Err Booklet Abc

Bi: DESCRIBE THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF YOUR EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT AS SET OUT IN YOUR CONTRACT OF EMPLOYMENT OR EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT My employment is conditional to a clear CRB disclosure carried out by my employer; it is subject to the employer receiving 6 personal and professional references through a strict vetting initiative. It is essential to drive and carry valid insurance, tax and MOT certificates including business class one insurance.Any holiday is to be requested a minimum of one month prior to the date and is at the discretion of the manager. Sickness is to be reported as soon as possible to ensure clients visits are reallocated in a timely fashion. I must ensure that during my employment, my outside interests do not engage with a conflicting business to the company, ensure confidentiality at all times, remain loyal to the business and within a six month period of leaving do not solicit business from Home Instead Senior Care.Bii: DESCRIBE THE INFORMATION WHICH NEEDS TO BE SHOWN ON YOUR PAYSLIP/STATEMENT It will need to include, yours and your employers names, a breakdown of your payment, deductions including PAYE tax, NI and any pensions, Tax paid to date – PAYE & NI, date of pay, tax period, your tax code and NI number. The last details will include your Net pay and state how much holiday you are still entitled to. Biii: IDENTIFY TWO CHANGES TO PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU MUST REPORT TO YOUR EMPLOYER Change of address and change of name (surname if you marry and change it) Biv: DESCRIBE THE PROCEDURE TO FOLLOW IF YOU WANTED TO RAISE A GRIEVANCE AT WORK.YOU MAY DESCRIBE THIS IN WRITING OR PRODUCE A FLOW CHART OR DIAGRAM Bv: EXPLAIN THE AGREED WAYS OF WORKING WITH YOUR EMPLOYER IN RELATION TO THE FOLLOWING AREAS; 1. DATA PROTECTION The company will hold details of the employee and clients in both paper and electronic form under the Data Protection Act 1998. This will remain confidential at all times. As the employee I agree in my contract to adher e keep any information confidential at all times regarding client information, only passing on where necessary to the people involved. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary or dismissal. 2. GRIEVANCEEmployers will raise any grievances when necessary in a professional manner and employees are encouraged to raise grievances without fear at all times. Employees and the employer follow the grievance policy at all times. 3. CONFLICT MANAGEMENT When conflict arises CareGivers are asked to not approach the subject in front of clients and to try and resolve calmly, if to no avail they are to seek assistance from a senior member of the team. 4. ANTI-DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE Employees are encouraged to work in a non-discriminatory manner and to report any issues as soon as they arise. This is for employees, employers and clients. 5.HEALTH & SAFETY Employees are given health and safety training before commencing work in the community and are encouraged to report any issues immediately. 6 . CONFIDENTIALITY Employees are to adhere to the confidentiality policy at all times or they could face disciplinary action or possibly dismissal. Confidentiality is essential with clients as it helps to build their trust although vital information should be passed on where necessary to the correct people. 7. WHISTLEBLOWING Whistleblowing encourages and enables employees to raise serious concerns within the company rather than overlooking a problem or ‘blowing the whistle' outside.Employees are advised to speak to their designated senior CareGiver or a member of the management team with any issues rather than other colleagues. Bvi: EXPLAIN HOW YOUR ROLE CONTRIBUTES TO THE OVERALL DELIVERY OF THE SERVICE PROVIDED Being a senior CareGiver means I am partly responsible in ensuring the quality of service remains at a high level by carrying out regular spot checks on CareGivers and completing Quality Assurance questionnaires with the clients to make sure they are satisfied with the care the y are receiving. Where any issues arise actions are taking to resolve them.Bvii: EXPLAIN HOW YOU COULD INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICE PROVIDED BY: A) FOLLOWING BEST PRACTICE WITHIN YOUR WORK ROLE; This would encourage anybody I am training to work to high standards that I personally would set and would ensure clients are kept safe and happy at all times. This could also promote the company through word of mouth. B) NOT CARRYING OUT THE REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR ROLE. This could put yourself and clients in danger and could have a damaging effect on the companies business. The level of care would decrease setting low standards and would leave clients vulnerable to all sorts of risks.Bviii: DESCRIBE HOW YOUR OWN WORK MUST BE INFLUENCED BY NATIONAL FACTORS SUCH AS CODES OF PRACTICE, NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS, LEGISLATION AND GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES. The national factors give you guidance, standards and rules to follow in your work practice. Legislation tells you what you must/must not do. Codes of Practice and Occupational Standards form the values of the company; legislation states the level and quality of care, government initiatives impact the clients more directly. If the above aren’t followed the level of care would be poor and unsafe for clients to receive.Without guidelines, laws and rules carers wouldn’t know what is and isn’t acceptable within their care duties and could also be putting themselves at risk. Bix: A) IDENTIFY TWO REPRESENTATIVE BODIES WHICH INFLUENCE YOUR AREA OF WORK. Care Quality Commission B) DESCRIBE THE ROLE OF THE TWO REPRESENTATIVE BODIES YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED. CQC licenses services if they meet essential standards and will constantly monitor whether they continue to do so. They formally review services if they receive information that is of concern and as a result decide they need to check whether a service is still meeting one or more of the essential standards.They also formally review them at lea st every two years to check whether a service is meeting all of the essential standards in each of their locations. Their reviews include checking all available information and intelligence they hold about a provider. They may seek further information by contacting people who use services, public representative groups and organisations such as other regulators. They may also ask for further information from the provider and carry out a visit with direct observations of care.

Critical analyse of the external and internal environments Essay

From the long run, the economy will only be developed better than before, as long there are no large scales of wars. If the economy in the world is developing in a steady and healthy way, the demand for the cars will be larger and larger. The fact that the number of Japanese cars assembled in North American will soon reach 2 million per year will lead to the oversupply, so it is likely to threaten the price structure of the U.S. auto market and in the meantime, it will bring about negative impact on the revenue of the automotive businesses in the U.S. market. 3.3 Social factors As long as the customers have a certain level of buying power, there will be a large number of car buyers. After the World War II, nearly all countries in the world were making every effort to recover from the war. The war was destructive to all the countries that had participated in the war. In some developing countries, people even had to worry about whether they had to suffer from hunger, let alone buying car to make their life easier. However, as the recovery of economy, people begin to think about the houses and cars to improve the quality of their life(Ravichandran et al., 2005). In the meantime, the social concept is also changing. Men were the trend of the drivers, but more and more women are independent and have good economic conditions, so the demand for cars is also increasing. The changing social trend has enabled Ford to produce various types of cars in order to meet the different demands from different groups. 3.4 Technological factors The advent of the Internet has simplified customers’ life, and the advent of cars have make customers’ life more convenient. However, Ford does not cease to make innovation in terms of technology. For instance, most modern cars have been equipped with intelligent systems such as Global Positioning System (GPS) which enables the customers not to get lost no matter where they go. The intelligent system will be able to provide the car owners with alternative lines according to the actual situation of the road. If there are traffic jams, the system will remind the car owners to choose another alternative. In addition to the intelligent system which will benefit for the car owners, the design of the cars will also be more human oriented. The innovation of technology will bring convenience to customers, so the design and the function of the cars in Ford will ! enable the customers to have better experience of driving. Therefore, more and more customers who can afford cars wil l choose to buy a car. 4. Internal environments of Ford The analysis of internal environment can find out the absolute strengths and weaknesses. If the enterprise sticks to its past successful strategies, they will fail in the new competitiveness for not updating its strategies(Leidner et al., 2011). Every enterprise has its strengths and weaknesses, and the internal strengths and weakness and the external opportunities and threats will be the foundation for enterprise to formulate strategies. This section will use SWOT analysis to explain Ford’s internal environment. 4.1 Strengths Ford has long history and its brand has been well-known to the whole world,  and this strength has enabled Ford to make brand marketing. As long as the brand has been known to the customers, the customer will buy the product due to the brand effect. Then, there is effective customer management system which will enable Ford to target the existing and potential customers more accurately. On the other hand, there is diversified management system that can attract real talents to Ford to make wise decisions. There are many job opportunities that are offered by Ford, and the policies on human resource management are flexible. 4.2 Weaknesses It has reported that the quality of the products has not met the standards in recent years, so many of the cars have to be recalled back to the factory. This incident has indicated that the quality check system has problems, and this may cause public relation crisis. On the other hand, to compare Ford with its competitors, Ford has not introduced sophisticated technology such as robot in the process of manufacturing the products. The third weakness is that the cars that have been produced in Ford have not reached 27.5 miles per gallon fuel efficiency standard(Peppard and Ward, 2004). 4.3 Opportunities As Ford is a multinational company, the international market has been developed due to the market expansion. In such case, the product will not only be sold in the native country  but also in foreign countries. In the meantime, Ford has developed its e-business system on the internet, so the international market is able to enlarge and the market share of Ford is also likely to increase. Then, the low cost of cars does not mean low quality, so the cars will be cost-effective, which will attract more customers to buy them, and thus increase the sales(Peppard and Ward, 2004). 4.4 Threats The major threats come from the competitors of Ford, especially the Japanese cars, for the Japanese manufactures are trying to open the market of luxurious cars in the United States. In the meantime, the exchange rate of Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar is ever  changing and not steady. In addition to Japanese cars, the new entrants to the U.S. will also come from China and India(Leidner et al., 2011). Another threat is that the government has been more involved in the regulations and policies on cars. Although there are concessions made by the government, the  concessions may be taken back by the government. 5. Strategies for Ford in the next five years The analysis of SWOT for Ford will be helpful for the decision makers to make the strategies for the future. When the key external and internal factors have been effectively matched together, it will help Ford to be more competitive than its competitors. It is suggest that the decision makers can implement SO strategy. This strategy will enable Ford to take full advantages of its internal strengths and external opportunities(King, 2002). Effective brand marketing and good customer management system, as well as human resource management system will enable the company to develop its e-businesses in the international market. If the famous brand has affordable price for customers, the sales and market share will increase to a certain extent. As long as the market share and sales has successfully increased, the company can rank at the first or second in the same industry. Another plausible strategy is WO strategy which will make use of the external opportunities to make up for the weaknesses. However, the weaknesses can sometimes become obstacles for seizing the opportunities, so if the company should try to overcome ! the weaknesses and turn them to strengths. For instance, if the demand for the cars which have equipped with intelligent system is large, but the factory has not acquired the technology o f equipping the system, so Ford can cooperate with the companies which have this technology. In such case, both companies will benefit from this business. On the other hand, if the company does not want to cooperate with other companies, the employees who have the knowledge of such technology should be employed to the company with high salary in order to assure the technology innovation. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has conducted a close study of the external and internal environments for Ford Motor Company. The political environment has proved that the government has both positive and negative impacts on Ford, and the economic and social factors have turned out more and more people can afford a car, especially the independent women. The technology factors have also contributed to the increasing market share and sales of Ford for its convenience and comfort and affordances. Then the report has made a SWOT analysis of Ford’s internal environment, and it has suggested two plausible strategies for Ford in the next five years. One is SO strategy and the other one is WO strategy, which will enable Ford to realize its stra tegic objectives in the automotive  industry.

Is the Ecological Crisis the Human Rights Concern of the Century Essay

The ecological crisis has now become an important topic throughout the years. Even so, toward the end of the last century, the issues of such crises became a focal talking point of governments, international organisations and scholars. This most likely is, as Leigh (2005) discusses, an increasing acceptance that such ecological disasters affecting mankind has been one of â€Å"the most critical turning points† that the world has ever encountered. Such crises are experienced when our environment is modified in ways which undermine our continued existence. As the environment and its ecosystems are in a constant state of being damaged, its quality is vastly ruined and this has major effects on the lives that are dependent on it. Magdoff and Foster (2011) suggest that for the ecological crisis to be understood, it must be looked at in the sense of the boundaries of the planet. They go on to indicate that ultimately the Earth has several thresholds which it must remain in in order to preserve the gentle conditions that the Earth has experienced in the past century. These thresholds include loss of biodiversity, climate change, a depleting ozone layer, world-wide freshwater and chemical pollution. Unfortunately, the planet has already passed two of these, including loss of biodiversity and climate change due to our damaging activities that cause environmental disparities. Until recently, the ecological crisis and its subsequent effects have been discussed mainly in the scientific disciplines as merely an environmental issue. It has also been made into an economic concern. However, it is now more than ever in the 21st century being debated and referred to as a subject for human rights. This essay seeks to examine the issue of the impact of the ecological crisis, its human rights implications, and how it has come to be considered the human rights concern of the century. The Ecological Crisis The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st has seen a remarkable increase in the number of environmental catastrophes that the Earth has experienced. These disasters have not been just limited to one eographic region but they have affected nearly every single part of the planet. Some have included climate change, which in turn has been affected by the greenhouse effect and gases ; the advent of peak oil; loss of biodiversity and therefore diminished quantities and quality of food supplies; plus deforestation, chemical pollution and oil spills. These in turn have had a knock-on effect on the way of living for man and caused such issues as rising sea levels, floods, reduced food resources, droughts, and polluted air and water supply. As mentioned, the Earth’s threshold for climate change and biodiversity loss has been passed and this has already been causing irreparable harm to the planet’s ecosystems and the environment. It is still possible, however, to stop such effects from permanent harm to the environment, which is why the ecological crisis has become such an important matter for discussion today. Climate Change â€Å"Of all the environmental issues that have emerged in the past decades, global climate change has been the most serious and most difficult to manage† (Dessler and Parson, 2006). Like with the above quote, it is thought by many scientists and scholars that climate change is and will be the biggest threat to the environment mainly because of its potential to bring about such brutal destruction. Oxfam International (2008) stated that some of the 23 richest countries in the world (comprising Canada, Australia and USA) where just fourteen percent of the entire world population inhabits, produced almost sixty percent of the planet’s carbon emissions since the 1800s. The Earth’s climate is changing. In fact, it has always been varying from time to time. However, the degree of change is now the big worry. The Great Warming (2006) defines climate change as an alteration in the â€Å"long-term climate† of a particular area. It is further stated that humans contribute to this climate change by discharging greenhouse gases and sprays up into the atmosphere while also modifying the land we live on. Dessler and Parson (2006) debate the forecasts for climate change in the 21st century are more or less unclear, nonetheless, this uncertainty can work either way in that the climate may increase or decrease. The prospect of such unknowns makes this question a lot graver. Many of the activities that individuals carry out on a daily basis has contributed significantly to the greenhouse effect, the depletion of the ozone layer, and therefore climate change. As The Great Warming (2006) put it, the inhabitants of the Earth are constantly burning fossil fuels for heating of houses, for production of electricity and to run machines and vehicles. All of these activities have been adding to the warming effect on the atmosphere. The UNDP (2007) report on fighting climate change established that since the start of the industrial age, the temperature of the Earth has risen by about 0. 7 degrees Celsius and this increase seems to be speeding up with time. The report went further in determining that if a threshold of 2oC is broken, we hazard the idea of greater irreparable damage to the environment. Magdoff and Foster (2011) quotes the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stating that by the end of the century in 2100, the most probable temperature increase worldwide will be in the 2. to 4. 6oC range. This, we can see, is far higher than the previously mentioned threshold of 2oC, and as the authors mention, is a major cause for concern and panic. Such drastic climate change can ultimately lead to ice caps melting, sea levels rising, droughts, forced migration of peoples, a reduction in food produce, and danger to coastal regions. This can lead to reduced health and welfare of the population while also causing serious issues with atmospheric pollution. Other forms of the Ecological Crisis Climate change has not been the only crisis the environment has faced. There has also been widespread degradation with other human-driven activities. Goodhart (2009) explains that the ecosystem has been affected by severe exhaustion of its resources. This includes deforestation which has led to erosion and land slippage and thus pushed people out of their habitat. Oils spills have been a major source of concern, according to Goodhart, which has threatened the survival of certain oceanic species that are a vital source of food for man. The ecological crisis will affect the entire world population if nothing is done to stop the effects of all these contributory factors. This has led international organisations such as the United Nations (UN) to establish various agencies and protocols that will guide international actors in dealing with the crisis. These include the IPCC, as well as the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The UN has also held several conferences over the years to tackle the problems including the Earth Summit in Brazil and the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) . As will be seen in the next section, some of these mechanisms have begun placing more emphasis on and framing the environmental issues as human rights concerns. Relationship between the Ecological Crisis and Human Rights â€Å"As the world marks the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay points out that a wide range of universally recognized rights including food, life, water and adequate housing are under a direct threat as a result of climate change† (OHCHR, 2008a). The destruction of the environment and its consequent effects on humans is leading to grave human rights concerns. In its resolution on climate change, the UN Human Rights Council stated their concern for climate change posing a direct danger to communities in the world, further suggesting that this ecological crisis has consequences for the â€Å"full enjoyment of human rights† (HRC, 2008) . Framing of the issues in human rights terms has been a very useful tool for creating greater awareness of its impacts and ensuring that the subject reaches new actors and activists, ultimately influencing the process for the better. Human rights are now frequently referred to as â€Å"universal and indivisible†. For this reason, Hawkins (2010) suggests that every human being is â€Å"entitled to every basic right by virtue of their humanity†. As climate change is possibly the biggest ecological concern of late, many scholars refer to it the most when focusing on the human rights implications. However, there are still very deep human rights concerns for the other contributors to the crisis. Depledge (2007) mentioned that there are, at present, no organisations such as the UN that blatantly suggests a right to a healthy environment. Nevertheless, he proposes that the human right to health covered under the UDHR directly implies a link to the environment. This is because the way in which the environment is kept can and does affect the security of people. Therefore, we see truth in Commissioner Navi Pillay’s words in mentioning these rights. Hunter (2009,p. 7) also suggests that climate change can have an impact on the right to self-determination. One example of the effect of the crisis on this right is that of the Inuit people of Alaska who in 2005 submitted a petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights suggesting that their â€Å"way of life† was being hindered by climate change which in turn influences their continued existence and culture. Climate change, if continued on its current path will increasingly raise the Earth’s temperature. This will further affect the water sources, our food, and cause major disease outbreaks. These activities are bound to result in significant human rights violations under the various charters and treaties. Firstly, the right to health will see a drastic rise of malnutrition in children. There will also be a threat of major increases in droughts and flooding around the world (Oxfam, 2008). Another right that needs to be preserved during this process is the all-important right to life and security. Article 3 of the UDHR asks for the â€Å"right to life, liberty and security of person†. These rights are in serious danger of being breached from the issues of the ecological crisis. Goodhart (2009) maintains that the depletion of environmental resources like clean water and oil has â€Å"been a cause of violent conflict in several areas around the world† and this is of extreme distress because of the occurrence of, say, peak oil. Climate change can greatly affect the security of people around the world. As a result of the rising sea levels, the increased temperature and therefore the damage to land, inhabitants of the Earth will experience more flooding, droughts and fires, heat waves and higher occurrence of storms. All of these can ultimately lead to death and an increase in numbers. Another important right affected by this crisis has been the right to food as stipulated in Article 11(1) of the ICESCR . Current trends are not a good sign for people’s right to food under this treaty. Oxfam (2008) suggests that any further warming of the planet is bound to expose fifty million more people to hunger by the year 2020. Within another 30 years in 2050, that number could vastly increase to 132 million. These are extremely high numbers that would be detrimental to the survival of many regions and populations. The Oxfam report cites the case of Africa, where land for cultivation is being reduced by climate change causing the season for growing crop to decrease thereby producing less crop for food. The International Council on Human Rights Policy (ICHRP) categorically mentions that climate change creates violations of human rights due to the constant harm that we are inflicting on the environment (ICHRP, 2008). The most serious effects of the ecological crisis will usually and unfortunately be experienced by the people whose rights and protections are currently not being respected and so occurrences like climate change, tar sands, and pollution will have a greater impact on the more disregarded populations. This includes the poor and usually indigenous peoples around the world. As Havermann (2009) put it, the indigenous peoples around the world are some of those that are most susceptible to these crises while being the ones who have the smallest responsibility for them. For example, the oil and gas expansion by multinational corporations around the world is having severe effects on climate change and the environment, leading on to issues for human rights particularly with indigenous peoples. As Karliner (1991) noted, oil and its excavation has an overwhelmingly negative effect on the economic stability of these groups. Also a huge concern, as a result, is their health which tends to suffer from these activities. The problems faced by many countries with deforestation have also been exacerbating the situation for the realisation of human rights around the world. Many of the forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. The boomerang effect is thus a reduction in the all-important biodiversity that the forests contain and that is necessary for the continued livelihood and survival of those dependent on it. This includes, according to ICHRP (2008), the over fifty million tribal inhabitants of forests around the globe who are constantly affected with their food safety harshly curtailed. If the present rates at which such deforestation and the previously mentioned rises of climate change, oil spills and pollution continue, it is thought that a majority of the rainforests on the Earth will have vanished even before the 21st century has ended. Concern of the Century? Many environmentalists and human rights defenders have framed the ecological crisis as one with a human rights dimension. This is because most see it now as a serious inhibitor to development, to the daily living of man and to fulfilling the rights that have been laid out in the various international instruments. The ecological crisis has seen a large number of environmental problems over the years and its effects are now being debated fiercely on the world stage. Some world leaders, scientists and the general population are all trying to engage in finding solutions to the problem while others still question and underestimate the gravity of the phenomenon. The issue has become a major concern, not just for the planet physically, but also in a human rights context because the ecological crisis single-handedly affects a range of different human rights as seen above. In many instances, its effects can breach more rights than some of the other current rights violators. In addition, while most abuses of human rights can generally be halted voluntarily, if these environmental problems are allowed to linger untreated then at some point in time the destruction of the environment would have become irreversible. This in turn would result in more human rights violations. As Hawkins (2010) argues, the resources of the planet are limited and so to continue with the existing trend will place humanity in peril. Also, the atmosphere cannot distinguish between the greenhouse gases that affect climate change by the region it comes from (UNDP, 2007). Climate change, for example, is non-discriminatory and unlike other rights violations being perpetrated around the world, it can affect just about anyone. This is why such a huge international human rights advocacy process has now been implemented. In a statement in 2007, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon referred to climate change as â€Å"the greatest emerging humanitarian challenge of our time† which is â€Å"menacing the whole human family†. As the UNFCCC acknowledged in the framework, the universal reach of the effects of climate change requires the â€Å"widest possible co-operation from all countries† (UNFCCC, 1992). It is evident that the human rights implications of the ecological crisis is a great concern for many people especially in the recent efforts by NGOs to publicise the matter, while a number of measures have been put in place by international organisations such as the UN to tackle the problems – through summits, conferences and protocols like the Kyoto protocol. In 2008, a resolution was passed by the Organisation of American States (OAS) on human rights and climate change (ICHRP, 2008). The commitments set forth in the 1997 Kyoto protocol are soon to end in 2012. Neglecting to meet these obligations will cause us to reach even closer to further crisis. In December 2011, Canada officially pulled out of its commitments to the protocol (Carrington and Vaughan, 2011). The backlash and criticism from world leaders and actors was astounding and this showed the level that the ecological crisis and its implications for human life have reached in this century. Conclusion Going forward without confronting this global challenge that is the ecological crisis with the seriousness that it deserves will result in countless human rights violations around the globe. The climate change, deforestation, oil spills and rising sea levels will cause a massive increase in the destruction of habitats, reduced water supply, island and coastal regions vanishing, and greater health concerns. These in turn are destabilizing many peoples’ rights to food, health, security, life and livelihood. It is imperative that the principles and norms of human rights are continuously applied to these crises so as to halt the irreparable destruction of the environment and the future of humankind. As noted by the UNDP (2007), the 20th century saw leadership disasters resulting in two world wars in which masses of people suffered. In this the 21st century, the destructive nature of the ecological crisis has become the new and preventable disaster.

Giving Negative Feedback Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Giving Negative Feedback - Essay Example According to the study Kat criticized Pao regarding the latter’s fickleness in accepting work opportunities. The author knows the conversation ended badly, with Pao walking away and not speaking to Kat until today. He decided to talk to Kat to provide her a negative feedback on what she did, and at the same time to make her understand the impact of her words and actions to Pao. He wanted to apply the tips he read about giving criticisms. The result is a success because Kat accepted the criticisms constructively, and even decided to talk to Pao again using the same techniques as the reporter did with her. Criticizing Constructively Behavior versus Person It was somewhat expected that Kat will immediately react negatively one he starts with the criticism. However, he still tried to diffuse the possible initial negative reaction by making sure that Kat understand he is criticizing the action and not the person. This paper outlines that description versus Judgment The second strat egy the reporter used is â€Å"focus[ing] feedback on description rather than judgment†. He feels that this is very important to avoid making Kat feel that he is judging her immediately. So, instead of telling Kat that, â€Å"You were harsh with Pao when you told him he is so fickle minded.,† he instead told Kat that, â€Å"Your voice was really higher-pitched and louder than usual, and you were pointing you finger at him on several instances.†   There was actually no way for her to dispute facts that we both know to be true. It would have been easier for Kat to dispute my words had they been personal judgments. Specific Situation versus Abstract Characteristic The third strategy the reporter used is â€Å"focus[ing] feedback on behavior related to a specific situation rather than an abstract characteristic† . This proved to be effective because she seemed to be more open to listen on how that incident was wrong in many ways. This could be because focus ing on a specific incident made us focus on the actions and words, rather than on the general characteristic of the person (Kat).  

First Tennessee Bank (First Horizon National Corp) - Organizational Research Paper

First Tennessee Bank (First Horizon National Corp) - Organizational Behavior - Research Paper Example Organizational behavior is an integral aspect of various successful businesses. For a more precise understanding of the organizational behavior at FTB, it is important to identify certain norms and characteristics that determine the aspects of the regional bank. Some of these characteristics of organizational behavior include, firstly, attitudes and values of employees for example company culture, social responsibility and others. Secondly, motivation and performance, which encompass factors like, job security, bonuses, raises, and employee mentoring programs. Thirdly, managerial challenges for example global competition. The three factors play a significant role in shaping FTB’s organizational culture (Marquis& Huang, 2010). Employee work rate is governable by their perception or attitude towards the job they do. Such attitudes are achievable through values and ethics that dictate the manner in which organizational operations remain executed. Upholding workplace values and ethical practices ensures that there is no friction between the leadership of organizations and the junior employees. At FTB, the following are prevalent: Differentiated customer service considers the customer’s identities, in that, services are offered to customers automatically via a software system. An example is telematics, which is a component of information technology that deals with the transfer of digitized organizational information over long distances. FTB entered into a partnership with Ensenta Corporation, a software development organization. FTB is devoted to improving convenience for its customers and at the same time enhancing efficiency within the bank’s workforce. Therefore, Ensenta assists in achieving this goal by refining the remote deposit capture (RDC) service offered to customers. RDC is an information technology system that allows bank clients to scan checks from their diverse locations and send the images to FTB remotely through the

Greasy Lake - T. Boyle Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Greasy Lake - T. Boyle - Assignment Example I agree with Boyle in that most of the time people have no idea about the reality of what they admire and aspire to be; only when one experiences something can one know the true meaning thereof. In the beginning Boyle romanticizes the â€Å"bad† or â€Å"dangerous† persona that the narrator and his friends aspire to have as their own, or feel is their own. There is a tendency even now, I feel, to make the bad appear good and attractive, whereby young men want to be rebels or bad. Boyle captures this attitude right in the start of his narrative, stating that it was a time â€Å"when it was good to be bad†. The narrator of the story goes on to list quite a few of the â€Å"bad† qualities that his friends have, and which he admires, and which make him think that they are â€Å"two dangerous characters†. Most often such dangerous characters do not have any inkling of what real danger is, and their image is often based on stories they themselves tell, or on feats that are really not â€Å"dangerous† but merely irresponsible. In the story, for example, the two friends of the narrator are â€Å"bad† because not only can they hold their own at a party, but can also roll joints in extremely difficult circumstances. It seems that this is often the truth of life; if you put yourself out to be as someone, more often than not, people will believe you without any evidence, and soon you will start believing it too, that is until you are faced with an event that challenges your claim. When something comes along that actually challenges the claims that you make, it is only then that the truth is known. Only when you are faced with the task of proving yourself to be who you claim to be can you actually prove the same. I completely agree with Boyle on this, because in my opinion very few people turn out to be who they say they are when it comes to putting their claims into action. When they are forced to scatter, with the narrator finding himself in Greasy

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGMENT 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGMENT 2 - Assignment Example It is recommendable for the company to make use of a flexible benefit option that will allow employees to get compensation in accordance with their desires and needs. Performance appraisal is defined as the structural formal interaction between supervisors and subordinates which usually take the form of a periodic interview through which the subordinates work performance is examined in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities for improvement and skill development. Performance appraisal system (PAS) is aimed at improving the performance of the overall organization by encouraging a high involvement level and motivation on the employees, as well as increases participation (Toppo & Prusty 2012). The system also establishes a process to use in the achievement of accountability and responsibility in the process of executing programmes in the organization. The human resource management of the Coca-Cola India Ltd believes that on the importance of employees as they are the main drivers of the company. The HR considers the employee as being its greatest assets and it requires their ultimate dedication to employments to make the best out of the company. The main objectives of using the appraisal system to the company are to: Recognize the top performers of the company- The company aims at recognizing and providing positive feedback on all top performers in order to ensure that they are motivated and challenged to enhance the growth of the company Improve planning- The Company aims at reviewing the status of all bottom performers in order to take all appropriate actions. The appraisal system helps the company to prepare performance improvement plan for all the bottom performers. Performance delivery and review of results- The Company aims at assessing the progress of the business results, assessing the progress on the competencies and development of the workers and to make clarifications on the

Case Study 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study 2 - Essay Example The drawbacks result to baffling cases and transgressions. Not considering the affluence of information obtainable, it does not assist in operating the amenities. The intellect acquired from the offenders would be precious and significantly noteworthy in rule enforcement. Nevertheless, the decree enforcers openly squash underfoot and discharge it as implausible. Correctional officeholders cleverly find out covert messages from detainees regarding performance of the other jailbirds (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007). That notwithstanding, they have their intelligence dishonoured by their superiors (regulation enforcement personnel). If the detectives restrain the intellect, it can direct to fruitless communication. This dims the enforcement conglomerates from attaining imperative intelligence. The facet of non-credibility of the springs (criminals are the spring) flaunts itself as a major hindrance to communication. According to the rumour mill, the incarcerated are pathological lia rs. This tells us that neither the correctional bureaucrats nor the enforcement conglomerates can acknowledge a solitary portion of intelligence from them. Detainees employ slander as a way of stage-managing the administration. (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007) This encumbers healthier communication, which is predominantly essential in edict enforcement. The boss-subject relationship undergoes stumbling blocks, which dissuades unconventional course of communication in the procedure of working. The subordinate (correctional agents) tends to talk about only those issues that are not likely to get them into trouble. This fear serves to cover up inconveniences that may possibly mirror on the lesser party. The correctional administrators hold back crucial insight from getting to their superiors. The intellect assembly assemblages further carry on the knowledge to themselves, in an exertion to shun many avoidable measures. The use of multifaceted message avenues thus bars invariable st ream of information. This holds rapid compilation of knowledge and its application back. Professional-occupational specialism in relation to the correctional superintendents, puts on show an unremitting and proficient, communal scheme. This design educes premeditated and unintentional perspiration. These consist of coaching and vocational group traditions. Amateur correctional bureaucrats obtain a momentous jolt on first contact with the crooks. As they discover to subsist in seal up contact with the crooks, the bureaucrats sack the typecast that offenders are precarious. (Klofas, Kalinich & Stojkovic, 2007) On-job schooling tags on ahead joining the preparation school, which is more of inevitability than intent. This socialization process acts to weed out ineffectual officers. An exceptionally nerve-racking matter with the correctional officials is their disunity. They are deficient in the pervasive subculture that erstwhile groups signify. They hardly labour as one nor go halves i n the decision-building procedure. This debilitates communication amid them. They somewhat assume and condemn each other, other than come together and endorse cohesion, which is debatable. This is pluralistic unawareness where the folks affected concede with their personal standpoints rather than others’. The procedure of socialization is unchangeable. As a result, officials take part in a fundamental duty in determining work-related specialism. The superintendent ought to aspire to

Research methods used in evidence based practice Essay

Research methods used in evidence based practice - Essay Example Other investigations concerning the problems of the nursing field, and ways to implement evidence-based practices in other areas are used to supplement this comparison. It is not in doubt that these procedures are effective, this article explores additional means to expand these practices more thoroughly throughout the clinical profession. Introduction In the interests of the nursing profession, the term evidence-based practice is a relatively recent development. The term represents the new framework for the medical field in general representing the logical culmination of scientific principles essential to the foundations of modern medicine. But the term itself was first described in the work of the evidence-based medicine working group in the early 1990s (Cullum et al. 2007). For all areas of human endeavor with any intersect with the material or biological sciences and evidentiary area approach is the fundamental precept that permits reliable scientific progress as an alternative t o superstitious or intuitive practices predating the advent of the scientific method. In addressing this theme a patient safety research article from Berland and colleagues (2012) will be subject to examination. The article itself focuses on a specific tasks relative to the healthcare profession, providing a direct analysis utilizing evidence-based practice. Primarily, this article will address the specific research findings of Berland and colleagues (2012) , who conducted a study on the experiences of homecare nurses in the area of patient safety. This is an example of evidence-based practices applied to resolve the specific issue of patient safety. Pursuant to an exploration of this article, additional background will be given on evidence-based medical practices in general. Before the modern movement towards evidence-based practice, similarly related terms such as evidence-based medicine (Beyea & Slattery, 2006) described the fundamental approach of utilizing scientific evidence a s the primary assumption needed to identify the most efficacious treatment strategies based on the objective appraisal of the physical facts pertaining to the case at hand. Qualitative Overview During any research project, executive decisions must be made concerning the best strategy by which to derive conclusions from the available information. There are two principle categories of data that are meaningful in terms of human interactions and endeavor: quantitative and qualitative. Quantitative information is primarily numerical, using ratio-level data that allows precision calculations often of physical phenomenon. It is essential for mechanistic processes involving functions or forces that can be duplicated or replicated. This stands in contrast to qualitative data. Qualitative data reflects findings relating to social interactions or behavioral motivations that do not immediately entail numerical representation. Qualitative findings often use ordinal or normative information in or der to draw behavioral conclusions. Many of the issues relevant to this article are dependent upon behavior and human interactions, such as questions of leadership and responsibility. These functions of behavior are not amenable to hard numerical data under most circumstances, and therefore a qualitative approach is most useful for the type of research included in this analysis. For the Berland study, the first line of the Methods

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

International business - Essay Example In this context, the country that consists of one developed city is the new trend in global business and politics. Thus, it is interesting and important to investigate the way Singapore manages to be so prosperous. For this aim, the presented essay overviews Singapore’s open cross-border transaction conditions and explains in detail both the effect of multinational corporations and domestic government on the development of this economy. In the essence of Singapore global business strategy, dependence on trade relations creates the core of its national economy. It is common to deal with this global city as the country that has a strong tradition of protected by government imports in combination with free market economy (Lin and Ewing-Chow, 2014, p. 6). In its essence, Singaporean economy concentrates on â€Å"port, oil processing, multinational corporation manufacturing, some science-based high-tech, a service sector and a growing financial sector† (Preston, 2007, p. 15). In general, Singapore has one of the highest trade to GDP ratio in the world and relies heavily on importing goods like food, energy, and industrial raw materials (Selvam, 2003, p. 69). According to the recent statistics, Singapore is in top-15 of largest merchandise exporter in the world and has a trade to GDP ratio of 404.9 (â€Å"Starting a Trading Company,† 2015). Thus, global business scenario depends on the ability of this count ry to involve foreign investments effectively. In this context, it is evident that Singapore imports all the basic goods. As for the resource base of Singapore, it is similar to Japan in the inability to rely on natural resources. As Dunning (1997) noticed, since nineteenth century, when natural resources were the foundation of development, passed, the key to economic prosperity in the twenty-first century is in ability to create the new knowledge (p. 54). And

Graduate school Essay Example for Free

Graduate school Essay Preparation Before applying, understand why attending graduate school makes sense to you. To clarify why you want to attend graduate school at this point in your life, try answering questions such as: †¢Ã‚  What will this degree enable you to achieve? †¢Ã‚  What do you plan to do with your advanced degree? Be able to express what about you and your experiences will help you to succeed in the program: †¢Ã‚  Make lists of professors, courses, research projects, ideas, travel, and other experiences that have been important to you, or have influenced your decision to apply to graduate school. †¢Ã‚  Think about any volunteer, extracurricular, or paid work experiences, as well as interests, special skills you possess, or honors and awards you have received. †¢Ã‚  What have you learned from your experiences? How have you used this knowledge? †¢Ã‚  Provide the admissions committee with information that supplements (not repeats) the information in the rest of your application. What important aspects are not clearly reflected in your resume, college transcripts and test scores? For example, you might want to indicate how you hope to benefit  from graduate studies, and how you intend to apply and integrate your graduate studies in your career. Writing Tips †¢Ã‚  Answer the question. Some applications require a general personal statement, others ask you to write on more specific topics. Be sure to tailor your essay to the school’s request. †¢Ã‚  Keep the essay clear, concise, and to the point. The essay demonstrates your writing ability and communication skills. Engage your readers with an effective introduction and clear structure. Say what you mean directly and avoid using phrases like â€Å"I think† or â€Å"In my opinion.† †¢Ã‚  Write your personal story. Set your statement apart by discussing WHAT is important to you, WHY it is important, and HOW you have used your talents and abilities in your life. †¢Ã‚  Be specific and give examples. For instance, instead of simply stating that you would make an excellent doctor (lawyer, engineer, etc.), provide reasons and examples. What experiences have you had that encouraged you to enter this field? †¢Ã‚  Follow any format guidelines provided by the school, such as length, font, or margin size. †¢Ã‚  Proofread! Ask several people to read through your essay, especially faculty in your desired area of study, English professors, career counselors, parents, and friends who will give you honest feedback. Ensure that there are no typos, misspellings, or grammatical errors. Over → USD Career Services †¢ Hughes 110 †¢ 619-260-4654 †¢ [emailprotected] †¢ www.sandiego.edu/careers Tailoring Your essay will be different for each application. Know the special features, emphases, or approaches of each program, and reflect these in your essay. †¢Ã‚  What are the school’s strengths? †¢Ã‚  What makes the program a good choice for you? †¢Ã‚  How might you contribute to the program? Cautions †¢Ã‚  Do not include references to your experiences or accomplishments before college, unless there was an extraordinary achievement or trauma that had a significant impact on your current situation. †¢Ã‚  Do not mention subjects that are too controversial. Avoid offending the admissions committee. †¢Ã‚  Do not be too general. Top schools may receive thousands of applications, and you want yours to stand out. Keep your essay interesting, relevant, and tailored to the school. Additional Resources Websites at many universities contain advice on writing graduate school essays. The Writing Center at RPI www.rpi.edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/gradapp.html UC Berkeley: Graduate School Statement http://career.berkeley.edu/Grad/GradStatement.stm UCSD: Application Essays http://career.ucsd.edu/sa/applicationEssays.shtml These commercial web sites offer helpful samples and tips on writing graduate school essays. By listing these sites, USD Career Services is not endorsing the additional paid services. Essay Edge www.essayedge.com/ Admissions Essays www.admissionsessays.com (click on Writing Tips) All About the Graduate Admissions Essay http://gradschool.about.com/od/essaywriting/All_About_the_Graduate_Admissions_Essay.htm The following books on graduate school essays are available in the USD Career Services Library. Graduate Admissions Essays, by Donald Asher (Ten Speed Press) Peterson’s Perfect Personal Statements, by Mark Stewart (Thomson Peterson’s)

Porters 5 Forces Essay Example for Free

Porters 5 Forces Essay Competitive strategy is a field of great interest to managers and is mainly based on a thorough understanding of the industrial, trade and service, competitors and environment. However, until the 80s, has offered few comprehensive analytical methods to obtain it. The competitive analysis and formulate corporate strategy, planning also helps to finance, marketing, value analysis and many other aspects of daily life of a business. One interesting for corporate strategy planning approach has been proposed by Michael E. Porter who states that there are five forces that influence the long-term profitability of a market or some segment of it. Therefore, the corporation must assess their objectives and resources against these five forces driving industry competitions, which are described below: 1) Threat of entry of new competitors or the market segment is unattractive depending on whether entry barriers are easy or not to cross by new entrants that may come with new resources and capabilities to seize market share. 2) Rivalry among competitors: for a corporation will be more difficult to compete in a market or a particular segment where competitors are well positioned, are very numerous and fixed costs are high, it will be constantly faced price wars, aggressive advertising, promotions and new product entry. 3) Bargaining power of suppliers: a market or market segment will not be attractive when providers are very well organized or trade union have strong resources and to impose its conditions of price and size of the order (with the aggravating circumstance if inputs that provide or have no substitutes are scarce and expensive). Nor if the provider decides strategically integrated forward and, for example, takes the distribution channels or where a product is distributed. 4) Bargaining power of buyers: a market or segment will not be attractive when customers are very well organized, the product has many substitutes, and it is not very differentiated or low cost to the client, allowing you they can make substitutions equally or lower cost. The growing demands of large buyers are focused on reducing prices, higher quality and best service; therefore, a corporation will be affected profit margins. The situation would worsen if buyers decide to integrate backwards and, for example, acquire d its suppliers or produce their own inputs.

Piagets and Vygotskys explanation

Piagets and Vygotskys explanation In this essay I will be outlining the main differences and similarities between Piagets and Vygotskys explanation of cognitive development in children. Cognition is the study of the thought process or mental activity by which us individuals acquire and deal with knowledge. The study of the human cognition is a vast field and there are wide varieties of topics. The two most influential theories of cognitive development are from Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Each of their theory has key aspects of cognitive development across childhood. Firstly, according to Siegler (1998), Piagets theory of cognitive development is considered the most important to emerge from the study of human development, and the most controversial theory as well, according to Beilin (1992). Piagets observations of children provide a remarkable inside for what cognitive development is supposed to be like (Siegler, 1998). He provided answers to questions regarding intelligence and how one develops their knowledge. He believed that children develop in reaction to their environment, and the rewards and punishments it provides, Piaget argued that children actively explore their worlds, and their thoughts are ultimately derived from the actions of the world. Children according to him construct their reality as they manipulate and explore their world, cognitive structures which Piaget termed schemes. A scheme is an interrelated set of memories, thoughts, or strategies which are employed to predict and understand the environment. He believed that as children grow, they develop and refine their schemes. Central to Piagets theory are two biological concept, adaption and organization. Organization refers to an individuals tendency to organize their cognitive structures or schemes into efficient systems (Lutz and Sternberg, 1999). Organization can take place independent of any interaction with the environment. He believes that children naturally begin to link schemes together, creating more organized and interrelated cognitive system. For example, infants eventually begin to link together schemes developed for reaching, grasping and sucking objects, combining these into more complex structures that can be generalized to other situations and thus further their ability to negotiate the environment. Initially they cant combine these actions, but through the process of organization they become able to do so. This brings us to the concept of adaption. Adaption involves the creation of cognitive structure or schemes through our interactions with the environment. Adaption is achieved through assimilation or accommodation (Piaget, 1952). Assimilation is the process of integrating the environment into ones current psychological structures (Lutz and Sternberg, 1999). When the child assimilates something, they mould it to fit in with their existing structures. Accommodation is the opposite process, it occurs when old schemes are adjusted to fit better fit with the demands of the environment. For example, the infant sees an object lying on the floor; they can assimilate into her experience, applying her grasping scheme. The infant then encounters another object, a smaller one this time such as a plastic token, they are then forced to accommodate to the object, altering their grasp in order to be able to pick up the token. According to Piaget (1952) there are times when we are able to assimilate most new experiences, other times we are forced to accommodate and adapt our structures to the environment and thats when we enter into a state called cognitive disequilibrium, also k nown as, cognitive conflict. Both Piaget and Vygotsky believe that development started off with cognitive conflict. The process of equilibration, continual balance, leads to the development of more efficient cognitive structures (Lutz and Sternberg, 1999). Similarly Vygotsky developed his own theory of cognitive development in children. However, he made an emphasis on the cultural context in which human development occurs. Like Piaget, Vygotsky was strongly committed to the idea that children were active explorers of their world who tested their ideas against reality, seeking to expand their knowledge. It is said that Vygotsky compares a child to an apprentice, whereas Piaget compares them to a scientist. However, unlike Piaget, who viewed children essentially as solitary figures involved in the construction of knowledge, Vygotsky believed that the childs social environment was an active force in their development, working to mould childrens growing knowledge in ways that were adaptive to the wider culture in which they grow up. Vygotskys perspective on child development is referred to as the socio-cultural view because of his emphasis on the childs culture and the social environment as forces which shape development. Vygotsky was a st rong advocate for the developmental method, unlike Piaget, who concentrated on the origins of mental processes and the transformations which they have to undergo. Vygotsky was obstinate in his belief that an individuals cognitive development was largely a social process, and not an individualistic construction as Piaget believed. Also unlike Piaget, Vygotsky focused on interactions with parents, siblings, peers, and the wider culture, who were more highly skilled than the child. And he believed that through the interaction with the child and through the instruction and assistance they provided, the childs cognitive development would be promoted. He believed that learning begins as an inter-personal activity. Whereby, gradually the learner is able to perform independently. Also his theory included the scaffolding learning, where the support is provided by teacher on specific task. It allows the learner to perform at a higher level. At any given point in the learning process, there is a difference between the level achieved when assisted and when alone, also known as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The scaffolding learning of Vygotskys method is still being used in this century because all over primary schools, children are still being assisted; however when they progress unto a stage where they feel co mfortable in their ability, the teacher or individual with higher knowledge gradually withdraws support according to process. He also believed that children acquire tools invented by society to support thinking in children, also known as the cultural tools, for example calculators, books and computers. Similarly to Piaget, Vygotsky believed that childrens egocentric speech was a part of their cognitive development. However, the two have different perspectives on how they viewed the purpose of egocentric speech. Piagets Egocentric speech suggests that the childs self centred and unable to consider the point of view of others. Whereas, Vygotskys Egocentric speech is seen as a transition between the childrens learning language in a social communicative context and attempting to internalize it as a private inner thought. Alongside that Piaget developed stages of child development through clinical methods because he felt development precedes learning. The stages of cognitive development are, the sensori-motor period (0-2 years) where children achieve represential thought, the pre-operational period (2-7 years) childrens reasoning is often illogical, after is the concrete operational period (7-11 years), children are able to reason about current, concrete situations, lastly the formal op erations stage (11-15) where children can reason about hypothetical situations. Piaget believed that the pre-operational stage is a time during early childhood when children start to reason, build concepts, and lay the foundation for concrete operations. Operations are initialized sets of actions that allow the child to do mentally what was done physically before. (Santrock, 2003). Piaget believed that illogical reasoning was due to: Animism, lack of reversibility, Egocentrism and Centration. Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky paid little attention to the role of the individual. He did not focus on the stages of development or the ages at which these might occur. However, like Piaget he did see the child as an active participant in learning rather than a passive recipient of information from other people. Both these theories share ideas about how a child starts to develop their cognitive skills. But they both understand it differently. The nature of Piagets investigations contrasts with the cultural-historical approach of Vygotskys research. Piaget is more concerned with the development of universal processes for the validation of knowledge, and Vygotsky is more focused on psycho-socio-historical genesis and its interpretations. Although these psychologists have received a lot of critics about which aspect of development they put more emphasis in, they have still contributed to our understanding of child cognitive development. It is only through their research and theory that others are able to progress onto finding out further details about how a childs mentality develops. Vygotsky and Piaget are often presented as opposites. However, a careful read of their theories reveals that they are not as dissimilar as they are presented to be (DeVries; Matusov Hayes, 2000).

The Curse Of The Dot Com :: essays research papers

The Curse of the Dot Com   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over the last few years, we have all seen commercials and other advertisements for all kinds of Internet companies. It started an Internet revolution, including such common things as shopping, stock trading, even entertainment. Recently, however, many have noticed that so many of these once growing companies no longer exist. They filed bankruptcy. Why? Because this new market became saturated, and there was not enough demand to support all of the companies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here’s an example; Mother Nature dot com. The company went belly up in 2000, and actually started the trend. We all saw the ads for Mother Nature dot com, they were the ones with all the natural health supplements. The problem was, the supplement trend is still new, and people jumping on the wagon want to have it as soon as possible, and Mother Nature was an online mail order.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then there’s the most famous belly-up dot com; Pets dot com. Everyone knew their slogan; â€Å"Pets dot com, because pets can’t drive.† They had the funny little sock puppet dog as a spokesman. Publicity wasn’t their problem. As a pet owner, I can tell you that when I get something for my dogs, I don’t know what I’ll get before I leave the store. I need to browse the store to know what there is. An Internet site won’t let you just see what’s there, you can’t feel it, or touch it. Sure, that system works well if you know what you want, but what if you’re not sure?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Internet companies are going bankrupt mainly because not that many people like the idea of not seeing, touching, etc., what they bought until a week or more after they bought it. You can see some harm to on site stores from dot coms; it helped Wards to close their doors.

Authors Playing With Our Emotions Essays -- The Fear, Speaking Bittern

Authors Playing With Our Emotions in Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Fear†, Chuck Palahniuk’s â€Å"Speaking Bitterness†, Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†, and Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† Some authors are very clever in the way they toy with our emotions. It is not uncommon to find yourself giggling at a story while simultaneously realizing you probably should not be laughing at something that is actually quite gruesome. These mixed emotions are stressful for a reader, and this anxiety is an author’s way of creating paranoia. Paranoia is a fear caused mainly by extreme anxiety, and in many cases the anxiety is a result of dissonant emotions that create tension. Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Fear†, Chuck Palahniuk’s â€Å"Speaking Bitterness†, Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†, and Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† all utilize dissonant emotions to cause stress for the reader. Frost and Palahniuk focus on the conflict between fear and a lack of reason for fear. Jackson and O’Connor focus on the dissonance between humor and gore, and also the conflict between a need to feel sympathy for a character and a lack of connection to said character. But there are also the fearless, bold, and strong-minded people. There are people who may not be affected by the tricky ways of these authors. However, they are the exceptions, and just because they do not feel it does not mean they are not supposed to. Despite these exceptional people, authors design their stories specifically to include the tension from dissonant emotions in order to elicit paranoia-related anxiety. It is natural to want to identify the source of an emotion, so when authors create an overwhelming sense of fear without explanation, the reader experie... ... author wants them to be guided. The paranoia aspect is a theme that the authors are trying to utilize as a means to a certain end of their choosing, and that is why they induce such anxiety in their readers. A sense of paranoia is elicited by the tension created by conflicting emotions. Works Cited Frost, Robert. â€Å"The Fear†. Robert Frost’s Poems. New York: St. Martin’s, 2002. 107-111. Print. Jackson, Shirley. â€Å"The Lottery†. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ed. Ann Charters. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 586-592. Print. O’Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Ed. Ann Charters. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 1042-1053. Print. Palahniuk, Chuck. â€Å"Speaking Bitterness†. Haunted. Chuck Palahniuk. New York: Doubleday, 2005. 258-268. Print.

Prospero in William Shakespeares The Tempest Essay -- Shakespeare T

Prospero in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" Prospero has long been read as one of Shakespeare’s most cherished and provocative protagonists. His timeless role in â€Å"The Tempest† has provided readers and critics with insights into many attributes of Shakespeare as a man, his works, and the political views that are personified in his play. The historical context of â€Å"The Tempest† is one that convincingly conveys the political views of the English people of his time, relating to the colonization of the New World, the expansion of British powers, and the domination of the indigenous peoples that was necessary for the British to thrive in the Americas. Of course, many people from the 1600’s would argue that domination of these natives would have been completely justified, from this view, Prospero conversely did nothing truly evil in taking rule of the Island from Caliban. However, a modern critic reading or watching a performance of â€Å"The Tempest† may find that Prospero is not very dif ferent from Antonio when standing the play and the colonial era next to each other. The reader will see through basic observation that these two men have more in common than they do in disparity, and more so that he closely resembles the attitude of European colonists settling in the New World. Prospero is simply a ruler, bent for power, and to him, the end justifies the means. The only true difference between Prospero and Antonio may be that that Prospero is not quite as willing to kill as Antonio is, and that he may not be addicted to gaining power and fratricide as Antonio may be. Prospero is capable of forgiveness, as seen in the end of the play. He does not of course carry all the attributes of an evil villain. If Shakespeare wrote an evil p... ...true difference between himself and Antonio. It reinforces the benevolence that is one of Prospero’s characteristics, and also conveys the kindness and grace set upon the native peoples of the English colonies by it’s European rulers: that since they are ignorant and need constant guidance, they are worth forgiving. Works Cited: Brown, Paul/Deborah Willis. William Shakespeare, The Tempest: A Case Study in Critical Controversy. Bedford/St. Martin’s, Boston-New York 2000 Hunter, Heidi. Colonial Women: Race and Culture in Stuart Drama. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. 2001 Merrell, James H. Into the American Woods. W&W Norton and Co. Inc. New York, New York. 1999 Shakespeare, William. The Tempest Washington Square Press. New York, New York. Folger Shakespeare Library edition. 1994

Apush Brinkley Chapter 12 Terms

APUSH Chapter 12 Antebellum Culture and Reform Hudson River School – The first great school of American painters, based in New York. The painters portrayed that America’s â€Å"wild nature† made them superior to Europe. Cooper and the American Wilderness – James Fenimore Cooper was the first great American novelist (The Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer) His novels â€Å"The Leatherstocking Tales† were a celebration of the American spirit and landscape Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry D. Thoreau – rejected societal norms as a whole and supported individual independence. Controversial, though they gained many followers.Brook Farm – established by George Ripley as an experimental community in West Roxbury, MA. Individuals would gather to create a new form of social organization, permitting everyone to self-realization. Brook Farm failed but inspired many similar communities. The Oneida Community – one of the most enduring utopian communities. It was declared that all residents were married to all other residents. Women were protected against unwanted childbearing and children were raised communally. Shakerism – commitment to complete celibacy, openly endorsed the idea of sexual equality.Reform Movements – worked on behalf of temperance, education, poor, handicapped, etc Charles Finney – similar to Thoreau/Emerson, said that everyone could find salvation through individual effort. Gained support from women and eventually became very popular and gained a following. Temperance Crusade – against alcohol! Women were in favor. Access to alcohol was growing and with it was abuse. States started passing restriction laws. Phrenology – argued that the shape of a person’s skull determined their character and intelligence. Reforming Education – Horace Mann said that education was the only way to protect democracy.He lengthened the academic year, doubled teachers salaries, and his examples lead to similar institutions in other states. Rehabilitation Reforms – the creation of â€Å"asylums: for criminals and mentally ill. Prisons were also reformed, with tighter restrictions meant to reform the criminals. Many such institutions soon fell victim to over-crowding. American Colonization Society/Failure of Colonization – proposed a gradual manumission of slaves with compensation to their owners. Met resistance from slaved themselves – the antislavery movement was rapidly losing strength.Chapter 13 The Impending Crisis Racial Justification – manifest destiny cited the superiority of â€Å"the American Race† Opposition to Expansion – Henry clay and others feared that territorial expansion would reopen controversy over slavery and threaten the stability of the union Stephen Austin & Texas – A young immigrant from Missouri established the first legal American settlement in Texas in 1822. Mexicans in the region attempted to refute further American immigration but it was too late – by 1835 already 30,000 Americans were established there.San Jacinto – Sam Houston defeated the Mexican army and took Santa Anna prisoner, Mexican government eventually gave up on Texas Opposition to Annexation – Sam Houston offered to join Texas with the rest of the union, northerners opposed acquiring a large new slave territory and increasing the southern votes Oregon – Both Britain and the US claimed the territory but soon significant numbers of white Americans began emigrating to Oregon, outnumbering the British settlers. They killed much of the Indian population in part due to the measles epidemic.Oregon Trail – 2,000 miles from the Great Plains and through the Rocky mountains. Difficult journey – thousands of people died on the trail though Indians were often helpful. Families worked together, most people walked for most of the time. James K. Polk – expresse d â€Å"that the re-occupation of Oregon and the re-annexation of Texas at the earliest practicable period are great American measures. † Argued that if Britain did not cede all of Oregon to the US, war would be held, and neither party really wanted that, and so Oregon came to be.Slidell Mission – Mexicans in Texas rejected Slidell’s offer, war was declared after American troops were attacked. California Gold Rush – started around 1848 and increased the population from 14,000 to 220,000 in four years. Created serious labor shortage in CA and Indians were forced into work Kansas-Nebraska Act – divided one territory into two to keep the slave balance equal; it immediately destroyed the Whig party, divided the democrats, and parties who opposed the bill came to form the Republican Party Election of 1856 – Fremont v. Buchanan who was nominated at 65 Dred Scott vs.Sanford – Dred Scott, a slave from Missouri, owned by an army surgeon who ha d taken Scott into Illinois and Wisconsin where slavery was forbidden. Now, the surgeon’s brother was claiming ownership of Scott. The court was extremely divided but eventually declared that Scott didn’t have a case because he wasn’t a legal citizen. Lincoln – nominated in the election of 1860. Believed that slavery was morally wrong, but he was not an abolitionist – he could not envision an easy alternative to slavery in the areas where it already existed. He wanted to â€Å"arrest the further spread† of slavery

First Day of School Essay

The first thing I remember about this day was my mother; she woke me up early and started dressing me and combing my hair. I remember I was so excited that I got in the car while singing and dancing. I sat in the front seat and we drove off to the beginning of my life. My mom walked me in while holding my hand and just then I remember not wanting her to let go, I felt so safe with her by my side. Just then the class teacher comes up to us, and I remember her asking me my name, but I was too shy to answer. Then my mom explains to me that she had to go and that I’m going to have so much fun here and make a huge amount of friends. I stood there watching my mom walk away with tears falling down my face; I have never felt so alone. But the teacher turned out to be so nice she immediately started to calm me down. That’s when she took me to this room filled with toys and beautiful pictures on the wall, I remember how noisy it was because kids my age were running around everywh ere playing and laughing. see more:first day of school essay At the moment the feeling of missing my mom was completely gone and all I wanted to do is join the kids with whatever they were doing. I was shy at first, but then a group of little kids came up to me and asked me if I would count for them while they would all go and hide. I immediately agreed and just like that I was a part of the best hide and seek game in my 4 year old life. I remember how easy it was to make friends but how hard it was to memorize their names. It was an extreme problem for me then because I didn’t know how to call out to them while playing. The best activity of the day was when the teacher took us outside and we played on the swings and slides. The best of all was the sandbox, we would run to the back of the school yard where the water taps were, and fill our little buckets with water and spill it on the sand so this way it would be wet and perfect to make sand castles with. As the day came to end I remember not wanting to go home. But that all changed when I saw my mom in the front door of the class room ready to take me home, I was so glad to see her, as I had so many things to tell. I went on and on about what I had experienced, telling my story with a smile on my face. And when I got back home I repeated the whole thing to dad, everyone was glad I had such a wonderful day. I was looking forward on going back there again tomorrow, but this time with a mission, I was determined on memorizing all of their names, so I would know how to answer when someone asked about the names of my friends. I was officially the happiest kindergartner of all times.

Zara Case Study

Despite the current centralized distribution model working well and at below capacity, continuous rapid expansion outside of Spain for Inedited brands (exhibit 8) would bring problems of; larger amalgamation of dispersed network pictures, rater demand and customization for Ezra offerings from consumers. This would further bring the effects of discomposes of scale; increased transportation costs, top heavy Organization, potentially exceeding working capacity, increased risk if central distribution centre fails.No standardized market position – Sara's expansion approach have led them to be positioned differently in each geographical market despite targeting the same consumer segment, Ezra currently use company-centered knowledge to determine price and positioning strategies for different geographical segments. This has caused inconsistent consumer perception of their brand e. . Americas and Spain. Being in a globalizes marketplace, this poses a problem to the global perception a nd position of the Ezra brand.Competitive Environment -? Ezra is competing in a competitive market where the competition are seeing similar growth in stock prices and revenue (Exhibit 3, Exhibit 5). Competitors such as have already achieved similar competencies to Ezra in terms of variety and stock refresh, and have obtained more advanced competencies such as localization of distribution centers, reducing the competitive advantage that Ezra has in terms of flexibility in their products array and enabling the threat f substitution.Other competitors such as Unique have further gained competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in the saturated market of fast retailing by using an undifferentiated marketing approach targeting a larger customer base, leading to a revenue growth rate greater than Ezra from 2009-2010 (Exhibit 5). Potential Solutions A potential solution for Ezra is the possibility of forming a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor for localizat ion of design and production in Asia.This joint-venture promotes multilateral exchanges with other economic actors within the network. Helping Ezra maintain a competitive advantage over competition by allowing for Ezra to assess their ‘STEP based on network insight to better standardize their market positioning. However, internal clashes can arise from a shift from a centralized to decentralized distribution business model. Also both organization can clash due to the rejection Of the partner-organization's underlying logic, objectives and business culture.Another potential solution is for Ezra to expand their e- commerce presence in Asia and America to gain competitive advantage, such as the growing market of e-commerce in America. This allows for Ezra to extend their reach to customers, and further gives them a competitive advantage over competitors such as who have yet to setup an e- commerce presence in Asia. This would also compliment the rapid expansion into the Asia regi on specifically targeted at India and China.However, this method would entail higher outbound shipment costs as individual items will have to be shipped from the central distribution center in Spain to the consumer in Asia or America. This leads to another potential solution on focusing on their existing supply chain competency in Europe to further expand e-commerce presence beyond the 8 countries that use a Ezra online store. This would utilize Sara's existing centralized supply chain in Europe to expand reach to the existing customer base.However, this would give Ezra little long term competitive advantages over competition as competitor brands can easily implement the same marketing approach. Ezra may also want to consider adopting an undifferentiated approach by expanding their basic line to further compete with a larger customer base as Unique have done with a large amount of success (exhibit 5). This solution however would to be a viable long term solution and has the possibil ity of affecting their overall brand perception if less fashionable items of clothing were being pushed to the consumer.Best Solution The best solution for Ezra would be to open a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor to opening localized design and production facilities in Asia, this fits into Sara's objective to expand rapidly in a very competitive landscape (Exhibit 5). This is also consistent with their joint- venture with Data group in opening up Ezra stores in India with the potential for Network Insight. The overall issue to this solution is that Ezra will need to find a partner to form a joint venture with, this may also require exchanges with local economic actors in China to gain insight.China is a rapid growing market for Ezra with 71 stores opening in 4 years and on target to becoming Sara's 2nd largest market. Opening a distribution center in China entails the following; 1 . Network Insight for ‘STEP' Competitive advantage – Whilst openi ng a distribution centre in China itself is not a major competitive competency in comparison to R&M's localized distribution centers, by operating a joint- entire in China and through the recursive exchange in the joint-venture structure along with exchanges with other economic actors, this promotes multilateral exchanges which will lead to a realistic and better understanding of the market.This can be used by Ezra to help better periodically evaluate their ‘STEP' due to changes in consumer needs, this ensures maximized long term success and competitiveness by assessing actions against modern network insights 2. Reduced re-stock time – Currently the existing distribution model for Ezra means that they can only ship to 1 geographical region per ay. By including a distribution center in Asia, it means that stores within the growing market can be restocked much more effectively to better satisfy consumer needs 3.Allows the introduction of e-commerce in Asia -? with a distr ibution center in Asia, this allows for the possibility of establishing e- commerce in China ahead of Sara's competition. This can also be used to further gather consumer insight into preferences. By operating as a joint- venture, risks will be shared with the partner organization, not only this, but resources can be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. However, by opening a distribution center in China, it will start to dissolve the existing centralized structure that Ezra has created.But to expand overseas, Ezra cannot rely on company-centered extant knowledge for expansion and understanding of new customers, as seen through their existing differentiated positioning in Americas and Spain. Ezra must start to take a more decentralized approach in terms of global expansion. The notion of decentralization may come with hesitance from Ezra stakeholders due to Bonnet's failure with a decentralized business model, however as Ezra loud maintain and own a large stake in the joint venture, they would still maintain a large control.With greater network insight, this provides a pathway for Ezra to Open design and production facilities in Asia to improve operational efficiency in the long-term; 1 . Economies of Scale – despite the current centralized distribution model not effecting gross profit growth (exhibit 4), the rapid expansion into Asia can cause discomposes of scale through higher transportation costs. By having design and production local, this will reduce transportation costs to ship to Asian regions, this can Hereford be beneficial in further reducing Sara's carbon footprint and improving CARS 2.Efficient Amalgamation of Consumer Feedback – With rapid expansion, there will be greater consumer feedback. By opening up design and production in China, it allows for efficient and focused amalgamation of Asian consumer perceptions through having an established network insight. This will allow both faster response time to customer feedback and potenti al for exchange of designs between Asian and European markets to expand Sara's product portfolio. 3.Closer to Fabric Suppliers – Currently, Ezra arches fabric from their Hong Kong office, this office could be used to further utilize Asian suppliers to supply fabric for Asian production facilities, therefore reducing costs in importing fabric from overseas suppliers. Overall this solution aims to provide sustainability to Ezra for future growth in Asia. Application of Concepts From the available case study, we can see the 3 components of a Market; the suppliers, product and customer come into play.For suppliers, we can see that suppliers such as H and Inedited offer a large variety of product entries, whilst Fast Retailing offer product specialization and have a small reduce portfolio. However the most important component within this case is the customer aspect, due to the large influence that customers have on product portfolios of Inedited and H. Fast retailing unique has ad opted an undifferentiated approach by treating consumers as a homogeneous segment.Therefore they attempt to reach a large customer base through a single marketing strategy of offering a large variety of basics in a large array of colors. This is different to the approach made by and Inedited, who utilize a differentiated marketing approach. Inedited has multiple brands such s Ezra and Berserk utilizing different Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. This similar concept is used by in which sub-brands are marketed to different segment groups.This therefore means that Inedited and H aim to have a full-market coverage by offering a wide variety of offerings to different segments. However, as Unique is the largest retailer to use a undifferentiated marketing approach, it has successfully differentiated itself from Inedited and Ezra by implementing product specialization, therefore Fast Retailing have benefited from rising revenue growth comparable to H and Inedited (Exhibit 5). Zara Case Study Despite the current centralized distribution model working well and at below capacity, continuous rapid expansion outside of Spain for Inedited brands (exhibit 8) would bring problems of; larger amalgamation of dispersed network pictures, rater demand and customization for Ezra offerings from consumers. This would further bring the effects of discomposes of scale; increased transportation costs, top heavy Organization, potentially exceeding working capacity, increased risk if central distribution centre fails.No standardized market position – Sara's expansion approach have led them to be positioned differently in each geographical market despite targeting the same consumer segment, Ezra currently use company-centered knowledge to determine price and positioning strategies for different geographical segments. This has caused inconsistent consumer perception of their brand e. . Americas and Spain. Being in a globalizes marketplace, this poses a problem to the global perception a nd position of the Ezra brand.Competitive Environment -? Ezra is competing in a competitive market where the competition are seeing similar growth in stock prices and revenue (Exhibit 3, Exhibit 5). Competitors such as have already achieved similar competencies to Ezra in terms of variety and stock refresh, and have obtained more advanced competencies such as localization of distribution centers, reducing the competitive advantage that Ezra has in terms of flexibility in their products array and enabling the threat f substitution.Other competitors such as Unique have further gained competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in the saturated market of fast retailing by using an undifferentiated marketing approach targeting a larger customer base, leading to a revenue growth rate greater than Ezra from 2009-2010 (Exhibit 5). Potential Solutions A potential solution for Ezra is the possibility of forming a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor for localizat ion of design and production in Asia.This joint-venture promotes multilateral exchanges with other economic actors within the network. Helping Ezra maintain a competitive advantage over competition by allowing for Ezra to assess their ‘STEP based on network insight to better standardize their market positioning. However, internal clashes can arise from a shift from a centralized to decentralized distribution business model. Also both organization can clash due to the rejection Of the partner-organization's underlying logic, objectives and business culture.Another potential solution is for Ezra to expand their e- commerce presence in Asia and America to gain competitive advantage, such as the growing market of e-commerce in America. This allows for Ezra to extend their reach to customers, and further gives them a competitive advantage over competitors such as who have yet to setup an e- commerce presence in Asia. This would also compliment the rapid expansion into the Asia regi on specifically targeted at India and China.However, this method would entail higher outbound shipment costs as individual items will have to be shipped from the central distribution center in Spain to the consumer in Asia or America. This leads to another potential solution on focusing on their existing supply chain competency in Europe to further expand e-commerce presence beyond the 8 countries that use a Ezra online store. This would utilize Sara's existing centralized supply chain in Europe to expand reach to the existing customer base.However, this would give Ezra little long term competitive advantages over competition as competitor brands can easily implement the same marketing approach. Ezra may also want to consider adopting an undifferentiated approach by expanding their basic line to further compete with a larger customer base as Unique have done with a large amount of success (exhibit 5). This solution however would to be a viable long term solution and has the possibil ity of affecting their overall brand perception if less fashionable items of clothing were being pushed to the consumer.Best Solution The best solution for Ezra would be to open a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor to opening localized design and production facilities in Asia, this fits into Sara's objective to expand rapidly in a very competitive landscape (Exhibit 5). This is also consistent with their joint- venture with Data group in opening up Ezra stores in India with the potential for Network Insight. The overall issue to this solution is that Ezra will need to find a partner to form a joint venture with, this may also require exchanges with local economic actors in China to gain insight.China is a rapid growing market for Ezra with 71 stores opening in 4 years and on target to becoming Sara's 2nd largest market. Opening a distribution center in China entails the following; 1 . Network Insight for ‘STEP' Competitive advantage – Whilst openi ng a distribution centre in China itself is not a major competitive competency in comparison to R&M's localized distribution centers, by operating a joint- entire in China and through the recursive exchange in the joint-venture structure along with exchanges with other economic actors, this promotes multilateral exchanges which will lead to a realistic and better understanding of the market.This can be used by Ezra to help better periodically evaluate their ‘STEP' due to changes in consumer needs, this ensures maximized long term success and competitiveness by assessing actions against modern network insights 2. Reduced re-stock time – Currently the existing distribution model for Ezra means that they can only ship to 1 geographical region per ay. By including a distribution center in Asia, it means that stores within the growing market can be restocked much more effectively to better satisfy consumer needs 3.Allows the introduction of e-commerce in Asia -? with a distr ibution center in Asia, this allows for the possibility of establishing e- commerce in China ahead of Sara's competition. This can also be used to further gather consumer insight into preferences. By operating as a joint- venture, risks will be shared with the partner organization, not only this, but resources can be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. However, by opening a distribution center in China, it will start to dissolve the existing centralized structure that Ezra has created.But to expand overseas, Ezra cannot rely on company-centered extant knowledge for expansion and understanding of new customers, as seen through their existing differentiated positioning in Americas and Spain. Ezra must start to take a more decentralized approach in terms of global expansion. The notion of decentralization may come with hesitance from Ezra stakeholders due to Bonnet's failure with a decentralized business model, however as Ezra loud maintain and own a large stake in the joint venture, they would still maintain a large control.With greater network insight, this provides a pathway for Ezra to Open design and production facilities in Asia to improve operational efficiency in the long-term; 1 . Economies of Scale – despite the current centralized distribution model not effecting gross profit growth (exhibit 4), the rapid expansion into Asia can cause discomposes of scale through higher transportation costs. By having design and production local, this will reduce transportation costs to ship to Asian regions, this can Hereford be beneficial in further reducing Sara's carbon footprint and improving CARS 2.Efficient Amalgamation of Consumer Feedback – With rapid expansion, there will be greater consumer feedback. By opening up design and production in China, it allows for efficient and focused amalgamation of Asian consumer perceptions through having an established network insight. This will allow both faster response time to customer feedback and potenti al for exchange of designs between Asian and European markets to expand Sara's product portfolio. 3.Closer to Fabric Suppliers – Currently, Ezra arches fabric from their Hong Kong office, this office could be used to further utilize Asian suppliers to supply fabric for Asian production facilities, therefore reducing costs in importing fabric from overseas suppliers. Overall this solution aims to provide sustainability to Ezra for future growth in Asia. Application of Concepts From the available case study, we can see the 3 components of a Market; the suppliers, product and customer come into play.For suppliers, we can see that suppliers such as H and Inedited offer a large variety of product entries, whilst Fast Retailing offer product specialization and have a small reduce portfolio. However the most important component within this case is the customer aspect, due to the large influence that customers have on product portfolios of Inedited and H. Fast retailing unique has ad opted an undifferentiated approach by treating consumers as a homogeneous segment.Therefore they attempt to reach a large customer base through a single marketing strategy of offering a large variety of basics in a large array of colors. This is different to the approach made by and Inedited, who utilize a differentiated marketing approach. Inedited has multiple brands such s Ezra and Berserk utilizing different Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. This similar concept is used by in which sub-brands are marketed to different segment groups.This therefore means that Inedited and H aim to have a full-market coverage by offering a wide variety of offerings to different segments. However, as Unique is the largest retailer to use a undifferentiated marketing approach, it has successfully differentiated itself from Inedited and Ezra by implementing product specialization, therefore Fast Retailing have benefited from rising revenue growth comparable to H and Inedited (Exhibit 5). Zara Case Study MGMT 6620: Operations & SCM HBS Case Study Zara: IT for Fast Fashion 4/9/2013 1. What is the Zara â€Å"business model†? What weaknesses, if any, do you seen in this business model? The value propositions offered by Zara to its main customers who are young, fashion conscious city-dwellers is offering new styles within the time-frame of several weeks as well as providing assortment of choices for customers and the uniqueness of clothing styles fitting individual customer needs. To achieve this Zara’s business model had the following: 1.Incorporating the horizontal structure for placing orders and deciding which items to push aggressively by delegating decision making responsibilities to store managers; 2. Low volume production of any item and high inventory turnover, which secured better tracking of â€Å"hot† items, which can be sold well; 3. Reduction of losses on items which are not selling well- Company was eliminating inventory build-up by managing low invent ories and by their frequent updates company achieved high foot traffic in its stores and used the stores as focal points of its marketing campaigns.Weakness in Zara’s business model is that each store is highly dependent on decision making capabilities of store managers, which might cause the problem if many of them decide to leave. Moreover, since company relying on small shops scattered throughout Spain and Portugal for its production any economic downturn in those countries can cause the increase the cost of manufacturing or COGS. 2. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of Zara’s approach to IT? Are these approaches applicable and appropriate anywhere? If not, where would they not work well?The Most important aspect of Zara’s approach to Information technology is the use of DOS-POS in its current store to track customers demand quickly, decentralize the company and provide customer with trendy clothing options. Yes these approaches are essenti ally applicable starting from production till distribution, but Zara’s current IT is outdated and needs to be upgraded from future sustainability point of view to network with various retailors and distribution centers. Zara could face challenges in longer run from operation front with new technology.Zara must keep upgrading them with the latest technology to beat the competitors that might cost high. New technology demands training on usage to employee that again involve cost. 3. Should the company build in-store networks? In our group’s opinion, Zara should build in-store networks. First of all, the store manager has difficulties in ordering without in-store networks. Aim of Zara is to provide its clothes quickly while the system which Zara currently has cannot reach this requirement.The store personnel could not look up their inventory through in-store computer; they need to talk to salespeople to determine the quantities, which is time-consuming. Secondly, for the fulfillment process, the level of the SKU is hard to determine without in-store networks. More importantly, if in-store networks would not be built, the infrastructure that Zara stores currently have cannot provide information among stores about the SKU. Store personnel have to use obsolete methods such as having telephone call or carrying disks to report the inventory or calculate the total sales.Last but not the least, the low cost wireless networks help and favor the building up of in-store networks. Zara, as a company, which has a promising future, should also update its network infrastructure, as its business scope will grow bigger. 4. How would you advise Salgado to proceed on upgrading Zara’s POS system? The POS terminals using DOS has been unchanged for over a decade, which made Zara difficult to manage the daily operation effectively. Upgrading Zara’s POS system would utilize the large screen, keyboard and mouse to quickly provide service to customers.It is ve ry important because time is money. Customers are now very busy with their daily schedule; faster service will attract more customers. Furthermore, the modern POS terminals would be able to execute more sophisticated capabilities such as sharing with other stores the inventory. This is essential for the company to manage the inventory and promote the brand network. It shows to the customers that Zara store is a global network and has the same value of providing the best service to customer anywhere. It will reduce the cost of phone call by using the communication inside the company’s online network.