Environmental Psychology

Analysis of the Stages in Life Span Development essays

Analysis of the Stages in Life Span Development essays When breaking down the life span into stages such as childhood, adulthood, and late adulthood; the break down seeks to bring unity to the life of human being, and ultimately helps us to understand the development of a person. The science of human developments seeks to understand how and why people change or remain the same over time at all ages in all different circumstances. Human beings are so complex in so many ways and it is important that as humans we understand these crucial developmental stages in our life to better communicate and prepare for these stages in our lives. I additionally wanted to focus on the level of moral development among the interviewees at each of the stages in development. To better understand the characteristics of these developmental stages, the moral reasoning developmental process and differences and similarities seen among the people of the interviewees; I interviewed eight individuals. I interviewed both a female and male in the school age, adolescence, emerging adulthood, adulthood, and older adulthood developmental stages. The interviewees were selected at random. I conducted a personal face to face interview with each interviewee. During the interview I asked a series of eight questions pertaining to their goals, accomplishments, worries, important people in their lives, fears they currently have as well as a scenario question pertaining to a moral dilemma. After conducting these interviews I was able to analyze the different stages in life span development further and make clear observations of similarities and differences between the interviewees. Although the interviews allowed me a great amount of observation as well as useful insight; the answers to these eight questions did not summarize in anyway the multi-contextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, plastic, and multi-directional development of each person. I conducted an interview with a ten year old male and an eight year old fe...

1.Critically examine the challenges facing the NHS in employing the Essay

1.Critically examine the challenges facing the NHS in employing the use of computer-based systems in the management of patients care since the introduction of the National Programme for IT in 2005 - Essay Example e National Audit Office (2006) the establishment of the specific Programme was decided mostly because of the following reasons: a) the high volume of cases handled by hospitals and other care centers; it has been estimated that every week about 6 million people are likely to visit their GP (National Audit Office, 2006, p.9), b) the increase of security in regard to the storage and management of personal data, c) the high cost in prescribing in healthcare settings across Britain. Despite the above advantages, the NHS IT Programme of 2005 has faced a series of challenges – an indication of the failures related to its design/ monitoring. These challenges are analytically presented in the next section; it is concluded that the use of the NHS IT Programme has helped towards the increase of quality of healthcare services across Britain; however, appropriate initiatives should be developed so that the above system to fully perform. Such schemes of action would be the training of user s, the introduction of simpler guidelines and the continuous review of the system’s needs. Through the introduction of information systems in the management of activities across NHS the performance of the specific organization has been improved. The advanced information technologies available to health practitioners have helped to the increase of quality of the services provided to the patients but also to the establishment of services which were not available previously – for instance the services available in the context of the Geographical Information System (GIS) which is incorporated in the IT systems used in NHS’ healthcare settings (Higgs et al., 2001, p.247). However, the performance of information systems in NHS has faced severe delays mostly because of the failures developed across the organization in regard to the management of the specific systems. The update of existing NHS IT systems framework in 2005 has been considered as a necessary solution in order for the above

Hydraulic Fracturing (What is Fracking) Assignment

Hydraulic Fracturing (What is Fracking) - Assignment Example Firstly, is it really â€Å"a golden mine† for all? Payoff to the owners of lands where process starts â€Å"can be as little as $15 an acre or up to $6,000 an acre† (Vergano). That means only producing company wins. Secondly, whole district is changing because of fracking nearby. It becomes more industrial: technics, new buildings and factories appears. There’re can be as advantages (more new workplaces, business development, etc.) as disadvantages from such changes. Grass disappears; drill sound and heavy equipment appears, changing landscape extremely. And what can be good for one district’s infrastructure can be bad for another. Often farmers and landowners suffer because of fracking in the neighborhood. Producing oil and gas process not only frights animals and harms agribusiness, but also probably pollutes air and water, so influences badly on a farm production’s quality. But what’s most frightening, fracking’s damage to the environment isn’t still known for sure. There’s simply not enough information to tell what harm fracking brings into a general ecology situation and a local inhabitants’ health (Vergano). Naturally, a lot of people are worried about using a doubtful energy producing method. Recently, University of Taxes and Duke University studies reviled that most harm from fracking can be caused from spills and wells, drilled and constructed in the wrong way (Vergano). And besides air and water pollution, a big question is how this method influences on lithosphere. An idea of fracking is making cracks deeply in earth’s layers. How safe is that? To my mind, most reasonable is an opinion that for every different place and with every different company answer on question â€Å"to drill or not to drill† can be different. Such big oil and gas producing corporations like Halliburton or Shell usually

Comparing the Organizational Structure of Nonprofit Organizations and Research Paper

Comparing the Organizational Structure of Nonprofit Organizations and For Profit Organizations - Research Paper Example r an organization is for-profit or non-profit, the organization exemplifies very diverse goals and objectives that are constructed around a particular strategic initiative and where all internal activities are aligned with these strategic objectives. It is the responsibility of an organization to not only fulfil its strategic goals, but to also satisfy the needs of very diverse and disparate stakeholder groups. To accomplish this, the organization must consider multiple dynamics, including economic policies within the organization’s region of operations, internal capabilities to accomplish its strategies, market conditions, social and cultural factors that will impact organizational strategy and be considerate of flexibility and change internally that will allow the entity to evolve with changing external conditions or needs. In order for an organization to remain relevant in its region of operations and sustain long-term significance, the organization must continuously adapt and develop contingencies to mitigate risks and better service stakeholders (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2010). Understanding that both for-profit and non-profit organizations have very disparate visions, missions and goals, the organization requires leadership and governance that can ensure regulatory compliances, develop a valuable product or service, promote a desired social or political change in a society, or generally remain competitive. Governance includes systems and oversights that direct and control an organization, inclusive of aligning management activities to strategic intention, performing various market analyses, ensuring all value chain activities effectively support the organizational mission and promoting change with minimal resistance (Tricker, 2009). For-profit and non-profit organizations operate quite differently in some dimensions, while also sustaining many similar characteristics. The most significant differences between non-profit and for-profit organizations are in

Planning for a Business Start Up

Planning for a Business Start Up Would it be feasible to open an electrical goods store in Thame? Thame is in Oxon (Oxfordshire). Abstract This report examines the business case for a start up business in Thame, Oxfordshire. The business in question is that of an electrical retailer, and the possibilities for both a small, independent enterprise and a large chain multiple are considered here. The report first considers the contemporary economic and retail environment, and then the relevant facts about Thame itself. It then looks at the possible market segmentation associated with the business, and considers some projected cashflow and expenditure models. In conclusion, the report does not foresee any guarantees of success for such a venture in the present climate, although it may be possible to accrue small margins through diversifying the business into e.commerce. Conversely, it may be that forthcoming large scale ventures have better prospects. 1. Introduction. This report examines the business case for starting a new venture in the form of an electrical retailer in Thame, Oxfordshire. It does so with due regard for the contemporary economic and retailing environment, as well as the relative prospects of a small, independent business as against a larger, diversified one. As Groom speculates, ‘A recession can be a smart time to launch a business or innovate, if you can find the money to invest. Competitors are struggling to cut costs and you can look forward to the upturn.’ (1). Liquidity in terms of start up costs, inventory, stock and rents is a key factor for consumer facing businesses, who cannot confidently predict their actual margins in the current climate. As will be discussed below, there are likely to be significant developments in UK electrical retailing sector over the next few years: not even the established multiple chains are assured of retaining their current margins. The one area which may offer smaller players a significant opportunity is e.commerce. As Hooley et al. point out, ‘A significant feature of the Internet is the shift in power away from manufacturers and retailers towards customers. While the period to the middle of the twentieth century saw power concentrated in the hands of manufacturers and suppliersthe customer now typically initiates an information search, whereas in the past the manufacturer or the retailer initiated and controlled this.’ (2) 2. A worthwhile business opportunity? The local/national competition. In the absence of detailed and focused market research data, the business case must be projected from the available circumstantial evidence. We will begin this discussion by looking at the market conditions for electrical goods and UK retailing in general. Both the British Retail Consortium and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported worsening trade figures in November 2008, with non-discretionary purchases, i.e. food and drink, the only categories not to be depressed. (3) A recent Bank of England survey reported that Banks are imposing tougher lending standards on loans and credit cards, although interest rate cuts may encourage households to spend money freed off by heaper mortgage repayments. As one analyst observes, ‘Non-food retail sales are driven by real wage growth, credit availability and housing wealth. Since real incomes, after inflation, have been falling for about two years, consumers have dipped into savings, and used remortgaging and credit cards to maintain spending. Things are now reversing.’ (4) A depressed housing market will further impact upon electrical retailing through a lower demand for appliances. The major multiple and discount electrical store chains are suffering from poor sales and margins at present, due to the following factors†¦ Depressed housing markets have resulted in lower sales of refrigerators, washing machines and other white goods. A price war between television manufacturers has depressed profit margins on these goods by 1 per cent in the second half of 2008. Sales of flat-screen TV’s have slowed to the level of white goods. Margins have been further reduced in pre-Christmas price cutting, with rival chains holding sales to reduce stock levels. (5) In specific company terms, this means that Comet’s like for like sales are down 11.6 per cent from 2007, and Kesa, its Anglo-French owned parent company, has suffered a first half loss. Its shares recently suffered an 11.9 pence fall to 142.5 pence, and it is planning to cut costs through redundancies in its UK stores. DSG International, Comet’s closest competitor, has recently scrapped its dividend on the same basis. (6) As a background to this, large format outlets in retail park developments have been contracting, with Comet and Curry’s planning to rationalise their chains. Meanwhile, Tesco and Asda are expanding their non-discretionary and homewares businesses, and Argos is reportedly expanding. DSG have also opened a 60,000 square foot outlet near Birmingham, under the Currys megastore brand. In the long term, there may be competition from completely new entrants, such as Carphone Warehoue, which is currently opening US electrical stores in partnership with Best Buy. ( 7) The Best Buy/Carphone partnership has already projected 200 large consumer electrical stores in Europe by 2013, with 100 of these in the UK. They will be going head to head with Curry’s, Comet and PC World, and projecting sales of  £6.2 billion by 2013. ( 8) This is based on anticipated margins of 5.6 per cent, whereas current incumbents such as Currys and Comet trade on typical margins of 1 per cent. It is planned to achieve this more favourable margin by adopting a ‘know your customer’ approach: as Charles Dunstone puts it, ‘If you go to a lot of electrical stores now, they just keep the rain off the stock, no one there does anything, they don’t display it nicely, if you ask a question they just read the label back to you.’ (9). 3. The Local and Regional Trading Context. Thame is in a relatively affluent area. A detached house in the town is currently valued at an average of  £383,799, with the entry level flat or maisonette costing an average of  £167,994. (10) Council tax is likely to rise in 2009, with a Band ‘D’ tax payer facing an increase of  £3.05. (11) . The area is already well provided with electrical retail outlets. Curry’s has ten stores within a twenty five mile radius of Thame, including three in Reading, two in High Wycombe and two in Aylesbury. There are five Comet electrical stores within the same area : Aylesbury, Oxford (Cowley), Oxford, High Wycombe, and Reading, the closest of which is 8.7 miles away. Tesco and Asda, which both sell household electricals, have stores within an 8 mile radius of Thame: Tesco’s Princes Risborough store is 7.65 miles away, whilst Asda’s Wheatley outlet is only 6.05 miles. DIY outlets such as BQ, who also sell some electrical appliances, also have stores in the area. Thame is listed as having two independent electrical retailers: Thame Audio, of Swan Walk, and Domesco Ltd, in Thame High Street. No trading figures are available for the latter, but in 2008 Thame Audio publicly reported a drop in turnover to  £100,000. (12 ) The local credit situation for new or small enterprises is not encouraging. The proprietor of Thames AV, the independent television and hi-fi store, has recently complained of having his business overdraft interest rate doubled to 8 per cent, with the bank (Barclays) unwilling to extend further credit. (13) This is redolent of the wider national situation: The Federation of Small Businesses indicates that ‘†¦Our members are being refused loans and threatened with overdraft withdrawals unless they agree to new, hiked-up rates. The banks have had their bail-out. They should not pass their problems on to loyal . . . customers.’ (14 ) There are support organisations for new enterprise in the region, including the Oxford Trust, and Oxford Innovation. (15) It must also be borne in mind that the balance of the regulatory framework is unlikely to be tipped towards small retailers in the near future. As one of their Trade Organisation representatives has commented, ‘Having received the recommendations of a detailed and extensive inquiry there is no justification for the government not driving forward the †¦remedy put forward by the†¦competition authorities.’ (16) However, the response from the Office of Fair Trading has so far been unequivocal: ‘It is not for the competition authorities to deny any players in a market opportunities for organic growth†¦out of a perceived need and ability to meet consumer demand.’ (17). In other words, there will be no regulatory leveling of the playing field to encourage or assist small businesses. 4. Market entry prospects and Cash flow Forecast. Deacons and Freely point out that ‘converting an idea into a business opportunity is the key element of the process of business creation†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, simultaneously indicating that a number of elements need to converge: ‘The economic environment has to be conducive, the culture must be appropriate for risk-taking and the nascent entrepreneur must have the confidence to take an idea suggested by opportunities through to fulfilment.’ (18) Whilst not all of these factors are currently present, it is proposed here that small retailers can still take advantage of the untapped capacity in eCommerce. As Hooley et al point out, this market is not homogenous, consisting of highly differentiated segments, i.e. ‘†¦Explorers – highly optimistic and innovative; Pioneers – the innovative but cautious: Skeptics – who need to have the benefits of technology proved to them: Paranoids – those who are insecure about the technology; and Laggar ds – those who will resist the technology†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. (19). In a survey of small retailers, over half said that they were already augmenting their footfall business with trading on the web. All of those who had done so considered the initial outlay had been well invested, and considered that they had already recouped their investment. Whilst none agreed with the idea that the web might eventually supplant their high street business, they all foresaw it playing an increasing role in their margins even those who had not yet started trading on the web. (Appendix 3). Cashflow Forecast. Individuals will not enter the sphere of business start ups on a level playing field, as financial institutions are applying increasingly stringent lending criteria. As Deakins and Freel point out, ‘The importance of human capital tends to be reinforced by external financial institutions, since research has shown that bank managers rate previous experience as an important factor in lending to new-venture entrepreneurs.’ (20) The margins cited above, i.e. those of between 1 and 5 per cent as accepted in the trading of the large electrical multiples, illustrate how difficult it is going to be for a small scale enterprise to expand or even survive in close proximity to them. The cashflow forecast prepared for this study is based on a reasonably well capitalized start up, with only a  £24,000 loan required, and this deferred until the second year of trading, i.e. no repayments due in the first twelve months. It also assumes the trader has personal liquidity of  £500 a month from their existing assets, which they are prepared to commit to the business. The business has a target monthly income of between  £8,000 and  £10,000, seasonally adjusted: taking into account all other income, this would accrue a grand total of  £134.000. (See Appendix 1). Assuming an annual stock inventory of  £96,000, the other major outgoing will be Rent and rates, which are currently high in both the high street and out of town sites, despite vacant lots and falling demand. This will amount to  £14,400 including business rates, and there will also be a  £4,000 start up cost for interactive website design. With nothing factored in for contingencies, a total expected expenditure of  £125,120 is perhaps a little optimistic, and the predicted profit of  £8880 may be reduced to a break even situation. This is not regarded as a bad result in the first year’s trading for an independent retailer. (Appendix 2). 5. Conclusion. Current retail trading conditions are, arguably, not auspicious for any scale of enterprise. However, they are particularly hazardous for the small retailer, and especially one which is relying on any element of credit. There is no guarantee that the latter will be available at all, or that the terms agreed for it will remain unchanged: as has been discussed above, if they do change, it is likely to be in favour of the bank, rather than the other way round. As Deakins and Freel point out, ‘For obvious reasons, little research has been done on new business ventures that subsequently fail, but it is commonly asserted that one of the main reasons for the reported high failure rates of such new ventures is under-capitalization.’ (21). With forthcoming large scale businesses such as Carphone concentrating on creating customer value through service, small businesses will no longer be able to claim any discernible advantage in that respect, unless they can apply to new areas of retailing such as e.commerce. On the positive side, small businesses may derive some advantage from official nervousness about their role in the overall economy. Chancellor Alistair Darling has augmented the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme, and widened the availability of Insurance from the Export Credits Guarantee Department. Stephen Alambritis, who is the head of parliamentary affairs for the Federation of Small Businesses, has indicated that ‘†¦Something’s happened somewhere [in government] that recognises that the real economy is small businesses, and if they don’t get the money and †¦the credit, then we’ll be in a recession.’ (22). With over 13 million people in the UK working in the small business sector, much depends on their sustainability. (23) However, the precise amount of support which might be available to any individual enterprise, such as the one under discussion here, cannot be anticipated. It must also be considered tha t any such support may be ephemeral in nature, and be reflected in higher taxes and lower business allowances when the fiscal books have to be balanced. Overall, the factors uncovered by this report indicate that this is not an appropriate time to open a small independent electrical retail business in Thame. Conversely, it may a propitious time for the kind of audacious, service orientated superstore mooted by Carphone Warehouse. As Blumentritt observes, ‘†¦Because defenders value efficiency and stability in their technology, structure, and organizational routines, they are sensitized to problems associated with innovation (e.g., high cost, risk of failure, threat to the established order)†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (24) If this is true of the existing electrical multiples, Thame may be a promising site for such a venture. Footnotes 1.) Groom, B., ‘A Great Time for New Businesses?’, Financial Times, 18.11.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b8fc9ccc-b510-11dd-b780-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 21.12.08] 2.) Hooley, G., Saunders, J., and Piercy, N., (2004), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Position, 3rd Edition, Financial Times/Prentice Hall, p.515. 3.) Cohen, N., ‘Plunge in UK retail sales and home deals’, Financial Times, 11 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71a9f746-af7c-11dd-a4bf-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 4.) Unattributed, ‘UK retail’, Financial Times, 7th Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d898f024-9447-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 5. ) O’Connor, S., ‘The pain in Spain spreads to Kesa’s electrical goods’, Financial Times, 17th December 2008 INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2777ac0-cbdb-11dd-ba02-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 6.) Urry, M., ‘Kesa plunges on Comet warning’, Financial Times, 10 Sept 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae1807ca-7f18-11dd-a3da-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 7.) Thomas, D., and Rigby, E., ‘Wind of change blows through retail parks’, Financial Times, 17 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c93c46ae-9c7a-11dd-a42e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 8.) Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Best Buy and Carphone detail Europe venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e2da7750-9a51-11dd-bfe2-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 9. ) Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Carphone upbeat over ambitious new venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fc98369a-9ae8-11dd-a653-000077b07658.html [22.12.08] 10.) Proviser, Thame House Prices, INTERNET, available at http://www.proviser.com/regional/towns/thame/ [viewed 22.12.08] 11.) ThameNews.Net, ‘Council Tax rise likely for 2009’, INTERNET, available at http://www.thamenews.net/readmore.asp?Content_ID=3972 [viewed 22.12.08] 12.) Guthrie, J., ‘Store owner ‘disgusted’ with bank’, Financial Times, 24 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d30ec254-a163-11dd-82fd-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 13.) Ibid. 14.) ibid. 15.) O’Connor, S., ‘The pain in Spain spreads to Kesa’s electrical goods’, Financial Times, 17th Dec 2008 INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2777ac0-cbdb-11dd-ba02-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 16.) Unattributed, ‘ACS Calls for Political Action’, Association of Convenience Stores Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.acs.org.uk/en/Press_Office/details/index.cfm/obj_id/7082D32C-933E-4313-9CC47A5603AD2C50 [viewed 28.10.08] 17. ) Office of Fair Trading, (2005), Supermarkets: The code of practice and other competition issues. Conclusions. August, OFT807, HMSO, London, p.9. 18.) Deakins, D., and Freel, M., (2006), Entrepreneurship and Small Firms, McGraw Hill, London, p.228). 19.) Hooley, G., Saunders, J., and Piercy, N., (2004), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Position, 3rd Edition, Financial Times/Prentice Hall. p.493 20.) Deakins and Freel, op.cit., p.226. 21.) Ibid. p.229. 22.) Eaglesham, J., ‘Brown sharpens focus on small businesses’, Financial Times, Published 12.10.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7566b7c8-9877-11dd-ace3-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] 23.) Wright, W., ‘Dear Chancellor:  £1 billion Small Business Survival Fund’, Federation of Small Businesses Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.fsb.org.uk/frontpage/assets/fsbadvert.pdf [viewed 21.11.08] 24.) Blumentritt, T., and Danis, W.M., ‘Business Strategy Types and Innovative Practices’, Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 18, 2006. INTERNET, available at http://www.questia.com/read/5016256465?title=Business%20Strategy%20Types%20and%20Innovative%20Practices [viewed 24.12.08] Bibliography Blumentritt, T., and Danis, W.M., ‘Business Strategy Types and Innovative Practices’, Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 18, 2006. INTERNET, available at http://www.questia.com/read/5016256465?title=Business%20Strategy%20Types%20and%20Innovative%20Practices [viewed 24.12.08] Cohen, N., ‘Plunge in UK retail sales and home deals’, Financial Times, 11 Nov 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71a9f746-af7c-11dd-a4bf-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Competition Commission, (2008), Market investigation into the supply of groceries in the UK, HMSO London. Deakins, D., and Freel, M., (2006), Entrepreneurship and Small Firms, McGraw Hill, London. Eaglesham, J., ‘Brown sharpens focus on small businesses’, Financial Times, Published 12.10.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7566b7c8-9877-11dd-ace3-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Epstein, M.J., (2004), Implementing E.Commerce Strategies: A Guide to Corporate Success after the Dot.Com Bust, Praeger, Westport Ct. Gilbert, X., and Strebel, P., (1988), ‘Developing Competitive Advantage’, in Quinn, J.B., Mintzberg, H., and James, R., (eds), The Strategy Process, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs NJ, pp.82-93. Groom, B., ‘A Great Time for New Businesses?’, Financial Times, 18.11.08, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b8fc9ccc-b510-11dd-b780-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 21.11.08] Guthrie, J., ‘Store owner ‘disgusted’ with bank’, Financial Times, 24 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d30ec254-a163-11dd-82fd-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Hooley, G., Saunders, J., and Piercy, N., (2004), Marketing Strategy and Competitive Position, 3rd Edition, Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Marsh, P., ‘SQW and Oxford Innovation combine their expertise’, Financial Times, 22nd June 2006, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2bcb2e9e-018b-11db-af16-0000779e2340.html [viewed 22.12.08] Mintzberg, H., Ahlstrand, B., and Lampel, J., (1998), Strategy Safari: The Complete Guide Through the Wilds of Strategic Management, Prentice Hall, London O’Connor, S., ‘The pain in Spain spreads to Kesa’s electrical goods’, Financial Times, 17th Dec 2008 INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b2777ac0-cbdb-11dd-ba02-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Office of Fair Trading, (2005), Supermarkets: The code of practice and other competition issues. Conclusions. August, OFT807, HMSO, London. Proviser, Thame House Prices, INTERNET, available at http://www.proviser.com/regional/towns/thame/ [viewed 22.12.08] Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Best Buy and Carphone detail Europe venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e2da7750-9a51-11dd-bfe2-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Rigby, E., and Parker, A., ‘Carphone upbeat over ambitious new venture’, Financial Times, 15 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fc98369a-9ae8-11dd-a653-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Stroud, D., (1998), Internet Strategies: A Corporate Guide to Exploiting the Internet Macmillan, Basingstoke. ThameNews.Net, ‘Council Tax rise likely for 2009’, INTERNET, available at http://www.thamenews.net/readmore.asp?Content_ID=3972 [viewed 22.12.08] Thomas, D., and Rigby, E., ‘Wind of change blows through retail parks’, Financial Times, 17 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c93c46ae-9c7a-11dd-a42e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Urry, M., ‘Kesa plunges on Comet warning’, Financial Times, 10 Sept 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae1807ca-7f18-11dd-a3da-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Unattributed, ‘ACS Calls for Political Action’, Association of Convenience Stores Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.acs.org.uk/en/Press_Office/details/index.cfm/obj_id/7082D32C-933E-4313-9CC47A5603AD2C50 [viewed 28.10.08] Unattributed, ‘UK retail’, Financial Times, 7th Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1/d898f024-9447-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html [viewed 22.12.08] Wright, W., ‘Dear Chancellor:  £1 billion Small Business Survival Fund’, Federation of Small Businesses Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.fsb.org.uk/frontpage/assets/fsbadvert.pdf [viewed 21.11.08] Appendices. Appendix One. Cashflow forecast, Income.  ­Appendix Two Cashflow Forecast: Expenditure. Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total Stock 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 96,000 Accounting 500 500 1,000 Advertising 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 3,600 Bank Charges 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25

Crisis of Modern American Masculinity :: Essays Papers

Crisis of Modern American Masculinity I think every man between 20 and 40 needs to read Elizabeth Gilbert's "The Last American Man". Without going into details (like I said, you should read the book), this is a biography/profile of Eustace Conway - a man who is, among other things, capable of and prefers to (or would prefer to) live the kind of frontier lifestyle we have read about: hunting and gathering his food, living in a house he built using his own hands, making his own clothes from the skins of animals he captured, etc. I suspect that for many people the story, at least initially, will arouse the sort of Romantic feelings that tend to come with fantasies of a "simple life" of rugged self-sufficiency. However, even for those who are quite certain that they prefer their modern urban lifestyle (air conditioning, direct deposit, grocery stores, ebay, cable TV, &c.), I think this book raises fundamental questions about what it means to be a man at the dawn of the twenty-first century. The problem, as I see it, is that we have not re-defined masculinity for the modern age. In the old days, masculinity was measured by (1) physical abilities, particularly strength, but also skill, (2) power/success/wealth, and (3) sexual prowess. The first can be developed through education and hard work, the second could be acquired through the application of the first, and the third, well, either you got it or you don't, but locker-room bragging can always make up for any lacks, especially if you got the first two. Boys growing up in such a society work to develop their physical abilities and learn how to apply them most efficaciously, thus becoming a "man". This makes sense when a man might be faced with the challenge of building shelter on the prairie or raising crops, but us modern urban men are unlikely to face such challenges. Of course, we are not unprepared for the challenges of a modern urban lifestyle. Our education generally provides such life-sustaining skills as linear algebra, the performing arts, and information systems management. The educational system is successful enough to allow most of us to get jobs that pay us enough to afford all the requirements of a modern urban lifestyle: housing, food, clothing, entertainment, transportation, etc. The trouble is that while education has more or less kept pace with the advance of civilization, our notions of masculinity have not.

Professional Responsibilities Legislation Essay

â€Å"Teachers must meet their professional responsibilities consistent with the institute’s (IFL’s) professional values.† (IFL) One of the IFL’s many codes of professional practice. Upholding the code of conduct and relevant legislation is the basis for you as a teacher. Among the legislature you need to understand is the importance of the health and safety act (1974) – it says all workers are entitled to work in a safe environment where risks are properly controlled. The HSWA act is also the umbrella under which more specific regulations such as the Manual handling act 1992 (amended 2002) are made. Another fundamental element of workplace health and safety management – and also a legal requirement – is RIDDOR; the reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations 1995. Also of great importance – the childcare act 2006, it stipulates every child should get the support they need to be healthy, safe, and enjoy and achieve economic wellbeing. As a teacher you also need to have your own professional values – views, beliefs that will underpin your profession. â€Å"A good teacher is more than a lecturer.† (AMEE 2000) You are no longer a dispenser of information or a walking tape recorder but instead you are a facilitator or manager of the students learning. You are there to ensure all learners have access to the same resources, the same support and you don’t differentiate – instead embrace and respect people’s differences and their choices. You are there to guide them, provide information and offer suggestions. But it has to be a 2 way process, by helping them you will also develop your skills because â€Å"teaching is itself a learning process for the teacher† (Joyce, Showers 2002). Everyone is different and you need to be prepared and have contingency plans for all levels of knowledge and skill – you will find bored students make bad students. They don’t just have a variety of levels but also different learning styles, be sure to have a mix of kinaesthetic, visual and audio resources. You can use handouts with the camera instructions on, a video showing how it works, and then let them try themselves. It is your responsibility to ensure all students no matter how diverse are given equal learning opportunities – that means assuming different roles. So for Learner X (names are confidential) you need to be firm, authoritative, Learner Y asks a lot of questions – be prepared to listen and summarise, Learner Z needs more encouragement.

Beauty in Dante and Augustines Journey Into God Essays

The Role of Desire/Beauty in Dante and Augustines Journey Into God Essays The Role of Desire/Beauty in Dante and Augustines Journey Into God Essay The Role of Desire/Beauty in Dante and Augustines Journey Into God Essay Essay Topic: Light in August The Role of Desire/Beauty in Dante and Augustines Journey Into God BY cfl?100 The Role of Desire/Beauty in Dante and Augustines Journey Into God In both Confessions and The Divine Comedy, Augustine and Dante are depicted as very creative and intelligent men. Both of them have a love for the beauty in life. These beautiful things that are put in front of them cause both men to yield sinful desires. Augustine and Dante both know that certain desires, when not recognized as being created by God, can lead to their own damnation. Dante and Augustine come o realize that, despite being human and having desires, they must be fully dependent on Gods grace and love to make the Journey to him. From a very young age Augustine presents as a person who loves beauty. In Confessions, the reader is exposed to Augustines love for physical beauty during his adolescent years. He is distracted from a young age by the physical beauty of women and seems to be constantly thinking about them, which keeps him from his studies. He alludes to this in Book 3 when he says and more sweet still when I was able to enjoy the body of my lover (Augustine, 1. 2). Augustine has a love for the beauty in knowledge as well as the beauty of women, but as a young boy and young man, his desire for the love of knowledge and language takes a back seat to his desires involving women (his desire for women precede his desire for love of knowledge and language). This is exhibited throughout Confessions when Augustine acquires a mistress. This mistress i s taken from him and he misses her greatly, yet not enough so that he abstains from relations with other women and remains faithful to her. Augustine takes more mistresses throughout Confessions and even when converted, e struggles with his ongoing physical desire for beautiful women. He struggles both consciously and unconsciously to keep from thinking about them, but fails when he has sexual flashbacks during his days and erotic dreams during his nights. He writes, These images, have such an effect on my soul, my flesh, that false images in my sleep obtain from me what true visions cannot when I am awake (Augustine, 10. 0. 237). Augustine knows that both his love for these beautiful women and his desires for them are misguided. Augustines soul is heavy with these desires and they bring him arther and farther away from the grace of God. He is so caught up in the beauty of these women that, even when converted, his mind turns to them constantly. His whole being longs for them so gravely that even while he lies dreaming, the women come to him and guide his unconscious mind away from God. Augustine is lost in a sea of desire and is struggling to fgure out how he is supposed to live a life that is dependent on Gods grace and His love, while still appreciating the beauty that God has put in front of him in the form of women. Augustine comes to realize that not all hysical beauty is necessarily sinful. He understands that God created beautiful things because beauty in itself is goodness. He looks at the world around him and says, The eyes love beautitul shapes ot all kinds, glowing and delignttul colors. These things must not take hold of my soul; that is for God to do. Certainly God made these things very good, but it is He Himself, not these things, who is my good (Augustine, 10. 34. 243). Thus, Augustine decides that all of his love should be for God, and anything that is beautiful has to be loved with connection to God. He goes on about is theory in Confessions when he discusses how to love all things cohesively with God. He says If bodies please you, praise God for them and turn your love back from them to their maker, lest you displease Him in being pleased by them (Augustine, Book 4, Chapter 12, 81). He means that if you are to fall into your desires of beautiful women, you must thank God and love God for creating that beautiful women or else you are Just pleasing your desires and displeasing God. This illustrates the concept of idolatry, which is essentially worshipping a physical image and not the idea behind t. Like Augustine, Dante is depicted as a lover of physical beauty in The Divine Comedy. Dante, like Augustine, is human, and is prone to the same desire of women and their physical beauty. Beatrice is mentioned throughout The Divine Comedy and is meant to represent all that Dante believes to be beautiful and desirable. Though Dantes soul desires the love of Beatrice, it does not stop him from seeing and appreciating other women and their beauty. Dante sees and desires these beauties that have been placed in front of him by God. In Inferno, Dante is exposed to others ho have wrongly expressed their love of beauty in the Second Circle, where the Lustful are eternally punished for their misdirected love. The souls that are trapped there are blown back and forth by terrific winds of a violent storm, which represent how powerful lust, can be. And how it can Just violently and aimlessly take you from here to there whenever it pleases. In the Second Circle, Dante meets the couple Francesca and Paulo. Francesca tells Dante the story of how they came to be in the Second Circle of Hell. She tells Dante their story in a very seductive manner, hich can sway the reader from what she is actually saying: Love, that can quickly seize the gentle heart, took hold of him because of the fair body taken from me, (Dante, Inferno, 5. 00-107). She tells the tale in such a romantic way that Dante feels immense pity for the couple that he faints after hearing their story. He did not realize initially that though it all sounds beautiful and romantic, Francesca really told a story of love that stemmed from nothing but physical attraction. She clearly says that Paulos love for her is only because of the fair body/taken from me (Dante, 01-102). Also, her love for Paulo was only formed through his beauty (Dante, 104). Clearly these two people did not have love for each others souls and for God, but were merely treating each other as two pleasurable objects, not connecting themselves with God. Like Augustine, Dante realizes that though their story may be pitiful, they are rightfully in the Second Circle because they have offended God by not loving each other on a deeper theological level?they must love and depend on God to really love each other. What Francesca and Paulo essentially did was put themselves and their esires before the one who created them. For them, their desires overshadowed their appreciation and love for God; they took advantage of the beauty that God put in front of them (each other) and did not love Him for creating said beauties. Dante explains that Francesca and Paulo were indulgent in their desires tor one another, and he says, In the moment each of the lovers had delight in the image of the other, and both of them had a mutual delight in their love. But lussuria cannot stop there; the mutual indulgence is bound too soon to become two separate single indulgences (Dante, 119). Dante means that although Paulo and Francesca did love each other, their love was only based upon the physical beauty of the other, therefore their love was deemed sinful. So by saying this, Dante rightfully places them in the Second Circle of Hell. In both Augustine and Dantes Journey into God, they were faced with multiple struggles. A main struggle was the understanding of beauty and all of the desires that come along with it. For both men, finding the balance between appreciating the beauties of the world, including women, and their desires for these beauties was necessary in their Journey into God. Through Confessions and The Divine Comedy, Augustine and Dante come to realize that beauty is not a sin in itself, and God made beautiful things and beautiful people to represent His goodness. They come to the conclusion that in order to appreciate the beauties set in front of them, they must be fully dependent on Gods grace and His love. If they did not love the creator of these beautiful things, how could they love the things at all? They would be damned if they ignored the creator, they would be lost in their own desires and stray far away from their path of their Journey into God.

Global Warming Essays (1139 words) - Global Warming, Climate Change

Global Warming Essays (1139 words) - Global Warming, Climate Change Global Warming What happens when too much carbon dioxide gets omitted into the Earths atmosphere? The condition known as Global Warming occurs. Global Warming is the rising of the Earths surface temperature due to chemicals in the atmosphere. Global Warming has many threats on the climate and even the health of the people on this planet. Some of these threats include the altering of crop seasons and even effect the way organisms survive on the planet. The first thing I think I should discuss when talking about global warming is what causes it to occur. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which are known as greenhouse gases, all build up in the atmosphere of the earth. All these gases make it so that it becomes harder for the radiation that the sun shines into the atmosphere to escape. The heat continues to build up and this is what causes the temperatures to increase. I know this seems like the temperatures increase massively but in the last hundred years the average temperature of the Earth has gone up between 0.8 and 1.0 degrees farenheight. Also in the last fifteen years, we have had the ten warmest years in record. Global Warming also helps the Earth and it has been for many years. Without global warming, the Earths temperature would be a lot lower than the 60-degree average. Unfortunately due to there being many more harmful greenhouse gases being placed into the atmosphere, instead of the temperature sta ying at a constant, its rising. What are many of the dangers of the Earths temperature rising? First of all it cause many of the glaciers that are floating in the Arctic and Greenland to melt. This in turn causes the sea levels to rise around the world. In the last hundred years alone the seas around the planet have risen anywhere from four to ten inches. I know it does not sound like a massive change but being able to raise all the seas in the world a whole ten inches is a huge problem. Sea levels also continue to rise is because the hotter temperature cause the ocean water to expand. An example of the sea level causing problems could happen on a little Native Island in the middle of an Ocean. On these islands usually where native tribes live, if the sea level rises three fourths of a meter then half of the island will sink. This could happen in many different islands around the world and if the water keeps on rising as it is, then farming land near the seashores will be flooded and the crops will be destroyed and many farmers will be left without much to live off of. The melting of the glaciers are also causing some problems in the Himalayas. Many of the tips of the mountains in that area. Massive flooding and rivers that are well above their normal levels are threatening the crops and homes in the area. Many of the locals that live in the area and many of the scientists that are surveying the area are saying that the glaciers are melting at a phenomenal rate. Another danger that comes with the changing of the climate is that the increased heat causes more evaporation to occur in the hotter climates. This causes there to be more precipitation in many other climates that are not used to handling massive rainfalls. The increased rainfall also leads to speeding up the process of the sea levels rising. Health is also something that becomes threatened because of global warming. Heat becomes a huge factor in the health of humans, especially the elderly. Incidents such as heat stroke head exhaustion and diseases increase drastically. The heat makes it possible for mosquitoes and other insects to transmit diseases. This is something that happened in New York during this summer. A very rare disease called St. Louis Emphyitis (spelling?) that would spread in puddles of water that mosquitoes would drink out of due to the heat. These mosquitoes would then bite humans and infect them with this disease. I dont recall how many people, if any died due to this, but it did cause a bit of a panic in the New

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Management - Essay Example Therefore the relationship between product-mix flexibility and capacity utilization is that the two factors are directly related. A higher degree of product-mix flexibility leads to a higher degree of capacity utilization. Because the company is able to vary output according to demand, idle capacity is minimized. As a result capacity utilization is maximized. By implementing the strategy of product-mix flexibility, the company is able to manufacturing a range of different products by using the same equipment. As a result the management is able to recoup the maximum return from the investment made in the equipment. In this manner the utilization rate of the production line is maximized. Thus product-mix flexibility is directly related to capacity utilization. Higher levels of product-mix flexibility reduce the production lines’ sensitivity to demand fluctuations. By implementing a flexible manufacturing system (FMS), the production line is able to maintain a mix of products tha t is able to adapt to any changes in the demand structure. In order to implement the strategy of product mix flexibility, the management has to introduce the technology of the flexible manufacturing system. The FMS facilitates the building of a production line that can produce a range of different products with minimal changes required in the same. ... This was the innovation introduced by Fiat’s management. By implementing the Robogate technology, Fiat aimed to create a flexible production system which would be able to achieve product-mix flexibility according to market demand. The technology was developed in-house. It was deployed in the spot-welding shop and was so named because the nine welding stations were called gates. The deployment of Robogate signaled Fiat’s quest for increasing production flexibility. The production limit for Robogate technology deployed at Rivalta and Cassino was set at 1400 cars per day. However it could vary the output levels between different models, Uno and Ritmo at Rivalta, Regata and Ritmo at Cassino. By allowing production managers to process a range of cars in a random sequence, the Robogate technology aimed to incorporate market-driven fluctuations into capacity utilization. However whether this innovation enabled the company to maximize capacity utilization is questioned by the a uthor in this article. The technology was certainly able to minimize the cycle-time of finishing but capacity utilization still fluctuated as before in the traditional system. The problem with implementing the technology was that the production philosophy was still defined according to the traditional system of cycle-time minimization rather than flexibility maximization. As a result, the Robogate technology failed to increase the rate of capacity utilization. But aside from that question, the superiority of the Robogate technology over other techniques was overwhelming. The Robogate itself was flexible. However because the platform and body welding lines upstream were still

The Vertical Boundaries of the Firm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Vertical Boundaries of the Firm - Essay Example â€Å"Total Quality Management is a wide management perspective that deals with processes and attitudes† (Delfmann & Thorsten, 2008). It emphasizes quality as a major objective in a manufacturing environment as opposed to traditional mode of maximizing production. It is worth noting that quality in production not only applies to manufacturing environment but also in knowledge service industries for instance universities. â€Å"Total quality management operates under the principles of continuous improvement of quality as opposed to maintenance of a static level† (Gattorna, 1998). It aims at approaching quality at an increasing scale. This is possible through training and motivation of employees so as to better quality. It is therefore paramount for the top management to state their commitment open to all employees. The advantage of the mode is that it has the ability to immediately detect and correct quality problems. It doesn’t rectify problems after occurrence. â€Å"Just in Time† is a philosophy in management that seeks to eliminate manufacturing wastes by producing right quantity at the right time and at the right place. Its main goal is to do away with non-value adding operations during production. Lean production or stockless production is a philosophy that aims at reducing inventory levels to an absolute minimum. Effectiveness of logistics performance index to transnational organisations in decision making. Relationship between logistics index and supply chain location selection.... It aims at approaching quality at an increasing scale. This is possible through training and motivation of employees so as to better quality. It is therefore paramount for the top management to state their commitment open to all employees. The advantage of the mode is that it has the ability to immediately detect and correct quality problems. It doesn’t rectify problems after occurrence. â€Å"Just in Time† is a philosophy in management that seeks to eliminate manufacturing wastes by producing right quantity at the right time and at the right place. Its main goal is to do away with non-value adding operations during production. Lean production or stockless production is a philosophy that aims at reducing inventory levels to an absolute minimum. Looking closely at the three aspects, Just in Time increases production, performance and quality in manufacturing industry. Lean, controls stock levels to avoid unnecessary production while Total Quality Management works towards good quality of products. The three aspects support each other in a manufacturing environment. â€Å"Toyota manufacturing industry adopted this principle which saw a reduction in manufacturing defects and parts storage problem† (ElMaraghy, 2012). Question 3 Rough plan Effectiveness of logistics performance index to transnational organisations in decision making Relationship between logistics index and supply chain location selection Management in transnational organisations is a challenging task especially in decisions making pertaining to supply chain. The use of logistics plays a crucial role in the success of supply chain. â€Å"Order execution is an imperative element