Taking on the World by Ellen Mac Arthur Analysis.

An Essay to analyse an Extract From â€Å"Taking On the World† By Ellen MacArthur By: Sophie Tulloch 10S1 Throughout the piece of writing, ‘Taking on the World† Dame Ellen MacArthur communicates fear in a lot of different ways, using a lot of different techniques. During this analytical essay I will analyse how she did this and the effect it had. One way that she communicates fear is by using punctuation creatively, an example of this is when she says, â€Å" It would not be difficult to break bones up there†¦ When using an ellipsis, it often indicates that there is unfinished business by doing this it creates suspense and helps keep the reader enthralled in writing. Furthermore it also creates a pause leaving the fate of Ellen MacArthur mingling in the readers mind, I find this effective as it emphasis the riskiness of the job she is about to do. I addition this is also early on in the text an it help bring the readers attention dedication and isolation of h er.The most effective device I feel that was used was a personification an example of this is when Ellen MacArthur writes â€Å"the mast slices† By using personification it emphasizes that she has very little control over the boat while she is up the mast. The word slice has a faster pace and a sharper sound than the rest of the words around it I think this helps represent the simpleness and easiness of such a dangerous movement can lead to a harmful consequence. By doing this it creates suspense and transfix the audience keeping their focus.The last term that I will cover is Nautical terms an example of tis is when she said â€Å"You can’t ease the sheets or take a reef†¦ † The reason that she does this is because her target audience is the sailing community therefore it would be easier to just use these terms rather than explain the whole thing. From another point of view she could have done this to emphasis the complicatedness of her adventure plus it in troduces the Idea that you do not only have to be physically capable and smart you need to be mentally aware nd educated on the surroundings. Although this is quite a small difference I think that it would have a big impact on the audience as this shows the gap between everybody else's knowledge and hers. In conclusion I think that this piece of writing was very well written and the literary devices used help subtly emphasis and introduce the danger and fear of Ellen MacArthurs journey.

Marketing Case Study for Glitz Essay

1. What factors affect the pricing decisions for a product such as Glitzz? Analyze these factors and comment on the range of prices that can be set. The right price must generate enough sales dollars to pay for the costs of developing, producing, distributing and marketing the product as well as earn a profit for the company. There are various factors that affect the pricing decision such as objectives, demands and market forces. We will examine these factors in detail below. 1.1 Company Factors Before embarking on pricing decisions, it is necessary to understand company’s objectives. Lee Jr. and Albert are looking to achieve long-term profit making and sustainability in the market. Higher importance would then be given to obtaining increased market share and sales over immediate profit making. Glitzz needs to focus on gaining foothold in the market, as it would be a new product facing relatively established competing brands and products. As such, Glitzz should not be priced at premiums but instead work to encourage trials, consumer acceptance and return business. If successful, high profits should follow. 1.2 Consumer Factors Consumer factors such as demand for the particular product class, product or brand, price and availability of similar product, price sensitivity as well as perceptions of value can affect pricing decisions and help Lee Jr. and Albert gauge feasibility and acceptability of prices. The demand for the product is extremely important for pricing decisions. The greater the demand, the higher can the product be priced. Demand by consumers is affected by four factors. (1) Consumer Tastes (2) Price and Availability of Substitutes (3) Consumer Income and (4) Price of product. Glitzz can be classified as unsought goods; products that potential consumers do not normally want or know they can buy. These products are not searched for and do not create demand in consumers initially. Consumers of such product only buy when they perceive the necessity for it. As such, creation of awareness and education about product benefits becomes crucial for retailers and creators. This translate to the need for increased budgeting assigned to advertising strategies such as personal selling, relatively aggressive advertising and benefit demonstrations, increasing fixed overhead costs for marketing and distribution. Glitzz would be a complementary product, with its demand somewhat predicated on the prices and sales of relevant product classes such as jewelry, diamonds and watches. There is negative cross elasticity between Glitzz and the above mentioned product class, i.e. the decrease in prices of jewelry, diamonds and watches would bring an increase in demand for cleaning agents such as Glitzz. In times of recession, luxury goods such as the above may not be highly sought after, affecting Glitzz’s ability to sell due to its nature as a derived product. Pricing strategies should take into consideration market trends and demands of these product classes and be adjusted accordingly. Consumers’ perception of values and benefits provided by a product will affect the amount of money they are willing to pay in exchange for the product and their price elasticity. Assessing value involves the judgment by a consumer of the worth and desirability of a particular product relative to its substitutes. At the core level of the product, Glitzz is a jewelry cleaner, delivering to consumers the opportunity to renew and bring back the shine in their precious stones, jewelry and watches. The tangible benefits offered come from the product’s non-corrosive, non-abrasive and gentle on skin nature. Premium natural ingredients used in the making of the product are also marketed as a key attribute. The attribution values of Glitzz will translate into a definitive price that consumers deem worthy for the product. Lee Jr. and Albert have already taken steps to survey consumer market and test product responses. The NUS student researchers found that few consumers are willing to pay more than SGD20 for the product. Price and availability of similar products are also strong molding forces on pricing for new entry products such as Glitzz. Technological advances and increasingly discerning consumers meant heightened awareness about substitute products and prices. The ability to compare similar products and weigh out the benefits against cost, affects consumers’ decision-making and willingness to pay for a product. The way to mitigate such comparisons is to possess strong distinguishing characteristics from its competitors. Glitzz, however, seem to be substitutable by many alternatives in the market. An in-depth competitor analysis is as follow. Brilliant Restorer and Glitzz Brilliant Restorer and Glitzz appear to be offering analogous product benefits and have similar dispensing system and packaging. It is also under a largely established distributor brand, Gordon Max. It is distributed through channels that Glitzz is thinking of using, taking up counters at large departmental stores such as Tangs. It appears to be Glitzz’s main competitor, targeting similar markets, offering similar benefits and marketing in similar channels. Connoisseur and Glitzz Connoisseur practices product differentiation, offering a range of specialized cleaning agents for different kinds of metals. It may lose out on the convenience associated with the all-purpose Glitzz, but can market it’s specialized uses as a plus point. The company has strong advertising roots, marketing its products in mainstream newspapers and online. Glitzz may face threats stemming from Connoisseurs strong advertising efforts. Powervescent and Glitzz Powervescent is a tablet-form cleaning product, offering similar benefits at very low price. It may be less convenient to use when compared to Glitzz’s pump bottle design. Powervescent does not distribute in Singapore and is in process of setting up its e-store. While Powervescent may prove to be a competitor among price sensitive consumers in the future, its low prices may also be viewed as a reflection of its quality. As such, it may not be as big a competition to Glitzz as others. Cleaning Machines and Glitzz The second tiered competitors offer jewelry-cleaning machines with high technology performances such as the Connoisseur Jewelry Bath ($49), Savco Jewelry Cleaner ($95) and OSIM uSonic ($108). It is priced much higher than cleaning solutions such as Glitzz but seem to promise better and more targeted results. The products may be marketed at affluent consumers or retailers mostly. It is not as close a substitute as portable, self-administered cleaning products such as Brilliant Restorer. Other solutions for dirty or tarnished jewelry include common soap and toothpaste as well as free cleaning services provided by retailers as a value-add for purchases. The large number of substitutes makes demand for such products very elastic; i.e. consumers are price-sensitive and decrease in prices will lead to increase in demand for the product. Glitzz would have to pay extra attention to Brilliant Restorer and Connoisseurs as they are close substitutes and their prices will be critical in the pricing decision. Glitzz is a normal good and is relatively price elastic as compared to necessity goods or luxury goods. As such, lowering prices and keeping check with competitors’ prices becomes the key to increasing consumer demand. 1.3 Competitive Factors Pricing for Glitzz is constrained by the type of market in which it competes. Jewelry cleaning products compete in a monopolistic competition market structure. There are a number of competitors competing on both price and non-price factors. For example, Lockhart competes with its low prices in the sector while OSIM offers high technology solution as the unique selling point. Understanding the environment in which they compete will allow a deeper insight into the range of acceptable prices, extent of market differentiation and importance of advertising. In such an environment, Glitzz should allocate more budgets to advertising to distinguish itself from its competitors. This means a rise in costs and subsequently, a necessary rise in pricing. Also, its prices should strive to not deviate too much from the competing products’ prices. To be effective, pricing must work to cover the costs and make profits. It is therefore necessary to take into considerations the various costs involved in producing, packaging, marketing and distributing the product. The cost of production for Glitzz in this case includes the SGD5000 re-packaging consultation fee and the direct production cost of Glitzz cleaning solution and fees associated with packaging it into 30ml pump bottles to achieve sales state. Overhead costs may also include distribution fees such as retailer’s cut in exchange for sales services and media fees to advertise the product. Keen research and delicate mediation of all the above company, consumer and competitive factors will allow conclusion of a feasible price that is most symbolic of the value Glitzz hold. I propose a price range of SGD13 to SGD17. The ultimate upper limit as surveyed by NUS students is SGD20. The ultimate lower limit is established with the unit variable costs and other production costs in mind, which will be SGD5 at the initial stage. The recommended price ranging between SGD13 to SGD17 takes into consideration competitors’ prices, company’s objectives and consumers’ buying responses. The suggested price should work to undercut competitors’ prices and stimulate trials while not deviating too much from the market rate. This way, Glitzz can remain profitable, competitive and achieve a breakeven within a short period of time. 2. What price would you recommend for Glitzz? Why? I would recommend Glitzz be sold at SGD14. In the monopolistic competition market structure, Glitzz cannot simply establish its price as an independent company. It has to be subjected to the market demand and supply forces, causing prices to be relatively similar to its close competitors. To use a demand-oriented pricing approach, Glitzz should engage in penetration pricing. By setting a relatively lower price to its competitors, Glitzz can ensure interest and high levels of appeal during the launch stage in the market. Whether or not penetration market works is predicated on several factors. Firstly, consumer base should be relatively price sensitive. This aspect is fulfilled in the case of Glitzz. With the existence of many substitute products in the market, there is high demand elasticity. Consumers with no immediate preferences or prior experiences may make purchase decisions based on prices. By setting the price at SGD14, Glitzz can subtly undercut its competitors and establish its value. Secondly, as a new product in its introductory stage, Glitzz has to work on overcoming its weakness in terms of its new entry and unknown brand identity. Glitzz’s main objectives should then be to stimulate trials and slowly accumulate market share. Penetration pricing helps to encourage first purchases and can work hand-in-hand with quality control and good brand management to build market share. Increased volume of sales will help maximize profits for Glitzz as unit production and marketing costs falls. That being said, Glitzz products must not be priced too low and deviate too much from similar competitors. Assuming Glitzz eventually decides to market and distribute its product through large departmental stores like Robinsons, its breakeven price for the initial batch of 20,000 where total cost = profit margin will be at SGD10.50. We have to price higher than SGD10.50 to break even and lower than SGD14 to SGD17 to undercut the competition. It is not feasible for Glitzz to price its product closer to the end of SGD10.50. Firstly, it may encourage a price war where competitors engage in successive price-cutting to increase or maintain market share. This can only be detrimental to the entire industry in the long run. Secondly, Glitzz as a new company needs to have buffer in profits to invest in further marketing or advertising efforts, cope with emergency operational issues or save up for brand expansion. Also, the skimming pricing method would not work for Glitzz as its product is too homogenous and not differentiated enough to justify premium pricing. In addition, the pricing of Glitzz cleaning solution at the higher end of the SGD10.50 to SGD14 range ensures Glitzz have future opportunities and space to conduct promotional initiatives such as discounts and still be profitable. Consumers may not take kindly to products increasingly their prices after a successful intitial promotion period where low prices were offered. This may affect their perceived image of the brand and be detrimental to future sales. In essence, Glitzz product pricing must be low enough to undercut competitors to generate interest in consumers and high enough to allow profit maximization. While the penetration pricing strategy can help to build volume, managers must keep close track of the costs and monitor its effects on the market. 3. What strategy would you propose for Glitzz? What costs and expenses would be involved? Calculate the break-even point. Glitzz at its point of entrance would be at the introduction stage of its product life cycle. Here, the marketing objective should be to gain awareness. This objective is further amplified by the nature of Glitzz as an unsought good. There is high level of need for promotional and advertising efforts to inform and educate the public about the presence and benefits of Glitzz. According to past track records, Glitzz did well in promoting with in-store counters and consumer exhibitions. This has roots in the personal selling and benefits-demonstration means of promotion. I would recommend Glitzz to continue with such channels of marketing and to distribute and promote their products with departmental stores such as Robinsons. As a new product, this would allow consumers to experience the benefits of Glitzz first-hand at well-established shopping places, triggering first purchases and trials. To give a concrete example, on top of in-store distribution, Glitzz could hold demonstration booths at shopping mall forums to introduce its products. Free samples could be given out to generate brand awareness and trials. Costs involved and Assumptions made * Production cost of one bottle of Glitzz at SGD5 (Unit Variable Cost) * Branding Consultation Fee at SGD5000 (Fixed Cost) * Promotional Event at approximately SGD25000 (Fixed Cost) Amount from assuming a 3 days (6 hrs/day) promotional event at a shopping mall costing about SGD9000 in rentals, with an estimated 3000 samples to be given out and an employment of 3 sales assistants at SGD100 per day. The event will total up to about SGD$24900 * Distribution Margin for Retailers at its maximum of 50% Profit Margin * One bottle of Glitzz is priced at SGD14 Hence given the list price of SGD14, the newly incurred marketing cost coupled with the sunk cost of consultation fee will result in the breakeven point being at 15 000 bottles of Glitzz, a highly feasible goal. I believe that promotions and demonstrations should be used at the initial stage of the product launch to create awareness and inform consumers of its existence. Subsequently, advertising in other forms should follow to distinguish Glitzz from its competitors and achieve brand recognition and preference. Glitzz would have to reevaluate costs and prices to determine next marketing move then.

Recycling and Plastic Bag Essay

They are also cheap, light, durable, easy to carry and in many cases, free. The most commonly used shopping bag is made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This type is used in the majority of supermarkets and stores. After these bags are used, they often end up in landfills or as litter, roughly only three percent of plastic bags is actually recycled per year (Planet Ark, 2011). The materials used in making plastic bags make them non-biodegradable. According to the science dictionary, 2011 refers to â€Å"these materials cannot be decomposed into environmentally safe waste materials by the action of soil bacteria. † These harmful substances are toxic and take approximately four hundred years to break down, or in this case photo-degrade; which is how plastics made from (HDPE) break down. Since they are not biodegradable, they remain in the environment and are absorbed in soil or water (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment, 2010). This essay will discuss the various harmful effects of plastic bags, and demonstrate the risks that these bags impose on humans, animals and the environment. It will also discuss a series of suggested solutions that could help reduce plastic bag usage. Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011). As a solution to these types of problems is taking action by educating and increasing the public’s awareness to the harmful affects that a plastic bag impose on our environment. Applying this would mean to get consumers involved in reducing the number of plastic bags they consume and instead of getting new bags they can simply reuse their old bags (Sea Turtles Conservancy,2011). Another important solution would be using bio degradable bags instead; these types of bags take up a shorter time to degrade and become environmentally safe to both humans and animals. These types of bags are made from natural materials therefore; they are digested if animals swallow them (Biodegradable Plastic Bags,2011). The harmful effects of plastic bags extend to affect human health and social lives. According to the US CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2011) suffocation has been a significant of death among children under the age of one. According to a report presented in 2007 by Clean up Australia, when plastic bags are thrown in the streets they may block the drains and result in flooding during heavy rain. Stagnant water in blocked drains may create a breeding ground for many forms of insects like mosquitoes, which can transmit dangerous diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and encephalitis (World Health Organisation, 2011). Reducing, reusing and recycling, in that order, could be the most viable option to decrease the social and health impact of plastic bags. Reducing the number of plastic bags can be applied by imposing a fee such as PlasTax. In 2002 PlasTax was issued in The Republic of Ireland, which is a fee on plastic bags. This new tax resulted in a ninety four percent drop in plastic bag consumption in one year (Convery F, McDonnell S, Ferreira S, 2007). The next step is to reuse, instead of disposing of plastic bags consumers should be encouraged to keep reusing their bags. The final step is to recycle the plastic bags, many supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s give the consumers the option to bring in their old bags for recycling. In conclusion, usages of plastic bags are very limited unlike their infinite damages. They are harmful to health, the environment and wildlife. The solutions to put an end to the problems associated with plastic bags are available, cooperation between governments, shops and individuals is vital to take the necessary actions by reducing, reusing and recycling plastic bags.

Business Management and Leadership Personal Statement - 1

Business Management and Leadership - Personal Statement Example While working as an event specialist for Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, I have to handle and manage various financial statements by using the software such as Excel and Quikbooks. The business of Jamaica Chamber of Commerce mainly deals with renting space to those clients or businesses that intend to host any sort of event that may include birthday parties and bridal showers among others. One of my chief roles along with responsibilities as an event specialist in this business is to organize events for the customers and also closing contracts on a weekly basis. Apart from this, I also work as a college assistant at York college. In this job profile, my main tasks are to handle purchase requisitions and also handling e-mails for the department of student activities of this college. Thus, by taking into concern the above discussed tasks that I perform, the online Master’s degree of Business Management and Leadership (M.S.) program would prove quite beneficial for me. This can be j ustified with reference to the fact that the above mentioned core business areas on which the stated online program mainly focus upon will make me to learn and acquire in-depth understanding about how to conduct such activities efficiently within a definite timeframe. From the very beginning, I had a keen interest to work in Army and for that I am currently attending officer candidate school in the Army National Guard. I have certain targets to accomplish in the future. One of such targets is to become a Financial Officer in the Army and thus, I expect that the online Master’s degree of Business Management and Leadership (M.S.) program would guide me to fulfill such target. The fulfillment of such target matters a lot for me owing to the reason that it would make me to realize my own job responsibilities and also enable me to take better professional decisions. There lay certain

Rise of nationalism in Europe Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Rise of nationalism in Europe - Term Paper Example Introduction Nationalism is an idea that materialized in the eighteenth and nineteenth century causing developments in Europe. Europe had been characterized by dominant monarchies who exercised autocracy in their territory. Many countries in Europe welcomed the spirit of nationalism and became transformed into nation-states. Although the process hand many challenges nationalism was adapted leading to the conception of nation- states. This term paper talks about the rise of nationalism in Europe. It will identify major events like evolutions and the spread of key ideologies to explain the rise of nationalism in Europe. This term paper will consult various print materials to get a clear picture of how nationalism as a concept was perceived and implemented in Europe. 2. The rise of nationalism in Europe Gellner and Breuilly (2) note that, nationalism is the notion of people with a common geographical origin that they can identify with one another. Such people have a common culture which is common to them. Cultural identity include: dressing, cuisine, language, myths, legends and beliefs. Therefore, a specific territory would have a political system. 2.1. Conception of Nationalism Nationalism evolved over a long period in Europe since different people with a common origin had their own practices concerning their territory. Different states had developed power control mechanism over a specified territory. A nation-state emerged after different leaders together with their general public discovered they shared their decent and would identify with shared history as Smith (13) discusses. The notion of nationalism was born out struggles championed by the population and leaders. The actions of champions of nationalism brought about changes in the European political system and perception about Europe. For instance Italy and Germany were formed from different states that claimed common identity as Todd (14) mentions. However, other countries such as Poland, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania had to struggle for their independence. Europe ended up with nation-states since the dynasties and empires were absorbed by the spirit of nationalism. Nationalism was championed by the French Revolution which adapted the notion of a nation-state. Leaders such as Napoleon campaigned for approval of nationalism to cause political transformation. The revolution emphasized brotherhood, equality as well as liberty. The revolutionist wanted to accentuate that people with a common origin could attain self-determinism and become accustomed to liberal ideologies. There was intellectual enlightenment that people could articulate their nationhood by prescribing to their culture for national identity. Leaders such as Friedrich Hegel of Germany believed that identifying with nationality was going to remain strong while religions and empires were declining. During the Napoleon wars dynasties could not be restored because they supported legitimism and failed to recognize nationalism. People were keen to obey royal authority and left nationalism to political radicals and scholars. Carlsbad Decrees published in Australia in early nineteenth century caused political repression. This agitated nationalists (Smith 24). 2.2. The French Revolution Towards the end of eighteenth century nationalism ideas surfaced with the French Revolution. In 1789 France was ruled by a monarch with a clear territory. The French revolution saw the powers of the monarch being transferred to a group of French citizens. These changes were made in the

Analyze the political legacy of John A. Macdonald Essay

Analyze the political legacy of John A. Macdonald - Essay Example During this time, radical changes occurred in the country. Among these changes was the process of Confederation, or the act of bringing together all of the individual territories under the dominion of one common government. Aside from these political accomplishments, Canadians also remember Macdonald for his personal impacts in the economy and culture of 19th century Canada. He was, in fact, a prominent landowner, lawyer, and business during that time. However, like any of the greatest politicians in modern history, Macdonald is not remembered solely for his contributions to the political accomplishments of his country, but for the cultural impact he made on the citizens and future generations who inherit that legacy. In leiu of this legacy, John A. Macdonald has been called a â€Å"pragmatic statesman†, and he earned the title of Old Chieftain (CBC). Macdonald is popularly known for these nicknames and, more importantly, for uniting the nation with his central vision and the construction of the world's longest railway. Despite personal hurdles, albeit with the help of alcohol, he laid the foundation for modern Canada. This is why some have labeled him the â€Å"Architect of Modern Canada† (CBC). ... John’s father, Hugh, unsuccessfully managed a store in the new country, causing even more difficulty within the family. Meanwhile, John was an excellent student and attended a rather prestigious school in Kingston. At the age of 15, nearly 10 years after arriving in Canada, John completed his formal education. At this age, his family expected him to stay home to work for the common success of the family. John did not object to coming home to help the family. Nevertheless, Not attending the university limited Macdonald’s ability to pursue certain kinds of careers outside of the home, such as the practice of writing (Pope). The family, however, decided that Macdonald’s future was best served by a university education. They decided that becoming a lawyer was the best option (Carloneil). Hugh Macdonald had noted how much his son was not interested in following in his footsteps, and he recognized that, because of his own failing business ventures, he needed his son fo r financial support. As a result, Macdonald was forced from a very young age to start earning money (Pope 6). After completing his law education, Macdonald earned certification by the Law Society of Upper Canada and took an apprenticeship under a fellow Scottish lawyer. Macdonald managed the law office from time to time and, after his teacher’s death in 1834, he returned to Kingston in 1835 to practice his own law (Carloneil). During his time as a young lawyer, Macdonald was able to financially support his family and to make connections that would remain with him for the rest of his political life. He sought out publicity by joining organizations within the town, taking high-profile

Article review on a Revised British COnstitution Essay

Article review on a Revised British COnstitution - Essay Example cular importance because Blair’s proposal were seen as highly significant as the Britain is a unitary state with all centralized power vested on the central government not having much transparency in its working processes. The article primarily discusses seven major constitutional proposals of the Blair government which it intended to reform and implement. They are devolution of Scotland and Wales; election of Mayor of London and major urban areas; removal of voting rights of hereditary peers in the House of Lords; incorporation of European human rights into British laws; freedom of information acts; electoral reforms at various level of government and referendum on changing the electoral system for member of parliament; and legislation for separate Supreme Court as independent judicial authority and stable government in northern Ireland. The Blair government was able to make significant inroad into the major constitutional reform proposals and help form stable governments in Scotland and wale after devolution. Even the problem of Northern Ireland, beset with internal violence, was relatively sorted out. Decentralization of power to local councils and mayors and right to information went a long way in creating transparency in government work. Referendums were held to encourage and promote public participation in government decision making were hailed as highly popular mechanism. The one area that became controversial was the reforms in the electoral system whereby though ‘single member district system would be retained but instead of casting a vote for one person only, electorate would rank candidates in order of preference, thus assuring majority rather than a plurality of vote for the winner’. The reform came under a lot of flak from major political parties because the constitutional reform had undermined their political supremacy over the smaller political parties with regional interests. Even the labor party members had shown their resentment against

Is simulation an effective educational tool in teaching procedural Dissertation

Is simulation an effective educational tool in teaching procedural skills to pediatric residents - Dissertation Example The use of simulation technologies for medical training has been studied by the SAEM (Society for Academic Emergency Medicine), the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, and the CEMRD (Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors) among others. The use of simulators relegates the need for learning through observing and doing. It is considered to be a safer alternative to the traditional methods for providing medical training. Through simulation experience, medical trainees can acquire procedural experience in addition to medical knowledge. There are also other newer methods in use in medical education such as computer or web-based training and using virtual reality systems. The simulation can involve exercises with the full body, provide immersive environments or scenarios, or involve specific tasks or procedures. â€Å"High-fidelity simulators are full-body automated mannequins designed to provide realistic tactile, auditory, and visual stimuli† (Vozenilek et al., 2004). Hence, si mulations can also involve the use of models such as mannequins or other anatomic structures instead of being entirely computer-based. The quality of the mannequins is improving, as technology develops so as to provide an increasingly realistic experience. In immersive simulation, there is greater provision for developing organization, communication and multitasking abilities alongside. The benefits and long-term effectiveness of simulation training Numerous studies have shown the benefits of simulation training. For example, Rosenthal et al. 2006) showed how scenario-based simulation training (SST) can be effective for medical interns to develop airway management skills. A study by Overly et al. (2007) demonstrated the usefulness of HFS as an assessment tool specifically for developing the ability of pediatric residents to manage acute airways. The study was observational based involving 16 residents and 2 scenarios. The success rate was 56%. Thus, many areas were identified for im proving skills but HFS had the potential for assessing ability as well as for teaching the necessary skills for managing acute pediatric airways. According to the Center for Medical Simulation (CMS, 2009), providing simulation practice leads to â€Å"improved real-world communication, collaboration, teamwork, and crisis management†. Residents also appreciate the value of simulators but prefer training in the form of small-group sessions (Shanks et al., 2010). The advantages of simulation training prove to be especially beneficial in cases where the required care involves high risk or invasive procedures, when training for difficult environments and preparing for disaster scenarios. For example, Hayden et al. (2002) suggested simulations are ideal â€Å"for low frequency but critical procedures†. These procedures would usually be applied in life-threatening situations such as cardiopulmonary arrest for example. Training for rare events tends to be uneven across a large number of medical residents and many residents never get the opportunity to witness or manage such an event, let alone one in which a child is involved (Becker, 2007). Hence, simulation training provides this much need opportunity so that when a real situation is faced, there is better preparation. Instilling confidence in trainees is of particularly importance where the risk to patients is high. In Becker’s (2007) study, assessment was made of how prepared radiology residents were for recognizing and managing children’

Production Warehouse Move Program Status Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Production Warehouse Move Program Status - Essay Example The company’s top management designs annual goals and establishes appropriate measures aimed at attaining these goals. This is by primarily focusing on the most pressing matters before delving into aspects having lower importance. Such prioritization of goals allows for efficacy in utilization of company resources and wastage reduction in terms of labor resources required to effect different projects (Berkun, 2005). In order to maximize its profit and revenue potential, TAC has undertaken a robust project plan, which is aimed at streamlining its operations and enhancing its effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of TAC’s operations by looking at its organizational structure, level of performance and overall management strategies employed in the company. In addition, the company is venturing into various strategic moves, one of which will primarily affect the District 4 warehouses’ operations as they have to be moved to a new location. This paper provides an assessment of this project’s management, risks involved and systems employed to ensure project success. The project has been brought about by District 4’s rapid expansion over a few years, which has necessitated movement and expansion of the division to a new site about 10 miles away from the old site. According to the company’s VP of operations, the move is bound to provide additional room needed to generate an additional $ one million in revenues, which will boost company’s overall financial performance. Table of Contents 1.0 Executive Summary. .†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦2 2.0 Project Performance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.4 3.0 Organizational Structure †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..6 4.0 Project and Administrative Teams †¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...7 5.0 Project Risk Management †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 6.0 Project Management Techniques Employed †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 7.0 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 8.0 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..12 2.0 Project Performance For any company undertaking a business project, it invests time, money and other resources so its primary concern is always what it will get in return for its investments. A project manager should be employed, either from within TAC or from outside the co mpany. This manager ensures the project stays on schedule and survives on its approved budget without requiring additional funding. A project manager uses project performance measurement to ensure the project team is operating within approved cost and time constraints, and the project is performed according to preset plans. Assessing project performance also alerts company management if or when the project starts lagging behind with regard to time constraints or if it runs over the approved budget. This is done to enable management to take proper treatment modules and return the project back on track. The project head outlines work packages involved in carrying out the project. Here, the project head establishes concise definitions of size and work packages through a work breakdown structure (WBS). There are two probable WBS standards to choose from in terms of performance. First, there is the 4 to 40 hours, which

Contract law problem scenario Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract law problem scenario - Case Study Example Equity has always sought to protect the weaker of two parties from oppression and from exploitation. In the context of a mortgage, equity will seek to intervene where the mortgage terms are oppressive. In order to answer this question it needs to consider presumed undue influence, which was defined in Bank of Credit and Commerce International SA v Aboody1. In this case the Court held that there was a relationship of trust and confidence between the parties of such a nature that it is fair to presume that the trust and confidence of the claimant were abused. Ginger is mother of Seamus, so the case falls in Class 2A types presumed undue influence for specific relationship. In Royal Bank of Scotland v Etridge (No. 2)2, the principle judgement was given by Lord Nicholls. In this case Ginger is especially proud of Seamus, who is a real success in her eyes. Lord Nicholls considered that a bank or any financial institution lending money should take steps to ensure that the claimant receives legal advice by asking for the name of the claimant's legal adviser. Here Northern Bank sends Miss Bindie with all the necessary paperwork but she did not provide adequate information. On the other hand Miss Bindie advised for solicitor or accountant to explain details of legal responsibilities and risks involved before sign papers. In order to answer this question it is also necessary to argue whether the contract was unconscionable or not. Here the contract was unconscionable for Ginger. Ginger is a pensioner, and has no other income. In Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio3, in the High Court, it was held that the transaction should be set as side on the grounds that the bank's behaviour was unconscionable. An English court might well have reached the same conclusion on these facts by the application of the rules of undue influence. In Portman Building Society v Dusangh4, a father borrowed money on mortgage from the claimants so as to fund a loan to his son who was planning to buy a supermarket. The father was 72, retired, illiterate in English and spoke it poorly. No fraud or undue influence on the part of the son was alleged and the son was not in financial difficulties at the time of the loan. The father, the son and the building society sought to enforce the mortgage and the father argued that the tr ansaction as unconscionable was not excluded but on the facts the transaction was held not to be unconscionable. In Barclays Bank plc v O'Brien5, Mrs O'Brien sought to set aside the mortgage transaction on the ground that she signed the documents under undue influence and misrepresentation. It was held that the mortgage had been obtained either by her husband's misrepresentation or because of undue influence over her and the court ordered it to be set aside. Ginger can apply to the under s.14 of Trusts of Land and Appointment of Trustees Act 1996 (TOLATA), whereby the court may make any order, including one not to sell (unlike the old s.30 of the Law of Property Act 1925, where sale was often the required way to resolve any dispute unless the purposes for which the property was

Comparison Thoughts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparison Thoughts - Essay Example CONTEST is the UK government’s strategy for responding to the threat of terrorism. Basically, the strategy focuses on countering the aspirations of terrorists in using â€Å"chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons (CRBN)†. According to The Home Office (2010), CONTEST works with the 4Ps strategy which involves preventing, pursuing, protecting, and preparing for terrorist attacks. Essentially, the strategy aims at preventing people from becoming terrorists and extremists, pursuing and stopping people with terrorist intentions, protecting people from terrorist attacks, and preparing for actions to be taken in case of an attack. In the United States, the Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) under the Department of Defense is the organ charged with countering CRBN attacks. According to Department of Defense (2013) the principle focus of the CBDP is on preventing, protecting, mitigating, responding, and recovering from CBRN threats. The key strategies are to equip the war fighter with necessary preventive and protective skills, counter imminent threats, and maintain infrastructure for countering these threats. However, unlike CONTENT, the CBDP focuses most of its efforts on protecting the war fighter and then the nation, while the former focuses on the protection of the civilians (Department of Defense, 2013). In this sense, the CBDP should try and emulate CONTENT and focus more on civilians’ safety. In order to succeed in the 4Ps strategy, CONTEST collects current intelligence on probable attacks and assesses the level of terrorism risk and the vulnerability of the country to such attacks. The intelligence collected also helps CONTEST in tracking down terrorist organizations and their intentions to use CRBN materials on people. Consequently, security agencies pursue and neutralize such threats. In the United States, the CBDP uses bio-surveillance to collect data

Organisational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Organisational Behaviour Essay There are many ways in which different individuals have viewed personality. Robbins et al (2001, p. 99) define it as â€Å"the consistent psychological patterns within an individual that affect the way they interact with others and the situations they encounter†. Another definition provided by Huczynski and Buchanan (2007, p. 138) is that personality â€Å"is the psychological qualities that influence an individual’s characteristic behaviour patterns, in a stable and distinctive manner†. Personality’s Role in Organizational Behaviour With the abovementioned definitions of personality, there are a numerous reasons as to why this is of great interest when it comes to the study of Organizational Behaviour. One main reason is that job performance and career success are related to one’s personality as many managers have come to believe. Personality assessments or ‘psychometric tests’ are widely used by companies to assess an employee’s personality. A couple of the known approaches to these tests are nomothetic, the basis of the majority of the available psychometrics, and idiographic. The former is more objective and quantitative, which is mostly comprised of multiple-choice questions and hence easier to administer, while the latter rely on heavily on different assumptions about human psychology. (Huczynski Buchanan 2007, p. 137) Types of Personality Assessment Tools Out of the many personality assessment tools available today, the four which will be further discussed will be the DISC Model, Jung’s Personality Type Matrix, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Friedman and Rosenman’s Type A Type B Personalities. There will be an overlay between the mentioned assessment tools and the others that have not been stated. (Richards n. d. ) These assessments aid not only companies when it comes to appraising an employee but also are now available for individuals who want to measure their own capability and learn how to make the most of their strengths. DISC Model The DISC Model originated from Dr. William Moulton Marston’s 1928 book entitled â€Å"Emotions of Normal People†. The term DISC was initially discussed in the book. However, Dr. Marston did not have the intention of creating any sort of assessment tool. It was not till 1972 when researchers from the University of Minnesota developed the abovementioned tool. A number of books have been written and various interpretations on the topic have emerged. Dr. Marston’s idea when he coined the term DISC can be seen as revolving around â€Å"behaviour† and â€Å"situation†. The most generalized outline of the model is as follows. DISC stands for â€Å"dominance†, â€Å"influence†, â€Å"steadiness† and â€Å"compliance†. A person who falls under Dominance and Influence is considered to be generally proactive and extraverted while someone who is under Steadiness and Compliance is somewhat the opposite, reactive and an introvert. Those whose personality is thought to belong to Dominance and Compliance have their focal point to be â€Å"things† whereas that of the people whose personality belongs to Influence and Steadiness is seen as â€Å"people†. (Richards n. d. ) The small connection ends there. A closer look at each of the types could reveal more. An individual who is a type Dominance will have the following attributes. He or she is â€Å"decisive, dominant, self-assured, forceful, task-oriented† and is someone who â€Å"instigates, leads and directs†. His or her main motivation will be the sense of â€Å"responsibility and achievement†. Subsequently, this person â€Å"fears failure and loss of power†. When in a working environment, he or she will have a â€Å"strong focus on tasks† and his or her â€Å"forceful style can upset people†. As for someone who falls under Influence, he or she â€Å"motivates others via influence and persuasion†, â€Å"presents well† and â€Å"inspires others†. He or she possesses â€Å"good communication skills†, as well as the qualities of being â€Å"friendly†, â€Å"affable†, â€Å"intuitive† and â€Å"gregarious†. Recognition and personal approval† are their motivational factors. â€Å"Rejection and loss of reputation† make up their fears. The fact that they emphasize so much on image can result in substance negligence. Anyone belonging to type Steadiness acquires attributes such as â€Å"reliable, depe ndable, process-oriented, listener, friendly, trustworthy, solid, ethical† and â€Å"methodical†. He or she â€Å"finishes what others start and leave† and â€Å"decides according to process†. This person is â€Å"motivated by time, space and continuity to do things properly†. Their fears include â€Å"insecurity and change†. Having this personality type meant that the person depends on the process to such an extent that any signs of changes will be resisted. Lastly, those who are under Compliance are â€Å"painstaking, investigative, curious†, â€Å"correct† and â€Å"detailed†. He or she is a â€Å"checker† and â€Å"decides using facts and figures†. Motivation for them would be â€Å"attention to detail, perfection and truth† whereas fears are â€Å"inaccuracy and unpredictability†. Their â€Å"need for perfection† tends to â€Å"delay or obstruct† them from achieving what is required. (Richards n. d. ) From the above, it can be seen that the DISC model has four main â€Å"type† which describes the certain corresponding personalities. When taking this assessment, one must keep in mind that he or she does not exclusively belong to just one type. This tool identifies the dominant type as well as two supporting types to varying extent which is dependent on the person and the situation. The mixture of the types, dominant and supporting, provides a good illustration of a person’s personality from various perspectives. (Richards n. d. ) Jung’s Personality Type Matrix Carl Gustav Jung, one of the many great personality theorists, is well-known for his work – Jung’s Personality Type Matrix or Jung’s Psychological Types which he derived from the ancient Greek Four Temperaments Model. His approach to this study was from a clinical psychoanalysis perspective. Most of today’s widely used psychometrics, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, have greatly benefited from Jung’s theories. Jung structured his functional types into four. His four functions of the psyche are Thinking and Feeling, which helps us to decide and judge, and, Sensation and Intuition, which helps us to perceive and gather information. He called the first two functions Rational and the other two, Irrational. (Chapman 2010) Thinking is about â€Å"what something is†. It is about â€Å"meaning and understanding†. It involves â€Å"analytic, objective, principles, standards and criteria†. Feeling is about â€Å"whether it is good or not†. It is about â€Å"weight and value†. It involves â€Å"subjective, personal, valuing, intimacy and humane†. Sensation is knowing that â€Å"something exists†. It can also be referred to as â€Å"sensual perception†. It is â€Å"realistic, down-to-earth, practical and sensible†. Intuition is concerned with â€Å"where it is from and where it is going†. It is about â€Å"possibilities and atmosphere†. It involves â€Å"hunches, future, speculative, fantasy and imaginative†. Further explanations on the four functions are as follows: (Chapman 2010) â€Å"Jungs Thinking function is a rational process of understanding reality, implications, causes and effects in a logical and analytical way. It is systematic, evaluates truth, and is objective to the extent that evaluation is based on personal intelligence and comprehension. † Jungs Feeling function makes judgements on a personal subjective basis. It is a rational process of forming personal subjective opinion about whether something is good or bad, right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable, etc. , and involves sentimentality and humanity. † â€Å"Jungs Sensation function translates signals from the senses into factual data. There is no judgement of right or wrong, good or bad, implications, causes, directions, context, possibilities, themes, or related concepts. Sensation sees what is, as what it is. † Jungs Intuition function translates things, facts and details into larger conceptual pictures, possibilities, opportunities, imaginings, mysticism and new ideas. Intuition largely ignores essential facts and details, logic and truth. † Based on Jung’s Four Functions of the Psyche, his Eight Personality Types came about by adding â€Å"introversion† or â€Å"extraversion† ‘general attitude types’ to the four superior functions. The characteristics of each of these types are as follows. Extraverted Thinking organizes others, implements, plans, is strategic and analytical. Introverted Thinking seeks elf-knowledge, is theoretical, discovering and contemplative. Extraverted Feeling seeks personal and social success, is sentimental and sociable. Introverted Feeling seeks inner intensity, is self-contained, enigmatic a nd inaccessible. Extraverted Sensation is hard-headed, pleasure-seeking, hands-on and practical. Introverted Sensation is an expert, a connoisseur, detached, obsessive and intense. Extraverted Intuition proposes change, seeks novelty, is innovative and adventurous. Introverted Intuition is aloof, mystical, esoteric, visionary and idealistic. These only refer to the principal functions. Once the auxiliary functions, the less dominant functions, come into the picture, it produces sixteen personality types with more in-depth analysis. (Chapman 2010) It is these final types which directly relates to the next assessment tool – the MBTI. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Isabel Briggs Myers, along with her mother, Katherine Briggs, developed the instrument MBTI in the 1940’s which has been based on Carl Jung’s Personality Matrix. All in all, they established sixteen different and distinctive personality types. These types came about through the interactions among one’s preferences. One may figure out his or her personality type by first deciding on his or her preference in each of the following categories: Extraversion (E), focusing on the outer world or Introversion (I), to prefer one’s own inner world. Sensing (S), all about the basic information taken in or Intuition (N), interpreting and adding meaning to the information. In decision-making, Thinking (T), logic and consistency first or Feeling (F), people and the special circumstances. Structure-wise, Judging (J), getting things decided or Perceiving (P), remaining open in case of new information and options. Once the preference has been made, a four-letter code emerges. It could be ISTJ, ISFJ, INFJ, INTJ, ISTP, ISFP, INFP, INTP, ESTP, ESFP, ENFP, ENTP, ESTJ, ESFJ, ENFJ or ENTJ. Each of these types has a corresponding personality description. With the MBTI instrument, there is no such thing as measuring trait ability or character, instead, it sorts for preferences. The main reason why this instrument is the most popular is the fact that hundreds of studies in the past forty years have proven MBTI to be valid and reliable. (The Myers Briggs Foundation n. d. ) Type A – Type B Personalities The very first time the two types of personality were described was in the 1950’s by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and R. H. Rosenham. With reference to Jung’s Matrix, Type A is a left-sided STJ but Type B is a right-sided NFP. (Changingminds. org 2010) The typing is broadly based on anxiety and stress levels. Type A people enjoy constantly working to achieve goals; the more difficult, the better. Their drive to compete can cause them to create the sense of competition. Failure is one thing they try hard to avoid. They are mostly well-educated. On the contrary, Type B work steadily and do not obsess about not achieving what they have set out to do. They are creative; love to explore new ideas. They are often reflective. Challenging a Type A will be very effective whilst a reflective conversation will work better with a Type B. â€Å"Type A personality has become a household word. † (Sharma 1996) According to Dr. Friedman, there are eight major indicators of Type A Behaviour – two psychological and six physical. The psychological signs are:   â€Å"presence of impatience or easily induced hostility† and â€Å"constant apprehension of future disasters†, where the latter is commonly mistaken as a symptom of an anxiety or depressive disorder. The physical signs are: â€Å"excessive perspiration of the forehead and the upper lip†, â€Å"teeth grinding†, â€Å"indentation of the tongue due to its chronic pressure against the top incisor teeth†, â€Å"tic-like retraction of the upper eye lid†, â€Å"tic-like retraction of the corners of the mouth†, and â€Å"brown coloring of the skin of the lower eyelid†. Type A has generated a huge interest in the medical world as it is highly related to coronary heart disease. Here is an excerpt from Moore’s (2001) article: â€Å"Type A people are achievement oriented, irritable, impatient with delays, and seem to be always in a hurry. †¦ In contrast to type As, type B people are less competitive, and more easygoing than their type A counterparts. †¦ While most people do not fall into the extreme ends of the continuum, there are significant numbers of people who do seem to be far more intense and reactive than others. Type As are not only reactive, they are also achievement oriented and highly motivated to succeed. They enjoy challenge and like to know how well they are doing. †¦ More recent research has demonstrated that the feature of type A behavior that is particularly toxic is hostility. † Scott (2007) mentioned in one of her articles that apart from the fact that those exhibiting Type A personality have a higher ri sk at suffering hypertension and heart diseases, they also suffer from job stress and social isolation. These people are usually in â€Å"stressful, demanding jobs†. They, too, tend to distance themselves from others as they focus on their career more than they do on personal relationships. Many researches do believe that it is the environment that caused certain people to develop Type A personalities. As part of their personality, Type As are able to perform well in the workplace because they are high-achievers. (Larson 2009) This is why they hold increasingly high-powered positions. As a result, they find it hard to relax, they are aggressive, they have the tendency to interrupt and they lose sleep frequently. In an office environment, these characteristics can lead to high levels of success but the same can also lead to Type As own pitfalls. They have emphasis on quantity over quality. They are unable to appreciate their own achievements. However, they make great leaders since they work well under pressure. Character Personality Analysis From the 2006 movie, The Devil wears Prada, the character played by Meryl Streep is Miranda Priestly, the Editor-In-Chief for Runway – a supposedly top New York fashion Magazine. (Huntley 2009) Anyone could easily tell that she exhibits most of, if not all, of a Type A personality. If it were from the DISC model’s perspective, she would fall under the Dominance category while belonging to the typology of Jung’s STJ or the MBTI’s ISTJ. To categorize here in the boss type, she would be the â€Å"tin man† boss with an axe. Her first love would have to be power. She is very career-oriented whose goals and objectives are extremely translucent. For her, â€Å"what is to be done, is to be done†, the word unfeasible does not exist. When in doubt, never approach her as she does not like people boring her with questions of how, what and where. Famous for being unpredictable, she does not care for other’s incompetence and is intimidating to the extent that people cannot even be in the same lift as her. It is rather hard to please or impress her. Career-wise, she is an A+ yet as a person, she fails. With her profession the first priority in her life, she has had a broken marriage, twice, and a distorted family life. Despite that, her most valuable assets to her are her twin daughter who she cares for dearly. She indeed lacks personal life. Tagged as â€Å"the dragon lady†, she rarely shows emotions and strongly believes that life is all about the choices you make. Being the powerful lady ruling the kingdom of fashion, she keeps her staff and the fashion world under her thumb. Her actions indeed speak louder than her words because she can make a top designer recreate a whole collection all over again just by pursing her lips. She draws contentment from other’s misery. Her disbelief in positive reinforcement has led to a high number of assistants quitting. She is the kind of boss who has no room for lazy employees. A perfectionist, she does not care who she steps on when on her way to the top. Not to forget, sleek and slender Miranda always has to have her Hermes scarf on. It can be seen that Miranda’s personality does fit her role to some extent. Due to the nature of her job, her business environment matters a lot. Although she is very dominating, the people under her accept that and submit to her wishes as if left with no other choice. It is all about power at the end of the day especially in a high-powered position like that of an Editor-In-Chief. Many people have come to believe that Miranda Priestly has been based on real-life Editor-In-Chief for Vogue Magazine, Anna Wintour. Topsynergy. com (2003) discussed the personalities that are evident in Anna Wintour. She is a perfect example to be displaying Type A behavior which to some extent is relevant to the position she holds and the competitive industry she is in. Describing Wintour in the words of Topsynergy. com; â€Å"Cautious, prudent, and rather self-contained †¦ approaches life realistically †¦ rarely spontaneous †¦ pragmatic, shrewd, and an excellent strategist †¦ very ambitious, but quietly so †¦ emotionally detached †¦ stern, authoritarian, no-nonsense aspect to her personality †¦ her personal relationships may seem constantly in flux †¦ direct, honest, and to the point some might say excessively so †¦Ã¢â‚¬  There is this contact argument that it is the environment that shapes people’s personality while others believe our personality has to find the kind of environment to which they suit best and perform to their optimum potential. For the latter, the abovementioned psychometric tests help employers, managers and common staff alike to gain insight to any individual’s personality. This is very essential in today’s organizations especially since the level of competition has never been higher.

Organization and Management Research

Organization and Management Research Organization and management research is in danger of becoming irrelevant Different researches undertaken by organizational management helps to gain knowledge in the management field (Sandberg, Alvesson, 2011). Efficient management research is essential for any organization as it can indicate the success and the failure of that firm (Davis, 2014). The enormous extension in the field of management, over the previous few years, resulted in a great development in academic articles published (Davis, 2014). Despite all the good and valuable work being produced, this growth has been coupled with continuous debates that management research is becoming irrelevant in the present time (Davis, 2014). This paper is intended to focus on the various debates regarding the present downfall of management research and proposes alternative solutions to those problems (Sandberg, Alvesson, 2011). Despite the vast and painstaking success, organizational and management research has a serious deficiency of high-impact research in the management field. It is argued that the researchers are becoming irrelevant for the business organizations (Sandberg, Alvesson, 2011). There is a large shared thought of a disturbing lack of original ideas and innovative contributions in the management studies (Alvesson, Spicer, 2016). Research process enhances the knowledge and train people to question the set norms if they seem backdated. Organizational and management research process has a huge lack of interesting and influential studies (Davis, 2014). The problem is that there is no mark of challenging the underlying assumptions of established literature (Sandberg, Alvesson, 2011). The gap-spotting research method is mostly used by the researchers and the institutions nowadays which are blocking the entry of creativity in the field of research (Neuman, 2014). Innovation and creativity are nee ded in this field, to question the previous beliefs of every individual and of course, the next task of the research process will be to provide essential theoretical and practical answer to every individual (Davis, 2014). The incremental consensus-confirming work is in the central attention rather than the consensus-challenging contributions which are really disappointing for the editors, other researchers and for the commentators (Quinlan, 2015). Institutional conditions, professional norms within the management field and the researches identity constructions, these three points are closely interconnected and quite influential for the organization and management research process (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). These three factors are equally supporting and practicing adding-to-the literature form means to find out the probable gap in the research thereby filling it up with suitable examples and arguments rather than challenging the whole system and providing an interesting and innovative framework (Neuman, 2014). There is a constant pressure prevalent for the researchers in the path of achieving identity (Quinlan, 2015). Nowadays, researchers are more interested in publishing their works in the top listed journals accepting the gap-spotting method which decreases the quality of research process (Verma, 2014). New evolutionary research is important not only to challenge the set assumptions of other people blindly but also, it is necessary for clear, critical and new viewpoints in the organizational and management research (Quinlan, 2015). Theory and literature studies are important in everything that we do; they act as a way of guiding us to perform better in our respective fields (Sandberg, Alvesson, 2011). They are essential for organizational behavior, practicing organizational psychology and at the time of studying (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). However, recently, the field of organization and management research has lost its essence and has become attracted to the interesting puzzles and shiny objects (Donaldson, Qiu, Luo, 2013). There has been no advancement in the management theory; it is more concerned with the entertainment value present in the present articles and theories, rather than focusing on their real-world value and scientific rigor (Donaldson, Qiu, Luo, 2013). The theories should be accurate and have value for them to be applied in the real-world practices (Sandberg, Alvesson, 2011). Previously the theories that were developed, especially in the late 70s and 80s, they were completely focused and aimed at improving the existing practices of the organizations (Birkinshaw et al. 2014). The authors used to derive hypotheses from theoretical propositions, which were then tested before being formed into a theory (Sandberg, Alvesson, 2011). This helped in identifying the underlying relationships like whom do they apply to, and why and where. The theories of that time effectively addressed the what, how, why, when and where of the organizational phenomenon (Birkinshaw et al. 2014). The theoretical contributions were gauged on various parameters like what is new, how will it effect, and why now (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). Currently, this has process has almost vanished (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). The researchers are more interested in getting a high quantity of articles published rather than focusing on the quality of the research or theories. This is because, the number of articles being published each year has increased significantly, and there is high competition among the authors to get their research papers published in leading journals (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). Several new business schools have been established all around the world and the existing ones have expanded significantly, because of this there has been a major increase in the number of articles for organization and management research (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). Furthermore, governments have introduced various assessment formulas like ERA and REF/RAE in Australia and the UK respectively (Birkinshaw et al. 2014). These assessment guidelines have been formulated by the government to govern the universities. Thus, because of this, it has b ecome a performance indicator for the top business schools, as the more articles they are able to get published in the high-end journals, their ranking and status will be improved (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). This has led to the universities forcing the professors and scientists to get a high number of articles published every year and because of this, they cannot research properly and produce articles which lack good research and theory (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). Additionally, even though there is a high increase in the number of articles being published, none of them have interesting and innovative theories, and are highly monotonous (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). Since there has been an increase in the quantity of management articles, the authors have become competitive and due to this the quality of the articles has improved (Karlsson, 2016). However, this has not motivated the authors in publishing new and improved theories (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). Research is done so that the knowledge of the particular field is enhanced and new and innovative theories are discovered, which help in making the existing practices better. Nevertheless, the research that is being done currently lacks innovative and interesting theories and ideologies (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). The authors have been publishing the same theories repetitively and gap spotting is becoming extremely popular. These articles are highly quantitative and contain figures from the past years, which make them irrelevant and tough to understand (Karlsson, 2016). Furthermore, they are just based on hypotheses and do not always turn out to be accurate. Since these organization and management research papers lack relevant theories and innovative ideas; the existing as well as upcoming managers have stopped reading them (Farnsworth, Keeble-Ramsay, Kemble, 2014). These research papers do not have much relevance with the real-time management world and the managers cannot relate t o them (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). Thus, these papers are not solving the actual purpose and because of this there is a debate on whether these research papers are relevant for the business organizations or not (Karlsson, 2016). The research is done by the authors on the same topic repetitively. In one instance, there were two articles found on the Harvard Business Review, which was written by well-educated authors having good knowledge about academic management research (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). These articles were written by Bennis OToole (2005) and Behrman Levin (1984) and had a gap of 21 years. However, the content of both these articles were same and they addressed the same issues (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). This is a proof of the same research is being repeated time and again. This means that the issues have not changed at all, and the same issues are plaguing the management world even now (Johnston, 2014). Therefore, the researchers should not waste their resources for providing solutions for the same research repetitively and the previous research papers and theories can be used by the existing managers as a guide (Karlsson, 2016). Or the solutions for the problems faced by the manager and how they can improve themselves have not been found by the researchers until now (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). Even though several problems are plaguing organization and management research, and many people have been complaining about the system which is prevalent (Suddaby, Hardy, Huy, 2011). There have hardly been any proper complaints by these people regarding the system. This is because; many people are getting benefitted from the prevailing system and are dominating the field, so that it does not get changed. The other segments of people are continuing to support this system voluntarily (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). Only few people are there who actually want this system to be changed. The benefactors of this system include the deans of the colleges and the status of the universities, publication houses, as well as the authors writing the existing articles (Karlsson, 2016). The deans of the colleges are highly benefitted because of this existing system, as according to the government regulations, the colleges can improve their ranking if higher number of articles are published in leading journals, which have been specified by them (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). So, they ensure that various articles from their college get published in these journals; thus, increasing their ranking and improving the image of the university. The publication houses are getting benefitted because there has been an increase in the research articles being submitted to them, which in turn is improving their brand name. This is also beneficial for the researchers, as writing these articles and getting them published in prestigious journals enhances their career (Donaldson, Qiu, Luo, 2013). This has resulted in the biggest problem present in management research, which is gap spotting. Scientific enquiries involving questioning the underlying assumptions of the existing research and deal with consensus challenging theories; however, gap spotting involves consensus seeking, which is the complete opposite (Karlsson, 2016). This has become extremely popular and the authors identify or construct gaps in the studies that have been done previously. This is known as extending the literature, and the researchers use the previous research studies to extend them by critically or positively referring to them, and base their own study and theories on these works. The contemporary authors and researchers use this as an excuse in most of the cases, so that they can get their articles featured in leading journals (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). This also has its benefits, as some articles actually need to be improved and challenged, but this has become a trend and the organization and manag ement research is becoming irrelevant due to this (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). Gap spotting happens because of various reasons and a major reason is the professional norms that have been dictated by the editors, journals and reviewers (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). These journals have started this trend of gap spotting and constantly encourage the norm of adding-to-the literature. Since the authors want to get their articles published in these journals, they have to follow the guidelines and rules dictated by them (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). They follow a strict review system and to get an article published, an author has to get various changes done. Sometimes because of this, several parts have to be deleted and various meaningless additions are done, due to which the meaning of the article gets completely changed (McKeown, Petitta, 2014). Furthermore, all these changes have to be done within the word count stipulated by them and the researchers have to listen to innumerable demands (Karlsson, 2016). This has become a significant problem, as sometimes because of this, people who have written good journals having relevant theories and discoveries, do not get their work featured (McKeown, Petitta, 2014).   The near omnipresent condition to constantly publish in the top rank journals has proved that most of the researchers have lost track and the main aim of the management studies, namely, to generate original knowledge that matters to the organization and community. (Quinlan, 2015). Therefore, the most noteworthy point here is that, in order to get back the management studies on the previous track, there is a need to shift the interest of the researchers from the recent paper production to the production of more innovative and significant ideas that can bring change in both organizational procedure and theories (Alvesson, Sandberg, 2012). Using problematization and empirical material as methods for challenging previous assumptions will be beneficial to get new ways in the organizational and management research process (Neuman, 2014). Books Karlsson, C. (Ed.). (2016). Research Methods for Operations Management. Routledge. Neuman, W. (2014). Social research methods (1st ed.). Boston [u.a.]: Pearson. Quinlan, C. (2015). Business research methods (1st ed.). Andover: Cengage Learning EMEA. Verma, R. (2014). Management research (1st ed.). New Delhi: Anmol Publications. Journals Alvesson, M., Sandberg, J. (2012). Has Management Studies Lost Its Way? Ideas for More Imaginative and Innovative Research. Journal Of Management Studies, 50(1), 128-152. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2012.01070.x Alvesson, M., Spicer, A. (2016). (Un)Conditional surrender? Why do professionals willingly comply with managerialism. Journal Of Organizational Change Management, 29(1), 29-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jocm-11-2015-0221 Behrman, J. N., Levin, R. I. (1984). Are business schools doing their job. Harvard Business Review, 62(1), 140. Bennis, W. G., OToole, J. (2005). How business schools lost their way. Harvard business review, 83(5), 96-104. Birkinshaw, J., Healey, M. P., Suddaby, R., Weber, K. (2014). Debating the future of management research. Journal of Management Studies, 51(1), 38-55. Davis, G. (2014). Celebrating Organization Theory: The After-Party. Journal Of Management Studies, 52(2), 309-319. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joms.12094 Donaldson, L., Qiu, J., Luo, B. N. (2013). For rigour in organizational management theory research. Journal of Management Studies, 50(1), 153-172. Farnsworth, T., Keeble-Ramsay, D., Kemble, R. (2014, June). ProblematizingRepeat Studies in Management Sciences. In European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies (p. 144). Academic Conferences International Limited. Johnston, A. (2014). Rigour in research: theory in the research approach. European Business Review, 26(3), 206-217. McKeown, T., Petitta, L. (2014). Management studies in context: International, interconnected, yet still unique. Journal of Management Organization, 20(05), 567-571. Sandberg, J., Alvesson, M. (2011). Ways of constructing research questions: gap-spotting or problematization?. Organization, 18(1), 23-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1350508410372151 Suddaby, R., Hardy, C., Huy, Q. N. (2011). Introduction to special topic forum: where are the new theories of organization?.

Assessment Of Housing And Health Inequalities Sociology Essay

Assessment Of Housing And Health Inequalities Sociology Essay Introduction There is a long history of research into the effect of socioeconomic factors and deprivation on health. The spatial dimension where people live is a major determinant of health inequalities, for example in terms of marked variations in life expectancy ( Mitchell et al 2005). One socioeconomic variable, the type of housing that people can afford to live in, is obviously related to income. Hence housing is thought to be one of the determinants of a persons overall health and wellbeing in terms of both physical and psychological. Fuel poverty can be defined as an individual being not capable of affording those resources to keep them in warm condition. Boardman (1991) defined fuel poverty as the inability of a household to acquire energy sources such as heating by using 1o percent of their household income. While the department of energy and climate change approach the same description of fuel poverty as a household to be in fuel poverty in case it needs to spend more than 10 percent of its income on fuel or on heating for sufficient warm ( 21 degrees for the main living area, and 18 degrees for other in use rooms). The living standard and peoples health can be damage while living in cold and damp houses. There is the possibility that elderly, children and people with a long term illness and disability are more susceptible to fuel poverty. The department of energy and climate change classifies fuel poverty into three main categories. (Department of energy and climate change, Addressing Fuel Poverty). Poor condition of the energy efficiency in home High energy prices and its affordability. Low income status of the people Dr. Noel DL Olsen (2001) described that few people choose to live in cold damp homes that they cannot afford to heat well enough to protect their health. Yet for millions of British households this is the reality of poor quality housing, inefficient heating systems and inadequate building standards stretching back over generations. Aims: The aim of the study is to understand and mapping of housing and heath determinants and their relationship in fueling poverty in Salford area of Greater Manchester. Objectives: To understand basic factors of housing and health inequalities To understand how various housing and health inequalities fueling poverty To understand the relationship of various factors using statistical analysis Literature Review The literature review will described the basic description of health and housing inequalities. The condition of housing includes a collection of characters that are integral to the status and well being of a family. Housing on the other hand must be in a state of safe and well-mannered conditions to represent a family life. One of the most famous and influential sources here is John Snows study of clusters of cholera which were found to be caused by contaminated public water facilities in London (Hempel, 2007). This study will be important both in terms of its part in the then emerging field of public health, but also more recently as an illustration of the potential for GIS and spatial analysis techniques in that field. Other early works on the state of the emerging discipline of public health focused on the newly-industrializing slum communities of nineteenth century England. Manchester, the first industrial city, was a good example of this and accounts of the conditions there at that time have acquired totemic status. For example, Engels Conditions of the working class in England, (1987, originally published in 1844) formed part of the primary research which he and his colleague Marx used in their globally-influential economic and political analyses. One hundred and thirty years later, Roberts Classi c slum (1971) provided a first-hand account of someone growing up in Salford, the deprived area immediately to the North West of inner city Manchester, particularly the social and related health problems of its housing stock. However, although the relation between poor health and poor housing seems obvious because of the basic human need for shelter, Thomson et al (2001) comment in a systematic review of published literature of despite, or perhaps because of this intuitive relation, good research evidence is lacking on the health gains that result from investment in housing. Furthermore, Thomson et al (2001) described that there is also a lack of comparative information on the costs and effects of specific housing improvements, such as central heating or major refurbishment. It is this type of evidence that is likely to be most valuable to policy makers and housing providers. Large scale studies that investigate the wider social context of housing improvements and their comparative effectiveness and cost effectiveness are now required. Fuel Poverty Palmer et al. (2008) explained that single-person households in England are much more likely to be in fuel poverty than couples or larger families, their risk being twice as high as the next highest household type, lone parents (in 2005, 15% compared with 7%). This applies to working-age singles as well pensioner singles. Because of their relatively high risk, two-thirds of the households in fuel poverty in 2005 in England were single-person households even though only a quarter of all households were single-person households. Housing, Health and Adequate heating Boardman (1991) first described that fuel poverty are due to the causes of inability of adequate energy usage for adequate heating but on the same time Shortt and Rugkasa (2005) in their research explained that there is the complex relationship between other factors associated with the household such as income, adequate heating and how to use efficient use of the energy, in which case the failure occur when defining the fuel poverty. There has been an effect on person mental health due to poor and inadequate heating system. Poor housing and inadequate heating system lead to damp which causes most of the common health issues. The personal well being, mental health and physical health has been affected by damp conditions of a place. Such type of mental health effect on a person life has been suggested by Lowry (1991) describing that the psychological consequences of having scrape mould off your walls everyday are obvious. A relationship between ill health and poor housing It has been described by (Byrne et al., 1986) that impressive developments in housing sector were accompanied by the developments in health such as at younger age measured of the mortality or children growth and development and also by the declination in the occurrence of diseases associated with overcrowded houses and insanitary conditions. While Burridge and Ormandy (1993) described that there has been the revision of such relationship with in recent years. There is the declaration that due to the construction of as specific type of housing accommodation especially flatted, with no consideration to health criteria, without the needs of the prospective residents has had effects on health. Beside this ill health has been described as a physical manifesto which includes social and psychological effects. One of the local housing authority motivations and a aspiration for the improvement of working class health with the help of providing them with better housing, has resulted in recent decades new slums and health risks associated with it. Boardman (1991) said that people give priority to adequate heating, if they have sufficient income and therefore fuel poverty is a clear indicator of poverty. Whilst the concern is not necessarily true, it is reasonable to assume that most of those in poverty are restricted to the amount of fuel that they can purchase and thus are suffering from fuel poverty. Health and well being of older people is crucial in terms of adequate warmth in their homes, mainly to avoid winter deaths among them (Wilkinson, et al, 2001). Where as Bates et al, (2001) illustrated that for inadequate heating the central heating is not only the just the suggestion but it is in association with the deprivation. From the above reports there is the indication that there is a significant relationship between poor health and other poor housing factors such as dampness, moulds and poor heating or no heating provisions. Research Methodology: There are many research methods from which to choose for a typical research methodology. In the research methodology there is the following general discussion on the conducting of the research and some understanding of type basic concept of the qualitative and quantitative methods. There are many research methods from which to choose from. Research methods are the technique of investigation used to conduct a study. They include the use of questionnaires, interviews, participant observation or field work with the community being studied together with the interpretation of official statistics and historical documents and other techniques not so widely used. Generally there are three main methodologies. Qualitative methods Van Maanen (1983) defines qualitative methods as an array of interpretative technique which seek to describe, decode, and translate and other wise come to term with the meaning, not the frequency, of certain more or less naturally occurring phenomena in the natural world. Quantitative Methods Easterby-smith et al (1995) described four main ways of gathering of quantitative data: Interviews Questionnaires Tests/Measure Observation While they stress that the differences between quantitative and qualitative techniques is not always clear. Quantitative methodologies have an emphasis on the importance of basing research upon protocol and technique. In this piece of research the author will rely on quantitative methodology in the form of secondary data through various sources of database. These databases will include census data to perform the analysis and find out the results. The case study area: Salford, Greater Manchester Manchesters twin city, Salford, adjoins it across the River Irwell and shares much of its history. The wider Greater Manchester region is made up of ten metropolitan local authorities: Bolton Bury Manchester (City of) Oldham Rochdale Salford (City of) Stockport Tameside Trafford Wigan The metropolitan authority known as the City of Salford comprises 20 wards and has a population of 216,000. In this study GIS application will be used along with spatial analysis and statistical techniques to investigate the reality of fuel poverty in this area. This issue is important in policy terms because it seems likely to be a major problem for public health and hence for the economy because of the increasing proportion of elderly people in the population. Fuel poverty is worst among the oldest members of society, particularly those in deprived areas such as Salford. Areas like some parts of Salford also have a higher than average concentration of elderly people because younger people tend to leave the area to seek employment and training opportunities elsewhere. Data and methods The data on socio-economic conditions in Salford will be gathered along with the maps of the area using a variety of resources. Specifically, data on health, housing, family configuration and other conditions in Salfords wards were obtained from the 2001 Census via NOMIS. Maps were obtained from Ordnance Survey and other sources. Census data In the census, health will be chiefly covered by two questions. Firstly, responses confirm whether a person considers themselves to be in (a) good health, (b) fairly good health or (c) not in good health. Secondly, data will be the available on whether respondents suffer from limiting long-term conditions. Some other variables will be envisaged may affect peoples health in this region. These were: whether housing accommodation provided, or did not provide, central heating; whether people lived as part of a couple or lived alone; and whether people were economically active or inactive (i.e were/were not in work, education or training). Pollution data Data on local pollution will be downloaded from the UK Air Quality website (UK NATIONAL AIR QUALITY ARCHIVE,). This will demonstrate the relationship between health and pollution. Pollutants included Nox, No2 and PM10. Maps These will be obtained from EDINA Ordnance Survey for both the Greater Manchester area as a whole and Salfords constituent wards. Statistical analysis of the results The data will be analyzed using SPSS software, then using regression statistics to determine whether there is significance. The data will be modeled the extent to which health is affected by variables such as central heating, being economically active, living in a couple and so on. Map reports can be used to address the out come from the analysis of the geographical data. Regression analysis: In the following section there will be an analysis of results through regression analysis by using multiple variables. In SPSS a simple method Analyze. Regression. Linearà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. in each case will be followed. There will be the selection of different criterion (dependent) and the predictor (independent) variables and will used the multiple regression model four times. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) is a useful method for generating mathematical models where there are several (more than two) variables involved. Multiple Regression analysis: the multivariate regression will be used for at least four times to analyze the relationship between various variable of housing and health inequalities. People in good health and unstanderised predicted variables. The multiple regressions will use run of people in good health as a dependent variable and various other in dependent factors as in a variable entered table.

Concentration Camps Essay -- essays research papers

A concentration camp is where prisoners of war, enemy aliens, and political prisoners are detained and confined, typically under harsh conditions, or place or situation characterized by extremely harsh conditions. The first concentration camps were established in 1933 for confinement of opponents of the Nazi Party. The supposed opposition soon included all Jews, Gypsies, and certain other groups. By 1939 there were six camps: Dachau, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald, Mauthausen, Flossenburg, and Ravensbruck. Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Auschwitz-Birkenau, is the best-known of all Nazi death camps, though Auschwitz was just one of six extermination camps. It was also a labor concentration camp, extracting prisoners' value from them, in the form of hard labor, for weeks or months. Auschwitz was the end of the line for millions of Jews, gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other innocents. Some spend almost two years in this most infamous of concentration camps. The average prisoner only survived eight weeks in Auschwitz. Some learned the ins and outs of survival in Auschwitz. Auschwitz was the largest concentration and extermination camp constructed in the Third Reich. Located 37 miles west of Krakow, Poland, Auschwitz was home to both the greatest number of forced laborers and deaths. The history of the camp began on April 27, 1940 when Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS and Gestapo, ordered the construction of the camp in northeast Silesia, a region captured by the Nazis in September 1939. The camp was built by three-hundred Jewish prisoners from the local town of Oswiecim and its surrounding area. In June of 1940 the camp opened for Polish political prisoners. By 1941 there were about 11,000 prisoners, most of whom were Polish. From May 1940 to the end of 1943, Rudolf Hess was head commander of Auschwitz. Under his leadership, Auschwitz quickly became known as the harshest prison camp in the Nazi regime. Polish prisoners were forced to stand at attention for roll call for hours on end naked in the cold, snowy tundra of Polish winter. Following its first year of existence, Heinrich Himmler visited Auschwitz and told Hess that its labor resource was to be expanded to 100,000 prisoners, making it one of the largest of the concentration camps. In order to accommodate this many people, a second, much larger, section of Auschwitz (Auschwit... ...as chambers built in nearby Hartheim castle. Forced labor in SS Stone Works and Messerschmidt aircraft factory. 120,000 people killed. Ravensbruck: Created on May 15, 1939. First Commandant: Max Koegel. 70,000 inmates at peak. 107,000 inmates passed through. Used for killing sick prisoners and for medical experiments on Jewish women, especially sterilization. Forced labor for Siemens corporation. Sachsenhausen: Created on April 23, 1936. First Commandant: Herman Baranowski. 35,000 inmates at peak. 135,000 people passed through camp. Separate sub-camps for Jews, political prisoners, homosexuals, draft evaders, etc. Contained gas chamber and crematorium. Used for mass murder of 11,000 Soviet POW's. Forced labor for Heinkel aircraft works. 30-35,000 total deaths. Crematorium II: Functioned as a homicidal gas chamber and incineration installation from 15th March 1943, before its officially coming into service on March 31st, to November 27th, 1944, annihilating a total of approximately 400,000 people. Most of them Jewish women, children and old men. Crematorium III: Was used in similar fashion from June 25th 1943 to November 27th ,1944, killing about 350,000 victims.