The project chosen for the assignment is the house construction

The project chosen for the is the house construction - Assignment Example The time required is only 8 days. The time allocated was 10, which would be on a higher estimation. The major activity is only the fixing the roof components to the wall frames and placing the skylights. The necessary designs for the skylights could be prepared and fabricated early. Placing this could be undertaken along with the roof work. And the attaching the TV antenna shall also be undertaken along with this. Plumbing and wiring: The plumbing and wiring could be simultaneously undertaken and requires 4 days each for this activity. As the it involves only fixing up of he components 6 days of plumbing could be reduced to 4 days as equivalent that of wiring. Plastering: plastering work need to be undertaken after the plumbing and wiring, as any damages to the structure could be rectified at this stage. 4 days would be enough for this operation as it involves only covering the walls with appropriate mortar. Foundation:, Frames: 14 December 2008, Roof: 22 December 2008, Skylight: 25 December 2008, TV antenna - 28 December 2008, Plumbing and wiring: 30 December 2008; Plastering: 3 January 2009; Finishing: 7 January 2009, Painting: 7 January 2009; Carpets, curtains and sides: 13 January 2009 and landscape: 15 January 2009. The critical activities that would effect the shorted time required to complete the project are foundation, frames, roof,... The other two days could be used for the actual operation. Stage 2 : TV Dummy Foundation Frames RoofSkylight Wiring Plastering Dummy plumbing (e) You will need to list the critical activities in your project and explain why they are critical, you will need to list the activities that are non critical and explain why. ( answer why ). The critical Activities Activity Start date Duration Foundation 8 December 2008 6 Frames 14 December 2008 8 Roof 22 December 2008 8 Plumbing and wiring 30 December 2008 4 Plastering 3 January 2009 4 Finishing 7 January 2009 4 Painting 7 January 2009 6 These activities are considered critical because the minimum duration required for the project to be completed is along this path only. Non Critical activities Activity Start date Duration Sky light 25 December 2008 2 TV antenna 28 December 2008 1 Carperts, curtains 13 January 2009 3 Land scape 13 January 2009 4 They are considered non-critical because further reduction of their time don't reduce the overall project duration. They could be undertaken simultaneously with the critical events. Foundation:, Frames: 14 December 2008, Roof: 22 December 2008, Skylight: 25 December 2008, TV antenna - 28 December 2008, Plumbing and wiring: 30 December 2008; Plastering: 3 January 2009; Finishing: 7 January 2009, Painting: 7 January 2009; Carpets, curtains and sides: 13 January 2009 and landscape: 15 January 2009. The critical activities that would effect the shorted time required to complete the project are foundation, frames, roof, plumbing,

Analysis of Durkheims The Elementary Forms of Religious Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Durkheims The Elementary Forms of Religious Essay As described in Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, a totem is apparent in every society. A totem is a symbolic figure of some creature, being, or thing that represents the sanctity and principle of god. Essentially, a totem is a profane, ordinary object that has been deemed by society to have some holy, sacred characteristics. With this being said, the object itself does not have any holy or sacred qualities; rather it is merely the representation of the totem that holds these characteristics. For example, if a society’s totem is a turtle then an actual turtle would merely be a turtle, but when the turtle is presented as a totemic emblem then this symbolic representation of the turtle is sacred. Durkheim argues that, because the totem is a socially constructed representation of god then the totem itself represents society as well. Durkheim makes this assumption evidently clear by stating that â€Å"the god of the clan, the totemic principle, can therefore be nothing else than the clan itself, personified and represented to the imagination under the visible form of the animal or vegetable which serves as totem. From this, one can conclude that Durkheim viewed the worship of totem as worshipping society. Durkheim goes on to make the argument that god and society are â€Å"equivalent. † God is an outside, figurative force that holds the people worshiping it to certain manners and actions. The act of worshipping said god or totem is an indication that the follow ers, believers, or worshipers are dependent upon this force to determine the actions they partake in, the behaviors they exhibit and so on. God and religion exist in order to keep people â€Å"in line† via ritualized activities and setting moral and ethical guidelines that people abide by. Society, in and of itself, possesses the same qualities. The norms and values of a society, which for the most part have been incorporated into the moral and ethical guidelines laid out in the society’s religion, are followed whether or not they are in line with the individuals intrinsic nature. Because of this characteristic, society is itself an outside force that people are dependent on, whether or not they acknowledge it. Lastly, Durkheim acknowledges that these ritualized activities and shared moral values foster the social solidarity and cohesion of society. By partaking in shared activities, whether it be the Islamic ritual of praying to Allah multiple times a day, the American tradition of singing of the national anthem before the first pitch of a baseball game, or the Catholic ritual of aking communion, we are acknowledging that we belong to a group or society. Common activities help establish what Durkheim refers to as â€Å"collective consciousness†, that is a specified set of beliefs and values that are common to members of a given society or group. Praying to the same god or praising the same society, which according to Durkheim are one in the same, encourages the development and maintenance of a collectively held set of morals, values, ethics, and belief s.

Photographic Influence on Degas Work :: Art

Photographic Influence on Degas Work What, if any impact did photography play in the role of arts ‘evolution’, in particular, what impact did photography have in the works of the impressionist painters. Two obviously conflicting opinions arise through texts by ‘Aaron Scharf’ and ‘Kirk Vanerdoe’. Scharf argues that the impact of ‘snapshot photography’ and the invention and wide distribution of portable camera’s had a significant influence on the works of the painter ‘Degas’. Vanerdoe takes the opportunity to question what makes an influence significant, and tends to see the creation of Impressionism stem from earlier art movements. Then comes the question, what, if any arguments are valid, what arguments are opinions and what can be sieved down to fact. The truth of it all is that many of these opinions that are displayed can neither be proved nor disproved, and therefore any analysis must be taken with a grain of salt. However it appears as though Vanerdoe has taken the less hospitable route, resulting at times to personal attacks, as well as blanket statements of which may not answer a question raised by Scharf, but rather simply a personal attack. It is in these statements we see a very passionate Vanerdoe, but also lose faith in his ability to keep together a reasoned and structured argument. Vanerdoe’s beginning argument for example, ‘Â ¹this line of thinking however is inaccurate and misleading’ the basis for his essay, and way of thinking to come. It is from this we see Vanerdoe try and reason that, photographical influence isn’t substantial enough, yet no attempt at defining substantial has been made, that therefore leads me to conclude that, substantiality in the case of Vanerdoe’s essay must continue as a buzz-word. I would asses the word substantial as the dictionary does ‘Considerable in importance’ and therefore Vanerdoe considers that the photographic influence is not considerable in importance. What levels of significance then does photography play in the role of art work of Impressionism and in particular Degas? So one would then at this point, try and define, to ones self exactly what constitutes a substantial impact. I would put forward that a substantial impact would be one, which remnants are visible through the completed work. Substantiality would then be based on whether or not the aesthetic or meaning of the photograph still influences. Therefore I decree that substantiality can be undervalued, but not overvalued. That would send me in the direction of Scharf’s argument.

Project Management Tools Essay

There are a wide variety of project management and planning tools available to help manage tasks and track deliverables. Two of the most popular tools are Microsoft Project from Microsoft and SmartDraw from SmartDraw. com. Each of these software packages allows the user to create a project and graph it in various formats, such as calendars, Gantt charts, flow charts, etc. In order to evaluate each of these applications, a test project was created to allow a comparison of the features. MS Project is considered to be one of standards for project management; and as a part of the Microsoft Office package, it provides a level of integration that is beneficial in Project Management (Microsoft Project 2003). The MS Project 2003 application offers an approach that is primarily oriented toward Gantt chart tracking, with other viewing options in a calendar format, network diagram, and task usage format (Microsoft Office, 2008). The product has a lot of features and options which allow a user to track tasks and resources, along with reporting capabilities to provide details and help manage the project. This application was a little difficult to figure out without a training manual. Some basic knowledge of other Microsoft products helps when attempting to create a project for the first time. A sample of the demonstration test in MS Project is provided in Appendix A. SmartDraw touts itself as ‘the world’s most popular business graphics software’â„ ¢ (SmartDraw. com Corporate Profile, 2008). Providing pre-designed templates in more than 100 formats, this application offers a wide variety of options for project managers to track their projects (SmartDraw v. 2009-08). Over and above Gantt charts and calendars, there are also a variety of formats for flowcharts, timelines, floor plans, and organization charts. When the application is initiated, it gives the user a chance to select from a list of possible formats before beginning the project setup. A sample of the demonstration test in SmartDraw is provided in Appendix B. Based on the tests performed for this project, the SmartDraw application is more user-friendly, especially for a new user who is interested in a variety of tracking options without intensive training. The MS Project application has a big advantage in the area of integration with other applications in the Microsoft suite of products, but it seems to require quite a bit of training to be proficient in the use of the features. Both products are popular in the world of project management, but this demonstration shows that SmartDraw is easier to navigate for a novice user and offers a wider variety of presentation formats. Although knowledge of MS Project is almost required in the world of project management, the recommendation from this test would have to go to SmartDraw for students interested in an effective, easy-to-use solution.

Culture of Australia Essay

The question of identity is always a difficult one for those living in a culture or group, yet belonging to another. This difficulty frequently remains in the mind of most immigrants, especially the second generations who were born in a country other than their parents. Younger generations feel as if they are forced to change to fit the social standards despite previous culture or group. Furthermore those who wish to adopt a new identity of a group or culture haven’t yet been fully accepted by original members due to their former identity. Living with a different culture to our roots can lead to changes in our lives. Migrating to Australia has affected a lot of authors from Alice Pung’s vignettes of ‘Growing up Asian in Australia’. Michelle Law displays her exclusion from the Australian culture by preparing ‘exotic lunches’ with her mother, as well as her ‘hairless’ Chinese body compared to the school girls. Being seen as a distinct outsider to the Australian culture can influence one to change their way of life to fit in and form friendships. Sunil an Indian schoolboy was faced with the choice of constantly being bullied over his differences or adapting to the community by altering his name to Neil. Changing for others an lose your place in your original identity and culture. After visiting Hong Kong, Michelle momentarily feels identical to her surroundings with her Chinese ethnicity. After mispronouncing words when ordering at a Cantonese Mc Donald’s, Michelle comes to realise that she feels just as excluded in Hong Kong as she did in Australia. This sense of displacement caused by multiple cultures can question Michelle’s judgement, â€Å"Am I more Asian or more Australian? † The feeling of not fitting in can lead us to changes in our life to fit social standards despite our previous culture or way of life. Alice Pung addresses the idea of multiculturalism in her novel ‘Unpolished Gem’. Two of the themes in this novel where she portrays her culture are through personal identity and the impact of the past. A major influence on Alice’s identity was when she was a young child and her grandmother would tell her stories about events that occurred in Cambodia. In Alice’s teenage years, her beloved grandmother has a stroke, developed disabilities and eventually had passed away. It is around this time where serious psychological problems occur for Alice. This almost forces her into a mental state in which she knows she does not fit in with the Australian culture. She believed she had to do everything she could to change that otherwise Alice knew she would break down mentally. Alice was forced to attempt to fit the social standards of Australia. The actions of adopting a new identity by putting yourself into a different group can lead to not only the new group not fully accepting you but also your original group will see you as a totally different person. At the age of 13 I played basketball for the under 14s side. We were all very close and had formed great friendships throughout the season. The following season I was asked to play above my age group. Without thinking twice I accepted what I thought was a great opportunity. A few days pasted and it was the day of my first training session with the older group. Throughout the 2 hours of training I did not enjoy myself at all. No one would pass me the ball and it was as if they didn’t want me there. To be honest I didn’t want to be there neither. I decided to return to my own age group and play with my old friend. At the next training session with my original team I realized the same thing was happening, no one would pass me the ball or even acknowledge that I was on the court. It turns out I had changed as a person and found myself caught between the two teams. The moral of that experience was by trying to fit in with a new group I found that I had lost my original identity and forgot where I belong. There are a variety of scenarios that result in us trying to change. Whether it is a result of a different culture or even past experiences. People also feel as if they are forced upon change, and even if you find yourself with a new identity or culture, you may not be fully accepted by original members of that group or culture. The power of a group however is often the cause of losing our individual identity. In conclusion the question remains of whether Change of an identity is right or wrong?

schizophrenia in the human pop essays

schizophrenia in the human pop essays I. Schizophrenia is a complicated and difficult disease. Many people outside the mental health profession believe that schizophrenia refers to a split personality. The word schizophrenia comes from the Greek schizo, meaning split and phrenia refers to the diaphragm once thought to be the location of a persons mind and soul. When European psychiatrists established the word schizophrenia, they meant to describe a shattering, or breakdown, of basic psychological functions. Eugene Bleuler is one of the most influential psychiatrists of his time. He is best known today for his introduction of the term schizophrenia to describe the disorder previously known as dementia praecox and for his studies of schizophrenics. Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder. It is a disease that makes it difficult for a person to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses to other, and to behave normally in social situations. Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses. Schizophrenia most commonly begins between the ages of 15 and 25. Although it strikes men and women equally, the symptoms may appear later in women than in men. Very rarely, the symptoms of schizophrenia can appear before the age of 12. Childhood schizophrenia has a more chronic disease course and involves poor early language development. Schizophrenia is a mental disorder marked by the loss of contact with reality. When a person's thinking, feeling, and behavior is so far from normal as to interfere with his or her ability to function in everyday life, and delusions, hallucinations, irregular thinking or emotions are produced, then he or she has a mental illness called schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is the most common and the most potentially sever and disabling of the psychosis, a term encompassing several severe mental disorders that result in the loss of ...

A Brief History of American Government essays

A Brief History of American Government essays Most Americans remembered and feared the harsh rule of the British king. It was cruel and unjust government. So, after the war the Articles of Confederation made it clear that the new government's power should not only be strong, but limited. It would prevent one man or one group from getting too much power. After the war, the people saw a need for a strong national government. At the same time, they did not want to take away all power from the states. This problem was solved by creating Federalism, which means that power is divided between the national government and the state governments. The people have the power to elect national and state officials. The national government has the power to deal with national issues. The states have the power over many local matters. As written in the Costitution, only the federal government can coin money or declare war. Also, it can regulate trade between states and with other countries. However, the states have the power over local governments and schools, to regulate trade within their borders, and they can decide who votes in state elections. Also, the Constitution says that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states. This happened to be a very useful law for the small states which fear federal government. Concurrent power s are shared by federal government and the states. It means that both can raise taxes, set up a system of courts, and the power to pass laws. In case of any dissagreements between the federal government and the states, the Constitution is the final authority. Also, to keep the government from becoming too powerful, the people came up with a new system called separation of powers. It meant creating three branches of government. Each branch would have its power. The first branch is called Legislative (Congress). It is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Under the Constitution, voters in each state elect members of the House of Repr...

How to Make a Reaction Paper

How to Make a Reaction Paper How to Make a Reaction Paper How to Make a Reaction Paper Well-Structured and Interesting How to make a reaction paper? It is the first question that appears in a students mind when he or she gets such a task. It is quite obvious why it is so! Although a reaction paper is not a large academic paper (it should be no larger than 5 pages), its writing takes some time. It is not just expressing of a students thoughts about something he or she has read or seen. It should be a well-structured, clear paper that fulfills all the requirements of a certain format. So, how to make a reaction paper in such a way that it will be a really good academic paper? The tips given in this article will help you cope with such a task! How to make a reaction paper well-structured? You should keep in mind that any reaction paper should consist of 3 main constituent parts: the introduction, the main body and the conclusion. These parts should be interrelated. Each of them should contain certain information. The main aim of the intr oduction is to introduce a topic of your reaction paper. So, in this part you should state what you are discussing. You should mention, first of all, what your paper is based on:the title of a book (an article, a research paper or some other reading) or a movie; the name of the author (the writer, the scientist) or the director; the publication data or the place of the shooting (of a movie). Highlight the main points of the work: what it is about, what problems it touches upon. A thesis statement of your reaction paper should also be stated in the introduction.The main body should consist of several paragraphs each of that support your thesis statement. Here you discuss the issue concerned, express your attitude to the authors opinion (you may agree or disagree with his or her viewpoint or you may even add something). The conclusion should summarize your reaction paper: restate your ideas or express your overall impression about the work. How to make a reaction paper i nteresting? You should understand that your reaction paper should not only be well-organized but interesting as well. So, how to make a reaction paper interesting?Use various examples concerning the issue. They may be from your personal experience. Use different quotations from the work. They can not only prove your opinion but also make the problem more clear for the audience. So, this information will help you answer the question how to make a reaction paper really good? If you do not know how to write a reaction paper and look for help, you are welcome to address us! We can always provide you with professional help in writing any kind of assignment papers, in particular reaction papers.

Discussion Board Reply Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion Board Reply - Coursework Example It is clear from the study that employees not only look for organizations that care for their current welfare but also those that are concerned about the employees even after they leave the organization upon retirement. As such, establishing firm health insurance and retirement plans would attract more competitive and committed employees to the organization (Sharar, 2009). The study has helped me in understanding the various discretionary benefits that I can input within the organization’s compensation plan and merge with the pay policies towards ensuring that employees are not just retained within the organization but also motivated towards achieving high productivity. For instance, the employee assistance programs (EAP) would be effective in helping the employees solve any personal issues that they may have away from the workplace, which may negatively affect their performance (Martocchio, 2015). This would ensure that their focus and attention is fully directed towards their work. The study has helped me understand through creating a family setting within the organization, where the employee problems involving family, health, and education are effectively solved, the employees take up the ownership of the organization and thus ensure utmost commitment towards achieving both short-term and long-term goals of the organization. Courtois, P., Hajek, M., Kennish, R., Paul, R., Seward, K., Stockert, T. J., & Thompson, C. (2004). Performance Measures in the Employee Assistance Program. ,. Employee Assistance Quarterly, 19(3),

Water supply Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Water supply - Personal Statement Example Although most people take it for granted, the availability of an abundant water supply has become an increasingly important and contentious issue.This essay will argue that water resources should and will become an increasingly important global issue Drinking water was temporarily privatized in Bolivia, access to water resources affect demands in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, and issues of water sustainability have begun to find themselves inserted into broader discussions dealing with human rights and national security.This essay will argue that water resources should and will become an increasingly important global issue; more particularly, water issues will assume global significance because life on Earth is water-dependent, because human population growth and industrial growth are leading to water scarcity, and because increasing competition for water cannot ethically be resolved by market forces alone.As an initial matter, all life on Earth is dependent on water. T here is no more fundamental resource or need. In addition to providing basic physiological sustenance, water is also used as a raw material for agricultural production and for many industrial processes. Both population changes and migration rates have been shown to correlate with historical changes in access to water and water availability. Water is, in short, an issue of life and death. Significantly, migration patterns have flattened in recent times and there is less opportunity for groups or for larger communities to simply move to an area with better water resources. Sri Lanka, to be sure, cannot simply migrate in total to Thailand in times of water crisis. There are immigration constraints and old methods of migration are no longer an answer to water shortages. Whole countries can become trapped inside of their geographical borders and forced to find alternative solutions. Particularly worrisome is that there are no real substitutes for water. This is true both in the context of human population growth and in terms of agriculture and industrial use. The increasing demand for this increasingly scarce resource forces competition. How this competition manifests itself, either peacefully or violently, ought to be of concern to all nations. We see that old border disputes between Israel and Lebanon are now burdened with additional conflicts regarding access to water. China builds the world's largest dam, and downstream countries, such as Thailand and Laos, protest that their rivers are drying up in critical agricultural seasons. We have seen how aggressively that countries will fight for oil; simply imagine how aggressive countries might become in a conflict over water. The potential for serious conflict is real. In the final analysis, there are ways to address these water scarcity issues. First, there needs to be a global consensus that issues of water scarcity are of fundamental importance. These issues should be declared a priority because water for human consumption ought to be an enforced human right, because the use of water for agriculture and industrial processes is a commercial necessity, and because the potential for conflict is great. An old saying suggests that "blood is thicker than water"; in this context, however, I would suggest rather confidently that water is more necessary than oil. As a result, scarcity issues ought to be addressed and resolved at a global level. In ten years, I am of the firm opinion that my chosen field of study will be far more interdisciplinary. By this, I mean to suggest that traditional engineering programs will be far more diverse and require far more critical thinking; the ability to synthesize and apply theories from traditionally separate fields, such as mechanical engineering and medicine, will be encouraged and required. This essay will present the emerging field of biomedical engineering as an example of the future of engineering programs. To begin, it must be acknowledged that many advances in medical science

Week 2 - Discussion Question - INTL 5645 Assignment

Week 2 - Discussion Question - INTL 5645 - Assignment Example The Great Leap Forward portrays a period of hope where the people collected themselves into communities. The communes increased interaction between members in the society and increased production. Increased production ensured that the community was provided for during the period. The film portrays a happier and hopeful society as the people share duties. Collective activities increase the cohesion between the people of china (Seth). During the great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, the society experience a period of increased food production. This meant that the society was healthy as nutritional needs were catered. The hopes of the people were affected by periods of drought and floods, which affected food production (James 25). The film showed energetic people, which was a sharp contract to the reality. The film captures Cultural Revolution launched by Mao in an attempt to eliminate political opposition. His intention was to return the nation into Maoism. The sharp contrast with the reality is tragic in the film and affects the credibility of the film (To

Accounting,Sustainability and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting,Sustainability and Ethics - Essay Example Sustainability is also evaluated using a balanced scorecard. A balance sore card shows how the organization is performing in terms of finances, sustainability and other factors that affect organization. Sustainability reporting is also done using triple bottom line reporting technique. Example of the companies that report on their environmental initiatives is Apple Company. In the year 2009 the company announced that 53% of its greenhouse emission comes from the consumer usage of its products. As such the company has adopted greenhouse emission reduction imitative which is achieved using a variety of ways (Freeman 2014 Pg. 554) Currently, organizations have adopted green accounting which seeks to integrate financial reports with nonfinancial one which is associated with environmental services and goods. It has also been accepted that organizations should observe ethics in their daily operations. Business ethics refers to the form of professional or applied ethics which examines moral problems which arise in a business environment (Elliott and Elliott 2011, p. 48).

Knowledge management issues in the new global economic order Essay

Knowledge management issues in the new global economic order - Essay Example At the same time technology is playing a major role in the development and existence of the Trans national companies. The Board, chief executive officers and top level of the management always think about new strategies and systems to maintain the growth and prospects of their organisation. However the growing competitive environment and emergence of new industry houses from developing markets are compelling existing multi national companies to give shape for solid action plan for the long term existence. With the opening up of economies world over the capital flow has now become more free and margins have come down significantly. Most of these companies are now working on shoestring margins or carrying out specific cost saving measures to increase their competitive advantages. The major challenge these companies are facing today is the high competitive advantage for companies in the emerging economies such as India, China, Brazil and other East Asian countries. Companies from these areas have an inherent competitive advantage due to the availability of cheap labour, raw material and skilled human resources. Also these companies have good knowledge of their domestic market, which is now emerging as the largest global market. It is in these geographical areas that a two third of the global population lives. Also companies from these economies are also aggressively entering into the markets in developed world such as United States, European Union and United Kingdom. While they were compelled to decrease the cost of production, it was necessary to improve technology and product quality to sustain in this highly competitive global trade scenario. It is in this scenario that multi national companies are thinking of a new approach for growth. During the post liberalization, globalization and privatization period companies have started to invest heavily on Research and Development and technology. Today technology is playing a major role in the evolution of industrial organizations working in both manufacturing and service sector. They have no choice but undergo drastic change in the organizational structure. When we talk of adapting changes, it is easy to say than practice. For a long time organizations are working in a designed frame work and there will develop an internal inertia against any change from this framework. Employees, shareholders, customers and other stakeholders of the company will view brining in any change in the total working atmosphere and structure of the organization suspiciously. So there should be a keen strategy to win the minds of these stakeholders before introducing any change. In the first part of the 21st century global trade system has seen large number organizational initiatives in a bid to increase competitive power of the organization. It was in this period that the word outsourcing got more attention. It means that companies in developed economies, where cost is higher, will transfer jobs to cost effective emerging economies to increase their competitive strength. Initially most of the outsourcing happened in manufacturing sector. Many multi national companies had shifted their manufacturing facilities to the low cost economies such as China, Korea, Brazil and other south East Asian countries. This was followed by services sector. Here India and Philippines have emerged as new hot destinations due to their English knowledge. Though

Accounting,Sustainability and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting,Sustainability and Ethics - Essay Example Sustainability is also evaluated using a balanced scorecard. A balance sore card shows how the organization is performing in terms of finances, sustainability and other factors that affect organization. Sustainability reporting is also done using triple bottom line reporting technique. Example of the companies that report on their environmental initiatives is Apple Company. In the year 2009 the company announced that 53% of its greenhouse emission comes from the consumer usage of its products. As such the company has adopted greenhouse emission reduction imitative which is achieved using a variety of ways (Freeman 2014 Pg. 554) Currently, organizations have adopted green accounting which seeks to integrate financial reports with nonfinancial one which is associated with environmental services and goods. It has also been accepted that organizations should observe ethics in their daily operations. Business ethics refers to the form of professional or applied ethics which examines moral problems which arise in a business environment (Elliott and Elliott 2011, p. 48).

Social responsibilities and ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Social responsibilities and ethics - Essay Example The other impact is that the local community gets leadership and become more organized and coexist. The businesses require the local community to handle the projects due to sustainability purposes. This therefore means that the community has to have some form of organization on how the project will be run and maintained and this will lead to leadership. This organization uplifts coexistence among the community members as well as less conflicts and hence the project is likely to be sustainable. A negative impact of businesses on the local community is the assimilation the local community undergoes. Even though this does not happen in all communities, most community members due to constant interaction with the businesses start abandoning their culture to be more like the individuals in the business. This leads to loss of culture and even conflicts in the long run among the community members and spouses as well. This especially happens when the business people are involved in the project for long period of

The Hazards of Cell Phone Use and Sound Science Essay Example for Free

The Hazards of Cell Phone Use and Sound Science Essay An ecosystem pertains to the living organisms in a particular area of the earth along with the physical aspects of their environment. Between these nonliving and living constituents, there exists a natural interchange of so-called goods and services that make up an ecosystem’s natural capital, and which ultimately defines the sustainability of that ecosystem. In other words, natural capital is like the nature’s stock of goods (like food) and services (like waste disposal) in order to sustain its living constituents (Costanza et al. 1997, p. 254). A more specific example of ecosystem services are the pollination services provided for by the bees, among other insect species, which are important to the flowers, and thus to all organisms whose food requirements have to do with flowering plants, and so on. A certain study found that bees preferred specific flowers—that is, tubular flowers, instead of open ones so that the pollination of these kinds of flowers are done primarily by the bees. In other words, bees play an important role in the sustainability of the particular plant species’ posterity, as no other pollinator insect species seemed to prefer the same kind of flowers (Public Library of Science, 2006). In the ecosystem, every movement, every input and output of whatever natural constituent is accounted for, and has its consequences. All the more if there is an extra or unwarranted input, such as what is going on in concordance with the advent of technology. We are literally swimming in a sea of electromagnetic radiation brought about by various electronic appliances, most notable of all the portable celphone. It has been speculated that bees are disappearing due to the electromagnetic radiation continuously emitted by these portable phones. But again, this is mere speculation. What is certain, however, is that bees are disappearing—studies in Britain and the Netherlands have shown that over the last 25 years approximately, the bee population has been declining, and with it, those of certain flowers (University of Leeds, 2006). But the same studies are inconclusive about the cause for this decline, proposing only possible causes such as changes in the agricultural chemicals being used; the way the land is taken cared of; and also climate changes. Further studies are still being undertaken to prove which is the real cause for this disappearance of bees, but scientists have not pinpointed celphone use as a probable reason. Therefore, the allegations against cellphones lack sound science, and still have to be scientifically tested if this seeming unlikelihood is worth investigating. Certainly, we are enjoying and maximizing the advantages of having celphones. However, it is possible that harmful effects of celphone radiation do exist. A study by Danish epidemiologist and medical scientist has revealed that celphone radiation caused DNA damage among other things (Korvach, 2007). This means that it is possible to breed dysfunctional offspring. Other effects have been found to be linked to brain tumor development, but findings of the study were not enough to lead to this conclusion. However, we are still talking about possibilities. Every scientific observation must be reproducible, or proven by a number of other scientific laboratories before it can be fully accepted and established as a scientific fact. It is possible that the bees are disappearing because of increasing electromagnetic radiation in the surroundings. It is possible that some people have died of brain cancer brought about by celphone use. As of the moment, I however, believe that these possibilities are insubstantial. I do not think that celphones have enough radiation to cause such negative effects. For me, what is likely is that their radiation may add to an individual’s susceptibility to such diseases. What can be done, then, as of the moment since there seems to be a lack of sound science to prove or disprove anything, as I have said earlier, is to be careful, to perhaps minimize the use of celphones and other electronics all at one time, and let the scientists do their work.

The essence of strategic marketing

The essence of strategic marketing This report designed to provide practical recommendations on segmenting markets, targeting specific customers, and positioning effectively SGNs service in China market. Having addressed the purpose of STP, it has ascertained that SGNs competitive advantages and potential competitors, the segmentation and targeting markets decisions for SGN thus proposed to utilize geodemographic variables as segmentation bases. The two segment profilers of SGN were formed after exercised key variables. Profiler 1 is a group of senior citizens of age 60 and above and profiler 2 is a group of middle age citizens from 40 to 60 years old working professionals. Upon evaluation of market attractiveness of these two distinct segments, it is advised that SGN targets both segments, adopting concentrated marketing strategy, via single marketing mix. Positioning strategy adopted by SGN is more for less value proposition and positioning statement as To senior citizens, SGN offers the utmost personalized elderly service at their home. Read this report for SGN practical marketing tool to easily deal with the challenges and exploit market opportunities that drive incremental revenue and increased profitability. The whole point of this proposal is to assist with better segmenting, targeting, positioning and decision making, be sure that focus on the most appropriate strategies that provide the most opportunity, least risk, and highest performance for SGN. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 5 Background of the Company and the Service Chosen à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 6 Literature Review of the Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Concept research this theoretical underpinnings of this concept and critique à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 7 Basis for Proposed Segmentation and Targeting for SGNs Service à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 16 Basis for Proposed Positioning for SGNs service à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 21 Annual Schedule for the Programme including Marketing Budget/ Expenditure à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 24 Conclusion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 25 References à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. 26 1. Introduction This report aims to develop and propose the Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning strategies for the personalized elderly home-care service in China, offered by Sunrise Greycare Network Co. Ltd (SGN). Chapter 2 briefly describes the SGN credentials and up to 24-hour service that is provided for the senior citizens in China. Segmentation, targeting and positioning concepts from various books are critically assessed and discussed in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 contains valuable information of the basis of proposed segmentation and targeting for SGNs service and Chapter 5 discusses on the positioning map, competitive advantages and value proposition of SGNs service. Chapter 6 tabulates the annual schedule of the programme that includes marketing budget/expenses and the final conclusion will be made in Chapter 7. 2. Background of the Company and the Service Chosen Company Profile Sunrice Graycare Network Co.,Ltd (SGN) is specializing in offering home-based eldercare service up to 24-hour to families in China. SGN grows its first footprint in Beijing to offer a unique proposition to senior citizens. The whole team is dedicated to improving the quality lives of the elderly. SGN helps with every facet of daily living, from escorting on appointments and companionship, to housekeeping and personalized healthy screening to the seniors. Above all, elderly are always enjoying a safely and comfortably at each home with SGN care, instead of staying at nursing house. Mission Statement Vision: To make SGN the top of mind company for senior care Mission: Leverage our unique strengths to render reliable service and care that exceed clients expectation. Credo: Work with passion, commitment and professionalism 3. Literature Review of the Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Concept research this theoretical underpinnings of this concept and critique 3.1 Introduction of Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP) Market segmentation, targeting and positioning are the three steps, as shown in below Figure 3.1, that top management has to decide before the implementation of any marketing plan in a company. Figure 3.1 Steps in Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Market segmentation Identify bases for segmenting the market Develop segment profiles Market targeting Develop measures of market attractiveness Select target segments Market positioning Develop positioning for target segments Develop a marketing mix for each segment Source: Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva (2006, p.213) These steps are defined by Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva (2006) as follows: Market segmentation: Dividing a market into distinct groups with distinct needs, characteristics, or behaviours who might require separate products or marketing mixes. Market Targeting: The process of evaluating each market segments attractiveness and selecting one or more segments to enter. Market positioning: Arranging for a product to occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place relative to competing products in the minds of target customers. 3.2 Market segmentation: Market segmentation is the act of dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers with different needs, characteristics, or behaviors who might require separate products or marketing mixes (Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva 2006). Market segmentation is pre-requisite to access the right market and people at a maximum. It drives markets growth and increases sales to the business profitability from authors viewpoint. The effectiveness of segmentation should be measurable, accessible, substantial, differentiable and actionable (Smith 2003). Segmentation helps to see the target customers more effectively. The customers have different requirement and needs and influenced by different media. A segment is a unique group of customers who share some common characteristics that make them different from other groups of customers (Smith 2003). Some segments have different needs, require different versions of the same product, pay different prices, buy in different places, can be reached by different media (Smith 2003). Consumer markets can be segmented by many different variables which include geographic, demographics or social statistics, geodemographics, psychographics and behavioralistics. Smith (2003) explains these five categories as below: (1) Geographic: categorized by location which includes streets, towns, cities, regions, countries, continents, and climate, population density and so on. (2) Demographics (social statistics): segmented by age, gender, marital status, life cycle, social class, education, job type, social class, income level, because of consumers needs and wants change with above-mentioned elements. (3) Geodemographics: this mixes geographic and demographic data to create categories of house-type with locations. (4) Psychographics: segment market based on peoples lifestyle, personality, attitudes in accordance of their psychological feature. Lifestyle is often segmented by marketer among others factors. (5) Behavioralistics: bahavioral segmentation reflects the benefits consumer enjoyed and the consumption rate of products or services. Different consumer seeks benefits differently from own perspective. The consumers are divided by light, medium and heavy level as per individuals frequency of usage. The other type of segmentation, according to Smith (2003) is industrial, organizational or business-to- business markets. The organizational markets are segmented by personal characteristics of organizational customers and the benefits sought. The most common profilers for organizational markets are grouped as follows: Type of organization Size of organization (heavy or light user) Geographical location Corporate culture Operating characteristics Job title Purchasing approaches Apart from above profiles, it is felt that marketer also needs to find out who is the end user of organization so as to better understand the direct customers wants and needs. How the customers would use the product or service, the answer helps improve or innovate the product or service to satisfy customers needs. Identify the usage rate which affects sales volume and sales forecast. Lastly, who is the purchasing person and the relationship with purchasing organization is very pertinent to the markets segmentation, because the product or service can be segmented precisely to the buyers once corporate strategies and demands are well perceived. Researchers from McKinsey and others institutes have studied commodity markets, it showed that even customers in commodity market are classified by three segments. Customers concerned about cost more than quality who are Price-sensitive buyers. Whereas, people go for quality excellence and deliverables-focused fall into service segment. The commitment customers are close to total value, thereby winning a long-term relationship (Doyle 2002). While E-commerce is impacting the lives and lifestyle of people, many people prefer to research the related products and rely on the internet as guidance before purchase. In the Reverse Segmentation pinpointed by Kotler, Jain and Maesinecee (2002), customers inform companies of their likes, dislikes and other key messages by answering online questionnaire. The information can be used by the company to construct customer segments. The company can then develop appropriate offerings for the different segments. Marketers can respond to reverse marketing by paying attention to the customers four Cs: enhanced customer value, lower costs, improved convenience, and better communication (Kotler, Jain Maesincee 2002). They need to explore the customers cognitive space, assess the companys competency space, and capture the collaborators resource space (Kotler, Jain Maesincee 2002). Although segment variables vary with different products or services, the author feels that demographics is the most easiest and fastest way to segment the markets which can be measurable and differentiable in marketplace. The strengths are these information of demographics are quite steadfast compare with others categories, people can change their location, lifestyle but most of people cannot change age and gender. The data can be attained from local authorities and other professional organizations without or less costs. 3.3. Market Targeting Target marketing evaluates each market segments attractiveness and selects one or more segments to serve (Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva 2006). To target the best market segments, the company should analyze each segments size and growth (product life cycle), profitability and competition, structural attractiveness and compatibilities with company objectives and resources (Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva 2006). Chaston (1999) also mentions that the identified segment must be of an adequate size, the higher costs of servicing customers needs can be recovered through charging higher prices, the segment is accessible to the supplier and the selected marketing position is resistant to the subsequent entry of competitors. According to Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva (2006) and Doyle (2002), selecting the best target segments involve below strategies which depend on company resources and product itself: Undifferentiated marketing: offers a product for mass market, requires mass production, mass distribution and mass promotion for the same product to all consumers without differences among segments. Differentiated marketing: develops different market offers for two or more segments. Concentrated marketing: niche market focuses on only one or a few market segments. It is especially favored by companies with limited resources. Micromarketing: it includes local marketing and individual marketing. Products or services are tailor-made in pursuit of unique needs from specific individuals and locations. Above are concepts of common target marketing strategies and marketers often adapt to one of them to market their products/services. The author favours concentrated marketing because it provides a strong foundation to build up reputation and gain a great market share effectively. This marketing strategy also helps small company to reduce costs and maintain high prices. However, there is a risk involved as once the segment grows rapidly, it will likely attract larger competitors. Market Positioning Positioning is all about how a product or service is positioned or perceived in the minds of a target group of customers. It answers the question: Why will someone in the target market(s) buy my product or service instead of the competitors? (Lodish, Morgan Kallianpu 2001). American academics Aaker and Shansby categorized all the variables into six groups as follows (Smith 2003): Attribute, eg gentleness, ruggedness, tasteful Price and quality, eg premium-quality image or value-based Use or application, eg associations with a particular situation or occasion for use User, eg linking the product or service to types of users, lifestyles, profiles Product class, eg positioning in diet foods or in normal foods Competitors, eg positioning against a competitor and competitive advertising Perceptual maps help to devise positionings and repositionings. Product positioning maps are drawn with their axes dividing the plot into four quadrants. This is because most of the parameters upon which they are based typically range from high to low and the two attributes usually considered are quality and price. However, it is felt that real-life product positioning maps will be more complex as there involves a number of dimensions, apart from the two attributes being considered. A products position is a complex set of perceptions, impressions and feeling that consumers have for the product compared with competing products. A product or service must differentiate its offer by building a unique bundle of benefits that appeals to a substantial group within the segment. Beyond the product differentiation, companies also can be differentiated by hiring better people which overtake other competitors. Generally, there are five winning value propositions to brand the products positionings: more for more, more for the same, the same for less, less for much less, or more for less (Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva 2006). Doyle (2002) adds that companies must gauge the 4 criteria so as to structure the differential advantages properly among customers. Successful marketer will always design the products or services that are unique, sustainable, profitable and offering benefits to customers. Overall, the author feels positioning is an outcome of differentiation strategy, the outcome of positioning ultimately is to create and anchor a market value proposition into the minds of targeted customers within segmented territory. It is proved that products unique proposition is associated with strong marketing communications and planning, in which deliver the deliberate position and convey the key message to target customers along a continuum. The distinctive benefit, chosen position and brand awareness take a long time to plot and map out through consistent market effort. Although customers hardly change the original product perception in mind, but marketers often choose to repositioning the product when the target markets changes. 4. Basis for Proposed Segmentation and Targeting for the Service Chosen Armstrong, Kotler Da Silva (2006) have a checklist of segmentation bases which serves a knife to slice or carve up the segments correctly. Marketer must draw a close attention to the nature of the product and market, to select the most relevant variables for the best segmentation bases. Demographic variables: age, disposable income, gender, occupation etc Geographic variables: urban, suburban, rural etc Behavioral variables: benefit, occasion, usage, loyalty status etc Sunrise Graycare Network (SGN) divides customers into different groups based on age, income level, location and population density. China has the largest elder population in the world, which accounts for one fifth of the worlds total older population. The older population over 60 is 143 million by 2004, accounting for 10.97% of the total population. There are 11 provinces and municipal cities which are above the national average in population ageing. Beijing is among top of them is about 13.66% (Xiao 2007). According to the latest statistics released by 2010, the elderly population of Beijing has reached 2.54 million (CPDRC 2010). Beijings graying population is expected to grow to 6.5 million by 2050, when one in three people will be older than 60, the aging committee estimates (Cao Quan 2009). The shortfall of elder care service can be seen in Beijing. An example for whose nursing homes can only accommodate 9,924 people just 0.6% of the senior population.  With longer life expectancy, growing affluence and the effects of Chinas stringent One Child Law policy leaving the elderly with a child unable to care for them (Retirement Homes 2005). Aging residents in China usually are traditionally taken care of by their children. However, nowadays young peoples lifestyles have been changed, job competition caused growing work pressures, constantly overtime and anxiety. Many young couples turn to professional service to look after their parents and grandparents (Zhang 2010). A great shortfall in eldercare in China is a serious problem caught attention by government. Seeing the size of the graying population, SGNs segment groups specifically are working adults and 60 years old and above old people in Beijing. Working professionals at middle-age who need to take after both parents and parents in law, they will also need to raise and educate their children simultaneously. These people born in the 40s to 60s are sandwich generation, they are often very tired in keeping balance between life and work. A salary survey conducted by America Huiyue Company showed that Beijing Managers earn the juiciest salary, earning the highest salary among other cities in China (AsiaInfo Services 2002). It is believed that these people have sound financial condition and need professional care to lighten their burden. The feature of SGNs locations is a great access to very famous hospitals where potential clients frequently visit with their parents. SGN offices located in golden districts and only take about 5-10 minutes walking distance to the hospitals and residential areas. Hence, the segmentation bases zoom SGN target groups in two finer segments as below: Segmentation Age Income Level Location Population density Segment Profiler 1 60 and above RMB24,000 p.a. and above Downtown in Beijing, adjacent to local communities High Segment Profiler 2 40 to 60 RMB36,000 p.a. and above Downtown in Beijing, adjacent to local communities High As Doyle (2002) specifies that there are five factors govern the attractiveness of the segment, namely: Segment size Segment growth Profitability of the segment Current and potential competition Capabilities of the business After evaluating the two different market segments, SGNs targeting markets are chosen for both segment 1 and 2 based on the five factors. Due to SGN is a start- up company with limited resources, therefore, concentrated marketing strategy (or niche marketing) is deployed for the two targeting markets. The detailed analysis on attractiveness of the chosen targeting markets is as follows: 1. Segment size By 2050, the elderly Chinese will outnumber the entire U.S. population (USA United Nations Department of Public Information 1999), the elderly population in Beijing is about 2.54 million in 2010 (CPDRC 2010). Such a large size of targeting group determined SGNs market prospective. 2. Segment growth Beijings graying population is expected to grow to 6.5 million by 2050, when one in three people will be older than 60, the aging committee estimates (Cao Quan 2009). The data indicated clearly that the potential growth is positive, in other words, the peak of elderly service will not be ebbed but upsurge instead. 3. Profitability of the segment SGN used concentrated marketing strategy to market efficiently, which reduced marketing costs but focused to best serve consumers in the same way and to achieve profitability. The nature of business is considered a low investment yield high returns. No inventory worries. The other side, the eldercare business in China, according to Service Industry Tax Rebate Policy under Chapter 12.1 Elderly Service, it stipulated that agency for elderly service, disabled service, matchmaker agency, funeral service will not be taxed for the beginning of 3 years of business (BJ local Taxation Bureau 2010). It seems that the local government is actively promoting eldercares business by waiving off business tax and it is believed that there will be more benefits coming. It showed that SGN targeting markets can be most profitable. 4. Current and potential competition There is still a big gap to be filled and catered for the swelling graying population in China. Currently theres no direct competitor in Beijing, the competition will not be fierce. Although a numerous nursing homes and household agencies in local market are seen as indirect competitors, but SGN is the first company only practicing home-based eldercare service for aged 60 and above seniors, it makes SGN the top of mind company before any other rivals presence. 5. Capabilities of the business SGN established a team which is filled with versatile leaders who will inspire people to render the professional senior care to the targeting groups. The manpower capability is one of the companys key competitive advantages for business sustainable. SGN is hiring a pool of qualified and capable people to take challenging tasks every day, provided with on-job training regularly for continually business productivity. With sufficient staff on board, it is enabled to maximize business sales volume on daily basis. SGN office sites are located in four primary districts in Beijing. It serves as an extensive network to attract senior residents in each district. 5. Basis for Proposed Positioning Chosen Below Figure 5.1 shows the positioning map of indirect competitors and proposed SGNs position for current market situation: Figure 5.1 Positioning Map Quality Price Low High High Low Cluster A Cluster B Cluster C = Indirect competitors = SGN Source: Adapted from Armstrong, Kotler and Da Silva (2006, p.236) According to recent research and survey conducted by SGN, it is found that the two important attributes that customers want are Quality Service and Price. These survey results are plotted in a positioning map as per Figure 5.1, which illustrates the existence of three clusters in the current China market. Clusters A, B and C are indirect competitors for elderly care service, they are either nursing homes, household agencies or hourly maid service. The brands bundled together within Cluster A considered prestige segment due to high price and good service (quality), Cluster B represents the brands that are categorized in middle segment, their price and service ranked in average range. Those brands in Cluster C are pricing low and qualities are also in low level, competitors in Cluster C fall into economic segment. It is proposed that SGN positions itself as more for less for its value proposition, as shown in Figure 5.1. This value proposition is most welcome by customers and will enable us to greatly differentiate from these indirect competitors. SGN has the following competitive advantages: I. Focus SGN is only focusing in aged care solution, committed to deliver the highest standard quality of work to elderly for better quality of life. II. Home sweet home Despite of the modern nursing homes are equipped with most advanced facilities, it is always clean or sterilized all the while. The caregivers are professional and sympathetic, but people just feel aging there is depressing in China. Home is the best place to stay is what SGN endorse and practice. The environment is a key to ensure that clients enjoy themselves to a greater extent. III. Comprehensive service SGNs unique in-home care is covering all concerns from elderly people, from physical level to spiritual level needs, which other competitors are not able to fulfill some specific requirements. IV. Staff SGNs dedicated team is well-trained knowledgeable personnel with pleasant personality. General Practice Team is to handle the daily routine work for older people, medical and health care is handled by interdisciplinary team led by Geriatric Care Manager. V. Service charge SGNs service charge is subjected to the frequency and duration. SGN service charge is more flexible than other competitors, price options will enlarge client base and engage them from short-term to long term clients through their experience. The benefit chosen for SGNs positioning statement is: SGN is the only service specialist for home-based elderly service. Hence, the overall positioning statement for SGN is: To senior citizens, SGN offers the utmost personalized elderly service at their home. 6. Annual Schedule for the Programme including Marketing Budget/Expenditure Annual Schedule -Year of 2011 a) Budget and Deployment Plan Country Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Marketing Budget Total Budget Beijing, China -Ads (ATL BTL) -Open House (package promotion) E-marketing Printed collaterals Referral scheme Chinese New Year Feb 03-05 -Ads (ATL BTL) E-marketing Roadshow (community alliance) -Referral scheme Ads (ATL BTL) Open House (package promotion) E-marketing Referral scheme Labor Day May 01- 03 Ads (ATL BTL) E-marketing Roadshow (community alliance) Referral scheme -Ads (ATL BTL) -Open House (package promotion) E-marketing Printed collaterals Referral scheme Dragon Boat Festival June 06 Ads (ATL BTL) E-marketing Roadshow (community alliance) Referral scheme -Ads (ATL BTL) -Open House (package promotion) E-marketing Printed collaterals Referral scheme Ads (ATL BTL) E-marketing Roadshow (community alliance) Referral scheme Mid-Autumn Festival Sep 12 National Day Holiday (Oct 01-06) -Ads (ATL BTL) -Open House (package promotion) E-marketing Printed collaterals Referral scheme Ads (ATL BTL) E-marketing Roadshow (community alliance) Referral scheme -Ads (ATL BTL) -Open House (package promotion) E-marketing Printed collaterals Referral scheme Ads (ATL BTL) E-marketing Roadshow (community alliance) Referral scheme Cost Estimate RMB5.000.00 RMB3,000.00 RMB5,000.00 RMB3,000.00 RMB5,000.00 RMB3,000.00 RMB5,000.00 RMB3,000.00 RMB5,000.00 RMB3,000.00 RMB5,000.00 RMB3,000.00 RMB48,000.00 RMB50,000.00  © SGN 2011 Total RMB48,000.00 7. Conclusion Upon segmentation, two distinct segments were identified and evaluated of their market attractiveness. It is recommended that SGN targets both segments, adopting concentrated marketing strategy, via single marketing mix. These two segments are: Profiler 1 is a group of senior citizens of age 60 and above and profiler 2 is a group of middle age citizens from 40 to 60 years old working professionals. The positioning strategy proposed for SGN is more for less value proposition and positioning statement as To senior citizens, SGN offers the utmost personalized elderly service at their home.

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Have you ever heard the phrase that robots are taking over the world? Well it seems like this unimaginable concept is becoming a reality. Robots are moving to the surgery table and there is no going back to the good old traditional surgery procedures, where the surgeons perform the operation on their own by hand. Gone are those unsteady hands and comes those metallic hands that are here to stay. Robotic surgeries are the latest trend in the surgical department these days. The first surgical robot to be approved for operation and deemed safe to use is the Da Vinci and was in the market in 1999 (source).The Da Vinci is used while the surgeon is seated comfortably at a computer console, viewing a 3-D image of the surgical field. The surgeon's fingers grasp the masters on the computer console and while viewing the surgical field through the Da Vinci Systems high resolution, three dimensional image display, the surgeon manipulates and guides Da Vinci's computer assisted robotic arms and i nstruments. There are other surgical robots that can perform the operation but the Da Vinci is the fi... Essay -- Have you ever heard the phrase that robots are taking over the world? Well it seems like this unimaginable concept is becoming a reality. Robots are moving to the surgery table and there is no going back to the good old traditional surgery procedures, where the surgeons perform the operation on their own by hand. Gone are those unsteady hands and comes those metallic hands that are here to stay. Robotic surgeries are the latest trend in the surgical department these days. The first surgical robot to be approved for operation and deemed safe to use is the Da Vinci and was in the market in 1999 (source).The Da Vinci is used while the surgeon is seated comfortably at a computer console, viewing a 3-D image of the surgical field. The surgeon's fingers grasp the masters on the computer console and while viewing the surgical field through the Da Vinci Systems high resolution, three dimensional image display, the surgeon manipulates and guides Da Vinci's computer assisted robotic arms and i nstruments. There are other surgical robots that can perform the operation but the Da Vinci is the fi...

Case Study of Negligence

Duty of care Issue: Does defendant (David or the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery) owned duty of care to plaintiff (Tony)? Rules: * The neighbour principle: In Donoghue v Stevenson1, Lord Atkin concluded that we all owe a duty of care to our â€Å"neighbors†, meaning those persons who we should have in mind when we are contemplating actions that we take as we go about our business and private lives. * Neighbour Defined: â€Å"My neighbors are persons who are so closely and directly affected by my act that I ought reasonably to have them in contemplation as being so affected when directing my mind to the acts or omissions which are called in question†. Foreseeability: For an action in negligence to succeed, it must be foreseeable that the act (or omission) of the defendant could cause harm to the plaintiff. The test is one of â€Å"reasonable foreseeability†, which is an â€Å"objective†. * Proximity: There must be some relationship between the parties for the duty to exist. In other words, proximity that requires care to be taken must exist. Application: As Tony was having the surgery in the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery, therefore, whatever will happen based on the surgery, it should be the duty of care of the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery.Be more specific, David is employed there as a full-time dentist and he was the one who attached the artificial teeth by strong dental glue instead of the way which recommended by leading dentists. If David did not change the way of attach the teeth, Tony would never get a severe infection caused by the method of fitting of the artificial teeth. Conclusion Applying the neighbour principle and reasonable foreseeability, David or the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery do owed the duty of care of Tony.And it is foreseeable that the act of the defendant, which may be David or the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery, could cause harm to the plaintiff, which is Tony. Breaching that duty of care Issue: Does the defendant ( David or the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery) breach his duty of care? Rule: * Reasonable person-Standard of care: the standard person would have foreseen harm in the circumstances and would have taken steps to prevent it. The defendant will be in breach of their duty if reasonable steps are not taken to prevent foreseeable harm.The test is an objective one –what a reasonable person thinks. * Weighting test: 1. The likelihood of injury: If the risk of injury is minimal, there will be no breach of the duty of care. 2. Gravity of injury if occurring: The seriousness of any resulting injury 3. Steps needed to remove the risk: The steps required to eliminate the risk 4. Benefit (social utility) of the defendant’s conduct: The social utility of the defendant’s conduct must be weighed against the gravity of the risk. ApplicationAs David’s conduct is measured against the reasonable person who should told Tony there was a risk to use the dental glue . It is possible that David get hurt from the dental glue and the surgery. The gravity of injury is quite serious as his teeth fell out of the new desk while he was on TV presenting the evening news. After he got home his whole mouth was aching and he complained of severe pain in the gap left by extraction. For the steps to eliminate the risk, David should foresee the harm which caused by the dental glue and the possible consequence might cause.Last but not least, there is no benefit (social utility) of the defendant’s conduct. In fact, David could transfer Tony to his other workmate if he is not familiar with the way which suggested by the leading dentist. However, David chose to do it by using the strong glue which causes all the damage. Conclusion Hence, David did breach the duty of care of Tony as he was the reasonable person who should foresee the damage and it is easy to eliminate the damage. LOSS OR DAMAGE FOLLOING FROM BREACH OF DUTY IssueWas Plaintiff (Tony)’s damage the dire ct result of defendant (David or the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery)’ breach? Rules * Causation (but for test): But for the conduct of defendant, would the damage have been suffered? The test was explained well by Lord Denning in Cork v. Kirby Maclean Ltd (1952) 2 ALL ER 402 at 407 , as follows: If you can say that the damage would not have happened but for a particular fault, then that fault is in fact a cause of the damage; but if you can say that the damage would have happened just the same fault or no fault, then the fault is not a cause of the damage.If there is more than one cause of the damage the â€Å"but for† test will have limited application. In such case the courts will use a â€Å"balance of probabilities’ test in determining causation. * Remoteness of damage (reasonable foreseeable test, the test is objective) would a reasonable person have foreseen the damage? * Assessment of damages: the aim of damages is to compensate the plaintiff for the loss or damage that flowed from the defendant’s breach of duty of care owed.Such loss or damages is quantified by the judge hearing the case to compensate the plaintiff not only for their actual loss but for their future potential loss as well. Application After diagnosing of Tony’s mouth, it was certified that there was a severe infection in Tony’s gum that was shown in tests to be caused by the method of fitting of the artificial teeth. In fact, as David decided to use the dental glue, instead of the traditional method that was recommended by the leading dentist.And David, who is the reasonable person, owned the duty of care of Tony. According to the fact, Tony not only suffers variety of physical damage but also physiological damage. He became depressed due to his appearance and loss of work, and is seeing a counsellor for therapy who suggested him to go for a holiday. Therefore, he had suffered the medical and dental expense total $ 14, 000, loss of wages $ 12,00 0, and counselling$1,800. And the cost of trip is $ 5,000. Conclusion: Therefore, Tony’s damage directly resulted from David’ breach of duty of care.If He in civil proceedings is successful, a remedy will be rewarded as compensation of dental expense $ 14, 000, loss of wages $ 12,000, and counselling$1,800. And the cost of trip is $ 5,000. What is more, he could DEFENCES TO AN ACTION IN NEGLIGENCE Issue Are there any defences available to defendant (David or the Bright Smiles Dental Surgery)? Rules Defences to an action in negligence: * Contributory negligence: It occurs where the plaintiff can be held partly to blame for the loss sustained as result of a failure to take reasonable care against a foreseeable risk of injury.This rule has been modified by statue in Section 26 of the Wrong Act 1958 3(Vic. ): Where any person suffers damages as the result partly of his own fault and partly of the fault of any other person or persons, a claim in respect of that damage shall not be defeated by reason of the fault of the person suffering the damage, but the damage recoverable in respect thereof shall be reduced to such extent as the court thinks just and equitable having regard to the claimant’s share in the responsibility for the damage. Voluntary assumption of risk: if a person assumes the risk of injury voluntarily, this is complete defence to a claim of negligence. It is difficult defence to rise as it must be proved that the plaintiff was aware of the risk and accepted that risk freely. Application After checking Tony’s x-rays, David extracted the teeth and put the artificial teeth in place. However, David was not familiar with the accepted method of attaching artificial teeth recommended by leading dentists and instead attached them by way of strong dental glue.However, it was David determined to use the strong dental glue instead of the method recommended by the leading dentist. On the other side, Tony should figure out that his met hod is different from the one which recommended by the leading dentist, and he should do some more consulting of the new method which was going to be used in his surgery. Conclusion Therefore, Tony did contribute to his damage as he did not check his new method which causes the inflection and further damage.

Effects of Romantic Relationships on Academic Performance and Family Relationship

Most teenagers have already experienced heving relationships. At this stage, they are easily attracted with their opposite sex. Let's first consider the emotion of love. Love makes people romance enjoy longer. It is believe that love is a very powerful emotion which makes it capable of bringing out the best and the worst in people. Emotion makes the person aberrantly happy or on the other hand lonely. But what makes this kind of emotion occur? Does this emotion makes the world go round? aving a full confident of every individual? makes them stronger? or Does it effect upon your surroundings like your academic activities and also the relationship of your own family? What is really love means? Based some Psychologists, they are hardly searching for a clear definition of what love really is. For them, it is described as a cognitive and social phenomenon, one that is closely linked with conscious affection or close. There are different definitions of love depending on what the person exp erienced. But one thing is for sure: falling in love can be the one of the most unexplainable feelings that a person can feel. Negative effects.. Studies * being in love with somebody has an effect in teenagers’ studies. It does occupy their minds. Students can't focus on the lecture because they keep on thinking about their boyfriend or girlfriend especially when they have a lover's quarrel. * Students being involved in a relationship spend most of their time texting and writing their partner's name during class time * It is hard for them to concentrate. Positive effects .. studies .. * Being inlove can have a positive effect in studies. It can serve as an inspiration to get a high grades because they are trying to make a good impression. * It can motivate student to do assignments and projects. * It can make a teenager to feel more bouncy, lively and more energetic. Parents †¦ * Parents have views in teenagers falling in love. They don’t want them to get involve to relationships. They are still immature and not capable of facing consequences that may happen. They are not aware to the possible difficulties which could lie ahead. * Parents need to be their for their teens at any time. At this stage, teenagers are being to curious about things and may become more distant to their family. They should have an epitome of understanding. They should maintain close relationship so that their teens will not be afraid of talking about some things that may have a great impact on them.

A Comparison of Moral Views Essay

When we think of ancient philosophies, we immediately think of the early Greek philosophers. Among them were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, considered as the Fathers of Philosophy. Although they have different views on some certain aspects, we all know that they are the most influential thinkers not only during their respective times but today. This paper will focus on the similarities and differences of the moral and ethical views of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates believed that self-knowledge will meet the conditions of having a good life. For Socrates, knowledge and virtue are of the same category. If a person could not learn knowledge, he cannot learn virtue. With this, he argued that virtue can be taught. â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† Socrates believed that the pursue of knowledge and wisdom should always come first before any private interests. For him, seeking knowledge is in accordance to ethical and moral actions. Socrates, considered to be the greatest philosopher of all time, assumed that reason will lead to the good life. He believed that the real happiness a person achieved was influenced mainly by doing what seems to be right. When a person’s true value and function is found, he will achieve happiness. The Socratic ethics can be categorized as teleological in nature. We humans act towards the good and these actions naturally have their purposes. Plato, like all the early philosophers, based his beliefs on ethics on virtues and human well-being. Plato’s beliefs on happiness diverged significantly from other philosopher’s views. Due to this, his time on describing his own concept of happiness was divided. He spent lots of time criticizing the customary beliefs of the good life. Plato also considered happiness as perfect and is not easily understandable since it is supported by metaphysical assumptions that appear to be vague and is impossible to be understood. The focuses on Platonic ethics are the problems and difficulties of an individual, not happiness as a factor of good-living. For Aristotle, ethical knowledge is considered to be a general knowledge and not a precise knowledge. He argued that ethical knowledge is not a theoretical discipline but rather practical in nature. Aristotle believed that to become good, a person should have experienced the actions of life and is in accordance to fine habits. He did not believe that merely studying virtues will make a particular individual virtuous. One should do righteous and honorable to be good and virtuous. Aristotle believed that reputation and respect only would give a person his happiness. He argued that an individual finds happiness by fulfilling his functions as a human being. For Aristotle, a human’s function is to utilize what he has that everything else does not, his capacity to think or reason, or logos. A person using his ability to reason fulfills his nature as a rational soul and therefore finds his absolute happiness. For me, Aristotle’s ethical philosophy is the most applicable and the most practical to adapt. Unlike Socrates’ belief that an individual will be virtuous if he studies the virtues, Aristotle believed that one should act good to be good – not by merely studying how to be good nor what is good. Plato, on the other hand, focused on what should not be done in order to make a person’s life good. Aristotle argued that understanding what is good does not make a person good. So I think, Aristotle’s concept on morality stands among the three of them, just like the saying goes â€Å"Actions speak louder than words.†

Corporate strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Corporate strategy - Essay Example This analysis assumes that the pending merger of BA and Iberia occurs pursuant to a November 2010 vote by Iberia shareholders. Combining the U.K.’s and Spain’s largest airlines is expected to build two major strengths. Combined, the two firms carry more than 61 million passengers (Airwise, 2010), which will rank the new firm among the world’s ten largest airlines, and provide greater customer visibility, economies in operating costs, and greater purchasing power/lower capital costs for aircraft and other equipment. BA and Iberia combine two major airport â€Å"hubs†, the customer (passengers and cargo) transit locations that facilitate direct customer access and operating economies. BA’s hub at London Heathrow ranks number two in world passenger traffic and number 16 in cargo tonnage, and Iberia’s hub at Madrid airport ranks number eleven in passenger traffic. Each firm also operates secondary airports of Gatwick and Barcelona that rank 31st and 42nd, respectively, in world passenger traffic. (Airports Council International, 2010) Moreover, one key projection is that the UK and Spain will be among the top four international markets for passenger traffic in 2014. (International Air Transport Association, 2010) A third BA strength is its membership in, and leadership of, oneworld ®, a global alliance of 11 world airlines founded in 1999. Within the consolidating worldwide airline industry, oneworld was named â€Å"Worlds Best Airline Alliance† (oneworld, 2010). BA’s strategic weaknesses include those common to other airlines, including dependence on, and difficult relationships with, employee unions; sustained lack of profitability; and damaged brand names due to union and operational difficulties. But BA’s major unique competitive weakness is that it is primarily a long haul, hub-centric carrier. As described by The Economist in May of this year, â€Å"the low-cost airlines Ryanair and easyJet are snapping at [BA’s]

5 question test review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 question test review - Essay Example The freedom of a person to do something or decide on something was determined by God even before its conception in the brain. 3. Dualism entails the existence of the mind and the body and how they interact with each other. It describes the presence of a conscious mind which affects the physical body and also the body influencing the conscious mind. Generally it shows that there exists two different aspects that affect each other. The dualistic notion advanced by the Chinese ying yang explains that the universe is divided into two worlds that are predominant. They are different forces which depend on each other and cause the existence of one another. Examples include, hot and cold, light and dark, male and female etc. Zoroastrianism is a religion that believes on the existence of a creator of only the good things and no bad thing comes from him. 4. The Judeo Christian understanding of man and women shows that women were created because of the man and she is ruled over by the man. They base their arguments from the first creation of man and how the woman made the man to sin. They were created by God in order to assist each other and the woman as a companion to the man. 5. Marks and Feud viewed religion as an illusion in which the desire for a father made people to form an imaginary figure to represent that. They argue that religion is slowly been disregarded as science and reasoning creeps in. They explain that due to the changes in the nature of things and civilisation, religion acts as a protection or

Knowledge of Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Knowledge of Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example This understanding enables them to not only make sense of the behaviour they witness in their workforce, but also to predict it before hand and sometimes even influencing it to reflect the desired level. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that organizational behaviour teaches one how to control human behaviour in an organization. However, it may be unreasonable to label this practice as exploitative, since the control is limited to an organizational setting, and the results are aimed to improving organizational performance, rather than exploitative practice of this knowledge. Organizational behaviour teaches a manager how to analyze and handle several different dimensions of an organization. One of the relatively well-known areas of expertise is the substantial and extensive knowledge of motivation that organizational behaviour has to offer. It offers dozens of theories on motivation, each tailored to specific situations as well as different findings in this area. These range from the classic theories such as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory to the more controversial, contemporary theories such as Theory X and Y (Thompson and McHugh, 2002, pp. 10-48). Each of these motivational theories offers a unique insight into an employee’s mind, helping one understand what drives these employees to put effort into their work and then teaching one how to use these teachings to influence employees to exhibit desired behaviour. On the surface, it may seem like a euphemism for ‘manipulation techniques’ that teach a manager how to exploit a person’s predictability and use it to their organization’s advantage. However, the intentions behind organizational behaviour practices should be kept in sight before drawing such evaluations. Discussion Considering an organization with a de-motivated workforce may help one understand the ethical validation of this discipline. Such an organization would have paid employees who have each been designat ed specific tasks, each of which contribute to the organization’s performance and success. This is common amongst organizations that combine technology, creativity, and innovation in their operations. If the employees of such an organization lack motivation, their performance levels will be low, and predictably below the needed levels (Rashid, 2003, pp. 30-55). This would lead to failure of the organization, which could have several detrimental results, which could lead to employees losing their jobs and putting them at as much loss the organization. Thus, teaching a manager to remedy such a problem in a manner, which is beneficial for both the employee and the organization, is not exploitative. Furthermore, these theories do not try to manipulate an employee psychologically on a subconscious level. They do not aim to take advantage of the employee without realizing it, but rather offer this motivation at a conscious level, the influence of which is visible to the employees t hemselves. Other than Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning theory, most of the motivational theories operate on a conscious level and depend on the employees consciously reacting to the situation they are presented with (Huczynski and Buchanan, pp. 5-25). For example, bonus schemes are one of the most commonly used motivational techniques in a workplace. They offer the employee monetary and other similar forms of extra compensation for efficient and

Perils of Social Networking Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Perils of Social Networking - Research Proposal Example The research problem endeavors to ascertain the assorted aspects that make various social networking sites become disadvantageous among miscellaneous societal members, particularly the young (Azriel, 2011). The study will also attempt to look into mitigation measures, in order to alleviate challenges associated with social networking. The justification of this research is to analyze the extent of the negative impacts of social networking among the dissimilar societal members, particularly the youth. The study will also endeavor to mull over various challenges that result from social networking, and thereby propose mitigation measures (Dailey, 2013). These mitigation measures will be applicable a proposal for implementation will be significant. The study aims at critically examines the role of social networking and challenges to societal members, particularly the youth, and the negative impacts that they pose to the people today. The study will critically review the correlation between social networking youth challenges such as crime, drug abuse and dismal performance among schools (Fuchs, 2012). Following the objectives of the study, it will tend to be more qualitative than quantitative. The study will also look into the implemented measures to alleviate such challenges and their suitability. While critically examining the available research on challenges that social networking poses to the youth, these studies prove to be inadequate. For instance, most studies took place before the introduction of the numerous diverse social networking sites that provide a different platform for association (Fuchs, 2012). This results from the fact that the advancement of technology creates various platforms of social networking, thereby posing new challenges. Additionally, numerous researches on the perils of social networking failed to address the issue of mitigation measures and suitable processes of

Engineering Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Engineering Ethics - Essay Example The suicide prevention devices develop the bridges’ and the skyscrapers’ ability to reduce suicide attempts. The engineers are required to perform their daily duties with excellent competence in order to scientifically manage and maintain rapid traffic flow from reducing by onlookers observing a suicide scene. Suicide scenes normally slow down traffic. Excellent competency in this area includes the compulsory duty of going out of one’s way to ensure the approval and acquisition of the suicide safety devices. Excellent competence includes the engineers’ required task of explaining the many benefits of purchasing the suicide prevention devices to the people having the financial ability to pay for the high-value suicide prevention devices.In addition, the engineers must issue statements in an objective and truthful manner; the engineers must state that the suicide prevention devices are needed for the company to prevent the further loss of lives as well as da mage to property. The engineers should convince the financial sponsors of the suicide prevention devices that the high cost of the suicide prevention devices is minimal compared to preventing the continued trespassing on the property. The engineers will convince the financial sponsors that the suicide prevention devices it would less costly to buy the suicide prevention devices compared to damages that will translate to damages on the bridges and other possible high places where a person can jump off to one’s immediate death.’s immediate death. The engineers should act in a professional manner for every employer or client and to avoid conflicts of interest. Professional manner includes informing the employer that the suicide prevention devices are compulsory equipment that will increase the use capacity of the bridges, roads, and other high buildings to reduce the suicide rate in the area. In addition, the

Reducing Violence in Society Essay Example for Free

Reducing Violence in Society Essay Finn’s that â€Å"we really understand the market only when we examine it within its [full] political, social, and cultural context† (p. 144). His use of the term the â€Å"moral ecology of markets† refers to his concept that markets involve complex interactions among a wide range of social factors that must be studied like an ecological system. Finn has identified four areas of morality:(1) government imposed constraints to markets that prevent market abuses, also they various opinions from left and right hinge on where fences should be built (2) the provision of essential goods and services to all persons, that means to redress distributional shortcomings of the market and balanced the demand and supply. (3) the morality of individuals and groups to restrain individual pursuit of self-interest by virtue. 4) the presence of civil society, in other worlds voluntary associations of individuals to achieve common goals. He suggests, is not between addressing these problems through totally free markets on the one hand, or some sort of centrally planned system on the other, since all real-world economic systems include some mix of markets and government involvement. Market systems provide some boundaries that limit or prohibit certain practices, and planned economies allow some decisions to be made by individuals. For all points of view from left to right, the assessment of justice will depend not only on the structure for markets themselves but also on the context of markets. Finn provides an economic defense of self-interest and market. Because he tried to believe that libertarians seek to defend markets without recourse to moral claims. However, they have failed eventually, because any defense of markets necessarily involves some moral claims, and indeed libertarians do accept some claims, though often implicitly. So that Finn proposes the â€Å"four problems of economic life†Ã¢â‚¬â€allocation, distribution, scale, and quality of relations—which all economic systems must address. The economic problems are interrelated, and attempts to solve on can have a beneficial or detrimental effects on the others. Begins with the â€Å"construction of fences† that defines the bounds of allowable market fences. They allow the established fences people are free to pursue their own interests. Simultaneously, USA people agree that current market fences are morally sufficient to prevent abuses. Since Finn argues that do acting on self-interest within the game is allowed. The executives should be responsible to shareholders and employees. It is not just corporation get profits as a main purpose, but also managers should consider others. For example a company had shortage, executives does not lay off its workers during a downturn in demand but rather reduces the wages and salaries of company employees, because everybody has right to pursue their self-interest. Employees also need to pay for their family or terrible life. Also, each person have desire to pursue self-interest in social and allow do acting within rules what they made, like the â€Å"construction of fences†, the multi-national corporation should obligate to treat all teams be fair. Finn’s arguments are not convincing. I do not think Finn’s account of self-interest promote mutual understanding. First, Finn’s account of self-interest fails to recognize that in most market exchanges neither the buyer nor the seller takes explicit account of his or her self-interest, nor the interest of others, but each simply â€Å"goes about his or her business. For example if I back to home and by the way go to supermarket to buy fruits and milk, I make calculations nor do I consider tradeoffs. I simply select the items, pay my bill, and head for home. I pursue my self-interest because I base my decision on factors such as convenience, bargains, but how often do â€Å"abuses† arise on account of self-interested behavior ? Second, Finn’s account of self-interest is that he seems to equate self-interested behavior with market behavior. A government officer might seek to enlarge his budget, or the number of workers reporting to him, so as to increase his salary.