Barnet & Bradley 2007). Involvement of the organisation in career management brings confidence to an employee which makes them feel their careers are better. Taking in the account the fact that in today’s world people will frequently change jobs- as indicated by Bureau of Labour Statistics 64% of individuals change job between 5 to 14 times in their life (Loretto 2010)- responsibility of managing career is principally placed on the individuals themselves. In the conclusion it is vital to saying that the career management and planning is very important in individuals’ career. Tasks associated with planning and managing help people to uncover their skills and attributes which then can be used in their career. Managing careers is broadly responsibility of employees, but in order for the employees to take the right steps in managing the career help from employers in form of various activities is needed. If the help from the organizations is not significant there will be only little progress made in managing the careers (Newell 2000). At the same time due to changes in economy and organizations themselves people have to take control in planning and managing their careers on their own in order to make career effective and gain benefits as well as satisfaction from work and personal life. Without participation in the tasks associated with planning and managing careers individuals will find it very difficult to find the precise occupation in which they will feel comfortable. Concurrently share responsibility of career management improves performance as well as increases benefit for organization and individuals. There will be help available from your employer in managing and planning career but before individual or graduates get job they should take control of their career and life.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

International Business Strategy Master Case Study

International Business Strategy Master - Case Study Example How should Starbucks manage the paradox of profitability and responsibility Andrews (1997: p. 52) defines corporate strategy as "the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes, or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue, the kind of economic and human organisation it is or intends to be and the nature of the economic and non-economic contribution it intends to make to its shareholders, employees, customers, and communities". Corporate strategy in effect maps out the businesses in which an organisation intends to compete in a way that focuses resources to convert distinctive capabilities into competitive advantage. (Andrews, 1997). Economists are not in agreement as to a common definition of multinational or transnational enterprises (MNE/TNC). Multinational corporations have many dimensions and can be viewed from several perspectives (ownership, management, strategy and structural, etc. (Root 1994, Hill 2007). According to Ghoshal. et al (2002), A multinational Entreprise (or transnational corporation) is a corporation or enterprise that manages production establishments or delivers services in at least two countries. Most multinationals have budgets that exceed those of many countries (Ghoshal et al. 2002). This paper addresses some of the pertinent issues that affected Starbucks in 2006. The paper further discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the different models of entry used often adopted by Multinationals. The last section of the paper looks at Stakeholder mapping of Starbucks and how each of its Stakeholders affected its strategies 2.0Identify and assess the strategic challenges confronting Starbucks Corporation in 2006. Use your findings to critically evaluate the firm's decision not to compromise on its "basic principles" (Case Page 303) as its expands internationally. Today's business environment is increasingly becoming more turbulent, chaotic and challenging than ever before and to survive, it is vital that a firm understands the strategies underpinning the success of rival firms and try to emulate, or do something better than the rivals. This study is initiated to investigate the core features underpinning H&M success when compared to it competitors. Within the context of today's global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses including the retail clothing chain stores. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). The problems and challenges that Starbucks faced in 2006 can be explain inline Porters five forces. Porter (1985:4) contends that the Five Forces define the rules of competition in any industry and at the same time marks the bases for understanding a company's success. Porter (1985) went further and argues that, competitive