Whether Ethical Sourcing A Source Of Competitive Advantage Dissertation

Whether Ethical Sourcing A Source Of Competitive Advantage - Dissertation Example Adopting the means of ethical manufacturing sourcing generally relates to a wider market audience and conformance with predefined ethical standards and principles that facilitate an organization to create a brand image and adhere to the corporate social responsibility. Ethical sourcing, however, is a hindrance that suppliers face in their normal course of business. For instance, organizations find it expensive to adopt ethical supply chain and distribution networks thus generally face lack of coalition among business and individual objectives. UK ethics law is essential in guiding principles for ethical sourcing since it conducts activities under the permissible range of the European law. Supply chain is a condition that enables an organization to operate in a more defined manner than the companies it competes with. It gains competitive advantage, which results in profits increase to that company in terms of margin enhancement, especially in the modern dynamic business world. It also serves as a valuable strategy as it involves all critical features that a strategy entails like conceptual and analytical decision making in terms of products, their time of delivery and the market to be targeted. Introduction Ethical sourcing is making sure that workers who are treated well and paid fair wages to work legal hours create the products being sourced in safe facilities. It also means that the supplier of the product is regarding the environment for the period of the production and manufacture of the product. Many companies may have various reasons as to why they use ethical sourcing. Others may claim to embrace ethical sourcing, but not completely and may not be practicing it in all their companies globally. Sourcing ethically is ensuring that honest values are met for the period of the manufacturing of products, as well as sourcing equipment. It is ensuring the participation of everyone in their products' development is paid a fair wage and working in safe and hygien ic conditions. It also means that employees work at reasonable hours, is not subject to unfairness and is of civilized working age. In this project, it will be found out whether Ethical sourcing is a source of competitive advantage to various companies owing to customers and consumers’ interest. Analysis of the strategies that different organizations like M&S and Co-op use to realize effective ethical sourcing is going to be done to show whether these ethical sourcing is beneficial or disadvantageous to them. Some of the United Kingdom Ethic laws that regulate functionalities of these companies will be discussed (Report Linker 2011). What supply chain is will be disclosed and whether it has any advantage as a competitive source (Kate & Anna 2004). Literature review This literature review explains ethical sourcing and develops arguments for and against its adoption by major retailing organizations. It is acknowledged that different countries have different rules, regulations a nd laws governing sourcing (Lynn 2007). This dissertation, however, focuses on how major retailers source products for selling in the developed economies of the UK, EU and US. Whilst the overall objective of this review is to, critically, examine ethical sourcing and its adoption by some firms (but not by others), it will help develop a model that can be used to see how â€Å"ethical† organizations actually are. Sourcing ethically, in a scholarly capacity, means the upholding of at most moral and decent values during the process of developing commodities. It is a perfect blend of sustainability, values imbibed in a business practice and social responsibility

Assuming Is Dangerous Essay Example for Free

Assuming Is Dangerous Essay When people make assumptions, based on things that they think they see, hear, or know; without confirming their conclusion first, anything can result. For Lester Burnham, it can be concluded, the result of someone else’s assumption would be his own death. Throughout the movie America Beauty, there were many miscommunications between the characters, but only one particular failure to communicate cost someone their life. Colonel Frank Fitts was very concerned with his sons’ activities and his relationship with Lester Burnham, unaware of the true nature of the relationship between his son and Lester, the Colonel made accusations based on bits of information he gathered from short conversations with Lester and even â€Å"seeing† something he actually did not see. Had he asked the right questions his conclusions would most likely not have caused him to take Lester’s life in the end of the movie. There was also one particular moment where Lester could have possibly saved his own life by telling the Colonel that he was actually not a homosexual. It was stated in our textbook Making Connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication written by Kathy Sole that a very important part of communicating is making sure the message received is the correct message intended. It would appear that the Colonel has a problem with homosexuals but when he kissed Lester in the movie, there is more to understand about Colonel Frank’s sense of self. As it says in our text â€Å"Today most researchers believe that who you think you are is a complex mix of how you see yourself; how others see you; what parents, teachers, and peers have told you about yourself; and what your society or culture tells you that you are or should be. †(Sole, 2011) Colonel Frank must have never accepted his true self if he was a homosexual, instead he adapted to what others always believed he was. He appeared to have done his best to prove everyone else right. Therefore, instead of the Colonel actually having a problem with homosexuals; he actually had a problem with himself. When the Colonel confronted Lester about his relationship with his wife, Lester’s responses were vague in a way that further solidified Frank’s assumptions that Lester was gay. When he kissed Lester and Lester said, â€Å"I think you have the wrong idea† Colonel Frank took it as a rejection, when Lester could have said, â€Å"No, man, I am not gay† or something of the sort. If Lester had responded in a way that did not humiliate or make Frank feel inadequate he may not have killed Lester. Colonel Frank and, Lester both should have delved a little deeper, and made more of an effort to understand what each of them were actually trying to say, or the messages they were trying to convey. If they had done a better job and communicating, Lester would have been aware of Colonel Frank’s assumption that he was gay, and able to correct Frank. If Colonel Frank had asked the right questions after Lester’s vague responses, he would have understood that Lester’s relationship with his wife was not â€Å"just for show† because he was gay but rather because they were trying to be the couple that others thought, they should be.

The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection :: essays papers

The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection The legalization of concealed weapons for the purpose of self protection has and will decrease the number of gun related crimes. Guns were not invented for the purpose of robbing a bank, or mugging someone in a dark alley. Guns were not invented by criminals or by people looking for a way to murder or intimidate. The invention of the gun was directed at making hunting easier and eventually was used in war to defend our country. The first guns, or â€Å"mortars† were cannons. These weapons were used to defend cities in the early 1400s. The French were the first to use cannons in mobile warfare. And in recent wars guns have provided the artillary to defend inocent countries against terrorist. What is so wrong with self defense? If someone has the intent to murder, mug, or rape an innocent person, gun laws will not stop that person. The only thing that a gun law does is to take away the right of good citizens like us to protect ourselves from these criminals. We can not go back in time and not invent the gun. We will never get rid of them all, so as long as guns exist, criminals will obtain them easier and faster than the average citizen has ever been able to. A woman who thought she was alone in her Jacona, New Mexico, home and had just emerged from the shower when she heard the sounds of someone ransacking the residence. The quick-thinking resident retreated to the bedroom but was soon confronted by a stocky male intruder who had violently kicked down the locked door. That’s when the intended victim pointed a handgun at the man, sending him fleeing! The woman in this story and others like her are the types of people who cherish the right to bare arms. One year after Australian gun owners were forced to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed, including semi-automatic .22 rifles and shotguns, a program costing the government over 500 million dollars. The results are less than expected. A dramatic increase in criminal activity involving firearms has been experienced by the citizens of Australia. Just after twelve months of the new gun laws, Australia-wide homicides are up 3.2%, assaults are up 8.6%, and armed robberies are up 44%! In the state of Victoria, homicides with firearms are up 300%! Figures over the past 25 years The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection :: essays papers The Legalization of Concealed Weapons for Self Protection The legalization of concealed weapons for the purpose of self protection has and will decrease the number of gun related crimes. Guns were not invented for the purpose of robbing a bank, or mugging someone in a dark alley. Guns were not invented by criminals or by people looking for a way to murder or intimidate. The invention of the gun was directed at making hunting easier and eventually was used in war to defend our country. The first guns, or â€Å"mortars† were cannons. These weapons were used to defend cities in the early 1400s. The French were the first to use cannons in mobile warfare. And in recent wars guns have provided the artillary to defend inocent countries against terrorist. What is so wrong with self defense? If someone has the intent to murder, mug, or rape an innocent person, gun laws will not stop that person. The only thing that a gun law does is to take away the right of good citizens like us to protect ourselves from these criminals. We can not go back in time and not invent the gun. We will never get rid of them all, so as long as guns exist, criminals will obtain them easier and faster than the average citizen has ever been able to. A woman who thought she was alone in her Jacona, New Mexico, home and had just emerged from the shower when she heard the sounds of someone ransacking the residence. The quick-thinking resident retreated to the bedroom but was soon confronted by a stocky male intruder who had violently kicked down the locked door. That’s when the intended victim pointed a handgun at the man, sending him fleeing! The woman in this story and others like her are the types of people who cherish the right to bare arms. One year after Australian gun owners were forced to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed, including semi-automatic .22 rifles and shotguns, a program costing the government over 500 million dollars. The results are less than expected. A dramatic increase in criminal activity involving firearms has been experienced by the citizens of Australia. Just after twelve months of the new gun laws, Australia-wide homicides are up 3.2%, assaults are up 8.6%, and armed robberies are up 44%! In the state of Victoria, homicides with firearms are up 300%! Figures over the past 25 years

Objectives of Punishment Essay

The objective of punishment in the criminal justice system it to enforce a particular penalty on a person who is in violation of the law; such enforcement should have an effect so great that it will deter that person from continuing to violate the law and prevent other offenses (Foster, 2006). Punishment is based on four major objectives; deterrence, incapacitation, reformation, and rehabilitation. Deterrence is based on discouraging a person from committing a criminal act, the pain and fear of punishment are enough to scare a person from following through with such acts. Incapacitation is achieved by protecting society from the criminal by incarcerating the person so he or she can no longer be a threat to others. Reformation is the act of changing a person while he or she is incarcerated in order to help a person become a law abiding citizen. This happens through programs that are put in place to help a person understand the law and that it is there to protect society. Rehabilitatio n is gained by therapeutic and educational programs that help the offender become more aware of the rules and regulations so he or she can be prepared to be a part of the society again. The rehabilitation process may help the offender find a job so that he or she may feel as if they are a part of society and this is a more permanent solution to this issue; whereas, reformation may be a temporary fix to the problem (Foster, 2006 pg. 67). Punishment assists with achieving institutional objectives in the criminal justice system by offering and incorporating programs that can deter criminals from further committing crime. Some of these programs may consist of therapeutic, educational, and work-related punishments that help reform and rehabilitate the offender; by doing this, the criminal justice system is showing the offender how to become an active part of society while knowing right from wrong. These programs can have temporary or long-term effects on the offender, either way; they are productive in refining justice. Reference Foster, B. (2006). Corrections: The Fundamentals. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

A Whole New World

This week I attended a one-time screening for a movie called Derby Baby. It was a documentary film on women who play roller derby. It was a small screening in a town called Wilmette. Over the past year I have been introduced to the culture and world of roller derby by my girlfriend. I have been able to experience many different events related to the culture, but this movie brought a different life to the culture of roller derby. I never looked at the sport or hobby as a culture but have realized what a culture it is for many people. The clothing that is worn, the love, the passion, the life, the commitment; these are all so different that my lifestyle. People who love roller derby commit their lives to it, their free time; their friends are all in roller derby or volunteer. The sport is volunteer ran, the games, the practices, the players, no one is paid for what they do. Not many cultures of sports are like this, which makes them very unique. I used to find myself judging the people in roller derby, assuming they were all outgoing and spontaneous people, but over the past year and from this movie I have learned it is an outlet for many. It is a place where quiet people can bring out a different side of them and a place where the outgoing can be more crazy and exciting. Roller derby is not just a game for entertainment; it is a way of life for many. The level of commitment depends on the individual. A player not only plays but volunteers, joins a committee within the league, coaches, trains, parties, they do it all. You can also have a love for derby and not play; you can be a referee or a fan who is highly involved. The possibilities are never ending. It is a passion that many do not know about, like many other cultures it is waiting to be found. A whole new world The world has gone far from what it was a century ago. As the world grows old, things on it, around it, and under it have changed considerably; many were even replaced by new ones.   As time goes on, man has invented and innovated much on four major human activity sectors: industry, energy, transportation and agriculture. (B Goldstein, 2002)Humans have been blinded by the dramatic changes and improvements on their ways of living brought about by technological advancements, industrialization and the transformation of almost everything in this whole new world For all of these, man has sacrificed his most precious wealth: his health. If we are to unveil the mask of this whole new world, we will see that what we actually have is a set of whole new pollutants- the gravest threat to human health.In the two independent studies conducted in California relative to the health hazards of exposure to the soot in diesel emissions, researchers has released alarming result figures. In 2005 half a million of work and school absences, and at least 1,100 premature deaths were caused by breathing emissions from old diesel equipment. (Union of Concerned Scientists) So this is our prize for desiring to have this whole new world a highly industrialized one. The birth of high rise buildings, the construction of hospitals and transportation facilities, comes the birth of soot. Soot particles come directly from the tailpipe of engines and contribute to the unhealthy levels of particulate matter (PM) (UCS p.20).The fine particulate matter â€Å"lodges like tiny razor blades deep in human lungs† according to Kevin Hamilton, who have led one of the two studies in California. Particulate pollution as Don Anair of the Union of Concerned scientists puts it is a â€Å"silent killer†. What the world gets from industrialization are heart diseases, asthma and cancer. The compensation of development is hundreds of different chemicals from the diesel soot: sulfates, ammonium, nitra tes, elemental carbon, condensed organic compound, carcinogenic compounds, arsenic, selenium cadmium and zinc. If one thinks that he can get rid of this pollution by going out of the city, he is wrong. The study even found out 2that soot particles is present at the South Pole.Suggestions as to solving this problem include basically replacing the old equipment with new ones. The sad thing about this is that most of these equipment last for 20 to 30 years. That would mean humans still have to have themselves exposed to this pollution for two to three decades before they will be replaced with less-emitting machines. Taking this fact: 3for every additional 10 micrograms of soot in a cubic meter of air is equivalent to 4.5% increase in heart attacks, how many lives will still be sacrificed in three decades? Being also a cancer-causing agent, soot pollution is not supposed to be taken for granted.  The California Air Resources Board reported that soot is responsible for 70% of the risk of cancer from airborne toxics. No one is safe and exempted from the deadly effects of diesel pollution, especially those who are living in soot-polluted areas like California. In fact, the 26% increase in mortality rate in such areas is attributed to soot-pollution.One does not have to be an environmentalist in order to know what is actually going on with the air we all breathe. We do not have to be scientifically inclined in order to understand what these research studies figures are all about. We just have to have a little concern of the future, especially the lives of the children who have no chance of altering their future. Their only choice, if it is a choice, is to live in the world where their parents brought them up: a polluted world brought about by industrialization. I am not against development, nor am I against industrialization. I am against the carelessness of the proponents of this development who obviously have overlooked the long term health effects of these proces ses.There is no escape to industrialization- the world, being governed by the laws of the material-driven humans, is inclined to be there. What has been done can no more be undone, and that is the sad truth. But there is a means of deterring the worst scenario: laws that will regulate the further use of soot-emitting engines or equipment.The government has to genuinely work hard to ensuring the safety of their people, as they are expected to do so. The human health and the environment can no more wait. The best time to act is now. The chance of this growing old world of getting a better place to live in is declining. We can no more turn back time, what has been lost is lost forever. Let us not lose what we still have today.WORKS CITEDWilson, Janet. â€Å"The Dire Health Effects of Pollution Reported.† The Los Angeles Times. December 05, 2006. Retrieved from http://www.topix.net/content/trb/3412963485317685650330925717330288178910 on February 20, 2007Environmental Health Persp ectives. â€Å"Seeing Through the Soot†. Retrieved from http://www.ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2002/110-8/innovations.html on February 20, 2007 Union of Concerned Scientists. â€Å"Clean Vehicles. Diesel Pollution Primer†. Retrieved from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/big_rig_cleanup/life-of-soot-diesel-pollution-emissions-and-health.html on February 20, 2007 Goldstein, Bernardo (2002). â€Å"Pollution Health Article†. Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health. The Gale Group, Inc. Macmillan Reference USA. New York. Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/pollution on February 20,2007

6 Tips for Focusing When Writing

6 Tips for Focusing When Writing 6 Tips for Focusing When Writing 6 Tips for Focusing When Writing By Guest Author Isn’t it ironic that I’m having a hard time focusing on this list of tips to help people focus? As I struggle to keep deadlines, I realize that my work environment is filled with distractions – whether it’s other people’s conversations filling my head or the flashing of my instant-messaging window telling me a co-worker has a question. If I’m going to make this deadline, then I need to buckle down. Here are six tips that I’ve learned help me focus on my writing. 1. Wear headphones. In a cubicle environment, conversations carry. It’s easy to lose your train of thought when your co-workers are yapping about last night’s â€Å"Bachelorette† episode. So slap on the headphones and hit Play on the â€Å"Inception† soundtrack or some classical – something you can get lost in. Try noise-canceling headphones to eliminate even more outside interference. 2. Turn off e-mail and IM. Normally, the first thing I do when I start working is open up my e-mail and my Instant Messaging client. It’s not long before friends and co-workers are hitting me up for conversation or questions. Since these forms of communication are so instant, people expect an immediate reply. Before long, an hour might go by. When you really need to crank out a project, turn on only Microsoft Word or whatever word-processing software you use – consider checking your e-mail as a reward for when you’re finished. 3. Close the door. Whether you work at home or in an office, shutting a door can be helpful – literally and figuratively. Keeping out distractions around you can also keep them out of your head. I’ve known work-from-home people who set up an area just for work – they don’t allow themselves to wander around or let their pets hang out. Sad, perhaps, but it’s easy to lose focus and concentrate instead on chores that need to be done or that puppy in your lap. A closed door means â€Å"do not disturb† – assuming people take the hint. 4. Work at your desk. Continuing along the lines of sticking to a formal work environment, I’ve found that working at my desk keeps me focused. I stare straight ahead at my screen and the wall behind it, attempting to maintain decent posture in my ergonomic chair. But if I take my laptop and retreat to the couch, all hope for meeting a deadline is lost. Now I’m comfy – I just might take a nap! The couch is in front of the TV – maybe I’ll just see what Oprah is up to! Oh, and if I take said laptop to a cafà ©? Way too much people-watching opportunity! Sitting at a desk establishes that I am working, and the sooner I finish, the sooner I can take my laptop to the couch and simultaneously surf and watch TMZ. 5. Work in chunks of time. One of the most helpful blog posts I’ve read recently is on WebWorkerDaily about working in â€Å"chunks.† Dawn Foster recommends breaking down your day into blocks of time dedicated to each task. That way you can keep track of where your time is going as you tackle each item on your to-do list. If you’re a person who works best under pressure, having deadlines sprinkled throughout your day should keep you focused. 6. Keep your cell phone out of sight. I think voicemail is one of the greatest modern inventions. I usually let phone calls go to voicemail so that I can listen to and process each person’s message before dealing with it. But a lot of people still jump on their phones the moment it rings, taking them away from their work. Even visual or vibrating notifications of incoming calls and text messages can be distracting. So keep your phone in another room or in your messenger bag and check it every once in a while. About the Author: Jennifer Moline writes about small business, graphic design, printing and freelancing for the PsPrint blog, as well as for other graphic design websites. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?List of Greek Words in the English LanguageList of 50 Compliments and Nice Things to Say!

Swains Vision essays

Swains Vision essays There comes a time in every young mans life when he realizes the difference between the superficial problems of childhood and the real world of adulthood. Some boys learn the nuances of being a man at an early age, while others dont quite understand the truth of maturity until after theyve lived on their own for a while. Loudin Swain was a young man who didnt experience much along the lines of adulthood until he was nearly out of high school. Through the decisions he made in his quests to drop two weight classes and wrestle the state champ and also win the love of an older woman, Loudin learns that some things in life arent given to you and that nothing lasts forever. Vision Quest opens with Loudin Swain training for wrestling. He talks of how he wants to make his mark in the world this year, but doesnt realize that just the opposite will happen, the world will make its mark on him. Loudin is very into his wrestling and is the number one wrestler in his weight class. Although this is something to be proud of, he is not content. Loudin wishes to drop two weight classes and wrestle Shoot, the state champion who is the guy to beat. This is Loudins goal for the year and this is how he plans to make his mark. He trains long hours and constantly works out in his attempt to reach this goal. Loudin is the type of person who focuses so intensely on what he wishes to achieve that he doesnt see all of the other aspects of life around him. This is a sign of immaturity and Loudin will overcome this problem within the course of the movie. Loudin works at a local hotel where he delivers room service. One night he is confronted with a rather uncomfortable experience. Loudin delivers dinner to a room where a man is practicing Tai Chi. Loudin and this man strike up conversation about the benefits of this type of exercise and Loudin begins to attempt performing Ta ...

What Is the Definition of an Earmark in Politics

What Is the Definition of an Earmark in Politics The term earmark spending refers to a part of a spending bill that allocates money for a specific thing such as a location, project or institution. The key difference between an earmark and a general budget line is the specificity of the recipient, which is usually a particular project in a specific Congressmans district or a Senators home state. Earmarking is often used as a tool for negotiation and deal-making: a representative might vote in favor of a project in another representatives district in exchange for earmarked funding in his own district. Definition of Earmark Funding Earmarks are funds provided by the Congress for specific projects or programs in such a manner that the allocation (a) circumvents a merit-based or competitive allocation process; (b) applies to a very limited number of individuals or entities; or (c) otherwise curtails the ability of the Executive Branch to independently manage the agency budget. Thus, an earmark circumvents the appropriations process, as outlined in the Constitution, where Congress grants a lump sum of money to a Federal agency each year and leaves the management of that money to the Executive Branch. Congress includes earmarks in both appropriation and authorization bills orOR in report language (the committee reports that accompanies reported bills and the joint explanatory statement that accompanies a conference report). Because earmarks can be tucked away in report language, the process is not easily identified by constituents. Examples of Earmark Spending Earmark spending relates only to funds identified for specific projects. For instance, if Congress passed a budget that gave a certain sum to the National Park Service as an entity, that wouldnt be considered an earmark. But if Congress added a line indicating that some of the money had to be allocated to preserve a specific landmark, then thats an earmark. Earmark spending may be allocated for (among other things): Research projectsDemonstration projectsParksLaboratoriesAcademic grantsBusiness contracts Some earmarks stand out easily, like a $500,000 grant to the Teapot Museum. But just because an item of expenditure is specific, that doesnt make it an earmark. In defense spending, for instance, bills come with a detailed account of how each dollar will be spent- for example, the amount of money needed to purchase a specific fighter plane. In another context, this would merit an earmark, but not for the Defense Department as this is how they do business.   Is "Earmarking" Considered to Be Unethical? Earmarks have a derogatory connotation on Capitol Hill, largely because of specific earkmark spending projects that have little benefit to anyone but the businesses involved in doing the work. One famous example of such of a project is Alaskas infamous â€Å"Bridge to Nowhere.† a $398 million project intended to replace a ferry to an island that is home to just 50 people. Congress imposed a moratorium on earmarks that went into effect in 2011, which banned members from using legislation to direct money to specific projects or organizations in their districts. In 2012, the Senate defeated a proposal to outlaw earmarks but extended the moratorium by a year. Lawmakers try to avoid using the term while still attempting to insert specific spending provisions into bills. Earmarks are also called a variety of different terms including: Member-directed spendingPlus upsBudget enhancementsAdditionsProgrammatic adjustments Lawmakers have also been known to directly call agency officials and ask them to allocate money toward specific projects, without any pending legislation. The is known as â€Å"phone-marking.†

Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics Essay

Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics - Essay Example In this connection, organizations or companies intends considering social responsibility as major initiatives or activities in order to support social causes along with satisfying commitments through corporate social responsibility (Kotler & Lee, 2008). Similarly, managerial ethics are often regarded as the code of moral ideas and values that manage the overall behaviors of an individual. A managerial ethical issue lies in such a situation when the various actions of an organization are observed to have the potential to damage or benefit the stakeholders by creating an impression on their perceived personal values (Draft & Marcic, 2010). Henceforth, in this paper, the importance of social responsibility, various risks that are linked with social responsibility and the important factors in order to overcome those risks will be elaborately discussed followed by a strong conclusion. The main objective of this paper is to make a strong belief that the companies or the organizations shoul d contribute their expensive resources as well as time to supervise their social responsibility. ... It is a part of contemporary managerial ideology which is considered in order to evaluate various decisions, beliefs and actions among others. In context to business operations, a particular organization expects to exercise greater ethical values and perform various responsibilities towards the society (Griifin, 1993). People in the organizations may hold dissimilar views regarding the ethically suitable or unsuitable actions related to a situation which in turn gives rise to ethical conflicts and thus in turn tends to signify the essentiality of managerial ethics and corporate social responsibility (Draft & Marcic, 2010). Social responsibility can be regarded or treated as one of the ethical actions considered by an organization or a company. However, a particular business cannot continue with good performances to a certain extent if it lacks in efficient financial and/or operational strengths. For instance, if the business is making too much loss in expenditures, it eventually inte nds to retrench the production cost that in turn affects the service/product quality hampering customers’ perceived values and leaving the employees jobless. This particular evidence might prove disregarding in relation to social responsibility towards the employees within an organization (Griifin, 1993) Thus, in order to promote a well equipped development within an organization, it is necessary to accept the importance or necessity of social responsibility. The importance of social responsibility is duly considered high because of its assertion towards business in order to enhance economic value, maintain coordination between employees’ work life and personal life, local communities as well as to

ESL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ESL - Essay Example Each level of learning would have a different level of discovery that they need to make. At the end of the fifteen minute period, each student would need to state in English what they learned about their conversation partner. The sample demographic that is used for this assignment is adult students in a classroom environment when the school is in their own home nation. The ages of the students range from 21 to 38. The students are divided into the three groups, beginner, intermediate, and advanced so that they can communicate at the level they have attained or are in which they are working. Through creating partnered conversation, the students can achieve participation and interaction so that they can gain confidence and begin to develop communications strategies. This will give them more confidence in their ability to communicate in the English language. The goal for all three groups is to work towards fluency. One of the best ways in which to teach speaking skills is to have studen ts speak to one another in the classroom. The time frame should be fifteen minutes of conversation for all three groups. The beginning group will use phrases that are short. These phrases may contain only three to five works but can be used to develop a conversation. The instructions for beginners will be to greet one another and introduce themselves. They should talk about their family, give the time, and talk about how they are feeling. They should be instructed to thank each other at the end of the conversation. The intermediate conversation should be conversations in which they ask for details about ideas, they give opinions, and they begin to work with agreeing and disagreeing. The advanced students should be paraphrasing what each other has said during the course of the conversation. One learner will make a comment on a topic after which the second learner must first paraphrase the comment of the first learner, and then contribute their own opinion. In a class with multiple ad vancement levels, the best way in which to teach the subject is to have one activity, such as a conversation between paired students, which has different instructions for each level in the classroom. This way there is group experience even when the students do not all have the same level of education on a subject. The following table shows how the instruction lesson would be broken down. Beginner Intermediate Advanced Phrases 3 to 5 word phrases Full sentences Paraphrases of the partner’s opinions. Information Name, age and something they like. Details about their family and work life. Opinions about the world. Identify Problems Is pronunciation correct? Is sentence structure correct? Are the ideas developed? Assignment Two: The students in this classroom are learning from within their own nation and are adult learners. They have three levels of skill within the one classroom: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The ages of the students range from 21 to 38. The lesson that will help them to learn to listen would first include a film. The film would be in English and would have a variety of information in it that the students could learn. Before the class session would start, the film would be playing as the students come into the classroom. An example of a film that might work is the BBC documentary, Technology of the Future (Prabh Stories 2013). This film has English spoken in American style, but in relatively

Review of the movie full metal jacket and relate it to the book The Essay

Review of the movie full metal jacket and relate it to the book The Vietnam war 1945 - 1990 by marilyn young - Essay Example The film is set in the 1967 Vietnamese war. It is structured in two parts. The first part of the movie is in a boot camp at Parris Island. A group of new US marine corps arrive at the boot camp for basic training. When they arrive at the camp, they are first made to shave their heads before they proceed to meeting Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, who is their senior drill instructor. The main agenda of sending the new recruits to the boot camp is to prepare them for the war. Hartman therefore uses extremely harsh tactics to train the marine corps. The draconian, or harsh tactics are aimed at turning the marines in to hardened soldiers that are ready and fit for combat. The three main marines from the new recruits group are privates â€Å"Cowboy†, â€Å"Joker†, and â€Å"Gomer Pyle†. Private ‘Gomer Pyle† earns the nickname after the wrath of sergeant Hartman befalls on him. Hartman’s continued efforts to discipline Pyle are not fruitful. He therefore o pts for pairing the private with Joker. After the two are paired, Pyle’s performance at the boot camp begins to improve. However, Hartman finds a contraband jelly doughnut in Pyle’s foot locker. It is against the rules of the camp to have such paraphernalia. What happens next is that Hartman advances his punishment towards Pyle because he believes that his peers are not helping him reform as much as the Sergeant would want. From that particular moment, the whole platoon is punished for the mistakes that Pyle does. The drill master makes it worse by passing that Pyle himself will not be punished for his mistakes. The platoon realizes that they will be constantly punished if they do not help in reforming their fellow marine. They throw a blanket party for the lad; they restrain him to his bunk,and give him a beating using bars of soap that have been wrapped up with towels. The torture is their way of retaliating to the suggestion of Hartman. This torture tactic works and Pyle reforms to a model marine. However, he exemplifies withdrawal symptoms as a result of the beating that he receives because he begins to make conversation with his riffle. The marine corps finally graduate and are given their Military Occupational Specialty. During their last night at the camp, Joker finds Pyle in the bathroom loading his riffle and reciting the Rifleman’s creed. Joker tries to calm him down but the commotion wakes up the whole platoon together with Hartman. Unfortunately, Pyle kills Hartman after he tries to confront him to surrender and then commits suicide. In the first part of the movie, Kubrick puts the viewer in the place where they feel like they are part of the whole training process. He highlights how the naive marines are slowly transformed through the rigorous training process. Kubrick also maintains a certain athleticism in the film through the obstacle courses and the chants the sergeant makes the marines to repeat. It also highlights the ps ychological effects that the whole training process can have on a marine, as exemplified by the eventualities of Pyle’s discipline from both Hartman and the other marines. The second part of the movie is in the rubble that was Hue. The Marine Corps kids-turned-killers are now in the battle ground. It is in January of 1968; Joker is now a sergeant and is a marine war correspondent for stars and stripes. At the base where Joker is a correspondent, there is a Private first class marine, Rafterman, who is a combat

Marketing Mix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Marketing Mix - Essay Example The basic purpose however is to make a sale during all this while on the part of the marketing team coming under the organization’s umbrella. The elements of the marketing mix might not be applicable to every organization or product since there are discrepancies in the understanding of each and every product. However on the condition that all of these 4P’s create value for the end user is something to understand from. The 4P’s basically outline the exact basis for the know-how related with the product as the product itself is discussed which includes the brand mark or the house mark as well as the symbol. (Lazer, 1971) The aspect of price includes whether or not this product is sold in line with the industry’s other competitors or it is skimmed to a high price right at the very beginning of its induction in the market. At times, this product could be penetrated at a low price so as to ignite more sales but then again it could backfire since the product can have bad reputation and be considered of low value and hence a negligible brand image is conveyed nonetheless. Place is the distribution aspect rel ated with that product where the product is made available for the right target audiences. This includes the retail outlets, stores, mobile vans, corner shops and just about any place where it could be purchased from. It can even include the Internet since a lot of online sale is being done through it and hence could rightly be termed as a point of sale for the eventual end consumers. The promotional aspect, the last P amongst the 4P’s is related with marketing communications, which not only takes advertising, sales promotions and personal selling into its fold but also the aspect of word of mouth communication, with or without the creation of the opinion leaders and quite rightly so the public relations tenet. Now we move on with the aspects of the marketing mix in relation with each other. If there is no product, there would

Wireless fan LLD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wireless fan LLD - Essay Example This document will also document the hardware and software which will be employed. In this document, the researcher will discuss all the components that will be on the board as well as the software of the microcontroller. The heart of the analysis will be dependent upon the IR remote Controller that involves a transmitter and a receiver circuit operation based on using infrared red rays as a medium of a wireless communication. As such, the device is used for all sorts of electronic devices like televisions air conditioners. The document is intended to capture and convey the significant design decisions which have been made in preparation for the development of the system being discussed in this document. The first process of the system will be the starter mechanism that is made available to the user via the buttons. When the button is pressed, the signal leads up the wire to the PIC. Once there, it is then translated via the logical inputs and given to the microchip unit through the diodes. This output signal is served to the IR LED’s through the current limitation resistors; where the electrical signal is changed to an optical signal. At this point, the motor will start. There are three additional switches which are designed to alternate between fan speeds. The microcontroller is a device that connects to the computer PC. It is incorporated into the electronic board and contains a memory, processor core, and a programmable input/output. This is therefore used to program the PIC of the remote and the receiver by use of the assembly language. The IR Receiver is to receive the infrared (IR). IR receiver detects infrared light that is being projected from the transmitter. By using an infrared signal to maintain a charged capacitor, this in turn keeps the run relay ready. The motor itself is the machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical ability to complete the work; for instance, the electric motors used to run

Increasing compliance with asthma treatment (Noncompliance and poor Research Paper

Increasing compliance with asthma treatment (Noncompliance and poor compliance with asthma treatment has continued to increase c - Research Paper Example Meagre compliance puts pediatric patients in danger of more medical problem of continued disease. Non-compliance leads to difficulties in assessment of children’s condition. This is a cause for poor diagnosis and lowered quality of healthcare on the patient. Non-compliance causes the relationship between a patient and doctor to be complicated. For compliance to hold, it is important for the doctor to have a one on one relationship with the patient. Nearly a third of pediatric patients fail to comply with treatment in the short term. Non-compliance is not necessary dangerous or inappropriate in cases where patients fail to comply from fear of harm by the medication prescribed from their past experience and in cases where it is ‘intelligent non-compliance.’ Non-compliance takes various forms such as, failure to attend appointments, missing doses of medication. Patients may fail to make appropriate use of their inhaling device. Using an inhaling device wrongly could be intended or a mistake of competence on the patient’s part. Pediatric physicians are encouraged to ensure children patients are well advised on use of inhaling devices whether their parents or those in charge of them are available or not for the sake of emergencies. Compliance in pediatric patients is determined by certain factors such as the patient’s health literacy and their believe systems along with patient’s general education. Patient’s decision to comply is dependent on other factors such as side effects of medication on the patient. Pediatric readmissions are at times consequences of wrong or inadequate instructions on medication by the physician giving prescriptions. Non-compliance leads to further complications that cause patients to spend more time and money in the process of treatment. Approximately $8.5 billion is spent unnecessarily each year on treatments related to non-compliance to medication. Such treatments involve both medical visits and hospitalization other than the initial treatment. This data by the National Pharmaceutical Council implies that most caregivers or parents in charge of a child’s medical prescription fail to insist on the importance of adherence to the prescriptions provided. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to seek assistance from physicians in case of emergencies whenever they can. They are advised on good knowledge of handling techniques for asthma in most situations. The Joint Commission in 2008, allowed and encouraged children hospitals to base compliance reports of core values as Children Asthma Care three. These values are easy to `adopt for hospitals and are efficient in encouraging adherence to medication. Compliance to CAC-1 and two has been on a high note while compliance to CAC-3 has yielded little (Krasnegor 2011). . In bid to reduce the number of asthma pediatric patients re admitted to hospital, organizations have created home based management plans to aid in prescrip tion adherence. The home management plan enhances the patient’s compliance after discharge. These initiatives require hospitals to commit to the process of creating adherence by developing an asthma-specific program. This program, â€Å"reminder and decision support† facilitates discharge of patients while availing administrative and clinical needs at home and school. Reminder and Decision Support gives advice on

Wireless fan LLD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wireless fan LLD - Essay Example This document will also document the hardware and software which will be employed. In this document, the researcher will discuss all the components that will be on the board as well as the software of the microcontroller. The heart of the analysis will be dependent upon the IR remote Controller that involves a transmitter and a receiver circuit operation based on using infrared red rays as a medium of a wireless communication. As such, the device is used for all sorts of electronic devices like televisions air conditioners. The document is intended to capture and convey the significant design decisions which have been made in preparation for the development of the system being discussed in this document. The first process of the system will be the starter mechanism that is made available to the user via the buttons. When the button is pressed, the signal leads up the wire to the PIC. Once there, it is then translated via the logical inputs and given to the microchip unit through the diodes. This output signal is served to the IR LED’s through the current limitation resistors; where the electrical signal is changed to an optical signal. At this point, the motor will start. There are three additional switches which are designed to alternate between fan speeds. The microcontroller is a device that connects to the computer PC. It is incorporated into the electronic board and contains a memory, processor core, and a programmable input/output. This is therefore used to program the PIC of the remote and the receiver by use of the assembly language. The IR Receiver is to receive the infrared (IR). IR receiver detects infrared light that is being projected from the transmitter. By using an infrared signal to maintain a charged capacitor, this in turn keeps the run relay ready. The motor itself is the machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical ability to complete the work; for instance, the electric motors used to run

Discussion Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discussion Question - Essay Example McDonald’s has mastered the art of change management. We can verify that through many examples. The McDonald’s launch in France, according to the ‘International Journal of Business Management’, where customers are ‘resentful of the fast-food chain’s incursion’ was successful mainly due to an adaptation of the local culture and demands of the market. French are particular about fine dining and hence McDonald’s underwent serious changes, such as comfortable armchairs, hardwood floors, an addition in their menu of items such as espresso, brioche and upscale sandwiches etc and ‘successfully responded to ‘the preferences of the local area (Richard L. Daft). ‘In the other countries the situation is the same. For example, in Canada, McDonald’s has introduced new Canadian feature breakfast. In Belgium, the McCicken Premiere has been added to the menu.’ (International Journal of Business Management, Nov 2008). Jing Han. (2008, Nov.) The Business Strategy of McDonald’s. International Journal of Business and Management. Volume 3, No. 11. Retrieved from:

Analysisng the Print Media Coverage of Birtish Football Players Essay Example for Free

Analysisng the Print Media Coverage of Birtish Football Players Essay Analysing the print media coverage of professional football players: British magazines and newspaper coverage of female players and officials in the women’s super league and females in football. Introduction The following research analyses coverage of women’s football and women involved in football in both nationally and locally distributed magazines and newspapers. The focus of the research looks at how the journalists refer and describe the women’s performance through interviews, writer’s columns and match reports, it is a long term study looking at data from October 1995 until the present day. With the recent introduction of a women’s super league and the existing premier league, most of the data revolves around these leagues, although there are also interviews with officials involved in overseeing the men’s game. The investigation found an extremely unequal balance in coverage between men and women’s sport, particularly football. When it was featured in a more general audience magazine such as Four Four Two or You magazine, there was often reference to the women’s appearance, partners and family life, as well as the man’s game. Alternatively in match reports featured in team specific publications such as programmes and fanzines there was much fewer references to the male game and a greater focus on skill and performance. Methodology Data collection The magazines and newspaper articles collected came from widely circulated publications including the Liverpool football club magazine, Four Four Two magazine and You magazine a supplement publication from the Mail on Sunday. The audience for these magazines are generic and not aimed particularly at one gender, although that is not to say both genders are equally likely to read it. The sport specific magazines are mainly focused on men’s football and representatively more men take an interest in football and are likely to buy the magazine. However it does feature articles about women’s sport. With the recent introduction of the women’s super league the focus of much of the in the more contemporary articles has been on this, however there are articles from 1995 until the present day. Sampling The data was chosen from a selection of publications that had been collected from 1995 until 2011, the articles that featured women’s football were found and the ones that had sufficient information about the team and the games they were involved in rather than just mentioned or the fixtures were used. The articles predominantly contained Liverpool ladies, although England, Everton and Chelsea teams were looked at along with an interview with a female official. The limitations of the sample are that most of the coverage comes from Liverpool’s match day programme and given the late start of the women’s season there has only been recent coverage of the current season. Also there are only relatively few articles in the publications and the collection was not exhaustive so some articles may have been missing from the archive, particularly away games and several months issues of Four Four Two. Data analysis After the data was collected it was read over and a content analysis was carried out, looking at lexis choices, tone and attitude of the writer towards the female athletes and officials. Points of interest and themes were highlighted in the articles, particularly the address of the female athletes, reference to the men’s game, and any sexual references. In articles containing interviews the questions put to the footballers were looked at for interviewer bias looking at any agenda the writer may have for presenting the woman’s game. The articles are in the appendices. Analysis Looking at the names of the teams involved in women’s premier league and super league is perhaps the most obvious form of subjugation within football. Names such as ‘Millwall Lionesses’, ‘Doncaster Rover Belles’ (LFC programme 11th April) and ‘Leeds City Vixens’ are part of the women’s football league even the national team are known as the ‘three Lionesses’ (You magazine 11th March) or the Australian national team ‘the Matildas’ (Four Four Two Oct 07). Other teams who just have the names of male football team names such as Everton are known ‘Everton ladies’, the name of the teams, although some may just be nicknames rather than official league names, put women in a lower position than men. Given that the game of football is not naturally gendered, it is not a male game, the idea that there is a need to differentiate they are female teams is quite surprising. In articles such as the Echo article from the 21st April, there is only an initial reference to gender in the headline ‘Dowie rescues a point for dominant ladies’ to prevent any confusion with the male team but throughout the rest of the interview, it is unbiased and simply refers to the players as members of the team, with references such as ‘the Toffees’ or simply just ‘Everton’. In other magazines such as LFC weekly from the 12th April when talking about the start of the new season in women’s football, the writer refers to the teams gender 60 times, 24 references to ‘ladies’ and ‘women’ 33 times. If the gender had been stated at the beginning of the article then there would be little reason to continue referencing the gender repeatedly throughout. The Everton programme from 11th December 2004 (LFC VS EFC) the women’s team is referred to as ‘the Girls in Blue’, the word girls is usually used to describe a young female which conjures up ideas of inexperience and immaturity. However in this instance it does not appear that is the writers intention to imply the women are any less than the best, after all Everton are one of the consistently best performing women’s team and it is in fact the only reference in the article about gender. It is more likely in this case, just a play on words adapting the slang reference to police as the boys in blue, McLoughlin (2000) looked at how magazines the writers expectations of women come through the text about what is accepted behaviour for women to do, football is still fairly off limits to women. Ultimately this will have some power over the reader who may feel pressure to conform to norms in the media. Throughout almost all of the articles the female players are referred to as ladies, although the competitions are the women’s super league and women’s premier league when the specific teams are mentioned they are called the ‘ladies’ for example ‘Liverpool ladies’ (LFC programme 10th Jan 98). This is an example of asymmetry not purely because of the use of diminutive ladies but also the need to differentiate from the male game. It would seem that it is normalising football as a male game as Liverpool men or any other team would not be referred to as Liverpool gentlemen, Janet Holmes also looked at the loaded meanings of the word ladies in her 2000 study. Gentlemen is the antonym of ladies which conjures up the images of gallantry and traditional ideas of gender, male ootball players would never be referred to as this as these are not the images that are desired for playing football, there will be evidence of respect and sportsmanship but it is a competition and a contact sport that has some level of controlled aggression and fierce competitiveness. Yet the women are referred to as ladies, this conjures up images of a reserved, gentle fairer sex, however they are just as capable of playing a hard tactile game. Therefore the programme from October 1995 ‘ladies fight back’, title is almost an oxymoron as ladies and fighting are not compatible images. While a feminist may take offence at the reference to women’s football as ladies, given the context it would seem that writers are not trying to demean women by using it and it would appear the women they are referring to are happy to be known as that, or surely by now the strong women in the game would have done something to have this changed. Later in the same programme the divide is further noted when the journalist writes ‘first-ever women’s derby match to be played at our famous stadium’, it is a common feature that youth teams play big games at Anfield even testimonials with male celebrities, yet it is made to be an honour at the thought of a women’s game occurring there, what is made worse is the description of the ground ‘our famous stadium’, this gives the impression it is solely for the men’s team, the fan’s, the writer, almost everyone except the women’s team, who should feel privileged to play at the ground. Messner and Duncan (1993) believe that sport media are wary of changing the coverage of women’s sport as it would challenge the male hegemony, this is also supported by Hardin, Lynn and Walsdorf (2005) and Curry, Arriagada and Cornwell (2002). With the recognition of women’s football by FIFA only happening in 1991 according to the October 2007 Four Four Two interview with the England team, the female game is still very much emerging. However women have been playing football and taking part in sport for centuries. By highlighting this is only ‘the second world cup England have qualified for’. He is raising the issue that the sport was only recently recognised yet taking away from the women’s achievements by bringing up the point that they hadn’t qualified many times before. As it is stated further in the magazine they have to balance ‘having full time jobs and preparing for the biggest tournament of your lives’, it is hardly surprising that they do not qualify as often as the men do as most of the players must remain amateur and the two games annot realistically be compared. The emergence of sports such as football has derived from local games that took part in villages as looked at in work by Reiley (2005) and Gerhadt (1993); mob games where two neighbouring villages would compete to get an object over the boundary into their village in order to win the game. These were very violent and thought of as no place for ladies to be, as the governing bodies developed from the public school systems like Rugby and Eton where the boys would take the village games and refine them, it was still very much a boys world as at that time girls schools would not have encouraged these type of games. It was once thought that if women took part in sport it would impact on their child baring abilities. Eventually women were introduced to non contact sports such as tennis but it took many more years before they began to play more aggressive sports. Many of the male teams that are in existence today such as Everton and Arsenal were developed from churches and factories for social reasons around the time of the industrial revolution, there is evidence of women’s teams developing slightly later during the times of war as the men went to fight and women were left behind to run industries, at the same time they started up their own teams, however it is only within the last 20 years that FIFA recognised the women in the sport. With the introduction of many modern women’s football leagues and competitions and the use of female officials in the male game, it would appear that women’s teams are receiving a much greater coverage in the media. In mainstream football magazines such as Four Four Two and LFC magazine women’s football has featured over the last 16 years, however it appears only now that it has become somewhat of a regular feature. While the men’s team, the reserve and youth teams have always had a weekly place in the Liverpool programme, with its own section women’s sport seemed confined to the occasional feature in the ‘community’ section. Stories from 1995 until more recently have covered the occasional trivial story such as the women’s team working with a school tournament shown in the October 1995 ‘girls shoot it out’ extract. Little emphasis was put on the team’s performance, rather the feeling that by covering this story Liverpool are showing what a caring club they are. Other features within the community section have been the clubs charity work internationally and with children with disabilities, by clumping the women’s team in with these stories it suggests that they are not on the same level as the men’s game and it is almost a privilege to be featured along with the ‘main team’, that the coverage of the women’s game is almost charitable. While some may argue that the programme is reporting on the events of the men’s first team and this may be why the women do not feature frequently, then surely the features of the reserves and youth team games should be only covered occasionally. Slowly this does appear to be changing, although the women’s leagues only start the season after the male counterparts, in the hope that the male game does not over shadow the women’s game, women’s football has featured in the recent Liverpool programme every home game recently and it has also moved from being covered in the community section to the ‘news’ (see Liverpool vs. Manchester city April 2011). However when it does feature in the publications however it is rarely a full page, often less than a quarter of a page as in the Liverpool programme (October 2008 LFC vs. Portsmouth) within a 82 page magazine, although the LFC weekly featured a 4 page article in a 50 page magazine. It would appear female footballers are finally gaining more acceptance in the media. Sexualisation of females within men’s magazines such as nuts and zoo is a common feature, the main reader of football specific magazines are men, so it may be expected that women are also portrayed as sexual objects in them. However this does not appear to be the case for much of the features found in the media, although there are still some examples of it. The interview with the England team in Four Four Two from 2007 talks to the women about their chances in the world cup, the interview asks questions such as ‘the Australian women’s team ‘the matildas’ posed nude for a calendar. Would you ever consider doing likewise? , another example of this is the interview in you magazine when the writer refers to the team as ‘the group of leggy and enviably toned young women’, women may be viewed as sexual objects in some of the male dominated readership magazines as a way of gender commodifcation an idea supported by work by Whannel (2000), a way of conforming to male ideals that in buying the magazine about football and sexualised women they are becoming more manly, that it ok to view women as objects men are the dominant gender, magazines and the media have some part to pl ay in the socialisation of today’s youth according to Wilemsen (1998), he even believes magazines widen the gap and differences between the genders. It is good then that the female athletes and officials are being covered about their roles in the mass media, but there is still some way to go to completely remove the gender stereotypes and bias. Although saying that, there are many interviews featured in magazines with male sports stars that objectify images of them and pass judgement on their physique, for some this may seem a positive move that women have the same powers over men but it may be better to feature women in the female magazines that other women can look up to and aspire to be like. It would also appear that coverage in a magazine that is aimed more at women but a more generic audience, You a supplement with The Mail, recently did a feature of the England team also discussing their chances at the world cup. Throughout the interview with the individual players they were given a small character description such as ‘the captain’ or ‘the veteran’ which are acceptable as they describe their role and dedication to the sport, however others were described as the ‘young mum’ or ‘the Beyonce fan’, while this style of reporting may be to normalise the girls and create a bond between the player and the reader who may have similar attributes, it also implies that they are doing something out of the ordinary and taking away from the girls sporting achievements by feminising and trivialising them.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I want to thank my family for giving me the opportunity to receive a private education and for encouraging me to always do my best. Thank you to my friends and their parents who have loved me and believed in me. Most of all, I want to say thanks to God for giving me the gifts He has and for loving me unconditionally; for without Him, I am nothing. It is hard for me to believe that we are graduating from high school; time has flown by. At the beginning of freshman year I remember being scared and wondering just how I would fit in and if I would make friends or not. I wasn't fearful for long though because our class bonded right away. I believe we came together so much because we changed together and we discovered life together. As Mr. Leopold would say, we had many "Aha's" along the way. We experienced uncertainty, frustration, and sorrow, but we overcame because we laughed and we laughed and we laughed. And, we hoped and we prayed. We genuinely encouraged each other and now at the end of our senior year we could not ask for more faithful friends. At Kennedy Murphy we are not ju...

Lifestyles Fitness Center :: Business Marketing Management Essays

Executive Summary In 1995, Lifestyles Fitness Center was formed to provide a full service fitness center to provide for all segments of the populace in Lifestyles Fitness and the surrounding area. Although there is an existing work out center in Lifestyles Fitness, the existing facility does not provide the support for the senior members of the community. Our mission is to provide a center that will provide not only an area for dedicated weight lifters, but also for the person seeking to maintain fitness. We want to provide a center that supports aerobic, cardiovascular, and weight training for all segments of the community. The ability of Lifestyles Fitness to provide both an indoor track combined with certified training is a capability unique to private fitness centers in this area. The center will also provide showers and changing rooms for their clients to use. The center will also provide workout apparel for each individual (if preferred). This service will expand the marketability of Lifestyles Fitness. We have also added to our existing services. We have developed plans to introduce a health and protein drink bar and provide exotic coffees for customers. In addition, we also offer a nutritionalist and a cafeteria. It is considered that this will also provide an area that the cliental can cool down, relax and get the proper nutrition after a work out. This will also provide additional income for the center. Management Our management team consists of persons with a broad background in both the fitness area and business management, and it is fully supported by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development and Small Business Development Center at Colorado State University. The management staff consist of Old McDonald CEO and supervisor of training, Dad McDonald director of Marketing, Dad McDonald III assistant director of facilities, and Mom McDonald Vice president. Old has a broad background in the fitness training industry, currently carrying a training certification from the AAIA/ISMA. He is currently working on a degree in business with emphasis on the fitness industry. He has held several different titles in both track and field and football. In high school he was selected as All-American Football Linemen, was All-State his junior and senior years in track and his senior year in football, and was All-Conference his freshmen year in college. Dad has a BS, MS, and EdS degree, and is currently working on specialized training in industrial marketing.

Memory Keepers Daughter Literary Analysis Essay

Kim Edwards shows through the whole book that we are only human, the themes that life is beyond our control and through the connection between suffering and joy. Edwards uses plot to set up a sort of life schedule. It goes in order into the future but occasionally skips years ahead. She also cleverly sets the book up so that each year, or â€Å"chapter† has both sides of the story, that of Caroline who is raising Phoebe and then the life of Norah and David raising their son Paul. As the book starts off it is that of a happy tone with Norah giving birth and then leading to a depressing and melancholy tone as Dr. Henry lies to his wife telling her that their daughter has died, to save her from the pain of their daughter having down syndrome. Norah gains more and more depression as the years go on, always wondering â€Å"what if†. With all the depression going on in the story line of Norah there is a gain of strength in Caroline’s story line as she raises Phoebe. This shows the theme of suffering and joy. The idea that even though the character is suffering they are the one with the most joy. Norah Henry has it all: the doctor husband, money and a healthy son but still wants what she never had; her daughter. Caroline has struggled with at first the decision to keep Phoebe and raise her as her own, then struggling with actually raising this baby girl with down syndrome alone and with no one, but she is joyful in the book never having the depression that plagues Norah and her marriage with David Henry. When Caroline finally sees David 18 years later, she says: â€Å"You missed a lot of heartache, sure. But David, you missed a lot of joy†. In the theme that life is beyond our control the author Kim Edwards has the book move through the years rapidly and at a fast pace in order to demonstrate how life flys by. Throughout the book Edwards uses photography as a metaphor showing the character David’s growing obsession with taking photographs as a desperate attempt to make time stand still: â€Å"Photo after photo, as if he could stop time or make an image powerful nough to obscure the moment when he turned and handed his daughter to Caroline Gill†. Life may also feel as it is out of their control with there being a constant aura of uncertainty or â€Å"what if† quality. That being said, the characters in the end will always wonder what life would have been like if David had never given his daughter away, but find it exhausting to wonder once they are brought together in the end after the death of David. As Paul reflects at the end of the novel: â€Å"His mother was right; he could never know what might have happened. All he had were the facts†. Life was also seeming to be out of anyone’s control with the struggle of the melancholy tone through the novel with Norah becoming more and more depressed becoming that of a drinker in Paul’s young life and then being so unhappy with her marriage with David for him being so distant that she has an affair with a man while she is on a trip to Aruba with her job. Even with the tone the author seems to have it progress in a rapid fashion just as the years fly by in the story line. Life is inevitable, people make mistakes, and the mistakes people make have great impact and effect not only them, but the people around them; just as David Henry’s mistake haunted his life and tormented that of his wife’s. In day to day life there are always the people that make mistakes with good intentions. The authors point wasn’t to completely make David the antagonist in the story but yet he was that one person who’s mistake was made with half hearted good intentions, he wanted to spare his doting wife the pain of having to raise one child with down syndrome, he didn’t want her to think that it was her fault in anyway. David just wanted the problem to go away not fully realizing that the problem wasn’t his daughter it was him having to deal with his own past. David Henry’s sister died at the young age of twelve and she had down syndrome as well, it is really sad that this character couldn’t deal with his own past so much that he ruined his present and his future. He knew the pain that his sister having down syndrome had left on him and her death that not only was he trying to spare his wife the pain of having a daughter with down syndrome but yet the author was trying to convey to the reader that he also did it to protect his son from it as well. Norah becomes the character you feel bad for not a protagonist but yet just that good character who’s life unfolding before her is the result of decisions from those around her. She is constantly depressed from thinking she lost her daughter, then she is also gaining more and more eternal sadness with her husband not letting her gain any sort of closure with this or even to simply tell her the truth of his actions and what he had done. The relationship between Norah and David grows further and further apart with him setting himself more distant from her as time goes on due to his guilty conscious eating away at him. Then on a happy note you have Caroline, she turned her whole life around for the life choices of David and that of herself. She raises Phoebe alone at first always fighting for more advanced learning abilities for down syndrome, she gains a man in her life named Al who helped her in the very beginning get to shelter when she had decided to keep the baby but then her car wont start in the middle of a blizzard, he becomes her knight in shining armor. Al becomes a big character having sought out Caroline after years and years of that first encounter with her and stays in her life loving and caring for both her and Phoebe, he becomes the father figure Phoebe never got to have. Kim Edwards set up all the right kind of characters for this plot and in every right way to develop the novel. In the end the themes of life being out of our control and the connection between suffering and joy are evident throughout the story. Kim Edwards used immense characterization that helped to develop those following themes with having the right selection of types of characters. The plot definitely has to do with developing the story, for it ties in with the life is out of our control theme having time go by so rapidly demonstrating that life is always constant and never stopping or standing still like a photograph for anyone or anything. Photos represent memories in life, David became enthralled with taking photographs in an effort to make time stop, maybe capture the memory he had when he made the decision to give his daughter away. The metaphor of David and his taking pictures ties into the Title â€Å"the memory keeper’s daughter† for he was the memory keeper, the keeper of the biggest life secret and lie. Kim Edwards made everything tie together with literary elements of metaphor, characterization, and Plot.

External and Internal Environmental Analysis Essay

External and internal environmental analysis is a critical component for an organization seeking to achieve its goals. The follow information within this paper presents a complete external environmental and an internal competitive environmental scan for JetBlue Airways. The information provided identifies and analyzes the most important external environmental factor in the remote, industry, and external operating environments. When addressing external environment it speaks to a set of forces and conditions outside the organization that can influence its performance. The most common forces include political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (or PESTEL). The paper will further identify and analyze the key internal strengths and weaknesses of JetBlue Airways. When addressing the internal environment it speaks to the key factors and forces within the organization affecting its operation. The internal strength and weaknesses will cover an assessment of the JetBlue Airway’s resources, their competitive position and possibilities within. Lastly the following will analyze the structure of JetBlue and how this affects organizational performance. External Environmental Factors For JetBlue external environmental factors cover political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal. The most important external environmental factors in the remote, industry, and external operating environment of JetBlue can be expanded through opportunities and threats. Opportunities encompass expansion, such as increasing routes and destinations within the U.S. Global expansion falls within expansion as well, while JetBlue has many successful partnerships with international airlines there is further potential abroad. Threats include fuel costs, advanced technology, and government relations. Fuel costs and advanced technology are almost synonymous. The increasing price of fuel in turn  increases operational costs. Advanced technology is a key factor in this space as well given new planes for example, have the technology to utilize less fuel in flight. Governmental regulations and legalities are another key threat for JetBlue. Airline regulations can increase expenses and potentially create inefficiency in operations in order to meet regulation requirements. Additionally, restrictions related to international trade, tax policy, and competition can thwart expansion efforts. Internal Strengths and Weaknesses JetBlue is a pro at utilizing its resources and structure. As such, JetBlue has proven to be efficient in its internal environment. Out of the physical and human aspects of the internal environment JetBlue focuses on human as the key factor. JetBlue views its employees and their skills as the key to a successful structure by emphasizing elements of loyalty, satisfaction, service quality, productivity, capability, and output quality. JetBlue reflects a culture of employees that understand how to retain customers and can perform under various situations with an equally varied consumer base. In addition to human capital, JetBlue uses physical assets to set them apart from the rest. The airline fleet of JetBlue is very precisely selected. From its new Airbus A321 to its Airbus 320, JetBlue prides itself on comfort and luxury. Other perks offered by JetBlue include lower priced airfare compared to that of its competitors and in-flight entertainment options that succeed its competition. Internal weaknesses include a smaller base of destinations compared to its competitors, which could be viewed as a product of their smaller planes and perhaps weaker brand recognition given its newness in the airline market. The weakness can be strengthened with expanding their location/market base. Competitive Position Major players in the U.S. airline industry include Delta Air Lines, United Continental, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue Airways. In 2013 many consolidations reduced the number of top players, such as U.S. Airways with American West, Northwest with Delta, United with Continental, AirTrans with Southwest, and American with U.S. Airways. Those carries, including JetBlue and Alaska, account for more than 90% of the U.S. market share (Cederholm, 2013). With the number of competitors in times of low or  moderate industry growth, the competition increases as each one tries to woo the consumer base. JetBlue is still the new kid so it is hard to say if its resources are inimitable. JetBlue’s low cost operations are interrelated to other activities in the organization like human resource management and technology development. If JetBlue were to reinforce competencies, with its efficient low-cost operations, it can find a sustainable competitive advantage making it a non-imitable organization. JetBlue’s competitive advantage is built off of differentiation and cost leadership. Differentiation comes with a strong brand image. JetBlue provides this image through its customer service and various in-flight features such as increased legroom and entertainment options per seat. JetBlue achieves cost leadership through efficient operations. JetBlue’s new planes minimize fuel costs and increases revenue per flight. Not offering in flight meals allows for quick turnarounds and overall reduced costs. The differentiation strategy and its features do risk ease of imitation or differentiate ones brand past the point of consumer support. If JetBlue continues to employ a combination of these strategies it will have an increased approach in outperforming its rivals. Superior performance will come through combined low-cost services with a differentiated offering as JetBlue does. As JetBlue moves onward, the extent to which it can maintain the integration of low-cost and differentiation will determine whether its competitive advantage is sustainable. Structure The structure of JetBlue is likely very simple compared to its counterparts. The highest of quality in customer service, one style of plane, a focus on environment, all this reflects its culture. With the human aspect being their highest priority they put a lot of thought into how they hire, train, set expectations, and monitor their employee base. JetBlue trains employees, provides compensation (likely more giving than the competitors), and equally provides empowerment among its employee base. JetBlue Airways seeks to hire and train great people (human focus), develop purpose, vision, and values. JetBlue operates on a strong organizational culture, where one listens to its customers and employees, cultivates leadership, and provided incentive. Summary The airline industry is exposed to upturns and downturns with economy trends. With that a growing economy creates a greater demand for air travel, whereas a decrease in the economy means reduced demand and intensified competition. JetBlue has managed to maintain a quality brand as a newer airline, in the face of some significant challenges, such as the tragedy of 9/11. JetBlue Airways new planes, competitively low fares, non-unionized labor, thus far an effective business model, and strong emphasis on the human element, it remains to provide a foothold in them market as a solid competitor regardless of its external threats and internal weaknesses. References Cederholm, T. (2013, September 3). Overview: External factors that influence the airline industry. Retrieved May 31, 2015, from http://marketrealist.com/2014/09/must-know-external-factors-influencing-airline-industry/ JetBlue | Airline Tickets, Flights, and Airfare. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2015, from http://www.jetblue.com

Parental Separation

Brianna Golez Professor Fraga English 1A 23 July 2012 Parental Separation The parents' sole duty is to raise and, by definition, nurture their children as a whole unit. Compromising on decisions and communication are the factors that contribute to a healthy and comfortable environment for families. But what repercussions surface when endless disagreements and lack of toleration disrupt that peace while the parents are still legally imprisoned in their â€Å"marriage†? Unlike divorce, the separation between parents is harder to cope with for any adolescent or child and causes more anxiety and stress upon the household.While divorce is thought of to be a quick procession, it can take an average of six months for it to be finalized. By the end of the documentations and meetings, the children involved are used to the idea of living separately and most likely knowing how to cope. Contrarily, separation comes before the need of the divorce and is the time where emotions for adolesce nts and any minors in that situation are at its peak of denial and unease. Many things can stress a marriage and even before the decision of a separation, give the minors within the household the feeling of anxiety and forthcoming of downhill events.Dr. William Doherty of the Family Science Department at the University of Minnesota found that forty percent of long separated couples regret their decision and thought it could have been prevented. It is common children are susceptible to feeling guilt over their parents' reason of becoming distant and argumentative; however, main characteristics for separation included a low level of education and couples that had entered marriage at a younger age. Over one in every four children have had to endure the separation of their mother and father.The stresses and perplexity of the situation is more difficult as they try to adjust to new settings, surroundings, and living arrangements. The difficulty of adjustment puts pressure upon the minors because it involves the parents trying to come to agreements without the engagement of legal enforcement. For teenagers, they are in a state where the independence that is trying to be established can be jeopardized by them having to mature faster than normal and assume greater responsibilities. As well as feeling the need to run the household and fill the role of that missing parent.This turmoil can go on to cause problems on their attitudes towards school, people, and the relationship with their parents. Research done by a team from King's College London found that over half the children who lived separately had optimistic views because they had been â€Å"active in decisions about these arrangements and were more likely to have positive feelings about moving between households†. It has also been found that drops in health, high school dropout rates, teen births, and teen suicides also increase to twice as likely due to parental separation.Not only do children of split mar riages feel the helplessness of their predicament, they feel the want of a better communication between them. According to a subject of parental separation, Brittney Golez, stated â€Å"it was an emotional time where you were not sure what would happen next and if things were going to get worse†. The months prior to the divorce are the hardest and become less likely for reconciliation as she later goes on to say, â€Å"things would be easier if they were back together, and it only creates more stress for me when I don't know what more I can do†.This common point of view on the life before a divorce for an adolescent illustrates the uprooting of living in two households at one time; therefore making for an unstable environment. The relationship that is most crucial for the well being of children and adolescents are frequently disrupted by the complexity of separation. Stress in the parents is what only increases the stress levels of their offspring and in turn provide m ore frustration and risk towards the family's health.Complications continue to arise in this epidemic for the twelve million children among the country and the one in ever four who experience it. Cited Works 1. Golez, Brittney T. â€Å"Parent Separation. † Personal interview. 21 July 2012. 2. Kiln, Laura. â€Å"Parental Separation. †Ã‚  Familylawwebguide. com. Family Law WEB Guide, 27 Nov. 2008. Web. 23 July 2012. ;http://www. familylawwebguide. com. au/news/pg/news/view/545/index. php;. 3. Lundstrom, Karin, and Andreas Raneke. â€Å"Family Structures and Separations Among First Time Parents.   Scb. se. Statistics Sweden, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 July 2012. . 4. â€Å"On Children and Separation. †Ã‚  Separatedfamiliesmatter. org. uk. Both Parents Matter, 2009. Web. 21 July 2012. . 5. Rooks, Linda. â€Å"Statistics On Separation and Divorce. †Ã‚  Separation. N. p. , 9 June 2003. Web. 21 July 2012. .

London is now a more global city than New York Essay

London is now a more global city than New York - Essay Example The criteria used for identification is usually based on a yardstick value which considers the producer service sector or the imminent determination which basically compares the productivity of the cities. There are a number of global cities in the world including London and New York.Economic characteristics of a global city†¢ A global city serves as the corporate headquarter for multinational corporations, financial institutions, stock exchanges, law firms and conglomerates that influence the economy of the world as a whole.London offers major business and financial services for example; it is home to more than 33% of European headquarters of Global Fortune 500.†¢ To be a global city, it should also be able to contribute some considerable financial output to the city’s regions and the nation’s GDP†¢ A global city needs to appear at the top of the cost of living.†¢ It should be home to major stock markets.More than 40% of the world's foreign equities and shares are traded in London, more than are traded in New York.Over 30% of the world's foreign exchanges take place in London, which is more than Tokyo and New York put together. New York, same to Tokyo rely mainly on their large American and Asian domestic markets while around 80% of London’s business is international.  Political characteristics†¢ London, Berlin, Tokyo, Paris among others, feature among the cities that have achieved this. New York is not among them. The standards of living or the quality of life should be considerably high.

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Case study - Essay Example Ang Siow Lee. He moved up the corporate ladder through hard work and he reached the executive management level. His technical expertise helped the company improve processes and reduce waste within the operations. A second stakeholder is a new manager named Mr. Davidson. Mr. Davidson had a totalitarian attitude and personality. He always expressed his concerns, but he often spoke in a loud aggressive manner which made the employees feel bad. There were communication problems at Alpha Plantation. These problems were creating frictions and a lack of trust between the employees and the managerial staff Despite his attitude Mr. Davidson was a bright person with great ideas on how to improve the problem. When he first took command of this managerial position he identified seven significant problems and issues that needed immediate attention. A list of the issues the company was facing is illustrated below: Mr. Davidson received after six month a poor rating review. This event affected him emotionally and psychological. He became a passive person that did not care about his job. On the personal level he became an alcoholic. Friction occurred between Mr. Davidson and Mr. Ang. Eventually the internal conflict escalate so much that Davidson and Ang had a confrontation in public that cause a public spectacle within the organization. Mr. Ang was fired for insubordination and gross misconduct. Mr. Davidson lacked confidence and motivation toward the end which affected his performance as an employee. The conflict that occurred could have been prevented if the top managers of the company implemented better communication internally and externally. In terms of internal communication the managers needs to improve the communication among themselves and between the managers and the floor employees. Two techniques that can be used by managers to improve motivation are internal and external rewards (Beswich). An example of an intrinsic reward is congratulating an employee for

Love the importance of internal control in auditing Research Paper

Love the importance of internal control in auditing - Research Paper Example The auditor may obtain this level of assurance by performing audit procedures. The audit procedures to be performed are designed in the light of size and complexity of the entity. These are also affected by the auditor’s assessment of the risk of material misstatement and the auditor focuses on the areas where the risk of material misstatement may be present. The risk of material misstatement is the function of the inherent risk and the control risk. Inherent risk is defined as the susceptibility of financial statements and assertions therein to misstatements which are material in the context of the financial statements. On the other hand, control risk is defined as a risk that the financial statements and assertion therein may susceptible to a material misstatement which are not prevented, or remain undetected and uncorrected by the internal controls of the entity. To respond to the assessed control risks, the auditor performs test of controls. The understanding of the design ed suitability and functioning of the internal controls helps the auditor in responding to those risks. It also helps the auditor to obtain reasonable assurance that the entity is achieving the financial reporting objectives. Thus, to assess the risk of material misstatement at overall financial statements level and at assertion level, it is essential for the auditor to obtain an understanding of the internal controls of the entity. Internal control is defined as a process designed to provide the auditor, whether internal or external to the firm, with a reasonable assurance that the company is achieving its objectives. The internal controls are affected by management, those charged with governance and other personnel of the entity. (Koutoupis & Andreas, 2007, p. 23, 25, 27). The implementation and maintenance of effective internal controls is the responsibility of the management. It is also the responsibility of the management to ensure that the controls designed and implemented by the management are achieving the desired objectives. The management should also assess whether the controls over financial reporting are reliable and whether any frauds may be detected by the internal controls in operation. The management shall also assess whether the employees of the organization comply with laws and regulations relevant to the entity. This usefulness of internal controls makes it necessary for the entity to continuo usly and consciously evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness of internal controls. A good and effective management always assess the effectiveness of internal controls on a periodic basis. Such evaluations help to pinpoint any deficiencies occurred in the controls during the period. It also helps to improve the internal controls efficiency and effectiveness in the changing circumstances. The practice of self-assessment of controls has emerged in the past decade. (Dietz & Donna & Snyder & Herbert, 2011, p. 35-40). Through this tool, the management has taken the responsibility for evaluating and improving internal controls. This evaluation is also considered important while designing new or additional internal controls. However, the method of designing of new controls is more or less same with the evaluation of the entity’s existing controls. Firstly, the entity identifies the reporting