Protect Traditional Architecture

These days, different ways are being taken to protect cultural identity. Obviously, not only is much contribution made to maintain old houses but also rules of laws associated with cultural protection are changed for the better. Some people even say that new buildings are right to be set up in the conventionalway. I seem to be one of opponents who believe that the action can be unsuitable in our world. One of the main reasons is that most of traditional buildings, in my nation, that offer provide few rooms can hardly hard to meet the demands for housing as increasing numbers of people pour into the city.Compared to before, today’s population has doubled and even trebled, which puts seriouspressure on housing supply. As a result, new buildings must be substituted for old ones that have more efficient utility, even for some old buildings that have been damaged seriously. No doubts that building or maintaining traditional buildings is very essential to raise art sense and increas e choices of people’s housing. Plus, these old houses are believed as very important resources to attract international visitors.However, the proportionof traditional houses has to be under control, and otherwise the housing of citizens is badly affected. Overall, my view is that cultural identity is so preciousthat more efforts and measures should be taken but carefully. The excellent tradition helps with deep understanding of history, and educates youths. Nevertheless a simple and recklessbehavior. that new buildings are built in a typical way does more harm than good in the improvement of people’s being.

Finance and Short Term Debt

EncanaCost of Capital Before calculating the cost of capital I'll calculate cost of equity and cost of dept and capital structure for ENCANA: 1 Cost of Debt: ENCANA cost of debt included cost on short term debt , long term debt and publicity traded interest amount 1. 1 Short term Debt: Short term obligations (Ex. 1) = $ 1425 million Interest Rate (Ex. 1) = 3. 52% Total amount for short term debt interest = 1425 ? 3. 52% = 50. 16 million 1. 2 Long term Debt: Other long term liabilities (Ex. 1) = $1278 Interest rate (Prime rate charged) = 5. 25%Total amount for long term debt interest = 1278 ? 5. 25% = 67. 095 million 1. 3 Publicity traded: Publicity traded interest = total interest – (short term debt interest amount + long term debt interest amount) Publicity traded interest = 524 – ( 50. 16 + 67. 095) = 406. 75 million Interest rate on publicity traded = Publicity traded interest ? L. T debt on publicity traded Interest rate on publicity traded = 406. 75 ? 5351 = 7. 6% Cost on debt = Weight of long term debt ? Rate of interest on L. T debt + Weight of short term debt ? Rate of interest on S.T debt + Weight of publicity traded ? rate of interest on publicity traded = 1278/8054* ? 5. 25 + 1425/8054 ? 3. 52 + 5351/8054 ? 7. 60 = 0. 833 + 0. 622 + 5. 049 = 6. 5% *The amount $8054 is total amount of debt given in Exhibit 3 1. 4 Determining Tax rate: Tax rate for ENCANA can be determined as follow: Tax Rate= T= Net earnings before interest and tax ? tax expense T= 1260 ? 4089 = 30. 81% 1. 5 Cost of debt after tax: Cost of debt after tax = cost of debt before tax (1- Tax Rate) Cost of debt after tax = 6. 5% ( 1- 30. 81%) = 4. % ==; rate of debt (rd) 2 Cost of equity: There are following two ways to calculate ENCANA's cost of equity : 1. Using SML equation 2. Calculating cost of equity by dividend growth model 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using SML equation: rs = r* + MRP (b) r* = 4. 20 % (Govt. long Term Treasury Bills) rm = 13. 9% (S &P arithmetic average return) MRP = rm – r = 13. 9-4. 20 = 9. 7 Beta = 1. 27 rs = 4. 20 + 9. 7 *1. 27 rs = 16. 519 % 2. 1 Calculation of cost of equity for ENCANA by using dividend growth model: rs = (D1/ Po – F) + gWhere: D1= next year dividend Po = current price of share in market F = Floatation Cost Growth from past data: Year | Dividend per share | Growth * | 2002 | 0. 2 | | 2003 | 0. 15 | -25% | 2004 | 0. 2 | 33. 3% | 2005 | 0. 28 | 40% | *Growth rate is calculated as: 0. 15/0. 2= 0. 75-1 = -0. 25? 100 =-25% 0. 2/0. 15= 1. 33-1= 0. 33 ? 100 = 33. 3% 0. 28/0. 2= 1. 4-1 =0. 4 ? 100 = 40% Average Growth= -25 + 33. 3 + 40 = 16. 1% rs = (Do (1+ g) / Po – F) + g rs = 0. 28 (1+0. 1611) / 56. 75 (1- 0. 05) + 0. 1611 rs = 0. 25108/53. 9125 +0. 1611 rs = 16. 713% Average rs = (16. 713+16. 519)/2 = 16. 616% WACC: The WACC equation  is the cost of each capital component  multiplied by its proportional weight and then summing:   WACC = rD  (1-  Tc  )*(  Dà ‚  /  V  )+  rE  *(  E  /  V  ) Where, Re = cost of equity Rd = cost of debt E = market value of the firm's equity D =  market value of the firm's debt V = Total Capital = E + D E/V = we = percentage of financing by equity D/V = wd= percentage of financing by debt T =  corporate tax rate By putting Values:Total Equity= E = no of shares * price of shares = 854. 9 * 56. 75 = $48515. 575 million Total Capital = Equity + Debt = 48515. 575+ 8054 = $56596. 575 Million WACC = wd * rd + we * re = 8054/56596. 575 * 4. 5 + 48515. 575/56596. 575 * 16. 616 = 0. 6404 + 14. 2436 = 14. 884% ENCANA should accept this project which will give a return of more than 14. 884%, because ENCANA has to pay their investors a return of 14. 884 and this will also generate profit which can be utilized as retained earnings and increase growth of its dividend.

Universalism,impartialism, & utilitarianism Essay

Universalism,impartialism, & utilitarianism - Essay Example Two of the most powerful theories that have affected and are still affecting how people shape their mindset, goals, and life would be Universalist and Impartialist theories. Universalism is a theory that hinges on a central belief that all people are saved. Universalism is a theory that hinges on a central belief that all people are saved. This salvation has been paid in the most expensive and precious price of the body and blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross. A lot of people ask why it was necessary for Jesus’ sacrifice and Universalists believe that it is the only way for sinful humans to be reconciled to God again after being separated from him because of sin. This salvation applies to all human beings whether they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior or not because this redemption would be achieved in one’s lifetime or the afterlife where God will bring people to repentance. This reconciliation does not exclude evil beings. An example of a Universali st point of view would be a mind set wherein one does not depend on one's regularity in church attendance every Sunday because based on this view no amount of good works could save one from eternal death except for Jesus' death on the cross. Another would be the belief that there are no levels of sin. When one chooses to do bad, it displeases the Lord. However, this does not mean that one could be cut off from the love of God. On the other hand, Impartialist theory believes that Impartialism which means choosing something over the other is not necessarily a negative or a positive thing. Being impartial is not closely linked to morality (Hsieh, D., n,d.). This is because of the fact that one can be impartial, choosing another option based on rational qualifications without meaning any harm to the other party. One example of which would be to choose to not go to your friends beach party and yet attend your other friend’s house party because of the fact that you cannot swim. Fur thermore, a person could be impartial in a way that affects his or her action’s morality when one chooses something over the other based on personal motive or gain. A good example of which would be to choose to hire a friend you know is not totally capable of the job just because you can get a wide range of connection from that person and putting off an unfamiliar applicant who is clearly equipped for the job because you don’t see any obvious personal benefits from doing so. Based on the definitions of Impartialist and Universalist theory, both are strongly interconnected with Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a philosophy that was first developed by English philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. It was based on the experiences of women who were forced into slavery. From this, these philosophers developed the belief that criminals need not only be punished, instead reformed where every being is brought to their utmost positive potential. Thus, Utilitarianism in its entirety is a theory that puts premium on the value of happiness which is achieved in the absences of pain and where pleasure is the ultimate goal (Utilitarianism, n.d.). Impartialism is strongly applied in the theory of Utilitarianism because as Impartialism puts significance in welcoming impartial decisions or actions just as long as it is in line with moral ethics – not having ill motives, which is correlational to Utilitarianism which puts utmost importance on man’s happiness achieved through activities, social acceptance, success, power, luxury, and etc. If one successfully abides in the Impartialist theory, Utilitarianism is achieved as man can reach ultimate happiness. Aside from that, the Impartialist point of view is backed up by what ethics, morality, and at the same time natural law teaches us. Natural law which is the foundation of it all holds the universal law of humans’ right to live, have a decent home, be fed, be nurtured and cared for, be loved, be educated and etc

Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Letter - Assignment Example Am writing this letter to represent four million advanced practice registered (APRN) nurses who have shown enormous support of the bill. APRN is a body that is committed to ensuring accessibility of high quality and affordable health services to people of all ages. Additionally, APRN ensures that people who are past the retirement age gets access to information which is critical for their healthy survival in that age-group. Therefore, with utmost faith we seek to encourage the Illinois Senate Committee on Health and the entire Legislature to assist in increasing the patients access to health services by reviewing and modernizing the laws that regulate the practice of APRN and the services they offer to the general public (CNS, 2009).. To provide a brief explanation of an APRN nurse; they are individuals who have completed an accredited graduate-level education level and successfully passed the national certification examination. Similarly, they have obtained intensive clinical knowledge and skills that enables them to be qualified to practice a direct care to the patients. They work with the other competent registered nurses to provide and display a greater depth and breadth of professionalism in this field. Lastly, APRN nurses are educationally fit to access, diagnose and provide a post diagnostic care which includes prescription of both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions. They have a sufficient and wider depth clinical experience. Of great interest is the fact that Illinois state policymakers have identified the vital relationship between the APRNs and consumers access to health care and have found it necessary to expand that access. Notably, in the year 2002, the legislature passed SB 1234, which removed the requirement of post-graduation of APRNs to obtain authority to offer prescriptions to patients (CNS, 2009).. Due to this registration, APRNs can now provide a detailed medication to their patients since the six month supervision was

PROMOTING BETTER PATIENT CARE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PROMOTING BETTER PATIENT CARE - Essay Example Speech-language pathologists are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and hold the masters degree or the degree certified to be suitable for the role. (McKay, 2012a, p.1) The speech therapists role is to guide and simulate the process of recovery by means of speech and language exercises. Autism, cleft palate, brain or damage disorders, voice disorder, stammering are some of the causes for the speech difficulties. There are normal swallowing and speech changes after the head and neck cancer treatment and they need assistance of the speech pathologist. (â€Å"Encyclopedia of Health†, 2010, p. 977) A social worker help patients and families cope up with the problem resulting from long term illness, injury and rehabilitation. ‘Medical and public health social worker provide psychosocial support to those affected by chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. They work with patients, families, and caregivers.’(Mc Kay, 2012b, p. 1)The Council on Social Work Education accredits the baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in social work in the United States. (Zastrow, p. xx) Communication is an important tool for the speech therapists as it enables them to interact with the patient and develop the confidence in them. The treatment varies according to its severity and is based upon the patient’s case history and also relies on the patient’s verbal report of symptoms. There is a major concern in the availability of speech therapists and if the facility did not have this specialty, then the use of interdisciplinary team concept is appropriate. It is a group of health care professionals from diverse fields who work in a coordinated fashion toward a common goal for the patient.(â€Å"Interdisciplinary teams†, Medical Dictionary) The team includes mostly the individual with severe communication disabilities, a family member or guardian, a speech-language pathologist,

The Gospels--Mark Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Gospels--Mark - Essay Example Based on the reading in your text, what would be your argument for/against this belief? I would disagree with a person that said the blessing of the children advocated infant baptism. The context of the blessing was simply a way for Jesus to show that children were of worth in the sight of God. Baptism, on the other hand, is an expression of faith that involves the making of covenants with God. Infants cannot reason at this level, therefore I do not fell that Jesus blessing children was a mandate for infant baptism. Verse 21 is most important according to Brooks because this is where it is indicated that Jesus spoke to the rich young man with love, not condemnation. This indicates the tone that Jesus took towards the rich. Jesus loved everyone. He also indicated that it was the trust in riches that was the real sin, not the riches themselves. Much of the specific nature concerning the passion prediction in Mark centers on the anointing of Christ with oil. In other versions, it is clear that Jesus hints at his passing and that he will soon not be able to be with his disciples. In Mark, he clearly states that he is going to die and that the anointing has happened, as a prelude to is impending burial. 5. When James and John requested that they be seated in the most prominent places in Jesus glory, He asked them if they could drink the cup He drank or be baptized with the baptism He was baptized with. Some scholars believe these were no the words of Christ, but from the early church. Based on your reading, present your argument for or against these words being inserted in Scripture by the early church after the resurrection of Christ. I would argue that these words were Christ’s because they are in keeping with the message that he had been teaching to his disciples all along. He had been reminding them that he would not always be with them, that he would be going away and that he would leave a Comforter to

Biology project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biology project - Essay Example The moment this happen, there is no death of cell when they should; later, new cells form regardless of whether the body needs them or not. The extra cells which formed can develop into a mass of tissue that is popularly known as Tumor. Tumor (Cancer Council, 1: 6) may exist as lump; it can be malignant (cancerous) or benign (not cancerous). Cancer cells that grow larger than "pin's head" typically has their own blood vessel. Occasionally, they go away from the primary location of the cancer either by the region of the blood or lymph vessels and later begin to invade other organs of the body. At the new site, they continue to grow to form another tumor (Cancer Council, 1: 7). Specific type of cancer is Lymphoma. Lymphoma (Michigan Cancer Consortium, 1:1) that affects white blood cells known as lymphocytes. These are immune cells which are basically working to protect the body from getting. In lymphoma, malignant cells are formed and may accumulate to develop into tumors. Later it enlarge; making lymph nodes seemed swollen while other cancer cells spread to other parts of the lymphatic system like bone marrow, spleen, skin, or mucosal linings of the stomach. Common symptoms caused by this illness are : Drenching night sweats, Persistent fevers or chills, Persistent skin rashes and itching, Unexplained weight loss, Unexplained fatigue, Painless swelling of lymph node (Kuppers, 2:34). Lymphoma is the most commonly existing blood cancer, and in fact, it is the third common childhood cancer. Since the 1970s, the incidence rate of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) with each year has increased 4% annually (Karl, 1:par Your Name Here 2 2. Research the mechanism of that particular cancer i.e. what enzymes, proteins are involved).Basically, lymphomas are cancers which begin by the "malignant transformation" of a WBC lymphocyte in the areas of the lymphatic system. Many lymphomas are known to be due to specific genetic mutations.Lymphocytes recognize pathogens (infections and abnormal cells) and destroy them. There are 2 major subtypes of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, also referred to as B cells and T cells. B lymphocytes are much affected in individuals with lymphoma; Note that the former produce antibodies. When a cancer causing agent like a virus is detected, the T cells, are immediately activated, which in turn kill pathogens directly. Part of the mechanisms of T cells are the immune system control (controlling over activity or under activity). B and T lymphocytes are the one's fighting off an invader. Cancer occurs the moment normal cells undergo a transition whereby they grow at the same time mul tiply uncontrollably. Consequently, as the cells continue to multiply, formation of mass or tumor may also be formed. Tumors usually invade tissue spaces and areas surrounding it; if lymphomas are no controlled, it can progress on and/or invade the neighboring tissues or distant organs (emedicinehealth.com; 7). Tyrosine (protein) kinase and the phosphoinositide

The Institution of slavery in the American South of Antebellum Period Essay

The Institution of slavery in the American South of Antebellum Period - Essay Example This inhuman practice humiliated the enslaved blacks to an extent that they could never erase it from their minds as long as they lived. According to Hunter (73) the actual picture of slavery in Southern America was that of large farms plantations with a lot of slaves. In fact, slavery here was institutionalized were a few people owned slaves in their institutions with the aim that they provide cheap labor. Almost 3/4 of the Southern Americans did not own slaves, but they were solidly behind the slavery institution, as much as they did not benefit much from it. Though many of the Southern whites resented the privileges enjoyed by the few people who owned these slavery institutions, they did not speak against slavery (Hunter 74). However, all they wished for is for them to get an opportunity of owning slaves, so that they can also enjoy those privileges. Furthermore, slavery presented an opportunity to even the poor whites, of feeling superior to the blacks. A great number of slaves s pend much of their time in the cotton plantations, carrying out various activities (Hunter 74). Each of these cotton plantations had approximately fifty slaves, although some plantations which were relatively large had about a hundred slaves. Different plantations raised a wide range of cash crops such as rice, sugarcane and corn, but cotton at time, was the major cash crop. The slaves planted these cash crops as well as harvesting them. Apart from doing these two major activities in the farms, they also cleared land, slaughtered livestock and repaired buildings as well (Hunter 74). While black men slaves were expected to be drivers, mechanics and carpenters, black women were on the other hand expected to care for their masters’ families. There were two main categories of slaves; those who worked in their masters’ homesteads and those who worked in the fields. Hunter (74) asserts that from such categorization, one may think that those working in the homes were relative ly better than those in the fields. Unfortunately, that was not the case since those working in the homes had no privacy, operated under their masters’ close scrutiny and could be called for duty anyhow. By being close to their masters’ home slaves formed complex relationships with their masters. Children of both the white and black races born in such a scenario, mingled freely until they attained a certain age when they started understanding what was going on (Hunter 74). The diets of the slaves were inadequate, hence could not meet their workload demands (Hunter 75). Those working in homes though ate comparatively better since they could access their masters’ food stores. The poor eating conditions and the climatic conditions made the slaves to be so much prone to diseases. On falling sick the slaves were not given adequate treatment and sometimes they forced into work though sick. Although that is not inhuman enough, slaves were constantly being sold when the y become inadequate. This instilled a constant fear in them as they could suffer from being separated from their families. The women slaves also suffered from sexual exploitation such as rape. Hunter (75) explains further that slaves were punished for working slowly, disrespecting authority or running away. Punishment was administered in many ways such as imprisonment, whipping or even

The Importance of Knowledge Managment to Organisations in 21st Century Essay

The Importance of Knowledge Managment to Organisations in 21st Century - Essay Example Today’s work force is heavily involved in work like sales, education, health care, banks, insurance firms, and law firms. They also provide business services such as coping, computer programming, or making deliveries. These jobs primarily entail working with, distributing, or creating new knowledge and information. In such knowledge and information oriented economies the market value of the firms is based largely on the value of intangible assets for instance proprietary knowledge, information, unique business methods, brands and other intellectual capital. In the current business scenario physical assets like building, machinery, tools and inventory account for just 20 percent of the market value of many public firms (Beijerse, 1999). Knowledge and information in today’s era provide the foundation to companies to come up with or produce new products and services. Such product innovations include the credit card, overnight package delivery, or world-wide reservation sys tems. Even certain products can be classified as knowledge and information intensive products, such products include computer games, requiring a great deal of knowledge to produce. Traditional products also are making use of knowledge for instance in the automobile industry both design phase and production phase rely heavily on knowledge and information technology (Sparrow, 2001). These changes which have been described above along with considerable amount of corporate restructuring have lead to the creation of a digital firm. A digital firm is one in which all of the organisation’s significant business relationships are digitally enables. In this kind of digitally enable business model an organisation is connected to its customers, suppliers and employees by means of digital networks. Core business activities are carried out through these networks spreading across the organisation and linking multiple organisations in a way that these networks create a value web (Valkokari a nd Helander, 2007). These digital firms are quick and nimble in sensing and responding to their environment. This capability is the fundamental difference between a digital firm and a traditional firm. This capability enhances the survival chances of a digital firm in turbulent times. Digital firms can be grown in to global organisations having global management practices in them. By restructuring their work to fit digital means of operating, a digital firm has raised its chances to achieve unprecedented levels of profitability and competitiveness. A digital firm makes use of internet and digital technology to integrate its key business processes with its channel partners. In this way vital information can be shared with important constituents of the business in a seamless way. In order to reap the potential benefits of becoming a digital firm, organisations are investing heavily on information technology, which enable them to integrate internal business processes and build close wo rking ties with channel partners (Wong, 2005). Since knowledge is the key word over here for an organisation therefore it is important to highlight the distinction between data, information, knowledge and wisdom. Data is the flow of event or transactions captured by an organisation’

Design Management in the 21st century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Design Management in the 21st century - Essay Example Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of design management in the 20th century. The New Roles of Design Managers in the 21st Century In contemporary organizations, design managers are catalysts of change and core decision makers in continually changing organizational features such as the impact of technology. Additionally, design managers help in forming a bridge between creative design and quantitative business success, and in increasingly leading the business process. These measures are vital to the corporate world of the 21st century. According to the MDMN (2010), a greater understanding of the changing contexts within which design management practice operates is essential for design managers, and this can be promoted through research and new academic frameworks that integrate design management practice and theory. Design Management and Corporate Strategy According to McDermott (2007: 84), â€Å"design management seeks to position design as an essential part of business strategy†. There is an increasing move to professionalize and integrate design into business and industry. Strategic design management involves focusing on its use as a source of competitive advantage and a catalyst for change in the organization’s structure, finance and human resources. Business or tactical design management manages design as a proficiency to give rise to distinctive product concepts as well as new market opportunities. Operational design management focuses on the â€Å"efficiency and effectiveness of the design process, the design team and individual design projects† (Lockwood & Walton 2008: 28). Shaping the Future of Design Management In order to ensure that design management in future increasingly forms the core of new business development, there is a move to replace the term with design strategy or design policy (McDermott 2007). Increasing connectivity, speed and productivity as a result of advancing technology m ake it necessary for a new type of design management to replace the old rules. The design management is implemented for creating value, â€Å"design itself is being redesigned† (Cramer 2004: 7). The four most significant factors for achieving success through design management are: improved business marketing, operations, professional services the firm employs, and the management of finances. Conclusion This paper has highlighted design management and its growing significance to the corporate world in the 21st century. Though design management is increasingly being prioritzed in the management agenda, one of its limitations would be that the theory may lead to generalization and a narrow view of design. This needs to be overcome by individualizing design management concepts to the particular organization. It is concluded that an organization or business that incorporates design management concepts gains strategic advantage over its more conventional counterparts. Bibliography Cramer, J.P. (2004). How firms succeed: A field guide to design management. Edition 2. London: Greenway Communications. DMI (Design Management Institute). (2010). Research strategy. Research, Design Management Institute. Retrieved on 5th January, 2010 from: http://www.dmi.org/dmi/html/research/priorities_s.htm Lockwood, T. &

As Psychology Locus of Control Essay Example for Free

As Psychology Locus of Control Essay Discuss the role of locus of control on independent behaviour. (12 marks) Locus of control refers to a person’s perception of personal control over their own behaviour. There are two types of locus of control; internal and external. Internal locus of control occurs when individuals feel they are in control of their behaviour and are responsible for their actions. External locus of control occurs when individuals feel their behaviour is controlled by external forces (e. g. luck or fate) and they are not responsible for their own actions. Those with internal locus of control are more likely to show independent behaviour and resist the pressures to conform or obey whereas those with external locus of control are more likely to obey and conform. High internals do not rely on the opinions of others. They are better able to resist coercion and are more achievement-orientated. High internal locus of control has been linked to leadership and individuals with high internal locus of control are more likely to become entrepreneurs. Anderson and Schneier found that group members possessing an internal locus of control were more likely to emerge as leaders in their groups. This may be because individuals who take responsibility for their own actions feel that they can cause changes in their environment, including the behaviour of those around them. There is lots of research evidence to support locus of control. Oliner and Oliner found that people who had gone against the majority and protected the Jews from the Nazis tended to score higher on measures of internal locus of control. This means they believed they had influence over events in their life including success and failures. It may be this that made them independent. Also, Elms and Milgram found that the people that were disobedient in Milgram’s study of obedience shows higher internal locus of control and social responsibility. Avtigis did a meta-analysis of studies investigating the relationship between locus of control and conformity and found high scores of external locus of control were more likely to conform than those with a low score. The average correlation between locus of control and conformity was 0. 37. This suggests that there are higher rates of conformity shown in external locus of control when compared to internal locus of control. There are a number of problems with using a meta-analysis. The studies are secondary data that the researcher has compiled. This means the study could suffer from researcher bias as they may have only found studies that supported their view. Also, as the study is correlational, cause and effect cannot be established. It does not comment on why there is a link or which factors were most important it only states that there is a relationship between the two variables. However, as the data is secondary data there are no ethical issues linked to the use of a meta-analysis to study the patterns between locus of control and conformity. On the other hand, Williams and Warchal gave 30 students a range of conformity tasks based on Asch’s study and assessed them using the Rotter’s locus of control scale. They found that those who conformed were the least assertive but did not score differently on the locus of control scale. This suggests that assertion may be more important in conformity than locus of control. There are also research studies that suggest that independent behaviour can be fostered or encouraged through modelling. Nemeth and Chiles found that those who had been exposed to a minority (four participants, one confederate) who gave a different answer were more likely to stand their ground and defy the majority in the second part of the experiment when they became a minority (four confederates, one participant). This study implies that exposure to a model of independent behaviour can influence the individual’s ability to stand firm against the majority and resist the group pressure to conform. However, there are problems with research into locus of control. Many of the studies that support locus of control are carried out in laboratories. This means they lack ecological validity and the results may not be applicable to real life situations. Also, demand characteristics may be present. The participant may have guessed the aim of the experiment and acted accordingly to fit the results they assume the researcher wanted. Also, it is difficult to measure personality. The use of questionnaires could mean that the studies suffer from social desirability bias as people may have altered their answers to appear more normal or to fit with what they assume the researcher wanted. Lastly, situational factors may be more important as personality is not always consistent. McGuire found that conforming behaviour differed across situations. If conformists and independents are not consistent in their behaviour it is hard to conclude that it is their personality that solely affects their choice whether or not to conform. Situational factors may influence behaviour too as they tend to conform in certain situations but not in others.

Bertolt Brechts View on the Function of Theatre

Bertolt Brechts View on the Function of Theatre Bertolt Brechts view on the function of theatre was that it should provoke its audience to change. The epic theatre, Karl Marx and German directors Max Reinhardt and Erwin Piscator were all inspiration for Brechts theory on the social function of theatre. (2004: 709) Brechts essays Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction and The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre clearly outline his understanding of what epic theatre is and how it should be used in practice. In both essays, Brecht explains what makes the epic theatre different from modern and dramatic theatre and discusses the techniques available with epic theatre and the effects they can have on the audience. When comparing his play Mother Courage and Her Children to the two essays, it is clear that Brecht has used the essays almost as guidelines to write the play and put his theories on epic theatre into practice. Mother Courage and Her Children is an extremely typical Brechtian play as it contains all the elements that Brecht wanted to include in his plays in order to present his new form of theatre which he believed had a greater social function. One of the most obvious examples of Brechts essays being put into practice in Mother Courage and Her Children is Brechts use of narrative instead of the plot. Each scene begins with a narrative description of what will happen in that scene, and the play itself starts with a prologue which introduces the central character (Mother Courage) and reveals what the play is about. Despite the fact that there is a storyline running through the play, the narrative style ties in with Brechts aim of not giving the audience the chance to become emotionally attached to the characters. The way in which the play jumps with each scene keeps the storyline general and tied more to the greater social events running throughout the play rather than single, individual events in a particular scene. Having spent much of his life in Germany and experiencing two world wars, it should come as no surprise that many of Brechts plays, including Mother Courage and Her Children, feature war as the overriding theme of the play. Brecht believed that war was a continuation of business by other means. †¦ Brechts theory on theatre meant that he did not want his audience to emotionally empathise with the characters on stage. In fact, Brecht deliberately created characters which would be subject to criticism from the audience. In order to invite this active rather than passive response from the audience, to provoke a reaction, Brecht instils traits in his characters which tend to make the audience not identify with them, but criticise them. Mother Courage is portrayed as a strong, witty, formidable woman whose sole purpose is to provide a living for both herself and her children. She is a sacrificial character and her love for her children draws an audience to like her. What prevents the audience from empathising with her is her extremely contradictory nature. Whilst pulling out a knife at the Sergeant and Recruiting Officer to protect her children, Courage calls refers to herself and her children as peaceable sorts. The Sergeants cool reply of your knife shows the sort you are further displays Courages contradictions. (Brecht 2004: 715) When sending her daughter Kattrin into town with the Clerk, Courage tells her not to worry and that nothing will happen, but upon Kattrins return where she is wounded, Courage claims she should never have let her go. When arguing with the Cook over a possible move to Utrecht, Courage tries to end the conversation with thats enough, only to continue it herself moments later. In the same scene, Courage encourages Kattrin for the two to go with the Cook to run his pub in Utrecht because life on the road is no sort of life, but after she sees Kattrin trying to run away she quickly turns on the Cook and questions what she and Kattrin would ever do in a pub. Of course the greatest contradiction of all throughout the play is Courages constant criticism of the war off of which she makes her living. It is this contradictory nature of Courages which constantly reminds the audience to view the character from a distance, analyse her so to spe ak, and not empathise with her situation. Had Mother Courage been presented as a fully-rounded character, the audience would have been tempted to empathise; but her presentation as a paradoxical character helps to jolt the audience into some kind of reaction. (Leach 1994: 136) Mother Courage is not the only character in the play that is given a specific trait to keep the audience empathising and becoming emotionally involved with her. Her sons Eilif and Swiss Cheese are both killed in the play, and it is because of their flaws that they are killed. Her eldest son, Eilif, is strong and intelligent, but his boldness costs him his life. Her younger son, Swiss Cheese, is simple and honest, but he too is led to his death because of his stupidity. The audience are constantly reminded throughout the play by Mother Courage that her children have these traits. I have another who is foolish but honest is just one example of Brecht giving Mother Courage a specific line for two reasons: both to remind the audience of the paradoxes each character possesses, to stop them from being empathised with, and to support the epic idea of the play that each scene should be its own. It is frequently seen in Brechts plays for an off-stage characters absence to be explained throu gh an on-stage characters dialogue. (ref) Robert Leach argues that for Brecht, character is only of interest in so far as it illuminates the fleeting event which provides the writer, or the actor, with a usable gesture. What Leach is saying is that for Brecht, the character is only a function to the greater social and economical forces which control and shape the world (within the constructed reality that are his plays), and that the actors, whilst portraying characters, can use them as tools to show the effect of these greater social implications. This can be linked to Brechts observation in the essay Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction that actors too refrained from going over wholly into their role in the sense that not only did actors do so to invite criticism from the audience of their characters, not only to draw attention away from the individual and place it on the social, but to also show that the characters are simply functional to the social. Another one of Brechts main aims was to not focus on the individual emotions of the character, but to explore and show the importance of the greater social implications. In Mother Courage and Her Children, emphasis is not put on the decisions the characters make but the social events which dictate the action of the play. War, religion and family are three main themes which run through Mother Courage and Her Children, and ultimately the fate of each character is determined by these themes. Unlike naturalistic plays where emphasis is usually placed on the individual, in Mother Courage and Her Children Brecht focuses on the relationship between the social implications and the characters of the play. All of the characters in the play are linked together by these themes, and their inability to change their individual (or in the case of Courage and her children, combined) situations. (Examples) Brecht has created Mother Courage as the central character of the play, but because it is not on ly her, but all the characters that are affected by the war, the spectators focus is neither on the central character Mother Courage nor any of the character. The spectators focus is drawn, by linking the characters and making them unable to change their situations, to the superseding social themes presented in the play. Brecht liked the notion that epic theatre allowed for jumps in time, and this is reflected in Mother Courage and Her Children. There is a jump in time between each scene of the play, usually a year or two, and the constant curves and jumps in the play the dialectic approach allow for Brecht to show a process and effects over time rather than one particular point of time and its individual effect on characters. (Brooker 1994: 189) These jumps in time also allow the play to be epic in the sense that they allow each scene to stand independently. The jumps in time also go hand-in-hand with Brechts idea that with epic theatre, the audience should be looking with eyes on the course rather than eyes on the finish. Swiss Cheeses death and Mother Courages refusal to admit the body is his is one of the most intense moments of the entire play, but it comes as early as Scene Three. Also, the jumps in time show man as a process rather than man as a fixed point. Rather than focusing on the centr al character (Mother Courage) at one particular point, Brecht draws out the play so that the audience view Courages process and development as a character subject to the social and political circumstances. The end of the play sees Mother Courage, now completely alone; walk with soldiers who are singing the same song that is sung in the prologue, reminding the audience of the process that has begun from the very beginning of the play and the effect it has had throughout. The jumps in time between each scene of Mother Courage and Her Children are typical of Brechts aim to get the audience to look at the events that have taken place from a more general period of time rather than a specific point. One of the key parts of Brechts theory on theatre was that the audience should constantly know that what they are watching is not reality but a construction being presented on stage. By doing so, Brecht could show to his audience that what they were watching was not reality but a presented image of reality, and that could inspire change. To this end Brecht used several techniques in many of his plays (including Mother Courage and Her Children) which allowed him to reveal that the play was indeed a construction. A typical Brechtian technique used in the play is the use of stage directions at the start of each scene, which then reveal what is going to happen in that scene. By using these stage directions (either spoken aloud or displayed with placards on stage) Brecht is able to both remind his audience that what they are watching is a construction. Also, by telling the audience what will happen before it happens, Brecht can eliminate the shock factor, thus keeping the audience away fr om having an experience and focused on learning from the action on stage. Openly revealing that the play is not real allows Brecht to prevent any sense of emotional attachment to the piece. This can be linked to Brechts essay The Modern Theatre is The Epic Theatre where he says: †¦once illusion is sacrificed to free discussion, and once the spectator, instead of being enabled to have an experience, is forced as it were to cast his vote; then a change has been launched which goes far beyond formal matters and begins for the first time to affect the theatres social function. Brecht states in his essay The Modern Theatre is Epic Theatre that words, music and setting must become more independent of one another. (reference) This statement is echoed in Mother Courage and Her Children as Brecht uses not only dialogue and stage directions but songs and music in the play, and makes sure that the songs used are seen on an equal level to the other elements such as words. In fact, Scene Ten of the play is constructed entirely of only a few stage directions and song. By giving the songs such importance in the play, on the same level as stage directions and dialogue, Brecht implements his idea into practice, showing that he has used his two essays almost as guidelines for writing Mother Courage and Her Children. Songs are also used in the play to fit in with Brechts theory that plays should not be presented to the audience as reality, but as a construction. The direct delivery of a song from a character to the audience, thus breaking the fourth wall, is one of the w ays in which the audience is reminded that they are indeed watching a play. The songs also tend to reflect the social and political themes of the play and inspire the audience to think about what they are watching. Looking at Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction and The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre in comparison with Mother Courage and Her Children, it is clear to see that the play falls into all of the categories that Brecht lists in his two essays for his theory on the function of theatre. Throughout the play the focus is taken away from the characters individual emotions and drawn to the greater social and political forces which affect the characters. The play is used as a discussion forum of sorts for some of the common Brechtian themes such as war, religion and family. The use of non-naturalist techniques such as placards and songs helps to break the illusion that the audience creates and prevents them from developing empathy for and emotional attachment to the characters. The jumps in time between each scene of the play keep the audiences focus on the process over time and not at a fixed point. Mother Courage and Her Children is without question of Brechts most typical pl ays and it is clear to see his essays Theatre for Pleasure or Theatre for Instruction and The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre have been put into practice to create the play and inspire the audience to change, rather than experience.

The Democratization Of Work Management Essay

The Democratization Of Work Management Essay The topic of the labour education and its relevance in organizational strategies and business ideals offers a deep foray of discussion on the achievement of leadership and managerial objectives. This topic encourages an ongoing inquiry into one of the key leverage of our current HRM recognized as employee development schemes. This assignment begins with a brief discussion of employee empowerment as popular organizational initiative and the unions perspective on employee development schemes. I will provide a snapshot description of labour education and workers empowerment and its objective of combining education as a managements approach to workers empowerment. Empowerment Today, the conventional bureaucratic management approaches are no longer efficient. Empowerment of workers is one of management strategy applied today by corporations in reaction to the need for change. However, empowerment is centered on a series of hypothesis that are in disparity to those usually made by managers. Empowerment jeopardizes managers power over workers in three directions: downward, inward, and outward (Foegen, 1998). Downward loss of control can be discerned by the delegation of decision making to front-line staff. Many managers, most of which have more training and education than line employees, consider delegating decisions to a less qualified-person is not rational. They deem they are the most competent to make these judgments and they are the only ones that should make them (Foegen, 1998). Empowered workers are thought to have ownership of their work process and a commitment to its continuous development. This implies that empowerment can allow employers to improve performance by allowing staff to make decisions about their work environment by allowing workers more freedom and autonomy. Wilkinson (1998) argues that employee empowerment is a managerially led inventiveness: Unlike industrial democracy there is no notion of workers having a right to a say: it is employers who decide whether and how to empower employees. While there is a wide range of programs and initiatives which are titled empowerment and they vary as to the extent of power which employees actually exercise, most are purposefully designed not to give workers a very significant role in decision making but rather to secure an enhanced employee contribution to the organisation. Empowerment takes place within the context of a strict management agenda. (p. 40) Wilkinson (1998) thus implies that empowerment is consequently a managerially controlled event working at a workbased rather than a strategic level within the business. Honold (1997) supports this notion by considering empowerment as control of ones work, autonomy on the job, variations of teamwork, and pay systems that link pay with performance (p. 202). Businesses can build an empowered environment if they provide employees information, power, resources, and training, and consistent follow-up with recognition and corroboration. However, empowering employees is an incessant course of action. Companies that take the first step by encouraging an environment of empowerment are expected to be the industrys leaders. Trade unions and learning rhetoric Over the last two decades, the existing rhetoric surrounding workplace learning, teamwork, and the learning organization within the agenda of promoting a knowledge economy has had an impact on trade union membership and union power in the US and UK (Bratton et al., 2004). Labels, such as shared ownership (Senge, 1990, p. 13), engagement (quoted in Schwind et al., 2007 p. 471) and owner of the business (ibid, 2007) all in the premise of globalization and improved production are often eluded to marginalize unions (Bratton et al., 2004). We need to keep in mind that workplace learning is about workers learning to develop into a more proficient and accommodating human resource (Spencer, 1994) and should be examined through an exploitative viewpoint of the human capital theory. In many cases, workers are directed to accept the suggestion that there are no permanent jobs and to adhere to flexibility, cuts in their wages and benefits (Bratton et al., 2004). Today, the labour movement is oft en silenced and manipulated under the pretext of workers being labeled by companies as partners and associate partnership agreements (Bratton et al, 2004) emphasizing employer rights, including in some cases, refuting the right to democratically decide their own union steward (Wray, 2001). Some companies are also discouraging workers away from unionization and to constrain workers to company objectives  [1]  . It has been argued by Robertson and his colleagues that many workers still find unionism an effective way to democratize the workplace and to guarantee a collective voice, and avenue to equality, and economic security (1989). A number of unions, notably the International Steelworkers of America, have embraced workers interest in workplace learning and have encouraged participatory practices (Bratton et al, 2004 p. 127). On the other hand, Wells (1993) claims that unions and HRM policies are in conflict, because of the imbalance of power between management and workers and that employees can only achieve equal power through their collective representation. According to Wells, unions make workplace democracy work better (1993). Unions provide a challenge to the total power of management and ensure workers have a say in workplace decisions that affect them throug h collective representation (Well, 1993). Evidence attained from union involvement have confirmed the problematic nature of workplace learning initiatives and with this in mind, have initiated their own unique workplace learning programs. Union based education Education and training is offered to their members and representatives to prepare workers to take a more active role in the union. In some cases, unions have developed complete training programs and have partnered with schools, such as McMaster University, to include labour education and vocation training opportunities for their union members (cited in Bratton et al. 2004 p. 108). Labour education has also varied over time, but the final outcome is still the same to effectively change the process in labour-management relations (ibid. p. 111). In their paper, Canadian labour education and PLAR at the turn of the century, the authors, Spencer, Britton and Gereluk provided exemplary examples of labour education courses offered by and for unions (2000). The choices of courses offered by these unions are diverse but most evolve around the particular structure of the shop stewards function. These courses are the tools needed to understand the legal framework of trade unions. A good deal of the critical literature also alleges that there is a contradiction between the new HRM ideals and the trade unions with their traditional industrial relations and collective bargaining. Godard (1994) argues that the main motivation for managers to accept the progressive HRM processes is to shun or lessen trade union control. Nonetheless, he does admit that it would also be a mistake to view progressive practices as motivated solely or even primarily by this objective (1994, p. 155). Other critics have advocated that trade unions should embrace change by harmonizing the same aspects of the soft HRM model. Such a union approach would promote a partnership between businesses and organized labour which would transpire into a high-performance environment with common benefits for both the workers and the organization (Betcherman et al., 1994; Guest, 1995; Verma, 1995). What is apparent from this HRM viewpoint is that this perspective has a strong political and legal agenda r eflecting the decline in union participation and influence in the US and UK over the last decade. Never has it been more important for unions to establish their legitimacy and their own distinctive workplace learning programs. I was directly involved with a three month labour education program with my local union OPSEU. I was introduced to trade unionism, labour policy and social justice issues. It provided me with critical approaches to current issues and it reinforced my idea that strong unions makes a strong company. I accept the conflicting nature of the working-class unionism born out of hard struggles between capital and labour and their logical acceptance that capitalism as the only system in todays world. But I also contend that active unionism may provide the best chance to democratize the corporate workplace. Professor Hugh Glegg (1960) makes a revealing comment, that collective bargaining through trade unions or joint regulation is industrial democracy. Employee Development Schemes Employee development is now, more than ever, a key issue within the HRM paradigm. Against a background populated with concepts such as the learning organization and lifelong learning employers have been encouraged to capitalize on the learning potential of their employees, by encouraging learning activities. Research advocates that this style of non-vocational or non job-specific employee development pursuit has an array of benefits for both employer and employee (Industrial Society, 1996). Ever since Ford initiated their revolutionary EDAP scheme in 1987, employee development schemes have progressed and expanded to the level where the term can now include a wide mixture of development ideas. To enhance the companys industrial relations, the union and management initiated an interactive learning delivery intranet system called Solstra  [2]  . This avenue presented a means of packaging learning on an intranet. The system also overseen the progress of learners, kept records of asse ssments and modules completed, and would routinely renew individual records of training and skills profiles. Within 6 months, 15,000 employees, depicting one-third of personnel, utilized the program (Mortimer, 1990). The Ford EDAP scheme attained an involvement rate of over 50 per cent in three years into its existence (Holden, 1996). The literature suggests that although the initial option made by employees pertaining to the type of learning was entirely non-vocational, later choices were inclined to shift in a more vocational direction (Holden, 1996). It is noteworthy that several case studies of EDS have noticed IT/computer skills courses to be one of the trendiest choices (Donaldson, 1993, 1996). Overall, the data suggests that the development of employees allows them to yield a more considerable input to the achievement of business objectives. A highly skilled and flexible workforce can give the competitive advantage necessary for success. The evidence would appear to suggest that many workers enroll to take part in an EDS to attain new skills to develop job prospects, continuing a personal leisure activity, or simply general self- development or accomplishment (Industrial Society, 1996). A helpful result frequently reported by participants is an improvement in their confidence, both in their capacity to learn and in themselves (Policy Studies Institute, 1993). This seems mainly to be the experience of workers with no prior training and who are more likely to have negative recollections of their educational experience. Many bodies of literature are littered with illustrations of individuals for whom partaking in their companys EDS has been a radical experience. The literature also proposes that employees may be more receptive to work-related training (Maguire Horrocks, 1995). It also bode well for companies whose goal is to build a culture of learning within the company. Research findings also implies that the provision of work and non-work related training makes workers feel more committed, empowered and appreciated (HOST, 1998). This is particularly true of junior level staff whose earlier experience of training was in-house and job-specific (Arulampalam, 1997). Employers presently perceive enhanced learning skills and a flexible workforce as the most advantageous results of an EDS (Maurer Tarulli 1994). Another theme in which conclusive results has been recounted by EDS members is that of motivation at work (Maurer Tarulli 1994). It is hardly surprising, given that improved employee motivatio n is often mentioned by employers as a motive for initiating a scheme. EDS provision often seems to foster a better relationship between staff and employer. Conclusion and Discussion The benefits of labour education and employee development schemes reported by employers and staff are numerous. The existing literature proposes that employers currently regard improved learning skills and a flexible workforce as the clearest outcome. As well, it would seem that improved motivation, empowerment and confidence of workers are noteworthy outcomes. The fact that employees are often more keen to learn, and have more confidence in their abilities as a result of participation, can help shift a company in the aim of becoming a learning organization. Overall, the development of employees can permit them to make a significant contribution to the success of a business. However, there is a penchant in the literature to slip from arguing workplace learning to empowerment to industrial democracy is the identical process and to presume that if a corporation is training its workforce that it is empowering its workers. Such statements need to be tested against employees as well as em ployer experience and placed in a more analytical understanding of the flexible workplace and the knowledge economy. Im not convinced that corporate leaders believe that empowering employees makes a company more effective. Empowering workers means sharing power or increasing workers control and the powerful in business rarely like allocating power. Debates of workplace learning need understand the real issues of power, authority, control, inequality, and ownership for real empowerment and workplace democracy. Slogans such as buying in to company values and owning are an integral part of todays corporate arrangement (being accountable for your own accomplishments). Furthermore, it is important to understand the value of unions as a positive influence in democratizing the workplace. A long serving employee, with a good union contract, may perhaps have access to job security, but contemporary corporate position is for employees to take responsibility of their own careers. This means more than meeting performance goals. It necessitate routine demonstration of eagerness, display of loyalty, and continuous display of commitment by gaining new skills, volunteering for new challenges and indicating a readiness to do more than is necessary or expected. Commendable employees are seasoned overachievers; they have to be because doing more than is necessary or expected is precisely what is required and expected! Employee empowerment is not the key to structural problems. This does not signify that it will not receive wide acceptance and be hyped as a way to attain organizational excellence through workplace democracy. I believe that workplace learning is d eliberated to assimilate workers into management culture; labour education permits workers to challenge it. Godard, J. (1991) The progressive HRM paradigm: a theoretical and empirical re-examination, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations , 46 (2): 378 99.Godard, J. (1994) Industrial Relations: The Economy and Society , Toronto: McGraw-HillRyerson. Godard, J. (1991) The progressive HRM paradigm: a theoretical and empirical re-examination, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations , 46 (2): 378 99.Godard, J. (1994) Industrial Relations: The Economy and Society , Toronto: McGraw-HillRyerson. Godard, J. (1991) The progressive HRM paradigm: a theoretical and empirical re-examination, Relations Industrielles/Industrial Relations , 46 (2): 378 99.Godard, J. (1994) Industrial Relations: The Economy and Society , Toronto: McGraw-HillRyerson.

Physics of Soccer Essay -- Physics Research Papers Compare Football

Physics of Soccer I. Introduction Soccer is a sport that’s very challenging and during the course of this semester I’ve found physics can also be described as challenging. As far as I was concerned soccer and physics were both challenging and that was all they had in common, consequently upon researching them both this semester I found that I was wrong. For me this was nothing new because I’ve found that physics isn’t a subject that can be skimmed, but rather it has to be studied to the finest detail. Those small details if missed can make all your efforts worthless. Or on the positive side understanding those details can make your efforts worth it in the end. And in soccer if you understand the physics, which to most players would be considered as the small details, it pays off in the end. So really how does physics come into play with soccer? II. Motion and Soccer In our text we began our study of physics with motion because motion is a dominant characteristic of the Universe (Kirkpatrick, 21). In class we learned that speed is the distance traveled divided by the time taken, s=d/t. The definition of velocity is very close to that of speed except that direction of an object is also taken into account. Soccer is a sport that is all about motion and how to use movements most effectively. Speed and velocity are very important when it comes to motion because with out them there would be no motion. When playing soccer speed is essential to being a productive player. The game is fast paced and so the players must also be quick on their feet. Soccer players may not know that velocity is essential to being able to control their movements. But physics proves that both are essential to soccer. Speed and direction are b... ...volved. Soccer requires the use of physics principles such as motion, distance, momentum, angular momentum, friction, and all three of Newton’s Laws of motion. It is important to understand how physics works and affects us even when playing soccer. If players know how physics, the small details, affect them they will be able to control the ball and be efficient in calculating the speed and impact of an approaching opponent. Soccer is a challenging sport, but knowing how the physics around the game works makes improvement almost a guarantee. Works Cited Kirkpatrick, Larry D., Wheeler, Gerald F. Physic: A World View. Fourth ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001. Lange, Thomas L. â€Å"Soccer.† World Book Encyclopedia. 1996. â€Å"Physics of Soccer.† www.kent.k12.wa.us/staff/trobinso/physicpages/po2001/Soccer/ Index.html. Kent School District. 1995-2003.

The mozart effect Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Mozart Effect Does classical music really help you study better? Many recent research studies show that music idoes in fact improve cognitive thinking. In 1993, researchers at the University of California at Irvine discovered the so-called Mozart Effect - that college students â€Å"who listened to ten minutes of Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos in D major K448 before taking an IQ test scored nine points higher† than when they had sat in silence or listened to relaxation tapes. Other studies have also indicated that it doesn’t matter the artist; people retain information better if they hear classical or baroque music while studying. The most easily influenced stage of human life is early childhood, therefore it is encouraged that children listen to classical music. The researchers at Irvine recently found that preschoolers who had received eight months of music lessons scored â€Å"eighty percent higher on object-assembly tasks† than did other children who received no musical training. It was concluded that students who listened to music had high a greater ability to think abstractly and to visualize. These tasks are necessary to understand difficult theorems and equations in math and engineering. German scientists discovered an amazing difference in musicians who have the ability to recognize notes by ear and who began studying music before the age of seven. The plenum temporal, which is the area on the brain's left side that processes sound signals, mostly language, is three times the average size. The age of the musician matters because the brain generally stops growing after age 10. Besides being beneficial for young children, music is useful to many adolescents, especially to those with learning problems. Exposing music constantly to children with severe learning deficiencies has been known to show positive results. A study was done by the researchers at Irvine on a seven-year-old girl with an autistic condition, which caused her to use gestures and occasional words instead of full sentences. The young girl's speaking ability â€Å"improved remarkably† after she had lessons in a class that combined sounds from a piano with dialect. College students can also benefit from classical music. To test this, college students were exposed to three different types of music and were given standard reasoning tests, each for ten minutes. The research showed that the scores ... ...one energy to work out; listening to a soft, relaxing song might put a person to sleep; and listening to Mozart may enhance â€Å"spatial reasoning† and memory in the brain. Whatever the situation may be, music seems to have a benefiting effect.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography 1. Campbell, Don. The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.: 2001 2. Carroll, Robert Todd. The Mozart Effect available from http://skepdic.com/mozart.html; Internet, accessed April 29, 2004 3. Church, Ellen Booth. Learning Through Play: Music and Movement. New York: Scholastic Inc.: 1992 4. Eliot, Lise. What’s Going on in There?: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life. New York: Bantam Books: 2002 5. Machlis, Joseph and Kristine Forney. The Enjoyment of Music. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.: 2003 6. Ortiz, John M. Nurturing Your Child with Music: How Sound Awareness Creates Happy, Smart, and Confident Children. Oregon: Beyond Words Publishing: 1999 7. Ortiz, John M. Nurturing Your Child with Music: How Sound Awareness Creates Happy, Smart, and Confident Children. Oregon: Beyond Words Publishing 1999

Anzia Yezierska’s novel Bread Givers and Assimilation of Jews Essay

Anzia Yezierska’s novel Bread Givers and Assimilation of Jews An entire chapter of Eric Liu’s memoir, The Accidental Asian, is founded on the supposition that Jews today serve as a metaphor for assimilation into American culture. According to Liu, this is due to the ease with which Jews have been able to assimilate. However, the progress that Jews have made in embracing and affecting America has been gradual rather than instantaneous, as evidenced by the character Sara Smolensky in Anzia Yezierska’s novel Bread Givers. Sara is not the symbol of an assimilated Jew, but instead represents a period of transition between complete assimilation into American identity and complete dissimilation from her Jewish and Polish heritage, neither of which she can fully accomplish. Her identity was both â€Å"made† and â€Å"unmade† by her interaction with America, and she is left struggling for a new self that can interweave her ancestral past and her American present. Perhaps the best example of Sara’s deviation from her Jewish heritage and her attempt to assimilate was her refusal to allow the undertaker to tear her suit during her mother’s funeral service. The clothing that she wears is a symbol to her of wealth and of being an American. For Sara the ripping of her clothing had become an â€Å"empty symbol,† a cultural construction with only symbolic meaning that could help to identify her ethnicity, and does not serve any logical purpose. After being distanced from her family and immersed in American culture for so long, she no longer understands the purpose of the action, and posits verily that â€Å"Tearing [her only suit] wouldn’t bring Mother back to life again† (Yezierska 255). This represents a clear distinction between volunta... ...rself in between the two, and in doing so partially â€Å"unmakes† the ethnic identity passed on to her from her ancestors. The question of whether she is more assimilated into American culture or is more dissimilated from the culture of her ancestors is arbitrary and ambiguous. She is simultaneously both and neither; she is a new person who enjoys the American way of life but will always feel burdened by the â€Å"weight† of her ancestors â€Å"upon [her]† (297). Works Cited Liu, Eric. â€Å"New Jews.† The Accidental Asian. New York: Vintage Books, 1998. 145-74. Sollors, Werner. Forward. â€Å"Theories of American Ethnicity.† American Quarterly. 33.3 (1981): 257-83. Takaki, Ronald. â€Å"Between Two Endless Days.† A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1993. 277-310. Yezierska, Anzia. Bread Givers. New York: Persea Books, 2003.

Mumbai Dabbawalah

————————————————- Dabbawala From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mumbai Dabbahwalas A  dabbawala  (Marathi:   ); also spelled as  dabbawalla  or  dabbawallah; literally meaning (â€Å"box person†), is a person in  India, most commonly found in the city of  Mumbai, who is employed in a unique service industry whose primary business is collecting freshly cooked food in  lunch boxes  from the residences of the  office workers  (mostly in the suburbs), delivering it to their respective workplaces and returning the empty boxes back to the customer's residence by using various modes of transport. Tiffin† is an old-fashioned English word for a light lunch or afternoon snack, and sometimes, by extension, for the box it is carried in. For this reason, the  dabbawalas are sometimes called  Tiffin Wallahs. Contents  Ã‚  [hide]   * 1  Ety mology and historical roots * 1. 1  The Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust * 2  Supply chain * 2. 1  Appearance and coding * 2. 2  Uninterrupted services * 3  Economic analysis * 3. 1  Awards and recognition * 4  In Media * 5  References * 6  Further reading * 7  External links| ————————————————- edit]Etymology and historical roots A  dabba, or Indian-style tiffin box. The word â€Å"Dabbawala† in  Marathi  when literally translated, means â€Å"one who carries a box†. â€Å"Dabba† means a box (usually a cylindrical tin or aluminium container), while â€Å"wala† is a suffix, denoting a doer or holder of the preceding word. [1]  The closest meaning of the  Dabbawala  in English would be the â€Å"lunch box delivery man†. Though this profession seems to be simple, it is actually a highly specialized serv ice in Mumbai which is over a century old and has become integral to the cultural life of this city.The concept of the  dabbawala  originated when India was under  British rule. Many British people who came to the  colony  did not like the local food, so a service was set up to bring lunch to these people in their workplace straight from their home. Nowadays, although Indian businesspersons are the main  customers  for the dabbawalas, increasingly affluent families employ them instead for lunch delivery to their school-aged children. Even though the services provided might include cooking, it primarily consists of only delivery either home-made or in that latter case, food ordered from a restaurant. edit]The Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust This service originated in 1880. In 1890, Mahadeo Havaji Bachche and Ananth Mandra Reddy started a lunch delivery service with about 100 men. [2]In 1930, he informally attempted to unionize the  dabbawallas. Later a charita ble trust was registered in 1956 under the name of  Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Trust. The commercial arm of this trust was registered in 1968 as  Mumbai Tiffin Box Supplier's Association. The present President of the association is Raghunath Medge. Nowadays, the service often includes cooking of food in addition to the delivery. ———————————————— [edit]Supply chain A collecting Dabbawala on a bicycle Mumbai is a very densely populated  city of millions  with huge flows of  traffic. Because of this, lengthy commutes to workplaces are common, with many workers traveling by train. Instead of going home for  lunch  or paying for a meal and eating out every day in a  cafe, many office workers have a cooked meal sent either from their home, or sometimes from a caterer who essentially cooks and delivers the meal in lunch boxes and then have the empty lunch b oxes collected and re-sent the same day.This is usually done for a monthly fee of about 450 Indian rupees. The meal is  cookedin the morning and sent in lunch boxes carried by dabbawalas, who have a complex association and hierarchy across the city. Dabbawalas in action at a  Mumbai Suburban Railway  station. A  collecting dabbawala, usually on  bicycle, collects dabbas either from a worker's home or from the dabba makers. As many of the carriers are illiterate, the dabbas have some sort of distinguishing mark on them, such as a colour or group of symbols.The dabbawala then takes them to a designated sorting place, where he and other collecting dabbawalas sort (and sometimes bundle) the lunch boxes into groups. The grouped boxes are put in the coaches of  trains, with markings to identify the destination of the box (usually there is a designated car for the boxes). The markings include the  railway station  to unload the boxes and the building address where the box h as to be delivered. At each station, boxes are handed over to a  local dabbawala, who delivers them. The empty boxes are collected after lunch or the next day and sent back to the respective houses. edit]Appearance and coding Markings: (1) abbreviations for collection points, (2) colour code for starting station, (3) number for destination station and (4) markings for handling dabbawala at destination, building and floor. [3] A typical  dabbawala  lunch. It was estimated in 2007 that the dabbawala industry was still growing by 5-10%  per annum. [4] Although the service remains essentially low-tech, with the delivery men as the prime movers, the dabbawalas have started to embrace technology, and now allow tanuj wadhi for delivery through  SMS. 5]  An on-line poll on the web site ensures that customer feedback is given pride of place. The success of the system depends on teamwork and time management. Such is the dedication and commitment of the barely literate and barefoot delivery men (there are only a few delivery women) who form links in the extensive delivery chain, that there is no system of documentation at all. A simple colour-coding system doubles as an ID system for the destination and recipient. There are no multiple elaborate layers of management either — just three layers.Each dabbawala is also required to contribute a minimum capital in kind, in the form of two bicycles, a wooden crate for the tiffins, white cotton  kurta-pyjamas, and the white trademarkGandhi cap  (topi). The return on capital is ensured by monthly division of the earnings of each unit. [edit]Uninterrupted services The service is almost always uninterrupted, even on the days of severe weather such as  monsoons. The local dabbawalas and population know each other well, and often form bonds of trust.Dabbawalas are generally well accustomed to the local areas they cater to, and use shortcuts and other low profile routes to deliver their goods on time. Occasion ally, people communicate between home and work by putting messages inside the boxes; however, with the rise of instant communication such as SMS and instant messaging, this trend is vanishing. Since 1890 ,the year in which the Dabbawalas formally came into existence ,none of its members had ever gone on a strike.This trend was broken in 2011 when the members decided to head towards Azad Maidan to support Anna Hazare in his campaign against corruption. [6] ————————————————- [edit]Economic analysis Each  dabbawala, regardless of role, gets paid about eight thousand rupees per month. In 1998,  Forbes Magazine  found its reliability to be that of a  six sigma  standard. [better  source  needed]  This implies that the Dabbawalas make less than one mistake in every 6 million deliveries, despite most of the delivery staff being illiterate. 7]  More than 175,000 to 200,000 lunch boxes get moved every day by an estimated 4,500 to 5,000  dabbawalas, all with an extremely small nominal fee and with utmost punctuality. The  BBC  has produced a  documentary  on  dabbawalas[citation needed]  and  Prince Charles, during his visit to India, visited them (he had to fit in with their schedule, since their timing was too precise to permit any flexibility). Prince Charles also invited them to his wedding withCamilla Parker Bowles  in London on 9 April 2005.Owing to the tremendous publicity, some of the dabbawalas were invited to give guest lectures in some of the top  business schools  of India, which is very unusual. Most remarkably in the eyes of many Westerners, the success of the dabbawala trade has involved no advanced technology,[8]  except for trains (and as mentioned above, SMS services for booking). The New York Times  reported in 2007 that the 125-year-old  dabbawala  industry continues to grow at a rate of 5â₠¬â€œ10% per year. [4] [edit]Awards and recognition ISO 9001:2000 certified by the  Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand  [9] ————————————————- [edit]In Media On 28 December 2011, the British series, â€Å"Top Gear† broadcasted the episode â€Å"India Special† where Clarkson, Hammond, and May travel to India for a â€Å"trade mission†. In Mumbai, they aimed to beat the efficiency of the dabbawala by using a car instead of a train. The mission fails when Clarkson, in a rush to beat the train, did not take enough cargo, leaving Hammond to carry Clarkson's load as well as his own.Hammond accidentally loses and subsequently ruins some of his cargo, and May, trying to take a ring road approach to the station, takes a wrong turn and ends up in the countryside. [10] ————————— ———————- [edit]References 1. ^  Pathak R. C. (1946, Reprint 2000). The Standard Dictionary of the Hindi Language, Varanasi: Bhargava Book Depot,pp. 300,680 2. ^  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Bombay Dabbawalas go high-tech†. Physorg. com. Retrieved 2011-09-15. 3. ^  Mumbai's amazing Dabbawalas. Rediff. com  (November 11, 2005). 4.   a  b  In India, Grandma Cooks, They Deliver  from  The New York Times 5. ^  BBC News: India's tiffinwalas fuel economy 6. ^  http://www. thehindubusinessline. com/industry-and-economy/economy/dabbawalas-to-strike-for-the-first-time-in-120-years/article2369850. ece 7. ^  The Guardian. A Bombay lunchbox  (June 24, 2002). 8. ^  Amberish K Diwanji, â€Å"Dabbawallahs: Mumbai's best managed business†, Rediff. com, November 4, 2003 9. ^  Mydabbawala. com: Accolades To Dabbawala 10. ^  http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Top_Gear:_India_Special

A Tale of an Hour

The cold gray steel of the axe arced one last time through the air, the pick burrowed itself one last time into the frozen blanket of snow, and the hand that held it took a final pull, to ensure a secure placement. After a brief pause, George Mallory took a deep breath, and pulled himself over the crux, and onto the top. Slowly, shakily, he stood up, and took a look around, the first time American eyes had seen the world from this vantage point. This was it. He had done it. He was the first American to ever climb Everest. The sky was a most crystalline blue, and clear too, except for the small puffy white clouds in the distant East. George had the most incredible view ever seen in all directions; he could see for hundreds, probably even a thousand miles. If only others could see this! he said to himself. If only he had brought a camera, not only would he be able to show the human race the true beauty still found in nature, he could prove that he had actually accomplished the feat. Hopefully his friends down below could see him on the top. Mallory briefly thought of waving, but the notion quickly passed when he realized the absoluteness of his fatigue. He was exhausted, plain and simple. Even after deciding against bringing a stove or any other nighttime equipment, his pack still weighed in at about 40 lbs, because of the extra oxygen bottles he picked up from a discarded pile. In fact, George just wanted to sit down. He knew though that if he did, he might never again get up. He did however remove the cumbersome pack and sling it to the icy ground. Digging into the main pouch, George hand unveiled a small American flag attached to an aluminum pole. With the side of his ice axe, he pounded the pole into the crust, forever designating that he had soloed the highest mountain on the planet. This task had taken nearly ten minutes, since every swing of the makeshift hammer was like wielding a twenty-pound maul. He reached for his next oxygen bottle, changed canisters, and took a few deep breaths of the life giving gas. After completing the task, Mallory once again surveyed his surroundings. He stopped when he go to the East. The once distant fluffy white clouds were closer. Much closer. And the innocent white had begun to turn an angry gray. No longer an innocent few, the clouds had grown in numbers, and anvil-shaped thunderheads were rapidly forming. This is not good, he thought to himself. This is very not good. I should get back down to camp six. Maybe even five, if possible. George turned back to the way he came up and began the agonizingly slow descent. Step after step was torture. Knowing he had to hurry was only making his heart pump faster, worsening the situation. Breathing harder and harder, Mallory had to take a few second break after almost every step, until his pulse slowed enough that he could divert a portion of his brain to downward progress. Pick. Step. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Repeat. Sensing the world around him darkening, he looked over his shoulder at the peak. The first cloud had breached the western side of the mountain, his side. This could only mean one thing. Don t look back any more. George made that mental note to himself. A few minutes later, he felt the first snowflake gently brush his cheek. Realizing he had only reached about 27,000 feet, Mallory now knew that he had to move. He quickened his pace, nearly achieving a slow walk. Step. Step. Step. Step. Breathe. Step. St– The old frozen leather tying the crampon to his foot snapped, his foot slid forward, and George was on the move, this time at breakneck pace. On May 2, 1999, Eric Simonson radioed into base camp to report that Dave Hahn, Tap Richards, Jake Norton, Andy Politz, and Conrad Anker had located the body of George Mallory on the side of Mt. Everest, where he perished on June 8th, 1924.

Counseling Psychology

A fuller understanding of clients’ problems within the province of psychological counseling involves not only the cogency of the framework employed but also how it applies in practice. Mindful of the fact that there is no single intervention or explanation that can possibly apply to all cases; there is a pressing need for counseling psychologists to take into consideration the client’s point of view; that is, how the client understands, appropriates and integrates for his/herself his/her current situation.If we are to characterize the past two decades, we may say that it is noted for an increased emphasis on methodological diversity, not only in approaches but also, and more importantly, in terms of alternative research methods in counseling psychology (Goldman, 1976; Howard, 1983). In this aspect, the emergence of pragmatism allowed for diverse approaches in counseling psychology which values both objective and subjective knowledge (Hanson, 2005, p.226). Mindful of thi s significant shift in theorizing and research, this paper seeks to articulate the underpinnings of the generalist approach to counseling psychology, their problems and limitations so as to provide feasible solutions for a more pragmatic approach that is beneficial not only for the clients but for the practitioner as well. The dominant approach in the profession of counseling psychology is the generalist model of intervention.The generalist approach is essentially a problem-solving approach which operates on the assumption that as experts, psychologists know best, since they have the necessary knowledge, skills and training in handling clients’ problems. Six interrelated steps/stages are involved in the generalist intervention model: (1) assessment, (2) planning, (3) intervention, (4) evaluation, (5) termination, and (6) follow up.The essential difference between the generalist and the person-centered approach in terms of intervention is that the generalist sees the relations hip in the â€Å"expert-client† kind of way, whereas, it is not necessarily the case for the person-centered approach. The counseling psychologist who employs the person-centered approach knows the value of emphatic listening and applies it to his/her clients for this will be of great help in addressing the client’s need for positive regard from others.If the client feels comfortable with the counseling psychologist because the latter knows how to listen, then this will be of great help in boosting the client’s self-worth. The person-centered approach was developed from the client-centered approach by Carl Rogers. Regarding the impact of the person-centered approach, Krebs and Blackman (1988) wrote: â€Å"The person-centered approach has had impact on domains outside of therapy such as family life, education, leadership, conflict resolution, politics and community health.† On a preliminary note, it may be said that for Krebs and Blackman, the person-cente red approach has many interesting and fruitful applications. As was noted earlier, Roger’s person-centered therapy is a modification of his client-centered therapy, the foundation of which is a phenomenological and existential framework on construing a theory of personality. An adequate theory of personality, as Roger sees it, must take into account the core notions of (1) human nature and (2) the human condition and the reason for improving the aforementioned condition.He writes: â€Å"the core of man's nature is essentially positive† (1961, p. 73). He adopts an organismic view of the person in a positive way. It is positive in the sense that the person, as an organism, is driven by an actualizing tendency. This idea is actuallly not something new and may be compared to the ancient Greeks idea of the telos which is the Greek term for end or purpose. In Aristotle’s view, for instance, man’s telos involves the actualization of the distinctive human functio n.It is, in this direction then that human beings ought to move [that is, the actualization of the human potentials]. â€Å"The good life is a process not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination (Rogers, 1961, p. 186)†. The Self then for Rogers, is driven by the said actualizing tendency. A fully-functioning person for Rogers is a person who is developing, or if I may use Aristotle’s word â€Å"flourishing†. The fully-functioning person flourishes, so to speak, that is, geared towards development. Development in this sense, would involve personality development.Since man’s nature, as Rogers claims, is positive then he/she will seek personality development. If the person-centered approach to counseling psychology is more appropriate in terms of producing successful outcomes, then perhaps we may consider juxtaposing such an approach with the constructivist framework. According to Neimeyer (1995) constructivism represents a meta-theory and epi stemologic stance that emphasises self-conceiving, self-organising, and proactive features of human knowing (cited in Savickas, 2000, p. 60).Moreover, by juxtaposing the person-centered approach with constructivism, both the client and the counseling psychologist may continuously review, revise and re-orient themselves with the things that they know and how they live their lives. This is to say that there is no monopoly in terms of the learning process that takes place since both the client and the counseling psychologist takes an active part in the meaning-making process. This way, psychology becomes humanistic. Rogers’ person-centered approach is of this type.Humanistic psychology, as a reaction to positivistic psychology, sheds light on important questions that matter, not only for the client and practitioner, learner and teacher. Schneider, et. al, summarized these questions as follows: â€Å"What does it mean to be fully experientially human? † and â€Å"How does that understanding illuminate the fulfilled or vital life? † (Schneider, et. al, 2001, p. xx). These questions are questions of universal concern and have been framed in different ways by different thinkers in different periods in the history of ideas.In the final analysis, we may take refuge in the thought that developing humanistic psychology brings us closer to understanding our human condition, our situatedness. In so doing, it also gives us a fuller understanding of our very own humanity. For it is by knowing who we are and where we stand can we chart the rightful path towards a just and humane society. References Goldman, L. (1976). â€Å"A Revolution in Counseling Psychology. † Journal of Counseling Psychology. 23: 543-552. Hanson, W. E. (2005). â€Å"Mixed Methods Research Designs in Counseling Psychology. † Journal of Counseling Psychology. 52: 224-235. Howard, G. S. (1983).â€Å"Toward Methodological Pluralism. † Journal of Counseling Psychology . 30: 19-21. Krebs, D. , Blackman, R. (1988). Psychology: A First Encounter. Toronto: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Rogers, C. R. (1965). â€Å"A Humanistic Conception of Man†. In R. E. Farson (ed. ) Science and Human Affairs: Science and Behavior Books, Inc. ___. (1961). On Becoming a Person. Houghton Mifflin. Savickas, M. L. (2000). â€Å"Renovating the Psychology of Careers for the Twenty First Century. † The Future of Career. Cambridge University Press. Schneider, K. J. , et. al. (2001). The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology: Leading Edges in Theory, Research and Practice. Sage.

Core Business Skills

1. 0 INTRODUCTION This particular assignment's aim is to discuss the application of the strategic management process in a retail industry. I have chosen Starbucks Coffee as my food and beverage industry to research on, and to thoroughly explain the strategic management process implied by them. Starbucks Coffee Company was founded by English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer Gordon Bowker back in year 1971 Seattle, Washington. Starbucks Coffee Company is known as the world's leading coffee retailer, roaster and last but not least brand of specialty coffee.Apart from providing only coffee, Starbucks Coffee also cater light snacks like sandwiches, delicious pastries, healthy salads and etc. Since Starbucks Coffee is the world's leading brand in coffee, they serve up to 35 million customers from all over the world weekly. Because of their great reputation, they have successfully opened up to 17,000 stores worldwide. The company's mission statement is to ‘ inspire and nurture human spirit'. Firstly, Starbucks Coffee focus to provide a ‘great work environment' to their members so that they are treated with ‘respect and dignity'.Secondly, Starbucks Coffee also believes that conducting business ethically is the main key to be successful in a business. As a worldwide and leading-brand company, Starbucks Coffee insists strongly on upholding a culture where diversities are well valued and respected. These diversities include ‘inclusion: human connection and engagement', ‘equity: fairness and justice', ‘accessibility: ease of use and barrier free' so that employees with diverse background are fairly treated and respected to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable workplace (www. starbucks. com 2011). . 0 Strategic Analysis 2. 1 Internal Analysis 2. 1. 1 Strength: One of the main strength possesses by Starbucks Coffee is the strong brand image they have. In terms of the coffee industry, they are considered to be most reputable compared to Coffee Beans, Gloria Jeans, and other competitors among the industry. Starbucks Coffee manage to prove themselves as a highly resorted brand by getting rated as the top 100 most seeked after brand. Apart from having a high brand value, Starbucks Coffee has managed to globalise their target market in to all parts of the world.This opens up the opportunity for Starbucks themselves to monopolise the foreign market as well. 2. 1. 2 Weaknesses: No matter what industry a firm is in, they will face certain weaknesses that they have to always try to improve on. As for Starbucks Coffee, one of their main weaknesses is the product price. In many countries, Starbucks Coffee is considered as a premium product where the prices of their products are higher compared to other coffee shops (Lee S, 2007). Another weakness that Starbucks Coffee has is that they are too focused in their domestic market which is the United Stated of America.This will lead Starbucks Coffee into a vu lnerable position where it is hard for them to predict unforeseen changes in the industry's market at other countries. 2. 2 Stakeholders in Starbucks Coffee: Stakeholders in Starbucks Coffee includes all the workers which are known as partners. This is because Starbucks Coffee wants to create an environment where all their employees would feel comfortable and relaxed (Kembell B, 2002). The second stakeholders for Starbucks Coffee Company would be their highly valued customers. These customers play an important role in Starbucks Coffee because they are the ones who visit the coffeehouse almost everyday.In order to feel connected to Starbucks Coffee, customers can easily hear and engaged with the employees and products of Starbucks anytime, anywhere (Hanft A, 2005). The other crucial stakeholder in Starbucks Coffee will be their coffee farmers. These coffee farmers are actually the backbone to Starbucks Coffee because Starbucks rely mainly on coffee products. In order to uphold the so cial and economic well-being of their coffee farmers, they have decided to pay a premium price for high quality coffee beans from them (Robertson H, 2006). 2. 3 Core Competencies:As we all know, core competencies in any industry is actually their comparative advantage. As for Starbucks Coffee, one of their core competency is human resource. Firstly, Starbucks Coffee is a company that values their employees greatly. Starbucks shows their appreciation to their employees by giving them the opportunity to receive full healthcare benefits, stock options/discounted stock purchase plans (Weber G, 2005). Starbucks Coffee's tangible resources will be their high-quality coffee beans called the Narino Supremo Beans. The Narino Supremo Beans have the highest quality and is the largest bean in Columbia (www. melita. om, 2011). In a recent report, it is said that the president of the Columbia;s National Federation of Coffee Growers have confirmed the purchase of 6 to 7 percent of Starbucks shares (Castaneda S, 2009). This shows that Starbucks Coffee has sole ownership over the high quality beans which is an advantage for them. Starbucks Coffee has a good reputation and is well accepted throughout the world. This reflects on their intangible resources to attract customers. Having a good brand name, friendly employees and high quality coffee beans are the main traits possessed by Starbucks Coffee. 2. 4. 0 External Analysis 2. 4. 1 OpportunitiesStarbucks has always use their opportunities to expand their business in to a whole new level. Firstly, Starbucks has created an opportunity for themselves to expand their brand name to foreign countries. It is reported that Starbucks are planning to open up to 15,000 new stores across the world in the years to come (Datamonitor, 2005). Apart from that, Starbuck's technological advancements has given them a good opportunity to conveniently distribute products to customers through the internet. Starbucks has also equipped all their loung es with WiFi services to accommodate their valued-customers to boot (Elgan M, 2008). . 4. 2 Threats One of the threats that will be faced by Starbucks coffee is the price fluctuation of diary and coffee products. The price of theese products can also be affected by the income levels of customers in upcoming or developing country as goods over there are highly inflated (Pinkasovitch A, 2011). In every industry that we are in, there will always be competitors trying to penetrate the market . Competitors for Starbucks Coffee would be other coffehouses that sells coffee. Coffeebean, San Francisco Coffee, and Gloria Jeans are direct competitors for Starbucks. 2. 5 PEST Analysis 2. 5. 1 Political Factor:One of the political factors that posses as a major issue for Starbucks is the unstability of political issues that would directly affect the growth rate of Starbucks Coffee. From a recent report, it says that up to five Arab states have decided to boycott American goods with their primary target being Starbucks Coffee shops (Antievil, 2008) 2. 5. 2 Economic Factor: Apart from that, Economic factor is also a very important matter to look into when executing a strategic analysis. One of the economical problems that affected Starbucks was the recession in Switzerland, Japan and Germany in the early 2000s.In a more recent report, the Company had revealed a 70% drop in their quarterly profits to only $64. 3m. Apart from that, they are also planning to close down up to 300 stores (Clark A, 2009). 2. 5. 3 Social Factor: Starbucks has always prioritise on their social issues and responsibilities. Starbucks always participated in upholding the importance of the environment. A move by Starbucks to create a partnership with the Conservation International, mainly to put their attention on environmental protection such as waste reduction and energy and water saving programs (David, 2009).A move like this proves that Starbucks are cautious about the social responsibilities. 2. 5. 4 Technology: In terms of technology, Starbucks has always been up to date. All of Starbuck's outlets are fitted with Wi-Fi services. Another move to be technologically involved will be the creation of music CDs that will suit the specific moods of customers. They are available for purchase at any Starbucks outlet (Lodi K, 2006). 2. 5 Porter's Five Forces Framework: The Porter's Five Forces framework is applied to go in to a more in depth analysis of an industry.The five forces usually includes industry competitors, new entrants, suppliers, customers, and substitutes. In all industries, companies will have to face strong competitors in order to dominate the markets. For Starbucks, their main rivalries would be Coffee Bean, San Francisco Coffee, and other coffee lounges that falls into Starbuck's category. They do not only compete domestically, but also internationally. Sometimes, rivalry from other industries can also be a threat. For example, McDonalds could pose as a threat to St arbucks because they are a fast-food chain yet they still provide coffee in their menu.They could be one of the strongest competitors for Starbucks to face (Gregory S, 2009). Another forces that Starbucks faces is the emergence of substitute products. Because Starbucks is a premium product, therefore their prouct prices are usually very high. During a recession, there is a high possibility that customers from Starbucks look for a substition to lower down their expenditure. Products like Coca-cola or Pepsi-cola could be one of the substitues for high quality coffee beans. However there is a big difference in the taste and smell when it is being consumed. Therefore the main substitute for Starbucks will be basic coffee.This will be a threat to Starbucks because they are an organisation that caters to high-income earners. One other factor that might affect an industry will be the customer's buying power. However, this depends on the organisation itself. If they are an attractive organi sation then the bargaining power of buyers will be low and poses no threat to the company. For Starbucks, the bargaining power of its buyers are low. Althought prices of Starbucks are high, customers still buy it because of its differentiated and outstanding products. The other forces that will directly affect an industry is the supplier's bargaining power.The supplier's bargaining power will rise when there is a rise in demand of the product that they supply. Starbucks could be facing this threat because they rely on central american to produce the coffee traded. Since there are more demand in high-quality beans, main suppliers will naturally have a stronger bargaining power. â€Å"An over-crowded market will give the coffee suppliers bargaining power. There are no substitute products for the coffee beans Starbucks must buy. This is a potential threat to the company,† (Hanft A, 2005). 3. 0 Strategy Formulation 3. 1 BusinessLevel StrategyFor all the industries, they have to c hose a business strategy that can successfully dominate the market. The formulation of this strategy is very crucial in a busines because it helps to find customers. One of the tools that can be used to formulate an industry's business level strategies is the porter's generic strategies. Starbucks uses the focused differentiated strategy derived by Michael Porter to run their business. As we all know, Starbucks is known as a food and beverage company. But to be specific, Starbucks is a food and beverage company that focuses on coffee brewing.They are well known for their high-quality beans and comfortable lounges. Starbucks chooses a segment to market their products to. This includes coffee fanatics and people who are looking for a place to relax. However, Starbucks caters their products to mostly high-income earners because their products are expensive. This shows that the focused differentiation strategy is used to seek their competitive advantage in the market through uniqueness of their products (Campling J, 2007). The advantage of Starbucks' focus on a single market can give them the chance to handle all managerial, financial, technological, and capabilities in one business.Starbucks has always been trying to come out with more creative and innovative products to be differentiated among their competitors. This has certainly made them the biggest winner in the coffee based industry (Guarriello T, 2008). Although the prices are high in Starbucks, they are very differentiated in terms of the coffee beans they use and they way the serve. This shows that the focus differentiation startegy that Starbucks uses is an effective way to attract customers since they are the world leading brand in its industry. Another way to formulate a business-level strategy in an industry is to apply the product life cycle method.The first stage of a product life cycle is introduction, followed by growth, maturity, and decline (Campling J, 2007). 3. 2 Corporate-level Strategy The corporate strategies are used by industries to direct their organisations towards a sustainable competitive advantage (Campling J, 2007). The main purpose for the use of this strategy is to set a target and control resources allocation for an enterprise. The first approach to formulate a corporate strategy is the portfolio planning approach. The portfolio planning approach are designed to help managers to decide on investing scare organisational resources among competing business opportunity.This straregy is very useful for multibusiness enterprises like Starbucks. Growth strategy can be used as one of the corporate level strategy to effectively expand and increase the size of a company's operations, through store expansion and global market penetration. In order for Starbucks to successfully expand their stores, it is required for them to have full concentration on their products (Campling J, 2007). Starbucks has been very aggressive in store expansion, this includes them opening u p to a dozen of stores in China in year 2007 (Yan Z, 2008).In addition to that, Starbucks has also put their main focus on diversifying their growth to other products. 4. 0 Strategy Implementation 4. 1 Organisation Structure: An enterprise's organisation structure is the mixture of task and reporting relationships that allows the company to control its lines of authority and communication at the same time allocating rights and duties. There are three types of organisational structures, the divisional structure, matrix organisation and hybrid structure. Starbucks has adopted the matrix organisation structure to focus on.All the employees in this firm would report to both a functional and divisional manager and lastly to a project manager. Failures of strategic planning happens most of the time. The most common strategic planning failures are failures of substance and failures of process. Failure of substance happens because there is inadequate attention being paid to major strategic planning elements. Failures of process will be caused by poor handling of strategy implentation like lack of participation error and goal displacement error. Therefore, the organisational structure in a company is very important to avoid unwanted uprising problems. . 2 Corporate Governance: The corporate governace is the system of control and performance monitoring of top management (Campling J, 2007). This task is usually done by the boards of directors, and other major stakeholder in the company. For Starbucks Coffee, they currently have 9 directors including the CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz. These directors of Starbucks are responsible for ensuring goals and objectives in the company are met. The directors are well aware of their responsibility to provide a stable managing process so that the company's goalds are met (www. starbucks. com). 4. Strategic Leadership Strategic management is a leadership responsibility. Whereas strategic leadership is the capability to prepare othe rs with the ever-changing strategies in the market. Michael Porter says that the strategic leader of an enterprise has to be the CEO of an organisation (Campling J, 2007). One of the most crucial task for a strategic leader is to be a guardian of trade-offs. Countless commitment and disipline has to be put in by a strategic leader in order for the business the be successful. Another trait that a strategic leader must posses is the ability to create a sense of urgency.By having a sense of urgency, the strategic leader is able to give out a strong message to its organisation and their members that the need for consistent improvementwill always persist. A strategic-chief will also have to ensure that everyone related to the organistion understands the strategy that they are using. Leaders in an organisations will have to keep their members updated with their latest business strategy. Furthermore, the task of a strategic leader also includes being a teacher and a good communicator. 5. 0 Conclusion 5. 1 Importance of Strategic Management In conclusion, strategic management involves many processes.This includes identifying the mision, objectives and strategies of an industry. Strategic management is very important for a business as it is used to derive the main strategy for your business. With good strategic manangement skills, leaders are able to adopt to the sudden change in the market and they can also prepare themselves to the different needs and wants of their customers. An industry with a good strategy will always be succesful. Strategic management can also be applied to analyse the internal and external environment of an industry which can give leaders of an industry a better understanding of the market.