Maria Hernandez Case

MARIA HERNANDEZ VAN NESS TEAM 10 The Story: Maria Hernandez & Associates is a company that started its business with a cash deposit. On June 20,2004 Maria Hernandez transferred all her savings of $30,000 into a new Bank account under her company’s name, two days later she transferred another $20,000 which she had borrowed from her father on a 6% p. a. interest rate. Thus, with an amount of $50,000 in its bank account Maria Hernandez and Associates was ready to start its life in the Webpage designing sector.After the Bank account transactions, Maria Hernandez quickly took care of the initial expenses that included pre-paid rent for the new office, giving a security deposit for the same, buying used computers and software from her previous employers and also ordering and acquiring office stationary. On July 2,2004 Maria Hernandez & Associates opened its doors for business. The substance of our report covers the first two months of the company’s operations. At the start of the operations i. e.July 2nd, 2004 the amount in the company bank account was $12,000; however on August 31st, 2004 (roughly two months of operations) the amount had declined to $6,600. We are therefore left with two key questions to answer. 1. How would we report on the operations of Maria Hernandez & Associates through August 31, 2004? Had the company made a profit as Maria Hernandez believed? If so, how can we explain the decline of cash in the bank? 2. What can we say about the status of the business on August 31, 2004?To answer these questions we analyzed the company’s income statement and balance sheet for the months of July-August, 2004 and have come up with the following analysis and suggestions: Financial Ratios: Through the analysis of the Income Statement and Balance Sheet, we were able to extrapolate the following Ratios, which gave us an insight into the workings of Maria Hernandez & Associates |Financial Ratio |Figures | |Current Ratio |4. 17 | |Return on Equit y |13% | Return in Assets |7% | |Profit Margin |9. 8% | |Debt to Equity |0. 74 | By and large, the ratio’s displayed are lower than ideal. However, given the fact that the operation is only 2 months old, the figures are very promising; especially since there was an increase in workload of the company in early August with four new clients by way of referrals. Considering all the ratios in more details we would like to start our analysis with ROE ratio that measures a company’s profitability.We have 13% what means that the company is making 13 cents out of every dollar invested. This figure is relatively low, but for a start-up company it is rather satisfactory, because it indicates a growth opportunity with increasing operations. ROA ratio shows us how many dollars the company makes in relation to its assets, thus 7 cents per 1 dollar. The ratio is deceptive because by definition a lower ratio denotes inefficient use of assets. But considering a start-up that operates f or only 2 months, there is a scope for improvement since the number of operations has been increasing.In addition, this ratio can vary depending on the industry in which the company operates. This is why our suggestion to Maria Hernandez is to compare ROA every month in order to be able to realize how productive or unproductive the business is. Profit margin represents the percentage of revenue that a company keeps as profit after accounting for fixed and variable costs. In other words, it is company’s health indicator. The company is keeping 9. 8 cents of sales as earnings for every dollar that the company earns.It is a good sign because the company was able to recoup the initial fixed costs and also showed a profit in the books within 2 months, on the other hand the usual trend for web-page design companies to show a profit is 1-2 years. Debt to equity ratio indicates extend to which the business relies on debt financing. As we know, Maria Hernandez borrowed $20,000 from he r father at 6% interest rate and invested $30,000 cash from her own savings. In addition, the company made revenue of $40,000 in cash that helped to cover all the expenses and operational purchases.So, we can conclude that the company is growing on cash mainly and in the tech industry this ratio is bound to go down, because once the assets [computers and software] are acquired there is no need to take on debt to grow the company, as the growth can come from the revenue itself. On an average computer companies have a Debt to Equity ratio of under 0. 5 Current ratio that shows the ability of the company to pay off its liabilities at a given period of time is the only point of concern. As a rule the acceptable figure is between 1 and 2, in our case we have 4. 7, what means that Maria Hernandez can pay off her loan with interest however, she has some excessive cash on hand what indicates inefficient management of funds. Suggestions: We would first like to address the matter of treating the Interest and Depreciation. The interest is accumulating and since the interest has to be paid at the end of the year, the amount at the moment is incomplete. Therefore, the interest payable should be accounted in the Balance Sheet, and interest expense in the Income Statement. In case of the equipment, accumulated depreciation is to be taken into consideration.The depreciation per month is $750, thus the accumulated depreciation is $1500 after 2 months of operation. As the expected life of the equipment is 3 years Maria Hernandez should credit the accumulated depreciation for 1/3 of the value of the assets, subtract accumulated depreciation from the equipment in the Balance Sheet and include depreciation expense in the Income Statement. An analysis of the Expense to Income ratio showed that currently 86% of the income is being used to write off expenses such as rent and salaries, which explains the decline in the bank balance as on August 31st.We recommend reducing such expenses by keeping fewer full-time staff and hiring interns or keeping staff on a part-time basis at least for the initial period of the companies life. Conclusion: In conclusion we would like to say that Maria Hernandez & Associates is doing rather well as a Start-up company. The numbers are mostly in its favor, and are bound to get better as the life of the company progresses. The only flaw in the design is by way of the expenses incurred in form of Salaries, which can easily be fixed.

Payless Service Blueprint

Payless Shoe Source is a discount footwear retailer with over 4,572 retail stores in 15 countries. This company does not only focus on providing different fashion possibilities for the family at a great price, but distinguishes themselves by offering an engaging, easy-to-shop experience and outstanding customer service. Our group chose this company to blueprint because it has a very elaborate customer service process.This company focuses heavily on providing the customer with a great shopping experience by following a series of â€Å"critical actions† that must be delivered to one hundred percent of the customers during their journey in the store. In addition, one of our group members works in this company and therefore, it would be easier to grasp an in depth understanding of the service process and be able to have easier access to all the information we needed.When shopping at the store, the customer goes through five different steps in their shopping experience. The company calls this process the â€Å"customer journey,† consisting of the following stages: Enter, Browse, Try-on, Check-out, and Walk-out. When the customer approaches the store, the customer is impacted by the store’s physical evidence for the first time. The first physical evidence the customer comes across is the store’s outer appearance. They may ask themselves does the store look in good condition and/or is it open.Once they get that established, they notice the parking lot to see if there are any available spaces to park and also if it’s clean. Once they park, the first thing they see on the store is big posters on the windows. The store always has advertisements on the windows to show customers what sales they have going on during that time. The sale posters alone can influence a customer to walk in the store and that alone can make a customer walk in the store with certain expectations, such as prices and brands. As the customer walks in the store, the Enter stage begins.The customer walks into a lobby area, which contains a little jewelry/sunglasses section slightly to the side and in front of them, there are displays of the latest or â€Å"hottest† shoes for customers to view at first. To the left or right wall of the store, there would be handbags/purses for the customer to see, many which match certain shoes. Payless Shoesource as the name says it, is mainly to shop for shoes, but all these extra items that the customers come across in their shopping experience influence a customer who initially went in for a pair of shoes to walk out with two or three extra items, or ccessories they might not even need or did not realize they needed. Once the lobby area has been viewed, the customers are offered assistance and are directed to their size. If they are shopping for children, an associate offers to measure the child’s feet and then directs them to the kid’s aisle. This is where the Browse stage begins. The ai sles are divided by men’s, women, and children. The aisles containing the shoes should be well-organized, put in correct order by size and department, and should be color-coded. This helps the customer and employees to find things easier.In this stage of the customer journey, an associate approaches the customer and initiates interaction. The salesperson asks the customer an open ended question such as, â€Å"What type of shoes are you looking for today† to better understand the customer’s needs. The associate then suggests the customer styles for them to try on and helps them find the right size. Furthermore, in this stage the associate also ensures that the customer understands the promotion that the store has in case they were not yet given that information at the Enter stage.If a certain style is not found in the aisles, the associate checks the inventory system (support process) with a handheld computer device called a scanner. With this device the associat e can check inventory, prices, and in what other payless locations the shoe is in stock. This device is very important physical evidence because it can influence a customer’s experience positively. This allows the employees to give a faster and more accurate service. After the customer begins trying on shoes, the associate goes back to check on the customer and delivers the critical actions for the try-on stage.This stage is very important because the company has determined that sixty-four percent of customers who try on shoes make a purchase. The associate begins by complementing their selection. This can change the sixty-six percent to eighty-eight after a customer receives follow-up. The associate then offers the customer a second style or a matching accessory to increase the units per transaction. Once the customer picks the products they want to buy, the associate offers to take the shoes to the registers which are at the front of the store, where the Check-out stage beg ins.In the beginning of the transaction a customer is asked for personal information such as name, address, and email address that is input in to the registration system in the support process. This data is stored and used for marketing purposes and comes up every time the customer shops in the store, allowing for a more personalized service. The cashier then proceeds by checking that the correct shoe mates are taken. This is done verbally to reassure that the customer is taking what they want and to avoid any returns.Underneath the registers, are shoelaces and shoe care merchandise for the customer to purchase at last minute. In the Check-out stage, these items are offered by the cashier because the company determined that one out of five attempts to sell additional items at the register is successful. The shoe care merchandiser influences the customers experience because they are strategically placed to create additional needs to consumers, making them purchase at the last minute. This helps the company, but it also satisfies the customer because they now have an item that can improve the life of their product.Finally, the customer is thanked and invited back. The last stage of the customer journey is the Walk-Out stage. This is whenever a customer is leaving the store without making a purchase. An associate stops the customer and asks then an open-ended question, such as â€Å"Did you find everything you were looking for. † Many times an associate prevents the customer from leaving and directs them back to the aisles for further help and may actually save a sale. If not, they give the customer a reason to come back by informing them of an upcoming promotion or the day new shipment arrives.Of course, even the best process has potential fail points where problems may occur and/or bottlenecks where backups or slow delivery may occur. There are three different types we can identify. The first bottleneck is the handling of uncooperative customers. All the critical actions that the service employees need to deliver during the customer journey require cooperation from both ends; the customer and the firm’s employees. Customer participation is crucial in effectively delivering all aspects of the service delivery the company wishes to give all of its customers.However, sometimes the company comes across â€Å"difficult† customers, or often called â€Å"get out of my face† customers that can slow the delivery process or even cause a fail point. There are times that customers do not want to be offered assistance and they will either keep walking, ignoring the salesperson, or they will respond with a quick phrase like, â€Å"I am just looking. † For instance, during the Browse stage, the employee is required to interact with the customer.If they are explaining the current promotion to the customer, but a customer refuses to respond to the employees help by not listening to them, then this part of the service del iver creates a fail point if the associate gives up or it makes the process slow down is the associate later attempts to explain the same information once again during a different stage, to avoid the customer arriving at the register not understanding the promotion. Another instance would be at the Enter stage, where the associate offers to measure children’s feet.It is the salesperson’s job to deliver this critical action, however how successful this is also depends on the customer’s participation. If a customer does not allow the associate to measure their child’s feet, then the whole purpose of this part of the service delivery fails because the associate will not be able to give the customer this service. The purpose of doing this is to allow the associates to interact with the children as well as the parents in order to create a pleasurable experience for the whole family.This is a service that many competitors don’t offer, so it is a competit ive advantage. The only solution to this bottleneck is for the front line managers to exercise continuous training with their employees. This will help them gain ease in talking to customer in general. It will provide the associates with practice that will help them learn to enhance customer participation and to effectively deliver good service. That way if a customer shuts down an associate, the associate will be trained to not give up and instead exercise the learned ways to gain a customer’s trust.Unenthusiastic employees are another fail point we identified. Employee’s unwillingness to participate in delivering the customer service can be a potential fail point in the service delivery process. Uncooperative employees can be the result of a variety of things. The first is that the company was involved in an ineffective hiring process. Another is that the company failed to exercise proper training. The employee must be trained to switch from tasks to customer service whenever a customer walks in.Fortunately, this fail point is somewhat controllable by the company. To avoid this, the company should hire the right people from the start. A solution is for the company to develop strategies to determine who is right for this position. Another alternative is to treat their employee’s right. The company must know when to reward their employees and must provide motivation that will drive them to try their best. A third fail point identified is out of stock merchandise. Not meeting the demands of the ustomers can be a big problem that can lead to many lost sales. The solution to this is to exercise more effective communication during the support process where the manufacturer sends the merchandise to the pool point and from there it is sent to the store, and it is received and input into the inventory system. Every time an associate uses the inventory to search for a shoe and prints out a receipt for the customer to go to another location is valu able information that should be used in benefit of the company.This is additional information that should be considered when making the inventory and should be effectively and accurately communicated within the support process to successfully meet the specific demands of customers. A service blueprint not only allows for a quantitative description of critical service elements, such as time, logical sequences of actions and processes, but also specifies both actions/events that happen in the time and place of the interaction and actions/events that are out of the â€Å"line of visibility† for the users, but are fundamental for the service.With the realization of the importance and the domination of services in the world’s economies, there is a growing emphasis in business practice on creating meaningful, memorable customer experiences. Payless Shoe Source has reinvented itself and repositioned its brand as a business that is as passionate about helping customers as they are about the products they sell. By using a detailed service blueprint, Payless can strengthen its Marketing, HR Management, and Operations areas and achieve a stronger bond with its customers.The company’s blueprint showcases key points where customers are more attracted to, spend more time at, and are more likely to focus on promotions, ads, and its products. This will especially be helpful to the stores’ â€Å"extensive media plan. † Measuring the stores traffic in customers, sales, and productivity, the company develops the plan which determines what amount of advertising impressions would be the most effective in T. V, radio, magazine, and newspapers. It was this plan that led them to be awarded the â€Å"2006 Marketer of the Year† by Footwear News among other recognitions. Another important aspect of the organization is its’ employees.Payless is proud of its associates and has a culture that encourages personal, informal feedback between al l employees and includes programs in its stores and corporate offices to recognize excellence by individuals and teams. Through the blueprint Payless can evaluate associates, their relationships with customers, and manage their Development, Recognition, and Compensation Programs. For example the quarterly and annual Pinnacle Awards program recognizes top store and district performers in their three regions. Payless is also an organization looking to innovate their service to customers.Its store operations are a critical, important area in its service process. A blueprint will be helpful to create performance standards for workload scenarios, improve alignment among key business functions, and implement new technologies where needed the most. An example of how payless optimized it’s workforce was the creation of KRONOS. Kronos is a an integrated, analytical workforce management system which pulls data from various sources such as the POS, traffic counters, supply chain systems , and associate preferences to create automated, optimized work schedules.Through this assignment we learned how significant a service blueprint can be to an organization for it to be successful among its customers. The blueprint allows firms to visualize the service process, points of customer contact, and the physical evidence associated with their services from their customers’ perspective. The uniqueness of this technique is its continuous focus on the customer as the center and foundation for innovation, service improvement, and experience design. That doesn’t mean that customers are the source of innovation, but rather that value to the customer is the central purpose of innovation.The service blueprint helps firms improve and innovate their service and create a â€Å"customer-focused† design for the firm, which in turn increases customer retention, creates a competitive advantage and mainly increases brand equity. Payless Shoesource is a perfect example o f how a blueprint can be successfully used to innovate, improve, and communicate the firms’ philosophy of great service to its customers.Works Cited Bharat Book Bureau. February 2009. 5 July 2010 http://g51studio. com/parsons/ServiceBlueprinting

Ben and Jerry’s is still committed

It has come to our attention that you have noticed an inadequate amount of cookie and chocolate in one of our products that you have purchased. I would just like to inform you that we put hard work and long hours in making our products have the best quality. However, during the production process, there are times that the chunking equipment for nuts, chocolates and cookies would be inconsistent resulting to uneven ratios of ingredients put in the ice creams.In line with this, we will be forwarding your concern to the production department so that we can continue to satisfy the needs and wants of our customers and prevent these things from happening again. To compensate your dissatisfaction, we would gladly refund the cost of the one pint of ice cream that you have bought. We will be sending you a check via mail as soon as possible. You would most likely receive the payment within two weeks. Meanwhile, regarding your query about our dairy operations in Nevada, the management decided t o set up there in order to supply our products to ice cream eaters residing on the West Coast.Through this, we would be saving energy and money because there will be no more need to transport milk from coast to coast. Also, this is our way of helping the environment because this will help in reducing carbon emissions caused by gas-powered vehicles. Despite this strategic move, we still want to assure you that Ben and Jerry’s is still committed in practicing our rural values and displaying our Vermont roots through our products. On another note, we are happy to hear that you support our stand against the use of milk from cloned cows.More so, we appreciate that most of our customers express their viewpoints on critical issues such as this one where our food and health are at stake. We, at Ben Jerry’s, really do appreciate your inquiry regarding these matters. I hope that you will still continue to patronize our products because we will never cease to put our best in maki ng Ben and Jerry’s the ice cream brand that you can trust and enjoy! Sincerely, Alice Blachly Customer Affairs Coordinator/

Tools of Monetary Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tools of Monetary Policy - Essay Example The effect of increasing the discount rate on the money supply is shown below in diagram 1. In part (a), the demand for reserves is not high enough and as a result there are no changes in the equilibrium reserve holdings. In part (b) there is a high demand for reserves and as a consequence, there is a decline in the equilibrium reserve holdings. Figure 1: Impact of increases in the discount rate In the diagram above, there is an increase in the discount rate from to . Consequentially the supply of reserves schedule rises from to . However, observe that in part (a) the demand for reserves are lower than in part (b). In particular the demand for reserves schedule is not high enough in part (a) to substantiate any efficacy of increasing the discount rate. In fact in such a scenario, a decline in the discount rate could have an impact by increasing the equilibrium reserve holdings if the rate is lowered below the bank rate. However, this will make sense if the resulting effect of increas ed money supply is the desired result. As a result, albeit the increase in the discount rate leads to a rise in the supply of reserves, there is no change in the equilibrium holdings. Thus, there is no discount lending in this case. In part (b) the increase in the supply of reserves leads to a reduction in the equilibrium discount reserve holdings from R0 to R1. Note that in this case lowering the discount rate would have had an impact as well but of the opposite kind. Alternatively, the central banking authority of an economy has to right of denying or controlling the amount of loans directly. Thus it has a control over the money supply of the nation directly via a control over the sanctioning of discount loans. In particular, loans forwarded to financial institutions by the central banks belong to any of the following three classes: a) primary loans, b) secondary loans and c) seasonal loans. Primary loans are the credit supplies to healthy or financially stable banks or financial institutions. Secondary credits are the loans that are forwarded with a designated purpose only in which the credit accepting institution can put the loan in use. Finally, seasonal loans are the short term credit that is forwarded under discount rates generally to help institutions overcome temporary liquidity shortages and emergencies. Thus by controlling the amount of reserves financial institutions have, the central bank can restrict the amount of money supply in the economy. How may central Bank help prevent bank panics by acting as a lender of last resort? Support your answer using examples of such events. Bank runs or panic runs to the bank are caused by the fear that the bank will become insolvent and will fail to return the amount of deposits. The central problem is that this has a cascading effect and actually becomes a self fulfilling prophesy since as the number of people withdrawing their funds increases, the liquidity of the bank decreases. Further with the number of wi thdrawals rising, other customers fearing insolvency also begin withdrawing their own deposits. Since banks never hold all of the depositors' money as reserves at any point of time, if a large number of customers begin withdrawing all their funds, the bank does become insolvent fast. This phenomenon was a central problem

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Summary of an article - Essay Example The Digital Immigrants however defines the older population that is introduced to the technology at their old age. Resistance and challenges of old age learning have been barriers to the digital immigrant’s knowledge of technology and they still rely on traditional techniques in their interactions with the young generation. The difference is significant to the education sector in which the Digital Natives are the learners while the Digital Immigrants are the educators. Reliance on traditional techniques for education has been ineffective and the Native’s negative attitude towards traditional methods explains this. On the contrary, the Natives, for example, prefer parallel initiatives and multi tasking. They also over rely on the digital media that influence their available time for learning and their approach to learning while the Immigrants have failed to adjust their approaches to the new environment of technology. The author proposes a shift by one generation to the other’s orientation but argues for ease of adjustment of the Digital Immigrant than of the Digital Natives. A change in methods of teaching and content are recommended for bridging the gap in education and ensuring effective learning in the diversified environment (Prensky

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Campus Discipline Problem - Assignment Example Miami university-Oxford has a total population of 17191 students whereby 7560 of them are men and the remaining 9631 are women. It is a four-year public university. From the clergy data, it is seen that the university had zero incidents of students in possession of the weapons between the year 2006 and 2007. However, in 2008 there were two students who were reported having weapons. In matters to do with drugs, one in every 905 students were reported in 2006. In 2007, the number rose to one in every 452 students and the situation worsened in 2008 where one in every 1910 students were reported to be in possession of drugs. The school either didn’t do very well on the issue of illegal liquor. One in every 22 students were reported to be in possession of illegal liquor in 2006 and 2007. The number changed to one in every 23 students in 2007 and the situation was no good in 2008, one in every 31 students were reported. In comparison to other colleges in the United States, Miami University didn’t do well in matters to do with liquor and drugs. There were many cases of violation reported as compared to other universities. It also didn’t perform well in the category of four-year public universities in United States. In the category of four-year public universities in Ohio, the University had a poor performance with only Ohio University (main campus) and Ohio state University (main campus) performing worse than it. However, from the data, there was a remarkable reduction of violations from 2006 to

Networks Systems & Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Networks Systems & Technologies - Essay Example The firm also has a traveling sales force which needs to connect to the office network to access the sales applications and other administrative applications. The network users include managers, designers, sales, finance staff and secretaries. From the perspective of IT users and network spread, this can be called as a medium scale company network. The overall IT strategy would be simple and would include the following elements for us to consider – The company network would follow a two-layered architecture (Figure 2) with the head office & factory in the top layer and other 3 offices in the second layer connected to the network backbone. All offices would be connected to each other through a Wide Area Network (WAN) (Figure 1). Users in the individual offices would be connected to the network through a Local Area Network (LAN) forming a â€Å"Star Network† (Figure 3) going into the Ethernet Hub. The Ethernet Hub would be connected to the router. The other offices would be connected via routers to the network backbone and supported remotely from the head office. This type of architecture is chosen because majority of users are in the head office and factory. For the company wide access to various applications and systems, an Active Directory Server system will need to be used. An Active Directory server will be installed at every location and will have to be identified as a Global Service Catalog (containing all user information), DHCP, DNS Server and Domain Controller. This will enable all offices to have network connectivity even when the WAN network lines to other offices are down. The storage of servers and cables as well as the individual speeds are also part of the overall network design but slightly technical in nature. The types of servers needed will be determined by the applications and other infrastructure management tools which will be used within the company. A category 6 data cable will be used to

Human resources in context Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Self Evaluation and learning action plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Forces Initiating or Inhibiting Change in Organizations Essay

Forces Initiating or Inhibiting Change in Organizations - Essay Example The coming of new technology, Robins said, affects the jobs and the organization. There was a time when pagers were in vogue. It was a necessary communication tool for sales and field personnel, but cellular phones took them out of the picture. Computer knowledge is an added requirement for new employees, a necessity in almost all business outfits. Technology, likewise, affects a company or industry, especially the music industry with online downloads and sharing. He commented that genetic technology allows pharmaceutical corporations to produce drugs for particular individuals, which in turn produces a dilemma for insurance companies on who would be insured or not. With competition no longer confined within a geographic territory but globally, new products and services should be introduced for survival. With business deals being transacted and concluded online, technical and support units became part of the structure.

Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Starbucks - Essay Example It is a public company with its headquarters in Seattle, Washington. Currently, Howard Schultz is the president, chairperson and CEO of the company (â€Å"About Us†). The organization is in restaurant business and serves whole-bean coffee, cold and hot beverages, instant coffee varieties, snacks, pastries and full-leaf teas. Apart from the major selling items, the stores also sell cold and hot sandwiches, packaged food products and other items such as, tumblers and mugs. The business operations are strategically diversified according to the customer trends, traffic as well as demands. For instance, Starbucks Evening offers varieties of wines, beers as well as appetizers after 4 pm. Another arm called Starbucks’s entertainment and brand, Hear Music, markets music, films and books. This is a strategic division with the objective of engaging consumers through different channels. Products and services are seasonal and change according to the store locality as well as local demands. It also reaches another set of target customers through its coffee and ice-cream range offered at various grocery stores. Starbucks’ mission statement is â€Å"to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time† (â€Å"Mission Statement†). At present, the company is planning to restructure by shutting down unprofitable chains and opening stores in new emerging markets. Also, market saturation is forcing Starbucks to use a more innovative and persuasive approach to reach consumers across various regions. The current report will start with profiling the company, evaluating the current situation and prospects for future. This will be followed by evaluation of the external environment and key success factors for the organization. Strategic Issue Situational Profile and Prospects The potential challenges in front of Starbucks are the increased competition from new and emerging retailers. These retailers may n ot have an identical concept as Starbucks, but they have been able to attract particular category of customers, especially those with low levels of loyalty. Overall economic conditions also pose a strategic challenge for the coffee giant. Starbucks is perceived as a luxury coffee parlour catering high-end customers and corporate professionals. With the recession hit, the company is experiencing loss in many of its store outlets even in prime locations across the globe. This has raised a doubt regarding the feasibility of the present strategic action plans. Also, being perceived as a high-end retail chain, offering discounts and other promotional benefits to increase sales might not go well with its loyal and regular customers (Koehn 25-45). The company’s business operations have also been criticized for over-diversification in recent years by offering products like, ice-cream and chocolates, which did not perform well in the market and negatively affected the bottom-line of t he company. The current strategic direction of Starbucks has also been critici

The other characters in the play Essay Example for Free

The other characters in the play Essay Sheila is deeply affected by the Inspectors visit compared to the other characters. As soon as the Inspector enters and introduces the victim to the family, Sheila was upset and depressed because of the misery she sensed which made her feel apologetic and guilty of what she had done to Eva Smith. Nonetheless the others were not interested and thought that they were not responsible for Evas death except for Eric. Furthermore the Inspector has a mischievous attitude, with the intention of, made the rest of the family suspicious about him. Inspector Goole (as he addresses himself) is a sly and secretive individual who acts like a detective and uses his skills to make them confess the truth. The Inspector mentions society to be treated fairly and Mr Birling replies in an intolerable way, nonsense a man has to make his own way. Priestly is trying to say that everyone should be working and helping each other where everyone can be equal. As the Inspector visits the Birlings who are celebrating an engagement, Sheila looks confused and feels depressed because she is suspicious of the Inspector and feels uncomfortable; (Sheila stares at him) wonderingly and dubiously whereas the others such as Mr and Mrs. Birling enters briskly and self confidently. This demonstrates that the audience is aware of the situation and expresses she is distrustful hence it illustrates that everyone reacts differently towards the Inspector. Additionally, Eric was the only one that reacted the same way as Sheila. Mr. Birling responded differently because he knew that it wasnt his responsibility which led to Evas death; (he replies rather impatiently) Yes, yes. Horrid business. But I dont understand why you should come here, Inspector. Similarly Mrs. Birling reacts the same way because they care about their reputation and business. Also Gerald reacted in a way that seemed to make it obvious that he knew her by giving himself away as soon as the Inspector mentioned Evas other name, Daisy Renton. What D you mind if I give myself a drink, Sheila? At this point it seems clear to Sheila, the others and the audience that Gerald knew the victim and his ridiculousness excuse made it easier for

Communication Practices at Abellio ScotRail

Communication Practices at Abellio ScotRail Aim To investigate and establish the impact of internal communication practices on employee engagement and performance at Abellio ScotRail Ltd. Objectives In order to achieve the above aim, the below research objectives have equally been set out as: To critically review the literature on both concepts to enhance the understanding of the concepts and associated theories, and their interaction by exploring the meaning and drivers of employee engagement, as well as internal communications meaning and role as a vehicle to support organisation performance. To adopt a case study strategy, this will facilitate the collection and analysis of both primary and secondary information necessary for the baseline of this research. To critically examine the existing internal communication policy, and practices at Abellio ScotRail Ltd and their contribution to employee engagement. To critically analyse employees and managers perspectives of internal communication and employee engagement at Abellio ScotRail Ltd. To present and then discuss primary research findings through comparison with the literature to date. To draw conclusions from primary and secondary research before providing recommendations where appropriate. Literature Review Employee engagement is recognised as an important factor affecting organisational effectiveness, innovation, and competitiveness (Goodman et al, 2009). Consequently, several authors and professionals have made an empirical contribution towards establishing an explicit meaning and understanding of the concept, however, there are many definitions of the employee engagement as there are authors without any consensus on the subject. This paper aims to make a brief contribution by considering the role of communication in enhancing employee engagement. Goodman et al, (2009) research study identified employee engagement as one of the three top trends facing organisations and the term has its roots more in an academic exercise. Given a global leadership concern about employee engagement, human resources and communication professionals involved in internal communication management need an in-depth understanding of the concept so that they can develop strategies and tactics which would contrib ute to building engagement in the workplace. Additionally, internal communication has been suggested to be an important factor in the development of employment engagement. This study now intends to tackle the gap in the literature with a proposed model of the role of internal corporate communication in enhancing employee engagement. This section intends to firstly provide an overview of the evolution of the employee engagement concept, discussing definitional approaches, and highlighting components of engagement. Secondly, it discusses issues arising from the review concerning the nature of the concept, including its relationship with overlapping and related constructs such as commitment and motivation; and finally, it develops a corporate communication perspective of employee engagement. The Development of employee engagement Analysis of employee engagement literature has enabled the identification of stages in the development of the employee engagement concept, conceptualised here as a series of waves. Wave 1 (1990-1999) The wave begins in the 1990s with academic work on personal engagement been led by Kahn. His work has a significant impact without the direct use of employee engagement as concept in his qualitative research nevertheless, by using personal work engagement, he defined it as the harnessing of organisational members selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performance Kahn, (1990 p. 694) He further postulate the necessity of three psychological engagement conditions for an employee to engage themselves in their work role performance. Wave 2 (2000-2005) This second wave is characterised by professional consultancy firms that associated high engagement to increase corporate performance. Harter et al. (2003); Harter and Schmidt, (2008) made a report to Gallup Workplace Audit (GWA) questionnaire designed to measure series of elements that are called employee engagement. Consequently, they define employee engagement as a combination of cognitive and emotional antecedent variables in a work environment. Wave 3 (2006-2010) Taking the lead in the third wave of employee engagement work, Saks (2006) regards employee engagement as a concept more rooted in practitioner literature than academic literature. He is in agreement with Kahns view of employee engagement been consists of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural components. Equally in this league is the work of professional body such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD, 2006) as well as Bakker and Leiter, (2010) published work that throws more light on work engagement as it was then called William A. Kahn (1990) regard the concept of engagement in a workplace as the harnessing of organisational members selves to their work roles in his research study through which he identified three dimensions of engagement as emotional, physical and cognitive. Kahn (1990) developed the concepts of personal engagement and disengagement which are used in describing the behaviours by which people bring in or leave out their personal selves during work role performances. He defined personal engagement as the harnessing of organisation members selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances. Personal disengagement was defined as the extrication of oneself from work roles; that is, people pull out and shield themselves physically, cognitively, or emotionally during work role performances. Kahn (1990, 1992), stated that employees can be engaged on one dimension and not the other. But, the more an employee is engaged on each dimension, the higher his personal engagement. In consequence of this, Kahn concentrated on the emotional, cognitive and physical aspect of engagement in his research study. In the work of Macey and Schneider (2008) engagement is defined along the line of the psychological state, trait, and behavioural engagement which is characterized by feelings of passion, energy, enthusiasm, and activation. Behavioural engagement is described as an adaptive behaviour; Trait engagement as a number of interconnected personalities while attributes relate to state engagement whether directly or indirectly to behavioural engagement. A different definition of employee engagement stems from the positive psychology champion by Maslach and Jackson (1981) with its centre of attention on the positive as against the negative aspects of work described as a burnout. They conducted a research on employee burnout and developed what is now known as the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). According to Maslach and Jackson (1981), burnout is a psychological condition that ensues from persistent interpersonal relations at work. In addition, Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) in their view regard engagement as the exact positive diametric of workplace burnout. This is a reversal model score of the Maslach Burnout Inventory measurement of engagement, Maslach, et al, (2001). This indicated a low score on job fatigue and a high score on professional efficiency are indicators of engagement. Furthermore, Theresa M. Welbourne (2007) defined engagement in relation to the behaviour of the managers when she posits that engaged employees are those that work and prosper in the noncore job roles using a performance model she developed. The model identified six major roles that employees engage at work. These are (i) Core job-holder role, (ii) Entrepreneur/ innovator role, (iii) coming up with new ideas, participating in others innovations, (iv) Team member role, (v) Career role, and (vi) Organizational member role or citizenship role. Going by Saks, (2006) term, employee engagement is job and organisation engagements which are related but distinct constructs. They attributed the rationale for Employee engagement to Social exchange theory explaining that employees will choose to engage themselves to varying degrees and in response to the resources they receive from their organization. The two most dominant roles for most organizational members are their work role and their role as a member of an organization. In the opinion of Robinson et al (2004) employee engagement is an inspirational disposition held by the employee towards the organisation and its values. Gallup, as reported by Dernovsek (2008), compares employee engagement to the employees positive emotional sentimental attachment and commitment to the organisation. The CIPD (2016) recognises employee communication, better known as internal communication, as an essential part of the business and the HR function. It continues that effective internal communication is important for developing trust within an organisation and it is shown to have a significant impact on employee engagement, organisational culture and, ultimately, productivity (CIPD, 2016). This collaborates Boynton and Mishras (2014) earlier research study that examined the role of communication in the public relations (PR) industry and suggested that internal communication can play an important role in building trust and behaviour as shown by public relations professionals in the industry.

Mental Health Well-being of Dementia Carers

Mental Health Well-being of Dementia Carers Introduction Research is undertaken and applied across many different professions and disciplines, as it offers a basis for increasing knowledge, informed decision making and action (Minichiello, Sullivan, Greenwood Axford, 2004; DePoy Gitlin, 2011). Within the nursing profession research is the link between theory and practice and has influenced many changes to the way that nurses practice (Schneider, Elliot, LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2003). Research has brought about improvements in the delivery of care which in turn contributes to improved patient outcomes (Loiselle, Profetto-McGrath, Poilt, Beck, 2007). Nursing research has made available the best evidence to support and underpin nursing practice as it is currently: this is essential to the achievement of optimum biopsychosocial results for the patient, their family members and their wider community. Furthermore research guides legislation and regulations at a government organisation level (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010; DePoy Gitlin, 2011; Da vies Logan, 2012). Health research topic This assignment will explore how research is designed, conducted and applied to investigate and inform the improvement of mental health wellbeing of those who care for people with dementia. In an international study on the global prevalence of dementia published in 2006, experts estimated that there were 24.3 million people with dementia, with 4.6 million new cases of dementia every year, one new case every 7 seconds (Ferri, Prince, Brayne, Brodaty, Fratiglioni, Ganguli Scazufca, 2006). It is estimated that there are 50,000 New Zealanders currently diagnosed with dementia and by 2026 it is estimated to be close to 78,000 (Ministry of Health, 2013). The prevalence of this cognitive disease necessitates research to better understand the effects and implications dementia has on people and society and how society can be better equipped to face the psychosocial challenges dementia presents for those in caregiver roles. Research Paradigms Depoy and Gitlin (2011) define research as â€Å"multiple, systematic strategies to generate knowledge about human behaviour, human experience, and human environments in which the thinking and action processes of the research are clearly specified so that they are logical, understandable, confirmable, and useful† (Depoy Gitlin, 2011, pg. 6). There are two major research paradigms that underpin these systematic strategies, determining how a researcher will ‘think and act’. They are positivist and the naturalistic. A positivist paradigm is most closely allied with quantitative research and naturalistic paradigm is most often associated with qualitative research (Christensen Johnson, 2012, Loiselle et al. 2011). Each paradigm or approach is a perspective on research based on a set of shared assumptions, concepts, values, and practices (Christensen and Johnson, 2012). These two paradigms have two very distinct ontological, epistemological and methodological foundati ons. Quantitative research views the nature of the knowable and the nature of reality as being objective, material and structural. This worldview or perspective is that there is a reality ‘out there’ that is separable and independent from individual. That this reality can be verified and discovered through the scientific method is the fundamental assumption of positivism or the positivist paradigm (DePoy Gitlin, 2011; Loiselle et al. 2011; Christensen Johnson, 2012). The positivist or experimental-type perspective employed by quantitative research primarily follows the confirmatory scientific method because it focuses on hypothesis testing and theory testing (Christensen Johnson, 2012). Logical positivists believe that there is a single reality that can be discovered by reducing it into parts, and discovering the relationships among them. In other words, the logical, structural principles that guide some component of reality can be known. This concept is known as reductionism (DePoy Gitlin, 2011). Quantitative researchers typically use deductive reasoning to identify a single reality and generate predictions or hypotheses. They then use a systematic approach, progressing logically through a series of steps, according to a prespecified plan. The researchers use various â€Å"controls† to minimise biases and maximise precision and validity (DePoy Gitlin, 2011; Loiselle et al. 2011). Empirical evidence is rigorously and systematically gathered (directly or indirectly through the senses rather than personal hunches) using tested means. Quantitative information, being numeric information, is gathered then subsequently analyzed and measured through statistical procedures to deduce if a hypothesis is true or false (Loiselle et al, 2011). The hypothesis is confirmed or rejected on the basis of these empirical results. Qualitative research, on the other hand, take the view that as nature of the knowable and reality are mentally constructed by individual, they are multiple, subjective and personal. This worldview claims that reality is not a fixed entity but rather a construction of individuals participating in the research. That reality exists within a context, and many constructions are possible is the fundamental assumption of a naturalistic paradigm (Loiselle et al. 2011; Christensen and Johnson, 2012). Naturalistic inquiry theorists believe that ideas and individual interpretations are the lenses through which each individual knows and comes to understand and define the world. â€Å"Knowledge is based on how the individual perceives their experiences and how he or she understands his or her world† (Depoy Gitlin, p. 26). Naturalistic methods of enquiry attempt to capture these dynamic, holistic and individual aspects of phenomena in their entirety, within the context of those who are experiencing them. Therefore, naturalistic investigators emphasize understanding the human experience as it is lived, usually through the collection and analysis of qualitative materials that are narrative and subjective (Loiselle et al. 2011). Qualitative methods differ from that of quantitative in that procedures are flexible and can be modified to capitalize on findings that emerge during the course of study. Qualitative studies take place locally, in a natural setting, in the field, frequently over extended periods of time. Data collection and data analysis typically progress simultaneously . Consequently, naturalistic studies yield rich, in-depth information that can potentially clarify the multiple dimensions of a complicated phenomenon (Loiselle et al. 2011).t The scope of this assignment is to further examine and analyse quantitative research design and methodology and how it relates to the research of dementia†¦ Quantitative Experimental Design In experimental-type research, DePoy and Gitlin (p. 84) describe design as the plan or blueprint that specifies the procedures used to obtain empirical evidence to determine the relationship among variables of the study. In other words, the design is structured in such a way as to enable an examination of a hypothesized relationship among variables. Generally in quantitative research, hypotheses are constructed from general principles prior to data collection and then tested during the study. Experimental design is therefore well suited to answering questions about cause and effect or causation (Minichiello et al, 2004). The specific procedures actioned to obtain empirical evidence depend on the study and the design method used, but generally quantitative experimental designs involve sampling, data collection, data analysis and reporting. Investigators employ sampling techniques to select a subgroup that can accurately represent a population, defined as a group of persons, elements or both that share a set of common characteristics as predefined by the investigator. The intent is to be able to draw accurate conclusions about the population by studying a smaller group of elements (sample) (Minichiello et al, 2004, DePoy Gitlin, 2011). In quantitative research the collecting of data, quantifying information or measurement is a primary concern. Therefore the researcher must ensure the data instrument used is reliable and valid (DePoy Gitlin, 2011). Reliability refers to the degree of consistency with which an instrument measures an attribute and validity addresses the critical issue of the relationshi p between a concept and its measurement. It asks if whether what is being measured is a reflection of the underlying concept (Minichiello et al, 2004, DePoy Gitlin, 2011). The instrument can be one that the researcher designed themself, modified from another study, or an intact instrument that has been used by another researcher (Creswell, 1994). When experimental-type research is conducted, the researcher’s first preference is the selection of instruments that have demonstrated reliability and validity for the specific populations or phenomena the investigator wants to study. As is the case in the quantitative research articles explored later in this assignment. Statistical analysis is an important action process in experimental-type research that occurs at the conclusion of data collection and data preparation. It is at this juncture that data become meaningful, and lead to knowledge building that is descriptive, inferential or associational. From this analysis investigato rs can interpret and summarize data, generalise findings to the population from which the sample is drawn, and make causal statements and predictions (DePoy Gitlin, 2011). That part done. now how to tie this one to the next one below. True experimental design has three distinguishing properties namely; a randomised population sample, an intervention otherwise known as a manipulation and a control group for comparison (Nieswiadomy, 2008; Davis Logan, 2012). By randomly assigning subjects to an experimental group and a control group, the investigator attempts to develop equivalence, or eliminate subject bias, caused by inherent differences that may occur in the two groups (DePoy Gitlin, 2011). Investigators then manipulate an independent variable (IV) so that the effect of its presence, absence, or degree on the dependent variable (DV) can be observed. Manipulation is the action process of manoeuvring the independent variable for example the (IV) could be medication, a teaching plan or treatment etc. (Minichiello et al. 2004; LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010; DePoy Gitlin, 2011). The dependent variable is the variable that has changed due to the result of the manipulation e.g. the measured end result (Dempsey Dempsey , 2000; Minichiello et al, 2004). This enables researchers to study ‘cause and effect’ relationships (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010; Hedges Williams, 2014). Within the health arena the ‘causes’ are often the interventions or treatments and the ‘effects’ are the final outcomes (Minichiello et al, 2004; Moule Hek, 2011). The control group is the comparison group that receives the usual treatment or care, compared to the experimental one under scrutiny. This ‘true’ experimental design is referred to as a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010). RCT’s are considered the ‘superior’ design when investigating cause and effect relationships (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010; Loiselle et al. 2011). This control of variance and over extraneous influences inherent in experimental design allows the researcher to state with a degree of statistical assuredness that the study outcomes are a consequence of either the manipulation of the independent variable or the consequence of that which was observed and analysed. In other words, the design provides a degree of certainty that an investigators observations are not haphazard or random but reflect what is considered to be a true and objective reality. Quantitative experimental designs therefore eliminate bias and the intrusion of unwanted factors that could confound findings and make them less credible (Depoy Gitlin, 2011). Although the true-experiment design is continually upheld as the best design to use to predict causal relationships, being the most ‘objective’ and ‘true’ scientific approach, it may be inappropriate for other forms of inquiry in health and human services. This is because not all research questions seek to predict causal relationships between independent and dependent variables. Moreover, in some cases, using a true-experimental design may present critical ethical concerns such that other design strategies may be more appropriate. this part doesnt quite fit yet. According to DePoy Gitlin (2011) quantitative or experimental type research define four categories namely non-experimental, quasi-experimental, pre-experimental and true experimental. In relation to the chosen articles, experimental design will be discussed as both articles are randomized controlled trials. Should we delete this paragraph? dunno. what does part 2 say about experimental and non-experimental. Depoy Gitlin (2011) suggest that a design in the experimental-type tradition should be chosen purposively because it fits the question, level of theory development, and setting or environment in which the research will be conducted. The next part of this assignment will examine two such pieces of research demonstrating purposeful use of experimental design in the specific research of curtailing psychosocial effects such as depression and mental health wellbeing of caregivers caring for someone with dementia. Experimental Research Examples The research articles chosen to critique are both RCT’s. Both are trials investigating the wellbeing of family caregivers of people with dementia. The objective of one study was to investigate the effectiveness of the intervention of a home based training programme supporting family caregivers with a family member who have dementia. The study used the â€Å"Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Survey† to collect data on physical well-being and the Chinese adaptation â€Å"Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale† to measure depressive symptoms (Kao, Huang, Huang, Lian, Chiu, Chen, Kwok, Hsu Shy, 2012). Results from the design showed positive statistical measurements for each category of physical health outcomes and a decreased rate in risk of depression for those in the experimental group compared with the control group. This study concluded that the home based caregiver training programme significantly improved the quality of life relating to heal th and decreased the risk for depressive symptoms (Kao, Huang, Huang, Lian, Chiu, Chen, Kwok, Hsu Shy, 2012) . The other RCT was investigating the effectiveness of an internet intervention â€Å"Mastery over Dementia† supporting family caregivers of people with dementia. Results from the regression analyses showed caregivers of the experimental group had decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety. Concluding that the internet course was an effective treatment (Blom, Zarit, GrootZwaaftink, Culjipers Pot, 2015). Experimental research design has strengths and weaknesses. The main strength of experimental research design is that they are the most effective for measuring cause and effect relationships (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010). Due to the data obtained from experimental research designs knowledge has been applied and changes have been integrated in to action (Carr, 1994). The strength of random sampling is that it increases the possibility of being generalizable in the finding, however random selection is very time-consuming (Carr, 1994). With experimental type design the researcher remains detached from the subjects, the strength of this approach is prevention of researcher involvement guarding against any bias within the study (Carr, 1994). However they are often complex and unrealistic to measure in clinical environments and can be disruptive to peoples routine when implemented (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010) . Other variables that can impact on findings is that when an intervention is bei ng administered by different people e.g. it is impossible to ensure different nurses deliver the intervention in the same way with each person (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010). A further weakness is that many interventions required for studies are not agreeable to ethical consent e.g. doing an experimental design on people who smoke to measure adverse side effects (LoBiondo-Wood Harber, 2010). Due to these weaknesses many researchers resort to quazi-experimental design (Rewrite in own words)There is nothing inherently good or bad about a design. Every research study design has its particular strengths and weaknesses. The adequacy of a design is based on how well the design answers the research question that is posed. That is the most important criteria for evaluating a design. If it does not answer the research question then the design, regardless how rigorous it may appear, is not appropriate. It is also important to identify and understand the relative strength and weakness of each design element (DePoy Gitlin, 2011).

War Essay -- essays research papers

The first issue to be considered is what is war and what is its definition. The student of war needs to be careful in examining definitions of war, for like any social phenomena, definitions are varied, and often the proposed definition masks a particular political or philosophical stance paraded by the author. This is as true of dictionary definitions as well as of articles on military or political history. Cicero defines war broadly as "a contention by force"; Hugo Grotius adds that "war is the state of contending parties, considered as such"; Thomas Hobbes notes that war is also an attitude: "By war is meant a state of affairs, which may exist even while its operations are not continued"; Denis Diderot comments that war is "a convulsive and violent disease of the body politic;" for Karl von Clausewitz, "war is the continuation of politics by other means", and so on. Each definition has its strengths and weaknesses, but often is the culmination of the writer's broader philosophical positions. For example, the notion that wars only involve states-as Clausewitz implies-belies a strong political theory that assumes politics can only involve states and that war is in some manner or form a reflection of political activity. 'War' defined by Webster's Dictionary is a state of open and declared, hostile armed conflict between states or nations, or a period of such conflict. This captures a particularly political-rationalistic account of war and warfare, i.e., that war needs to be explicitly declared and to be between states to be a war. We find Rousseau arguing this position: "War is constituted by a relation between things, and not between persons†¦War then is a relation, not between man and man, but between State and State†¦" (The Social Contract). The military historian, John Keegan offers a useful characterization of the political-rationalist theory of war in his A History of War. It is assumed to be an orderly affair in which states are involved, in which there are declared beginnings and expected ends, easily identifiable combatants, and high levels of obedience by subordinates. The form of rational war is narrowly defined, as distinguished by the expectation of sieges, pitched battles, skirmishes, raids, reconnaissance, patrol and outpost duties, with each possessing their own conventions. As ... ...ine war not just as a conflict between states (i.e., the rationalist position), but also a conflict between non-state peoples, non-declared actions, and highly organized, politically controlled wars as well as culturally evolved, ritualistic wars and guerrilla uprisings, that appear to have no centrally controlling body and may perhaps be described as emerging spontaneously. The political issue of defining war poses the first philosophical problem, but once that is acknowledged, a definition that captures the clash of arms, the state of mutual tension and threat of violence between groups, the authorized declaration by a sovereign body, and so on can be drawn upon to distinguish wars from riots and rebellions, collective violence from personal violence, metaphorical clashes of values from actual or threatened clashes of arms. Back to Table of Contents 2. What causes war? Various sub-disciplines have grappled with war's etiology, but each in turn, as with definitions of war, often reflects a tacit or explicit acceptance of broader philosophical issues on the nature of determinism and freedom. For example, if it is claimed that man is not free to choose his actions (strong

The Role of Inspector Goole in in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestly E

The Role of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls Examine the role of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls & study the impact his role has on the rest of the characters in the play. Inspector Goole is the most important character in the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ because he is the catalyst for the events that take place in the play. Priestley’s intensions were to reveal to his audience the social state of England in 1945. He felt that little had changed since the turn of the century. Preistley was a socialist and he very strongly believed that everyone should be equal. In this play Preistley shows to the audience that at this time it was Socialist vs Capitalist, and that everyone was separated in to social classes. These were working class, middle class and upper class. In the play there is a character to fit into each one of these classes: Daisy Renton / Eva Smith – Lower class Mr Birling, Eric and Sheila – Middle Class Mrs Birling and Eric – Upper class In the play I think that Inspector Goole is Priestley’s social conscience. The play was written after World War 1 but was actually set at the turn of the century (in 1912). Mr Birling thinks that he knows everything but infact what he says is a load of rubbish, such as: '"The Titanic....unsikable, absolutely unsinkable"' where it sunk on its first journey. He also says there is no chance of a war happeining, but a few years later he is again proven wrong. Mr Birling is a very shallow man. The physical description of Inspector Goole is very unique and reveals a lot about his character. The Inspector ‘creates an impression of massiveness’ and this would be intimidating for the family. Priestly describes him as having ‘solidity’ and ‘... ...spector, some more obvious than others. For example the way in which he talks to the family, the family don't expect to be treated like this so they panic and reveal to having conections with Eva or Daisy. His name could also tell us that he is an imposter as its sound like 'ghoul' which is a ghost, in others words non existant. He has a very big effect on the family. Birling says: '"still, I can't accept any responsibility."' as he is scared of having his reputation disrupted, he would rather have his family take the blame. This shows he is a very selfish man. So I believe that Preistly shows his veiws through the character inspector Goole, he is valuable in the play because he author explain how he feels. He shows us about morality and morals. There has a good varity of characters in the play and the way the play slowly progresses is very good.

Tanning

Welcome to Four Seasons Tanning, the quintessential consultant for today’s salon owner. From the hottest new arrivals in lotions, to the most advanced tanning beds on the market, Four Seasons gives you everything you need to run a successful salon, and for those thinking of opening a salon. Four Seasons Sales and Service is the one source solution. Saving time and stress by putting decades of experience to work to help your salon profit. Four Seasons Sales and Service is a professional indoor tanning distributor with over twenty years of industry experience that was founded in 1983 by twin brothers, Ronnie and Johnny Allen. Ronnie’s wife owned a small beauty salon, and she decided to add tanning as an additional business. At that time, they were one of the few individuals in the area with any experience on tanning products and tanning equipment. The business started when Ronnie and Johnny worked on their own tanning beds and began to repair other salons in the area. Before long, they began carrying tanning products to help their clients achieve maximum tanning results, and teaching them how to properly take care of their skin while tanning. This was the largest and fastest growing part of the business. What began as a business promoting products and services out of the back of their truck rapidly grew into a large-scale warehouse operation that expanded to shipping nationwide. Four Seasons Sales and Service also have proven management in distribution of and consultation on tanning products, parts, services, and marketing advantages, while also staying well equipped with first-class investigative, design, and problem solving skills. The Allen brothers always reinvested in the company, and prided themselves on taking care of the heart of the business; their employees. Currently Four Seasons Sales and Service provide approximately two-hundred full time professional specialists that are friendly and efficient, and are dedicated to partnering with salon owners to help them achieve their very best. Four Seasons is proud to be the only employee owned company in the Indoor Tanning Industry. This means that Four Seasons' specialists and team members have the ability to share in our company's success. Throughout this paper, you will read and learn about a team of incredibly productive and highly motivated individuals that will settle for nothing less than excellence.

Differences Between Fact and Value

The words fact and value have always been used interchangeably. The disputes between these two words have always been an issue, sometimes unresolved. Even though, these two words are different, they are still often used to have the same meaning. Due to the differences that existed between these words they often creates some problems, which require clarity. The word fact simply means truth about a statement, life, the world in which we live.In addition, it could mean an objective actuality, which can be subjected to test, verified by appealing to authority (science, books). For instance, in economics it is believed that the higher the price, the lower the quantity demanded. In addition, according to the law of gravity â€Å"everything that goes up must come down†. These two statements are fact. The answer to these is either wrong or right. If proved right then it is a fact. Fact is basically, what is. While, value refers to word that have some features of subjective statement.T hese are statement, which ask questions, this usually comes in the form of what should to be or ought to be and not what is. For instance, this statement gives a clear picture of the word value. Who is the better president, George Bush or Bill Clinton? This study is important to the sociologist because they research and they have to be able to differentiate between issues like this. They should be inclined and therefore, they should be up to date. In conclusion, this study is important to the sociologist.

Influence of Parents on Academic Performance Essay

Authorities parenting, psychosocial maturity and academic success among adolescents, study of Steinberg et al. (1989) describes that when a parents treat their child warmly, democratically, and firmly, they will develop positive attitudes, they will achieve more and do better in school. Multidimensional conceptualization of parent involvement in children’s schooling according to Grolmck’s (1994), it describes that parents must support their child specially to their experiences. Parental Involvement and academic achievement of peer accepted and peer rejected children, a study by Chowdhary and Jayasmita (1997), describes that parental involvement may have influence to the academic performance of a child as a accepted or rejected. Comparative study of parent-child relationships of high and low achievers, study by Kang et al. (1997); the Tiwari (1997) was used to develop this study, it used eight dimensions at parent and child relations such as acceptance, rejection, domina nce-submission, encouragement-discouragement, love-hate, authoritarian-democratic, reward-punishment, trust-disburst, tolerance-hostility. In this study it reveals that children who had warm relationships with their parents achieved higher in classroom. Parent-child relationship and academic motivation, study of Suman et al. (2003), it revealed that the achievement motivation was higher when adolescents perceived their parents as loving and demanding. Sibling rivalry and relation to achievement motivation, study of Vasuki et. al (2004), data were from Neerakatwal’s (1988) and Deo Mohan’s Achievement Motivation Scale (1985), it showed that rivalry towards siblings, tended to have low levels of achievement motivation. Effect of Peer Academic Reputation on Achievement Gest et. al (2005) argued that peer academic reputation (PAR) may influence children’s academic motivation and achievement even if it is not veridical. This argument is consistent with research on the effect of teacher expectations on achievement, which demonstrates that teacher perception of children’s academic ability, whether accurate or not, affect student’s grades and scores on standardized achievement tests (for reviews see Brophy, 1983, Jussim Eccles, and Mardon 1996, and Jussim and Harber, 2005) Developmental Issues Researchers speculate that growth in social cognitive skills, including the capacity and motivation to use social comparison information to shape self-evaluations, account for the trend toward more negative and more differentiated self-perception in grades K-3 (Kuklinsks and Weinstein 2001: Markus and Wurf, 1987). Also make children the transition from kindergarten to the more formal academic setting of grades 1-3, more social comparison cues, may be available, and feedback on one’s academic performance may be based more on comparison to others versus improvement over one’s prior performance (Eccles et. al, 1993: Ruble and Frey, 1987: Ruble, Grosovsky, Frey, and Cohen, 1992) Influence of siblings on adjustment of adolescents Conger et al. (1997) carried a study on parents, siblings, psychological control and adolescents. Data were obtained by using Rosenberg measure of self esteem (Rosenberg, 1965) Pearten measure of control and mastery developed by (Pearlin, 1981), SCR-90-R (Symptom checklist revised; Derogatis, 1983) was administered. Results of the study indicated that psychological control both by parents and by siblings contributes to increase adolescents adjustment problems and to diminished self-confidence. Vasuki et al. (2004) carried a study on â€Å"sibling rivalry and its relation to frustration, mental health and self conflict of adolescents† on a sample of 60 girls and 60 boys from three city schools of in the age group of 15-18 years. Data were obtained using Neerakatual’s (1998) sibling relationship questionnaire, Chauhan and Govind Tiwari’s (1969) Frustration test, Smt Rama Tiwari’s (1986) self conflict questionnaire, Jagdish and Srivastava’s Mental health questionnaire. Results of the study revealed that both males and females of dyads and multiples showed rivalry towards their siblings in a homogeneous way. Greater extent of sibling rivalry also lead the adolescents to become more frustrated. Oliva et al. (2005) carriedout a study on â€Å"sibling relationship during adolescence† on a sample of 513 adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years. Data were obtained by using an instrument created by Steinberg et al. (1991) to assess the parenting style, questionnaire on sibling relationships (QSR; Arranz et al., 1994), inventory of peer attachment (IPA) developed by Armsdeu and Greenberg (1987) and Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965). Results of this study indicated that having siblings was related to adolescent’s social and personal adjustment, although only among girls and only in cases of good sibling relationships. In cases of poor sibling adjustment, it was the negative effects of every day situations of rivalry and conflict outweighed the benefits of any support that was provided.

A change Essay

The quote â€Å"Be the change you wish to see in the world† bu Mahatma Gandhi means that if you want to turn the world into a better place, you need to start by turning yourself into a better you. For me, this quotes it’s true by several reason. You need to be an example, by this I mean that if you want to see a transformation, you need to act as you wish others to act so you can start a change, no matter how big or small it is. Gandhi is telling us that a personal and a social transformation can become viral and affect other people’s lifes in a good way. So by this he suggest that a personal transformation can become something greatter. A perfect example is the wise Gandhi because he used his personality and his thoughts of nonviolence to change the world. In order to bring a positive change into the world we need to engage to the outer worl but also with ourself, we need to cultivate ove and peace in our day by day life, so that love and peace can grow and beco me contagiuose. The quote â€Å"Be the change you wish to see in the world† bu Mahatma Gandhi means that if you want to turn the world into a better place, you need to start by turning yourself into a better you. For me, this quotes it’s true by several reason. You need to be an example, by this I mean that if you want to see a transformation, you need to act as you wish others to act so you can start a change, no matter how big or small it is. Gandhi is telling us that a personal and a social transformation can become viral and affect other people’s lifes in a good way. So by this he suggest that a personal transformation can become something greatter. A perfect example is the wise Gandhi because he used his personality and his thoughts of nonviolence to change the world. In order to bring a positive change into the world we need to engage to the outer worl but also with ourself, we need to cultivate ove and peace in our day by day life, so that love and peace can grow and beco me contagiuose. The quote â€Å"Be the change you wish to see in the world† bu Mahatma Gandhi means that if you want to turn the world into a better place, you need to start by turning yourself into a better you. For me, this quotes it’s true by several reason. You need to be an example, by this I mean that if you want to see a transformation, you need  to act as you wish others to act so you can start a change, no matter how big or small it is. Gandhi is telling us that a personal and a social transformation can become viral and affect other people’s lifes in a good way. So by this he suggest that a personal transformation can become something greatter. A perfect example is the wise Gandhi because he used his personality and his thoughts of nonviolence to change the world. In order to bring a positive change into the world we need to engage to the outer worl but also with ourself, we need to cultivate ove and peace in our day by day life, so that love and peace can grow and become contagiuose. The quote â€Å"Be the change you wish to see in the world† bu Mahatma Gandhi means that if you want to turn the world into a better place, you need to start by turning yourself into a better you. For me, this quotes it’s true by several reason. You need to be an example, by this I mean that if you want to see a transformation, you need to act as you wish others to act so you can start a change, no matter how big or small it is. Gandhi is telling us that a personal and a social transformation can become viral and affect other people’s lifes in a good way. So by this he suggest that a personal transformation can become something greatter. A perfect example is the wise Gandhi because he used his personality and his thoughts of nonviolence to change the world. In order to bring a positive change into the world we need to engage to the outer worl but also with ourself, we need to cultivate ove and peace in our day by day life, so that love and peace can grow and become contagiuose. The quote â€Å"Be the change you wish to see in the world† bu Mahatma Gandhi means that if you want to turn the world into a better place, you need to start by turning yourself into a better you. For me, this quotes it’s true by several reason. You need to be an example, by this I mean that if you want to see a transformation, you need to act as you wish others to act so you can start a change, no matter how big or small it is. Gandhi is telling us that a personal and a social transformation can become viral and affect other people’s lifes in a good way. So by this he suggest that a personal transformation can become something greatter. A perfect example is the wise Gandhi because he used his personality and his thoughts of nonviolence to change the world. In order to bring a positive change into the world we need to engage to the outer worl but also with ourself, we need to cultivate ove and peace in our day by day life, so that love and peace  can grow and become contagiuose.

In What Ways Did Religion and Economics Influence the Development of Medieval Europe and Japan?

God’s laws told them that they were equal to the King. The archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls were freeman that could not be taken or imprisoned, outlawed or exiled or ruined unless by lawful judgments. General of injustice’s would cause the souls of them and the souls of their ancestors and successors to burn in all eternity. 2) How did the Magna Carta limit the power of King John? According to the Magna Carta: the king could no longer collect taxes from the English people unless the Great Council agreedany free man who was brought to trial for a crime had the right to be judged by his equals, rather than the king or his officials; this is what we know as a jurylegal decisions were also now influenced by the judges’ interpretation of previous court decisions; this made rulings more consistent so that the same crime couldn’t be punished in two different waysthe king himself now had to obey the laws of England; this was a brand new idea: that even the king was not above obeying the law3) How did the Magna Carta lay the foundation for democracy? Many of the ideas first written in the Magna Carta would later form the basis of modern democracy. It was the first document to limit the powers of the monarchy. This would influence the democratic idea of a system of checks and balances to keep one pie ce of the government (such as the president) from having too much power. It also established rights for everyday people and influenced the content of other documents that protect the rights of citizens, such as the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution Another result of the Magna Carta was the establishment of the first English parliament. It created the Great Council, a group of 25 barons that the king was supposed to consult when he made a decision. This planted the seeds of a parliamentary government where the power was shared between the ruling monarch and the people, and the people had a voice. Later, Philip IV of France would use a similar idea in 1302 to establish the Estates-General. This was an assembly of noblemen, clergy, and townspeople that was also useful in uniting France under one national identity.

Communication in Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication in Economics - Essay Example The economists on the other hand estimated that that over 10 million dollars are spent each year as an average payment package for the chief executives in only big companies. The economists believe that the people who are on the receiving end of this kind of enormous transfers of the shareholders end ironically want the CEOs to continue. The economists have put it across that letting the excessive pay escalate every year badly hurts the already battered reputations of the American chief executives and from their point of view the silence has been very baffling. The economists also believe that there should be an inter4nal pay equity in every single company so that to avoid this perception that there are better people in the highest realms of business. The economists have also clearly said that with all the scandals that have been occurring in the recent past the CEOs only care about themselves and the idea that they create wealth for their shareholders is seen as the most ridiculous thing. This is true since most of them do not actually do the physical work themselves but their employees do the work and hence they are the ones who have created wealth for the shareholders from the type and the quality of service they provide. The economists further believe that without the presence of the lower level employees the CEOs would not have the companies at all because they would really have an awfully hard time in doing all the company's' jobs at once. Another very interesting issue is that the CEOs in America suggest what they would like to receive as their payment package. It then gets to the human resources person who later gets a consultant and it works so well that the CEOs get what they had implied or what they think they deserve. This makes the CEOs be highly respected by their peers. The economics think that it would be very fair if all the people were paid the salaries that they think they deserve by the companies that they work for. Since paying the CEOs hefty amounts of money leaves the economists wondering what about the people who have impacted the CEOs lives and the teachers who taught them the basic math and even reading. This people do not make millions in a year but they have helped in the creation of who the CEOs are today and if given a chance every one of these people who have worked tirelessly would like to make millions as the CEOs do but it just can't happen. (Noah, September, 1991) The economists suggest that the society has been playing a significant role in allowing the CEOs get much more power than anyone else and they assume that they deserve the credit for building their million dollar companies. The CEOs however play an insignificant role in sustaining the companies and in most instances they do not have to make as many decisions as the board members do or as much work as the secretaries. All the actually do is simply watch and monitor the stock prices and clearly ensure that they are still earning at least a seven digit salary. The boards on the other hand have been made to accept the logic that the CEOs should be in the top half in their pay and if it is not so this leaves an implication to the to the general public

Is The Holocaust Unique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Is The Holocaust Unique - Essay Example Holocaust is the term used to describe the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people during World War II (Oxford Reference). The term â€Å"holocaust† has been used by many to describe other mass violations against humanity. The word â€Å"holocaust† is derived from holokaustos in the Greek translation of the bible and means a â€Å"completely consumed burnt offering†. The Gypsies (Romanis), the Armenians, and the Chinese under Mao all experienced one form or another of genocide. To some extent the terms genocide and holocaust have been used interchangeably to describe a mass killing of a people. So, what’s the difference? Mass killings can be called genocide but not necessarily a holocaust. The Jewish Holocaust was an attempt to kill off a specific race of people regardless of where they lived. Hitler’s version of holocaust was to kill off every Jew everywhere in the world with the intent of controlling the world with his allies. This was all inclusive, no exceptions! Genocide has been defined as being an eight stage process: Classification, Symbolization, Dehumanization, Organization, Polarization, Preparation, Extermination, and Denial. It’s when the eight stage process gets to â€Å"extermination† that their actions have earned the title â€Å"genocide†. The difference between genocide and a holocaust is that any one of the above listed eight stages is genocide. Holocaust is all the stages, one thru eight, with the intent to totally exterminate a people. The Holocaust's victims were considered to be so inferior, so threatening that their existence had to be completely eliminated (Rosenbaum, 22-23). The Nazi's called this plan "die Endlosung", the final solution to the Jewish question (Rosenbaum, 22). 2. A survivor's account. Alexander Kimel, a holocaust survivor, explains that the difference between Genocides and the Holocaust are the rates of survival (Kimel, p1.). Keep in mind that this is not an argument of numbers killed but an argument of recovery. China's Mao killed 10 million out of 800 million (1.23%), Stalin's numbers were 10 million out of 230 million (4.3%), and in the early phases of World War II out of 10,000 Jews 9900 were killed (99%). And, that trend continued through out World War Two. Recovery can and did take place in China and Russia. In Europe the Jewish community remains but a fragment of what it was and does not continue in the same ways as prior to World War Two. Many Jewish communities that had existed in Europe prior to World War Two are gone. All that remains of many communities are their vandalized cemeteries. 3. What is the purpose of the discussions about the Holocaust and genocide The Jewish community as a whole has kept alive their memories of the Holocaust. The Armenian and Romani communities have done the same. Yehuda Berger writes:

Five Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Five Advertisements - Essay Example Some of the mass media channels used for advertising include newspaper, television stations, radio advertisement, newspaper, outdoor advertising, or new media such direct mail, text massages, or website. Not all advertisements are aimed at promoting sales; others are geared at keeping customers informed of availability of certain products in the market. Some of the advertisement that gives no reasons for purchasing the products includes advertising to profession or business, institution advertising, pioneering advertising, Obtrusive advertising, competitive advertising, and remainder advertising. This form of advertising targets professionals and resellers. The media type that is mandated to carry out this form uses professional magazines or directly mails the customers. The ads herein do not aim at influencing customers directly and the products presented for advertisement are not to be bought by final users. For instance, a company-advising mortgage for the developers has nothing to do with customers or the end users. In other words, the advisement does not target the final customers. The corporate ads form part of these ads. They often target stockholders, financial institutes, employees, government, and political leaders (Phillips & Rasberry 127). The main aim of institutional or corporate ads may be to boost or establish corporate image and identity, counter any negative attitude towards the company, to promote industry’s interest in relation to some potential social or public interests. The current Aditya Birla group campaign ads would fit into this category. This type of advertisement tries to create a selective demand; that is the demand of a specific manufacture’s product as opposed to product category. The major companies that are involved or seek this form of advertisement are innovating companies who are ever forced to show the customer the evolution the company’s product. For