A mobile application tool, which uses persuasive design to encourage Literature review

A mobile application tool, which uses persuasive design to encourage young adults to make healthier food alternatives - Literature review Example Furthermore, the chapter is also based on reviewing the works of different authors about the aspects of balanced diet, the development of eating behaviour risks owing to unhealthy eating along with parents’ role in shaping the behaviour towards food choices. Different persuasive technologies that are used for shaping the attitudes of people towards healthy food choices have also been described in this chapter. 2.2 Unhealthy Eating Behaviours and Obesity Poor eating behaviour is regarded as a key public concern within young adults particularly during educational and early career life (Hampshire County Council, 2007). During this time, they are exposed to a lot of pressure from study and work related circumstances in order to meet the daily requirements and at times they find themselves in a prevalent scenario wherein they hardly find time to eat healthy foods in a regular expected duration, thereby they often revert to unhealthy food options (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Th ese aspects generate a barrier against the adoption of healthy behaviour such as unhealthy eating habits and substance abuse among others (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Although these behaviours are regarded as temporary, at this age, the unhealthy eating habits can persist in the life of older adults (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Rapid changes in physical health and psychological developments have positioned young grownups as a nutritionally vulnerable group with weak eating behaviours who are unable to satisfy the dietary requirements (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Therefore, it can be recognised that in order to tackle the scenario of unhealthy eating behaviours and allied obesity, there is a requirement for young adults to focus on consuming a balanced diet which can enable them to nurture desired physical developments. 2.2.1 What Is a Balanced Diet In order to encourage healthy eating practices, balanced diet is important for young adults. According to School of Publi c Health (n.d.), balanced diet supports good health and helps to maintain a fit body for individuals. The development of a healthy eating habit facilitates an individual to become easily accustomed to balanced food intake behaviour. . For any balanced diet, it is particularly important to obtain the right amount and right type of foods. Unfortunately, most of the young individuals do not consume healthy diets which at times result in the creation of heart related illness and overweight (School of Public Health, n.d.). Along with ensuring a focus on balanced diet, there is a profound need to derive an understanding of how eating behaviours of young individuals are developed. 2.2.2 How Eating Behaviours Are Developed of Young Adults There are several aspects which determine the eating behaviour among individuals. For example, according to King & et. al. (2007), at times environmental factors bring about unhealthy behaviours among young adults. The growing number of shopping malls, con venience stores, restaurants and fast

Gillette Companys Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gillette Companys Marketing Plan - Essay Example Gillette is such one brand of this corporation. It is a brand of safety razors and other personal hygiene range of products. The razors of this company protect the skin from all parts of the razor except the edge alone. The skin is in contact with the edge of the razor alone. This is as opposed to cut-throat razors also called straight razors. Here, the skin is contact with the whole of the razor. A safety razor reduces the risk of injury to the skin. That is the reason why they are preferred by men for shaving. Gillette used to be a company on its own. It was started in 1895 (Bonoma 56). The founder was King C. Gillette. He named the company after himself. It used to deal with a range of consumer goods, the safety razors included. However, in the year 2005, more than a century after been founded, the company was acquired by Procter & Gamble (Bonoma 57). That is how it ended up been a brand of this multinational corporation. It is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It no longer exists as a company now, but as a brand. Not only does Gillette produce safety razors for shaving, it also has a range of other products. It produces antiperspirants, hair care and body products. Its products are aimed for grooming, especially in males. It has Gillette shave gel and after shave (Cundiff 98). These products are designed to make the shaving experience for the man as comfortable as possible. Gillette's anti-deodorant is said to be of clinical status. The hair products are also designed for the man (Bonoma 25). They include stylers, shampoos and hair conditioners. It also has a wide range of shower gels for men (Ferrell 56). They include those aimed for dry skin, oily and normal skin. They also include face wash gels for men. The gels were hitherto thought to be the preserve of women. Target Market for Gillette Products The target market for Gillette Company products is the young men aged between sixteen and thirty-four years (Cundiff 36). The grooming products especially are targeted at this age bracket. Gillette has aggressive promotional campaigns aimed at this group. The challenge is to convince these men that grooming is not the preserve of women. It used to sponsor a soccer game every Saturday in the 1990's. This was called Soccer Saturday. It was aired by Sky Sports Channel (Ferrell 98). An average of one million young males watched this program in the year 2005-2006. This was an average of one million every month. This made up around a quarter of the target population for the Gillette products (Bonoma 98). Gillette has used Soccer Saturday to not only market the existing brands, but also as a launching pad for new products (Ferrell 78). This is what happened when the company introduced Mach3, Turbo and M3Power range of products. In terms of market growth, the company's products continue to enjoy popularity amongst the target population. They are the most famous. Gillette is likely to remain the leader in this market. A SWOT Analysis of Gillette Company Strengths Gillette Company has obvious strengths that work to its advantage. These are internal factors that help it to remain the most popular company in this area. First, the company is managed by qualified professionals (Cundiff 45). The staffs are also highly qualified professionals in their field. For a company to be productive, every sector must be headed by a qualified person. Every department in this company is headed by a quali

Psychological Contract: Work-Life Balance in Retail

Psychological Contract: Work-Life Balance in Retail Title: A contemporary analysis of the concept of work life balance and the effects of the psychological contract within the business. Geared towards retail. A compiled list of the 6 main sources of information that could be used with justification as to why they are relevant and a paragraph on key theories/models, analysis tools that would be used in this dissertation. A total of around 600 words. With regard to the paper recently completed, this addendum represents some further thoughts and resources which would be required to expand the work into a wider study. There are three themes which would need to be pursued in a more detailed examination of this topic. The nature of the generic Psychological Contract. The nature of the Psychological Contract in the Retail Sector, and its relationship with marketing. The nature of HRM and SHRM (Strategic Human Resources Management) in the Retail Sector. These themes would need to be explored across a range of material, beginning with secondary sources, and ideally extending into qualitative primary research involving HR professionals, and retail staff themselves. The six main related secondary and primary sources. Guest, D.E., and Conway, N., (2004), Employee Well-being and the Psychological Contract: A Report for the CIPD, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London. This source is essential because it provides an insight into both the agreed definitions of the psychological contract within the HR profession, and the application of that model in their vocational practice. Buchanan, D., and Huczynski, A., (2006), Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text, Prentice Hall/Financial Times, London. This source is essential as a prà ©cis of the relevant motivational theories, work of Herzberg, McGregor, Maslow, Adams, Vroom, Porter and Lawler. Analysis of the implications of McGregor’s X and Y theories of reward/coercion, and Herzberg’s concept of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, as set out in Brooks, I., (2003), Organisational Behaviour: Individuals, Groups and Organisation, 2nd Ed, FT-Prentice Hall, London, and Fincham, R., and Rhodes, P., (2005), Principles of Organisational Behaviour, 4th Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Within the extrinsic and intrinsic reward model, extrinsic rewards may be thought of as those of material considerations and working conditions, whilst intrinsic rewards are more honorific and interpersonal. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions index, as set out in Hofstede, G., (2003), Cultures and Organizations: Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival, Profile Business, London, and Gerte Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimensions.php?culture1=95culture2=18#compare [viewed 26.10.08], would need to be employed to assess the different motivational models and tolerances which are increasingly visible in a multi-cultural workforce, and a globalizing retail sector. This would have to take account of Hofestede’s ideas of power distance, collectivism/individuality, long or short-term orientation, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance. A comparative study of employee relationships between retail workers in Waitrose and the John Lewis partnership, and an other large retail group, i.e. Tesco’s, Woolworth or Argos. The rationale for this is that the John Lewis group is the only one to deploy an extensive profit sharing remuneration scheme with its employees. Comparative primary study of attitudes between retail employees and customers of the John Lewis partnership, and another, non-profit sharing retail group in the UK. To be carried out through a combination of†¦ questionnaires comprising binary yes/no responses and written answers to set questions. A small number of in-depth and semi-flexible individual interviews. Key theoretical approaches here would be evolved around a balance of phenomenological and positivist research formats, to obtain qualitatively useful data, which could also support statistical models with a possible wider application. McGregor’s extrinsic/intrinsic scale model questionnaire could be employed to lend a positivist dimension to the attitudinal data produced. This paper outlines some key themes in contemporary retailing HRM, focusing particularly on the significance of the psychological contract within the business, and the concept of work life balance. It argues that contemporary economic and trading conditions have tended to expose the way in which both issues are treated in the retail sector, and attributes this to continued trends for tertiary and part-time employment patterns. As Hooley et al. observe, ‘†¦Well developed marketing resources (assets and capabilities), when deployed in the marketplace, can lead to superior market performance. Satisfied and well motivated staff (a prime marketing asset), for example, can make a significant contribution to creating satisfied and loyal customers’ (Hooley et.al., p.21). At boardroom level however, contemporary pressures on costs may impinge upon staff CPD and retention. In the first instance, it may be helpful to foreground the concept of the psychological contract itself. As Sonnetag observes, ‘There is relatively consistent empirical evidence for a positive relationship between specific aspects of individual well being and.performance.’ (Sonnetag, p.4110 ). One way in which this symbiosis between employee motivation and output can be achieved, is through a management style which exceeds the formal terms of the contractual obligation in terms of an equitable relationship. As Williams indicates. ‘..this interpersonal aspect to fairness reminds us that there is a social basis to the exchange relationship between employer and employee and we might expect this to be part of the psychological contract.’ (Williams,1998: p.183). The concept of the psychological contract rests on the idea that workplace relationships inevitably develop beyond those encapsulated in explicit frameworks, hierarchies, and job descriptions. It is there fore perfectly feasible for management to de-motivate staff even though they are formally empowered to do so – by breaching ‘informal’ or psychologically accepted principles. As Guest and Conway point out, ‘†¦built on the three pillars of fairness, trust and delivery of the deal between organizations and employees, a positive psychological contract is the best guarantee of good performance outcomes.’ (Guest and Conway, 2003: p.vii). There is much empirical evidence to suggest that retail employers are acting to redress percived inadequacies in this area. For example, as Murray reports, fast-food giant McDonald’s has acted to improve its image since the term ‘McJob’ entered the Oxford english Dictionary, denoting ‘†¦an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Murray 2008: n.p.) Part of the response has been to initiate CPD programmes which combine flexible working arrangements with learning programmes to develop staff skills and accreditation. Other retail management and service sector managers also see this as the route to recruit and retain the best staff. As Jack Constantinides, vice-president HR and business partner for Monster for Europe West and Prague explains, ‘People are looking for more from their job than just a chunky pay package – including job satisfaction, career prospects, training, benefits and crucially work-life balance’. (Murray 2008: n.p.). This suggests that, where costs will allow, more mature businesses may see the creation of value as the route to business stability through intrinsic as well as extrinsic employee reward. However, contemporary trading conditions may militate against the expenditure of such on-costs, at least for the time being. As Taylor reports, ‘The disclosure last week that Marks and Spencer wants to reduce redundancy benefits for staff has sparked union fears that the retail group is preparing the way for large-scale job cuts.’ (Taylor 2008: n.p.). MS are obviously not the only high-profile high street victims: As Kilgren and Braithwaite observe of the troubled Woolworth chain, ‘Up to a third of the 1,000 retail division staff at head office may lose their jobs†¦ PwC, auditor to Woolworth’s, pointed to material uncertainties which may cast significant doubt about the companys ability to continue as a going concern.’ (Kilgren and Braithwa ite, 2008: n.p.). When discussing the issue of work life balance amongst retail employees, it is arguably unhelpful to regard this couplet as representative of a homogeneous and undifferentiated employee group. In a sector strongly associated with casualized, part-time, and often female labour, it is important to recognize the way in which different social groups may derive a satisfactory relationship between their home and working lives. As Kirby observes, ‘At a time when female â€Å"returners† are set to become an increasingly significant element in the UK workforce, British retailing remains highly dependent on part-time female labour. At the same time, working conditions appear not to be as attractive as they might be. Pay remains low and career prospects and training opportunities are poor, especially for part-time employees†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Kirby 1993: p.205). It is at this point that the psychological contract and work-life balance are arguably drawn closer together, a point which may be reinforced by considering the motivational theories of Adams. As Huczyinski and Buchanan explain, ‘Adams proposed that we compare our rewards (pay, recognition) and contributions (time, effort, ideas) with the outputs and inputs of others. Equity thus exists when these rations are equal. Rewards can include a range of tangible and intangible factors†¦Inputs similarly relate to any factor that you believe you bring to the situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Huczyinski and Buchanan 2007: p.249). In other words, employers face a range of competing challenges when balancing employee satisfaction with business objectives. Bibliography Braithwaite, T., and Kilgren, L., ‘Woolies plans job cuts in bid to reduce its costs’, Financial Times, 18 September 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/96ef9e80-8519-11dd-b148-0000779fd18c.html, [viewed 14.10.08], n.p. Murray, S., ‘Staff want more than just their pay packet’, Financial Times, 8 July 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eafbdc08-46af-11dd-876a-0000779fd2ac.html, [viewed 14.10.08], n.p. Bromley, R.D.F., and Thomas, C.J., (ed), (1993), Retail Change: contemporary issues, UCL Press, London. Guest, D.E., and Conway, N., (2004), Employee Well-being and the Psychological Contract: A Report for the CIPD, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London. Hooley, G., Saunders, J., Piercy, N., (2004) Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning (3rd Edition) Prentice Hall, Essex Kirby, D.A. ‘Working conditions and the trading week’, in Bromley, R.D.F., and Thomas, C.J., (ed), (1993), Retail Change: contemporary issues, UCL Press, London, pp.192-207. Sonnetag, S., (ed), (2002), Psychological Management of Individual Performance, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester. Stacey, K., and Rigby, E., ‘Retail supply chain begins to turn rusty’, Financial Times, 8 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a67ef3ae-94d3-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html [viewed 14.10.08], n.p. Taylor, A., ‘Inquiries on how to shed staff soar’, Financial Times, 25 Aug 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c8bed96-723c-11dd-a44a-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 15.10.08], n.p. Van der Lippe, T., and Peters, P., (2007), (eds), Competing Claims in Work and Family Life, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. Williams, R.S., (1998) Performance Management: Perspectives on Employee Performance, International Thomson Business Press, St.Ives.

Graduation Speech: Thanks for the Good Times :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hello classmates of 2012. It is almost time for us to depart from one another. We will go our own ways and achieve our goals very soon, but before we go, I would like to share some memories with everyone. I have attended Tates Creek High School (TC) for two years. And during those two years, I have learned a lot from the school staff and from my peers. They all have taught me something new. This is what makes them so awesome. The school is small and so diverse that it makes it easier to meet everyone. It took me seven years in elementary school to get to know just about everyone, but at TC, I knew just about everyone in less than a year. The students are kind and very helpful. They help each other with assignments and help one another with catching up on homework when they have missed school. The staff here at TC are great. They help the students with questions on homework assignments and on just about anything. They are also here to listen to us and when we need someone to talk to, we can go talk to any one of them and they'll be there to help. We receive a lot of homework everyday, but it's no big deal. With many homework assignments, I am not able to slack off. I have to finish all of my assignmanets for one reason, and that reason is to not get any incomplete stamps. The homework load keeps me busy and keeps me from doing bad things that a lot of other middle school children are doing. There are nights where I have very little time or no time at all for fun, except for the weekends. On some days of the week, I have to do things after school. TC has set up enrichment classes for the students to do homework. I usually sign up for homework jumpstart, that way, I am able to get a jump start on my homework. The enrichment class helps me a lot, that way I'll have time to go do other things after school. TC has high standards for education. The staff here, at TC wants all of their students to be successful people in the future. They want what's best for us that's why they push us to try our best in everything we do. Our Basic Standard Testing scores are very high.

What is life

What is life? Is it a mystery? Is it an adventure? Is it a way to help others? Or is it so brief compared to the rest of the time in the universe it has no meaning at all? People have been wondering this for thousands of years, yet no one has found an answer. Many look for complicated ways to understand life, yet the answer is so simple; life is a book. Since the day the binding was opened for the first time,and the author began writting the story; every thought, action, and emotion that is experienced is written into the book. Memory is just rereading the book. Some pages torn, stuck together, smeared so we can’t remember it as well, but it is all writtten down. Every hope, every dream, every fear is recorded in time forever. Some books have flashy, tacky covers, but tell the most troublesome stories on the inside. Some have dull, nondescript covers, but tell the warmest, most adventurous stories that causes one to recall some earlier chapter in ones own life. Every experience is a chapter. Some chapters speak of friends and family, some speak of the most horrible fears and the most dreamed about opes, and some tell of Love and Loss that the author experienced. Some chapters are not finished and will be completed at a later time. Some chapters are blurred, because not even the author knows what happened, or what he wishes would happen. And some chapters are blank pages, waiting to be filled. More than once, the author has wished he could go back a few pages and rewrite it differently, but alas, the book has already been published, and cannot be changed. As the book ages, it loses some of its shine, pages tear and fade, and the binding becomes loose. Some pages suddenly become so clear, you can’t understand why you didn’t see it before, while others become so transparent that you can’t even remember reading them. And after the book has become so old that it can’t even be read or moved without falling apart, it is taken out of circulation and stored. Not only in a physical place, but in people’s heart, those who loved the book as if it was their best friend. It is stored with every other book of every person’s life back before humanity could even speak with more than grunts and body langauge. It is stored in the Great Library. As you look around this glorous library, the books stack higher than any mountain, and strech farther than any eye can see. And on every shelf are books, and in the center of the room are thousands of books open to different pages and chapters recording the author’s dictations from the start of the book until it is finished and published. And then there are the old books that are being called out of circulation, catalogued and stored. You reach out and begin reading one of the many books. It is the life of your friend. You take notice of how many times your own book overlaps with your riend’s book, and how similar the stories are. As you read this book, you see the meaning of life, not what the stories are, or what the cover looks like, but how every book tells a different story; and while many may overlap and share dreams, hopes, and fears, they each contain knowledge and together make up life. You see, you can’t judge a book by its cover, nor can you judge a person by appearance, each complete with fears, dreams, joys, sorrows, memories, friends and familes. Together we all make up life, and our stories inspire others to grow and to have the best story they can.

The Lost Tribes of Israel Claims by Herbert Armstrong

The Lost Tribes of Israel Catholic. com Around 926 b. c. , the kingdom of Israel split in two. Up to that point, all twelve tribes of Israel (plus the priestly tribe of Levi) had been united under the monarchies of Saul, David, and Solomon. But when Solomon’s son Rehoboam ascended to the throne, the ten Northern tribes rebelled and seceded from the union. This left only two tribes—Judah and Benjamin (plus much of Levi)—under the control of the king in Jerusalem. From that time on, the tribes were divided into two nations, which came to be called the House of Israel (the Northern ten tribes) and the House of Judah (the Southern two tribes).This situation continued until around 723 B. C. , when the Assyrians conquered the Northern kingdom. To keep conquered nations in subjection, it was Assyrian policy to break them up by deporting their native populations to other areas and resettling the land with newcomers. When the House of Israel was conquered, most people bel onging to the ten Northern tribes were deported and settled elsewhere in the Assyrian kingdom, including places near Nineveh, Haran, and on what is now the Iran-Iraq border.They were replaced by settlers from locations in or near Babylon and Syria. These settlers intermarried, together with the remaining Israelites, and became the Samaritans mentioned in the New Testament (a few hundred of whom still survive today). The Israelites who had been deported also intermarried with the peoples of the places where they had been resettled. They eventually lost their distinct identity, disappeared, and their culture was lost to history. Some refer to them as â€Å"the lost tribes of Israel. â€Å"A movement called â€Å"British Israelism† claims to have found the ten â€Å"lost tribes,† however, and in some very unlikely places. For many years, one of the leaders in the British Israelism movement was Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the self-proclaimed â€Å"Worldwide Church of God. † Especially for Americans, Armstrong was just about the only person they ever heard advocating British Israelism. With his own paid television program, Armstrong regularly advertised his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy, which advocated the view. British Israelism was not Armstrong’s only eccentric view.Among other things, he believed in Saturday rather than Sunday worship and, most seriously, he rejected the doctrine of the Trinity and claimed that individual humans could be added to the Godhead. After Armstrong’s death, the Worldwide Church of God did a serious review of the doctrines it had taught up to that point and moved to a more biblically and theologically orthodox position. Today, the organization is basically another Evangelical Protestant church (they have even been admitted to the National Association of Evangelicals), though with a few distinctive practices.Many of their congregations still worship on Saturdays, for example, b ut they no longer regard keeping the Jewish Sabbath and feasts as points of doctrine. They have embraced the doctrine of the Trinity, denied that created beings can become part of the Godhead, and acknowledged that other churches contain true Christians. They have also rejected the distinctive idea behind British Israelism—the claim that the lost tribes of Israel are to be specially identified with the Anglo-Saxons.Unfortunately, there are still advocates of British Israelism out there (including some groups that split off from the Worldwide Church of God when it underwent its doctrinal renewal), and, though the book is out of print, Herbert W. Armstrong’s The United States and Britain in Prophecy continues to circulate. The United States and Britain in Prophecy teaches the notion that the Lost Tribes of Israel are really the descendants of Anglo-Saxons, which is to say the British and Americans of British extraction. This exotic doctrine had been around for decades be fore Herbert W.Armstrong founded his church in 1933, and it appeals, naturally enough, to those of British heritage. After all, who wouldn’t want to be a member of the â€Å"chosen race† (assuming there is one)? And according to Armstrong, that’s precisely what the Anglo-Saxons are—God’s chosen race, where can be found the direct descendants of King David and, even today, the true â€Å"heirs† to King David’s throne. The United States and Britain in Prophecy opens with this epigraph: â€Å"The prophecies of the Bible have been grievously misunderstood. And no wonder!For the vital key, needed to unlock prophetic doors to understanding, had become lost. That key is a definite knowledge of the true identity of the American and British peoples in biblical prophecy. † Only the first sentence of this epigraph is strictly correct, and a good share of the â€Å"grievous misunderstanding† is by people who put faith in the writing s of Herbert W. Armstrong. The Argument Begins â€Å"We know Bible prophecies definitely refer to Russia, Italy, Ethiopia, Libya, and Egypt of today. Could they then ignore modern nations like Britain and America?Is it reasonable? † This is how the argument begins, and notice what kind of argument it is. If these â€Å"lesser† countries are mentioned in Scripture, would it be fair for God to ignore us, important as we are? (We won’t examine here the highly dubious premise that Russia is mentioned in Scripture. ) You might call this an â€Å"appeal to pride. † Never fear, says Armstrong. â€Å"The fact is, [the British and Americans] are mentioned more often than any other race [sic]. Yet their prophetic identity has remained hidden to the many. Why is that? you ask. Because the Bible doesn’t refer to them by their modern names, but by an ancient name. And what is that name? None other than Israel. â€Å"Hold it! † you say. The people who ca me from Israel are Jews. Britons and Americans, for the most part, aren’t Jewish. How can one claim otherwise? Easily. Armstrong assures us that, â€Å"The house of Israel is not Jewish! Those who constitute it are not Jews, and never were! That fact we shall now see conclusively, beyond refute. † Actually, there is something of a point here.The term â€Å"Jew† originated as a way of referring to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, whether their own tribe was Judah, Benjamin, or Levi. The term appears late in Israel’s history—after the division into northern and southern kingdoms—and it can be fairly claimed that the term does not apply to the members of the ten northern tribes, who are properly known as â€Å"Israelites† since they belonged to the House of Israel rather than the House of Judah. Armstrong asserted: â€Å"Certainly this proves that the Jews are a different nation altogether from the House of Israel,† cl aims Armstrong. The Jews of today are Judah! They call their nation ‘Israel’ today because they, too, descend from the patriarch Israel or Jacob. But remember that the ‘House of Israel’—the ten tribes that separated from Judah—does not mean Jew! Whoever the lost ten tribes of Israel are today, they are not Jews! † â€Å"By the year 721 B. C. , the House of Israel was conquered and its people were soon driven out of their own land—out of their homes and cities—and carried captives to Assyria, near the southern shores of the Caspian Sea! † So it was in 721 B.C. that the Lost Tribes got â€Å"lost. † The Year Nothing Happened Had the tribes remained faithful to God, all would have been well, Armstrong explains. â€Å"But, if they refused and rebelled, they were to be punished seven times—a duration of 2,520 years—in slavery, servitude, and want. † They did rebel, and Armstrong theorizes that their punishment extended from 721 B. C. to A. D. 1800. And what remarkable thing happened in 1800? Well, if we don’t count the election of Thomas Jefferson to the presidency of the United States, not a whole lot.In fact, 1800 was a pretty dull year for history. But Armstrong disagrees, saying that from that date, Britain and America became world powers; the former (at that time) politically, and the latter economically (and later, also politically). According to Armstrong’s scheme, the figure of â€Å"2,520 years of punishment† is arrived at by multiplying the â€Å"seven years of punishment† by 360—the number of days in the year as it was reckoned by the ancients—on the principle that each â€Å"day† of punishment really stood for a whole year of punishment.If you think this is convoluted reasoning, just wait until you read the remainder of the argument in The United States and Britain in Prophecy. It’s enough to note here th at Armstrong determines from Scripture that the Lost Tribes ended up on islands in the sea, and these islands are northwest of Palestine. We’re told, for example, that the forty-ninth chapter of Isaiah begins with, â€Å"Listen, O isles, unto me. † Do you see how this suggests the British Isles? Armstrong says, â€Å"Take a map of Europe.Lay a line due northwest of Jerusalem across the continent of Europe, until you come to the sea, and then to the islands in the sea! This line takes you direct to the British Isles! † The skeptic might note that the line first comes to the Aegean islands, which are also in the sea—the Mediterranean Sea—but this would mean the Greeks are the Lost Tribes, therefore, the theory would not play into the desires of some British or Americans to identify themselves with the lost tribes. Linguistic Legerdemain You want more proof? Armstrong has it. The House of Israel,† he explains, â€Å"is the ‘covenant peopl e. ’ The Hebrew word for ‘covenant’ is brit [b’rith]. And the word for ‘covenant man,’ or ‘covenant people,’ would therefore sound, in English word order, Brit-ish (the word ish means ‘man’ in Hebrew, and it is also an English suffix on nouns and adjectives). And so, is it mere coincidence that the true covenant people today are called the ‘British’? And they reside in the ‘British Isles’! † This reasoning may impress some, but no linguist would take this seriously.The word â€Å"British† is not derived from Hebrew but from the Celtic word Brettas. It’s significant that the Celtic Brettas referred to the Britons, who were inhabitants of England before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons that Armstrong claims were Israelites. One possible reason for Armstrong’s linguistic confusions may be that in Webster’s Diction-ary (for example, in the 3,200-page unabridged ed ition published in 1932—an edition Armstrong may have had access to) the entry for b’rith (Hebrew: covenant) appears sandwiched between the entries for â€Å"Britannic† and â€Å"Briticism. Perhaps he simply didn’t read carefully enough and assumed, wrongly, that b’rith must somehow be etymologically connected with the other the words before and after pertaining to things British. Neither does the common English suffix -ish derive from the Hebrew word for man. Instead, it derives from the Greek diminutive suffix -iskos It was bad enough to suggest that the word â€Å"British† is Hebrew, but he also made another claim: If you take the name â€Å"Isaac,† you see it’s easy for someone to drop the â€Å"I† when speaking quickly and to end up with â€Å"Saac† as the name of the patriarch.He had descendants, of course, and these may be called â€Å"Saac’s sons,† from which we get the word â€Å"Saxons. à ¢â‚¬  â€Å"Is it only coincidence,† asks Armstrong, â€Å"that ‘Saxons’ sounds the same as ‘Saac’s sons’—sons of Isaac? † This doesn’t even qualify as a coincidence, since Armstrong had to make up the nickname of â€Å"Saac† in order for the â€Å"coincidence† to exist. In reality, the term â€Å"Saxon† is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word â€Å"seax,† which means knife or dagger, not the Hebrew word â€Å"Isaac† (Yitskhaq), which means â€Å"laughter† (cf.Gen. 17:15–19, 18:9–15). Another Remarkable Coincidence? Armstrong found other coincidences. When the Lost Tribes were scattered, he says, they â€Å"brought with them certain remarkable things, including a harp and a wonderful stone called lia-fail, or stone of destiny. A peculiar coincidence is that Hebrew reads from right to left, while English reads from left to right. Read this name either way—and it still is lia-fail. Another strange coincidence—or is it just coincidence? is that many kings in the history of Ireland, Scotland, and England have been coronated sitting over a remarkable stone—including the present queen [sic]. The stone rests today in Westminster Abbey in London, and the coronation chair is built over and around it. A sign once beside it labeled it ‘Jacob’s pillar-stone. ’† Here Armstrong’s argument becomes even weaker. After all, one could note that Hebrew and English are not the only languages which, when contrasted, are read in different directions. For example, Arabic is read right to left, while Gaelic is read left to right.What does that prove? Nothing! Just as Armstrong’s muddled reasoning proves nothing at all about a connection between Hebrew and English. If it did, one could just as easily â€Å"prove† that the Lost Tribes were also responsible for bringing the Blarney Stone with them. And that ’s just plain blarney. Armstrongism’s Appeal What makes Armstrong’s notion so attractive to some folks? First, it appeals to their nationalistic vanity: â€Å"I’m of English descent, and now I see that I’m right in the thick of things, biblically speaking.Having English blood in my veins makes me special. It puts me above the rest of the crowd. † It also perpetuates ethnic prejudice: â€Å"Thank God I’m not Italian! I never liked Italians anyway, and now I see they aren’t descended from the Lost Tribes and so are only secondary players in the divine drama—something I always suspected. † At first glance, Armstrong’s argument seems to be based on a sophisticated understanding of Scripture: â€Å"Armstrong provides lots of citations, and I can’t find fault with his argument. It’s so convoluted and technical it

Beginning Of House Music Essays - African-American Music

Beginning Of House Music Essays - African-American Music Beginning Of House Music Early House To trace the origins of todays house music, one needs to time travel back to the 80s, following a bizarre trail that spans the Atlantic ocean, hits the Mediterranean dance floors of Ibiza, sneak into the backdoors of New Yorks recording studios, and have V.I.P. passes to the clubs of Chicago and London. Since we cant deliver any of that, heres a brief retelling of the birth of modern dance music. House musics earliest roots are found in the musical hotspots of Chicago around 1985. Transplanted New York DJ Frankie Knuckles had a regular gig at a club called The Warehouse. Knuckles would tinker with soul and disco tunes by laying down a drum machine-generated 4/4 beat on top of them. The clubbers loved this new sound and house music, named for the club, was born. More DJs took to the tables and the studios, and soon there was an abundance of new house tracks penetrating both the clubs and airwaves of Chicago. The new sound found its way to the East Coast, where DJs in Philly and New Yo rk spun their own interpretations of classic dance tunes with a house beat on top. But the biggest fans of the Chicago sound werent in the U.S. at all Simultaneously, pirate radio in Britain took to the Chicago sounds. Incidentally, at the time pirate stations were the only ones playing black music of any kind in the U.K. Before long, house was the new soundtrack of the underground clubs of London. The first house tune to break the underground ceiling was Farley Jackmaster Funks cover of Isaac Hayes Love Cant Turn Around, which reached the national charts in September 1986. The UK couldnt seem to get enough. Soon, commercial success beckoned several of the early artists. Steve Silk Hurley was the first to reach the ultimate accolade, the UK No.1, with Jack Your Body in January 1987. This success paved the way for a house-flavored single to hit internationally. The collaboration of British artists Colourbox and A.R. Kane, known as M/A/R/R/S, hit the big time with Pump up the Volume. Considered lightweight by many house purists, the track nonetheless took over dance floors worldwide and delivered house beats to the planets masses for the first time. But many fans werent receptive of houses sudden commercial success, and they went looking for a sound to drive it back underground. One inspiration for a house mutation came in the form of the Roland TB 303 synthesizer. One of the earliest instigators of this new sound was Britains DJ Pierre, whose work with the Roland dated back to 1985. Pierre cut drums on top of the 303s bassline, and gave the results to a DJ working at Chicagos Music Box club named Ron Hardy. Hardy renamed it Acid Trax (after a well-fabled incident in which the clubs water supply was dosed with LSD) and played it incessantly. It barely made a ripple outside Chicago in 1986, but Acid Trax was a sign of things to come. Acid, as it came to be known, was a hybrid of house with its roots on both sides of the Atlantic, and would define a new generation of dance music. Acid House parties sprang up over the U.K., scaring parents senseless with its double-entendre. Of course, the drug inferences and the trademark t-shirt symbol, a smiley face with a bullethole in the forehead, increased acid musics popularity with the kids, and the music world took note. Mainstream pop artists began exhibiting acid influence in their records, and more crossovers from the underground appeared on the charts. Chicagos house masterminds were busier than ever finding new grooves to lay down. College buddies Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins, and Derrick May all produced records both influential and resonating (Mays The Dance was sampled countless times for years to come) throughout the Windy City. Meanwhile, two other producers, Eddie Fowlkes and Blake Baxter fused Eurobeats with the funk of George Clinton. This was a creation they called techno. 1988 saw house branching out even more, as in the eclectic marriage of house beats with quasi-industrial music. K nown as the Balearic movement, it found an audience in the Mediterranean

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[T]he status quo of the period was disturbed not only by their direct action but even more by their being instrumental in setting into motion the great upheaval of peoples commonly known as the Và ¶lkerwanderung.~ The Hun Period, by Denis Sinor; The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia 1990 The Huns, who appeared on the borders of eastern Europe, after A.D. 350, continued to migrate in a generally westward direction, pushing the peoples they encountered further west into the path of Roman citizens. Some of these, mainly Germanic, tribes eventually set out from Europe into northern Roman-controlled Africa. The Goths and Huns Agriculturist Goths from the lower Vistula (the longest river in modern Poland) began attacking areas of the Roman Empire in the third century, attacking along the Black Sea and Aegean regions, including northern Greece. The Romans settled them in Dacia where they stayed until the Huns pushed them. Tribes of Goths, the Tervingi (at the time, under Athanaric) and Greuthungi, asked for help in 376 and settled. Then they moved further into Roman territory, attacked Greece, defeated Valens at the Battle of Adrianople, in 378. In 382 a treaty with them put them inland in Thrace and Dacia, but the treaty ended with the death of Theodosius (395). Emperor Arcadius offered them territory in 397 and may have extended a military post to Alaric. Soon they were on the move again, into the western empire. After they sacked Rome in 410, they moved over the Alps into Southwest Gaul and became foederati in Aquitaine. The sixth-century historian Jordanes relates an early connection between the Huns and Goths, a story that Gothic witches producing the Huns: XXIV (121) But after a short space of time, as Orosius relates, the race of the Huns, fiercer than ferocity itself, flamed forth against the Goths. We learn from old traditions that their origin was as follows: Filimer, king of the Goths, son of Gadaric the Great, who was the fifth in succession to hold the rule of the Getae after their departure from the island of Scandza,and who, as we have said, entered the land of Scythia with his tribe,found among his people certain witches, whom he called in his native tongue Haliurunnae. Suspecting these women, he expelled them from the midst of his race and compelled them to wander in solitary exile afar from his army. (122) There the unclean spirits, who beheld them as they wandered through the wilderness, bestowed their embraces upon them and begat this savage race, which dwelt at first in the swamps,a stunted, foul and puny tribe, scarcely human, and having no language save one which bore but slight resemblance to human speech. Such was th e descent of the Huns who came to the country of the Goths.Jordanes The Origin and Deeds of the Goths, translated by Charles C. Mierow Vandals, Alans, and Sueves Alans were Sarmatian pastoral nomads; the Vandals and Sueves (Suevi or Suebes), Germanic. They were allies from around 400. Huns attacked the Vandals in the 370s. The Vandals and company crossed the icy Rhine at Mainz into Gaul, on the last night of 406, reaching an area that the Roman government had largely abandoned. Later, they pushed on across the Pyrenees into Spain where they drove out Roman landowners in the south and west. The allies divided the territory, supposedly by lot, initially so that Baetica (including Cadiz and Cordoba) went to a branch of the Vandals known as Siling; Lusitania and Cathaginiensis, to the Alans; Gallaecia, to the Suevi and Adsing Vandals. In 429 they crossed the Straits of Gibraltar into northern Africa where they took St. Augustines city of Hippo and Carthage, which they established as their capital. By 477 they also had the Balearic Islands, and the islands of Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. The Burgundians and Franks The Burgundians were another Germanic group probably living along the Vistula and part of the group whom the Huns drove across the Rhine at the end of 406. In 436, at Worms, they almost came to an end, at Roman and Hunnish hands, but some survived. Under the Roman general Aetius, they became Roman hospites, in Savoy, in 443. Their descendants still live in the Rhà ´ne Valley. These Germanic people lived along the lower and middle Rhine by the third century. They made forays into Roman territory in Gaul and Spain, without the incentive of the Huns, but later, when the Huns invaded Gaul in 451, they joined forces with the Romans to repel the invaders. The famous Merovingian king Clovis was a Frank. Sources Ancient Rome - William E. Dunstan 2010.The Early Germans, by Malcolm Todd; John Wiley Sons, Feb 4, 2009Wood, I. N. The barbarian invasions and first settlements. Cambridge Ancient History: The Late Empire, A.D. 337-425. Eds. Averil Cameron and Peter Garnsey. Cambridge University Press, 1998.Huns, Vandals, by Matthew Bennett. The Oxford Companion to Military History, Edited by Richard Holmes; Oxford University Press: 2001The Huns and the End of the Roman Empire in Western Europe, by Peter Heather; The English Historical Review, Vol. 110, No. 435 (Feb. 1995), pp. 4-41.On Foederati, Hospitalitas, and the Settlement of the Goths in A.D. 418, by Hagith Sivan: The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 108, No. 4 (Winter, 1987), pp. 759-772The Settlement of the Barbarians in Southern Gaul, by E. A. Thompson; The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 46, Parts 1 and 2 (1956), pp. 65-75 * See: Archaeology And The Arian Controversy in the Fourth Century, by David M. Gwynn, in Religious Diversity in Late Antiquity, edited by David M. Gwynn, Susanne Bangert, and Luke Lavan; Brill Academic Publishers. Leiden; Boston: Brill 2010

Health and Wellbeing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health and Wellbeing - Essay Example The main problem is that the impact of stress on performance and lifestyle is perhaps greater now than at any time in history. Modern society lives in an increasingly complex, high-technology world in which the potential for catastrophic error has greatly increased. Knowledge of stresses-related issues plays a crucial role in medial practice, and influences healthcare programs and methods, quality of the decisions made by health and social care professionals. Stress is defined as "relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing ... and endangering his or her well-being" (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984, p. 19 cited Fletcher et al 2006, p. 92). For healthcare professionals, it is difficult enough to make decisions in operational settings where the stakes are high and data are ambiguous. Whether the stressors are time constraints, noise, workload, or threat, they can play havoc with the clear thinking needed in these settings. In life of patients, they can degrade the quality of judgments, prevent the use of rational decision strategies, and severely compromise performance; at least, that is a popular appraisal of stressors. Decision makers are adaptive in their reactions to stressors. The decision strategies used in the presence of stressors may be simpler, but they are rational and make powerful use of experience. Health Health and social care professionals should understand internal and external factors that influence the individual and his emotional and psychological reaction to these factors. Stress reactions are controlled by self-regulative processing constructs, including the stable knowledge structures that support self-beliefs and motivations, processing routines for self-monitoring and self-evaluation, 'metacognitive beliefs' about the utility of emotion-focused coping, and coping skills (Fletcher et al 2006). Self-regulation is organized at three levels: a lower, automatic level that generates intrusive thoughts, an executive level that regulates coping, and schema-like self-knowledge in long-term memory. Knowledge gives freedom and guarantees complete control over the programs and methods, ways of treatment and improvements in healthcare plans. A focus on a single health behavior does not adequately represent the complexity of behavioral effects on health (Cribb and Duncan 2002). Strategie s such as decision analysis using subjective expected utility judgments and multiattribute utility analyses are best suited for cases in which there is less time pressure, more carefully collected data, multiple stakeholders, or generally lower levels of experience. The strategies are termed compensatory strategies, because they are designed to compensate for a small weakness on one or two attributes or evaluation dimensions if an option shows major strengths on other evaluation dimensions (Gandee et al 1998). For health and social care professionals, there are a variety of sources of information that can be used to derive a model of human performance under stress: accident analysis, incident analysis, operator protocols and lifestyle (Fletcher et al 2006). Transactional stress processes may generate both direct and indirect effects on performance, mediated by coping and self-regulative processes. Direct effects follow from task-related coping efforts, such as voluntary decisions to adopt a risky speed-accuracy trade-off, to prioritize one of two

Write a brief memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Write a brief memo - Essay Example It is also critical to consider the content of the constitution in depths rather than shallow mastery and reference to the preamble. The overall goal of the constitution is to boost the welfare of the citizens with particular focus to liberty and human rights. All the statutes are derived from specific sections of the constitution which is also subject to amendments. In this case of vaccination, the cardinal objective of the State of South Caledonia health department was to improve healthcare of its population. The effective implementation policy was to institute a law in line with section 137 of chapter 75 of the Revised Laws of Massachusetts. Mr. Dalrymple need to know that While the mere rejection of his offers of proof does not strictly present a federal question, the court may properly regard the exclusion of evidence upon the ground of its incompetency or immateriality under the statute as showing what, in the opinion of the state court, is the scope and meaning of the statute (Gostin, 2008). It is very clear from the statute which provides that failure by any person eligible to vaccination to comply attracts a fine of $750. This was the case of Jacobson v Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905) in which the battle on constitutional interpretation and understanding reigned. The defendant based the better part of his factual argument on the declaration of the preamble before the jury and lost. Although the defendant gave several facts in an effort to prove his innocence in Jacobson’s plea, the complainant won because all indications clearly tell that the defendant was duly informed and exempted of any expense in the vaccination process request. This case presents several facts in regard to people’s understanding of the law. In line with the 14th amendment of the constitution and the vaccination law, the state health stand in

Identify and Summarize Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Research Paper

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Extra Credit Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Extra Credit Methods - Essay Example It is thought that once the egg has been fertilized and it becomes slowed or there is blockage of the passage to the uterus, the fertilized ovum is forced to implant before getting to the uterus. Implantation may now erroneously occur in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, abdomen, or other regions outside of the uterus (Clarence, 2009). Causes There are many factors which contribute to the likelihood of a mother experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. The most common contributing factor to the development of an ectopic pregnancy is the Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) (Kamwendo, 2000).This is caused by the upsurge of scar tissue in the oviduct or fallopian tubes that causes damage to cilia. Cilia are hair-like structures found on the inner surface of the fallopian tubes and they help in transporting the egg that has been fertilized to the uterus. Damaging the cilia or blocking of the oviduct is likely to cause an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy can also be caused by post effects of tubal surgery or other factors including tubal ligation, use of Intrauterine Devices (IUD), endometriosis, use of birth control pills that contain progesterone only, inborn or congenital defect of the fallopian tubes, advanced age of the mother and smoking (Clarence, 2009). Apart from physical defects, high estrogen and progesterone levels may possibly increase ectopic pregnancy risk since the hormones are associated with slowing down the transportation of the fertilized ovum through the oviduct (fallopian tube) (Clarence, 2009). There is also a great risk for developing an ectopic pregnancy for women whose mothers took DES (diethylstilbestrol) medication during pregnancy (Clarence, 2009). However, the actual manner in which this happens is still under investigation. According to medical statistics, seventy percent of pregnancies that take place after tubal cautery turn out to be ectopic and also a similar percentage of pregnancies that occur after tubal clips are in the line of the uter us (Kamwendo et al, 2000). This is because reversal of tubal sterilization increases the chance for ectopic pregnancy. It is riskier if more unhelpful methods of tubal ligation like partially removing of the tubes or tubal cautery are used than techniques which are less destructive like tubal clipping. This risk cannot be mitigated by removal of the affected tube whether the other tube appears normal or not. Signs and Symptoms During the early stages of pregnancy, it is hard for a mother to know whether she has an ectopic pregnancy or not since the symptoms are often absent or mild. Clinical observations occur at around 7.2 weeks after last menstrual period normally within 5 to 8 weeks (Clarence, 2009). Later appearance becomes more widespread where communities are dispossessed of up to date diagnostic ability.The early signs include mild pain and discomfort (Clarence, 2009). However, a corpus luteum found on the ovary in a normal pregnancy and may also give the same symptoms. Mild vaginal bleeding is also an early symptom. Falling progesterone levels from the corpus luteum, which is associated with ectopic pregnancy, cause withdrawal bleeding (Clarence, 2009). Late ectopic pregnancy is characterized by bleeding and pain. Bleeding is usually vaginal and internal. External/vaginal bleeding is caused by falling levels of progesterone while internal bleeding is caused by hemorrhage from the tubes affected (Clarence, 2009). Severe internal bleeding

The Chinese Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Chinese Made Toy Recalls at Mattel - Essay Example Any toy quality/safety problems could be overcome by making manufacturing changes. The article also mentions that there was â€Å"lax regulatory enforcement,† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 179) in the factories that Mattel had set up in China, which often meant thatâ€Å"these laws were routinely ignored† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 179); problems of toy quality and safety could clearly be avoided if there was stricter control and supervision of product quality in these factories. Also, this problem of safety and quality could be eliminated if Mattel had developed its Global Manufacturing Principles before it had started a supply chain trading partnership with China, and ensured that the Chinese industries followed the rules and regulations of the GMP and terminating the partnership in case the Chinese did not follow the rules. (A2) Mattel made a number of positive responses to the toy recalls that largely had the impact of improving it s public image and in winning back its good reputation. Firstly, its CEO Robert Eckert appeared in a video, in which he made a public apology for the defected and harmful toys Mattel had produced and also pledged to â€Å"change how we work in the future†(The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc,176). Mattel representatives in September 2007 even made clear to the American Congressional Committee that the defected toys were a result of Mattel’s â€Å"own flawed toy designs†; this then lead to Mattel making changes in its manufacturing process. Apart from this, Mattel also guaranteed to â€Å"increase the frequency of its paint inspections, testing every batch delivered† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 176). In 2007, it also put a check on its products that were being shipped out of its Asian factories in order to thoroughly examine them for quality and potential health hazards; this had the effect of preventing â€Å"more than two-thirds of the recalled toys from reaching consumers† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc,177).Lastly, Mattel set up a â€Å"Corporate Responsibility division, which had accountability internally and externally for adherence to company safety and compliance procedures† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 177). The effect of all these actions was that it restored the positive image of Mattel in the public eyes. (A3) The article includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers and customers† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 179). Between Mattel and Early Light, there is a supply chain trading partnership that involves the two companies to work with one another when making decisions about manufacturing and distributing products. As the article states, the two companies have enjoyed this kind of collaboration for 15 years, and in my opinion, the two should contin ue to work together as supply chain trading partners since this entails a number of benefits. Firstly, the long amount of time (15 years) Mattel and Early Light have worked together in collaboration means that a high level of

Global Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Leadership - Essay Example Brazil's culture must be properly understood. Non-verbal communication cues and the daily lives of Brazilians are important considerations when starting up a business in the country. Religious and educational issues are important to take into account. Before going to Brazil it is vital to learn about the social, political, economic, and cultural context in order to maximize returns. Going abroad is always a challenge. It is especially difficult if you have the goal of starting a business or bringing a business opportunity to a foreign country and you will be required to stay they for some time. The culture is different, the people expect different things, and you must deal with your own reservations and culture shock. Doing all of this in Brazil would be a challenging exercise. Brazil is not the most difficult country in the world, but it does pose a number of problems for an American seeking to open a logging subsidiary. In this course of this essay, some of Brazil's unique politica l, cultural, social, and economic factors will be explored. Brazil is a country on the move. Everyone agrees that one of the great accomplishments of globalization is the development a number of second tier, successful economies. These are often called BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—and Brazil is clearly a charter member. ... This is important to know if you intend to open a business in Brazil. For the purposes of this assignment, I am intending to open a logging business in Brazil. I will need to present a lot of information about the Brazilian economy and the logging industry in order to feel that my investment in Brazil will be profitable and sustainable. I will also need to know a lot about the people of Brazil and how to interact with them. Their culture and language is very different. It is vital to understand these differences if I hope to be successful. To begin with, Brazil is by far the largest country in South America, both in geographical size and in population. It is nearly half of all of South America, with very diverse physical characteristics, and a population of nearly 200 million (Page, 1995). It is a democracy, but it is a young democracy, with institutions that are still developing and are still slightly vulnerable. Recent elections have been fair and peaceful. The main language in Bra zil is Portuguese (not Spanish) and there are colonial ties to Portugal. The population is very diverse, with native people mixed with African people, mixed with European peoples. The main religion is Catholicism. The political system is similar to that in the United States. The President is elected and is head of government and head of state and appoints his cabinet. The current President is Dilma Rousseff, the first woman (Sanchez, 2010). She is a leftist, but she is also friendly to business. Her predecessor oversaw a great deal of economic growth in the new millennium while also adding more labour and environmental protections. Brazil is open for business and is happy to accept foreign investors. Legal system To begin with, the legal system in Brazil is based on civil

The Chinese Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Chinese Made Toy Recalls at Mattel - Essay Example Any toy quality/safety problems could be overcome by making manufacturing changes. The article also mentions that there was â€Å"lax regulatory enforcement,† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 179) in the factories that Mattel had set up in China, which often meant thatâ€Å"these laws were routinely ignored† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 179); problems of toy quality and safety could clearly be avoided if there was stricter control and supervision of product quality in these factories. Also, this problem of safety and quality could be eliminated if Mattel had developed its Global Manufacturing Principles before it had started a supply chain trading partnership with China, and ensured that the Chinese industries followed the rules and regulations of the GMP and terminating the partnership in case the Chinese did not follow the rules. (A2) Mattel made a number of positive responses to the toy recalls that largely had the impact of improving it s public image and in winning back its good reputation. Firstly, its CEO Robert Eckert appeared in a video, in which he made a public apology for the defected and harmful toys Mattel had produced and also pledged to â€Å"change how we work in the future†(The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc,176). Mattel representatives in September 2007 even made clear to the American Congressional Committee that the defected toys were a result of Mattel’s â€Å"own flawed toy designs†; this then lead to Mattel making changes in its manufacturing process. Apart from this, Mattel also guaranteed to â€Å"increase the frequency of its paint inspections, testing every batch delivered† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 176). In 2007, it also put a check on its products that were being shipped out of its Asian factories in order to thoroughly examine them for quality and potential health hazards; this had the effect of preventing â€Å"more than two-thirds of the recalled toys from reaching consumers† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc,177).Lastly, Mattel set up a â€Å"Corporate Responsibility division, which had accountability internally and externally for adherence to company safety and compliance procedures† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 177). The effect of all these actions was that it restored the positive image of Mattel in the public eyes. (A3) The article includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers and customers† (The Chinese-Made Toy Recalls at Mattel Inc., 179). Between Mattel and Early Light, there is a supply chain trading partnership that involves the two companies to work with one another when making decisions about manufacturing and distributing products. As the article states, the two companies have enjoyed this kind of collaboration for 15 years, and in my opinion, the two should contin ue to work together as supply chain trading partners since this entails a number of benefits. Firstly, the long amount of time (15 years) Mattel and Early Light have worked together in collaboration means that a high level of

Cyclermate Report Essay Example for Free

Cyclermate Report Essay I. An executive summary Dai Armstrong and Lewis Llewellyn are the two men who planned to open their own company after being superfluous due to the shutting down of the steel plants in their town of South Wales were Dai Armstrong and Lewis Llewellyn. They became good friends because of taking part in the local club of cycle touring together and decided to start Cyclermate, which was a bicycle manufacturing company that was laid down in the year 1988. In the beginning of time, Cyclermate gained a huge influence over the share of the market. The company appeared well with no problems and difficulties up to 2010, the time when the business is in trouble, it confronted lots of consequences with respect to operation human resource and finance. Therefore, the demand by purchasers fell continue sadly even though the prices were cut down by the company; the distinguishing attributes of the goods were not up to the quality as they were earlier. The rising complaints from the customers regarding degrading quality and faults in the product and the concern by the bank manager regarding the overdraft could cause trouble if the problems are not solved as soon as possible. Because of that, the company requires a right way to deal with this issue and save it from the edge of going bankrupt. II. Introduction Based on case study research in Cyclermate Ltd. and a series of case in community, this report will work out the financial problems and various other problems confronted by Cyclermate. It has been designed to analysis the business environment and management, measured by SWOT and PET models that are required to be looked upon. The report also draws on a brief summary for the financial side of the business. In addition, this report takes into account an examination of difficulties confronted by Cyclermate and possible solution for the problems, included short and long term solutions. Another function of this report is to examine how the company could get out of the crisis and get back to the current market share. Finally, the report brings us some recommendations and conclusion of the whole Cyclermate case study. III. Analysis of Business Environment 1. PEST Analysis PEST analysis is involved in the chief external environmental that effect or control considerably a business strategy. As we can see, PEST is aimed for Political, Economic, Social and Technological matters that can affect the business. PEST is recognized to persuade it in a utile manner of summarizing the external environment. However, it may be adopted the ability of how an establishment should react to these factors. Political Factor A political factor has a powerful impact on income tax, labor law, trade restriction and many more. Company did not recruit enough workers to meet the targets and worker had to work overtime to get the work done and workers are getting paid at normal rate. Using a traditional method may harm workers health and decreased their productivity as well. These mistakes made Cyclermate become a target of health and safety agencies. They have to improve the quality or else they can be stuck in authorized issues. On the  other hand, they also need to achieve higher standard in manufacturing to meet requirements of the market, especially foreign markets. Economic Factor Cyclermate had purchased a larger storehouse for goods, which indeed was essential to them but did not suffice their requirements. Purchasing a warehouse, which fulfilled the needs of the company, could have saved a lot of money and that same money could have used in new or currently in existence projects. Another factor in economics that affects to the development of Cyclermate Ltd is labor. The unemployment rate is increasing, therefore, this is a good chance for this company to choose worker more easily, and employ them easily with affordable price. Social Factor Social factor has a powerful impact on human behavior, Cyclermate had many order but they did not have enough workforce to complete these orders. They have to work long hours in order to achieve their goals. One more important thing is that high-speed innovation as well as the increasing demands of consumers requires Cyclermate to change and improve every day. But there is a truly infact that living standard of clients could effect to their choices. The higher income distribution they get, the higher demands they re Technological Factor Cyclermate Ltd is using the oldest way to advertise their products by posting advertisement in traditional newspapers. It has limited their goods to the customers. Instead, this company can set up its own website. In addition, Cyclermate Ltd is using the oldest way to advertise their products by posting advertisement in traditional newspapers. It has limited their goods to the customers. Instead, this company can set up its own website. 2. SWOT Analysis It is a methodical technique that is utilized to categorize and identify substantial external (Opportunities and Threats) and internal (Strengths and Weaknesses) factors confronted with a specific area. (Johnson, 1993) It  renders data which are useful in corresponding the capabilities and resources to the spiritual atmosphere in which it functions and hence is a significant addition to the planning and marketing procedure. (Pearce, 2005) Let have look at the SWOT of cyclermate to understand more about the current issue that company has to face with. Strengths Direct channels of sale Cyclermate has direct channels of sales with the direct sales and direct shops; hence intermediary’s cost is largely eliminated. Reducing the cost of manufacturing could unquestionably help Cyclermate achieve a huge share of the market. As direct channels are in direct contact with the providers, thus, it could help in increasing in quantity or value of the sales and it provides a good opportunity to the providers to empathize the clients and could make required changes are per the requirement of the customers. Motivated workforce The employees at the Cyclermate are extremely pioneering and are can fully utilize and achieve any given objective or alterations in the company but they are inhibited by the administration as a result they are unable to express their views freely. The employees could have a crucial role in the company for its overall growth and development. Possession of buildings and lands Unlike Cyclermate most of the companies don’t possess either building or land and hence have to pay the heavy rents which adds to the cost but cyclermate can make any changes in the buildings and could capitalize in whichever way they wish to as they own it, which reduces the overall cost. Weaknesses Inexperience and unmotivated staffs of the company The company has made use of untrained workers. These untrained workers are not given the proper training after their employment. It is the fact that the employees and the staff are never allowed to put forward their creative and self-ideas due to the policies of the management, as a result of this  motivation in the staff is lost. Sales are decreasing in amount or degree and there is piling up of stocks in the warehouses which generates a feeling among the staff that they are not under a good management and as this feeling flourishes they lose hopes from the company and it has a very bad impact on their morale. The investors do not truly interested in the business Due to the low returns on the capital invested by the investors, they are unhappy with the performance of the company and are losing faith in it. In addition, the very fact that the shareholders were not paid any interest last year, it may result in the withdrawal of their money from the company. The quality concerns Because lack of the power to be effective of the staffs to keep up the measures of the goods and the quality of raw material utilized is leading to degraded quality of the goods eventually. Old machinery such as traditional spaying technique, painting and low-quality stock control technology needs updating as soon as possible if the business hopes to improve the production and sales in the coming time. Opportunities Take the advantages of social media Cyclermate should launch its website, which provides complete detail and range of the products available with them. Company can employ a new computer system for keeping a good database of the company. They can introduce online selling and modification according to the wish of customers. Introduction of new machines They should introduce some of the modern machinery in order to achieve higher-level productivity. Cyclermate could bring in new robotic machinery in the production process that will lead to speedy output and a superior quality of goods. Employ trained workers They have the opportunity to make use of the trained workforce, which has been recently laid off from the nearby production site. More workforce means opportunity to gain more productivity. Threats Overseas competitors As a result of the growth to a global or worldwide scale, many companies from across the globe have entered the market with products of low price and high quality, which certainly is a threat for Cyclermate as it supplies good with high cost and of lower quality. Due to recession, which is prevailing in Europe the purchasing power of people is going down. Thus, company can have reduced sales or can face financial crises. Reputation Due to poor-quality product for a period of Cyclermate’s reputation is going down and therefore people do not like to go for their products. Huge retail Merchants Retail Merchants like Argos and Halfords are captivating the market eventually and it might happen that Cyclermate may lose the market share completely. Customer threatens them to sue their company after their product was fail in delivering the good performance. IV. Analysis of Business Management 1. Financial Problems Prob. 1.1: Uncontrolled cost The main problem that company is in this situation is because of the uncontrolled cost and mismanaged budget. The costs are increasing yearly with the sales and selling price of the products going down. Let have look at the financial statement that company has  £210,800 worth of non-current assets. Loan request will be refused as company only holds cash fund of  £675 into their bank account. Costs are increasing at a rapid rate year after year. Asset turnover ratio is 2.06:1. This indicates that the profit margins for the company are very low that’s why the ratio is so high. We can also conclude from this that the company’s pricing strategy is not effective leading to lower profits. Prob. 1.2: Dealing with a big loan Creditor days – 24 days leads to the company has to pay back it its debtors in 24 days and it is just left with 675 £ of cash. The Company is liable to pay  £87,500 to the creditors and if they don’t so a legal action may be taken on them, which are not good for company’s reputation. They may talk to the creditors and ask for an extension in time for payments as they are going through financial crisis and don’t have money right now to pay back. Prob. 1.3: Lots of inventories Besides, it shows that the majority of inventories are stored and not effectively managed, that is why current ratio is at such high level, which also means low sales and low revenue gained. Moreover, the company relies on the bank loan as the main monetary support. 2. Operation Problems Prob. 2.1: Stock control system Disturbingly, materials are always in the shortage which results in the disruption of the production process recently. Although the demand is higher and higher, company cannot meet their requirement because of lacking necessary components. Prob. 2.2: Inappropriate division of duties The inappropriate division of duties obviously had made such a burden on many workers. In particular, Dai Armstrong has to deal with many tasks such as making all the frames, factory manager and business director at the same time. He himself also finds it hard to keep up the level of production (approximately 8 frames/day) because it requires the harsh physical demands. Prob. 2.3: Assembly is a complex process Moreover, assembly is a complex process, which takes 2 or 3 hours for one person. Janice Jones and Ffred Gregory often have to work overtime to catch up with the progress. As a result, their health and time issue could be heavily damaged. 3. HR Management problems Prob. 3.1: Improper workforce in manufacturing Unreasonable workforce division is one of the most serious problems of Cyclermate Ltd. Besides, lack of experienced employees and the aging workforce are worrying the production process and raising a big question for a more effective training system. Prob. 3.2: The training system creates The training system creates such obstacles for the assembly process. Typically, Fred, who is 18 years old, is a new and un-experienced person; the training for him is necessary, however, not easy at all. It takes so much time to instruct Fred in traditional way, which is apparently the cause of slow production recently. Prob. 3.3: Corporate culture The staff is highly de-motivated due to decreasing sales and profits and also the behavior of the management as in the sinking company they are not free to put up their ideas even if they do they are rejected because of the superiority of the management. V. Solution A. Short term and immediate planning 1. Financial problems: Solution 1.1: Cost in selling and distribution Cost in selling and distribution could be possible declined to save more money for the company such as cutting cost for postage and courier charges by substituting by cheaper service, as well as the travelling and hospitality. Those indirect costs contribute such high cost to the manufacturing of the cycles, restricting them would help boost the sales with cheaper price. Solution 1.2: Ask for trading debtors to repay The solution to this issue is that they should strictly resolve and for the  trade debtors to repay the loans as soon as possible. The amount of $200,571 would help the financial situation better in the coming time. Once their assets are raised through and their liquidity are proved to be valuable enough to afford the loan, it will be beneficial for them to borrow money from the banks. Solution 1.3: Direct sale prices Cyclermate’s direct sale prices are higher than shop sale price. In order to generate healthy revenue, Cyclermate needs to reduce their direct sale price. By reducing the direct sale prices will increase their sale and it will be easy for them to generate healthy revenue. 2. Operation Problems Solution 2.1: Buy stock when needed Company should only buy stock when they needed. Buying stock earlier will harm company’s financial positions, because raw material does not hold their value and it has got more chances of losing its market value. Solution 2.2: Require clear division A good answer for this problem is that the company should require clear division to who is able to undertake and separate arrangement of duties. Specifically, assigning other qualified person on frame-making position so that Mr. Dai could concentrate and dedicate himself to external relations business only. Solution 2.3: hiring more experienced labors The company should consider hiring more experienced labors for assemble line and frame-making because Mr Dai can no longer put up with the physical requirement of the task. With those simple tasks like packaging, it is acceptable for free hand employees to help out, but only when they finished all their tasks. 3. HR Management problems Solution 3.1: Employ cheaper labors In this case, the company can consider employ cheaper labors that are  suggested by Maldwyn Jones: Chinese or Taiwanese labor to make the machine for them- much better quality but half the price and move Idris Pugh to higher position as a supervisor for the whole wheel-making process. Solution 3.2: Improving the staff’s skills This training program involves directly in the new changes with a purpose of improving the staff’s skills, expertise and methods to complete an error-free task, exposing them to unfamiliar ideas and of course, giving them the chance to practice task under time/speed limit. Solution 3.3: Core business value Trust in others and a firm belief in overcoming difficulties (set up new mission: overcome difficulty, minimize waste and consequence) B. Long term and efficiency improvements Present fiscal condition of Cyclermate (Accounting ratios).The acid / liquid ratio of Cyclermate is 0.76:1, which depicts Cyclermate is incapable to satisfy indebtednesses of shorter term, which mean that it would not be competent to satisfy fiscal difficulty which may happen in the time to come. The Asset turnover ratio for Cyclermate is 2.06:1. As the ratio is excessively high, this means that profit margins are very low. The pricing strategy of Cyclermate is ineffective and because of that low profit. Return on capital employed –Cyclermate has far too less returns on the capital employed, just a mere 0.11 or 11%. Debtor days –It would take Cyclermate 115 days to get back the money from debtors. Creditor days – Cyclermate has to pay back in 24 days to its debtors with a cash balance of 675 £. The financial statement of Cyclermate shows that it has non-current assets which is of worth  £210,800.Any request regarding a loan from the bank will be refused as it has a mere cash balance of  £675. It may get a loan based on the position of its non-current assets. In place of the above-discussed alternative, it can sell its freehold land, which is worth  £160,000, and use the proceeds from the sale in the business. Cyclermate could acquire funds if they pursue its trade debtors to pay off soon. Debtors worth  £200,571 are to be recovered and the funds would be acquired soon if the debtors do not  default and pay in full. Once it has sufficient fund, Cyclermate could apply for the bank loan. VI. Conclusion Overall, Cyclermate will have a better future if they operate their business in slightly different ways. Cyclermate products were famous for its quality and price,if the company still provide what the consumer wants than it would be no harm to the company. But there few changes needs to be changed and once the new rules and regulation apply into the business than it would be a great opportunity for Cyclermate to operate their services. Moreover, With the movement of new threats into the marketplace the present systematic plan of action of Cyclermate is continuously below the acceptable level in its performance due to the fact that the new firms and the existing organizations are coming up with improved quality of products at a cheaper price VII. Recommendations The company must sign up correct individual as per the requirement of the position. Currently the management is interfering in the process of production and is unable to focus of the activities they should be concerned. The financial hardships through which Cyclermate is going through at present could be resolved by selling the unused stock that is piled up in the warehouse. In order to generate revenues and funds to invest in other arena of the company, Cyclermate must sell its freehold land that would certainly generate high revenue. In order to achieve higher output and productivity, modern technology should be applied in the production process. Installing a computer database through which the management could look into all the important and relevant data as and when required. Cyclermate should launch its website, which provides complete detail and range of the products available with them. Reducing both direct sales prices so as to sell the current stock and trade debtors. Employing young and trained workforce that is fit for the position.

Professional Development Of Teachers Education Essay

Professional Development Of Teachers Education Essay This study is to examine the role of leadership in teacher professional development in Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley. The specific variables that will be investigated include teachers perceptions of teacher professional development; teachers expectations as well as the principals role in facilitating teacher professional development. Developments in leadership will lead to changes in the ways teachers work. These will subsequently increase the need to review teacher professional development. The purpose of this research is to establish how the dual of the principal and the teachers manifests itself in professional development. This research will be significant as it will examine the voices of teachers on how leadership contributes to teacher professional development. The research will be conducted using qualitative methodology. It will be based on a case study of two Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley. Data will be collected using questionna ires and follow up interviews which will be administered to elicit responses from principals, deputy principals and teachers in both schools. The findings will reveal the need for teachers in Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley to engage more in teacher professional development programmes in order for them to have a better understanding of the concept. This study will also demonstrate if teacher professional development should be the core work of both the principals and teachers in order to create a learning environment in their schools so that both can develop professionally. Based on the results obtained in this study, we will determine if Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Klang Valley need more awareness in teacher professional development and how it will influence the leadership. Keywords: Leadership, Principals, Teachers, Teacher Professional Development, Teaching and Learning INTRODUCTION The purpose of this proposed qualitative study is to help principals of Chinese Independent Schools in Selangor and their supervisors understand the interaction of leadership capacity and distributed leadership practices as they relate to professional development within a school. The study will capture leadership practices in an effort to reveal how the practices impact on the professional development of the teachers. The overall question under consideration is: How do schools and school leaders understand capacity building while using that process to build and/or sustain a culture for professional learning? The intention is to understand more about systems that promote professional development and as a result contribute towards school development. The role of the principal in facilitating the development of organizational learning and capacity building via professional development related to instruction, student achievement, leadership roles, inquiry, teacher engagement, vision, goal setting, shared norms and values will be examined using case study methodology. Interviews, open-ended survey results, focus groups, and documents as well as environmental observations will be analyzed to reveal the role of the principal in this context. The case studies will examine the behaviors, actions, and interactions of principals and teachers within schools where leadership and professional development is considered to be in place through formal and informal structures established at the district and building level. All of the principals in the study are from the Chinese Independent Secondary Schools in Selangor. Qualitative research is proposed in order to examine and articulate practices related to school leadership and professional deve lopment. Four case studies are proposed to help inform established and new principals embrace the paradox of leadership with purpose as well as an understanding that each story needs to be told in order to meet the obligation of building knowledge as part of a schools culture. Teachers are the main resources of an education system. They have important roles and responsibilities to exercise in the teaching profession and to mould students in accordance with the changing social needs. Therefore, professional development needs of teachers constantly change and develop along with the changing expectations regarding the quality of education, the changing social needs, technological changes and the effect of technology on learning, the change in student population, and the transforming paradigms in learning and teaching. Professional development of teachers is a must for school improvement and educational change. It is useful not only for teachers, but also for students, school administrators, parents, families and colleagues. Thus, it can be considered as both an individual and social implementation. In other words, investment on teachers is an investment on individuals whose consequences are directly reflected in the society as well. Professional development involves teachers acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes addressing improvements in education. It compensates the lack of education in pre-service training with the help of regular in-service training. Therefore, it can be considered as a process which starts in pre-service training and goes on with in-service training till the end of the profession. Teachers professional development is generally defined as activities such as seminars and set-courses which aim at training teachers through in-service training (Odabasi Kabakci, 2007). It is also defined as any kind of teaching-training activity to meet teachers needs that is necessary for their professional growth and development (Seferoglu, 2001). According to a broader definition, professional development consists of processes and activities designed to enhance the professional knowledge, skills and attitudes of teachers so that they can improve the learning of students. Therefore, professional development is a process that is intentional, ongoing and systemic (Guskey, 2000). The purpose of any professional development program is to inform and change teacher behavior as a result of new information. To achieve this purpose, educators spend countless hours on professional development activities, learning to use new instructional strategies or materials (Barnett, 2003) since the   professional development of teachers must be an on-going process of refining skills, inquiring into practice, and developing new methods.Professional development leads to knowledge acquisition on the one hand and update of current knowledge and skills on the other. In this respect, the advantages of professional development can be listed as follows (Librera et al., 2004). Professional development: Ø   ameliorates the field of application, Ø   helps teachers and students meet their individual or mutual needs by providing them with the opportunities to reflect on their personal experiences, applications and research, Ø   orientates professional experiences of high quality in schools, Ø   contributes to educational policies in heightening standards, Ø   helps teachers understand and explain ICTs. Most countries in the world consider teacher training as a crucial subject, and so does Turkey. Teacher training has several qualitative and quantitative insufficiencies in several countries. Regardless of the quantitative adequacy of teachers, professional development of teachers remains one of the most glaring problems of teacher training. Pre-service teachers still have the chance to develop themselves since they are still within an educational institution as learners. However, in-service teachers might find themselves abandoned as they have started working and hence feel deprived of constant mentoring and guidance. The only solution to sustain lifelong learning in Turkey is to provide in-service teachers with constant support through regular and effective professional development activities