Literature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Literature review - Essay Example On the contrary, marketing is perhaps the only functional division of an enterprise which is solely concerned with the consumer. It is regarded by many critics that marketing is the most crucial of all the functional aspects of the business; it can be argued that marketing is the prime means for attracting a customer, and without customers, there is little that the other departments are going to do. Marketing is important in helping the company to construct upon their corporate and business foundations, and to use them to solidify their goals. In order to further the objectives of the business, the business needs to consider the bigger picture. From the perspective of launching a product in the market, the bigger picture would entail exploring the market potential for the product, researching the competitors in the market giving particular attention to their strengths and weaknesses, coming up with an appropriate marketing strategy for the product and selecting suitable marketing cha nnels. Moreover it is also important to develop apposite measures for managing and supervising the launch of the product in the market. ... Functioning businesses have two main purposes. Firstly, they are working for the retention of the customers that they have attracted. Secondly, businesses are endeavoring for attracting new customers and increasing their clientele. There are a number of philosophies that can be implemented for the attainment of these two goals of the business. The first philosophy relates to the production concept. This means that all consumers are going to consume those products that are not only within the range of affordability but are also easily and extensively found. One of the famous corporations who follow this strategy is Wal-Mart. According to the founder of Wal-Mart, Sam Walton, the company should work on the philosophy of ‘Pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’ (Moore & Pareek 2009). On the other hand, the product concept entails that customers are going to buy that product which is the most promising in terms of its value after taking into account the worth and perfor mance of the product. Consumers are going to perform an evaluation of the product according to its various features, such as how durable it is or its serviceability; at times customers take into account a juxtaposition of the factors and their choice of different products depends on whether the products meet these juxtaposed product-based aspects. When referring to brands, customers also take into consideration whether the product is going to fulfill their psychological need or not. Five Forces Model Enterprises which operate on the selling concept support the notion that a large-scale effort is needed to promote a product; in the absence of a large-scale concept, customers are not going to consume enough products in order to

Benefits of reading newspapers Essay Example for Free

Benefits of reading newspapers Essay UIUC Physics 436 EM Fields Sources II Fall Semester, 2011 Supplemental Handout Prof. Steven Errede American Wire Gauge (AWG) Metric Gauge Wire Sizes AWG Wire Sizes (see table below) AWG: In the American Wire Gauge (AWG), diameters can be calculated by applying the formula: D(AWG) = 0.005 * 92 ((36-AWG)/39) inch. For the 00, 000, 0000 etc. gauges you use -1, -2, -3, which makes more sense mathematically than â€Å"double nought.† This means that in American Wire Gauge every 6 gauge decrease gives a doubling of the wire diameter, and every 3 gauge decrease doubles the wire cross sectional area – just like calculating dB’s in signal levels. Metric Wire Gauges (see table below) Metric Gauge: In the Metric Gauge scale, the gauge is 10 times the diameter in millimeters, thus a 50 gauge metric wire would be 5 mm in diameter. Note that in AWG the diameter goes up as the gauge goes down. Metric is the opposite. Probably because of this confusion, most of the time metric sized wire is specified in millimeters rather than metric gauges. Load Carrying Capacities (see table below) The following chart is a guideline of â€Å"ampacity†, or copper wire current-carrying capacity following the Handbook of Electronic Tables and Formulas for American Wire Gauge. As you might guess, the rated â€Å"ampacities† are just a rule of thumb. In careful engineering the insulation temperature limit, thickness, thermal conductivity, and air convection and temperature should all be taken into account. The Maximum Amps for Power Transmission uses the 700 circular mils per amp rule, which is very conservative. The Maximum Amps for Chassis Wiring is also a conservative rating, but is meant for wiring in air, and not in a bundle. For short lengths of wire, such as is used in battery packs, you should trade off the resistance and load with size, weight, and flexibility.  © Professor Steven Errede, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 2005-2008. All Rights Reserved. 1 UIUC Physics 436 EM Fields Sources II Fall Semester, 2011 Supplemental Handout Prof. Steven Errede AWG Gauge Diameter (Inches) Diameter (mm) Ohms per 1000†² (@ T=20oC) Ohms per km (@ T=20oC) Max amps for chassis wiring Max amps for power X-mission 0000 000 00 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Metric 2.0 33 Metric 1.8 34 Metric 1.6 35 Metric 1.4 36 Metric 1.25 37 Metric 1.12 38 Metric 1 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 0.4600 0.4096 0.3648 0.3249 0.2893 0.2576 0.2294 0.2043 0.1819 0.1620 0.1443 0.1285 0.1144 0.1019 0.0907 0.0808 0.0720 0.0641 0.0571 0.0508 0.0453 0.0403 0.0359 0.0320 0.0285 0.0254 0.0226 0.0201 0.0179 0.0159 0.0142 0.0126 0.0113 0.0100 0.0089 0.0080 0.00787 0.00710 0.00709 0.00630 0.00630 0.00560 0.00551 0.00500 0.00492 0.00450 0.00441 0.00400 0.00394 0.00350 0.00310 0.00280 0.00250 0.00220 0.00200 0.00176 0.00157 0.00140 11.6840 10.40384 9.26592 8.25246 7.34822 6.54304 5.82676 5.18922 4.62026 4.11480 3.66522 3.26390 2.90576 2.58826 2.30378 2.05232 1.82880 1.62814 1.45034 1.29032 1.15062 1.02362 0.91186 0.81280 0.72390 0.64516 0.57404 0.51054 0.45466 0.40386 0.36068 0.32004 0.28702 0.254 0.22606 0.2032 0.200 0.18034 0.18000 0.16002 0.16002 0.14224 0.14000 0.12700 0.12500 0.11430 0.11200 0.10160 0.10000 0.08890 0.07874 0.07112 0.06350 0.05588 0.05080 0.04470 0.03988 0.03556 0.0490 0.0618 0.0779 0.0983 0.1239 0.1563 0.1970 0.2485 0.3133 0.3951 0.4982 0.6282 0.7921 0.9989 1.2600 1.5880 2.0030 2.5250 3.1840 4.0160 5.0640 6.3850 8.0510 10.150 12.800 16.140 20.36 25.67 32.37 40.81 51.47 64.9 81.83 103.2 130.1 164.1 169.4 206.9 207.5 260.9 260.9 329.0 339.0 414.8 428.2 523.1 533.8 659.6 670.2 831.8 1049 1323 1659 2143 2593 3348 4207 5291 0.160720 0.202704 0.255512 0.322424 0.406392 0.512664 0.646160 0.815080 1.027624 1.295928 1.634096 2.060496 2.598088 3.276392 4.132800 5.208640 6.569840 8.282000 10.44352 13.17248 16.60992 20.94280 26.40728 33.29200 41.98400 52.93920 66.78080 84.19760 106.1736 133.8568 168.8216 212.8720 268.4024 338.4960 426.7280 538.2480 555.6100 678.6320 680.5500 855.7520 855.7520 1079.120 1114 1360 1404 1715 1750 2163 2198 2728 3442 4341 5443 7031 8507 10984 13802 17359 380 328 283 245 211 181 158 135 118 101 89 73 64 55 47 41 35 32 28 22 19 16 14 11 9 7 4.7 3.5 2.7 2.2 1.7 1.4 1.2 0.86 0.700 0.530 0.510 0.430 0.430 0.330 0.330 0.270 0.260 0.210 0.200 0.170 0.163 0.130 0.126 0.110 0.090 302 239 190 150 119 94 75 60 47 37 30 24 19 15 12 9.3 7.4 5.9 4.7 3.7 2.9 2.3 1.8 1.5 1.2 0.92 0.729 0.577 0.457 0.361 0.288 0.226 0.182 0.142 0.1130 0.0910 0.0880 0.0720 0.0720 0.0560 0.0560 0.0440 0.0430 0.0350 0.0340 0.0289 0.0277 0.0228 0.0225 0.0175 0.0137 2  © Professor Steven Errede, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 2005-2008. All Rights Reserved. UIUC Physics 436 EM Fields Sources II Fall Semester, 2011 Supplemental Handout Prof. Steven Errede  © Professor Steven Errede, Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 2005-2008. All Rights Reserved. 3

Essay --

Mekanism is a San francisco-based creative digital agency that is founded in 2000 by Tommy Means. Mekanism is derived from a company named Complete Pandemonium. Means saw a big opportunity of the internet for a great media platform that was not being deployed and understood by people and company back in 2000. Means started to grow his view to an independent integrated creative production studio to develop the branded content outside traditional marketing communication channels. Means aimed the mission to place the web media at the center of all advertising, and to make marketing more effective among all the other platforms. Immediately the agency was founded as an independent entity, he added three partners. Pete Caban as a head of digital, Ian Kovalic as an executive creative director, and Jason Harris as an executive producer. Pete Caban leads technology development, new media initiatives and business operations. Focusing mainly on projects surrounding emerging content platforms, Caban directs the technical development of Mekanism’s client campaigns by leveraging the industry’s latest innovations to deliver targeted content to the widest base. Ian Kovalic brings an artistic and creative background in design, interactive and animated storytelling. As executive creative director, he oversees most of the design execution across commercial, web and branded entertainment. Jason Harris leads the strategy and production of branded entertainment campaigns. His core focus is fostering Mekanism’s position as the premiere storyteller for emerging media. Harris represents a unique mix of strategy, management and production expertise. He works attentively with brands to help make hit content, develop community platforms, and enhance reach a... ...Super bowl, Mekanism continued engagement with the audience, with the contests where hundreds of thousands additional fans came to watch the spot frame by frame and hunt for planted easter eggs. Average times on Pepsi.com was unbelievable, 4 minutes and 35 seconds. The program garnered press eventually every outlet from USATODAY, to the New York Times to the Today Show. Through paid, owned , and earned media, it received over 5.5 billion impressions. In the end, Mekanism created a Fan-made film that looked stunning, and delivered on the creativity and passion of its audience which generated buzz long before and after the Super Bowl. But most importantly, Makanism amplified the voice of the now generation, and Pepsi put its marketing focus on the people who really matter, its consumers. http://youtu.be/a6YjAWU6_Qw>

The Right to Die, and Doctor-Assisted Suicide

The Right to Die, and Doctor-Assisted Suicide: The Mission of Late Dr. Jack Kevorkian Imagine a patient in a hospital suffering from the AIDS disease. And since his diagnosis he has suffered from two bouts of pneumonia, chronic, severe sinus and skin infections, severe seizures, and extreme fatigue. Seventy percent of his vision is already lost, and the disease has gone terminal. He has requested that his doctor prescribe him medicine that would kill him thus ending his suffering. This is exactly what Dr.Jack Kevorkian has been fighting for his entire life. To shed positive light upon the controversial subject of Physician-Assisted Suicide. A little back story on Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Kevorkian was the son of Armenian refugees who came to America to escape the Turkish genocide. His early talents ranged from hand-made woodwork, linguistics, to science experiments conducted in his basement. He then became a pathologist, devoting his life to the unusual task of showing the positives and s ocial benefits from death. He did not just take on the medical establishment and the law; throughout his life he dared to challenge a taboo as old as human civilization – the taboo against death† (Nicol, Wylie 2) Kevorkian was very outspoken and intensely committed to the causes that he believed in. He also lacked the ability to lie, so much, that its said that whenever he played poker with his friends, that he never bluffed, and if he bet everyone else folded. Kevorkian built a machine where patients, through self implanted pumps, have the ability to self-control the does of pain medication that they receive.And now the amount of doctors who quietly comply with a patient's request for a lethal does of medication is slowly rising up. Kevorkian made headlines by evading countless prosecutions, but then a case came up that no one could ignore, a case where a man so deteriorated due to his illness, that he could not operate the machine properly requiring Kevorkian to perso nally inject the lethal dose of medication himself. This man's name is Tom Youk and his case made the biggest impact on Kevorkian's life. Youk was diagnosed with ALS, a neuromuscular disorder caused by the death of the motor nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement.Youk's condition got worse and worse, making him unable to move his arms and legs, extreme difficulty in speaking, and having no control of his jaw and tongue causing Youk to choke on his own spit. Every doctor he would visit would just prescribe him a different ineffective pain medication that would do no benefit to his condition. Youk had asked several doctors to help him commit suicide but each one would not help him with his request. Then his family contacted Kevorkian, and after very careful research on Youk's medical records, Kevorkian obliged to go through with his treatment. Kevorkian would later say, ‘He just was terrified of choking to death, and he must have felt that he was on the verge of it. And I couldn't have him suffer in that kind of frame of mind because if a man is terrified, it's up to me to dispel that terror. ‘ † (Nicol, Wylie 9) Through multiple times, Kevorkian made sure that the patient had control over their death, for example, he would hook up a sedative that would go through a patient's IV, stopping the patient's heart if that patient would push a button.Youk was different, because he did not have the ability to physically activate a switch that would release a sedative that would kill him so he requested that Kevorkian would personally give the injection himself. Kevorkian's thought on this was that he would make a statement to the public after assisting Youk, win the court case, and then hopefully this would relieve the fear doctors had in doing the things that he did. Kevorkian recorded the process on tape, read a consent form to Youk, and the next following day, upon Youk's request, injected the lethal sedative into Youk's IV.After the vid eo being released to the public huge debates both medically and legally broke out. Three days later the state of Michigan charged Kevorkian for first-degree murder. When interviewed for ABC's 60 Minutes Kevorkian was portrayed as â€Å"Dr. Death† a man who caused another man to die and did not even seemed bother by it. After several trials, Jack Kevorkian was sentenced to 25 years in a maximum-security penitentiary. His health began to fail when in prison. He broke two ribs after falling in the recreation yard.He suffered from a double hernia, suffered from high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, adrenal insufficiency, chronic pulmonary obstruction disease, cataracts, and Hepatitis C. He was suffering the same fate as Tom Youk only this time he had no one to relieve his suffering. By 1999 Dr. Kevorkian became the poster boy for assisted suicide. Physician-Assisted suicide was made legal in the state of Oregon, and 86 percent of the country supported physician- assisted suicide to be made legal nationwide.A lot of people do not know the difference between euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. â€Å"If a third party performs the last act that intentionally causes a patient’s death, euthanasia has occurred†¦ On the other hand, if the person who dies performs the last act, assisted suicide has taken place. † (Hamlon, Marker) There are always two sides to every argument. One who supports a cause and another that opposes the cause. A large group of people are giving their support in trying to legalize physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia nationally.Richard Ikeda, a doctor who cares for low-income elderly patients, has stated, â€Å"When cure is no longer possible, the majority of Californians, and the majority of California physicians, want dying patients to have the right to make end-of-life choices in accord with their own values and beliefs†¦ This week [October 27, 2007] completed ten years' experience with Oregon's death with dignity laws, and all studies show end-of-life care has improved for all Oregonians. † (31) More and more physicians are trying to legalize physician-assisted suicide nationally to benefit for their suffering patients.An example of where physician-assisted suicide would benefit a patient would be Percy Bridgman. Bridgman was a Nobel-Prize winning physicist suffering from terminal cancer at the age of seventy nine. He was wracked with pain and drained of hope that he mustered up the courage to pull the trigger of a gun ending his own life forcing others to the agony of discovering his bloody and mangled body. Another example would be James Poe, who is a sixty-nine year old man suffering from emphysema which suffocates him time to time as well as heart failure due to his pulmonary disease.He must be hooked up to an oxygen tank at all times and needs to take morphine regularly to calm his anxiety due to his suffocation. He is mentally competent and has reques ted to commit suicide by taking physician-prescribed pills. There are countless more cases where patients would have benefited from physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Thomas A. Bowden, a legal analyst at the Ayn Rand Institute, states that individuals actually have the legal right to choose death. What lawmakers must grasp is that there is no rational basis upon which the government can properly prevent any individual from choosing to end his own life. When religious conservatives enact laws to enforce the idea that their God abhors suicide, they threaten the central principle on which America was founded on† (Bowden 36) The Declaration of Independence states that each individual person exists as an end for himself. This means that no one can interfere with this person's right to live or not and that no one may obstruct this person's sense of his own happiness.If happiness were to be blocked by a dreaded disease though, and the end result is a very slow and painful deat h, then why try to obstruct a person's decision to end their suffering? Society should not have to give anyone the permission to end his or her life, it is their choosing, their right. So a doctor willing to assist a completely mentally sane person to end his or her own life to end at heir suffering due to an illness that is untreatable and non-curable then that doctor should also have the right to do their bidding.Religious conservatives also have no legal right to force their beliefs upon a person if that person wants to end their life to end their suffering. Speaking of religion on the issue, actual ministers and religious people have begin to find loop holes in the text and started to try and prove that physician-assisted suicide was actually very moral. Alvaro Vargas Llosa, senior and director of the Center of Global Prosperity at the Independent Institute, has stated that the religious argument against euthanasia contradicts a Judeo-Christian tradition. The religious argument against euthanasia-that it violates the sanctity of life-contradicts the single most powerful premise of the Judeo-Christian tradition: that God gives every person free will. † (Llosa 69) It basically undermines the belief that the spirit outlives the body. These conservatives are putting mercy on the useless body rather than the everlasting soul that is suffering. A few other contradictions: Jews perishing at Masada rather than being enslaved or Christians martyring themselves rather than betray God by bowing to a Roman deity.The death of a terminally ill patient can lift off the pain and the suffering of not only the patient, but the patient's family as well. No more do they have to here their wails of pain or seeing them suffer before their eyes, just the simple fact that they know that their loved one is at peace can bring happiness through the whole family. By making a life and death situation, this person is making a choice to help someone left behind. And helping anothe r brings a higher value to a person's own existence. As Minister Kenneth W. Phifer put it, â€Å"To choose death sooner rather than later can be an act of high moral stature.Mere existence is not an absolute value. † (71) Religious conservatives may have their morals and their excuses as to why physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia may seem sinful within their eyes but these statements listed above has contradicted and proven that a person can still have strong religious beliefs, but still can take consider that physician-assisted suicide is still an acceptable way to relieve themselves of suffering a long awaited and painful death even from their own god's eyes. Today, death is more of an urgent issue due to an increase in medical knowledge and technology.Not all pain can be managed though. No one should have the right to force someone to face grievous pain because they think it is more moral. No one should deny anyone the right to end their own life to end their sufferi ng because it does not seem right in their eyes. â€Å"Furthermore, doctors cannot always be healers. Each of us will come to a point in life when no medical treatment will help us, save perhaps to relieve our pain. At that point, when our condition is terminal, what we need more than anything else is intelligent compassion. (Phifer 77) Sometimes what terminal patients need is not medication to ease their physical pain, but sometimes true compassion and knowing of what they are going through. Medication for the soul to soothe their emotional pain, to help them ease into death peacefully. A lot of doctors do this method called the â€Å"double effect† and religious communities support this. What the â€Å"double effect† is, is that it is a principle where doctors prescribe medication for pain even though they know that the level of medication will kill the patient. Even Pope John Paul II approves of the â€Å"double effect†. It is licit to relieve pain by narcot ics, even when the result decreased consciousness and a shortening of life. † (Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life). A lot of people argue that if physician-assisted suicide were to be made legal, that there would be an increase in suicides among disadvantaged individuals. Well according to the University of Utah, â€Å"legalizing physician-assisted suicide in Oregon and the Netherlands did not result in a disproportionate number of deaths among the elderly, poor, women, minorities, uninsured, minors, chronically ill, less educated or psychiatric patients. (130) The studies showed that within the ten study groups, only the group with AIDS infected people opted for the use of physician-assisted suicide. â€Å"Whereas modern medicine has brought great benefits to humanity, it cannot entirely solve the pain and distress of the dying process. Each person deals with death in their individual way. Which way is determined by their health, their ethics, and personal living conditi ons. † (Humphry) It just boils down to how the individual reacts to their condition. If a atient is in such unbearable pain and suffering that they want someone to end their life peacefully to relieve their pain, then so be it. No one should have to force their opinion as fact and not allow the patient to do so because of the doctor's or family's belief. It all depends on what that one individual wants. It is their life, let them be in control of it. With every group that is for a cause, there is always a group against the cause as well. And when it comes to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, things do not change.With a large support group behind these causes comes a large anti-group too. Trudy Chun and Marian Wallace are writers for Concerned Women for America, a conservative, pro-family, pro-life organization. â€Å"The very laws once deigned to protect a person's inalienable right to life now permit the elimination of those deemed unworthy to live. And in the name of compassion, doctors trained to heal and to prolong life are shortening and even snuffing it out altogether. † (Chun, Wallace 41) Doctors swore an oath to keep a patient alive as much and as long as possible no matter what.Killing a patient on purpose goes against everything a doctor stands for, everything a doctor was trained to do. This oath is called the â€Å"Hippocratic Oath† and within this oath a physician must state, â€Å"I will give no deadly medicine, even when asked. † Physicians are healers and the inability of physicians of preventing death does not mean a physician has the right to cause death. Diane Coleman, and executive director of progress Center for Independent Living, which is a nonprofit nonresidential service and advocacy center operated by and for people with disabilities.Coleman was born with a neuromuscular disability since birth, and was given a life expectancy of twelve years. When she outlived this her diagnosis and expectancy chang ed as well. Within the next few years she began to develop respiratory problems and began to use a breathing machine at night. â€Å"I had two other friends, one in her 20's and one in her 50's, who needed the same thing. But their doctors discouraged them from it, reinforcing their fears, and either didn't know or didn't disclose what the medical journals said would happen as a result.At an early age they each went into respiratory distress, and died within a month from infections. † (Coleman 190) Doctors today are pushing ways in which to end patients lives shorter rather than prolonging their life and treating their problems to the fullest. Seventy percent of Kevorkian's â€Å"terminally ill† patients are said to have not even be terminally ill in the first place, meaning that there was still a chance in saving these individuals lives and if physicians would be allowed to kill their patients on their patients will then a treatment that could actually work may never be found.Ira Byock, director and professor of palliative care at Dartmouth Medical School, states that palliative care should be considered instead of assisted suicide. â€Å"Mortality teaches us a lot about life, if we let it. One thing it teaches is that human life in inherently spiritual, whether or not a person has a religion† (Byock 227) What hospice is, is that it is an end-of-life option. It is meant to bring comfort, dignity, and calmness in dealing with a terminally ill patient.It brings a sense of compassion and respect for the dignity of each individual patient on how he or she deals and encounters death. Instead of prematurely ending another person's life instantaneously, It makes sure the patient lives life to the very last comfortably and lovingly. It gives the patient the peace of mind that he or she has been made to feel as comfortable as possible and peace of mind to their loved ones by knowing that such care is taking place. As with the pro side of physician -assisted suicide, religion plays a huge part in the anti portion. The Christian understanding of humanity insists that we are not autonomous creatures that have the right to determine when we shall live and when we shall die† (Mohler 92) Christian's believe that it is God's duty to determine when a body lives and when a body dies and that if the body were to be slain prematurely at the hand of another person intentionally then that soul would be punished. Religion is an extremely important variable when it comes to suicide since suicide is seen to be sinful. Christians believe that life has meaning.That life is not just a course, but a gift. Life is all about experiences and experiences includes good things, happiness, compassion, love, but also experiencing â€Å"the bad too† such as pain, and suffering. In all in all religion is a very important factor since most citizens in America are Christians and with the campaign to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted su icide continues, these supporters must convince these religious conservatives in order to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted nationally.Again, with every big controversial topic, there will always be a pro side and an anti side. Each group will have their own very good points being made. But the key idea of physician-assisted suicide would not have been made as popular as it is today without the compassionate, influential, and controversial ideas of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. His compassion for seeking out and showing the public the truth of physician-assisted suicide and the goodness it entails is enticing. The amount of court cases he had dodged and accusations he got away from is still remarkable to this day.Though he was known as â€Å"Dr. Death† as portrayed by the media, people who really knew Kevorkian knew that he was a very humble, kind, and passionate old man just trying to help the unfortunate. And even though he has since passed, there are still plenty, upon plen ty of people out there to make it their life's work to make sure that Kevorkian's vision of a nation that accepts physician-assisted suicide as a legal and moral practice to do on suffering terminal patients comes true.

My School Essay

School is a temple of learning and a training ground for future citizens. The name of my school is Penang Chinese Girls High School. It was set up in 19-an by a land-lord in our area. He donated land and money for the school. The atmosphere in which our school is situated is very pleasant. It is surrounded by a big field on one side and a small garden with flowers on the other. The school has three rows of big buildings. The name of the school is written on the front building. There are many classrooms in the front building. Other rooms in the back building are used for different purposes such as the Head Master’s Office, Library, the Clerk’s Office, the Science Laboratory, the Teachers’ Common-room, the N. C. C. and etc. There are 80 teacher, a specific teacher for librarians, a clerk and several peons in our school. All the teachers are qualified and experienced. The Head Master is a learned woman,she solved problems of the pupils efficiently. The total number of students of our school is about 20thousand hundred. We go to school in uniform,our school consisits of girls only,therefore girls wear blue skirt and white blouse. The school functions from for 2 sessions. During the recess hour we go to the canteen to relax and savour some mouth-watering food. Some students also go to library and read newspaper there. In games period we play badminton, volley ball, etc. Girl students play ring ball too. The library of our school is a medium one. There are about two thousand books on different subjects; we did not have a library period in our weekly routine,so we borrow books from our library and refund them after a week in our free time. We observe the Republic Day, the Independence Day, the Teacher’s Day in our school. We also hold debate competitions and games and sports every year. The school magazine is published every year. In annual examinations the students from our school show brilliant performance. Many students from this school have occupied glorious position in our state. Our school always holds book fair for students to have a chance to explore the advantages of reading. This year a classical teacher from our school retired formally. The discipline, the study atmosphere and the brilliant academic result of our school attract many meritorious students from distant parts of our state. It is an ideal school in all respects.

Presidential Election of 1836 essays

Presidential Election of 1836 essays The presidential election of 1836 is often overlooked in the matter of importance of United States elections. Common opinion is that it was an insignificant election that was a runaway by the Democrats because the Whigs could not agree on a candidate. However, the election was important in the fact that there was once again a two party system. The election was not as convincing a victory for the Democrats as is popularly held. The Democrats and Whigs each faced various challenges on the road to the election of 1836. Andrew Jackson and the Jacksonian Democratic Republicans enjoyed dominating victories in both the 1828 and 1832 elections, but there was uncertainty heading into the election of 1836. Many former Democrats had left the party for various reasons; Jackson had disillusioned some by the extensive powers he used while in office, while others feared Martin Van Buren, former Vice-president and the apparent heir to Jackson. Stunned when the legislature of his own state of Tennessee decided to nominate favorite son Senator Hugh Lawson White in January 1835, he {Jackson} called for a Democratic convention before more states were lost, (5, 57.) Jackson wanted to unite the Democratic party behind the man that he saw as the future of the party, Van Buren. Many factors now would play against Van Buren. He had trouble within his party as the vice-presidential nomination was very close and the man who was defeated, Senator William C. Rives of Virginia and his supporters were angered by their loss. Van Buren personally wrote Rives to explain the need for balance on their ticket and to urge him to join in and support the Democratic party. Van Buren also had to stave off personal attacks including accusations of being an abolitionist. These charges were unfounded; as in earlier campaigns, Van Buren was too intent on keeping the support of the southern planters to say anything about slavery. To reassure his ...

Development of American Colonies essays

Development of American Colonies essays Before 1763, economic issues rather than religious positions determined the development of American colonies. Explore the validity of this statement by discussing three of the following colonies. (Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Carolina, Massachusetts Bay) Before 1763, the American colonies were greatly shaped by economic issues rather than religious issues. This statement will be investigated in three of the five available choices listed above. Virginia is known as the child of tobacco. In 1612, John Rolfe had perfected tobacco into a pleasant smoke. Soon after, the European demand for tobacco greatly increased and colonists of Virginia rushed for land in which to make their fortunes. Tobacco became such a big deal that Virginia at one point had to import food because of too much time spent growing tobacco. Eventually, tobacco was Virginias main trade, giving a strong economic advantage. The Carolinas were named after Charles II, and the land was given from him to eight of his favorite Proprietors. The Proprietors planned on growing foodstuffs to help supply the sugar plantations in Barbados. Wine, silk, and olive oil was also exported from the Carolinas. The Carolinas flourished because of close economic ties with the sugar plantations in the English West Indies. Rice was a main crop of the Carolinas as well, and was greedily accepted as a delicacy in Europe, furthering Carolinas economic strength. Maryland was founded in 1634 by Lord Baltimore. Baltimore and his family were devout Catholics, and he partly made Maryland a haven for his fellow Catholics. The other part was to make a profit. Huge land grants were offered to Baltimores Catholic relatives, and offers were soon taken at the mentioning of free land. Tobacco was largely planted and depended on the cheap indentured servants in order to farm it. For that reason, Maryland increased in population and wealth a good amount. ...

German Battleship Tirpitz - World War II

German Battleship Tirpitz - World War II The Tirpitz was a German battleship used during World War II.  The British made several efforts to sink Tirpitz and finally succeeded in late 1944. Shipyard: Kriegsmarinewerft, WilhelmshavenLaid Down: November 2, 1936Launched: April 1, 1939Commissioned: February 25, 1941Fate: Sunk on November 12, 1944 Specifications Displacement: 42,900 tonsLength: 823 ft., 6 in.Beam: 118 ft. 1 in.Draft: 30 ft. 6 in.Speed: 29 knotsComplement: 2,065 men Guns 8 Ãâ€" 15 in. SK C/34 (4 Ãâ€" 2)12 Ãâ€" 5.9 in. (6 Ãâ€" 2)16 Ãâ€" 4.1 in. SK C/33 (8 Ãâ€" 2)16 Ãâ€" 1.5 in. SK C/30 (8 Ãâ€" 2)12 Ãâ€" 0.79 in. FlaK 30 (12 Ãâ€" 1) Construction Laid down at Kriegsmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven on November 2, 1936, Tirpitz was the second and final ship of the Bismarck-class of battleship. Initially given the contract name G, the ship was later named for famed German naval leader Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. Christened by the late admirals daughter, Tirpitz was launched April 1, 1939. Work continued on the battleship through 1940. As World War II had begun, the ships completion was delayed by British air strikes on the Wilhelmshaven shipyards. Commissioned on February 25, 1941, Tirpitz departed for its sea trials in the Baltic. Capable of 29 knots, Tirpitzs primary armament consisted of eight 15 guns mounted in four dual turrets. These were supplemented by a secondary battery of twelve 5.9 guns. In addition, it mounted a variety of light anti-aircraft guns, which were increased throughout the war. Protected by a main belt of armor that was 13 thick, Tirpitzs power was provided by three Brown, Boveri Cie geared steam turbines capable of producing over 163,000 horsepower. Entering active service with the Kriegsmarine, Tirpitz conducted extensive training exercises in the Baltic. In the Baltic Assigned to Kiel, Tirpitz was in port when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Putting to sea, it became the flagship of Admiral Otto Ciliaxs Baltic Fleet. Cruising off the Aland Islands with the heavy cruiser, four light cruisers, and several destroyers, Ciliax endeavored to prevent a breakout of the Soviet fleet from Leningrad. When the fleet disbanded in late September, Tirpitz resumed training activities. In November, Admiral Erich Raeder, commander of the Kriegsmarine, ordered the battleship to Norway so that it could strike at Allied convoys. Arriving in Norway After a brief overhaul, Tirpitz sailed north on January 14, 1942, under the command of Captain Karl Topp. Arriving at Trondheim, the battleship soon moved to a safe anchorage at nearby Fà ¦ttenfjord. Here Tirpitz was anchored next to a cliff to aid in protecting it from air strikes. In addition, extensive anti-aircraft defenses were constructed, as well as torpedo nets and protective booms. Though efforts were made to camouflage the ship, the British were aware of its presence through decrypted Enigma radio intercepts. Having established a base in Norway, Tirpitzs operations were limited due to fuel shortages. Though Bismarck had some success in the Atlantic against HMS Hood prior to its loss in 1941, Adolf Hitler refused to allow Tirpitz to conduct a similar sortie as he did not wish to lose the battleship. By remaining operational, it served as a fleet in being and tied down British naval resources. As a result, ​Tirpitzs missions were largely limited to the North Sea and Norwegian waters. Initial operations against Allied convoys were canceled when Tirpitzs supporting destroyers were withdrawn. Putting to sea on March 5, Tirpitz sought to attack Convoys QP-8 and PQ-12. Convoy Actions Missing the former, Tirpitzs spotter aircraft located the latter. Moving to intercept, Ciliax was initially unaware that the convoy was supported by elements of Admiral John Toveys Home Fleet. Turning for home, Tirpitz was unsuccessfully attacked by British carrier planes on March 9. In late June, Tirpitz and several German warships sortied as part of Operation Rà ¶sselsprung. Intended as an attack on Convoy PQ-17, the fleet turned back after receiving reports that they had been spotted. Returning to Norway, Tirpitz anchored in Altafjord. After being shifted to Bogenfjord near Narvik, the battleship sailed for Fà ¦ttenfjord where it began an extensive overhaul in October. Concerned over the threat posed by Tirpitz, the Royal Navy attempted to attack the ship with two Chariot human torpedoes in October 1942. This effort was disrupted by heavy seas. Completing its post-overhaul trials, Tirpitz returned to active duty with Captain Hans Meyer taking command on February 21, 1943. That September, Admiral Karl Doenitz, now leading the Kriegsmarine, ordered Tirpitz and other German ships to attack the small Allied base at Spitsbergen. Relentless British Attacks Attacking on September 8, Tirpitz, in its only offensive action, provided naval gunfire support to German forces going ashore. Destroying the base, the Germans withdrew and returned to Norway. Eager to eliminate Tirpitz, the Royal Navy initiated Operation Source later that month. This involved sending ten X-Craft midget submarines to Norway. The plan called for the X-Craft to penetrate the fjord and attach mines to the battleships hull. Moving forward on September 22, two X-Craft successfully completed their mission. The mines detonated and caused extensive damage to the ship and its machinery. Though badly wounded, Tirpitz remained afloat and repairs commenced. These were completed on April 2, 1944, and sea trials were planned for the following day in Altafjord. Learning that Tirpitz was nearly operational, the Royal Navy launched Operation Tungsten on April 3. This saw eighty British carrier planes attack the battleship in two waves. Scoring fifteen bomb hits, the aircraft inflicted serious damage and widespread fires but failed to sink Tirpitz. Assessing the damage, Doenitz ordered the ship repaired though understood that, due to a lack of air cover, its usefulness would be limited. In an effort to finish the job, the Royal Navy planned several additional strikes through April and May but were prevented from flying due to poor weather. Final Demise By June 2, German repair parties had restored engine power and gunnery trials were possible at the end of the month. Returning on August 22, aircraft from British carriers launched two raids against Tirpitz but failed to score any hits. Two days later, a third strike managed two hits but inflicted little damage. As the Fleet Air Arm had been unsuccessful in eliminating Tirpitz, the mission was given to the Royal Air Force. Using Avro Lancaster heavy bombers carrying massive Tallboy bombs, No. 5 Group conducted Operation Paravane on September 15. Flying from forward bases in Russia, they succeeded in getting one hit on the battleship which severely damaged its bow as well as injured other equipment on board. British bombers returned on October 29 but managed only near misses which damaged the ships port rudder. To protect Tirpitz, a sandbank was built around the ship to prevent capsizing and torpedo nets were put in place. On November 12, Lancasters dropped 29 Tallboys on the anchorage, scoring two hits and several near misses. Those that missed destroyed the sandbank. While one Tallboy penetrated forward, it failed to explode. The other struck amidships and blew out part of the ships bottom and side. Listing severely, Tirpitz was soon rocked by a massive explosion as one of its magazines detonated. Rolling, the stricken ship capsized. In the attack, the crew suffered around 1,000 casualties. The wreck of Tirpitz remained in place for the remainder of the war and was later salvaged between 1948 and 1957. Selected Sources Tirpitz HistoryBBC: Tirpitz

Functional Social Support and Major Depression In Cancer Patients Article

Functional Social Support and Major Depression In Cancer Patients - Article Example Functional social support (FSS) is needed, and it entails more of emotional assistance The article highlights the findings that were observed after an undertaking that sought to show the impact of each of these support methods. It was noted that there was no discrepancy in the way both genders perceived the impact of FSS. In the same study, the researchers sought to analyze the impact of social support in relation to major depression by age. In the study, younger patients from the age of 18 to 54 were included in the study. It was observed that the FSS full scale was negative and had significant relation to MD among the younger and the older population (Chan et al p.48). The studies proved that some approaches prove vital for patients suffering from various conditions including cancer. However, for people who suffer from physical illnesses, some support systems proved to have little impact (Chan et al p.49). Notwithstanding this discovery, the study also showed that perception is imperative in aiding the patients. For instance, the Social Support could be beneficial to the patients if their perception is backed up by others in the society. Also, the impact often depends on the gender with evidence from the study showing male patients do not necessarily need the FSS and the AFF. In short, the study showed that the relation between the clinical depression and the SS is mainly moderated by a source or support, gender and the type of FSS employed. Nonetheless, the study comprehensively observed that, â€Å"the provision of social support can lead to a reduction in depressed mood in the following day† (Chan et al p.49). That is to say that whilst not every sickness can be remedied through the said interventions, offer support to these patients has significant impact on their psychological condition. Normally, when patients are left alone, there is

United Nations And International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

United Nations And International Law - Essay Example The role of the United Nations through its different affiliate organs; the United Nations Secretariat, International Court of Justice and the Security Council carry this important function of ensuring peace in the world. the International Court of Justice have affiliate courts and tribunals that aid in reprimanding people and states who have committed acts against people in different parts of the globe. These include International Criminal Court-created by the Rome Statute, Secretary-General's Trust Fund and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon amongst others. International law is very beneficial in that without it there would be chaos this is based on a set of the outline on states as the key actors in the international legal system. The international law defines each and every states individual and collective role in their performance with one another, within each and every state's boundary and their treatment of their citizens of those member countries. International law covers very m any different areas primal to their interest is the value of human rights, disarmament of militia communities and other unauthorized militias, refugees, migration, statelessness, organized crime, and treatment of inmates among others. Secretariat The headquarters of the United Nations hence the Secretariat is based in New York, although the body maintains the formidable presence in various cities across the globe and these include Ethiopia, Austria, Kenya, Santiago, Thailand, Switzerland, and Beirut.... International law is very beneficial in that without it there would be chaos this is based on a set of outline on states as the key actors in the international legal system. The international law defines each and every states individual and collective role in their performance with one another, within each and every state’s boundary and their treatment of their citizens of those member countries. International law covers very many different areas primal to their interest is the value of human rights, disarmament of militia communities and other unauthorized militias, refugees, migration, statelessness, organized crime and treatment of inmates among others. Secretariat The headquarters of the United Nations hence the Secretariat is based in New York, although the body maintains formidable presence in various cities across the globe and these include Ethiopia, Austria, Kenya, Santiago, Thailand, Switzerland and Beirut. This refers to a host of international staff working in very many different duty stations around the world, they carry out diverse functions that relate to day-to- day roles of their offices and the general core values of the body. The Secretariat enhances the activities of other agencies and primary organs of the UN and thereafter oversees the programmes and functions established by them. At the heart ofUN-secretariat there is a Secretary-General who is appointed by the UNGA with the assistance from UNSC, and serves a five-year term, which is renewable. The secretariat is the core body of the United Nations and runs most of its day-to-day activities, coordinating the mandate of the United Nations all over the world. The range of duties includes but not limited to

African history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

African history - Essay Example of how a powerful leader might approach changing ideologies within his own homeland in order to both reach the common people as well as the important figures at court. To understand how this came to be, a brief summary of Sundiata’s story is necessary. Born into a Muslim household to a deformed woman who seemed to have passed the idea of deformity onto her son, Sundiata’s beginnings were humble enough for a born prince. He is described as lazy, glutinous, seldom spoke and was unable to walk on his own. Nevertheless, his father provided him with a powerful griot in the belief that he would someday be king. Through a desire to help his mother stop crying, he was able to begin walking. To keep him safe from his elder half-brother, who had already sent his half-sister and griot away to the enemy king Suomaoro of Sosso, Sundiata and his mother fled to far-away lands where Sundiata learned how to hunt, fight and gained in wisdom. When he learned Suomaoro had overtaken his homeland of Mari, Sundiata returned, gathering fighters along the way. Through several battles involving aspects of both religions, Sundiata finally prevails over Suomaor o and founds an empire of his own. Elements of the traditional African religions can be seen traced throughout the book. Even before he is born, it was the voice of the soothsayers that led Sundiata’s father to marry his buffalo-woman mother, saying that one day he would make a great king. It is again the soothsayers of the old religions that have already prepared a great iron bar against that day when Sundiata would call for it in order to help him gain his feet. â€Å"The master of the forges, Farakourou, was the son of the old Nounfari, and he was a soothsayer like his father. In his workshops there was an enormous iron bar wrought by his father Nounfari. Everybody wondered what this bar was destined to be used for.† Witches are called to destroy him, but cannot because he is good of heart. His sister is also a

Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things - Essay Example The desire to stay ahead of Pepsi and to be able to meet the taste of what Pepsi produces made the strategy of New Coke compelling to the executives of Coca Cola. In the early 80’s coke lost its market share to its rival Pepsi by two share points which represented to about $960million sales of Coke production. Coke real marketing problem was its advertisement and not its product. With a change in the soft drink consumer market, coke was not able to match up with the thought process with its commercials ads. Coca Cola had lost generation of young people with its bland advertising style. Coke advertising had a stodgy look and feel in comparison to Pepsi. Coke did not have any relevant statement for the youth in the 80’s. It was being positioned as a beverage preferred by senior citizens in comparison to Pepsi ads which targeted the youths. As a result the company did not pay any attention in improving the advertising rather focused on the product as marketing problem. Coke advertising strategy was no longer matching with the youth culture. Coke had researched every number and projection before the launch of its New Coke and the figures were accurate but it mis-leaded the company as it allowed the company to chase the wrong problem. The problem was in advertisement strategy the executives thought it to be the product. The executive of Coke got carried away with fragile and funky numbers. It ignored the issue that impacted the quality of the numbers such as research design, problem definition, how to ask questions and the analytical skills which helped to interpret the meaning of the numbers. Numbers have always been accepted blithely and so did New Coke before its launch. New Coke marketing research lacked validity as it did not communicate to its consumer that its flagship brand would be replaced with new sweeter product and its research was one dimensional. It was based only in sip testing which took place at central locations and was

Analytical report on a current 'people issue' in the business news Essay

Analytical report on a current 'people issue' in the business news event as a 'case study you are required to undertake an - Essay Example The two major areas of HRM chosen for the purpose are human resource management care for the employees in organisations; and resourcing the organisation. The article chosen is on a recent survey which was undertaken by the â€Å"WorldatWork† (HRM Guide, 2010). The article has been chosen to ensure that it highlights the major aspects of recruitment practices and other benefits that employees are liable to in an organisations. It tries to bring about a link between the theories and practices and identifies the gaps between the same. Lastly, it provides suitable and needful recommendations to be undertaken by organisations in removing the same. Description about the news article The news article which was published on July 02, 2010 brings forth the results of a survey which was conducted on a number of employers in the US over â€Å"paid time off work† (HRM Guide, 2010). Three fourth of the employers in USA responded by saying that it was necessary to offer programs of pa id time off in order to remain competitive in the labour market. They conducted the programs through traditional and non-traditional ways. There were 1036 numbers of respondents from the benefits and compensation departments in the large corporations in USA. Lenny Sanicola, a member of the WorldatWork said that â€Å"time is the new currency and employers remaining committed to providing paid time off as a key employee benefit and reward† (HRM Guide, 2010). The three programs which were used in by employers are the traditional method, the PTO Bank type method and the Unlimited Leave method. The first method was used by 54% of the US companies. Under this program, employees are given particular allotments for vacations, sick and personal days. The PTO Bank model were being used by 40% of the employers under which employees were given a particular numbers of days to be used as leave for individual purposes. The unlimited leave strategy was undertaken by only 1% of the organisat ions under which employees would be given as many leaves as they wanted. It was seen that majority of the companies in USA were losing numerous dollars in the form of productivity and payroll expenses. The reason was that they were failing to manage the employees’ time off effectively. Employers believed that this would be crucial for successful recruitment, selection and retention of candidates but most of them did not maximise on the value of this aspect in the benefits program. The survey on 421 companies showed that 11% of them provided the time-off programs equally among all the employees. This made it difficult for them to manage and administer. The reports showed that the time-off programs were important tools for increasing attractiveness of organisations as employers but it had become extremely complex. This had made their administration and management difficult. It is crucial that companies undertake such programs which would allow them to quantify and track the tim e-off that their employees take since the programs involved are as expensive as that involving health care benefits, or overtime and temporary labour. It is realised that employers are the first ones and directly responsible providers of welfare to the employees. It is their involvement with the welfare facilities which

The sports industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The sports industry - Essay Example a sport or entertainment source, but also as an economic tool, the levels of professionalism, the industry’s profitability and income improvement levels in various nations where the sport is recognized and respected has risen tremendously. Primarily, the value of sports is a crucial topic for anyone trying to understand this industry must review. Considering a study by Deloitte, which was conducted first in 1992, and the last time it was conducted in 2013, the football industry has grown by 14 times from its initial  £170 million to its current value, estimated to be  £2.3 billion. Such growth levels indicate that this is probably one of the greatest drivers of the economy. In Europe, the football industry is one of the biggest industries with even venture capitalists investing in it. The value of the football industry has changed over a short period of time and this can be attributed to a number of features which range from exposure to increase in global interest in the sport (Sports Business Group, 2013). This growth in profits and revenues is not only accounted for by ticket sales, but also from endorsements from other companies and the invisible aspect of how much the football industry has improved other industries as well. Pay TV, for instance, is one of the industries that has greatly benefitted from football, with the increase in numbers of viewers and the development of more programs for the game. Media companies such as Super-Sport, ESPN, SKY sports and ITV digital are some firms that have reaped profits from football seasons impressively. Commercialization of the industry has also boosted its value appreciably. In 2012, the premier league was ranked as one of the highest grossing organizations in the UK. In just a mere season, the domestic rights for the broadcasting of soccer games were sold for over  £ 1 billion per year, which amounts to 18% of all domestic media rights in the UK. Secondly, the game attendance levels for the previous season were

Analytical report on a current 'people issue' in the business news Essay

Analytical report on a current 'people issue' in the business news event as a 'case study you are required to undertake an - Essay Example The two major areas of HRM chosen for the purpose are human resource management care for the employees in organisations; and resourcing the organisation. The article chosen is on a recent survey which was undertaken by the â€Å"WorldatWork† (HRM Guide, 2010). The article has been chosen to ensure that it highlights the major aspects of recruitment practices and other benefits that employees are liable to in an organisations. It tries to bring about a link between the theories and practices and identifies the gaps between the same. Lastly, it provides suitable and needful recommendations to be undertaken by organisations in removing the same. Description about the news article The news article which was published on July 02, 2010 brings forth the results of a survey which was conducted on a number of employers in the US over â€Å"paid time off work† (HRM Guide, 2010). Three fourth of the employers in USA responded by saying that it was necessary to offer programs of pa id time off in order to remain competitive in the labour market. They conducted the programs through traditional and non-traditional ways. There were 1036 numbers of respondents from the benefits and compensation departments in the large corporations in USA. Lenny Sanicola, a member of the WorldatWork said that â€Å"time is the new currency and employers remaining committed to providing paid time off as a key employee benefit and reward† (HRM Guide, 2010). The three programs which were used in by employers are the traditional method, the PTO Bank type method and the Unlimited Leave method. The first method was used by 54% of the US companies. Under this program, employees are given particular allotments for vacations, sick and personal days. The PTO Bank model were being used by 40% of the employers under which employees were given a particular numbers of days to be used as leave for individual purposes. The unlimited leave strategy was undertaken by only 1% of the organisat ions under which employees would be given as many leaves as they wanted. It was seen that majority of the companies in USA were losing numerous dollars in the form of productivity and payroll expenses. The reason was that they were failing to manage the employees’ time off effectively. Employers believed that this would be crucial for successful recruitment, selection and retention of candidates but most of them did not maximise on the value of this aspect in the benefits program. The survey on 421 companies showed that 11% of them provided the time-off programs equally among all the employees. This made it difficult for them to manage and administer. The reports showed that the time-off programs were important tools for increasing attractiveness of organisations as employers but it had become extremely complex. This had made their administration and management difficult. It is crucial that companies undertake such programs which would allow them to quantify and track the tim e-off that their employees take since the programs involved are as expensive as that involving health care benefits, or overtime and temporary labour. It is realised that employers are the first ones and directly responsible providers of welfare to the employees. It is their involvement with the welfare facilities which

Is it morally acceptable to consider race and ethnicity as factors in Essay

Is it morally acceptable to consider race and ethnicity as factors in university admissions - Essay Example This was because racism was a major issue of concern during that period and supporting the admissions of racial minorities was considered as a step in overcoming this problem. The recent perspective for this encouragement of admissions of people from different races is the achievement of diversity in the educational institutions (Biskupic). Following the year 1978, there have been different legal proceedings on this issue and questions have been raised regarding the moral acceptability of the consideration of race and ethnicity as factors in university admissions. The year 2003 was very important in the United States with regard to the issue of consideration of races in university admissions. The Supreme Court gave a ruling that admissions in universities by utilizing race as a factor were constitutional if the selection was fair and proper methods of selection of the students were used. This ruling came in the cases relating to the University of Michigan. The court indicated two ben efits of this policy which included the fact that they brought positive effects for the society and they were also associated with bringing diversity to the universities which is a very important part of the educational atmosphere. Furthermore, President Faulkner also supported this ruling and presented positive thoughts on this ruling. He explained that groups that are ignored and not properly represented would be able to come forward and become active members of the society as well (Blum; Editorial). Thus, for the betterment of the society and the proper representation of all the people, the usage of race as a factor in university admissions is acceptable. An important legal proceeding which has challenged the previous rulings of the Supreme Court is the case of Abigail Fisher. Since almost three decades, the Supreme Court supported the utilization of race as a criterion for university admissions but it is now believed that the Court might reconsider its decision. Fisher is a resi dent of Houston and is a white and she has filed a petition against the University of Texas at Austin by claiming that her rejection by the university was unjust and unfair. She has put forward the fact that many students coming from ethnic minorities who had educational records like her were given admission by the university. The proceedings of this case have taken place in the Supreme Court and it is feared by many university administrators that the court might issue a verdict in favor of Fisher. While awaiting the judgment on the case, administrators of educational institutions have sited their fears with regard to this issue. Marvin Krislov who is the President of the Oberlin College of Ohio has put forward these concerns by explaining that the students of minority groups would greatly reduce if the verdict comes in favor of Miss Fisher (Biskupic). Furthermore, the decision of the University of Texas was supported by many universities across the United States and universities pr ovided their written opinions to the court to rule in favor of the University of Texas and allow it to follow its admission policies of considering race as a factor in admissions (Blum). The usage of race and ethnicity as a factor in university admissions has been banned in many states in the United States. These include California, Washington, Michigan, Nebraska and Arizona. The usage of rac

Attitude and Luxury Essay Example for Free

Attitude and Luxury Essay It is universal truth that luxury brand industry is still booming even during financial crisis because todays people have the right mind-set that luxury products are purposeful and well thought out. In other words, they want to show off their wealth and personal status. Main Forces The Macroenvironment Facing The Luxury Brand Industry Analysing the macroenvironment facing the luxury brand industry, there are demographic forces, economic forces, cultural forces and technological forces. 1) Demographic Forces. Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupation and other statistics â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p. 89). Age It is learnt from the case study that generation Y is so important to luxury brands. The main reason is that most of them are single people with single incomes. So, their spending power is really higher, compared to generation X. Thus, recession also does not affect them much. As a result, generation Y can be considered as a confident segment that prefers to spend over saving. Moreover, they are brand loyal and feel personally connected to their choices. And, they get the information from the social web like Facebook and Twitter as well as from the fashion-forward television series Gossip Girl (Caines, 2009). In addition, they have been attracted by those Hollywood stars like Emma Watson, Rachael Taylor, Kristen Stewart using Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. (Case Study). Therefore, it is understood that the international luxury market is made up of young affluent citizens of the world. Location. According to the â€Å"Luxury Fashion Branding† (Okonkwo, 2007, p. 73), a quarter of the world who are using luxury goods are Japanese. And, most of them are over fifty years old who are the centre of the Japan’s wealth. They are more willing to buy the luxury brands without hesitating. Moreover, Asians are very enthusiastic to sample for new things and prefer to buy the best quality because they acknowledge Western brands as high quality. After all, the most important reason to have the designer brands or luxury brands for them is for their personal status. 2) Economic Forces. They consist of factors that affect consumers buying power and spending patterns â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p. 89). In fact, both of the power depends mainly on the personal income and country economy. Based on (Yann Truong, 2010, p666), Yann Truong said that lower and middle class consumers are more interested in luxury brands due to the global growth of disposable income. Indeed, the buying power heavily depends on the income. The consumer income reflects their lifestyle and living standard. It means that the more they earn, the more they spend on luxury products. Thats why, it is studied that the marketers are observing the changes of the economic trend every second in order to grab the opportunities. 3) Cultural Forces It consists of societys basic values, perceptions, preferences and behaviours â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p. 89). â€Å"Brand Equity of Luxury Fashion Brands Among Chinese and U. S. Young Female Consumers† (Jung and Shen, 2011, p. 55) explained that Confucian philosophy is deeply rooted in China and Chinese people are too obedience to theirs superiors for social harmony. Therefore, China consumers have a very strong respect for authority compared to the United States consumers. As a result, Chinese are more likely to be influenced by the celebrities and opinion leaders. Furthermore, their imitation of celebrities’ lifestyles is quite high, and their purchasing decisions are strongly influenced by the celebrities. Thus, business people are using the celebrities to advertise their brands in the market. 4) Technological Forces They affect new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p.89). It is undoubted that the technology plays as the most powerful force shaping the luxury brand industry. Everything we use nowadays exists because of the technology. â€Å"Luxury Fashion Branding† (Okonkwo, 2007, p. 179) indicated the impact of the internet on the luxury brand industry is mind-blogging and it could change consumer behaviour and the way the company operated. Technology introduced us with the internet, internet banking, credit card and online shopping. The online shopping become very popular since the consumer only needs a few clicks and a few minutes to buy the desire brands. As a result, E-retail has become the essential sales channel for the luxury brands to sell their products online. Clearly, both the consumers and the luxury brands have a lot of benefits because of the technology. Providing up-to-date information, customers can save time not to visit many outlets when they want to get something, can make the products comparison at home and they also feel very convenient and trustworthy to shop online are a few benefits consumers can enjoy because of the technology. Factors Influencing The Increase In Younger Consumers Interest In Luxury Products The main factor that greatly influences young peoples interest in luxury brands is Internet. Nowadays most of the young people are wasting almost half day of their time on the internet. The first thing they do in the morning is the checking their Facebook profile or email. That is the proved that internet is very popular among young people. Those young people are using Facebook or Twitter every day to communicate and share the information with their friends. As an example, a 20 years old girl bought a Kate Spade bag and posted it on her Facebook. Then, all of her friends or who look at her Facebook profile saw the bag and realized that this brand is called Kate Spade from New York, and then they will buy the same bag or the same brand. This is how internet could speed up younger consumers interest in luxury brand. Furthermore, some people like to post their favourite actors or actresses photos on their Facebook, like Kristen Stewart who is the actress of the Twilight, wearing Camilla Marc dress when she attended the film’s Paris premiere. Immediately, her photo wearing that dress was on Facebook and some other blogs. After a short while, the company received the high demand for that dress (Caines, 2009). Similarly, the brand named Billabong also received the high response for its Hannah jacket from the customers by uploading the Stewart photographs on internet. In the photographs, Stewart was wearing the Hannah jacket and soon the company received sell-out-orders for that jacket when the Twilight fans saw the photographs (Caines, 2009). Another factor makes younger consumers interested in luxury brands is magazine. According to the (Caines, 2009), 18 to 27 years old people have been influenced the luxury brand by the magazine. In other words, they love to read magazine rather than the traditional newspaper. Then, they browse through who are at where and who are using which products. The final factor that young people are interested in luxury products is peer pressure. They want to compete with each other and show off among their friends. But, of course, there are some young consumers who want to get high quality with gorgeous design for their personal status. As well as, they have admired the brand’s craftsmanship â€Å"Innovative Tokyo† (Fujita and Hill, 2005, p. 26). Conduct secondary research to find out the reasons for the growing interest in fake luxury brands and ironic purchasing among young people The fake luxury brands exist because of the consumers’ appetite for real luxury brands. And, another reason is that young people cannot afford the genuine products. So, they just buy the replica things like LV and Gucci although they know that those products are fakes and in poor quality â€Å"Why Do Consumers Buy Counterfeit Luxury Brands? â€Å" (Wilcox, Kim, Sen and Sankar, 2009, p. 248). One of the Los Angeles designer also mentioned that â€Å"It is completely opposite from 10 years ago. Everybody is proud to say they got an off-price deal or a knockoff† (Smith, 2000). It showed that consumers are proud to have good quality replica products and even think that they are resourceful. In addition, they even spread the words to their friends that they could find the quality fake goods easily. And, Smith (2000) indicated that â€Å"22-year-old woman not only could buy a replica Kate Spade bag with the bargained price of $35 but also receive the compliments on that bag†. It is obvious that nowadays, majority of young ladies buy only fakes and they do not care about buying a fake Kate Spade bag as long as it has a label. Based on Smith (2000) â€Å"11-year-old daughter ask her mother to buy a Kate Spade handbag for her birthday present and the mother bought two fake bags instead and feeling sure it would be enough†. Moreover, Smith (2000) also expressed that â€Å"Using of expensive luxury handbags at school become so popular among 10- to 14-year old girls† said by one of the school officials. The above paragraphs explain the difference between the genuine goods and the fake goods. Although the fake luxury brands are cheap and poor in quality, they still have many advantages. In fact, they help to reduce the burden of the parents since the real brands are expensive. On the other hand, they give parents the other options because buying real brands for young children is the indirect way of spoiling their attitude and behaviour. Most importantly, the replica luxury brands could satisfy the children and make the both party happy. Some young shopper said that â€Å"With a luxury bag, you’re bored of it after one season† according to â€Å"Counterfeiting Exposed† (Hopkins, Kontnik, Turnage, 2003, p.49). It is true that some consumers might think that they would not pay thousands of dollars on genuine brands when the fake brands could be bought easily with their bargain purchasing power. They could satisfy their needs with the fake brands and most importantly the quality of the fake brands are improving like Korea made Lousi Vuitton called AAA quality, and then they become more authentic looking. In addition, consumers could easily change to other brands or designs due to cheap offer. In summary, the consumers are continuing buying the fake brands although they know they are buying the replica products. Aside to the poor quality, the fake brands have many advantages such as cheap in price, authentic looking and switching to other bands or design without hesitating. In addition, the price difference between the fake luxury brands and the genuine luxury brands is quite significant nevertheless functionality is affected very little. Therefore, it is natural that consumers are growing interest in fake luxury brands and buy it over the genuine brands. Reference Caines, C. , 2009. Young Stars raise style stakes. The Australian, [online]2 September. Available at: http://www. theaustralian.com. au/news/lifestyle/young-stars-raise-style-stakes/story-e6frg8k6-1225768442198 [Accessed on 14 February 2012] Fujita, K. and Hill, R. C. , 2005. Innovative Tokyo. United States of America: Michigan State University. Hopkins, D. , Kontnik, L. T. and Turnage, M, T. , 2003. Counterfeiting Exposed. United States of America: J. Wiley Sons. Jung, J. and Shen, D. , 2011. Brand Equity of Luxury Fashion Brands Among Chinese and U. S. Young Female Consumers. Journal of East-West Business, 17(1), pp. 48-69. Kotler, P. , Adam, S. , Denize, S. and Armstrong, G. , 2008. Principles of Marketing. 4th ed. Australia: Pearson. Okonkwo, U. , 2007. Luxury Fashion Branding. United States of America: Palgrave Macmillan. Smith, L. , 2000. Faking it in the fashion world, Los Angeles Times,[online] Available at: http://articles. latimes. com/2000/mar/19/news/cl-10317 [Accessed 14 February 2012]. Truong, Y. , 2010. Personal aspirations and the consumption of luxury goods. International Journal of Market Research, 52(5), pp. 1-20. Wilcox, K. , Kim, H. M. , Sen. and Sankar. , 2009. Why Do Consumers Buy Counterfeit Luxury Brands?. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), 46(2), pp. 247-259.

Is Technology to Blame for Americas Obesity Problem? Essay -- Overweig

As a future educator of physical education, I feel that our nation’s weight problem is an issue that needs to be addressed. I feel that it is and will be my job to educate students about the importance of taking care of your body because â€Å"fat kids have a 92% chance of becoming fat adults† (www.amp.com). The leading cause of death in the United States, for men and women, is heart disease. â€Å"The United States alone the estimated annual number of deaths attributable to obesity is about 280,000.† (www.members.iglou.com) â€Å"Results on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000 indicate that an estimated 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese.† (www.cdc.gov) In addition, â€Å"The number of overweight children in the United States has more than doubled since the early 1970s† (www.naaso.org) and â€Å"about 15 percent of children and adolescents are now overweight.† (www.cdc.gov) There is a difference in being overweight and being obese. Being overweight â€Å"refers to increased body weight in relation to height, when compared to some standard of acceptable or desirable weight.† (www.cdc.gov) Being over weight may or may not be due to the increase in body fat. It may be due to an increase in lean muscle. A perfect example of this is in professional athletes. Professional athletes may be very lean and muscular, with very little body fat, yet may weigh more than others of the same height. This may qualify the athlete as â€Å"overweight† due to their large muscle mass. This is based on the belief of someone who has come up with what they believe to be desirable. Now â€Å"obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass. The amount of ... ...e. No one is making you eat what you are it is your choice. I think we should also think about things that we are doing to our children, which is training them to be lazy. An example of this is when it is a nice day outside and we allow our children to stay inside and play video games or watch television. This is a great opportunity to have your kids getting some more activity. Something we should consider not doing anymore is to stop putting televisions in our children’s bedrooms. â€Å"If a child replaces those almost 20 minutes a week with ANY other activity (besides reading or thinking), he, or she is going to be more physically active. Even painting would be more active than watching television.† (www.texas.teachers.net) Robinson TN. Reducing children’s television viewing to prevent obesity: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 1999; 282: 1561-7.

Black Women in Rap Essay -- Essays Papers

Back That Ass Up: A Discussion of Black Women in Rap †¦You can put it in your mouth I said your mothafuckin mouth I said your mothafuckin mouth And you could just eat me out What do ya choose to lick? You could eat me out Pussy or dick? Within the booming business that has become the rap world, certain musical themes and issues are more prevalent than most. In addition to such topics as drugs, alcohol and police brutality, a dominant theme within rap music is the denigration and derision of women. Indeed, as the above lyrics to Akinyele's song â€Å"Put It in your Mouth† illustrate, many male rappers use violent and misogynistic lyrics to create an image of women that is both degrading and disgusting. The graphic and shocking nature of this particular type of rap causes it to be widely publicized, and thus it serves as a definition of rap for a majority of people today. However, there are a number of female artists within the rap music genre spreading messages of female empowerment and respect, not denigration. These female artists, often ignored due to the hype surrounding their male counterparts, use their lyrics to create raps which focus on life as women; dealing with issues of love, power, and discrimina tion. The face of women in rap culture is both multi-faceted and contradictory. The rap world has many different dynamics, including economics, racism, sexism, and violence. How do these relate to black female rappers? What is the role of the feminist rapper within rap culture? What is the message of black female rappers and how is that conveyed within their music? Why are women exploited, i.e. verbally demeaned and abused within rap songs; being turned into objects of sexual violence and denigratio... ...â€Å"Music in African American Culture.† Mediated Messages and African American Culture: Contemporary Issues. Ed. Venise Berry, Carmen L. Manning-Miller. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 1996. Mies, Maria. Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale: Women in the International Division of Labour. New York: Zed Books, 1998. Roberts, Robin. â€Å"Ladies First: Queen Latifah's Afrocentric Feminist Music Video.† African American Review. 28.2 (1994): 245-257. Rose, Tricia. Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America . Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 1994. â€Å"Never Trust a Big Butt and a Smile.† Black Feminist Cultural Criticism. Ed. Jacqueline Bobo. Malden: Blackwell Publishers, 2001. Ya Salaam, Kalamu. â€Å"It Didn't Jes Grew: The Social and Aesthetic Significance of African American Music.† African American Review 29.2 (1995): 351-375.

My Belief System

A belief system is the combination of thoughts, opinions, or convictions on the most profound questions of life. What is a human being? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What is righteous behavior and what is sinful? Why is so much suffering caused and does it have any purpose? How can a greater and lasting happiness be found in life? What happens at death? What happens thereafter? Is there anything such as judgment? Will the righteous be rewarded? Such are the questions that weigh heavily upon any person seeking a deeper meaning of life, and possibly the way to salvation.They are no easy self-evident answers to these questions. One cannot come to any clear-cut conclusions to these questions using thinking and analysis, although philosophers do try to do so. The ultimate questions of life belong to the dimension of metaphysics, and have to be largely accepted as a matter of belief or faith. The articles of a believer's religious faith are not conclusions derived by ratiocinati ve, discriminating mind. Mind has little to do with them, they are more related to the heart and the soul of a person.For example, the existence of soul itself is not something one can infer from rational analysis or physical dissection. Yet the existence of soul is central to nearly every religious belief system on the earth. Logical thinking cannot make anything of such a belief. Similarly, the presence of God is something beyond the reach of human mind to comprehend. Yet, a belief in God is again the core of nearly every religious belief system. I myself follow a deeply Christian belief system that is founded upon the Glory of God and the mystery of His creation.When we enter the domain of a religious system, we have to leave the mind behind and follow the voice of the heart. I believe that we should follow a belief system not because our parents followed it or the people around us follow it, but simply because there is a resonance between the elements of that particular religiou s thinking and oneself. Of course, usually one finds this special affinity to the religious tradition one is born into, and that is the case with me too.I am a Protestant Christian and I find that the Protestants have a direct and intimate approach to religion. I am at home among Protestant Christians and particularly in my church and denomination, the Baptist Christians. Though I myself belong to the Baptist church, and have certain strong convictions concerning theological/metaphysical matters in accordance to my particular belief system, I try to regard other denominations and even faiths with an open mind. I believe that deep down, the religious impulse of men and women all over the world is the same.Further, the courage or abstractness of thought needed to allow the heart to believe in completely unseen things is also more or less the same, although I acknowledge the fact that in a majority of cases, religious belief are just a matter of custom which do not have serious implica tions in a person’s life. But when religion is taken seriously, the essential nature of divergent belief systems can be the same though the contents differ, sometimes radically as between Eastern pantheistic religions and the strictly monotheistic Judeo-Christian religion.I believe that God’s mystery is so great that it can perhaps equally validate widely differing religious belief systems. Let me offer a relevant example here from the world of physics: an electron can be a particle and also a wave at the same time. Common sense tells us that something cannot be a particle and a wave at the same time, surely that is impossible in the very nature of things — and yet in reality it can happen and in fact this is how things are. Similarly, God’s mystery can be so vast that it can accommodate two or more apparently conflicting metaphysical viewpoints.Thus, almost paradoxically, although I am strong believer in the tenets of my own faith, I do not fanatically o r arrogantly claim or even think that my denomination, my sect, my religion, is exclusively correct and all others wrong. I believe that ultimately, the mystery of God cannot be contained by any particular belief system. I also believe that more than the specific doctrines of a belief system, what is more important is the passionate intensity of the believer in God, whatever may be the name of the God. I believe in the efficacy of prayer and the total need to feel personally connected to the divinity of God.To me, that divinity is represented in the image of Jesus Christ. As everyone knows, Baptists insist that one has to fully accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as a personal conscious choice, not as just a matter of course. The event of Baptism marks this choice or decision. Although all Christians follow the ceremony of Baptism, and I respect that, I personally think (and not simply because I myself am a Baptist) that such a most sacred event in one’s life which confirm s one’s personal relationship to God cannot be simply imposed on children who are not mature enough to make decisions for themselves.Making Baptism into a matter of tradition and custom, instead of being a reflection of the most deeply heart-felt conviction is trivializing it. And I am proud that I am born into a particular system of faith that recognizes this and places so much importance on the act of being â€Å"born again. † For me, being born again is not just a matter of belief of doctrine, but a tremendous inspiration at every step of my life. I also personally believe that being â€Å"born again† is not a one-time event associated with Baptism and does not end with it, in fact it only begins with it.One has to be born again and again in spirit. One’s faith in God has to be renewed, rejuvenated and reaffirmed every day, only then the stream of faith can be kept flowing instead of becoming frozen. The belief in God, after all, is not simply a matter of belief — anyone can believe anything, and it does not make much difference; what makes the difference is the living energy and intensity that goes into prayer which forms a personal connection between the soul and God. There are numerous distinctive tenets in the Baptist faith that are the result of a well-grounded biblical, theological reasoning.However, as I mentioned already, ultimately belief goes beyond reasoning, in its intensity and authenticity it even transcends the particular forms and structures it outwardly conforms to. Let me reiterate the fact that religion is a personal heart-to-heart affair between the soul and God. It is more like a love relationship than a particular type of world-view. The religious quest begins with questions such as what is the meaning of life, what happens after death and so on. A belief system provides or is supposed to provide answers for them. But how do I know that they are true, and absolutely true?In this context, people usuall y say that that is the meaning of â€Å"belief† – one accepts a certain element of belief as a matter of faith rather than a demonstrable fact of knowledge. I agree to that entirely. But I would like to go a little further. To me, my particular belief system does not provide all the answers to all the questions, such as why innocent children have often to suffer so cruelly, or why millions of people are dying in Africa from hunger and disease. In a world governed by a compassionate and infinitely wise God, how can such and so many other atrocious things happen constantly and everywhere?There are no easy answers. My belief-system does not provide satisfactory answers to these questions, but my personal faith in the wisdom and power of God allays my questioning mind. There are no clear and distinct answers, but the questions themselves become amorphous and disappear in the burning intensity of one’s faith. To have faith in God means to have faith that whatever is happening, is happening for certain reason, though it may not be easy for us to comprehend God’s ways. To a praying heart, ultimately, the one answer it needs is found in the joy and upliftment to be found in the act of prayer.

Process Design Essay

Design Improvement Product/service design Planning and control Nature and purpose of the design activity Products, services and the processes which produce them all have to be designed Decisions taken during the design of a product or service will have an impact on the decisions taken during the design of the process which produces those products or services, and vice versa Design of products / services and design of processes are interrelated and should be treated together Designing the product or service Designing the process Products and services should be designed in such a way that they can be created effectively Product / service design has an impact on the process design and vice versa Processes should be designed so they can create all products and services which the operation is likely to introduce Design of the Product Design of the Process In manufacturing operations overlapping the activities of product and process design is beneficial In most service operations the overlap between service and process design is implicit in the nature of service Process mapping symbols derived from ‘Scientific Management’ Operation (an activity that directly adds value) Inspection (a check of some sort) Transport (a movement of something) Delay (a wait, e. g. for materials) Process mapping symbols derived from Systems Analysis Beginning or end of the process Activity Input or output from the process Direction of flow Storage (deliberate storage, as opposed to a delay) Decision (exercising discretion) Manufacturing process types Process tasks Diverse/ complex Process flow High Intermittent Project Jobbing Variety Batch Mass Continuous Low Volume High Repeated/ divided Continuous Low Specially made, every one ‘customized’ Defined start and finish: time, quality and cost objectives Many different skills have to be coordinated A project process with a small part of the process map that would describe the whole process Jobbing processes Very small quantities: ‘one-offs’, or only a few required Specially made: high variety, low repetition, ‘strangers’, every one ‘customized’ Skill requirements are usually very broad Skilled Jobber, or team, completes whole roduct Batch processes Higher volumes and lower variety than for Jobbing Standard products, repeating demand. But can make specials Specialized, narrower skills Set-ups (changeovers) at each stage of production Mass (line) processes Higher volumes than batch Standard, repeat products (‘runners’) Low and/or narrow skills No set-ups, or almost instantaneous ones A mass process – a packing process Continuous processes Extremely high volumes and low variety: often single product Standard, repeat products (‘runners’) Highly capital-intensive and automated Few hangeovers required Difficult and expensive to start and stop the process A service shop – This health club offers some variety within a standard set of facilities and processes A mass service – This call centre can handle a very high volume of customer enquiries because it standardizes its process Source: Royal Bank of Scotland Group Deviating from the ‘natural’ diagonal on the product-process matrix has consequences for cost and flexibility Manufacturing operations process types S ervice operations process types None More process flexibility than is needed so high cost Project Jobbing Batch Mass Continuous None Less process flexibility than is needed so high cost Professional service Service shop Mass service The ‘natural’ line of fit of process to volume/variety characteristics Flow (layout), technology and Job design are all influenced by process positioning Flow Unorganized Technology Little / general Jobs Varied / high discretion Volume Custom furniture maker Machine tool maker Automobile factory Predictable Specialist Routine / low discretion Petrochemical refinery Investment banking Customer service branch Bank call centre Credit card processing Customized sandwich – old process Raw materials Assembly Stored sandwiches Move to outlets sell Take payment Standard sandwich process Customer request The operation of making and selling customized sandwiches Prepare Sandwich materials and customers Assemble as required Take payment Customers ‘assembled’ to sandwiches Bread and base filling Assemble whole sandwich Use standard ‘base? No Yes Outline process of making and selling customized sandwiches Detailed process of assembling customized sandwiches Customized sandwich – new process Assemble whole sandwich Assembly of ‘sandwich bases’ Use standard ‘base? Take ayment Fillings Bread and base filling Stored ‘bases’ Yes Customer request Assemble from standard ‘base’ No Little’s law (a really quite useful law) Throughput (TH) = Work in process (WIP) x Cycle time (CT) Cycle time = 2 minutes WIP = 10 Throughput time = ? Throughput time = 10 x 2 minutes = 20 minutes time (CT) 500 exam scripts need to be marked in 5 days (working 7 hours a day). It takes 1 hour to mark a script. How many markers are needed? What is designed in a product or service? The understanding of the nature, use and value of the service or product A concept A package The group of ‘component’ products and services that provide those benefits defined in the concept The way in which the component products and services will be created and delivered A process The product and service design activity is a process in itself Transformed resources, . g. Technical information Market information Time information The product / service design process whose performance is measured by its Quality Speed Dependability Flexibility Cost Fully specified products and Outputs services Inputs Transforming resources, e. g. Test and design equipment Design and technical staff The stages of product / service design Concept generation Concept screening Preliminary design Evaluation and improvement Prototyping and final design Ideas from customers formally through marketing activities Listening to customers – n a day-to-day basis Ideas from competitor activity – for example reverse engineering Ideas from staff – especially those who meet customers every day Ideas from research and development Broad categories of evaluation criteria for assessing concepts Feasibility – how difficult is it? What INVESTMENT, both managerial and financial, will be needed? What RETURN, in terms of benefits to the operation, will it give? Overall evaluation of the concept Criteria for screening concepts Acceptability – how worthwhile is it? Vulnerability – what could go wrong? What RISKS do we run if things go wrong? Design involves progressively reducing the number of possibilities until the final design is reached CONCEPT Choice and evaluation ‘screens’ Large number of design options Uncertainty regarding the final design TIME One design FINAL DESIGN SPECIFICATON Certainty regarding the final design Design evaluation and improvement.