Tesco’s Success Story

Tesco's success story Some of the key reasons for  Tesco’s  success include: Tesco  has been particularly successful because of its powerful brand. It has a reputation for value, low prices and for being customer focused. Its brand equity and associations have helped the company to expand into new sectors and markets. Tesco  has also been strong in public relations, advertising and building profile in catchment areas on a local level. This local approach to marketing appears to be a key driver for success. Tesco  has a good range of products, including own label products.It seeks to provide excellent customer service, and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction. The own label products have helped strengthen profits for the group, and it broad appeal through good, better, best (finest ranges) caters for the widest consumer audience. Aggressive overseas expansion has helped to keep profits high. The organisation has expanded into Eastern Europe, emerging nations su ch as China and South Korea and even the US, through mid market supermarkets known as, â€Å"fresh and easy†.Its strategy of being close to the customer has been assisted in the UK specifically, when  Tesco  developed different formats for shopping (convenience, metro, express, superstores). It has been the best retailer for format delivery and obtaining some of the best retail positions. It gained a first mover advantage when it launched  Tesco. com, which is one of the biggest and most successful online retailers. This part of the business continues to grow market share and has provided a channel to sell non-food items and other areas of the business including finance.Information technology has revolutionized the retailer, not only in stock-control and distribution worldwide, but also in terms supplier management. It has enabled better I) retailer-manufacturer innovation ii)  shorterning  of decision making and greater knowledge sharing. Tesco  is one of the mos t advanced companies in consumer understanding aided by IT (e. g. Dunhumby  and  Tesco  Clubcard  data). Consumer data has i) shaped product offerings ii) ranges iii) given  Tesco  a better understanding of consumer segments and shopping profiles and iv) helped marketing to build loyalty and develop promotion offerings that suit target groups.This level of sophistication has helpedTesco  to remain leader within the UK market. Suppliers are internationally sourced, and  Tesco  gains scale economies from its large buying volumes. This has enabled the company to keep prices down and supported its low price strategy aimed at the broad consumer market. However, the company has been criticized for its management of suppliers and clashes with the farmers union. There has been growing opposition to the supermarket because of its size, and the government (through the Monopolies and Mergers Commission) has been involved in ensuring competitive markets in the UK.Recent acquis itions such as T;amp;S stores, have led to a high concentration, with only few dominant players within the market. The organisation has a diversified product portfolio, which includes telecommunications, finance, insurance, which provides cross and up sell opportunities to customers. Profits have been invested to support research and development, and its aggressive international expansion plans. Read more:  http://www. businessteacher. org. uk/business-resources/case-study-database/tesco-case-study/#ixzz2B9gukB98

Eating Disorder

Eating Disorders and weight loss has always been and will always be a challenge in the USA. Psychologists have been trying to motivate as well as encourage people to lose weight in all different ways. Focusing on dangerous methods that can be harmful to humans such as anorexia, and bulimia, can lead to many eating disorders which may then cause bodies to go into dimorphic disorders. This has been an epidemic in the media as well as in the societies where it has an on-going conception of being beautiful, which can have an effect on the body images.The large amount of body fats has provided energy, insulations, organs protection and maintaining of the body function. Body composition is the comparison between muscle and fat in a person’s body. A person’s weight could be high because of either large muscles, or having too much extra fat on their bones. When an individual is overweight because of excess fat, then they are at a high risk of getting a vvariety of dangerous and life threatening diseases. Excess fat can also cause an individual to have a much weaker immune system which then leads to infections, slower would healing, and complications during surgery.Extra fat possess danger to women if they are pregnant, and their baby could threatened as well. There are also physiological aspects of being overweight as well which can harm a person over time such as becoming depressed, dependent on others to do your daily activities for you and being unable to take care of them and possibly even developing eating disorders. There are so many factors these days that contribute to the world’s obesity epidemic. The two leading factors, in my opinion, are not eating healthy and not getting the appropriate amount of physical aactivity.These two factors work together because they go hand in hand: unhealthy food causes people to feel lazy and lack energy, so they sit around and play video games and watch TV rather than go out to play. There is also the fact that many people were never taught how to shop for and prepare healthy foods. People often turn to fast food and junk food because it is much quicker for people with busy lifestyles. It is so easy for people to become distracted from exercise these days due to the technological advances in cell phones, computers, video games, and even interactive TV.This can be especially true for those who have no one else to play with, and even for people who are already embarrassed of their weight. Eating disorders are often developed when a person is ashamed of the way the look and feel, and take drastic measures to change their weight. There are three categories of eating disorders which are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Anorexia nervosa is defined as the desire to be thin, where the person will drastically decrease their food intake causing major weight loss.Bulimia nervosa is when a person eats excessively and then either self induce s vomiting or misuses laxatives, exercise, or fasting. The third category, EDNOS, includes the disorder binge eating which is when people eat excessively usually to cope with feelings and depression; binge eaters do not purge or try to lose the calories in any way. There are many ways in which eating disorders can contribute to the development of Body Fat and Eating Disorders |3 Health problems.For example, bulimics who go through the binge-purge cycle damage their intestinal tracts by causing tooth decay, sores in the mouth, throat irritation, changes in stomach capacity, and more. Another example of health problems caused by eating disorders is psychological issues which include low self-esteem and depression. Finally, the most important risk to the health of a person with an eating disorder is death; there is the possibility of starvation if the disorder becomes extreme and no intervention is made.

Jubilee Line Extension Project Management Assignment

Jubilee Line Extension Project Management - Assignment Example There are certain principles of project management that are significantly applicable in the current project. These include the commitment principle and the success principle, wherein every stakeholders of the project should have the commitment for the successful completion of the project. Another principle of project management includes strategy principle, wherein planning is considered as the most important and primary step. Moreover, thread off principle of project management is considered as the combination of both commitment principle and success principle. Another principle includes the control principle, wherein the prime importance provided to the policies and procedures of the project. Single point responsibility is a common phenomenon in most of the projects in which an individual is responsible for every aspect of the project. Furthermore, another principle of project management is the cultural environment principle. In this regard, planning of projects, execution and other s are aligned with the community environment and environment law.Determination of the viability of a project is highly important. This is because it assesses the success of the project. Moreover, it also determines the worth of investment made towards completing the project within a specific period. This assessment of the performance of s project is evaluated through two techniques. These include Net Present value (NPV) and the Return on Investment (ROI). The NPV value for project A is calculated as (Â £ 108,952.31).

Proposed research topic Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proposed topic - Research Paper Example While making a direct contribution to economic development, the indirect effects also affect transportation, logistics and retail sales. These contributions constitute to the economy’s GDP growth of 45 percent. This is a significant indication of tourism as a powerful component with a multiplier economy effect. Globally, the total tourist population projects a strong continuous growth in the future. They key drivers to this population growth will be an increase in the ageing population in developed countries, higher levels of income, and lifestyle improvement. Because tourism is mainly leisure, an improving economy puts more population at a position of enjoying this leisure. Given that the tremendous tourism growth affects the wider Dubai region, there is need for correct forecasting of this trend demand in order to enhance decision making on the major infrastructural investments. Precise predicting will also enhance evaluation of conjunctural planning and situation for flow i n demand. This research study assesses the trend of growth in the tourism sector and the effects. It examines the main indicators of tourist activities as measured using several approaches such as the number of guest nights, destination visited, age of tourists and gender. Background In UAE, tourism is one of the most profitable sectors. In this region, this economic activity acts leverage to the government in maintaining income of several foreign currencies to the UAE region. The main attraction to tourists is shopping. Other key attraction includes modern and ancient culture of the people living in this region. In Middle East, the major shopping capital is in this region attracting investors and shoppers from Asia, Europe, Africana and other Middle East regions. In Dubai, tourists and other visitors get convenient access to shopping and sports conveniences, airports, hostels and resorts. Studies reveal that, between the years 2001 and 2009, UAE tourist sector experienced a boost a s the returns from the sector grew to Dh 41 billion. In another study, Ryan (2009) established that tourism had the main economic significance and played a significant role in the UAE developed. According to Stephenson and Ali-Knight (2010), the total economic impact from this sector amounted to Dh71 Billion. This study goes further to examine the capital investments together with the direct and indirect income generated from tourism and other economic activities. In his findings, Wakefield (2012) established that tourism contribution constituted to 7.8 percent of the economy’s GDP. The leading state was Dubai where the contribution was 7.6%. At the state level, the main tourism economy was Dubai at 66 percent. Closely following Dubai is Abu Dhabi at 17 percent and Sharjah with 9 percent of the tourism economy. In the year 2008, tourism sector experienced a deflation. This downward trend emerged from the global economic crisis. However, the deflation did not go beyond 15 perc ent. The tourism sector is also responsible for job creation in the UAE economy. According to an analysis of Inhorn (2011), the tourism sector employs 160, 053 people. While most of this labor is imported, the citizens are the main beneficiaries from these employment opportunities. Studies have examined the economic effect of tourists in UAE from three perspectives. One of these perspectives is the direct effect. This

Departmentalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Departmentalization - Essay Example The importance of the departmentalization is to enhance the performance of the employees and to implement successful planning by the management to encourage efficiency. The significance of departmentalization is to improve efficiency of the organization through specifications. The efficiency and responsibility increases with the implementation of departmentalization, which facilitates the emotion of autonomy among the managers. Due to this form of management structure, every department has a manager and the responsibility is hence divided in the departments. The facility of appraisal, budget preparation and the supervision become easier and more effective after the implementation of the departmentalization (Anbuvelan 103-106). The purpose of the departmentalization is to ensure smooth administration at every level. It is the process of dividing the large organization into small functional groups for proper flexible administrations. The use of this form of organizational structure inc reases the efficiency of the employees. This makes the executives more responsible and helps in increasing the prestige and skills of the departmental heads. ... The study also explores the different forms of departmentalization used by different companies in the global context. TYPES OF DEPARTMENTALIZATION Departmentalization is the procedure of dividing the large organization into various small units. Every department has their own manager and specific work to increase the efficiency and its effectiveness. There are six forms of departmentalization with the aim to increase efficiency in the work environment. Functional Departmentalization. In this form of departmentalization, the grouping is done on the basis of the functional aspects. The grouping is done on the basis of skill and knowledge. The group or departments formed generally include the accounting, marketing and Information Technology (IT). This form of departmentalization is present in every organization. The basic organizational functions are done in this form of departments and through this form the nature of the business can be realized. In this departmentalization form, people with similar skills and knowledge perform the tasks and hence the focus becomes narrow which increases the efficiency level (Mahida 4-5). Advantages In this approach, the level of efficiency increases as people with similar skills work together and the knowledge shared enables to derive decisive benefits for the organization. Functional departmentalization increases the level of analysis because of the in-depth knowledge of the people in a department. It helps in facilitating easier coordination within the department and the organization. It also reduces the cost of repetition and minimizes the need for training (Pride, Hughes and Kapoor 196-197). Disadvantages In terms of disadvantages, it is at times observed that

Qualitative Assesment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Qualitative Assesment - Assignment Example Themes represent patterned responses from the data in relation to the research topic and mostly occur severally in the data set (Guest, 2012). This study aims at conducting a thematic analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews of passengers view on airport security of an international airline company and presents it for information generation and decision making by the management. All the passengers interviewed believed that the heightened security at the airports have increased delays at the airport. Passengers feel that the heightened measures aimed at augmenting security hamper their plans of boarding planes on time. This is despite three of the passengers blaming it on the security personnel and security measures done by the airports while one passenger blaming the passengers who lack cooperation and understanding of the security system at the airport for the delays experienced at the airports. It is evident that the main concern for all the passengers in relation to security measures at the airport is delays. Four of the five interviewees believe that there is excess security at the airports hindering and hampering the access to personal freedom rights and infringing on the passengers personal space. They feel that there is a need of the security personnel to reduce the chances of search of passengers luggage without permission and if his has to be done to be done in a humanly manner to ensure the passengers understand that the heightened security is for their personal good owing to high security concerns at the airport. Some of them believe that the full body scans could have excess radiation that may have a negative impact o their health raising the feeling of excessive security at airports. Three of the five passengers interviewed feel that there is an increase in the safety of the passengers due to the heightened security

Law of sales and the uniform commercial code(SLP) Essay

Law of sales and the uniform commercial code(SLP) - Essay Example 2.2 The payment of the Purchase Price shall be made in full by means of telegraphic transfer of immediate available funds to the Sellers account maintained with National Westminster Bank, Bournemouth Branch, The Square, 5 Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH1 1DU, UK, (US Dollar Account No.06236820). 3.4. Unless otherwise agreed in writing between the parties delivery shall take place at Bournemouth International Airport, Bournemouth, before which the Buyer has inspected all technical documentation and agreed that it is to his satisfaction. 3.5. Delivery of the Aircraft shall include the original historical records pertaining Aircraft and Engines. The delivery will be deemed complete if some conditions are met, the first condition being that only after the Seller has delivered the original and complete historical records, and the Buyer has inspected and accepted the original and complete historical records, will the contract be complete. The second condition is that the inspection will include the current AD/SB status of the Aircraft and Engines, as well as documents showing complete traceability to zero of the Life Limited Parts of the Aircraft and Engines and all records are accepted by the Buyer. If the above conditions are met, then the Sellers responsibility for delivery of the Aircraft will have been completed. The Buyer shall acknowledge such delivery and acceptance by the execution of Exhibit C. 3.6. The Buyer agrees after accepting delivery of the aircraft to remove the aircraft from the Sellers premises within seven working days, unless communication is made in writing between the two parties on another date. All costs associated with the removal of the aircraft from the Sellers premises will be to the cost of the Buyer. If the Buyer is unable to take the aircraft after seven days, then the Seller will be able to invoice the Seller parking

A short REPORT On Frederick Winslow Taylor Essay

A short REPORT On Frederick Winslow Taylor - Essay Example He developed philosophies based on shop-management, earning him the title, â€Å"Father of Scientific Management.† In the steel company, Winslow had noted a trend among the workers. He noticed that some of the workers were lazy, and not working to their abilities. This had a negative effect on the output of work, therefore reducing the company productivity. This compelled Winslow to develop a task management system, which he used to handle work in an objective manner and determine the efficiency and productivity of work in the company. This idea bore Winslow’s Principles of Scientific Management (NetMBA; â€Å"Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915)†). In 1911, Fredrick Taylor published his work, The Principles of Scientific Management. Taylor developed four principles to apply to work. This was after spending years doing different experiments to prove his principles. In the first principle, Taylor recommended that the rule-of-thumbs method in work, be replaced with new methods that employed scientific study of different work. His second principle suggested that training of workers should not be left to be their individual responsibility. However, this responsibility should be left to the managers who should recruit, train, and ensure the active personal development of the workers, while ensuring the use of scientific methods. In the third principle, Taylor suggested that company management should perform a follow-up on the workers through their supervision, in order to ensure that the workers adhere to the prescribed methods, which are scientifically oriented. In the last principle, Taylor recommended that the company workload should be equally distributed between the employers and the workers. However, the employer, who is the manager, will be charged with work involving scientific management of the company in planning work, while the employees are tasked with executing the tasks. Taylor’s scientific principles of management aimed at increasing productivity and efficiency of work. Instead of apprenticeship, scientific management called for segmentation of work into different parts that could be performed by different unskilled people after short trainings (Daft, 2009; Taylor, 2003; Taylor, 1947). Taylor developed the term soldering to refer to the underperformance of workers, which he linked to the workers’ belief that if they work effectively, some of them risked losing their jobs. Underperformance of workers was also because of the poor wages they were subjected to. Employees therefore felt that effectiveness in their work would result in exploitation, as wages were not paid according to the workload performed. Finally, the rule-of-thumb method of working employed by workers was less effective as it resulted in low work output. In his time studies, Taylor believed that every work type could be planned properly to increase its productivity. He however thought that his scientific management was more effec tive as compared to the old â€Å"initiative and incentive† method, which was used to motivate workers. His arguments were that, in the initiative and incentive method, the workers were only motivated and increased productivity, but the whole responsibility of planning and executing work was wholly left for them to perform. On the other hand, the scientific management method provided the opportunity for both work productivity and work planning to be performed in the best ways by

The learning transfer practices at Camair-Co Dissertation

The learning transfer practices at Camair-Co - Dissertation Example However, the behavioural as well as cognitive traits perceived by the learners should also be considered as vital in this context as these factors also have a substantial impact on the overall efficiency of the learning transfer process. Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank all the employees at Camair-Co who offered their cooperation, understanding and time when I was carrying out my research. I also extend my appreciation to my friends and family for being so supportive while I was completing this study. Finally, I offer my sincere thanks to God, for giving me the strength, perseverance and confidence to make all this possible. Table of Contents (INCLUDE WORD COUNT) Chapter 1 – Introduction 309 words (300) 1.1 Background Camair-Co is the national airline of the Republic of Cameroon that is based in Douala. The company offers passenger and cargo transportation to visiting friends and relatives, Government, NGOs and traders (History, 2011) Camair-Co employs 438 perso nnel comprising of both national and foreign expertise. Subedi (2004) suggests that a diverse workforce can raise significant challenges for the organisation in the execution of its learning or training transfer process (Subedi, 2004). Within today’s competitive business environment, strong talent is critical to the success of organisations. Consequently, management must ensure all employees are empowered through training to effectively transfer knowledge and skills back to the work place. 1.2 Statement of the problem Training activities at Camair-Co include on and off the job training. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the transfer of learning is... The paper tells that the notion behind the transfer of learning contributes significantly towards making the workforce effective. 10% of the overall staff salary at Camair-Co is spent on developing capabilities through training, learning and other development initiatives. In the writer’s experience, the most successful organisations have consistently invested a lot of money in training and developing their people however, evidence suggests the value derived from the training spend is not as encouraging. Only 10% and 34% of skills and knowledge gained from training is still applied by employees on-the-job a year later. Given the alarming statistics by researchers and the large amounts of money involved, monitoring and closing any gaps between what is invested and what is returned is critical. According to Cree & Macaulay, transfer of learning has been referred to the process of earlier learning which influences improved performance or learning. The transfer of learning is said to entail skills acquisition and knowledge gained in training that is transferred back to the job, as well as maintenance of the learned material over a period of time on-the-job. Broad & Newstrom describe it as ‘the effective and continuing application, by trainees to their jobs, of the knowledge and skills gained in training – both on and off the job’. This concept is of particular importance among organisations that seek to ensure peak performance amongst individuals and the organisation. Rothwell & Sredi assert that the transfer of learning also facilitates the organisations in the development of competitive advantage.

Working with Communities Essay Example for Free

Working with Communities Essay Community: A common bond by which people choose to associate around. It is a very slippery idea. Sociologically it is almost meaningless. It can be based, for example, on: place, ethnicity, religious affiliation, leisure interests, work, traditions, politics, class, age. The list is almost endless. Neighbourhood: A residential area where those who live there consider it to be their locality. (Hawtin et al, 1994) The more complex answer is that it depends on the community and the issues involved. In general, a sustainable community is a geographic area and includes everything in that areahuman and nonhuman, animal, vegetable, and mineral. In some cases, political boundaries such as town, city or county limits might be most useful in delineating a community. In other cases, watersheds or other natural boundaries might be most useful. What is important is that the members of the community be involved in deciding the boundaries of their community and how to make that community a sustainable community. (Hart, 1998) Within any area, the ‘community’ is likely to be made up of many different interest groups, which will come together for a whole variety of reasons. Community groups may focus on ‘place’ – the area where they live and work; or may focus on interests, principles, issues, values or religion. Both types of group may have an interest in planning issues. Some of these groups will be well established and represented. In other cases, however, interests may not be homogeneous, for example large and small businesses. Effective involvement cannot happen without a good understanding of the make up, needs and interests of al those different groups and their capacity to engage. An inclusive approach is needed to ensure that different groups have the opportunity to participate and are not disadvantaged in the process. Identifying and understanding the needs of groups who find it difficult to engage with the planning system is essential. (Communities and Local Gover nment, 2004) The Welsh Assembly Government proposed that each local authority in Wales works collaboratively with the corresponding local health board to prepare a Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategy, the local public health director in Swansea undertook an assessment of the health and social care needs of the population living in the City and County of Swansea. Needs assessment is a method of identifying unmet health, well-being and social care needs of a population in a systematic way. It provides the information upon which decisions about tackling those unmet needs can be made. Demand is an expressed need. Separating a want from a need is not a simple task since many people may want things they do not need. (National Health Service, 2003) Needs assessment involves epidemiological, comparative and corporate methods to describe the problems and issues facing a population. Also addressing the provision of and access to services, activities, facilities and amenities, which are needed to respond to these inequalities. The needs assessment will draw on both quantitative and qualitative sources. It should inform Strategy priority setting and decision making which will need to take account of the most effective use of resources, clinical and cost effectiveness and the views of patients, service users and carers. (NHS, 2003) Each needs assessment should address wider needs in addition to health, social care and well-being needs. A good needs assessment should present information on: †¢ Mortality, disability and health-related quality of life; †¢ Education, skills and training; †¢ Income; †¢ Employment and the economy; †¢ Housing; †¢ Physical environment; †¢ Community safety and crime; †¢ Social capital/ civic engagement; †¢ Geographical access. (Welsh Assembly Government, 2003) Factors affecting the health and well-being of communities are; social, economic and environmental factors, health promotion and education, health protection and nutrition, the safety of food, community development and regeneration and sustainable development, inequalities in health and well-being, access to health and well-being services and inequalities in access to such services, the availability of and access to public and community transport, the availability of and access to education, training and employment, the standard and condition of housing. (NHS, 2003) The local authority and local health board must ensure that needs assessment covers: †¢ Children and young people, including young carers; †¢ Disabled people; †¢ Carers; †¢ The needs of core groups identified in legislation, in particular section 17 of the 1989 Children Act; †¢ Vulnerable Adults; †¢ Older people; †¢ Adults with mental health needs; and †¢ Children and young people with mental health needs. This list is not comprehensive but identifies key client groups whose needs should be included in the assessment. (Welsh Assembly Government, 2003) The Health, Social Care Well Being Strategies (Wales) Regulations 2003 also state that Local Authorities (LA’s) and Local Health Boards (LHB) have a duty to co-operate with a wide range of partners during the preparation of the strategy, including: †¢ NHS Trusts †¢ Community Health Councils †¢ County Voluntary Councils †¢ Health Commission Wales †¢ Any private, business, voluntary or other organisations with an interest in the provision of health and well being services. In co-operating with voluntary and other organisations with an interest in the provision of health and well being services, the Local Authority and LHB must include groups and/or organisations representing the interests of patients, service users and carers. The local health board, local authority and the local NHS trust, together with the community health council and the Council for Voluntary Services in Swansea are members of a Strategy Board, created to oversee the production of the Swansea Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategy. (NHS, 2003) To achieve this goal both partners had to undertake a system known as â€Å"Community Profiling†. Community profiling is recognised as a vital stage in planning a service that will meet the needs of a community it serves. Community profiling is a systematic process of collecting, organising and analysing data about a given community and its environment. The analysis of the data collected will allow services to make inferences concerning a particular community’s needs and interests, only then can customised services be designed by selecting the appropriate materials targeted to those inferred interests and needs (Hawtin et al, 1994) Community profiling involves building up a picture of the nature, needs and resources of a community with the active participation of that community. Greer and Hale (2002) suggest that it is a useful first stage in any community planning process, to establish context which is widely agreed. A range of methods are used to enable the community to develop and understanding of itself, these methods combine group working and group interaction techniques with data collection and presentation techniques (Greer and Hale, 2002) The City and County of Swansea has many contrasts. It has large rural areas, a significant urban centre, and areas of wealth and of deprivation. Most of the population is concentrated in the urban areas which are mainly focused on Swansea. The latest estimate of the population of the City and County of Swansea stands at 231,300 (Mid Year Estimate, 2009). Swansea has the third highest population of the 22 Welsh Unitary Authorities, representing almost 8% of the total population of Wales (2,999,300). The 2009 Mid Year Estimates were released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 24 June 2010. The migratory flow is relatively stable. The number of live births for the county has also remained relatively constant at 54.6 per 1,000 females and has generally mirrored the Welsh average at 56.7 per cent. (Office of National Statistics, 2010) Projections for Wales point to a 2 per cent fall in the under-16 age group share of the population and a 2.5 per cent increase in the share of the population of retirement age by 2011. It is likely that this pattern of age will be reflected in the county, an area that already has a lower proportion aged under-16 and higher proportion of people of retirement age than in the UK as a whole. 14.3 per cent of Swansea’s residents can speak Welsh which is lower than the all Wales figure of 26.7 per cent. (Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales, 2009) The vast majority of the population of Swansea (97.8 per cent) is white. The local black and ethnic minority communities comprise of 2.2 per cent of the population. The largest minority ethnic groups are Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, Chinese and Arabic communities. The number of asylum seekers accommodated by private providers in Swansea in December 2002 was 384, drawn from 40 nationalities with approximately 31 per cent aged between 0-16. Swansea experiences relatively high levels of homelessness. In 1997, 3.2 people per 1,000 population were reported unintentionally homeless and in priority need, compared with a welsh average of 1.5. (Office National Statistics, 2010) Using the health status rankings from 2005/2007, the rate of limiting long-term illness in Swansea was reported as 24.7 per cent. This compares with a welsh figure of 23.3 per cent. The total unemployment rate for Swansea at October 2002 stood at 3.8 per cent compared with the national rate for Wales of 3.6 per cent. The workforce of Swansea is mainly concentrated within the service sector, which accounts for almost 85 per cent of all employees. The city and council of Swansea is the single largest employer in the area with more than 11,500 employees. The lower Swansea Valley was the location of the first Enterprise Zone in the UK and as a result it is estimated that over 8,000 jobs have been created in more than 400 firms. The European Union has now granted Objective 1 status to West Wales and the Valleys. It is anticipated that in excess of  £1.2 billion in grant aid will be attracted to the area over the net five years. (CSSIW, 2009) The Better Swansea Partnership includes Swanseas main public service providers as well as representatives of the voluntary and business sectors. Its purpose is to ensure that decision makers work together to tackle the issues that matter for Swansea. The Better Swansea Partnership has two main roles; As Swanseas Community Strategic Partnership it aims to make Swansea a better place by leading the development and delivery of ‘Shared Ambition is Critical – Swanseas Community Strategy’. This is a strategic role which means ensuring that key plans are delivered and that key partnerships work as effectively as possible; As Swanseas Local Service Board it acts as a problem solver and aims to tackle a small number of service delivery issues. These are typically issues where there is a high number of providers and where citizens may find services confusing and difficult to access. These are also issues which are important to the community but which have proved difficult t o resolve. (City County of Swansea, 2010) The Youth Offending Team is strategically managed through the authority’s Chief Executive who chairs a multi-agency steering group including Police, Probation and health partners. Oversight of the Supporting People Programme has been undertaken by a central Supporting People Planning team with representatives from local housing associations, large service providers, the Probation services and the Local Health Group. The Social Services Department is host to The All Wales Support Unit and has contributed significantly to a number of policy and service initiatives at national and regional levels. The Voluntary sector in Swansea ranges from very small organisations, self-help groups and associations run solely by volunteers to large agencies that employ over 80 members of staff. The Swansea health, social care and well-being strategy group claim there are over 800 voluntary organisations that work within Swansea insisting that they make a vital contribution to the health and well-being of the population as well as the economy of the city. They argue that voluntary sector organisations can tackle needs which may be beyond the capabilities and resources of public sector organisations. Both the Local Authority and the Local Health Board commission a range of services from the voluntary sector to compliment existing statutory services. Family carers also make a considerable contribution to health and well-being by providing an estimated 800,000 hours of care a week in Swansea which has been given an estimated value of 187 million a year. (City County of Swansea, 2010) In relation to this, meeting service user’s needs and addressing their concerns can be implemented by professionals through the use of empowering the service user. Malin (1999) states that empowerment is generally known to constitute a change or gain in power by the service user. Empowerment can be seen as a process of involvement, democracy, consultation, choice and independence for the user. Malin explored the forces that community services could implement to promote empowerment. They argue that user/self advocacy mandates professional/practitioner persuasion, legal and policy imperatives are required. (Malin, 1999) The review found that some people in the City and County of Swansea are served well by Social Services and the prospects of services improving in the future are judged to be promising. The authority has made good progress in children’s services, where there have been improvements in social work practice and in the overall quality of services provided. Child protection services are diligently delivered and there is a wide range of responsive and imaginative family support services. Looked-after children are receiving better services although improvements are needed in their educational attainment. The authority needs to speed up the time taken to complete assessments on children and address the number of children without an allocated social worker. (CSSIW, 2009) Social services for children are led by the Head of Service (child and family) who reports to the corporate director of social services within a discrete social services directorate. The child and family senior management team comprises four principal officers, the safe-guarding children’s coordinator and the business manager. The manager of the multi-agency youth offending services also reports to the head of service. Child and family services share, with adult services principal officers for staff training, personnel and communication and strategic management. Teams for assessment, care management and service provision are located over ten sites within the city of Swansea. There are 378 employees within the children’s division. (CSSIW, 2009) The authority continues to provide directly an extensive range of well-regarded family support services. All referrals for the authority’s family support services go to one source, so that support may best be targeted to the identified need and to avoid duplication. The increasing demand for support services means that it is not always possible to offer the amount of support a family might truly need. There is a continuing tension in family support between early intervention/ prevention and child protection and services have to be offered to families in greatest need. Core services have to be targeted to children on the child protection register or who have recently been de-registered and are sometimes required 2 or 3 times per week. There were concerns at the time of the last review that some families were missing out on services because they did not have an allocated social worker. This has changed somewhat because of the reduction in the amount of unallocated work and because of an easing of requirements for some services – services from the Child and Adolescent Support Team (CAST), community day care and flexi care home support can all now be offered in the absence of continuing case management. CAST provides a range of groups for young people and a considerable amount of their work is with schools; the team can work with the whole family and make links to the children’s education. CAST workers can negotiate with schools to put a package together to keep a child at school or return a child to school. There has been an increase in referrals and PARIS ICT system has assisted in this. CAST team can see the initial assessments on the system and the referral form to the team is self-populating. Social workers and service-users praised the flexi homecare service, in particular, for its speed of response to a request for service. Services’ staff records their involvement with families and the advent of the electronic recording system has meant that social workers can have speedy access to these records. (CSSIW, 2009) Good quality services for children and families are provided by partner agencies and the following are some examples. Barnardo’s runs a Children Matter service in Penlan. This is a tier 2 service, based around parenting and emotional literacy. Swansea Young Families is a tenancy support project, set up by funding from Cymorth and Supporting People Revenue Grant. Three new Flying Start schemes are up and running. This is a combined service with health visitors and includes skills and language development. The authority has 161 approved foster carers providing 305 placements, including short breaks. The One-to-One specialist fostering service has not been as successful as had been hoped and this is being reviewed, alongside all family support and residential services, as part of a new prevention and placement strategy. The authority is still making extensive use of independent fostering and residential placements although it has not formalised any arrangements for preferred purchasing or block contracting. Because of the high demand for foster placements for looked-after children, it is difficult to provide a service for respite care for children in need, where shared care with parents may be an alternative to the children becoming looked-after by the authority full-time. The authority owns and manages three small community homes on sites at Cockett and Blaenymaes, the latter having opened since the last review. Both CSSIW and the authority have had concerns about these establishments, particularly relating to behaviour by young residents, the inappropriate mix of residents, breaches of the statements of purpose and incidents of self-harm by young residents. (Welsh Assembly Government, 2003) The authority does not lose many carers to private agencies; and approaches are made by carers from outside Swansea to join the service because of its reputation for support. There has also been a high profile recruitment campaign which has had some success in recruiting enough new carers to keep overall numbers stable. This needs to be sustained and recruitment further developed to achieve a net increase in both the numbers of carers and the choice and skills they provide. Although the overall percentage of looked-after children in family placements is equal to the Wales average too many children are waiting for respite care or being placed out of the county through lack of local specialist and choice. A review of Children’s Social Services in March/April 2007 concluded that; â€Å"Swansea is a large city, with the diverse range of challenges usually present in such communities. Social services have enjoyed the support of council members including financial support. The authority’s social services have traditionally relied on a staff culture of good professional practice. Like all local authorities it has experienced the growing demands of expectations of vulnerable people in a complex modern society. Like others it has also seen the leach of skilled and experienced staff to the growing service sector and the fragility of the newer inexperienced childcare workforce. The authority has perhaps been slower than some in recognising the impact of these changes. It can no longer rely on culture but must establish robust systems to ensure sound practice and processes. Wherever families live within the city boundary they are entitled to a similar and satisfactory standard of service from the local authority. There is still a core of good staff employed by the authority and they are the key resource for change. They need to e engaged in a process of re-establishing safe and sound childcare services and the previous â€Å"sparkle† which one staff member said had been lost.† (CSSIW, 2009) Social services have benefited from competent management and stronger corporate leadership is now emerging across the council. There are some excellent partnerships, a healthy level of planning capacity and an established business planning culture. Swansea has a major asset in the quality and commitment of its workforce. The authority is strengthening its consultation with service users and has positive plans to modernise its information technology systems. Swansea’s overall strengths, however suggest that a faster pace of change could be achieved in some key areas to ensure that aspirations are more quickly turned into results. References City County of Swansea, (2009). Population Statistics for Swansea. {Online} Available: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=28567 City and County of Swansea (2010) Better Swansea Partnership. {Online} Available:http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=11034 Communities and Local Government (2004) Community Involvement and Planning: The Governments Objectives. London: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister CSSIW (2009) Review of Children’s Social Services in the City and County of Swansea. Cardiff: Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales Greer, Roger C. and Martha L. Hale, (2002) â€Å"The Community Analysis Process.† Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Hart, M (1998) Sustainable Measures. West Hartford: Subject Matters Hawtin et al, (1994). Community profiling: auditing social needs. Buckingham: Open University Press Local Vision, (2008) Developing and Delivering Community Strategies: Statutory Guidance from the Welsh Assembly Government. Cardiff: Community Strategies Malin, N (1999) Community care for nurses and the caring professions. Buckingham: Open University Press National Health Service, (2003) Health, Social Care and Well-being Strategies (Wales) Regulations. Swansea: National Health Service Trust Office for National Statistics, (2010) Mid-Year Population Estimates – 2009.. London: UK Statistics Authority Welsh Assembly Government (2003) Health, Social Care and Well-Being Strategies: Preparing a Strategy. {Online} Available:http://wales.gov.uk/dhss/publications/health/strategies/wellbeingstrategy/preparinge.pdf

Conflict Observation and Analysis

Conflict Observation and Analysis Conflict Analysis Part 1: Observe an instance that you are not personally involved with where conflict is present (you will need to be a bit of a covert operator to accomplish this). Answer the following: In several detailed paragraphs, describe the conflict scene. 1a. Who was involved in the conflict? What was the relationship between the participants prior to the conflict? Did it appear as if the relationship between the participants had any impact on how either person responded to the conflict? I decided to pay a visit to my aunt and uncle one day. They own their own business and they run it out of their home. I pulled into their driveway and proceeded to enter their house, when I overhead a loud argument coming from another room. An employee was arguing with my aunt, who owns the business. My aunt and uncle are both co-owners, the employee decided to play both sides against one another. She basically asked my aunt for something work related and my aunt said no, so the employee decided to go behind her back and ask my uncle without informing him that his wife had already said no. My aunt was livid that the employee went behind her back, since she has just as much pull as my uncle does. She felt it was really dishonest and disrespectful. I feel that the relationship between the two participants was civil at one point, but as the argument escalated, the trust was gone and was never to be regained. My uncle is a smart man, he told the employee that he needed to discuss it with his wife before he can grant any permissions. At the end of the day, the employee was issue a warning and as far as I know, she has never overstepped her boundaries since. 1b. When and where did it take place? Was it formal or informal? Planned or unplanned? What impact did the location and time have on the outcome? The argument took place in the basement of their home, where they have their home based business setup. The date was Monday, September 15th, 2014, the time was roughly 8:30 am. The argument seemed to be unplanned by the employee, because up until that point, she wasnt aware that she had gotten caught and was in trouble. On the other hand, the argument seemed to be planned or premeditated by my aunt who seemed to be waiting for the employee to arrive that morning to give her a piece of her mind. The impact of the argument, caused a decreased moral in the work environment and in my opinion should have not taken place during business hours. I feel that this matter should have been taken care of outside of the work place, after hours, or during a staff meeting and not while the office was open for business and other employees were present. This was not a formal argument, I feel both parties were wrong in the ways that they acted or went about handling the matters at hand, but if I had to choose, I would say that the employee was more to blame for the escalated argument because it was her actions that started this issue.. 1c. What transpired? (Be specific.) Many times when we face conflict, there is a surface-level problem and an underlying problem. The surface-level problem acts only as a symptom of the real problem. Consider both. 1d. What was the surface problem? The surface level problem seemed to be distrust and dishonesty. The fact that there was lying and conniving behavior present in the workplace was sure to cause a domino effect if it wasnt resolved. The surface level problem also presented issues not only related to the business, but also between my aunt and uncle as a married couple. This type of issue could potentionally cause an argument between the business owners who are also married to one another, so it would directly affect both their professional as well as their personal lives. 1e. What was the underlying problem, or the real problem? If this is unclear, what might you speculate the real problem to be? There are many conflict management strategies that can be employed when dealing with conflict. Consider which were present in this conflict. The underlying problem in this circumstance was proven to be the fact that the employee overstepped her boundaries by going behind both owners backs and acting in a shady manner. She was fully aware that she was being dishonest, but all she was concerned about is getting her own way and she didnt care how she got it. Again, the employees actions and dishonesty is what led to this argument and unnecessary drama. 1f. Which conflict management strategies were employed by each of the participants? Did the conflict management strategies change during the course of the conversation? How do you know? There was no type of conflict management strategies utilized. Both parties yelled and screamed at one another. My aunt made accusations and the employee denied everything and made excuses, They basically sat there pointing fingers at one another and getting verbally louder as the argument carried on. I know this, because I heard most of the argument and then happened to walk right in the middle of it as it was taking place. I am actually surprised that it did not become physical, because at one point, it looked as if that is where it was headed. 1g. What was the outcome? Was there a winner? A loser? Did there appear to be an impact on the relationship? If so, what was that impact? The outcome pretty much reached a stalemate as my aunt was the accuser and the employee was the accuse, The employee denied everything and swore up and down that she didnt do anything wrong. There was no proof, just a case of he said she said stories. I would like to say that there didnt seem to be a winner, but at the end of the day my aunt issued the employee a written warning for tardiness and misconduct, so I guess she is declared as the winner. The relationship between the two of them has determinate rapidly and they no longer communicate or associate with one another as they used to. They are really distant from one another and they strictly has a no nonsense work relationship now. 1h. Looking back, describeat least two variables that could be changed in this scene to alter the outcome. Conflict Analysis Part 2: Much of the learning in this course requires you to draw conclusions about your experiences and observations based on the concepts we have read about and discussed. Take this into consideration: First, I think that if my aunt did not approach the employee in an aggressive manner, the issue may have been resolved in a more rationally, responsibly, and mature manner. Second, if the employee would just respect what her superiors say and not overstep her boundaries this all could have been avoided. 2a., 2b. List two specific things you learned about conflict as a result of this exercise. Reference material from the text, discussions, lecture, terminal course objectives, and so forth. Answersthat demonstrate application of the course material and effective critical thinking will earn the greatestnumber of points. Your submission should be approximately one page in length: one paragraph per item for 1a.–1h., and 2a. and 2b.

Review of Stearns’ Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West :: essays research papers

Wow, I mean, your sister, she’s so fat that when she wears a yellow raincoat, people shout out, â€Å"Taxi!† Your brother, gosh, he’s so fat that his driver’s license says, â€Å"Picture continued on the other side!† About your mother, well, she’s so fat that when she walks in front of the television, you miss out on three commercials! I’m tellin’ ya! Fat!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those humorous one-liners are just a few of the many out there. In the United States today, we are obviously obsessed with weight, but how did this cultural craze with heaviness start? When and why, even? Are we the only ones? Peter N. Stearns is a Carnegie Mellon history professor and dean, and in his book Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West, he explores and compares the weight-consciousness over the past century in both the United States (arguably the most obese Western country today) and France (arguably the slimmest); he also attempts at explaining why such contrariety exists between these two countries, despite both being heavily infatuated with body and beauty. It is Stearns’ stance that this modern struggle against fat is actually very deeply rooted within our American culture, and dieting and rampant hostility toward the obese continue to become one of the underlying themes in our society today. He also notes the differences in attitud es toward the obese in both countries. He does not really believe that the French approach to obesity could so readily be adopted in the United States, but possibly recognizing a different attitude may help to later reshape the views and opinions that have been formed this past century in our society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With respect to the United States, Stearns reveals that before the 1890s plumpness was healthy and in fact preferred over frailness; full-figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s were linked to successful motherhood and were indeed quite fashionable. In the decade just before 1900, however, as we became more sedentary, fashion changed, and dress sizes became standardized, greater attention was drawn toward the more oddly shaped bodies, possibly creating a new public concern for body weight, especially for women. Fat-controlling devices like â€Å"reducing corsets†, dieting gimmicks such as Kissiengen water, and other advertisements for products to help against weight also began to spread during this time period. Morality even came into play, as obese individuals were seen to not only be lazy and weak but also on their way toward what one may call â€Å"fat hell†. Review of Stearns’ Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West :: essays research papers Wow, I mean, your sister, she’s so fat that when she wears a yellow raincoat, people shout out, â€Å"Taxi!† Your brother, gosh, he’s so fat that his driver’s license says, â€Å"Picture continued on the other side!† About your mother, well, she’s so fat that when she walks in front of the television, you miss out on three commercials! I’m tellin’ ya! Fat!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those humorous one-liners are just a few of the many out there. In the United States today, we are obviously obsessed with weight, but how did this cultural craze with heaviness start? When and why, even? Are we the only ones? Peter N. Stearns is a Carnegie Mellon history professor and dean, and in his book Fat History: Bodies and Beauty in the Modern West, he explores and compares the weight-consciousness over the past century in both the United States (arguably the most obese Western country today) and France (arguably the slimmest); he also attempts at explaining why such contrariety exists between these two countries, despite both being heavily infatuated with body and beauty. It is Stearns’ stance that this modern struggle against fat is actually very deeply rooted within our American culture, and dieting and rampant hostility toward the obese continue to become one of the underlying themes in our society today. He also notes the differences in attitud es toward the obese in both countries. He does not really believe that the French approach to obesity could so readily be adopted in the United States, but possibly recognizing a different attitude may help to later reshape the views and opinions that have been formed this past century in our society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With respect to the United States, Stearns reveals that before the 1890s plumpness was healthy and in fact preferred over frailness; full-figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s were linked to successful motherhood and were indeed quite fashionable. In the decade just before 1900, however, as we became more sedentary, fashion changed, and dress sizes became standardized, greater attention was drawn toward the more oddly shaped bodies, possibly creating a new public concern for body weight, especially for women. Fat-controlling devices like â€Å"reducing corsets†, dieting gimmicks such as Kissiengen water, and other advertisements for products to help against weight also began to spread during this time period. Morality even came into play, as obese individuals were seen to not only be lazy and weak but also on their way toward what one may call â€Å"fat hell†.

Dr. Frankenstein, Science,Technology and Ethics Essay examples -- Dr.

Dr. Frankenstein, Science,Technology and Ethics There is nothing more profound about the topic of science and technology than its ability to be a partner in helping to save lives. It is so influencial in coming up with the latest drugs to combat harmful and even deadly diseases and viruses such as AIDS, and some cancers. We are where we are today because of the remarkable innovations in science and technology. The idea that lives can be saved from such innovations as a new flu vaccine, or a new type of antibiotic that can battle chicken pox, and many other diseases. Its all about the advancements that we get from science and technology that let us live the way we do. Now, we dont have to worry about dying from the chicken pox or another once deadly disease. Its gotten so advanced that women can now get a morning after pill to stop the fertilization of an egg , so that she wont get pregnant. This type of technology was not around twenty years ago. Its now time to start taking into consideration how they are going about testing thes e newly invented vaccines or studies to get their results. Are the scientists going about getting their results in a moral way? At what cost is it that we are getting these great advancements? These are the questions that we need answered. For me personally, having been born three months early, I cant thanks science and technology enough. If it wasnt for the advancements in technology in the early eighties, I probably would not have survived, or worse, I would have had some disabilities such as Muscular Distrophy, retardation, or something even worse. I was lucky to have been born in one of the nations top neo-natal hospitals at the time, Portland Maine Medical Center, in Portland, Maine. If I had be... ...ant please everyone. No matter what you do, someone is bound to have a beef with it. Scientists need to be given the credit they deserve. They slave hours upon hours in labs coming up with such great and magnificant things that make our lives a lot more managable; whether it be the antibiotic that can cure the common cold, which they havent quite mastered yet, or a life saving treatment that can battle a deadly disease, such as stem cells. Advancements in science and technology are only going to get better. Lets hope that their techniques for research and experimentation are going to advance with them. Who knows, maybe one day we will come up with a control testing object that can be used to do any type of research and experiments on. Hey, its a suggestion! Works Cited Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. The Presence of Others. Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszki

Eat, Drink and Be Merry Essay -- Eating Disorders Bulimia Essays

Eat, Drink and Be Merry This essay involves a very personal subject in my life and in the life of someone I hold very near and dear to my heart. A few years ago one of my closest friends whom I had known for most of my life told me under a cloud of tears, embarrassment, fear, and hope that she thought she had bulimia. I was the only one she had the courage to tell, and she felt that she had to tell someone because she had lost all control over her own actions, feelings, and thoughts. She felt that she couldn’t stop even if she wanted to. She never thought that she actually had a problem, but one day she was at the library and she sat down at a desk that had a few books on bulimia there. She started to look through the books and found a quiz to determine if you had bulimia. She was bored and she took the quiz expecting that it would say she didn’t have bulimia, but after she finished taking the quiz she had answered yes to every question except the very first one. Her entire world came crashing down around her, and with each word that she read she became even more panicky and scared. Eventually she came to me, hoping that I could somehow help her and give her the support she needed. I did everything I could to help her. It took up a lot of my time and there were many sleepless nights that I had to go through helping her calm down from her anxiety attacks and uncontrollable urges, but it was all worth it and I would have done more if I could. I believe she has made a tremendous amount of progress and will one day make a full recovery. Bulimia is a very debilitating disease both mentally and physically and people should be aware of its existence because one day one of your close friends may come up to you with something im... ... condition such as bulimia is difficult and often frustrating. The best piece of advice that I ever offered my friend was the idea that there is always hope. No matter who you are or what your problems may be, there is always hope. Every person in the world has a close group of friends or family that loves them. There is always hope, but the only problem is that you have to have the strength to believe in yourself and open up your eyes and see what a wonderful life you really have. No one should take anything in their life for granted because life is always unpredictable and it could always get worse. I will never forget the lessons I have learned in life and I hope that everyone will work to do the same. . Sources Cited: National Eating Disorders Association website www.NationalEatingDisorders.org National Mental Health Association website www.NMHA.org.

Computer-Human Interaction Essay

Speech input/voice recognition has been a long standing area of research. While progress is being made, it is slower than optimists like IBM (spear headers of the early device â€Å"Shoebox†) and members of the health care domain originally predicted, and further work remains in this field. Although the goal of continuous speech recognition remains difficult to master, unnatural, isolated-word speech recognition is appropriate for some tasks and even natural for communicating with a computer, rather than another human. Speech recognition has been best utilized as of late with telephony and other domains such as computer gaming. The improvement of mobile processor speeds made feasible the speech-enabled Symbian and Windows Mobile Smartphones. Speech is used mostly as a part of User Interface, for creating pre-defined or custom speech commands (Wiki, July 2010). Research is needed not only in the actual speech recognition technology but also in how to use speech in an interface (Kamel, 1990). The ideal that a perfect computer is one that behaves and communicates just like a personal assistant is a naive one: people should only expect computers to behave like the tools they are, not like other people; and furthermore the computer-as-person approach ultimately limits the usefulness of the computer to that of the person being mimicked. The obstacle in improving the usefulness of interactive systems such as speech recognition software gradually lies in communicating requests and results between the system and its user. The best hope for progress in this area now lies at the user interface, rather than the system interior. Faster, more natural, and more convenient means for users and computers to exchange information are needed. Is speech recognition where it’s at? On the user’s side, interactive system technology is bridled by the nature of human communication devices; i. e. brain, lips, tongue, etc. and abilities; on the computer side, it is constrained only by input/output devices and methods that we can invent. The challenge is to design new devices/software and types of dialogues that better fit and take advantage of the communication-relevant characteristics of humans. So where does that leave us as we look forward to bigger and better ways of utilizing speech recognition (SR)? What is the future of SR? DARPA has three teams of researchers working on Global Autonomous Language Exploitation (GALE), a program that will take in streams of information from foreign news broadcasts and newspapers and translate them. It hopes to create software that can instantly translate two languages with at least 90 percent accuracy. (Grabianowski, July 2010). At some point in the future, speech recognition may become speech understanding. Computers could potentially not only translate what was said and annotate it, but actually grasp the meaning behind the words. The staggering amount of computing power needed behind such a feat is just too far out to believe we are close to that at this time though. Accuracy of speech recognition stopped improving in 2001, well before reaching human levels. Funders stopped many projects. In the early 1990s, the newly minted Microsoft Research organization developed a system called MindNet which traced out a network in a dictionary from each word to its every mention in the definitions of other words. MindNet was shelved in 2005. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) financed investigations into conversational speech recognition but shifted priorities and money after accuracy plateaued. Attention has now shifted from speech recognition to research to â€Å"understand and emulate relevant human capabilities† as well as understanding how the brain processes language. This fundamental shift in direction acknowledges that â€Å"speech recognition† is not the answer. (Baker, Deng, Glass, Khudanpur, Lee, Morgan, O’Shaughnessy, May 2009). References: Shoebox,. IBM Shoebox (1960-1962) Retrieved 12 July 2010 from www03. ibm. com website http://www03. ibm. com/ibm/history/exhibits/specialprod1/specialprod1_7. html Kamel,. R. Kamel, (vol. 23, no. 8, pp. 8-9, August 1990 )‘‘Guest Editor’s Introduction: Voice in Computing,’’ IEEE Computer, Retrieved 12 July 2010 from www. computer. org website http://www. computer. org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10. 1109/MC. 1990. 10081 Wiki,. Retrieved July, 2010 from en. wikipedia. org website http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_recognition Grabianowski,. Ed Grabianowski (July 2010): How Speech Recognition Works Retrieved July, 2010 from electronics. howstuffworks. com website http://electronics. howstuffworks. com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/speech- recognition4. htm Baker, Deng, Glass, Khudanpur, Lee, Morgan, O’Shaughnessy (May 2009): Research Developments and Directions in Speech Recognition and Understanding, Part1 Retrieved July, 2010 from research. microsoft. com website http://research. microsoft. com/pubs/80528/SPM-MINDS-I. pdf

What is our future going to be like if we continue

As technology advances to enhance our lives, we begin to take no heed of the environment surrounding us. There are approximately 7 billion people In the world, and due to the vast population, our resources are dramatically being depleted. Another reason why resources are being wasted Is that people don't know how to be echo-efficient due to lack of exposure to Information/awareness. It Is also cheaper to perform activities without the concern of harming the environment.For example, most petrol cars are cheaper than electric cars. Lastly, some things work better and are efficient (despite harming [depleting the environment) than echo-friendly reduces. If we ruthlessly persist to waste resources, we will face a tremendous number of problems In the future. When resources begin to run out, prices get higher as the demand increase. This eventually leads to the ultimate annihilation of the resources, thus making the human survival to gradually decrease.We then must have to look for another source to depend until we totally wipe out its presence. This cycle will continue until we have n resources left, thus leaving us vulnerable and a possibility of experiencing slow extinction, as a human race. We should first look onto ourselves and start individually by adjusting our lifestyles to as much â€Å"environmental-efficiency as we can.Simple ways include recycling, turning off lights when not in use, buying echo-friendly products, and much more. Once you've felt that you've done enough to be â€Å"green†, begin to spread your concerns and knowledge with other to show your efforts of conserving the Earth's resources. Begin a club or join an organization and help your community (planting gardens or simply picking up garbage). If everyone can make a small act of kindness, everyone's efforts can make a huge difference!

Satire and Epic Conventions

Alexander Pope was the author who set the trend of the Augustan Age. The poem ‘Rape of the Lock’ was prompted by a real incident when Arabella Lemore’s lock of hair was snipped by Peter, another member of the aristocratic family. This led to the feud between the families and hence Pope was summoned to attempt on reconciliation. The fact lies in a trivial matter blown out of proportion. But Pope extended his courtesy in making a satire of all the possible members who constituted the 18th century aristocratic society. The society once praised for its lofty values came down to spending time on frivolous matters. Pope vividly describes the occupation of Belinda who wakes up late because of having spent an entire evening courting and alluring men. After she wakes up, she is preoccupied reading the ‘billet-doux’ that she had received from her admirers. The poem as a mock-epic comes from the description of how the aristocrats spent time playing cards, a mock-epic battle. The society Pope mocks soon followed the heroic epic period where battles were fought to defend honor and pride and heroes became legends. But the society Pope satirizes fell far short of epic glory. Even morals and values were treated recklessly. Men and women indulged in extra-marital affairs that most husbands suspected that their wives cheated on them with their lovers. Women mourned over their late husbands, as much as they would over their lapdogs. Law and order was also on an imbalanced scale of justice since it was held by irresponsible judges who were eager and quick to pass judgment without investigating. Men of yore exhibited their chivalry by being warriors but during Pope’s time men exposed their chivalry by paying complements to women, flirting and gambling. Through the character of Clarissa, who actually aids in having Belinda’s hair cut off by offering a pair of scissors to Baron, and then later advises that Belinda should pay more attention to her virtues than given into the vanities of her youth. Because it’s the virtues that will outlive her while everything else will fade away. The employment of mock-epic is use the form to mock the society. Pope clearly sent the message across to the aristocratic community through his satire and till day ‘The Rape of the Lock’ remains most popular text of the Augustan Age.

Godfather Death

Salman Kay Mr. Jackson English 1302 10 February 2013 Godfather Death Summary In Godfather Death by the Grimm Brothers, there is a poor man looking for a person to become the godfather for his son. The poor man comes across both God and the devil who both offer to take care of the son. Instead the man makes Death the godfather because he believes Death is equal. The poor man says â€Å"You take away the rich as well as the poor, without distinction. (Grimm, secs. 210, 211) Death then makes the son a wealthy and famous physician with the ability to heal anyone if Death chooses to let them live, but if the physician does defies Death he shall face consequences. The physician is the protagonist whose overall goal is to heal the king and his daughter to reach nobility and gain respect from the king. On the other hand the antagonist is the physician’s godfather, Death.Death does not choose to let the king live, but the physician takes a chance and heals the king. Death gives the ph ysician one more chance because the physician is his godson but warns him not to do it again. The conflict between death and the physician is Human vs. Supernatural because Death is a supernatural force who is controlling of peoples life, and the physician is struggling to overcome Death’s force.While trying to overcome Death, the physician is going through a psychological journey. He is playing with fate and seeing what is going to happen next while thinking he can outsmart Death. When an another situation arises the king’s daughter is dying and the king offers her hand in marriage to her savior while Death is ready to take her. The physician thinks he can overcome death once more but in the end Death outsmarts the physician and takes him instead.

Cross-cultural communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cross-cultural communication - Essay Example Also, as case study, research data of intercultural communication between the USA manager and Japanese manager of an USA based company in Japan is analyzed. Culture and communication Communication is defined as a procedure by which information and other matters are exchanged between more than one person where the subject matter is important for at least one of the persons involved. Communication also means that one or more persons absorb the meaning and theme of the matter that has been shared based on certain patterns of interpretations that have followed. Therefore, during the course of a communication it is required to understand the kind of behaviour that needs to be followed or avoided. Thus, culture forms a framework and a universal reference in which all that takes place is comprehended. Cultural patterns by their own distinct nature carry purposeful meanings for only those who participate unlike other symbols that carry meanings that are attributed to them depending on social acceptance, and as such these symbols are not inherent in behaviour. On the other hand, patterns cannot exist on their own accord after their creation; they need to be given new concepts by conveying the meanings to a new generation. This is done by means of communication. There is a complex relationship between culture and communication. It is through communication, which is a mode of interaction between several persons, that culture is created. By communication it is possible to create and share the prevailing patterns of meaning, thinking, feeling and acting, and by such sharing these patterns are carried on for generations (Korac-Kakabadse, 2001, p.6). The strength of intercultural communication can be linked to several hypotheses based on geographical proximity. There are several examples of such hypothetical situation. For one, during a course of communication there may be several members belonging to different cultures but residing in same place or in close proximity. In suc h cases, these members may not communicate as much as was expected beforehand because of their geographical proximity. Then, the second hypothetical situation can be that members of a communication belong to cultures that are differentiated by their segregated geographical locations. In this second case, important parts of the communication have less possibility to be carried on between the individual members; communication is more likely to be carried on between cultural representatives and intermediaries. In this case, communication can take place between the individual members but more likely in neutral places like in workplaces and in recreational centers. For study of culture and communication, it is also necessary to know the kinds of communication that are involved like the topics chosen, and also the balance of small and formal discourse. The content and style of communication need to be comprehended to study the relation between culture and communication. During intercultur al communication, it is the strategic decision of the participants that shape the course of the interaction. The decision may include keeping quiet or joining one group or the other. The speakers may forego their distinct cultural styles to adopt a practical approach according to the need of the moment. The behavior that the speakers display during such communication does not reflect their original

Energy Security in the Middle East Research Paper

Energy Security in the Middle East - Research Paper Example The research paper "Energy Security in the Middle East" discusses the energy security in the Middle East by focusing on various aspects such as energy security threats as well as global issues that are associated with energy security. Access to cheap energy has become significant in the functioning of modern economies. A significant vulnerability has emerged as a result of uneven distribution of energy supplies among various countries. Energy security is defined by international energy agency as the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at a reasonable price. There are various aspects that have been associated with energy security. They include both short–term and long term energy security. Short-term energy security tends to focus on the ability of the system of energy to respond promptly to immediate changes in the supply-demand balance whereas the long term energy security deals with the timely investment targeting energy supply and in line with environmental needs a nd economic developments. There seems to be a consensus on the issue of energy security achieving a certain significance since the energy shocks that was witnessed in the 1970s when present asymmetries between energy consumers and geographical distribution resources had been consolidated by most countries especially in the Middle East that depends on petroleum. Since then energy security has been incorporated into debates of the international relations theories. The existing international relations theories have demonstrated various approaches.

Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

1 - Assignment Example New Jersey average sales tax plays a minimal significance as compared to the other states as 0.0% indicates lack of local government participation in collecting sales taxes. However, the value of 0.0% in average sales tax at the local level is also important in that it shows business are exempted from sales tax. Additionally, when considering the state level average sales tax, it is shown that New Jersey is ranked 1st with 14.1% rate. This makes New Jersey very important in contributing to the national sales taxes. Question 2: Look at the local property tax proportion. How important is the property tax to the cities and counties in your state†¦ more or less important as compared to the average of all states? More or less important as compared to the 6 states we’ve looked at? New Jersey has proportional property tax of 55.1% as compared to the other states that do not exceed the 30% mark on the sale while it is more than twice the national average of 26%. To the cities and counties within New Jersey, a 55.1% property sale proportion provides the maintenance of the cities and the county amenities and infrastructure. However, the high property tax at the local level indicates high rental rates or high acquisition of real estate establishment. In addition, the state level averages display an abnormal comparison when compared to the national average. The national average is 26.8% against the local level of 55.1%. In conclusion, the vast acquisition of property in New Jersey contributes the high rate of property tax at the local level. Question 3: Look at the spending on education at both the state and local levels for your state. Including both state and local levels of spending, consider the differences between your state and the national averages, and answer the following question: is your state, taking into account both state and local levels of spending, nearer the top or nearer

The cultural impact regarding to the application of Balanced Scorecard Thesis Proposal

The cultural impact regarding to the application of Balanced Scorecard to improve capability in construction industry in Saudi Arabia - Thesis Proposal Example & Company Management Tools and Trends 2007 (Bain, 2007) reports that 66% of the respondents were using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) as part of their strategic decision-making process. Yet fewer than 20% of companies utilising the BSC have realised measurable performance improvement (Williams, 2004). Buytendijk (2007) proposes that the perception that implementation of a BSC, in and of itself, will lead to organisational alignment is a â€Å"fairy tale.† Bititci, Mendibil, Nudurupati, Turner, and Garengo (2004, p. 28) posit that the implementation and use of such performance measurement systems is greatly affected by organisational culture and management styles. Denton (2005) reports that 76% of firms place importance on organisational culture, but only about 37% are measuring it. Indeed, Kaplan and Norton (2004, p. 56) observed that companies with successful BSC implementations â€Å"had a culture in which people were deeply aware of and internalised the mission, vision, and core values needed to execute the company’s strategy.† A third concept that plays a pivotal role in this relationship is Organisational Learning. Indeed, Kaplan and Norton (2001a) include Learning as the basis from which improvement in all other perspectives grows. Further, Kaplan and Norton (1996c, p. 15) refer to the BSC as a â€Å"strategic learning framework,† and outline how the BSC facilitates learning in each of the four processes of the BSC model (Kaplan and Norton, 1996b). Kaplan and Norton (2004) report that the Learning and Growth objective appearing most frequently in BSC’s is â€Å"shaping the culture† (p. 60). They link strategy changes resulting from the BSC to changes in culture. These changes are the direct result of organisational learning vis-à  -vis the BSC feedback system. Accordingly, the literature indicates that the BSC leads to performance improvement in the presence of the appropriate organisational culture. In BSC terminology, organisational learning and growth

Jean-Paul Sartre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Jean-Paul Sartre - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the roots of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialist-Marxist understandings are deeply embedded in the objects of freedom (analytically) and personal struggle (history/personal struggle).   It is not only impractical to separate Sartre from his time-period, it is impossible.   Dissolution of people’s identities both spiritually and historically was being realized through the tragedies of World War I and World War II.   Combining these significant destructions with new perspectives concerning Psychology (through Freud, Jung†¦), Philosophy found a seemingly different path explaining â€Å"who we are† and â€Å"what is our purpose† as humans.   Sartre was heavily influenced by literature and art and through this media suggested an approach to perceiving the world as it is; ugly, grotesque’, self-absorbed.   This movement towards a more realistic or negative view of life differed greatly from the â€Å"Hope† offered by Leibnitz, Aquinas and other ‘positivists’.   Accordingly, Sartre felt the backlash from â€Å"Hopeful-ists† resulting in Sartre’s â€Å"Existentialism Is a Humanism† lecture in Paris, France 1944. In â€Å"Existentialism Is a Humanism†, Sartre spells out what Existentialism actually is.   Sartre says there are two kinds of Existentialist â€Å"the Christians...and atheistic existentialists† the latter being the group Sartre belongs to.  Ã‚  ... Perhaps Sartre’ wished to embolden and/or disarm his Christian detractors by enlisting Gabriel Marcel as a co-conspirator since Marcel, a converted Catholic, first â€Å"endorsed but later repudiated† (SEP) the Existentialist label. Adding a supremely ironic twist is Sartre first repudiating then endorsing the label of ‘Existentialism’ himself (Sartre.org). Sartre may have been reading Kant and his â€Å"Utilitarianism† by including Christianity as a default proponent; by utility. Sartre suggests the commonness of existentialists is the belief that â€Å"existence precedes essence.† This idea is novel in the scheme of Philosophy. Greek thought or philosophy from Plato suggested a â€Å"Realm of Forms† as the perfection of anything conceivable in perfect form. The ‘thing’ observed had a ‘perfectness’ illustrated in the â€Å"Realm of Forms† above and beyond the common illusionary perception of a living hu man being (Plato 68). Sartre defined reality as production of each individual perceiver’s understanding or capabilities without a definite ‘template’ or guide about what may or may not be true of the ‘thing’ perceived. This is Sartre’s ‘Freedom’ supposition: â€Å"Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself† (Sartre 5). Here, Sartre follows closely in the footsteps of Spinoza by exacting ‘God’ from the realm of reality and describing a ‘natural’ or humanistic understanding of reality. Freedom, to Sartre, is not a political or societal extension; although it can be. Freedom is breaking the chains of bondage from â€Å"determinism† of perhaps, Calvinistic Christianity and allowing man the complete dominion of his or her own

A report based on an international HRM case study Essay - 1

A report based on an international HRM case study - Essay Example Therefore, the senior management team has asked the human resource manager to undertake a thorough assessment of the prevailing scenario in the US as well as in the Scandinavian nations in terms of cultural values, recruitment and training along with payment and reward. Thus, the paper intends to make the required analysis along with providing the senior management a recommendation regarding the most appropriate location for establishing the manufacturing unit among the US or a Scandinavian nation. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Managing human resource efficiently has become a key element in the modern day business context. Organisations nowadays are providing significant consideration towards recognising the prevailing context of a foreign nation before commencing their business operations. In this context, understanding cultural aspects of a foreign country is imperative to ascertain that diversity management aspect can be maintained by the company efficiently in future. Wit h due consideration to this notion, an electronics manufacturing company has endeavoured to establish its manufacturing unit in either the United States of America or in a Scandinavian nation. ... 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Cultural Values 5 Recruitment and Training 8 Payment and Reward 11 Recommendations and Conclusion 14 References 16 Introduction An electronics company that produces electronic goods for the mobile phone industry intends to set up a manufacturing unit either in the United States of America or in any of the Scandinavian countries. Scandinavia comprises five nations namely, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland. The purpose of this report is to analyse the human resource policies and practices of these countries in order to make the due changes in the intended manufacturing unit. Recruitment and managing of local employees are among the key responsibilities bestowed upon the human resource manager of the organisation. Thus, a thorough assessment of the existing scenarios in these two societies is a pertinent initiative to proceed appropriately. The various aspects to be considered while making such analysis are the cultural values, the recruit ment and training practices of the countries, the payment and rewards system followed by the countries. Values concerning the societies and its importance among the citizens are to be evaluated critically in order to align the work culture of the planned manufacturing unit. The recruitment and training being one of the most important human resource aspects to be followed by a company, the practices pertaining to them are to be adopted by the manufacturing unit in order to run successfully and in compliance with the surrounding. The recruitment and training practices or trends followed by the business units in a country are also of great importance in order to

The Story of G.I. Joe Film (1945) Thesis Paper Movie Review

The Story of G.I. Joe Film (1945) Thesis Paper - Movie Review Example Pyle (played convincingly by Burgess Meredith) is the embedded journalist within this Company. But the shared habiting space makes it a personal experience for Pyle and to this extent his journalism takes on a humanitarian hue as opposed to being merely patriotic. This essay will argue that, of the numerous merits attached to the film, it’s showcasing of the bold, humane and forthright journalism of the legendary Ernie Pyle is not only its standout feature but also accounts for its enduring appeal. True to the journalistic ethic of accuracy and balance, the film makes no attempt to ‘manufacture’ heroism in the war setting. Instead, it fits the narrative to Pyle’s reportage, which includes unsavory and un-heroic aspects of the Second World War. True to this theme, â€Å"Pyle was later killed in a foxhole on a remote Pacific island as he pursued his career of covering the troops after victory was won in Europe. Pyle wrote of the common "dogfaces," not the br ass hats. He is a hero who should be known to every journalism student.† (Booker, 1999, p.14) But a cursory look at the state of embedded journalism today (most visibly in the War on Terror operations) betrays the falling standards of journalism in America. Today the reporter comes across as a biased stakeholder in the side he belongs, which is a far cry from the courage and ethic espoused by Ernie Pyle. More importantly, what The Story of G.I. Joe underscores is that â€Å"motion pictures can provide helpful assistance in journalism history classes through a number of ways: as a reflection of how journalists and journalism are portrayed in the mass culture; as a means to measure the role that journalism plays in significant events; and, perhaps most important, as a device by which to assess the ethical role of journalism as reflected by the decisions and actions of the people portrayed.† (Holsinger & Schofield, 1992, p.44) The Story of G.I. Joe can also be said to be u nique for the level of realism it carries. The product is not just made for commercial purposes, but for artistic and documentary goals. It also served as a vehicle of propaganda to gather support for the war from the American public. The relatively late release of the film (released after the dust settled in the European theatre) is perhaps why it portrays combat in unglamorous terms, â€Å"emphasizing not the heroism of its soldiers but their weariness and daily hardships. Based on Pyle’s reports (collected in his 1943 book,  Here Is Your War) the film details the grueling effect of extended combat service on a platoon of American soldiers the Italian campaign. Led by Lieutenant Walker ( Robert Mitchum) and accompanied by Pyle, the platoon slowly advances, experiencing both danger and boredom but very little in the way of glory.† (Booker, 1999, p.14) Contemporary war movies as well as war journalism can do well by embracing such an attitude. It is in recognition of the valuable sensibilities displayed through the film that it won four Academy Award nominations, including to Mitchum for best supporting actor and to the three screenwriters (two of  whom, Endore and Stevenson, were prominent figures on the American cultural Left) for best screenplay. While some critics took the film’s grim depiction of war as an antiwar statement, James Agee insightfully notes that G.I. Joe is a "tragic and eternal work of art precisely because of its unflinching portrayal of the realities of

Coca-Cola Marketing Strategy Essay Example for Free

Coca-Cola Marketing Strategy Essay Indirect Exporting- Coke sells their product to separately owned bottling companies around the world who then bottle the product and sell it to wholesalers around their location. 3. Product-Coca-Cola uses two formulas (one with sugar, one with corn syrup) for all markets. The product packaging in every country incorporates the contour bottle design and the logo in some way shape or form. However, the bottle or can also includes the country’s native language and is the same size as other beverage bottles or cans in that same country. Global Marketing, Wiki) Pricing- Coca-Cola products are priced right about the same as its competitors in that geographic area (varies depending on location). They incorporate a psychological pricing strategy, for example instead of having a 24 pack of cans be $10 they make it $9. 98 in order to create the illusion to the customer that it is a lot cheaper than it really is. Place- Coca-Cola sells its product to bottling companies, vending machines, gas stations, newsstands, and other wholesalers in places all over the world, who then sell it to the consumer. Promotion-Mainly television commercials that are specialized for each separate country (different athlete drinking coke in china that in Italy). They place their logo in as many strategic places as possible to get people to think about their product. 4. Coca-Cola has done extensive work to make sure that their product is appealing to everyone and it is one of the most well recognized and respected brands in the world. They have instituted zero-emission trucks (all electric) into their fleet of vehicles to promote going green. One Issue is that their bottling plants have been accused of being unclean and full of unhealthy pesticides. One test found that a plant in India had let some of the pesticides into its products and was even shut down for a period of time. (CSE, 2006) [ 1 ]. Wikipedia, â€Å"Global Marketing†, 2011 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Global_marketing [ 2 ]. Coca-Cola, â€Å"About us†, 2011, http://www. thecoca-colacompany. com/? WT. cl=1WT. mm=footer1-about-red_en_US [ 3 ]. Centre for Science and Environment, â€Å"CSE releases new study on pesticides in soft drinks†, 2006