Business operational Essay

To provide learners with an understanding of the role and importance of operations management (OM) in the efficient and effective production of goods and services. Scenario: WH Smith is a major, well-known and publically-quoted book retailer and newsagent in the UK. Recently it was reported how Kate Swann, the former CEO for the last 10 years, has turned the company around from ? 135m losses to ? 106m profit in a decade. (source: www. theguardian. com/business/blog/2013/jan/23/wh-smith-kate-swann-profit, accessed 1 October 2013) (Also see copy attached) This is an example of how the principles of operations management can be used to reactivate a firm. How did she do it? Using the above as a starting point, together with other information sources, which you should research yourself, on WH Smith, you are asked to address the Tasks below regarding operations management. Task 1 (this meets LO 1, ACs 1. 1, 1. 2 and 1. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the nature and importance of Operation Management and its key elements. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. A definition of OM and an explanation of its importance; II. The key elements of OM; III. The need to produce goods or services on time and to cost, with the right quality and within the law; IV. The role of OM in achieving strategic objectives; and V. Produce systems and sub-systems diagrams for any WH Smith operations processes, including a brief explanation of your diagrams. Task 2 (this meets LO 2 ACs 2. 1, 2. 2 and 2. 3) Based on the Scenario, produce a document explaining the relationship between OM and strategic planning. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. Explain the implementation of the â€Å"3Es† in WH Smith; Critically review the tension between cost minimisation and quality maximisation in the context of WH Smith; and Assess the importance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management. Task 3 (this meets LOs 3 and 4 in full) Base on the Scenario, produce a document explaining how to organise and apply relevant techniques in a typical production process. Your document for this Task must include the following elements (among others as you wish): I. II. III. IV. Comment briefly on the importance of operational planning and control. Explain what linear programming is, and give an example in relation to any part of the operations of WH Smith; Produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path for any operation in WH Smith. (for this task, you should include a set of operational outcomes, which are clearly defined). Explain how quality can be defined and maintained. Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria In order to Pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate that they can meet all the Learning Outcomes for the unit. The Assessment Criteria determine the standard required to Pass this unit. The Assessment Criteria will act as a guide to help you put into context your answers to fulfill the Learning Outcomes. Learning Outcome Assessment Criteria 1. 1 explain the importance of operational management 1. 2 explain the need to produce safely; on time; to cost; to LO 1Understand the quality and within the law nature and importance 1. 3 explain the link between operations management and of operational strategic planning management 1. 4 produce a systems diagram to illustrate a typical business 2. 1 explain the ‘Three Es’ (economy, efficiency and effectiveness) LO2 Understand the link between operations 2. 2 explain the tension between cost minimisation and management and quality maximisation strategic planning 2. 3 evaluate the significance of the five performance objectives that underpin operations management 3. 1 explain linear programming LO3 Understand how 3. 2 evaluate critical path analysis and network planning to organise a typical 3. 3 explain the need for operational planning and control production process LO4 Be able to apply relevant techniques to the production of an operational plan for a typical business 4. 1 produce a set of clearly defined operational outcomes 4. 2 produce a network plan and indicate the resultant critical path 4. 3 explain how quality could be defined and maintained. INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS This assessment and the Tasks above are designed to assess your achievement of all four of the Learning Outcomes and associated Assessment Criteria for a Pass in the ‘Employability Skills’ unit of the qualification you are undertaking. Your tutor/ deliverer will advise you when you should start work on the assignment, the date when you must hand in your completed work and when you can expect to get your mark and feedback on your work. Guidance on this subject is provided on page 1 of this assignment brief. You should make sure that you plan your work carefully, to ensure that you cover all four learning outcomes of the assignment, and complete it within the time limit specified. There is no official guideline wordcount or percentage marking (other than Pass/ Merit/ Distinction/ Refer). By way of guidance only for this particular assignment, it is recommended that you write a minimum of 2000-2500 words total and match the weighting of your efforts to the wordcount indicated. Your statements in answer to the Learning Outcomes need to be prefixed with the specific Learning Outcome title or at least the Learning Outcome number. This will help you keep on track and should ensure you address the details. You must make sure that you acknowledge any sources you have used to complete this assignment, listing reference material and web sites used. The assignment result will be published on BITE’s Moodle online education materials platform, normally within 6 weeks of the submission date. If your assignment is assessed as referred, you will be notified with an indication of the areas to be addressed. You may resubmit an assignment, or submit a new assignment, on a further two occasions during your period of registration as an Institute learner with Edexcel. If there is anything in these instructions or in the assignment itself which you do not understand, please seek guidance from your tutor/ deliverer. Merit grade Descriptors For learners to achieve a Merit they must: Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: An effective approach to assignment planning, study and research is in evidence Evaluations and judgements, using evidence, have been made Problems with a number of variables have been considered Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques A range of relevant theories have been included Relevant theories and techniques have been applied to the case study A range of different sources of information have been used The selection of methods/techniques of analysis and use of source material have been justified Information/ data has been synthesised and processed Present and communicate appropriate findings The written assessment is coherent, shows logical development and a sound understanding of theories, concepts and research evidence The written assessment demonstrates that an appropriate structure and approach has been used The written assignment demonstrates a writing style appropriate for audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the subject. The written work is clearly written and technical language has been accurately used Distinction grade Distinction descriptors For learners to achieve a Distinction they must: Indicative characteristics Learners must demonstrate that: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions. Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and evaluation of research evidence and have been justified The validity of results has been evaluated using defined criteria Realistic and informed recommendations have been proposed against defined characteristics for success Take responsibility for managing and organising activities. The written assignment shows excellent planning, is organised coherently and is clearly expressed Independence of thought and gathering of research material has been demonstrated Material used has been clearly understood and well organised The importance of individual and group behaviour in organisations and its management has been recognised and addressed Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking. There is evidence of self-generated ideas with evaluation Convergent and lateral thinking are evident in the written assignment Creative thinking is evidenced with unfamiliar material. Problem-solving is in evidence Innovation and creative thought are in evidence Receptiveness to new ideas is evident Ideas have been generated, evaluated and informed decisions/ recommendations are made. Case Study: WHSmith †¢ WH Smith: Kate Swann turns ? 135m losses into ? 106m profit in a decade One of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers achieved success by going against the grain WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. Photograph: PA When Kate Swann arrived at WH Smith in 2003, there was a widely held view that the chain’s days were numbered. A decade on, she has turned losses of ? 135m into a profit of probably ? 106m this year, and shares that were languishing at 250p are now changing hands at 650p. Swann is now one of the UK’s most highly regarded – and highly paid – retailers. Yet she has achieved this remarkable feat by breaking many of the â€Å"rules† of running a successful high street retail business. When Swann announced she was pulling out of selling music and DVDs because the profit margins were thin and getting thinner, rivals thought she had taken leave of her senses – she was instantly kissing goodbye to about 30% of Smith’s turnover. On a same-store basis on the high street, WHS now sells roughly ? 65 of goods for every ? 100 of custom seven years ago. The demise of Zavvi and HMV in the face of online competition shows it was a brave – and correct – decision. Swann favours the old retail adage: sales are vanity, profits are sanity. By focusing on profitable sales and cutting costs relentlessly, she has boosted profit margins – according to analyst Nick Bubb by an almost incredible 15 percentage points. While other retailers have been pouring resources into the digital world, Smith’s big online strategy is its Funky Pigeon card site. Instead, Swann plans to open more shops, even though they are, to be frank, deeply unpleasant places to shop, stuffed with stock and screaming promotional banners. While the supermarkets have to tread carefully in the products they offer and have been targeted for displaying sweets at the checkout, Smith’s has sold stationery aimed at teenagers and young women adorned with the Playboy bunny motif and Swann’s checkout assistants attempt to force-feed the nation giant bars of Galaxy and chocolate oranges. Her secret? Maybe it’s the low profile. While many rivals enjoy the limelight, holding forth on the woes of the economy, the lack of women in the boardroom and political issues such as the in-out debate, Swann says nothing. She doesn’t give interviews. On Wednesday, at Smith’s AGM, a shareholder stood to offer thanks for her transformation. Asked to respond, she merely said: â€Å"Thank you, let’s move on. † No doubt she will. There will be a queue for her services.

Primary Sourse

Erin Gaudette AP Prep History Block 2 Primary Sources ‘Governor Berkeley Reports,’ American Spirit, pages 33-34 (#A2) LAST QUESTION & ANSWER ONLY (#23) ‘A Contract for Indentured Service,’ American Spirit, pages 62-63 (#A1) ‘A Servant Girl Pays the Wages of Sin,’ American Spirit, page 69 (#A4) In the late 1600s Virginia was governed by Sir William Berkeley. In 1671, London asked Berkeley a series of questions including a question about the teachings of Christianity.He responded by saying, â€Å"our ministers are well paid, and by my consent should be better if they would pray more often and preach less. † Governor Berkeley also believed that children ought to be taught religion by their parents. He said, â€Å"But, I thank God, there are neither free schools nor printing, and I hope we shall not have these hundred years. For learning has brought disobedience, and heresy. † I don’t agree with what Governor Berkeley believed. He contradicted his own beliefs. He talked about how he was against new ways of thinking or new ideas.He wanted everyone to believe in the Christian religion. If Berkeley wanted everyone to stay with traditional ideas, why would he have wanted individual families to teach religion? Wouldn’t it be less likely to create free thinkers if one minister taught the children the religion instead of individual families? Berkeley wants to prevent any form of heresy, yet he is provoking it. Indentured servants were often lower class people in England who would work for a number of years and would then be set free.In return for their work they would be given free passage to America by their owner. In 1635 a list of requirements were written for the servant and owner to follow. The form included orders for the owner to provide the servant with food, drink, clothing, shelter, free passage to the new world, and after their years of work are over to provide them with corn for a year and 0 ac res of land, In my opinion, I think this contract is pretty fair. The contract makes the indentured servants seem like employees for a job. The indentured servants aren’t being forced to work; they are making the ecision to. Also, in return for their work they’re being repaid by their owners. The contract seems to give both parties a reasonable payment which makes the contract fair. Although I agree with the methods and payments of indentured servants, I don’t agree with the punishments some servants received. I do think some of the servants behaviors should be looked down upon, but I also think the punishment they faced was a bit harsh. Charles City County Court in Virginia has a record that shows how harsh the punishments got.Elizabeth Hatcher owned servant Anne Parke. When Anne Parke had a child her years of work were doubled. Every indentured servant and their owner had a contract for the amount of years they worked. Therefore, when Anne Parke’s contr act was doubled, it was violating her rights. I personally think the system created for indentured servants was fair, but since the agreement was not always followed it wasn’t carried out equally. The system could have been successful if both the owners and servants had followed it properly.

What are the major differences between capitalism, communism, and Essay

What are the major differences between capitalism, communism, and socialism - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that capitalism is a system of private enterprise in which the main economic decisions, such as what, how, how much, where, to whom and for what price several items are to be produced, are made by private individuals in their capacity as owners, workers or consumers. Capitalism is referred as free enterprise system as the basic economic decisions are not left to individuals but rather these decisions are also made in response to market forces such as demand and supply. According to the concepts of capitalism, people are free to accept the law of supply and demand. Communism is, according to its founder Karl Marx, an economic system that promotes the idea that the society must control the production or goods and services. Capitalism was much concerned about acquisition of wealth where as communism focused on serving others with concerns on poor and underprivileged arguing that there were major disparities between classes. Socialism is an econo mic system that seeks to manage the economy through collective social control, but communism is an economic system that seeks to manage the economy as well as society. McConnell and Brue noted that capitalism is a system in which each participant acts and performs business and non-business activities in his own self interest. Each individual is looking for maximizing his satisfaction or profits through own decisions regarding production and consumption. They pointed out that socialism and communism can be considered as command system as an alternative to market system. In both communism and socialism, government owns most of the property resources. The economic decision making in these systems occurs through a central economic plan Socialism and communism are similar in that both these dogmas are systems of production for use based on public ownership of the centralized planning. Communism is a further development or higher stage of socialism (Williamson, 2011, p. 47). 2. Discuss th e three major economic indicators and how they are indicative of our current economic climate. The major three economic indicators are 1) Gross domestic product, 2) Consumer price Index, 3) Employment. The most important economic indicator is GDP- Gross Domestic Product- which represents the total market value of all final goods and services that are produced in a specific period of time. GDP includes all goods and services produced by citizen-supplied or foreign-supplied resources employed inside the country (McConnell and Brue, 2004, p. 113). Consumer Price Index is used as main measure of inflation in the United States as compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index is considered as the base to report inflation rate each month and each year and also for adjusting social security benefits as well as income tax brackets for inflation (McConnell and Brue, 2004, p. 141). Another important economic indicator is Employment Statistics which provides a comprehensive d ata on national employment situations, unemployment rate, wage and earning data etc. Normally, information is disseminated from different ways such as agricultural, industrial, employment or unemployment among men, women or other classes etc. All these major economic indicators are clearly indicative of our current economic situations. For instance, the latest statistics show that there has been an expansion of 2.8 percent in the gross domestic product figure in the fourth quarter of 2011 over the previous quarter (tradingeconomics.com, 2012). Another example is that the unemployment rate in the United States has been decreased to 8.3 percent in January of 2012, showing a lowest rate from February of 2009 (tradingeconomics.com, 2012). 3. In considering to enter the global market, identify the major strategies an entrepreneur may

The Origin of Government Involvement in Health Care Delivery in the Un Assignment - 3

The Origin of Government Involvement in Health Care Delivery in the United States - Assignment Example The legislation was passed by the Congress in 1965 that established the Medicare as title 18and Medicaid program as title 19 of the social security act found on page 3. Title 18 that refers to Medicare in the social security act allocated health insurance for the aged and disabled. The social security act amended the Medicare legislation in 1965. It established a health insurance program. It was meant for the aged persons, in order to make up for retirement. It also catered for survivors and covered disability insurance health benefits. This was under title two of the social security act. (pg.6) Another component of the social security act is title 19. This is a federal or a state entitlement program. This one provides financial aid to certain individuals and families who have low income and scarce resources. In 1965 the Medicare program became law. It is regarded as a cooperative venture, whose financial problems are covered for by both federal, and the state government. This includes the District of Columbia and the territories. Their participation was in order to assist the states in providing sensible medical assistance, to particularly needy people. As a result, Medicare became the biggest source of financial support. This covers medical and other health-related services for people who are financially challenged. Title 21 covers the Children Health Insurance Program (CHIP). From March, it is now known as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. It caters for children from financially challenged families that do not qualify for Medicaid. It was brought into place by the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997. This is found in (Public Law, 105-33) The term â€Å"managed care† refers to the use of financial incentives and the structure of an organization, in order to reach its objectives. Its purpose is to upsurge efficiency and lessen healthcare budget. Benchmark is a term used to refer to something or a method, which can be used as a means to evaluate and assess the level, or quality of things that are related.     

Organizational Stress and Violence Literature review

Organizational Stress and Violence - Literature review Example In the Literature review, an idea was taken regarding the concept of stress management prevalent in the UAE. Besides, the causes and the impact of stress on police personals were also closely studied.   The paper aimed at finding out the relationship between labor productivity and the stress experienced by them. In order to reach an inference, studies were conducted in well over 20 multinational firms based in the United Kingdom. The appropriate research methodology was chosen for the study and the analysis reflects the use of stress management techniques in organizations. The quantitative regression analysis reflected positive results and showed that the use of effective stress management techniques benefits the organization considerably and helps to improve the overall productivity of the organization. The ideas of different stress management techniques were closely studied for the purpose and their benefits associated with raising the productivity were closely surveyed. To reach the conclusion a huge number of data collections were done which was a major part of the research work and their simultaneous analysis was done critically and minutely. Though positive results were derived from the research work still the research work was accompanied by a lot of limitations in the overall process. The definition of Stress has been debated over the years. The most accepted definition however framed defines stress as the undesirable and poor reactions which people exhibit when the excess amount of pressure and demands is exerted upon them. It is the general reaction which people reflects when they do not have the ability to cope with the demands. The common symptoms which reflect that a person is suffering from stress include insomnia, changes in behavior and increased addiction towards alcohol and drugs. In the case of work-related stress, the symptoms exhibited are different such as exhaustion and depressions. (Feilder, Lewis & Yarker, 2011) In the present business environment, the business exerts substantial pressures on the employees to utilize most of their productivity. However, sometimes the level of pressure becomes too excessive for the clients and gives rise to stress. The main reasons for stress which are encountered by the employees in their workplace are mentioned b elow.

Computer networks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer networks - Essay Example When the size W of the window gets to 0, transmission is stopped. Increasing the size of the windows enhances the bandwidths and makes the connection more efficient. Considering the basic functionality of the window size, that is holding the data by a device from its peer at any one time, increasing the size will then make the device to hold more data in the buffer at a time. This will enhance efficiency of communication. Over reliance on cumulative acknowledgements can cause data transfer inefficiency due to packet loss. Selective acknowledgement allows the receiver of the packets to be able to accept packets that are discontinuous but received correctly. This is in addition to the last successful contiguous byte that was received. This is the same situation that happens in a basic acknowledgement. In this mode, the acknowledgement specifies the SACK blocks and they are then conveyed through starting and ending sequence numbers. The SMTP processes the email address of the recipient in the same domain. When the names correspond, the message is directly routed to the POP3 server or the IMAP server. In this case, it is routed to the SMTP. In the case of the local client who is sending an email over the network, there will be no communication with another domain server. This communication will be from the internal mail server 10.1.0.10 from 10.1.0.10/8. On getting the email address, the SMTP server can connect to the recipient SMTP server. For the local client, this communication is maintained within the same server. For sending an email over the internet, the information is passed over to the border router. b) A DNS lookup occurs when a device supporting an IP asks the DNS server for the IP address that is associated with a certain domain name. When looking for postmaster@myertor.com, the series of lookups that will take place include; the primary DNS server will be seeking to establish the IP address for postmaster@myertor.com. The first request will

Troubleshooting Electric Circuits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Troubleshooting Electric Circuits - Essay Example Effective troubleshooting is a stepwise procedure that can be modified depending on the system that is being dealt with. The basic steps of troubleshooting, as I discovered, start with identifying the defect system. This enables the person identify whether the problem is I the electrical circuit, or if the problem is mechanical. The second step in basic troubleshooting is analysing the fault in the identified system. The third step of troubleshooting is carrying out of repairs. With these three steps, the setback has been identified and sorted out (Electrical Circuit Theory). Considering that there a number of problems that are encountered, I narrowed my scope of study to electrical troubleshooting. Troubleshooting an electrical circuit has its own procedure. It is a modification of the basic process of troubleshooting, to suit the system in issue. In any given electrical circuit, it is important to identify what the controls and loads are. This is the first step in troubleshooting electrical circuits. Electrical circuits are put into two groups; the power, and control circuits. I realised in my hunt that it is crucial to understand both of these circuits consist of the power supply, and the switches and/or controls. In addition, circuits will also have one or more loads, and the path that the current will follow. These four components of a circuit could be the source of the problem experienced. After this, I realised that it is necessary for the sequence of operation of the system be properly understood. Every step involved, proper understanding is crucial since lack of the same can lead to gross errors. This will help a technician have a clear knowledge of how the system should work. In the occasion that the system is not operating like it should, the technician will be able to point out the problem with the circuit (Brown, Rawtani, & Patil, 2004). The third step in this process is application of

Philosophy of Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy of Nursing - Essay Example The nurses make sure that caring for human beings, cuts across class divide, status, race and culture. In the fast changing equation of society that has increasingly become multicultural, nursing perspectives towards people or patients, coming from diverse socio-cultural background, becomes vital ingredient of healthcare paradigms. Hence, nurses need to take especial care to understand the cross cultural values to develop better nurse- patient relationship. They should inculcate positive attitude and cheerfulness amongst patients and their family. In the contemporary environment of advancing technology and globalization, health and environment issues need to be redefined to meet the challenges of the time. The biological determinants of health like age and genetic patterns are major factors that can be effectively met through traditional approach of healthcare system. Medical intervention and behavioral changes are effective measures of prevention in such cases barring age related illnesses which the early care and change of lifestyle considerably delays the process or diseases. The socio environmental factors that are hazardous to health have become huge concern for the masses. Smoking, drugs, fast food etc are external factors that are widely observed to contribute towards diseases like cancer, stroke, cardiac diseases and obesity. A holistic approach and collective actions from government and non government agencies must be adopted to create awareness amongst the people. Understanding and change in social attitude towards issues goes a long way to facilitate better health related results. My personal philosophy of nursing is primarily focused towards welfare of the patients implemented through informed choice, understanding and empathy that promotes mutual trust and confidence building with the patients. Nurses represent the high standard of legal, ethical and moral consideration within the precinct of nursing paradigms and are equipped with

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Case Study - Essay Example The function of in-house system developers as mediators of organizational change is emphasized, with focus on their political and management techniques in implementing change. Conventional human-computer interaction (HCI) has focused on looking for means in which to devise a more functional and serviceable interfaces. This pursuit has been inclined to concentrate on the advancement of cognitive models of end user conduct in interaction with computers so as to identify design guidelines (Nadler, 1997). With the observations of Suchman (1987 as cited in Tidd, Bessant & Pavitt, 2001) of established action, collaborative design programs, and sociological descriptions of contextual computer use, this pursuit has departed from the laboratory and aimed to assume a more wide-ranging perspective of the users’ world as a means of updating design. It is thus far fairly known that organizations should be aware of the working activities of users exhaustively and contextually to devise technology that can be successfully integrated in work processes, a point of view now developed by the concern in building up groupware (Tidd et al., 2001). This case study focuses on a custom and internal development application in which common products are altered by an in-house information technology (IT) development group to appropriate the needs of the organization. Grudin (1991 as cited in Kamoche, 2002) argued that, provided with the complexity of direct user session, they could be a more suitable user group with whom developers of products can communicate. Moreover, Suchman (1994 as cited in Tidd et al., 2001) maintained that merely through the effort of internal implementers is it plausible to successfully implant innovative organizational systems into the frameworks of the organization. The in-house development group could be described rather generally as those staff members who have quite a few duties for devising prerequisites for the system, selecting well-suited

Case on Industrial Dispute Essay Example for Free

Case on Industrial Dispute Essay Road Transport Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the Corporation), has been constituted under the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950. The respondent which is a Trade Union of the appellant-Corporation, filed an Application before the Labour Court, Dehradun under Section 11-C of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 read with Section 13A of the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, praying for a declaration that the 15 persons who were appointed on contract basis as drivers and conductors as shown in the annexed chart, be declared as regular and substantive workmen of the Corporation. It was also prayed in the said Application that the concerned workmen be given all the benefits and facilities of regular employees. The aforesaid Application was allowed by the Labour Court, Dehradun by its order dated 19. 9. 2001. The Labour Court directed that the concerned workmen be given the minimum wages admissible to the regular employees in the pay scales of drivers and conductors. The Labour Court also held that the said workmen are employees of the Corporation. It is not disputed that the concerned workmen were appointed on contract basis. Before the Labour Court, the Corporation had contended that Rule 2 of U. P. S. R. T. C Employees (Other than Officers) Service Regulations, 1981 (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) clearly mentions that these regulations shall not apply to employees working on contract basis. The persons working on contract basis filed Writ Petition No. 41349/1999 Kanchi Lal and others vs. U. P. S. R. T. C before the Allahabad High Court for grant of same benefits as the regular employees of the Corporation, but the said writ petition had been dismissed. However, the bjection of the Corporation was rejected by the Labour Court. It filed a writ petition thereafter before the High Court which was dismissed by the impugned judgment. It was contended in the writ petition by the appellant that the concerned workmen had not been selected in terms of the process of selection required for appointment of regular employees and hence they cannot be directed to be given minimum pay scales of regular emp loyees. It was also contended that the Labour Court acted beyond its jurisdiction by passing the impugned order dated. In our opinion, the Labour Court could not have granted the relief it granted by the order dated 19. 9. 2001, as that could only have been granted on a regular reference under Section 4-K of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act or under Section 10 of the Industrial Disputes Act. A perusal of the order of the Labour Court dated 19. 9. 2001 shows that it has not referred to any standing order of the appellant. On the other hand, paragraph 3 of the said order refers to Rule 2 of the 1981 Regulations which clearly provides that the Regulations do not apply to employees engaged on contract basis. In our opinion, the Labour Court cannot amend the Regulations while hearing an application under Section 11-C of the Industrial Disputes Act. As already stated above, the scope of Section 11-C is limited to decide a question arising out of an application or interpretation of a standing order and the Labour Court cannot go beyond the scope of Section 11-C of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act. For the reasons given above, the appeals are allowed. The impugned judgment of the High Court as well as the order of the Labour Court dated 19. 9. 2001 are set aside. However, it is open to the concerned workmen to raise their grievances before the concerned authority under Section 4-K of the U. P. Industrial Disputes Act or under Section 10 of Industrial Disputes Act, as the case may be, and if the State Government refers such a dispute to the Labour Court or Tribunal, we hope that the same will be decided expeditiously. No costs

Vision of IKEA

Vision of IKEA Contents Vision2 Introduction:3 History:.3 SWOT ANALYSIS..4 SWOT analysis of IKEA : ..4 Strengths of IKEA4 Weaknesses of IKEA.5 Threats of IKEA5 PESTEL ANALYSIS 5 PESTEL analysis of IKEA.6 Political factor:.6 Economical factor..6 Social factor:.6 Technological factor: 7 Environmental factor:.7 Legal factor:..8 Forecasting the possible problems IKEA could face in future..8 Appendix1..9 REFERENCES16 Vision of IKEA To create a better everyday life for the many people. At IKEA our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. Introduction: IKEA offers a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. This is the idea at the heart of everything IKEA does, from product development and purchases to how we sell our products in IKEA stores globally. Anybody can make a good-quality product for a high price, or a poor-quality product for a low price. But to make good products at low prices, you need to develop methods that are both cost-effective and innovative. This has been IKEAs focus since its beginnings in Smà ¥land, Sweden. Maximising the use of raw materials and production adaptation to meet peoples needs and preferences has meant that our costs are low. The IKEA way of doing things is to pass these cost savings on to you, our customers. History: The IKEA story begins in 1926 when Ingvar Kamprad is born in Smà ¥land in southern Sweden. He is raised on Elmtaryd, a farm near the small village of Agunnaryd. Even as a young boy Ingvar knows he wants to develop a business. The IKEA story begins in 1926 when Ingvar Kamprad is born in Smà ¥land in southern Sweden. He is raised on Elmtaryd, a farm near the small village of Agunnaryd. Even as a young boy Ingvar knows he wants to develop a business. SWOT ANALYSIS: SWOT is a planning tool that enhances firms and organisations to focus on issues which are the key ones. Strength and weaknesses focuses more on the internal part like production marketing while opportunities and threats focus on the external part like environment and social changes which you do not have much control over (www.thetimes100.co.uk ). SWOT analysis of IKEA : Strengths of IKEA A clear vision(www.oppaper.com) This means that IKEA knows what they are dealing in which is furniture and only furniture, they are on that alone and perfecting that well. A strong global brand Furniture is a product that is used worldwide, every home has furniture and used one way or the other by this is global. It has strength in production IKEA has the use of renewable materials with a long-term partnership with suppliers meaning that the suppliers have been there for a long time and they know what is expected of them. Weaknesses of IKEA It cannot control its standard because of its size and scale and because of the high quality of its product it doesnt commiserate with the demand for low cost product. IKEA has few distribution channels this means that the branches are not much if a product is needed it will have to be imported. Opportunities of IKEA Its opportunities come from joining its plan to the increasing demand from customers by Providing a well designed and easy to use website to help give customers idea for their home Reducing wastewater treatment and less water use Supporting charities to make it known Sourcing from China Sell some of their furniture in other retail stores Threats of IKEA In the economic factor, the customer will prefer a low priced product even if it will affect its quality especially when the economy is tough. No direct competition Intertypes (Wal mart, Ashley Furnitures, Hoover) Recession PESTEL ANALYSIS : A management technique that enables an analysis of four external factors that may impact the performance of the organisation. These factors are: Political, Economic, Social, and Technological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business. PEST analysis is often conducted using brainstorming techniques. According to the Internet Centre for Management and Business Administration, Anon (2003), identifying PEST PESTEL analysis of IKEA Political factor: This involves the regulation, legislation requirement by the government on foreign investors for example the minimum wage policy which means that the workers are not paid anything less than the stipulated wage to avoid cheap labour. Also U.K has always been political stable and the political parties have always welcomed the foreign owned companies. Also the taxation policies are not tough on the companies to enter the market. At present the upcoming elections in the country will definitely show there impact in future. Economical factor: IKEA has made it in such a way that their price is very reasonable for the public especially during the economic recession. This has been of an advantage especially since IKEA products are mainly made in China. As the countrys inflation rate is low and the national income is higher, IKEA have better chances to grow and capture the market, which it was doing since long. The rate of interest is low and so it encourages people to buy their product. Also the currency was strong till now but due to the recession scenario the business is going to face the impact. Social factor: IKEA has maintained a fair social standing. IKEA has completely understood the life style of the people to this country and have developed there stores accordingly. As people have the flexible working hours and they tend to do shopping on odd hours or say late hours looking to this normally all IKEA stores are opened till mid night. Also stores have other facilities like children playing area and restaurants which is helping the parents who are accompanied with their children. Technological factor: Technology has made it easier for IKEA to promote their product through the internet. It gives the customer detailed information about the product, the dimensions which make it easier for the customer to know what they are buying. Apart from the catalogue services IKEAs strength is online service. It also provides the online help to the customers. The latest advancement in the stores are computer operated lifts. Earlier after placing the order customer has to go to the warehouse for the pickup of the product but now IKEA has centralised store and warehouse. Customer has to place order and then has to put the code of product on the computed lifts provided and thus can receive the product. This saves the time of the customer and also the staff. Environmental factor: IKEA uses recyclable products which in this case it reduces waste and space consumption, the packaging is less fancy and more environment friendly U.K is environment friendly country and encourages the companies following the policies to save the environment. IKEA mission is to provide products at low price but not at any price. It does the foresting for the woods used in the furnitures and with WWF partnership it is working on projects to focus on sustainable forestry, cotton manufacture and climate change. IKEA also does third party auditing on the material used by its suppliers to check the compliance of raw material used. The company follow low emission foot print during the logistics as its materials are transported by rail, road or ship. Most of the products are eco friendly and are healthy for the customers. It utilises the maximum of the resources and thus try to use recyclable products to have less impact on environment. It also does charity projects with UNICEF for the educating children. In partnership with WWF it is also focusing on the countries like U.K, USA and China on the climatic change and low emission of fue l energy and encourages its staff by using public transport. Legal factor: Countries have legal laws for foreign investors to invest in their territory and these laws have to be abided by to invest, this makes it a bit difficult for IKEA to penetrate into some countries despite the fact that there is good market. U.K has legal policies for the organisations and thus IKEA follow the same for its staff and suppliers and some extend to its customers too. The policies which are followed by IKEA are like minimum wages, no forced or bonded labour, discrimination acts, safety regulations, health and accidental insurances, freedom of associations, etc. IKEA prevent child labour and works actively to prevent it. Forecasting the possible problems IKEA could face in future: The complexity of the logistics system will increase.It will be more difficult to respond to national needs and cultural sensitivity issues. Franchisees may demand more control over operations. With all these challenges emerging, it will be very difficult to maintain a global organizational structure. The best approach to meet these challenges is to find the proper balance between country level autonomy and centralized intervention. REFERENCES 1. www.thetimes100.co.uk swot analysis 2. www.oppaper.com research by Norwin pest analysis 3. Strategic management by clayton320(2008) www.oppaper.com 4. ikea.com

Essay --

In the last 40 years, media influence has grown fast with the today`s advance technology. First there was a radio, then a newspapers, magazines, television and now there is a radical type of connection which has revolutionized the whole world that is the internet. Media is a way for the members of the society to keep themselves informed about what is happening and/or what will happen all around the world while they are staying at home, work or even on a vacation. It is also can be considered as one of the major source of entertainment. Media technology and communication is necessary in our day to day activities, playing major role in our lives such as education, migrant, personal relationship, job expansion, marketing of new products and services etc. internet has given us a lot of confidence on those media tools which have kept us close to and up to date to what is happenings around the world such as entertainment, educational activities, world wide political issue, global news, foreign market activities. It has proven studies and research that the media significant negative impact on our daily lives, especially young people under the age of 18 by watching movies and games violence. Until the mid of the last century most adolescents spend their free time together with adults so most of their behaviour and activities of this social group are to be monitored by the adult surrounding them. so teenager get the abilities they need in society to get well-integrated. Until that time parents, brothers, sisters and relatives were the most important examples for adolescents and children. After the developing of technology mostly everything has been changed this had effects on the social behavior and relationships of young people. The ... ...hough media is linked with spreading fake news. Also strengthen public relations with the young generation and continuous communication and exchange of ideas and opinions, including, for example, communicate via messages, pictures, or Videos through the Internet using some programs such as facebook or Twitter. Media nowadays is influencing all people almost every hour of everyday. It is an unbelievably strong force that has very few limitations. The force of media is changing the way we live our life, it seems that no one can go a whole day without knowing what exactly is going on around the world. Like it or not, media is more influential than the President and will continue to be until the world is changed. Indeed there is a negative effect of media as much as its positive one but its all depends on you and how you want it to affect you and the people around you. Essay -- In the last 40 years, media influence has grown fast with the today`s advance technology. First there was a radio, then a newspapers, magazines, television and now there is a radical type of connection which has revolutionized the whole world that is the internet. Media is a way for the members of the society to keep themselves informed about what is happening and/or what will happen all around the world while they are staying at home, work or even on a vacation. It is also can be considered as one of the major source of entertainment. Media technology and communication is necessary in our day to day activities, playing major role in our lives such as education, migrant, personal relationship, job expansion, marketing of new products and services etc. internet has given us a lot of confidence on those media tools which have kept us close to and up to date to what is happenings around the world such as entertainment, educational activities, world wide political issue, global news, foreign market activities. It has proven studies and research that the media significant negative impact on our daily lives, especially young people under the age of 18 by watching movies and games violence. Until the mid of the last century most adolescents spend their free time together with adults so most of their behaviour and activities of this social group are to be monitored by the adult surrounding them. so teenager get the abilities they need in society to get well-integrated. Until that time parents, brothers, sisters and relatives were the most important examples for adolescents and children. After the developing of technology mostly everything has been changed this had effects on the social behavior and relationships of young people. The ... ...hough media is linked with spreading fake news. Also strengthen public relations with the young generation and continuous communication and exchange of ideas and opinions, including, for example, communicate via messages, pictures, or Videos through the Internet using some programs such as facebook or Twitter. Media nowadays is influencing all people almost every hour of everyday. It is an unbelievably strong force that has very few limitations. The force of media is changing the way we live our life, it seems that no one can go a whole day without knowing what exactly is going on around the world. Like it or not, media is more influential than the President and will continue to be until the world is changed. Indeed there is a negative effect of media as much as its positive one but its all depends on you and how you want it to affect you and the people around you.

The Hard Life of Samuel Coleridge :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Hard Life of Samuel Coleridge      Ã‚  Ã‚   Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born on October 21, 1772 in Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire. He was the youngest of ten children and was often teased and bullied by the others. When he was 7 years old, Coleridge ran away from home. He was found unharmed the next morning. This event has recurred, in a literary sense, in a large portion of his writings. Many of his poems, sketches, and notebooks contained pictures and descriptions of his night spent outdoors. Although it was evident that Coleridge was a prodigy, he did not do well at a young age because he lost himself in women, drugs, and alcohol. He turned to the army, but this too fell through for him because his family was furious and his brother had him released for reasons of insanity. He immediately brought him back to Cambridge. It was here that he met William Wordsworth (Ashton 29).    In 1797, Coleridge published "Poems" which was well liked. This excited him because he thought that this would begin his road to success. One year later, Wordsworth and Coleridge had their famous "Lyrical Ballads" published. Coleridge's "The Ancient Mariner," opens the book. Many people believe that the work the two men did together greatly contributed to the creation of the Romantic Period. It was chosen to open the book because of its powerful descriptions about remorse. This, combined with the element of psychological obsession, may have had a lot to do with his younger years. In several ways, Coleridge's life experiences seem to have a lot to do with his poem, "Frost at Midnight."    However brilliant, Coleridge was not necessarily a happy man. In 1802 he wrote to Southey: "All my poetic genius is gone, and I have been fool enough to suffer deeply in my my mind, regretting the loss, which I attribute to my long and exceedingly severe metaphysical investigations, and these partly to ill-health, and partly to private afflictions..." (Watson 3).   He, like many, was going through a tough period in his life. His poem, "Frost at Midnight," is an excellent example of his attempts to find hope in his life. He wrote this poem for his son, Hartley.

Graduation Speech: Its All About Us! :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hello Class of 2012! I assure you that no matter what your parents are thinking—which is something along the lines of, "I did a great job with him or her"—their conceited thoughts are irrelevant to this occasion. It's not about them; it's about us. Contrary also to what the board members (who you'll see today for the first and last time) believe, that they've earned the right to hand us our diplomas due to their perfect decision making (comedic stare and pause), this moment is also not about them; but again, about us. Then, in opposition to what every lawyer and doctor, teacher, business owner, and worker in general is thinking—which is something along the lines of, "blah blah blah, I remember my graduation"—they're just daydreams. This is not about them either; it's about us. And when we leave this place to pursue separate ambitions, the attention will never fade, the hate will never subside, the mountains will increase without fail. No matter how many people have blazed a path, rivers will not part, expectations will not reduce and therefore it will still be about us. And though we continue to grow even after being handed the diploma, to understand life, and choices, the opposite sex, the pressure of here and now, the strain placed on us from long ago, and the demands that our future will fire upon us, there will be close calls, fatalities, elation, affliction, and joy. And thus, it will remain about us. When others see us they see half of us in jail, some of us unemployed, some pregnant currently or in a month or two. They see too many blacks or too many Latinos or too many whites or Asians or Native-Americans for us to make anything of ourselves. While these thoughts are derogatory, the fact is they are still about us. When we, however, see ourselves, we see doctors, lawyers, preachers, presidents, teachers, and outstanding members of their fields and society in general, and what we think has been and will be the only thing that matters; because what we think was created by us. And we break the statistics that say this many go to jail and this many become pregnant. And we reconcile stereotypes that encourage different members of society to refrain from interacting with other members of society, and we become the long awaited for female or Black president, the owners of this and the CEO of that. Graduation Speech: It's All About Us! :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address Hello Class of 2012! I assure you that no matter what your parents are thinking—which is something along the lines of, "I did a great job with him or her"—their conceited thoughts are irrelevant to this occasion. It's not about them; it's about us. Contrary also to what the board members (who you'll see today for the first and last time) believe, that they've earned the right to hand us our diplomas due to their perfect decision making (comedic stare and pause), this moment is also not about them; but again, about us. Then, in opposition to what every lawyer and doctor, teacher, business owner, and worker in general is thinking—which is something along the lines of, "blah blah blah, I remember my graduation"—they're just daydreams. This is not about them either; it's about us. And when we leave this place to pursue separate ambitions, the attention will never fade, the hate will never subside, the mountains will increase without fail. No matter how many people have blazed a path, rivers will not part, expectations will not reduce and therefore it will still be about us. And though we continue to grow even after being handed the diploma, to understand life, and choices, the opposite sex, the pressure of here and now, the strain placed on us from long ago, and the demands that our future will fire upon us, there will be close calls, fatalities, elation, affliction, and joy. And thus, it will remain about us. When others see us they see half of us in jail, some of us unemployed, some pregnant currently or in a month or two. They see too many blacks or too many Latinos or too many whites or Asians or Native-Americans for us to make anything of ourselves. While these thoughts are derogatory, the fact is they are still about us. When we, however, see ourselves, we see doctors, lawyers, preachers, presidents, teachers, and outstanding members of their fields and society in general, and what we think has been and will be the only thing that matters; because what we think was created by us. And we break the statistics that say this many go to jail and this many become pregnant. And we reconcile stereotypes that encourage different members of society to refrain from interacting with other members of society, and we become the long awaited for female or Black president, the owners of this and the CEO of that.

“High Fidelity”- Character anaysis Essay

Rob is a morose person who needs this excuse to always complain. He’s a very pessimistic person, who can’t seem to find a positive outlook in anything. Rob is also a very self-conscious person who is not content with himself. He believes that he lacks in the areas he views as important in his life. He depends on his woman to keep him happy, and judges his life according to the woman he’s with. He simply can’t manage to be happy without one. His unhappiness drives him to be very critical and judgmental to the world around him. He makes a jerky remark to everything he notices. All and all Rob has a weak character which depends on other things rather than himself to be happy. Rob seems to be a very pessimistic person. He sees everything in a negative fashion because he is not content with his life, and assumes it is impossible for things to improve. Once Rob returns home after seeing Marie sing with another man, he feels depressed and turns to his records for some sort of reassuring escape: Is it so wrong, wanting to be home with your record collection? It’s not like collecting records is like collecting stamps, or beermats, or antique thimbles. There’s a whole world in here, a nicer, dirtier, more violent, more peaceful, more colorful, sleazier, more dangerous, more loving world than the world I live in; there is history, and geography, and poetry, and countless other things I should have studied at school, including music. (Hornby, 83) Rob seems to feel as though his records are the only thing he can rely on. Everyone has some sort dependence on certain sentimental things, be it a pet, friend or family member. In Rob’s case, his music is the only constant that will never let him down. He sees a whole different world inside his music, one which doesn’t value the real world’s standards or values. It brings him somewhere else for a bit, somewhere which doesn’t remind him of the depressing things in his life. It seems to me that with those discouraging thoughts it drives him to be very pessimistic. Without even  talking to Marie he assumed right off the bat that she was going to hook up with the man she was singing with. He didn’t even try to show he cared in the least. His pessimism led him to give up on Marie very quickly, without even looking at the possible positive side. These actions show he has a very pessimistic outlook on life which is driven by his low self-esteem. Rob also seems unsatisfied with himself. Too inadequate to be happy in a world where he feels he doesn’t belong. I’m here , in this stupid little flat, on my own, and I’m thirty-five years old, and I own a tiny failing business, and my friends don’t seem to be friends at all but people whose phone numbers I haven’t lost. And if I went back to sleep and slept for forty years and woke up without any teeth to the sound of Melody Radio in an old people’s home, I wouldn’t worry that much, because the worst of life, i.e., the rest of it, would be over. And I wouldn’t even have had to kill myself. (74) Rob looks at every aspect of his life and feels so insufficient that he doesn’t even see the reason for living. He feels like he has no substance in his life. From having no true friends, to a failing job. All the characteristics that he values to be a person worth living, have failed him. I think his mother plays an important role in Rob’s low self -esteem as she even degrades him and offers him no support. She doesn’t even comfort him after the break-up with Laura, yet just criticizes and tells him that she â€Å"would have left [him] to get on with it years ago.† (48) She demeans his job, and adds to his low self-confidence. Parents are supposed to be supportive in times of unhappiness. Parents are the people who are supposed to love unconditionally, but in Rob’s case it seems that they only regard the negative aspects of his life which definitely cannot improve his situation. He feels so inadequate because he has no one to turn to or depend on. He wants to â€Å"run [himself] down, feel sorry for [himself], celebrate [his] inadequacies†. (72) Rob depends on a woman to keep him happy. He believes his woman defines him as a person, and each time he is without one he is miserable. Sometimes it seems as though the only way a man can judge his own niceness, his own decency, is by looking at his relationships with women- or rather, with prospective or current sexual partners. (68) He judges himself according to the woman he’s affiliated with. He doesn’t see himself as a full person without a woman. He believes that â€Å"women are going to save [him], lead [him] through to a better life, that they can change and redeem [him].† (63) Rob is basically willing to be whatever his woman wants of him. Even his relationship with Sarah Kendrew was one of convenience because he had no one else, and wanted to feel equal to his companion. Charlie had made him feel inadequate and less of a person than her, so his relationship with Sarah was one where he had someone to lean on through his time of getting over her. Sarah made it easier for him because she was going through the same situation. They were just staying together to have someone to lean on, and not be alone. He was her moment just as Charlie was mine, and when they split, Sarah had sworn off men for a while, just as I had sworn off women. It made sense to swear off together, to pool our loathing of the opposite sex and get to share a bed with someone at the same time. Our friends were all paired off, our careers seemed to have hardened into permanence, we were frightened of being left alone for the rest of our lives. (29) Rob just couldn’t handle being alone. It was easy for him to make the relationship with Sarah work because she felt the same, and had the same problems he did. His weak character leads him to depend on woman to keep him happy and satisfied. Rob was also a very judgmental and critical person. His views on music could not be challenged, as he also evaluated woman according to their musical interests and favorite movies. His views were a little harsh sometimes, and he believed he was quite educated in certain areas, which therefore lead to his many judgments. I’d say there were millions like me, but there aren’t, really: lots of blokes have impeccable music taste but don’t read, lots of blokes read but are really fat, lots of blokes are sympathetic to feminism but have stupid beards, lots of blokes have a Woody Allen sense of humor but look like Woody Allen. Lots of blokes drink too much, lots of blokes behave stupidly when they drive cars, lots of blokes get into fights, or show off about money, or take drugs. I don’t do any of these things really; if I do OK with women, it’s not because of the virtues I have, but because of the shadows I don’t have. (28) Rob makes a comment on every possible singer, songwriter, actress/actor he can. His critical attitude makes him look like a jerk. He acts above the people he criticizes to make him feel better about himself. He has a judgment on everything. Besides being critical to himself, he’s critical to the world around him because he is miserable. He sees the negative in everything which makes him as opinionated as he is. His frustration makes him angry at everything and everyone around him. All and all, Rob’s depressive, dependent, self-conscious and critical attitudes demonstrate that he has a weak character. His pessimism leads to his depression, as his low self-esteem leads to his criticisms. He has a very miserable life because he doesn’t even live up to his own standards. He depends on a woman to make him happy, which is completely unrealistic. Rob will never manage to be happy because he always manages to criticize and demean everything that’s going on around him.

The Southern Gothic Motif of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Thesis: In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the various types of outsiders and the small town of Maycomb contribute to the novel’s Southern gothic motif. All throughout the book Lee introduces us to different kinds of outsiders willing to make a change. During the Tom Robinson trial, Link Deas tells Bob Ewell, â€Å"†¦if I hear one more peep outa my girl Helen about not bein’ able to walk this road I’ll have you in jail before sundown† (334). By saying this, Mr. Deas is going against the typical Southern way of Maycomb by standing up to a white man in defense of a black woman. Also Scout says, â€Å"Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches† (108). Scout shows her diversity by refusing to wear dresses like all the other young, Southern ladies. Another example is how Mr. Dolphus Raymond was said to be a â€Å"†¦sinful man who had mixed children and didn’t care who knew it† (268). The town of Maycomb thinks that the way Mr. Raymond lives is against the way of society but he pays no mind and lives a happy life. Mayomb’s people are quite judgmental, but there are several inhabitants there that are 5not afraid to be outsiders. Maycomb is portrayed as a typical, small, Southern town where everyone knew each other and everyone had their place. â€Å"Maycomb was an old old town, but it was a tired old town when I knew it. The courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1). Scout describes her hometown as being very dull, hot, and boring the way she remembers it, which exemplifies some of the small town and southern characteristics of Maycomb. At school one day, Scout’s thoughts are that â€Å"Miss Caroline seemed unaware that the ragged denim-shirted and flour-sacked first grade, most of whom had chopped cotton and fed hogs, were immune to imaginative literature† (22). Miss Caroline is from another county so she is not accustomed to Maycomb’s small town ways as Scout here describes. At another point during the book, Scout explains that â€Å"There was indeed a caste system in Maycomb†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (175).We learn throughout the book that inhabitants of Maycomb County classify everyone into their own groups, usually by the amount of money they have or by their race because that’s just the way their Southern town is. Lee illustrates how Maycomb is a small, Southern town through caste systems and exclusion of outsiders. Appearance Vs. Reality In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the theme of appearance vs. reality to illustrate that people aren’t always the same on the inside as they are on the outside. For example. Mr. Dolphus Raymond admits to Scout, â€Å"Secretly, Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live† (268). Even though the town may think Mr. Raymond is married to a black woman because he’s a drunk, he’s actually genuinely happy and chose his lifestyle himself. One time Scout said, â€Å"It occurred to me that in their own way, Tom Robinson’s manners were as good as Atticus’s†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (260). People in Maycomb believed Tom Robinson was just a nigger that raped a white girl, but if they looked deeper they would see that he’s just as courteous as the town-known lawyer, Atticus Finch. Another great example of appearance vs. reality is when Scout states, â€Å"Neighborhood opinion was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived† (46). Everyone though Mrs. Dubose was hateful because she chose to be, but in actuality she was battling her drug addiction. People’s appearances don’t always show exactly who they are, you have to search deeper to understand a person’s true personality.

Analysis of Newspaper Research Report Results Essay

A study recently published in the San Jose Mercury News suggests the parents of obese children do not perceive their children as obese. An analysis of this study, its methods, and its findings is an important exercise in understanding the meaning and relevance of all research. The ability to read research critically and understand how it was generated allows us to identify possible design flaws or to realize the validity of its conclusions and make appropriate use of the data. The study was conducted through an internet research firm for the University of Michigan. Its goal was to determine the percentage of parents who realized their children are obese and to compare it to the percentage of parents that do not realize their children are obese. The participants were selected by simple random sampling and were considered a representative sample of American parents. The sample included 2060 respondents (Runk, 2007). The data appeared to be collected through internet surveys. The study was observational and measured continuous data sets including the height, weight, age, and gender of the participant’s children (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2003). A body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile in comparison to children the same age and gender was the criteria used for obesity in this study. The data from these children was then compared the national percentage of children considered obese by the same standards. Qualitative data pertaining to whether or not the parents thought their children were â€Å"slightly overweight, very overweight, or about right† was also collected (Runk, 2007). Although it was not specifically stated, I hypothesize the children studied were broken down into bins by age and gender. The first bin comprised of obese girls six to 11 years old and the second bin obese boys six to11 years old. For the 12 to 17 year old group the first bin included obese girls 12 to 17 years old and the second bin included obese boys 12 to 17 years old. I further hypothesize the parents of children in each group were binned according to their response to the qualitative assessment of their child’s weight. For each age group the first bin included parents who answered †Ã‚  very overweight,† the second bin included parents who answered â€Å"slightly overweight,† and the third bin included parents who answered â€Å"about normal† (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2003). The findings in the six to 11 year old group revealed 15% of the children in this age group met the criteria for obesity. This finding was not significantly different from the national figure which reports 17% of all children in the United States are obese by the standard of this study. Thirteen percent of the parents of obese children in this age group categorized their children as â€Å"very overweight,† 37% classified their children as â€Å"slightly overweight,† and 43% reported their children were about right† (Runk, 2007). The findings in the 12 to 17 year old group revealed 10% of children in this age group met the criteria for obesity. This finding is significantly lower than the national figure for obese children. Thirty one percent of the parents of obese children in this age group reported their children as being â€Å"very overweight,† 56% reported their children as â€Å"slightly overweight,† and 11% reported their children were â€Å"about right† (Runk, 2007). Researchers concluded both age groups under reported the incidence and severity of obesity when compared to the national statistic stating 17% of all children meet the criteria for obesity outlined in this study (Runk, 2007). I agree the severity of obesity was greatly under reported in both groups. However, I disagree with the assertion the incidence of obesity was under reported in the six to 11 year old group. I believe the difference between 15% and 17% could easily be a coincidence. It may also have resulted because the internet was used to collect data and poor children are more likely to be obese and less likely to have internet access (Vieweg, Johnston, Fernandez & Pandurangi, 2007). I do agree that obesity seemed to be considerably under reported in the 12 to 17 year old group. A statistically significant difference (about 7%) occurred between that age groups 10% incidence and the 17% national incidence of childhood obesity (Runk, 2007). Such a large difference is unlikely to be a coincidence and supports the theory that obesity was under reported in this age group or  confounding was present (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2003). Critical analysis of this data reveals many strengths and a few significant weaknesses in the design and implementation of this study. The goal is clearly stated, to determine the percentage of parents who realized their children are obese and to compare it to the percentage of parents that do not realize their children are obese. This goal was clearly accomplished for all the study participants. The source of the study is the University of Michigan which can be considered a reliable, neutral source. The sampling is sufficiently large, but whether or not it is representative of childhood obesity in this country is questionable. A serious problem with the sample exists as a result of using the internet as the setting. High proportions of obese children are socioeconomically disadvantaged and may not have internet access. The internet setting is likely to account for the apparent under reporting of obese children noted in this study and as such is a probable source of confounding. The criterion for obesity is well defined and could be easily measured in all the subjects, but I remain concerned a significant portion of obese children may have been inadvertently omitted from consideration. In the end, however, I find there is a strong practical use for this data. Healthcare providers are made conscious of the fact that the parents are, more often than not, genuinely unaware their child is obese. This data supports the decision to open a dialogue with parents and offer teaching about the dangers and prevention of childhood obesity the clear course of action. References: Bennett, J., Briggs, W., & Triola, M. (2003). Statistical Reasoning for EverydayLife, Second Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Addison Wesley. RetrievedDecember 5, 2007, from University of Phoenix rEsource HCS 438. Runk, D. (2007, December 24). Parents don’t realize their kids are fat. MercuryNews (San Jose). Retrieved December 28, 2007, fromhttp://www.mercurynews.com/healthandscience/ci_7799918?nclick_check=1. Vieweg, V., Johnston, Fernandez, A., & Pandurangi. A. (2007). Correlation between high risk obesity groups and low socioeconomic status in school children. Southern Medical Association. Retrieved January 12, 2008, from University of Phoenix library [EBSCOhost].

Analysis chinese banking industry systems, processes and products Essay

China’s rapidly developing economy is dependent on a banking industry which is controlled by the state. The four public banks of China and the People’s Bank of China have a strong hold over the country’s financial system. The advent of China in WTO in 2001 and globalization has led to a felt need for transformation in the Chinese economy to integrate it with the global economy. The financial sector will need to support this change. An assessment of the state of the Chinese banking industry at present and its future growth is therefore essential. Ideally this can be achieved by benchmarking a Chinese bank and a European Bank, for which purpose a case study of Bank of China and HSBC, London has been carried out. The aim of the research is therefore to undertake an analysis of the Chinese banking systems, processes and products through a case study of the above mentioned banks while the objectives of the research indicate assessment of the overall state of the Chinese banking industry, evaluate implementation of various processes and systems and highlight the areas for growth. A deductive – inductive approach with emphasis on case study has been adopted for the research. Apart from extensive secondary research through literature survey, a detailed questionnaire has been administered to 40 clients across a wide cross section of personal and corporate customers of Bank of China and HSBC, London which has formed the key primary resource for the research. A review of the research sources and questionnaires has revealed that Bank of China has been able to quickly adapt itself to the changing requirements of a globalised financial environment and is providing both personal as well as business banking services to meet its customer’s requirements. HSBC which considers itself as the World’s local bank is providing a complete package of services to the corporate as well as personal client and has been successful in implementing the same throughout the World. Its initial forays into China have also underlined the success story. The quality of service in both the banks was seen to be similar, however HSBC provided better follow up and also more services on the internet than Bank of China. The growth trajectory of both the banks indicates that, while HSBC is attempting to grow throughout the World; Bank of China is growing primarily within the Chinese banking system. There are a number of areas for improvement identified in the research which could well be undertaken by Bank of China to include greater efficiency and better customer service, improvement in technology and customer follow up and exploitation of niche areas such as credit cards. The entry of foreign banks will see greater competition in the Chinese banking sector. The need for Chinese banks to adopt global practices is also underlined and it is anticipated that the entry of more global banks as HSBC in China will provide the impetus to this growth. ANALYSIS CHINESE BANKING INDUSTRY SYSTEMS, PROCESSES AND PRODUCTS: A CASE STUDY BANK OF CHINA AND HSBC, LONDON Chapter 1 – Introduction China is a rapidly growing economy which is considered as a model for emerging countries all over the World. The dynamism of an economy lies in an efficient and effective financial system led by the banking sector. The impact of the banking sector on economic growth in China and its contribution to public life has been a matter of debate over the years. China has a banking system which is controlled by the State and thus has a very large influence on the economy. Exclusively controlled by the central government, the four state banks and People’s Bank of China have a very strong hold over the financial system both internally and externally. (China’s Economic System, 2004). However the rapid growth of China towards a socialist market economy has been affecting the banking sector in various ways and Chinese banks have undertaken measures to enhance their efficiency and contribute effectively to the economy. China’s entry into the WTO in 2001 has also necessitated adoption of liberalized norms in line with the global banking and financial industry. To what extent China has been able to adapt these new practices and how these are affecting or likely to affect the growth of the Chinese economy is an issue of great relevance. As China’s economy gets increasingly integrated with the global economy, its financial markets will have to support this union. It is therefore essential to assess the state of the Chinese banking industry at present and its trajectory of growth in the future. A case study approach to this issue is considered relevant for which Bank of China and HSBC, London are selected for review of the systems, processes and products to provide an insight of the financial needs and their fulfillment today and tomorrow. Bank of China is one of the principal banks in the country; it is one of the four banks which are owned by the State in China. (About Bank of China,. 2006). It has been a key central bank of China which has carried out international exchange as well as provided funds and been a point for foreign trade in the country over a period. It conducts a wide variety of services including commercial banking, insurance as well as investment banking. It is one of the largest banks in Asia and has been placed at the 18th position by the Banker Magazine in 2005. (About Bank of China,. 2006). It also has a large overseas presence in 27 countries. The systems, processes and practices followed by the Bank of China would be a good indicator of the state of the Chinese banking industry in both its internal and external dimensions. HSBC is an epitome of a modern bank. Based in London, the Bank had its origins in provision of finance for trading with China in the 19th Century. After China adopted a nationalist communist economy and banking system, HSBC’s presence in the country was limited. However the bank has now retuned with a vigor and strives to make inroads in the highly competitive financial sector where banks with a state monopoly are said to enjoy unprecedented advantage. The Bank is also taking benefit of its old legacy and is already earning profits to the tune of $ 161 million for the first half of 2005. (Schuman, 2006). HSBC in some ways can be seen to be a competitor to the Bank of China, though its reach within China is limited to only 20 branches. (Schuman, 2006). The investments made by HSBC in Chinese financial sector are reported to be $ 4 billion and include almost one fifth stake in China’s fifth largest bank, Bank of Communications and its second largest insurance company, Ping An Insurance with which the Bank of China too has many contracts. A comparative analysis of BOC and HSBC would thus provide us an effective understanding of the state of the banking industry in China in all its operational facets. The dynamic nature of the research will entail application of a deductive-inductive approach which in practice is adopted by a number of similar research projects keeping in view the importance of both qualitative and quantitative findings.

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Women's struggle during the harlem renaissance to modern times Essay

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Lesson 6 Discussion & - Assignment Example Every song, though being simple at the first sight, conveyed the ideas of the things that are eternal for the human being. The Beatles’ style, moreover, introduced music techniques that were new for that time and made the band’s sound unique. Due to this, they managed to reach global sympathy, and their songs appeared in the US music charts. A new music direction, Merseybeat, was distinguished, as the band came from Liverpool, Merseyside. Another success factor is that the band song several languages, which was rather unusual for a typical rock band of that time. Such breath-taking success of the Beatles is not a reason, however, for pushing other music bands of the British Invasion period aside. This is the case when it is similarly the case of â€Å"primus inter pares†, that is, the first among the equal ones, which means that other bands are worth mentioning at least. The Who is a good example of such a band. Introducing not only new sounding, but also scenic drive, breaking a guitar at the concert, for example, they managed to reach not less success than the previously mentioned band. Taking the above said into consideration, it is quite possible to assume that the Beatles influence on popular music is over estimated. Many bands of today confess that their songs have been composed under impressions the Beatles made on them, but the number of the musicians giving names of other bands is constantly increasing. Today’s music, for instance, is greatly impacted by national motives, as national conscious is rising all over the world along with the growing necessity to take care for one’s own

Economic Indicators in the Oil Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economic Indicators in the Oil Industry - Essay Example The six economic indicators selected are inflation rate, unemployment rate, real gross domestic product per capita, population growth rate, amount of housing & vehicles in comparison with population size, and consumer spending. Inflation is an indicator that determines the stability of an economic system. The desired state is to have a low inflation rate. A currency that is possibly the most stable monetary unit as far as having a historical low inflation is the U.S. dollar. On the flip side a high inflation is bad sign since it implies the customer is losing a lot of purchasing power over time. A high inflation could lead to disaster and an escalation to hyperinflation which is a chaotic economic state whose latest victim is the African nation of Zimbabwe (CultureGrams, 2007). The unemployment rate of country provides insight into how many potential customer there may be for a particular product. A person without employment has a limited budget thus can not spend much on consumer products. A low unemployment rate is a rate that hovers around five percent or below. The real gross domestic product of a nation per capita provides information about how much money each person in community represents for the economic system. The higher the better the economy, but this numeric figure must be compared against the cost of living of the inhabitants of the region. The population growth rate provides insight into how big a specific marketplace will become in the future. The population growth rate is low in China due to the 1979 one child per matrimony restriction, in other parts of the world such as Latin America the population growth rate high, for example the population of Mexico is expected to grow by a cumulative 50% by the year 2030 (Whitbeck, 1999). The last two economic indicators that will discuss are consumer consumption and the total housing and vehicle units in comparison with the population of

Long Term Relationships Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Long Term Relationships - Assignment Example This essay discusses that specifically talking about contract financing or monetizing, there are numerous methods for contract financing. Advance payments involve the payment of money to the contractor by the government before any services or goods have been received. By doing so, the government anticipates performance by the contractor under one or more contracts thereby liquidating them from payments. Since this method of payment is not performance oriented, it differs from other modes of payment that are performance-based. Advance payments are usually employed as a method to pay prime contractors so that they may pay subcontractors. Progress payments, as the name suggests, involves the payment of money as the work progresses and costs are incurred along the way. However, this progress does not include payments based on completion of certain stages, partial deliveries, partial payments in case of contract termination, and performance oriented payments. Legal and financial governmen t institutions such as the Federal Reserve Bank may also guarantee loans to individuals so that contractors are financed in order to pay for the acquisition of goods and services. Such financing mainly comes from the private sector under the terms of the contract. Under particular statutes, progress payments for the completion of a certain stage are authorized which is used under agency procedures as a method of payment.

Regular basis Essay Example for Free

Regular basis Essay The new four day work week is causing frenzy in the corporate world as more employees are writing proposals for a compressed work week. The advantages of this short, long-hour work week is the security of a full-time income in a fewer days of the week. Professionals with families and other social responsibilities are finding these advantages a great way to add more fulfilling events in their lives. The advancement of technology has allowed many professionals to remain home to complete majority of their assignments while shortening their commute to work on a regular basis. The advantage of a short week also gives professionals an opportunity to recuperate every other day instead of prolonged work hours as a regular 40-hour week. With these great opportunities comes more responsibilities including increased workload in less days, increased hours per work day, and childcare expenses to cover additional work hours in the four day week. The increased workload comes from the additional hours added into one work day versus the consistent 8-hour day many professionals work now. In reality, today’s professionals work approximately 50-60 hours a week anyway. A compressed work week could turn into 13-14 hour work days if they are not careful. The prolonged working schedules can increase the employee’s likeliness of high-stress, burnout, and fatigue from constant demands. Some professionals feel these advantages outweigh the disadvantages of the four day week. The impact of this opportunity affects the professional more than anyone. Employers must think of the workloads they are offering their employees, but the responsibilities to make those decisions are primarily up to the professional. The needs of freedom and consistency means there is a price to pay for the work completed by many professionals. Professionals driven by the four day work week could offer employer’s an opportunity to recuperate from a rigorous schedule too.

Only in America Essay Example for Free

Only in America Essay â€Å"Only in America† was written by Leiber, Stoller, Weill, and Mann (1963) as a song to propagate the American dream. After more than four decades of American dream to own a house, a car, and to have a good-paying job one can see that it is not enough any longer for many ‘new’ Americans. Hard work and determination perhaps were good enough tools to â€Å"take a giant step and reach right up and touch the stars†¦Ã¢â‚¬  four decades ago (that is if you were the right skin color) but not any longer. It does take a genius of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to become wealthy using their own talents as leverage. Or it takes a sheer luck and some intuition to participate in real estate speculations at exactly the right time. Either, that precludes honest working folks who work their given hours a week and get enough to pay the bills. More (2003) compared such to a drug â€Å"first prescribed to us as children in the form of a fairy tale. † Certainly, it happens for some, for a very few. It does seem that those very few knew exactly what they were doing – either investing into the right stock, buying properties when they still cost in low 100s in California, or get on the tip of the wave of progress, like Bill Gates did. Well, for the few it worked but not for the majority of us. It is not difficult to figure out the reasons. A rational thought would suggest that American government is able to render every citizen rich – not necessarily with the money distribution but with the controlling the purchase power of an average citizen. If to eliminate the political agenda and change the status quo to people-centered market, it is not difficult to see that one carrying President of the country can do so by a) eliminating unnecessary government agencies and departments and b) removing political and financial limitations to the free enterprise. The latter action by itself can be very powerful for business owners not having a need to compensate for the high rents and other costs to run a business will keep their products of low cost. Everything, from energy to communication services, to the infrastructure will cost less, much less as the result. Any business owner understands that selling products by the quantity will bring more financial result than doing so by higher cost and selling by the lesser numbers. As the result, people, even those with meager incomes, will have more purchase power by being able to afford much more than they can do today. That would raise the daily comfort of people. They would become content for their minds would not be preoccupied with the sheer necessities needed by their families. Material things and services, like houses, cars, food, clothes, education needs, health needs should not cost so much of a fortune that people must get into the life-time debt to be able to afford it. If the necessities are met and people do not have a difficult time to find an appropriate for them job, the content should become widespread. As of now, most people live in fear, in fear of loosing their jobs, in fear not being able to pay the mortgage and the car notes, for fear not being able to meet their responsibility to their families. People who live by such fear cannot experience content. I once knew a family, good solid one. He was a teacher working in the same district for over a decade. She worked at the bank. They had a nice house, two cars, good-looking furniture, but could not save enough to pay their financial obligations sooner. They lived a nice life, but in debt. And then, the tragedy stroke. He lost the purpose, feeling stagnated he left to his home country that he came from originally. Looking for happiness, he left his wife and children. To avoid gossip and talk in their community, she moved to another state with 50K dollars that came from his retirement plan. Because she could not afford to continue paying for the house, the house was foreclosed. The same happened with one of the cars. Her credit was in ruin, and now she had to start anew. She was afraid to touch the money, whatever left from moving and initial expenses. After three months, she found a job at the bank. The income was just enough to cover rent and monthly bills. What did happen to such a strong family who used to have everything: each other, nice house, cars, two wonderful kids, and ability to buy things they wanted†¦? One could say they lived American Dream, but did they? Does material things constitute the Dream most people strive to in their lives? It is apparent to me, that people who do not have material comfort around them, whose life is difficult because they have to calculate whether they have enough money to purchase oranges or grapes but cannot afford both, they would think that the end to their means would be living like that couple lived. And yet, my friend, being a nice and decent man felt trapped and not content. Once people obtain the material means around them they soon realize that their American Dream was not fancy cars or bigger homes – it is the opportunity to do what their heart desires: self-expression in the least amount. That would not happen if he had an opportunity to change a job that he was doing for 26 years, or at least to take a year of sabbatical. That would not happen if they were not in debt paying $ 2500 for the house and $ 1000 a month for their two cars. That would not happen if financial obligations did not overload him conflicting with his inner desires. Here, I believe I came to the root of the question whether this great country can give a feeling of being at home. Obviously, having enough income is not enough. Eliminating the need to obtain debts to rise economically perhaps would do for some. To my opinion, however, the concept of American Dream was neither of that: it had nothing to do with the financial part of it. If one looks deeper perhaps it can be seen that the fulfillment of personal dreams through the structure’s support to each family’s happiness can render people happier, and if happy they feel the more at home they would consider the country they live in. When people have to struggle thinking about their family economics and knowing that they cannot change their occupations because the discontinuation of income would bring their family to the financial ruin, they cannot think of their personal development through the change of direction in their life. They grow more and more discontent and discontented people are bitter people, people who can at the brink of a move quit their country and go looking for the happiness elsewhere. In conclusion, more and more people understand that described is not enough to be happy in life, that doing the job for the only purpose to get the money to buy the house and a nice car causes stagnation, and as the result unhappiness and discontent. An opportunity that was promised as a part of all American dream is waning and harder to grasp. That is because people understand more and more that to be called Home, the society must offer something else: as in the promise to personal fulfillment – whatever it be. The idea of a home can be different from different perspectives. Certainly, living in a house with the backyard, driving a brand new car, and having a respectable income can make characteristics of a home for many people who had never had such before. Yet, for others these are not enough for they seek something else, perhaps certain characteristics of the society that increase the degree of their satisfaction from living this life. Yet for others the dream is to become wealthy just to discover (in case if they achieve it) that even that was an illusion. The idea of a home cannot be objectified for it is unique to the subjective perception of every person who lives within the society. References More, M. (2003). Dude, where’s my country? (publisher? ) Jay and the Americans (1963). Only in America. Song written by Leiber, J. , Stoller, M. , Weill, C. , and Mann, B.