Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder

There are many diseases and disorders that plague today†s society, but one of the most serious of those disorders is autism. Autism is not nearly as widely known as the familiar Down†s Syndrome, yet, surprisingly, autism is far more widespread. In fact, autism is the third most common developmental disability, affecting 400,000 people worldwide (Autism Society of America). As of yet there is no cure for this debilitating disorder, only a variety of treatments. Autism is a developmental disability, not a mental illness, that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects 15 of every 10,000 individuals. No one is certain why it occurs, but researchers have found that MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans of people with autism show abnormalities in the structure of the brain. Significant abnormalities include differences in the cerebellum and in the size and number of Purkinje cells within the brain. Sometimes there is a pattern that exists within families from generation to generation. This indicates the possibility that autism is genetically related. However, no gene has been found. Every person with autism is different and there is no set type or typical person with autism. This is because autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning that symptoms and characteristics of the disorder can present themselves in a variety of ways, from mild to severe. Usually children with autism have deficiencies in both verbal and non-verbal communication. Their language develops slowly or not at all and they have very short attention spans. They often lack social skills and will spend time alone, rather than with others. In more severe cases, children have unusual reactions to physical sensations such as being overly sensitive to touch or under responsive to pain. Most commonly, children with autism lack imagination and imitate other†s ideas, rather than initiate their own. Lastly, behavior is greatly affected by autism. They may be overactive or very passive and throw frequent tantrums, injuring themselves, for no apparent reason other than to gather attention. They often lack common sense and show aggressive or violent behavior. While some people only show one or two symptoms, others have all or nearly all and find it extremely difficult to function in society. People with autism do live normal life spans and the behaviors associated may change or disappear over time. As of yet, there is no cure for autism. However, with the proper treatment, many of the behaviors can be positively changed. Some of the treatments include behavioral training, teaching of communication and social skills, auditory training, medications, and a change in diet. Behavioral training or modification, as it is also called, deals with changing or extinguishing inappropriate behaviors and increasing positive behaviors. A few methods are used to do this. One way is self-management where the individual monitors their behavior and receives self-reinforcement. Another method used is modeling. This is when the teacher or therapist demonstrates what is being done so the child can â€Å"model† the steps. Behavioral training is effective in stopping self-inflicted pain by shaping and distributing positive reinforcement. The teaching of communication and social skills is an integral part of treating autism. Speech therapy may include gaining language skills or learning sign language. Some devices are used frequently such as picture communication boards. Another device is used with a trained professional supporting the hand or arm of the person helping them to punch keys on a device. This technique, called facilitated communication, is highly controversial because it is sometimes thought that the facilitator is directing the person†s arm unknowingly. One of the main characteristics of autism is the lack of understanding of social cues (Autism Society of America). The person with autism may be taught how to communicate in social situations or respond to certain facial expressions and emotions. If the emphasis is on social communication, a speech therapist will work closely with the child to ensure proper communication in social situations. Auditory training is sometimes used for those individuals who are oversensitive to sound. An audiologist plays a different variety of sound frequencies in this therapy. The frequencies coincide with the level of the child†s impairment. Food allergies and sensitivities have been shown to produce a variety of symptoms associated with autism (Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities 1). It appears that children with autism benefit from diets that are free of gluten and casein. This is possibly because the inability to adequately process these substances can result in disorders such as postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, and autism (Reichelt & Landmark, 1994). When these processes are not properly metabolized a short chain of amino acids results. They may become active, and behaviors associated with autism result. A small portion of them will cross into the brain causing interference with the signals that account for normal activities. Also many vitamins and minerals have proven to be effective in treating certain behaviors in children with autism because they do not get enough essential nutrients. Many medications are being tested everyday to find a treatment for the symptoms of autism. Some drugs have been effective for such things as stopping self-inflicted pain and other minor symptoms. None, though, have gotten to the source of the problem like the language deficits. Drug therapy is not one of the widely used treatments for autism because there are better methods that allow for more progress. There are still many unanswered questions about autism and its treatments. Sometimes the symptoms can lessen or disappear as the child ages. The majority of people however, will continue to show symptoms throughout their lives. There is not one sure treatment for every person with autism, since every person may have different symptoms. What works for one person may or may not work for another and it is imperative to talk with a doctor about what treatment option will work best with a certain combination of symptoms. Although this is a debilitating disorder, individuals who find the right treatment plan for themselves can lead a normal life.

How to establish the communication Essay

Everyone has different needs and styles in which they communicate. There are also many different ways in which we may establish these communication needs, wishes and preferences. A good way to begin to understand a patient’s needs, wishes and preferences is to read their notes and history’s to see if this contains any relevant information. For example, if I read that a patient has hearing problems, I would then know to make sure that I speak to the patient clearly and slowly and look at them so they can read my lips. Other ways to establish communication needs, wishes and preferences is by interacting with the patient and through conversation I learn how to best communicate with the patient. It is also important to remember to be clear and concise in all forms of communication, especially when working with people with learning disabilities, where they might get confused if I speak too quickly or use too complex language. It may benefit, if this is the case, to use your body language to help explain what you are trying to say and to emphasise the tone of the conversation. Also, pictures can be used to help the patient and myself understand. For example, one of my patients uses cards that display what emotions they are feeling, they will use these to communicate how they are feeling. In the past, I have worked with a patient who is deaf. For me to establish what her needs were, I first spoke to the nurse in charge and they informed me she was deaf, however, could sign or write things down. As I could not sign, our preferred form of communication was writing, which after spending time together worked quite well.

THE FOUR RIGHTEOUS CALIPHS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

THE FOUR RIGHTEOUS CALIPHS - Assignment Example The second caliph, Umar, continued the expansion of the Muslim state. He not only defeated the Persians but also secured Egypt from the Byzantines. Umars reign is one of the reasons the Muslim empire was so successful: he allowed people to retain their own religious beliefs. This greatly strengthened Islamic control as the increased freedom prompted not only happy citizens but also converts. The caliphates position in religious affairs was strengthened when the third caliph, Uthman b. Affan, was selected to lead the Ottoman empire. He created a governmentally-sanctioned copy of the Quran. This action was incredibly beneficial to both political and religious organization, as it not only united the Islamic empire under one, clear version of the holy scripture, but it also showed the caliphate as capable and spiritually viable. Last of the Four Righteous Caliphs Ali b. Abi Talib faced some of the most difficult challenges. Because he failed to punish Uthmans assassins in a timely manner, many of his former followers deserted him, and he was faced with civil war. He lost most control to Uthmans kinsman, Muawiya. Ultimately, Uthman and Umar are the two more successful caliphs, as they expanded the empire dramatically, gaining new converts and willing citizens. On the other hand, Abu Bakr and Ali served necessary purposes: they dealt with their respective rebellions in a poised manner that ensured the continuation of Islamic rule. Without each, the Ottomans would have undoubtedly

Commercial law case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Commercial law - Case Study Example If the defendant fails to come up to the customary, this will be a violation of the duty of care as judged by reference to the following factors: What did the defendant know? This is to say that, the defendant will only be legally responsible if the reasonable person would have foreseen the loss or damage in the circumstances prevailing at the time of the alleged breach of duty. Secondly, the degree of jeopardy of the situation. The bigger the risk that severe harm can be brought by, the greater the safety measures that the defendant will be required to take (Jance, 1999). This is to say the when the risk involve is of little magnitude, the plaintiff is required to take his or her own precautions and any claim of breaching of duty that will be presented by the plaintiff will be overlooked. However, when the risk is of greater magnitude, the defendant will be liable. Thirdly, is the communal significance of the defendants doings. If the defendants actions give out a socially useful function then they may have been justified in taking greater risks. Lastly, a defendant complying with a general practice in his area of activity w ill usually be well thought-out to have met the standard of a reasonable man, except the court judges the practice itself to be negligent (Bradgate & Savage, 1991). In order for John to establish a breach of duty by the Willow Council, carried out himself as a responsible and reasonable person. However, John, who had drunk too much champagne, was conducting his activities in an open space where everyone could see him. He got out of a car and dared his to friends, Mason and Janice, to climb over a two meter fence, that prevented people from going beyond it, and walk to the edge of the cliff. His friends refuse but John climbs over the fence and walk to the edge of the cliff. He loses balance, fall off and breaks his leg. A court analyzing these particulars will apply the

A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen and Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay

A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen and Trifles by Susan Glaspell - Essay Example They are models that remain significant and relevant in the 21st century. 'A Doll's House' (Ibsen, 1879): Nora seemed a silly, flighty young wife, happy to answer to Torvald: "Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again" (Act 1, p.1). Like a little bird, or small furry creature, needing protection, Nora was in agreement with him, repeating how happy she was, hiding her sweets because he did not permit her to have them. Her concern with money and wealth appeared materialistic, an impression overturned during exchanges with Mrs. Linde and Krogstad. The scrimping, saving and secret work, showed initiative and desire not just to conceal, but to repay the debt. The husband had the real power, and Nora's only power lay in her sexual attraction and apparent helplessness. The stark reality of the situation and the view of women, was clear in his attitude after Krogstad had tried to blackmail Nora: "Almost everyone who has gone to the bad early in life has had a deceitful mother." (Act 1, p.19-20). The affect on Nora "[pale with terror] "Deprave my little ch ildren Poison my home [A short pause, then she tosses her head] It's not true. It can't possibly be true." (Act 1, p. 20), showed how little self-belief she had and how much her husband controlled her, physically, financially and emotionally. Mrs. Linde also denied herself and married a man for money in order to support her mother and siblings, a dutiful but empty existence. Left a penniless widow, she was however, more independent, seeking to work and finally to be part of an equal partnership with Krogstad. She was the catalyst that opened Nora’s eyes to the reality of her sham marriage and to Torvald’s true character. ... She was the catalyst that opened Nora's eyes to the reality of her sham marriage and to Torvald's true character. His behavior reflected the norms of that society, but there are still men today who would react in the same way, if they found their wife to have gone against them in matters of money and reputation. He reactions woke Nora to reality and caused her to take the drastic step of leaving them all. "I have other duties just as sacred Duties to myselfI believe that before all else I am a reasonable human being - just as you are" (Act 3, p. 18) Her decision to leave, even when aware of what she would suffer in that society, was a brave and honest one; Nora had to find her true self and to stop living a lie, and this is what makes the play relevant today. Eight years waiting for a miracle were long enough, so Nora asserted her right to be a person. 'Trifles' (Glaspell, 1916): Minnie Wright, in a stark, loveless relationship, spent a long time doing her duty, as Nora had. The bird motif emphasized her fragility and what she had lost through her marriage. "She was kind of like a little bird herself - real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid - and fluttery. How-she-did-change." (Mrs. Hale, p. 11) Minnie was the little dead bird, the evidence and motive for murdering a harsh, cruel man, as Mrs. Hale explained to the sheriff's wife: "No, Wright wouldn't like a bird - a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that too." (p. 13). Like Nora, she had no financial independence, but did her best to be a good wife, as the "trifling" items like preserves, bread making and quilting symbolized. Her life was more lonely and fearful

Andrew Marvell and Oliver Cromwell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Andrew Marvell and Oliver Cromwell - Essay Example His sympathies were on the whole royalist and aristocratic but he felt great admiration for Oliver Cromwell the Lord Protector of England who came to power after deposing Charles I. Milton's impunity at the Restoration was largely due to Marvell's influence and exertions. Very few of Marvell's poems were published during his lifetime. Most of his poems appeared posthumously in 1681. His satires were published only in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution. Marvell's best poems were written in the early 1650s. He used to be considered as a typical love poet who wrote in the metaphysical strain. But Marvell displays curious traits which set him apart from the usual poets who wrote of love. Marvell though a poet of wit, love and fancy strangely though not without reason professes admiration for Puritan ideals. "Marvell strangely enough was a Puritan __an admirer of Cromwell, a devote reader of the bible, a supporter of the joyless regime whose spirit is to unlike that of his verse" (Wilson 136).But this ambiguity is not surprising when one considers the turmoil and political upheavals of Marvell's time. In August 1642, the long standing quarrel between Charles I, and the Parliamentarians or Roundheads involving political, religious and constitutional matters, broke up into open hostilities. In the battles that followed, Oliver Cromwell soon proved himself to be the most powerful candidate the Parliamentarians had. In spite of oppositions among his own people Cromwell assumed the position of the Lord Protector of England. In 1647, Cromwell organized the New Model army which inflicted a crushing defeat upon the royal army. Charles surrendered to his Scottish subjects who later turned him over to England in 1647. It is surprising to note the different strains of thought which coloured Marvell's poetic output. In his poems from the Horatian Ode Upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland e onwards the one finds his admiration for Cromwell increasing. The way in which Marvell's perception of Cromwell changed is an indication of the difficulty of the choices of political allegiances facing an alert and sensitive mind of a poet who had political aspirations himself. In the Horatian Ode the Marvell we meet is a troubled man torn between divided loyalties. The title refers to Cromwell's return from Ireland which took place in May 1650. The poem welcomes Cromwell home from his conquest of Ireland, looking forward to his campaign against the Scots. Since Cromwell returned from Ireland in May 1650, and entered Scotland on July 22 of the same year, the poem therefore, was probably written in the early summer of 1650.The poem contrasts two political figures, the ceremonial Charles I and the military Cromwell. I t expresses a deep sense of loss in the passing away of ceremony and ritual with the beheading of the king. A dichotomy is seen in the thoughts and emotions of Marvell the lyric poet and Marvell the Parliamentarian. The Puritan revolution, the new science and modern liberalism were all seen as disrupting an older unified world view in which poetry had a favoured place. In this poem Marvell's attitude towards Cromwell is at best ambivalent. While he shrinks from certain elements in Cromwell's personality and government the poem concludes with a balanced view of his administration. The Ode in two parts celebrates Cromwell

Should Prisoners get Free College Education Essay

Should Prisoners get Free College Education - Essay Example However, many prisoners are enjoying free college education, along with other social amenities. This is considered as giving the inmates too many privileges. Prisoners should not be made so comfortable that they forget the core reason of them being in prison. They should work to earn a living just like everyone else (Salsbury 1). A free college education is a privilege they should not be entitled to because many other people who are not in prison are not entitled to free college education. This essay will argue about the negative side of offering college education to prisoners (Chaneles 1). Tax payers’ money is used to finance the convict education and other services they receive. This is unfair to the innocent citizen because the money paid as tax should be used to improve the tax payers’ life. The value of college education is the achievement of skills that position the student to an appropriate work force. This implies that a criminal who gets free college education in prison, once released, is highly likely to find a good job. This will be unfair to the thousands of good citizens who are out there and cannot get jobs (Salsbury 1). Free college education should not be offered to criminals as a remedy of committing crime. By choosing to commit a crime, they forfeited their opportunities and freedom. The criminals should pay for their choices to violate the rights of citizens and breaking the law (Harlow 1). Free college education is a privilege to most inmates which they do not take seriously. This is because they are not aware of the costs involved. This is not fair to citizens who work hard to get it. Another point to note is that one cannot simply go to college because they want to. They must earn their admission unlike inmates who only make a choice (Chaneles 14). The professors and instructors employed at prisons find time out of their schedule to lecture the inmates at an additional cost. The criminals may use the knowledge they get to cau se more harm than good. Giving them an education and more skills will make them professional criminals if they choose not to change their ways of life. Giving criminals serving a life sentence and death sentence free education is a waste of resources. They will not be able to use the knowledge they gain since they are confined in jail for the rest of their life time. These resources could have been used to educate other deserving citizens (Salsbury 1). Giving second time criminals a chance to free college education is over-leniency, having been given a second opportunity to better their lives and make things right but they fail to do so. This is being unfair to good citizens who have to finance their own college education. The inmates should be molded and prepared to fit in the real outside world. They should learn to work hard to earn their own recognition. Even though prisons are rehabilitation centers, punishment should not be comprised. Educational backgrounds of the prisoners v ary a lot (Salsbury 1). They differ in age, religion, and culture, hence standard classroom teaching will prove difficult. This is an additional stress to the lecturers as they will have to give special attention and time to some students. Educating prisoners serving long time sentences does not guarantee productivity and a more prosperous life. Mostly their productive years end up being wasted in jail. Many victim rights groups view educating criminals as

International Law and Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Law and Institutions - Essay Example The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Since the 1990s not only has the Security Council agreed to authorize humanitarian intervention, there have also been interventions without authorization from the Security Council such as the intervention in Northern Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti, Yugoslavia/Kosovo and East Timor. These latter interventions have arisen as a result of a perception of the Security Council’s failure to act or ineffective action where there has been concern about the severe deprivation of human rights. For example, the failure of the UN to broker political peace in Somalia led to the US Operation Restore Hope in 1992, which for the first time in American history, saw American troops committed to a military operation for a cause completely unrelated to protecting their national interest. The operation’s goal was to open supply routes for food relief efforts and prepare the way for a UN peacekeeping force to preserve the security of these routes. The challenge, it seems, must be to leave open the option for humanitarian intervention in extreme cases of human suffering, where the reasons for action seem morally imperative and politically sound but the Security Council is unable to act, while at the same time to avoid jeopardising in a fundamental way the existing, hard-earned, international legal order, including the central role of the Security Council.  Ã‚  ... must be to leave open the option for humanitarian intervention in extreme cases of human suffering, where the reasons for action seem morally imperative and politically sound but the Security Council is unable to act, while at the same time to avoid jeopardising in a fundamental way the existing, hard-earned, international legal order, including the central role of the Security Council.1 The Security Council is bound by the Charter. However as the US has cogently argued the Charter is too narrow. It envisaged only those situations where a state might call on the help of the international community or where international peace was threatened. It did not take into account the situations observed since then in the killing fields of Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica. In 2004, 10 years after the genocide in Rwanda, the Canadian Foreign Minister, Bill Graham was reported by the BBC to have said: We lack the political will to achieve the necessary agreement on how to put in place the type of measures that will prevent a future Rwanda from happening2 Although the primary responsibility lies with the state, where a population is suffering serious harm, as a result of internal war, insurgency, repression or state failure, and the state in question is unwilling or unable to halt or avert it, the principle of non-intervention should lead to a larger principle, that of the international responsibility to protect3. There are essentially 2 criticisms of the UN: its relevance and its structure. As can be seen from the US ignoring the UN over Iraq and the UN's admission of failing to act in time to the obvious threat in Rwanda, there are many reasons for questioning its relevance. Its structure goes back to 1945 where the victorious powers of World War II decided to stamp their

Imaginary Dystopic World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Imaginary Dystopic World - Essay Example Love is not possible without every member of society being guided to be free (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldstein%27s_book). In this world full of love, technology plays a very significant love. The Twenty-first Century Bible is the cornerstone of our modern continental society where everyone is led and guided to be free for mutual love through the nonviolent nuclear observation channels of communication, entertainment, prosperity and democracy. This Bible is an ingenious creation of the Best Vanguard of the People made to be creative by the never-governing Leader known as Hero (Davison, 7-81). 7. Marriage, 8. Foreign Policy, 9. Thinking, 10. Crime, 11. Nonviolence, 12. Development, 13. Defence, 14. Morals, 15. Peace. These are the Fifteen Commandments. Everyone is free to read these regularly for 24 hours everyday. When people are at work, then they must freely meditate on these Commandments without fail. Their freedom is possible only through its constant reading and meditation. The world is so developed under The Twenty-first Century Bible that a world without war has come up. Here citizens are all the while busy countering one another. They are also getting ample oppoirtunities for cultural entertainment. Here, Nature, food, rest and love are highly mechanised. Entertainment and Technology: Environment is very clean for even cockroaches

Organization behavior Essay Example for Free

Organization behavior Essay 1.) Critically review learning theory. Learning theory is a routine that is carried out on a daily basis in order to have an experience in various fields of work. There are several theories that explain learning theory. One of the theories is Maslow’ Hierarchy of needs which explains that, when the need level is satisfied, it ceased to become a motivator and fulfillment of higher level is the next goal. (Francesco and Gold, 2005).The second theory is Hertzberg’s motivation hygiene theory which states that, employees’ growth and esteem needs are driven by the motivation factors, responsibility and achievement. This wills results into a job satisfaction at work place. (Francesco and Gold, 2005). The third theory is McClelland’s learned needs theory which explains that needs is learned through Childhood environment, social norms and assists in the understanding of individual motivation (Francesco and Gold, 2005). The last theory is ERG theory which contributes on Maslow theory. It has three categories of needs. Existence which is the physical and psychological need, relatedness which is the need to share ideas with others and feel secure and growth is the need to achieve to fulfill of self esteemed needs. The learning theories have assisted very many people at work place especially the people who are working in the organizations. (Francesco and Gold, 2005). There have been several philosophers who have tried to explain what is learning. Various theories of learning have been therefore have been discussed. Learning theories are the ideas about why or how changes occur. There has been a theory on the behaviorist orientation to learning .This theory is from theorist such as Thorndike, Pavlov and skinner. (Smith, 1999).This theory argues that people change their behavior from the kind of learning they get. People according to the theory are stimulated by the environment they live in. When people live in a good environment they learn to be good and vise versa. Behaviorists argue that people can be taught to produce behavior change in the desired direction. An educator trying to teach people to change should arrange environment of the person to get the desired response. People can learn through skill development and training as well as behavior according to behaviorists. (Smith, 1999). There is another theory on cognitive orientation to learning. Cognitivist such as Piaget, Bruner and Gagne believe that learning process is an internal mental process. Internal mental process includes receiving insight about information, processing the information, memorizing it and finally making a perception. (Smith, 1999).That is how the learning process is according to Cognitivist. People according to the cognitivist learn through the internal cognitive structuring. This structure helps people develop skills and capacity to learn better. Cognitive structure if followed can help a person develop intelligence learning and memory as function of age as well as learning how to learn. Whichever the theory that is followed learning is an important aspect of human being and people should strive to learn more to improve themselves. (Saljo,1979) 2. Positive and negative reinforcements, punishment and extinction in shaping behavior There are many types of positive reinforcements that Godot can use. First Godot can reward excellent behavior. This is normally a very effective method of reinforcing good behavior. (Verddelho, 1999)The implication here is that when an employee is rewarded for good performance, the employee feels motivated to do even better the next time. In the end this will lead to an improved performance which is good not just for the individual but also for the organization. The second positive reinforcement is recognition. Recognition here implies acknowledging excellent behavior of good work. In this case the meaning for this is that supervisors like Godot can simply acknowledge and commend a well performing employee like Diane. Recognition of good work has the implication of having positive congratulatory words for a job that has been well accomplished. This can simply be achieved by a simple word of mouth like ‘well done.’ Unknown to many supervisors, this simple act of recognition normally has a very positive effects on the motivation of an employee of an individual and can result in positive work behavior. (Francesca Gold, 2008) The use of incentives is another positive reinforcement that can result in improved positive behavior. In this case incentives can be in form of extra or bonus pay for exemplary performance. Incentives can go along way in improving an individual’s performance on the job. (Francesca Gold, 2008)This is more so if an individual is capable of making more money by displaying good performance method. In this case the issue of a tip was a good gesture to the employees since those with exemplary performance would feel encouraged to do more. One negative way of reinforcing behavior is through harshness. In this case, the employees will only perform well because of fear of reprimand by Godot and not because they feel a compelling need to work hard. This is a negative reinforcement because positive organization behavior should be forced but should come spontaneously. The implication here is that employees should not be coerced into behaving well but rather positive behavior should just come naturally. This therefore means that these employees should not work hard because of fear of being reprimanded by the supervisor but instead should do so because of a need to do so. (Dwyer, 2005) 3. Discuss the impact of these reinforcements and punishment has on behavior and on Diane’s behavior specifically Reinforcement theory suggests that a reinforcement/reward and punishment of certain behavior will most likely result in a repeat of that particular behavior. That is to say that if behavior is not recognized or appreciated chances of it being repeated will be low. . (Francesco Gold, 2005)   However, the consequence of reinforcement is determined by whether it is negative or positive. Positive reinforcement will motivate employees and result in behavior that will increase an organization’s output and the opposite is true. . (Francesco Gold, 2005) Diane works hard and her output is great. However, when she breaks a plate one day, Godot yells at her and even makes her pay for the broken plate and the cost of cleaning up the messed caused. Diane has been waiting all along for recognition but she only gets a negative reinforcement for her good output. As it is, it is better to motivate people for the right reasons rather than to punish them for the wrong reasons. (Skinner, 1957). Diane is punished for the wrong reason and fails to get reinforced for the right reasons. Negative reinforcement is not likely to motivate individuals and therefore this will in turn lead to them slacking in their work and thus the overall out put will be low. (Skinner, 1957).   It is because of this that she relaxes when carrying out her duties. Reinforcement suggests that behavior determines outcome and a person will be motivated to seek reinforcement and avoid punishment. When she got a chance to work at a fancy French restaurant at Sydney known La Maison, Diana a University Student could not spend her vacation at her parents home Queabeyan, since she needed money to change on her diet during her next semester . (Skinner, 1957). Ready to prove how good she was, she would balance several plates on her arm and the customers would compliment her on her efficient service, but one day she dropped a bowl of bouillabaisse appetizer on the carpet and hurriedly went for sponge while apologizing but   Godot shouted at her that he would deduct $24.95, $20 from her pay to compensate for appetizer and cost of cleaning rugs respectively, out of anger and confusion, next day Diana slowed down to avoid recurrence of same incident thus she carried   no more than two dishes at a time thus slugging her tips down (Skinner, 1957). Q4 .Effectiveness of hourly pay rates and tips as a method for reinforcing desired behaviors. Tips and hourly rates have been used as a mode of payment against other methods of payment like piece rate and monthly payments. There is a big variation in the effectiveness of the methods. When hourly rate is used as the mode of payment, it has been found to have an effect on quality and speed. These two factors are the one that determine the output of any activity (Encina, 2000). Payment in work acts as an incentive to the worker. Whenever the worker is paid well he will work well and poor pay means poor jobs. It is noted that the worker will always optimize what he has at hand. When he is paid hourly he will do he/her work according to the hour he is being paid. This will spoil the consistency (Encina , 2000). When tips are added to the hourly rate, the worker will optimize on the tips and he/she will improve on his hourly work to get more tips. Things are different when hourly pay is made without the tips as there will be no motivation. Paying on an hourly rate together with the tips may improve on speed but destroy the quality. The use of tips and hourly rate need a balance as what motivate the worker are the conditions of work. Diane on his part was being motivated tips (Encina , 2000). Apart from the pay, there are other factors that motivate worker during their work. Recognition during work is another factor that lender the effectiveness of work. A worker may improve his effectiveness due to tips. This will improve his/her efficiency. When a worker feels that his efficiency has improved, he will look for recognition.   Payment on hourly rates can improve the behaviors of the worker but additional inputs like recognition should be added. Diane opted to work in the right he will perfect the work and in return he will be recognized to get a better pay. For the behavior of an hourly paid worker to improve, incentives have to be added. This will help in improving the efficiency of work and altitude towards work will improve (Schildkraut 2003). The behavior of workers depends very much on the pay and recognition. As much as workers are paid hourly tends to improve the output, their behavior depends much on the supervision. Workers will always maximize on their man hours instead of employers manpower (Schildkraut 2003). Therefore to ensure that the behavior of the worker is good requires supervision. The supervision should not oppress the worker but instead it will help improve his behavior. The role of the supervisor for hourly paid worker is to help the worker to improve in his productivity. Though the supervisor will optimize on production, it should not destroy the quality of the work (Schildkraut 2003). In conclusion hourly rates can improve on the worker behavior but proper measures should be put in place to ensure that the objectives of the company or organization are met. The measure can include recognition after improvement, controlled supervision, and improvement after achievement. There should be no mistake of paying hourly for organization benefit but it should be to the worker (Schildkraut 2003).

Case Study On Oresund Bridge Construction Essay

Case Study On Oresund Bridge Construction Essay Oresund Bridge is constructed across the Oresund strait; it is the longest rail and road bridge in the whole of Europe. [1] It connects two metropolitan areas namely Danish capital Copenhagen and City of Malmo in Sweden. . The international European route E20 runs across the bridge and through the tunnel. This Bridge acts as a link between Main land Europe and the rest of the Scandinavia. The main objective of this paper is to identify the factors which influence estimating, maintenance, safety and construction techniques of the bridge and to recommend improvements that can help in the further growth and popularity of the bridge. Identify factors that negatively affect the Oresund Bridge. Develop a method to help the users who travel through the longest road and rail Bridge with ease and level of comfort. Analyze the results and propose a model solution to improve the performance. The primary factors which affect the construction of the bridge are discussed in detail and some of the recommendations are also included. Developing a safety analysis of the safety performance factors will help to prevent accidents by anticipating and mitigating hazards that occur frequently. The historical factors will be discussed about the past construction by the engineers and architects and some statistics are provided to show the evolution of the Bridge and how it affected the constru ction industry in past, On the economical front the methods which were used to reduce the cost of the project and current market estimation about the construction techniques are also discussed. The organizational factor, which is considered to be more significant discusses about the relationship of bridge and the places which it is connected to and the cityscape. Its behavior and contribution to the people and place, representativeness, terms and policies to use the bridge will be thoroughly analyzed. The procedural factors will be discussed which include provision of safety and equipment, and maintenance of the bridge. The geographical location of Oresund region is very favorable for transporting goods between Scandinavia and Baltic countries, however earlier the main bottle neck in realizing this is the infrastructure. The Oresund Bridge provided a solution for this as the completion of the bridge in 2000 has improved the Infrastructure. In fact the modern infrastructure is one of the main positive aspects of the Oresund Region. The modern motorway and railway around the two cities set a high standard which connects Copenhagen and Malmo. Access to Copenhagen airport and Malmo airport has improved. The merger of Copenhagen port and Malmo has resulted in formation of a company which is the largest importing port of cars in Nordic region [2]. All the four transportation systems have been well planned in the Oresund Region when compared to similar systems in Europe. When the fixed link across Fuhrman belt is completed around 2018 2020, it will connect 10 million people in Southern Scandinavia and Nor thern Germany in that this new traffic lanes will link the Oresund Region with Hamburg. This may create new opportunities in the future for manipulating the synergies that arise from bringing together the two capitals. [2] Considering the strengths of the Oresund Region which are network platforms for marketing and research and production across borders and institutional drawbacks. For six different platforms Oresund region is a parasol organization which reflects the regions strength: Medicon Valley Academy, Oresund IT, Oresund Food Network, Oresund Environment Academy, Oresund Design, and Oresund Logistics. The Oresund University is yet another network in which 12 universities and institutions of higher education in the region work together to strengthen research and education in the Oresund Region. Between Scandinavia and Europe Network platforms. The bridge in a global context measured by scientific output, Copenhagen Malmo Lund ranks 5th in Europe. Measured by overall life quality, the Oresund Region also scores highly 8th after cities in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Measured by population, the region ranks 23rd.Measured in economic terms, the region ranks 10th alongside cities li ke Milan, Hamburg, Berlin, Madrid, Rome and Stuttgart. [2] Several factors influenced the development of the project which include, environmental, economic and political. For example by the end of the old war, and the start of globalization has forced the two countries to look for ways of improving the economy of the region, also the Swedens approach to be a part of the European Union has been the main driving factors. Railway tracks and motorway from Fosie Lernacken: 10 km of new double tracked railway (Oresundsbanan). The railway runs parallel with the motorway in a 90m wide corridor. The first stop on the route is Malmo Syd or Svagertorp.The motorway runs from Fosieby, where it connects the outer ring road to the toll station at Lernacken. This section includes two major interchanges and several smaller overpasses. At Lernacken the Traffic Centre and the toll station for vehicles and are situated. The Traffic Centre is responsible for operating the toll station, monitoring the motorway traffic and monitoring the technical systems. The toll station has got 11 lanes in each direction with a capacity of 200 vehicles an hour/lane and 10 toll booths in each direction. [5] The Oresund Bridge has a profound effect on the geographical, economic and culture of the people in this Scandinavian region. The completion of the project has enabled the economic development of the region and also paved a path for Sweden to be a part of the European Union. A new avenue for trade has been opened and also enabled the industries in European main land to tap the rich human resources in this region. The project has provided the local population with employment and also helped the local industry such as material providers which include steel, concrete etc.It also improved the tourism of the place which happens to be the main sources of economy. In the course of this paper we discussed the advantages of cable stayed process over suspension type of bridges in shallow type water. We also discussed the effects on the environment and measures taken to preserve it. We also gave details of the cost incurred for the completion of the project and as a personal opinion a better pl anning could have reduced the costs further. This is supported by the data provided where the original estimates differed from actual costs by huge amounts. It is common knowledge that the traffic on the roads and bridges increases with time and seen from the graph there is a 17% increase in the traffic over Oresund Bridge in 1st 6months. This is quite normal, and the rate may not sustain, but even then there can be expected that there will be a considerable increase in the traffic in coming future, if not 17% at least 10%, in such case the Oresund bridge with its two lanes for the in either direction will reach its capacity in a decade time. This demands to look for ways to increase the lanes. The carriageway does not reach to the edge of the truss. It would be possible to cast a wider deck element with the possibility of adding an extra lane in either direction. This would bring the carriageway closer to the edge of the bridge and add a significant amount of dead load to the structure. Another option would be to hang new truss elements off the side of the existing deck. This would seem to be a more complex procedure than the first one suggested, but could add more than one lane in either direction. All of these modifications would have effects on the loading of the bridge and strengthening works could well be required for both the cables and the piers.

Relief Units for our Troops :: Military Influenza Health Essays

Relief Units for our Troops War Wounds and Influenza the Least of Our Worries While many soldiers have come back from the front with physical wounds and trauma, doctors and nurses at home are ready for any calamity that might arise. In New York City, and indeed, in many cities around the country, physicians are forming emergency relief units "for service during any calamity in any part of the USA." These doctors are meeting weekly with the police and hospitals, and are keeping informed of the situation in order to protect our citizens. They are training volunteers in first aid and crime control, and plans have been made to turn many of the larger public buildings into relief centers, should the need arrive. In addition, our own men have escaped the epidemic raging through German forces. "Conditions among the civil population of Germany are terrible," states a Dutch tailor who recently returned from Germany. "Workmen die at their work from lack of nourishment." With the country underfed and left in the mud, is it any wonder that so many of them succumbed to the infection? However, there are many more wounds left by this war that cannot necessarily be seen by the eye or healed with tonics and pills. Some of our soldiers return from the front mentally unsound, many so shell-shocked that they cannot recognize their own families, or they cry to themselves at hearing any sound other than their own voice. Some allied surgeons have claimed that the physically fit soldiers are immune to shell-shock, and that only the neurotic or "otherwise suffering" soldiers are at risk. Experience has shown us that seeing your comrades injured or dead around you, and hearing the whistle of shells around you at all times is enough to count as suffering. After all, isn't this why the government sends soldiers suffering from shell shock back to the front a short time after they come home? When we have so many cases of people being easily committed for lunacy, such as in the case of Leonard Abercrombie, who was committed by his brother under highly irregular circumstances- -why is there so much confusion on the topic of insanity? Some doctors have begun to actually treat victims of shell shock by having them listen to music, surrounded by the sounds and beauty of the opera.

Harley davidson analysis Essay -- essays research papers

1. COMPANY OVERVIEW Harley Davidson Inc. was found in 1903 by William S. Harley and Davidson brothers- Walter and Arthur. Since then the company has produced the most recognized motorcycles in the world. The company has been named to Fortune’s list of â€Å"100 Best Companies to work for†. The company has also been ranked #3 in automotive quality behind Rolls-Royce and Mercedes Benz by Harris Interactive, a worldwide market research and consulting firm. Harley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company for the group of companies namely Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Buell Motorcycle Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the only major U.S.-based motorcycle manufacturer, produces heavyweight motorcycles and offers a complete line of motorcycle parts, accessories, apparel, and general merchandise. Buell Motorcycle Company produces sport motorcycles. Harley-Davidson Financial Services provides wholesale and retail financing and insurance programs to Harley-Davidson dealers and customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jeffrey L. Bleustein is chairman of the board and CEO of Harley Davidson Inc..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are more than 1,300 Harley-Davidson dealerships in 48 countries worldwide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The company has employed 8,000 people worldwide and the corporate headquarters located in Milwaukee, Wis; East Toy and Tomawauk, Wis; York Pa; and Kansas City, Mo. Other key business operations are located in Chicago, III.; Franklin, Wis.; Talladega, Ala; Highland Heights, Ohio; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Carson City, Nev.; and Plano, Tex.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harley-Davidson maintains operation in strategic international markets throughout Europe, and in Brazil and Japan to support its worldwide dealer and distributor network. Source of revenues for Harley Davidson : -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selling motorcycles -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harley Davidson financial service -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parts and accessories 2. VISION, MISSION AND GOALS Vision To dedicate, to grow value and strengthen the brand, Harley-Davidson deliver products and deliver the services that fulfill dreams. Mission To fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling by providing motorcycles and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles... ...buyers (increased from 2% total sales before adopting to 9% in 2003). The company found that woman more likely to purchase after taking training course   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Financial service to make it more affordable Operations The company’s expansion plan of its York and Pennsylvania expects to allow the company to increase production to 400,000 units by 2007. Distribution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through dealerships   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Showrooms offer a large assortment of clothing items and accessories in addition to new motorcycles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dealers are responsible for operating showrooms, stock parts and accessories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  161 dealers in Japan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  50 dealers and 3 distributors in Australia and New Zealand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 dealers in South East Asian and East market. Infrastructure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Public listed company   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Quality system   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Strategy & planning are not clear

Phil Jackson And Buddhism Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Buddhism is a major Asian religion studied and practiced in countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Although Buddhism is a growing religion throughout the world, in particular, the practice of meditation is spreading in the West. The United States has a center for Buddhists in Hawaii and New York and also a Buddhist community has been established in California. (Hewitt, 13-14) But even closer to home for most is the practicing of Zen Buddhism on the basketball court by former Chicago Bulls and present Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson. In this essay I will discuss how Jackson has incorporated some of the practices of Zen Buddhism into his and the players of his teams lives and how it has been effective for the game and the lives of those involved. I will also touch on his use of combined Zen and Christianity along with his extended interest in the Lakota Sioux. â€Å"The Chicago Bulls’ Buddha-like guru Phil Jackson inks the richest coaching deal in N.B.A. history ($6 million for one last season [with the Bulls])† (Notebook, 11). There may be some sound reasoning behind this. Michael Jordan was quoted on how some team members are starting to use Jackson’s religion to help them win, â€Å"It’s that Zen Buddhism stuff. We’re practicing smiling when we may be frustrated inside so we can relieve some tension. It’s an art form† (Quotables, 1). Jackson speaks in depth to his team about ejecting selfishness and egotism (Eckman, 3). â€Å"He describes Jordan in the late 80’s as a player who tried to beat the other team by himself† (Zen Teamwork). He not only helped lead Jordan to play like a star but led the Bulls to be a winning team. He and several of his former players believe that this is partially due to what they practiced in the years Jackson was coach. Not only did they study bas ketball, as writer Frank Deford for Sports Illustrated noted in a cover story on Jackson, they took part in â€Å"group meditations and pregame ‘nap time’† (84). Not to mention poetry and assigned books (83). These things may sound odd but as one of the beliefs of Zen says, â€Å"Don’t get caught up in only one way of doing things; and don’t look at things from just one point of view. If you try another way, or change your point of view, the results will always be different† (Chung, 99). Jackson definitely looks at and coaches basketball from a different point of view then most coach... .... As an attention getter to his team before a big game when they are wondering if the meditating and poetry will pay off or if they are just wasting their time, Jackson reminds them of his awareness by saying, â€Å"It’s like you’re going along at 65 miles an hour, listening to your hip-hop music, and your cell phone is ringing, and you’re eating a Big Mac, and you spill ketchup on your shirt. You look down. And when you look back up: right ahead of you, it’s all red lights. There’s just too much going on in your lives† (Deford, 84) Works Cited Chung, Tsai Chih. Wisdom of the Zen Masters. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Deford, Frank. â€Å"Father Phil.† Sports Illustrated 1 Nov. 1999: 82-91 Eckman, Dr. Jim. â€Å"Issues in Perspective.† 2 April 2000. Grace University: â€Å"Zen and the Art of Teamwork.† Fortune 25 Dec 1995 Hewitt, Catherine. Buddhism. New York: Thomson Learning, 1995. Jackson, Phil, and Hugh Delehanty. Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. New York: Phil Jackson, 1995. â€Å"Notebook.† Time 4 Aug. 1997: 11 â€Å"Quotables.† Home page. 26 April 2000.

A New Orgnization In Tampa

The new organization in Tampa, Florida is very diverse but interrelated medical practice for multiple reasons but mainly through the physicians that have combined to create this practice. The three well-established physicians that combined to form the new organization are an obstetrician, a gynecologist, and an urologist. The relationships that are formed through this group of physicians and staff are important when detailing vertical and horizontal dimensions. The vertical dimensions of this organization would be the upward and downward channels of communication, decision making, and the direction of activities taking place.Employing the appropriate staff for each physician is vital for smooth and accurate business. Staffing must include schedulers, billing department, nursing staff, etc. Having a business manager to keep the business operations and staff organized is vital in the vertical chain of command. In this case, a liaison is appointed to the medical staff that the physician s can depend on to ensure smooth coordination between organizations and within the medical building/hospital. The horizontal dimensions of this organization are in place to keep each specialist a unit in one medical building but also very specific to their different practices.A prime example of horizontal dimension is the obstetrician needing a nurse practitioner specifically in the practice to ensure that the help that is needed is supplied. Combining similar physicians is convenient for their clientele/patients but it is also very important that the division is present so that the organization is in place. Authority and Responsibility relationships that are present in this new organization are obviously apparent through the specialists that are collaborating to form a practice. More specifically, the authority is present within the people that’s main purpose is to give orders and oversee activities.For example, the liaison that tends to the hospital and the physicians as we ll as the office manager that oversees the staff and business productions. The responsibility side of this organization is entirely up to the office staff as well as the physicians to follow close instructions and show the responsibility that is vital in a successful business operation. In this particular practice, I believe that an organic organization is suitable. Having a few rules and procedures as well as a small number of organizational levels and ranks would be ideal for this new organization.By organizing the office in this way it will give more responsibility to a few people that can work together to keep everything very structured and uncomplicated. By creating a triangle that amplifies the most important roles with responsible supervision I feel that everyone would be held accountable. The differentiations of this organization are the various elements that are present through the roles each person takes. Multiple physicians, the nursing staff, and office staff are all imp ortant parts in what the differentials in this organization consist of.Knowing what the responsibilities are and what is expected helps to differentiate positions. Integration within this organization recognizes that there are specialized units that all have to work together in sync to benefit the overall well-being of the practice. The nursing staff must work hand in hand with the physicians to ensure the support is needed to provide the best care. The office and insurance staff must work hand in hand to ensure that the business runs smoothly as well as creates revenue.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: A Reflection

Abraham Maslow, a popular psychologist during 1950's to 1970's has developed a model on how people could test their personality, based on their needs as an individual. This is called ‘Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs'. The model is illustrated as a triangle. The base of the triangle, which is the biggest, is the Psychological Need. Since this is the base of the triangle and the biggest, Maslow interpreted this as the individual’s basic needs. Most of the things that Maslow included in this area are the health and medical needs of an individual. These things are some of the things the individual cannot live without, examples are: oxygen, sleep, physical activities, water and rest. Following the psychological need is the Safety and Security Need, which takes up the second level of the triangle. As the individual fulfills his psychological need, he will seek for order and security. Perhaps, he will seek for a secured job so that he could continually fulfill his psychological needs, or look for a shelter or community where he could find safety and serenity. These are some examples of Safety and Security needs. The third level of the triangle is the Love and Belongingness Need. The famous quote ‘no one is an island', best describes this need. Next level in Maslow's model is the need for self-esteem. This need could come from the people surrounding the individual or from himself alone. The last level of the triangle is the Self-Actualization. The last level of the model according to Maslow is a little bit different among the four needs mentioned earlier. Self-actualization happens when the individual finally fulfilled the four needs. In layman's term, self-actualization could also mean ‘contentment or fulfillment'. However, though many psychologists and many practitioners are using Maslow's model, there are some questionable issues as he explained his model. First issue is that, not all individual needs to fulfill the four needs before he can have self-actualization. For example, some individuals are already successful in their respective fields by living alone. Some of these people do not need love and belongingness; in fact, they see love and belongingness as hindrance to whatever they want to achieve in life. Some people are achievers without partners in life or without even a family. Second issue is that, psychological needs encompass almost all of the needs mentioned in his model. In fact, it would be proper for Maslow to name the first level of his model as ‘Basic Needs' instead of psychological needs.

Hassan’s Story Essay

A. Baru is using surface markings to identify the gender of a skull. What two major types of surface markings do bones have? a. The depressions and openings. B. Why are Liu and Hassan surprised to find a metopic suture on an adult skull? In which skull bone do metopic sutures occur? b. Because right after birth the left side and right side of the frontal bone are united by the metopic suture. They were surprised because this suture should have disappeared between the ages of six to eight years of age. C. What delicate skeletal structures are found inside the nasal cavity that might be missing from an excavated skull? c. The perpendicular plate D. How would Hassan and his team be able to tell the ages of the skeletal remains of the woman and baby? d. By the four main sutures such as coronal suture, sagittal suture, lambdoid suture and squamous sutures. E. What features of the vertebral column would the larger skeleton in the sarcophagus show to indicate it was female? e. The vertebral column of a male in about 71 cm (28 in.) for a female the vertebral column of a female would be about 61 cm (24 in.) F. What bone in the neck region other than cervical vertebrae may be damaged during strangulation or neck trauma? f. The hyoid bone. G. If the bones of a person found at the excavation site were mixed up and out of sequence, how could the anthropologists determine which vertebrae were cervical, lumbar or thoracic? g. Because the cervical bones are the smallest, the thoracic bones are larger than the cervical bones, and the lumbar bones are the largest. H. Why would bones with their hard structure, be subject to and show signs of the disease that destroyed this community? h. Because bones will show signs of wear and tear and can also be also be tested. I. What structure passes through the transverse foramina of cervical vertebrae that would cause death if damaged as in the child’s skeleton? i. Arteries

Hercules in the Classical and Post Classical Depiction

In the classical depiction of Hercules, key themes of Redemption and suffering go hand in hand and are present throughout. When Hera (Zeus’s wife) drives Hercules to madness she sends him to brutally murder his own wife and sons. Hercules is overwhelmed with a sense of ‘blood guilt’ and suffering and condemns himself to exile. He then seeks the Delphic Oracle’s help, she tells him that he is to complete 10 labours for King Eurystheus in order to redeem and rid himself of the blood guilt and suffering and become an immortal (APOLLODORUS, LIBRARY 22. . 12. ) The idea of suffering makes heroes like Hercules relatable to the mortal audience and whilst Hercules is a demi god making him faster, stronger and more agile than any other hero- he remains human in character. No task of Hercules is an easy one but he is willing to go through these taxing adventures in order to redeem himself and set things right. In the post classical depiction- Disney’s 1997 mov ie Hercules- those themes of redemption and suffering are not so present instead themes of selflessness and true heroism are strong.Hercules is presented as Zeus AND Hera’s son and is a full god- until Hades poisons him, taking all but his strength. He is deemed mortal and lives with his adopted family in Thebes. Hercules begins the 10 labours in order to regain his immortality and live on Mt Olympus with the other gods. As Hercules begins attempting and completing the labours he becomes somewhat of a celebrity with the mortals and they begin to worship him.But the labours alone are not enough to make him immortal, he needs to show true selflessness and be willing to sacrifice himself in order to save another. When Hercules dives into the pool of spirits in Hades’ underworld to bring Megara back to life he risks dying to do so and only this is enough to be a true hero and regain him his immortality. Aspects of Hercules’ story have been modified to suit the viewe rs and be age appropriate but the theme of heroism has been dominant in both depictions and that is because Hercules himself was a true hero.

What is Ecopreneurship Discuss the benefits that companies can gain Essay

What is Ecopreneurship Discuss the benefits that companies can gain from applying this business model with reference to relevant examples - Essay Example Ecoprenuership was able to recognize environmental challenge and sustainable options for business opportunity. Over the past decade it is evidently shown that growth cannot go into the preservation of nature which we can feel its hazardous affects to the nature. We are suffocating to the high level of pollution and suffering from different kind of unpredictable and abnormal weather phenomenon. We can feel the loss of biodiversity thru the increasing downfall production of goods. Many of the productive land shifted to commercial use, and unable to utilize for the food production supply because of major human activities but sooner turned into land degradation. We tend to have climate change which effect on the earth’s stored ice in the north and south part gradually melting and resulting to rising sea level, unexplainable huge floods in low lands, excessive rain fall, and stronger typical cyclone. The worst changes effect we have in this present time is greenhouse effect making earth’s temperature hotter and hotter. Sustainable development seeks more opportunity and overcome challenges to the said outcome in the community, people, and nations. A universal agreement made a little headway addressing the environmental problem, market demands, and innovation technology. On the other hand, entrepreneur play crucial role for identifying opportunity for the people digging out new technology into commercial use. Therefore global business leaders are formed to resolve the conflicts between business and economic goals thru ecopreneurship and bring out sustainability. The adaptation of entrepreneurial management to conceptual framework of green environment, and/or sustainable oriented management practices can stress out the values of regional economy as well as the social system balancing profits and ecological environment objectives. Predominance of any entrepreneurial behavior generating and enhancing economic

International Hospitality Business Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Hospitality Business - Case Study Example The company holds, administers or franchises a portfolio of world's renowned and highly regarded brands, including Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Grand Vacations, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Doubletree, The Waldorf=Astoria Collection and Hilton Garden Inn. After a great success worldwide, the Hilton group remained the key player in exploiting the opportunities in Indian Hotel Industry which is still in a nascent stage by coming up with a joint-venture with the Indian group DLF to open 75 hotels in the country (DLF holds 75% of the stake) in five to seven years time. The DLF group is one of the biggest real estate developers in India. The group has already got over 224 million sq. ft. of existing development where planned projects account to 748 million sq. ft. DLF's core business is development of residential, commercial and retail estates. DLF has recently forayed into the financial services sector, and hotel business in India. Human resource management has been quite a big challenge, as is inherent in the international hospitality industry. The concerns over a potential US recession are a point of concern as it remains to be seen whether buoyancy of New York's occupancy rates will carry on in 2008 or not. This would determine the future of HR in the hotel industry across the board. While on the other hand India is an emerging economy with growth potential. There are approximately 55000-60000 rooms currently under construction where the demand for rooms is doubled over a five year vista. If the overall demand materialises over next 5 years, on an average of 1.5 employees per room, 187000 new jobs are likely to be created. HR would be a key area of concern for Hilton Group as Talent scouting and retention would require a lot of emphasis. All non-operational areas would require constant attention. In this regard, Hilton Hotel needs to train the functional head where an out-and-out effort would be required to understand the cultural and social dynamics of India, and endeavours to meet, the requirements and ambition of a more demanding generation of employees than that of the US hotel Industry. MARKETING In the recent years the Government of India has taken various steps to boost tourism and development within the country which will benefit the hotel industry in the years to come. The key benefits by the Indian government include the removal of the 15% inland air travel tax and removal of a number of impediments on outbound chartered flights. The government's latest pronouncement to treat convention centres as part of core infrastructure has also fuelled the demand for hotel rooms. Furthermore, Liberal foreign Investment policy would enable the hotel industry to witness a boom in the forth coming years. Though the above mentioned issues are a hurdle for Hilton group, the chain of hotels is likely to keep up its head above troubled waters and will significantly benefit by the economic revival in India. India has been endorsing its

Control & Six SIgma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Control & Six SIgma - Research Paper Example The process flow diagram of check in process of the hotel looks ok but despite of the normal process the average time is more than the standard time. One of the reasons that can be understood from the shown process is that the room cleaning service should be on more proactive basis. The customer without the previous reservation need to wait for the room to be ready, which is one of the most important factors that increases the average time for check in process. Another important factor is that the customer service is poor because of the data retrieving method looks slow regarding the room availability for the new customers without prior reservations. Now the question arises how the check in process should be improved? One of the most emerging strategies for the hotel management process is the use of the self service for check-in hotels. Patrick Avery (2008) worked on the report under the head of Kiosk Marketplace to publish the report on self service for check in hotels. The process is based on online method like ATMs. The Hotels should incorporate the Hotel Reservations in ATMs to reduce the service time .The strategy should follow in a way that even the walk in customers should use the ATMs to check for the availability of the rooms and if it is available, reserve the room get the direction from the GPS system and move straight to the room. The hotel management should also incorporate the efficient cleaning methodology to reduce the time frame for the availability of the room. The bellman if needed by the customer should be allocated through the ATM system, during the reservation process. Additionally the availability of Bellmen should also be incorporated in the reservation process along with the time frame for the service. Now moving towards the check out process, the process is also very much inefficient because the average time that the hotel takes is more than 3 minutes, whereas the standard process should not take more than 2 minutes. The check out proc ess should also be done through self service ATM channel. Insert the ATM card in the Hotel ATM, check the bill and make the payment through the machine and reserve the bellman for the luggage. In both of the check in and checkout process through the self service method customer’s ID verification can automatically be done through the machine. Therefore, the whole process will save considerable time. 2. Pick one hotel offering and write a new process map for it. Along with charts, give a detailed explanation of the new process and where such improvement will benefit the hotel and increase customer satisfaction. Be sure to include all costs, resources, and management functions.   Incorporation of self service facility can be the new process for the check in and checkout service by the Hotel. The hotel Escargo is currently facing a major problem in the overall time management for its services. The Availability of ATM service with the self service facility in the ATM software fo r Hotel reservations can be the most beneficial strategy for the Hotel to improve customer satisfaction. The detailed explanation of the new process for the ATM service particularly for Check In process Is as follows along with its chart is given below. For Reservation & Check In Service The Current check in service of Hotel Escargo is time taking and reduces the customer satisfaction level. Therefore, the new strategy of self service check in facility can reduce the time f

International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

International Law - Essay Example Senegal has ratified the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and is obligated under its provisions to either prosecute or extradite Hebrà © (aut dedere aut prosequi).3 However, such obligation does not require Senegal to extradite Habre specifically to Belgium. Recent conventions and state practice has embraced a duty not to extradite persons that face seriously discriminatory applications of criminal law authority. This limitation on the duty to extradite is incorporated in both the European Terrorism Convention4 and the United Nations Terrorist Financing Convention5: â€Å"Nothing in this Convention shall be interpreted as imposing an obligation to extradite†¦if the requested State Party has substantial grounds for believing that the request for extradition†¦has been made for the purpose of prosecuting or punishing a person on account of that persons race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin or political opinio n or that compliance with the request would cause prejudice to that persons position for any of these reasons.† Thus, an individual does not face fair criminal prosecution where relevant forms of discrimination result in selective prosecution.6 Such emergent exceptions to extradition should also be automatically incorporated in Article 1(F)(b) of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.7 Belgium as well as the Western World has shown a persistent practice of discrimination against Africans and to some extent Latin Americans so far as prosecution for crimes against humanity are concerned. While Belgium has readily prosecuted or initiated investigations against Africans accused of crimes against humanity, in March 2003, when at the behest of family members of civilians killed in the 1991 Gulf War, Belgian prosecutors launched an investigation of former President George H.W. Bush,

Indiana State Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Indiana State Museum - Essay Example The facility has an effective design that takes into consideration the unique security requirement of the artifacts. The museum receives an average of two and a half million visitors a year. This is a great number requiring effective planning and management to minimize harm. Some of the preservatives used on the artifacts are harmful especially if brought into contact with a human. Additionally, most of these preservatives would pollute the environment if exposed to the atmosphere. The facility, therefore, encloses most of their artifacts in glass enclosures reinforced by ultraviolet lights whose trespass triggers an alarm. This, therefore, acts a security both to the environment and for the expensive artifacts. Environmental conservation is the greatest concern to the twenty-first century pre modern society. Established economies produce a lot of carbon monoxide into the atmosphere resulting in the extension of the ozone layer. This promises a number of life-threatening consequences . Already climatic changes are rife in a number of regions in and around the United States of America. The indigenous trees have some of the best mechanisms for consuming the excess carbon monoxide from the environment. The government, therefore, needs to invest in its tree cover. The Indiana state museum takes a personal initiative to preserve the environment the best way it can. Its property is effectively planned to minimize pollution through conservation of water points and the indigenous trees (Price 101).

Chesapeake And New England Colonies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chesapeake And New England Colonies - Essay Example These are the things that inspired people to organize in various ways and to experiment with new ways of building communities. It was the Chesapeake colonies that introduced slavery to America. They had labor-intensive economies and required help. As this critic puts it: The Chesapeake colonies, Virginia and Maryland, established in the early 17th century, and later the Carolinas, were settlement colonies where land was initially given to colonists in exchange for their efforts to cultivate and work it. Those colonists who fared well in the harsh conditions could accumulate enough land to require additional labor to work their holdings. After unsuccessful attempts to use native groups as workers, wealthy colonists imported indentured servants from Britain - an available supply of workers because of population growth. (PBS) We can see here how the seeds were sowed for eventual conflict between north and south in the American Civil War of the 1860s. The America of the 18th century was an impressive and increasingly confident place. Even though the colonies of New England and the Chesapeake were very different places, they were beginning to show similar qualities. Both were independent places where people spoke their minds and respected their neighbours. Both were full of hardworking individuals who envisaged a better life for their children. By examining the history of these two, most important, colonies we can begin to see the form that America would take in all its glory.

What I Have Learned About Women, Work And Society Essay

What I Have Learned About Women, Work And Society - Essay Example Professional or managerial work affects women not in the same way as work on assembly line or in service sector. Women's socio-economic status and access to social support inside and outside of the family can also mediate role performance. Another important dimension of women's roles has to do with choice and necessity. "Public" roles, such as worker or social activist, are usually voluntary, and hence conducive to the sense of mastery and self-actualization (Boris and Chaudhuri 2001). Conversely, caretaking roles are often experienced as "imposed," and lead to perceived loss of control and poorer mental health. Therefore, universal models of role interaction should be supplemented by the more contextualized studies in specific groups of women of different age, ethnicity and social standing. Professional or managerial work affects women not in the same way as work on assembly line or in service sector. Women's socio-economic status and access to social support inside and outside of the family can also mediate role performance. Another important dimension of women's roles has to do with choice and necessity. "Public" roles, such as worker or social activist, are usually voluntary, and hence conducive to the sense of mastery and self-actualization. Conversely, caretaking roles are often experienced as "imposed," and lead to perceived loss of control and poorer mental health. Therefore, universal models of role interaction should be supplemented by the more contextualized studies in specific groups of women of different age, ethnicity and social standing. Professional or managerial work affects women not in the same way as work on assembly line or in service sector. Women's socio-economic status and access to social support inside and outside of the family can also mediate role performance. Another important dimension of women's roles has to do with choice and necessity. "Public" roles, such as worker or social activist, are usually voluntary, and hence conducive to the sense of mastery and self-actualization. Conversely, caretaking roles are often experienced as "imposed," and lead to perceived loss of control and poorer mental health. Therefore, universal models of role interaction should be supplemented by the more contextualized studies in specific groups of women of different age, ethnicity and social standing. The bulk of earlier social research on women's roles was typically focused on the roles of younger women, i.e. those of wife, mother of young children, and employee; few studies addressed the issue of role overload in older working women. Using concepts of "caregiver stress" or "caregiver burden," the impact of elder care on the caregiver, as well as the cumulative effect of multiple roles, have been increasingly addressed. (Barbara Hanawalt 1986) The need in family-based care of the elderly is rapidly expanding in response to growing life expectancy and population ageing. Since women live, on the average, 5-7 years longer than men, they form the majority among both providers and recipients of care. The need for support and assistance progressively ascends after age 65, and by age 85 over half of the elderly cannot function without help. Despite growing social and geographic mobility in modern families, the ties between the elders and their adult children are stronger than was believed in past decades. Long-Term Care Survey in the U.S. has shown that 80% of elder care is provided by family members, and 72% of the caregivers are women, usually daughters or daughters-in-law. (Boris And Janssens 2000) Another demographic factor increasing the likelihood of having elderly parents while still young is the postponement of childbearing in most western countries. Many middle-class women, who invest time and effort in education and career, marry and bear children in their 30s and even early 40s. By the time these children start families of their own, their parents may well be into their late 60s. The small number of siblings in modern nuclear families also results in excessive caregiver burden falling on a single child, usually a daughter. About two million American women are simultaneously engaged in care of their teenage or younger children and ageing parents. An adult woman can expect to spend 17 years of her life caring for children and 18 years

Health and Safety Gap Analysis Essay Example for Free

Health and Safety Gap Analysis Essay 1. GAP Analysis and GANT chart. This was a good start and gave us something to aim for. We have made some progress but not enough. It didn’t really tackle the serious issues and had a poor starting point in the GAP analysis (should have been a risk assessment). Many initiatives have failed due to poor information flow and management commitment. 2. Management buy-in Not enough support from all Managers at all levels. â€Å"We are too busy† was a common phrase heard, IOSH guidance on Safety management systems states that â€Å"Managers need to manage health and safety issues effectively, no matter how busy they are and whatever their workload†. E.g., Kev too busy for training Alex all sorts of issues David very good No action on recommendations. Heath and safety is seen as a secondary business activity, not as a primary consideration. Everyone has suggestions to improve health and Safety at Barfoots but most are not willing to take action when required. Low attendance at the committee meetings, I feel as though they are a waste of time 3. Health and safety committee Nothing is ever sorted out as there is low attendance I would suggest forming a new committee formed by safety representatives from each area of the business. Safety reps would need training in health and safety and allowed time to discharge their duties. 4. My role Heath and safety management is not just about one person, but about the whole organisation working towards a common goal, ‘the reduction of accidents and incidents’. At the moment all of this has been put on me. I sometimes feel confused as to what action to take next. Because people disregard actions I find it hard to keep track of what needs to be done. I am sometimes used as a backup because no one else is there at the time. IE water jug, signs, etc. What authority do I have? I need to spend more time on policy, organization and auditing than I do and less time on the daily management of the process. i. Fire procedures ii. Boom iii. Delivering and maintaining procedures iv. First aid v. Chasing up managers Not suitably qualified, NEBOSH 1-2 years  £2300-  £5000 We are now a multi site business growing rapidly. My skills need to grow with it. MHSWR 99 requires that every employer shall appoint one or more competent persons to assist and advise on health and safety. I nave taken advice which suggested that I should be qualified to NEBOSH level. Syllabus is based around the development and implementation of a OSHMS in a company. Potentially reduced costs in terms of outsourced services, Fire survey, noise survey etc. It will mean that I have accountability as written in my job description. Who do I report to and is that the right person? 5. OSHMS We set out with a list of goals and have achieved some but not others. The first goal should have been the establishment of a an OSHMS in order to create a structure to hang everything else off. There are a number of options for OSHMS all of them based on the Plan Do Check Act principle PDCA HSG65 BS 8800 OHSAS 18001 ILO HSG65 Is the HSE’s OSHMS and states â€Å"†¦ if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law† We can audit against an OSHMS and set performance targets.

Pregnancy and Briefly Informs Jessica Essay Example for Free

Pregnancy and Briefly Informs Jessica Essay Jessica is a 30-year-old immigrant from Mexico City. She and her husband Marco have been in the U.S. for the last 3 years and have finally earned enough money to move out of their Aunt Maria’s home and into an apartment of their own. They are both hard workers. Jessica works 50 hours a week at a local restaurant, and Marco has been contracting side jobs in construction. Six months before their move to an apartment, Jessica finds out she is pregnant. Four months later, Jessica and Marco arrive at the county hospital, a large, public, nonteaching hospital. A preliminary ultrasound indicates a possible abnormality with the fetus. Further scans are conducted and it is determined that the fetus has a rare condition in which it has not developed any arms, and will not likely develop them. There is also a 25% chance that the fetus may have Down syndrome. Dr. Wilson, the primary attending physician is seeing Jessica for the first time, since she and Marco did not receive earlier prenatal care over concerns about finances. Marco insists that Dr. Wilson refrain from telling Jessica the scan results, assuring him that he will tell his wife himself when she is emotionally ready for the news. While Marco and Dr. Wilson are talking in another room, Aunt Maria walks into the room with a distressed look on her face. She can tell that something is wrong and inquires of Dr. Wilson. After hearing of the diagnosis, she walks out of the room wailing loudly and praying out loud. Marco and Dr. Wilson continue their discussion, and Dr. Wilson insists that he has an obligation to Jessica as his patient and that she has a right to know the diagnosis of the fetus. He furthermore is intent on discussing all relevant factors and options regarding the next step, including abortion. Marco insists on taking some time to think of how to break the news to Jessica, but Dr. Wilson, frustrated with the direction of the conversation, informs the husband that such a choice is not his to make. Dr. Wilson proceeds back across the hall, where he walks in on Aunt Maria awkwardly praying with Jessica and phoning the priest. At that point, Dr. Wilson gently but briefly informs Jessica of the diagnosis, and lays out the option for abortion as a responsible medical alternative, given the quality of life such a child would have. Jessica looks at him and struggles to hold back her tears.

Uniqlo In Hong Kong Business Essay

Uniqlo In Hong Kong Business Essay Many businesses exist and flourish because they are successful in satisfying a need in the market. These needs are determined by the consumers who are considered an important component of any business endeavour. The primary reason for a business existence is to continue identifying consumer needs and then come up with tangible responses to address these needs. This requirement makes business companies spend a considerable amount of effort and intellect in analysing the behaviour of the consumers in order to effectively formulate appropriate marketing strategies that would assist the firm in effective production and delivery. Smart, D. T., Martin, C. L. (1992) argued that the study of consumers makes companies and organisations recognise and internalise consumer issues that would help strengthen their marketing strategies. In this paper several issues are discussed pertaining to fashion and clothing products and services offered by UNIQLO in Hong Kong. UNIQLO Co., Ltd. was originated in Japan. The companys business line is about clothing and fashion. But basically, the company is one of the leading clothing and fashion business in Japan that design, manufacture and retail casual wears. Initially, UNIQLO Co., Ltd. was only a division of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. but by November 1, 2005, UNIQLO Co., Ltd. come into the picture through corporate restructuring and currently existing as a 100% consolidated subsidiary of Fast Retailing. UNIQLO was now listed at the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In Japan, UNIQLO is the leading clothing retail chain in terms of both sales and profits. And as of 2010, the company are also operating in Hong Kong, China, United Kingdom, South Korea, France, Singapore and United States. UNIQLO formed the idea of blending of ‘unique and ‘clothing as an symbol of originality and uniqueness of the apparel industry in Japan. UNIQLO offers fashionable and high quality clothing at reasonable prices, and was seized as an opportunity to establish a brand position domestically and internationally, combining all the facets of the business from product design to final sales and the operation of the 790 stores around the globe. Primarily offing for a highly brand conscious consumer group, UNIQLO envisions itself as a leading global casual wear company targeting high sales and profitability growth. For UNIQLO, such aim could materialise based on the established strategies such as low cost management, cheapest manufacture and marketing schedules an d prioritising customer requirements. Nowadays, UNIQLO is described as the apparel giant Gap, Inc.s counterpart based on the 4, 000% share price increase, making UNIQLO as Japans third largest clothing retailer. However, it is not always victory for UNIQLO; the subsidiary also has its own share of downturns especially on its international expansion. For instance, expansion programmes in the United Kingdom (UK) saw a tumultuous stumble in profits, forcing Fast Retailing to shut down 16 of the 21 UNIQLO stores opened, because of competition. Most recently, three UNIQLO stores in New Jersey were also closed because of economic slumps. Despite these facts, UNIQLO maintains the spirit and still believed that the brand has only but way forward. How UNIQLO will going to do such is central to this paper, focusing on the companys strategic management. External, industry and competitor analysis as well as the internal environment will be addressed. In fashion and clothing business in Hong Kong, the products and services offered by retailers that have strong brands are flourishing because they are easier to remember or they are already popular and are known for the quality. Companies like UNIQLO, HM, and Giordano are giving their best to build their brand name or brand identities because it helps consumers easily identify the product as well as acquire a rich set of symbols and meanings embodied by products. For successfully developed and managed brand names, the connections that patrons make with the brand name creates value, or brand equity, that can be a highly valued asset to the firm that develops the brand (Meyers-Levy, Louie, Curren, 1994). Chapter 2. Literature Review Environmental Analysis (PESTEL) Ø Political Analysis In the context of UNOQLO, political factors have direct effect on business conducts and operations. Decisions made by the affects the decision-making of retailers and could come in the form of policy or legislation. In Hong Kong, the ‘one country, two systems is the prevalent governance philosophy which endows the special administrative region with a high degree of autonomy and its capitalist economic system. Within a capitalistic and free market-oriented economy, retail companies make the majority of microeconomic decisions but they have to conform to specific agreements. Mainland and HK Closer Partnership Economic Arrangement (CEPA) and the US-China Textile Memorandum of Understanding are two examples of this. The former provides UNIQLO with a tariff-free treatment, stating that products which have no existing CEPA rules of origin will enjoy tariff-free treatment upon applications by local manufacturers. The latter could provide UNIQLO with an opportunity for an annual growt h of 8-17% in 21 categories of Chinese textiles and clothing exports to the US. Labor and customary regulations as well as code of conducts are also complied into including China Social Compliance 9000 and US and EU quotas (RSCA 2006; Doshi 2006). Ø Economic Analysis Domestically and globally, businesses are also being affected by economic factors whereby a strong economy indicates positive results and weak economy signifies the opposite, affecting both businesses and consumers. Hong Kongs gross domestic product is estimated at US$206.7bn with the service sector that contributes 90% of the total GDP. The region is also named as the worlds eleventh largest trading entity. Almost 50% of the total population is employed full-time and the unemployment rate has a continuous average decline by 4.1%, making disposition of income a possibility, a lower cost of living that is (Monthly Digest 2008). Spending is generally devoted for food, housing, healthcare, transportation, amusement, services and apparel. People nowadays are very particular with ‘investing in quality clothing thereby resume spending with premium apparel finds (Doshi 2006). Realising this, the price and quality characteristics of UNIQLO has a strategic fit; UNIQLO makes people look fashionable and confident in world-class clothes at a reasonable price through the company-wide integration of the Specialty Store Retailer of Private Label Apparel (SPA) model, a low-cost but effective operation model. Ø Social Analysis Demography or the population characteristics may determine buying patterns and that understanding demographic changes within a particular region or place facilitates determining whether products and services would appeal to customers as well as the number of potential customers (Barney and Hesterly 2006, p. 35). Hong Kong has a total of 6, 985, 300 population based on 2008 estimate and is continuously growing due to immigrant influx from Mainland. According to Doshi, people in HK and elsewhere have a growing interest in private labels. Consumers aspired for having private levels on everyday garments. Casual wear from HK which is known for good design and quality has a positive image on global consumers. Nevertheless, international brands are concentrated in high-end consumers while domestic brands are for low-end consumers (Doshi, 2006). In taking advantage of the wealth of the demography, UNIQLO makes effort on providing high-quality merchandise and generating values to the society by taxes. Further, UNIQLO is a company that is committed in creating positive reputation as manifested in its vision and mission, styles of management, ways of doing business and requirements to employees. Ø Technological Analysis Technological innovations are a priority for the apparel retailing industry but it will remain as labor intensive as it is today. Boosting the industrys productivity, increased in automation has been the recent trend but it is limited on specific functions, to which mostly require human intervention such as sewing and making patterns. Although there are computerised sewing machines that increase the productivity and reduce training time. Further, the uses of computer system software intended for the industry will be on making rough sketches, printing detailed designs and storing of information for easy retrieval. The customer orientation of UNIQLO was basically construed from its website in which customers can give feedbacks by email and discussion board. Hong Kong Productivity Council made a report disclosing that the apparel industry could make sense of information technology (IT) if utilise for order processing, costing analysis, order tracking, material management, reporting and connectivity (2004). Ø Legal As with any other business industry of the world, there are rules and regulations that restrict or support the facilitation of the business in the clothing and fashion market in the areas where UNIQLO operates. Ø Environmental There are currently no major environmental issues faced by the UNIQLO in Hong Kong, except for the ever-present textile and silk production issue which catch environmentalists attention die to the fact that some of its raw materials and from the skin of rare animals. Industry Analysis (Porters Five Forces) Ø Threat of Entry Barney Hesterly (2006, p. 43) point out that new entrants are the firms which have either recently begun operations or those that threaten to begin operations within an industry soon. Notably, the apparel industry is a buyer-driven industry where producers are considering buyers decision-making especially when brand names enter the picture. These buyer-centric industries have low barriers to entry mainly because of intense competition. Utilising brands as a market power source; however, this is a challenge for every clothing company. In the clothing business, mass customisation has seen to be the most effective strategy. Putting strategises into action remains to be in resilience today (Culpan 2002). Therefore, the focus must be on minimising the costs without sacrificing quality and to do this, managerial know how is a must in order to understand interactions with suppliers and consumers, to facilitate creativity and innovation and to maintain mobility in adapting to new market dem ands (Kincade, Regan and Gibson 2007). Building brand awareness and consumer loyalty is a costly endeavor since it involves advertising needed not only to promote the brand but also on sustaining awareness and loyalty. Strengthening brand names also requires that there are ‘quick response programs to increase revenues and manage risks. One of UNIQLOs major resources is its brand name, which is now synonymous with comfortable, high quality and cheap clothing merchandises. Although brand awareness outside the home country is a challenge, it is of intangible value to UNIQLO as a business asset. Brands are valuable and rare and reputable brands are acquired through the impressions one has of the company, and its products or services. Since a brand name is built overtime it becomes costly to imitate thereby providing a sustainable competitive advantage in the apparel industry (Groucutt, Lydley and Forsyth 2004, p. 285). Ø Threat of Rivalry Either in home or host countries, apparels, accessories and merchandise will always have a competitor which usually fluctuates in size. The modern market trends for the apparel industry are globalisation and intensified competition, increasing price and lower profit margin pressures, small quantity with high complexity orders, shorter lead times, multiple location operation, changing customer requirements and liberalisation on textile and clothing quota that creates new market dynamics. Being responsive to these market trends shifts the focus of the apparel industry for more extensive product development and improvements at the least possible cost. Such condition forces companies to divert on product differentiation because of high switching cost. In an industry where products are deemed to be ‘equal, the key sources of differentiation are brand image, reputation and prior existence (Byoungho 2004b). For UNIQLO, the products themselves are an important source of competitive edg e. UNIQLO strives at developing products of high quality, in various collections to enable the company to reach the highest possible number of customers. As such, the rivals would be endangered when it comes to introducing innovative products. UNIQLO is positioned in the fashion capitals of the world for the purpose of taking advantage of the new information about fashion trends. UNIQLOs ability to quickly adapt to trends and new markets has helped them develop product differentiation, something that is key to the companys success in the apparel industry. According to Tokle (1990), product differentiation is what separates the top competitors from the rest, but it something that is not costly to imitate. This is why their product differentiation is only a temporary competitive advantage. Competitive advantage could be achieved once the organisation learns to manage its capabilities that the end consumers could appreciate and competitors would find difficulties imitating (Porter 1985 ; Roney 2004). Ø Threat of Substitutes Casual wear is very particular with loose-fit, comfortable and relaxed fit. Athletic or active wear was perceived to be the closest substitute to casual wear as manifested by the booming athletic wear industry. Typically worn as casual fashion clothing, active attires could provide deterrence in the industry. Moreover, the blurring demarcation on the casual clothing family could be also seen as an opportunity for substitutes. Specialised stores offer semi-casual, smart casual and business casual lines. Semi-casual clothes are less presentational than informal but are not as loose as casual dresses. Smart casual purports conservative looks but with harmony on colors, fabrics, shoes and accessories. Business casual, on the other hand, varies in definition but the common element is the collar. Realising this, the bottomline now is the price. Moreover, based on the SPA business model, all the necessary functions at UNIQLO falls under a single umbrella especially the inbound logistics an d the production. UNIQLO is an example of a cut-make-trim company in which in which the company purchase the fabric and retain ownership of the raw materials and work-in-process, and so making it hard for rivals to imitate or produce substitutes for UNQILO brands. Ø Threat of Suppliers The prices and availability of commonly used fabrics such as cotton, blends, synthetics and wools might fluctuate significantly due to its dependence on demand, crop yields, weather, supply conditions, transportation costs, government regulations and economic condition among others (Byoungho 2004a). Quota is the major factor that affects the demand and supply of textile and fabrics. Even though the sale of raw materials is standardised, independent contractors, raw material suppliers, importers and apparel manufacturing firms could not isolate themselves from such scenario because of the prospective unsteadiness in the supply chain (Chetty 1999). As well, because of forward vertical integration, coupled with the low barrier to entry, suppliers could easily become rivals. In becoming threat of entry, suppliers could be also become a competitor to already established apparel manufacturers. In addition, contractors is also one of the threats when the demand of the labor increases, it wi ll cause labor costs price inflation. Laszlo (2008) stress that there are five main parts of the apparel value chain including raw material supply, provision of components; production networks; export channels and marketing networks at the retail level. Through the process, UNIQLO has an ownership on production and thereby a complete control on the supplies procurement. UNIQLO insources its production and handles the majority of the operational details. Sourcing is a go-to in the apparel industry but it is not rare although it can add value to UNIQLO. Ø Threat of Buyers Reaching more and diverse consuming group, the apparel industry is both a stable and unstable industry. Stable because quality price and quality products are the main element and unstable because there are many factors that affect both price and quality. In the point of consumption, for instance, there are ‘middle men such as the retail stores that offer an array of brands. In purchasing manufactured apparel, retail stores could have influence on making significant requirements and demands on their purchase, affecting prices. Though quality is inherent, prices would not be reasonable at all, and alternative clothing is readily available. This explains why apparel manufacturing companies are setting up their own stand along stores which will cater to their own produce. Important is that apparel stores must not fall dependent on s specific class of customer. Buyers are increasingly appearing to prefer above standard apparel with a much lower cost, making apparel less differentiat ed. When selling directly to consumers, buyers would incur a significant portion of their dispensable cash. Same goes with retail store, they purchase apparel at the least possible final cost, but adds up to prices of apparel. UNIQLO is involve in selling to the customers through specialty store marketing, with a minimalist strategy of pile em high, sell em cheap concept that is. In addition, the unbranded fashion or the no-logo concept was perceived to be the main reasons for peoples warm attention (Williamson 2007; Parrish, Cassill and Oxenham 2006). Competitors Analysis a) Local Competitor: Giordano According to companys website, Giordano was established in 1981 as one of the most well-known and established apparel retailers in the Asia Pacific region. The company employs 11,000 staff with over 1,700 shops operating in 30 territories worldwide. The companys vision aimed to be the best and the biggest world brand in apparel retailing with a remarkable mission i.e. â€Å"To make people feel good look great. From the companys website, they are stating that Giordano is committed to being a successful and responsible corporate citizen. Meaning, they are committed not only to delivering quality products and service to their customers and strong and sustained financial performance to their shareholders, but that are also committed in creating a positive impact in the communities where they do business. The current CEO since 1996 is Peter Lau, a Canadian Chinese. Basically, Giordano is based in Bermuda and trades on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as 709.HK. Giordano concentrates in creating and delivering economic quality clothes such as Long Sleeve Shirts, T-Shirts, and denim jeans. On the other hand, Giordano Ladies, a sub-brand was only established in 1996. It has been instrumental to upgrading the unisex brand from a budget image to a more fashion oriented apparel retailer similar to The Gap. b) International Competitor: HM It is now a widely held view that the world economy has entered a much more complex phase where individual national economies have become inextricably linked. In this new world economy, resources and markets have ceased to have the indelible national identity of the past (Jones, 2002). Restricted resources and markets that were once legally isolated have become much more accessible to enterprises that have acquired a global strategic vision. To the more visionary global enterprises, the world is but a borderless environment with homogeneous consumers who have developed an unforgiving taste for the most sophisticated and high-quality products. In response to the needs of these global consumers, the enterprises have developed global products. How such homogenised consumers are served, however, is a question of the strategic orientation of the enterprises and their ability to exploit the ever-evolving global economic environment (Jones, 2002). With this regard, HM, a company in Sweden e ngaged in clothing and a leader in fashion business shows significant impact to their consumers in accordance to their brand and branding strategies. HM is considered as one of the worlds favourite and preferred designer of apparels and clothing for man and women. In addition, HM is also known not only for their fashion cosmetic but because of the quality of the clothes designed durability and the funkiness of its clothes. Through the online stores, HM provides the US, UK and European Market exclusive clothing designs. The main goal of this company is to provide innovative designs of apparels and clothes for different types of people in different countries all over the world. The company has been known because of its strategy of providing clothing designs exclusively for each countrys preferences and needs. HM is considered as one of the worlds favourite and preferred designer of apparels and clothing for man and women. In addition, HM is also known not only for their fashion but because of the quality of the clothes designed durability and the funkiness of its clothes (HM, 2009). The HM mission, â€Å"Fashion and Quality at its best price†. In addition, their handbags, shoes and accessories are also creating big sales and positive reactions from consumers. Through the online stores, HM provides the US, UK European Market and Asian Market exclusive clothing and even handbag designs. HM also offers perfumes and watches. The main aim of this company is to provide fast fashion goods (haute couture, ready-to-wear, handbags, perfumery, and cosmetics among others) in different countries all over the world (HM, 2009). The company has been known because of its strategy of providing fashion designs exclusively for each countrys preferences and needs which was positively accepted and loved by consumers. CPM Matrix Table 1. CPM Matrix UNIQLO Giordano HM Critical Success Factors Weight Rating Weighted Score Rating Weighted Score Rating Weighted Score Advertising 0.20 4 0.80 5 1.00 4 0.80 Product Quality 0.15 4 0.60 4 0.60 4 0.60 Price Competitiveness 0.10 4 0.40 3 0.30 4 0.40 Management 0.10 4 0.40 3 0.30 4 0.40 Financial Position 0.15 4 0.60 3 0.45 3 0.45 Customer Loyalty 0.10 4 0.40 3 0.30 3 0.30 Global Expansion 0.15 3 0.45 4 0.60 4 0.60 Market Share 0.05 3 0.15 3 0.15 3 0.15 Total 1.00 3.80 3.70 3.70 With regards to the discussion of the local and international competitors of UNIQLO, the CPM matrix describes the edge of UNIQLO over Giordano and HM. As seen in the critical success factor, UNIQLO dominates the Product Quality, Price Competitiveness, Management, Financial Position and Customer Loyalty. Despite of this, it seems that UNIQLO was lacking in advertising which was dominated by Giordano. In addition, UNIQLO also needs to consider their efforts in global expansion and market share in order to become successful in Hong Kong. Extended Marketing Mix 8Ps of Services Marketing Furthermore, since the UNIQLO as a brand concept be similar to or is associated with service stipulation, the 8Ps method adopted for service marketing may be competently espoused for its advertising. The 8Ps are: * Product This refers to the stuff or services to be offered by the company. In the case of UNIQLO, their products and services are mostly related to clothing and fashion, thus the need for constant review should be bear in mind in order to meet the changing customer expectations. * Place In UNIQLO, the place in which this product was manufactured and distributed was somewhat accessible to both suppliers and customers. Actually, UNIQLO are considering the issue regarding product availabily at the most convenient places for the target market, i.e., current and prospective clients. * Price In terms of price, UNIQLO produce were priced competitively. * Promotion UNIQLOs most effective ways to communicate to the various target groups to stimulate greater awareness, interest and patronage are somewhat good but not exceptional. UNIQLO are now using TV advertisement, Internet marketing, and billboard advertising. * Physical Evidence In terms of presentation, UNIQLOs products are exceptional. In addition to these, the services offered by the company were also outstanding. As seen in their shops UNIQLO are known with their well-dressed staff/consultants, logos on office doors/ business cetres, letter heads, brochures, complimentary cards, consultancy reports, etc. * Process With regrds to the process, the business of UNIQLO are well management in which makes their business system flawless and customer complaints are easily handled. * People When it comes to people, UNIQLO chooses the best suitable person needed by the company. This means that UNIQLO expertly indentify the capabilities of a person that will reflect the value of UNIQLO products and services. * Promise UNIQLO with their consultants are delivering their promises. In terms of quality of products and services, UNIQLO are giving it to their customers at utmost quality. * Public Relations UNIQLO stakeholders carefully identify the various publics that can impact on UNIQLO to which PR communications can be directed. Such publics include individual consultants, clients, big practices, small practices, other related professional associations, relevant agencies of the United Nations, financial institutions, etc. Developing the Concept of Servicescape and Blueprinting Servicescape- Servicescape is a concept that was developed by Booms and Bitner to emphasize the impact of the physical environment in which a service process takes place. If you were to try to describe the differences a customer encountered when entering a branch of say like McDonalds compared with a small family restaurant, the concept of servicescapes may prove useful. Booms and Bitner defined a servicescape as the environment in which the service is assembled and in which the seller and customer interact, combined with tangible commodities that facilitate performance or communication of the service (Booms and Bitner, 1981, p. 36). Servicescape may be likened to landscape. It includes facilities exterior (landscape, exterior design, signage, parking, surrounding environment) and facilities interior (interior design decor, equipment, signage, layout, air quality, temperature and ambiance). Servicescape along with other tangibles like business cards, stationary, billing statements, reports, employee dress, uniforms, brochures, web pages and virtual servicescape forms the Physical Evidence in marketing of services. Servicescape is not defined as above. The definition above is the definition for physical evidence. Physical evidence consist of servicescape combined with the tangible elements, so servicescape is a part of physical evidence. Blueprinting Service blueprinting was initially introduced as a process control technique for services that offered several advantages: it was more precise than verbal definitions; it could help solve problems preemptively; and it was able to identify failure points in a service operation.24 Just as firms have evolved to become more customer-focused, so has service blueprinting. One early adaptation was the clarification of service blueprinting as a process for plotting the customer process against organizational structure.25 Service blueprinting was further developed to distinguish between onstage and backstage activities. These key components still form the basis of the technique and its most important feature, that of illuminating the customers role in the service process.26 In addition, it provides an overview so that employees and internal units can relate what they do to the entire, integrated service system. Blueprints also help to reinforce a customer-orientation among employees as well as clarify interfaces across departmental lines. Chapter 3. Research Methodology The aim of the study is to once again, seek the various sides of economic impact in London after winning the title to be the host of the 2012 summer Olympics. It is a big challenge for the hosting country to facilitate a mega event and the industry that is in the center of the issue is the tourism. The continuous development of an industry is possible if there are factors that can affect its growth. In the existence of the Olympic event in London, there should be an appropriate investigation that might lead in determining the economic impact of Summer Olympics. Along with the complexities defined in the countries of UK, London remains the center of attention because of the opportunity in hosting the prestigious Olympic Games. After the years of 1908 and 1948 in hosting the previous Olympics, London finally acquired the honor in hosting the mega event. Obviously, years can be evidence the world is changing and with that, London must be prepared on the various effects resulting to the Olympic Games. With the help of the appropriate method, the study can gain the chance in meeting the objectives and goals. Research Methods to be Used Since the study is concern regarding the empirical ground and current situations of Londons preparedness in the upcoming Olympics, the proposed primary method is through the use of surveys and interview. There are many types of primary research available based on the purpose of the researcher/s. The design of the method can create the accurate result and overview on the concern of the study. It is expected that survey methods are more efficient in terms of gathering the primary data therefore; it is utilized in the study. Through the form of questioning the people or groups, the study can gain the limited amount of information which is also useful in understanding the subjects point-of-views. On the other hand, the use of interview helps the research in providing the ideas of a small group similar to gathering their opinions. After the e