BSkyB and ESPN Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BSkyB and ESPN Research - Essay Example The vital objective behind employing an effective system of performance measurement could be stated to enhance the performance and the productivity of a particular organisation. The application of such a system would aid the organisation to serve its respective employees, stakeholders, customers and owners in an increasingly better manner (Johnson, 2006). The implementation of an accurate system of performance measurement would help to bring out the information which would evidently indicate the health along with the future and the present position of a business. The system of measuring the performance of an organisation would provide with necessary and vital information regarding the ways of enhancing the prospects and minimising the challenges posed to an organisation. An appropriate system of performance measurement facilitates an organisation to plan, gauge and manage its overall business performance in accordance with an already set strategy. In other words, it can be stated tha t such a system would facilitate a specific business to attain the aspired results and would also enable the organisation to create shareholder worth (Johnson, 2006). The Balanced Scorecard The system of balanced scorecard (BSC) is considered to be the most broadly employed system of gauging the performance of an organisation in the present day context. This particular system entails the parameters of measuring the performance from few different aspects. These aspects include a customer perspective, learning as well as an innovative perspective, financial perspective and an internal perspective related to the business process (Johnson, 2006). With the aid of the employment of such different perspectives, this system takes into concern both kinds of performance measures that is leading as well as lagging. The consideration of both the kinds of performance measures aids in delivering and ascertaining an increasingly balanced perception with regard to the performance of the organisatio n. The leading indicators entail vital measures like customer contentment, timely delivery, development of fresh products and developing the capabilities of the employees. The conventional lagging indicators take into concern the financial measures like the factor of profitability and increase in the revenue. This system of balanced scorecard is considered to be beneficial and effective for organisations as it facilitates the organisations to bring into line each and every staff level towards a particular strategy for the purpose of carrying it out more successfully (Johnson, 2006). Suggested Balanced Scorecard Measures for BSkyB and ESPN Both the considered organisations i.e. BSkyB and ESPN need to implement the measures with regard to the balanced scorecard system which would aid the organisations to monitor their respective performances. The organisations would need to evidently state its mission statement. After this the strategic purposes in harmony with its mission statement n eeds to be recognised. Determination of the strategic aims would aid the companies to develop a comprehension regarding the role of

Inventory management in The Tate and Lyle Sugar Company Essay

Inventory management in The Tate and Lyle Sugar Company - Essay Example There are also inventories for goods that are yet to be completely processed or semi-finished goods by different departments of the firm. In addition, Tate and Lyle hold finished good inventories at distribution centers, plant sites and stores to avoid process stoppages. The other important components of inventory for Tate and Lyle are raw materials and finished goods in transit in different locations, away from the firm’s premises. However, whether these inventories are under the jurisdiction of Tate and Lyle depends on the ownership of an inventory at a given time. That is, Tate and Lyle or its dealers/partners may own a finished goods inventory before it reaches the market and end consumers. The other type of inventory important for Tate and Lyle is a spare part inventory, for spare parts used in servicing its sugar production processes. Generally, Tate and Lyle categorises its inventories based on their functions as input, process and output inventories. Under its input in ventories are raw materials, consumables for processing such as fuel, stationary, bolts, and nuts. Others are maintenance items/consumables, packing materials and local purchased items required for production (Twede, 2005). Among process inventories are semi finished production in various stages in different departments such as production, marketing, quality assurance, packing and packaging. In addition, production wastes and scrap, rejections and defectives also form part of the firm’s process inventories (Napolitano, 2003). Tate and Lyle’s output inventories cover finished goods, finished goods in transit, spare parts stocks and bought out items, repaired stock and parts, finished goods with dealers, defectives, rejects and sales returns, sales promotion and sample... This paper aims to establish the economic reasons, for which manufacturing and production firms such as Tate and Lyle and Silvertown still use various types of warehouses, despite the assertion by many theorists that inventory holding is a practice that should be minimised. it is imperative that every business ensures that its inventory is performing optimally at all times, cognizant of the fact that such practices ensure it avoids over or under inventory, which would affect the financial standings of any firm. Because inventory is a dynamic business aspect, it is essential that firms constantly evaluate, monitor, review and plan the internal and external factors of inventory management. In many businesses, inventory management functions are assigned to separate and specific departments made up of personnel competent in inventory control, monitoring, and reviewing inventories. Importantly inventory departments ensure healthy relationship and interface between inventory and procurement, production and finance departments For processing firms such as Tate and Lyle Sugar Company, Inventories refer to all the physical stock that is idle but has economic value. These stocks may be in various forms waiting processing, packing, transformation, use or future sale Inventory management and practices are thus necessary for Tate and Lyle, which is involved in sugar production, trading, sale and service of products. Tate and Lyle hold inventories for speculative purposes, functional purposes and for physical necessities.

Why did the Reformation Matter to Ecclesiology?

Why did the Reformation Matter to Ecclesiology? By Carmel Gittens This presentation is to be delivered to our weekly Youth Group in our village hall. This is a group of young people aged 16-18. They have poor attention and love film especially Star Wars! So; the opening slide is to grab their attention, but there is no attempt to equate Star Wars with the Christian faith. The purpose of the presentation is to help them understand the significance of the Reformation and the impact it had on the Anglican church to which they belong. Also, to help them understand why the reformation is not a relic of the past but that the faith we share is dynamic, constantly reforming, and is as important today as it was then. There is often a misconception, especially amongst young people who have just studied Tudor history in school, that the reformation was all about Henry VIII wanting to divorce and remarry. They erroneously believe that he was responsible for the split of the Protestant movement from the Catholic church in Rome. As far back as the 5th century Augustine in his book The City Of God had declared that Mans commitment wasnt to Rome but to Jesus Christ. However the British monk Pelagius, while reading Augustines autobiography, was struck by this prayer: Grant what Thou commandest, and then command what Thou wilt. In other words, fallen man is utterly dependent upon Gods grace for salvation. No one, for example, can practice the self-control God commands unless God gives him grace to do so. These words made Pelagius uncomfortable. He believed human beings could be saved by their own efforts. This great theological controversy engulfed the church. To refute Pelagianism, Augustine turned to the great Pauline doctrines of grace, such as original sin, fallen mans total depravity and inability to save himself, the efficacy of the atoning death of Christ, and the necessity of faith in Him for salvation. The enormous biblical learning and perseverance of Augustine won the day against Pelagiuss teaching in the church. In the hundreds of years that followed, the Christian faith took many twists and turns, with Rome rising and falling in its domination, and Papal power being established. However the influence of the seventh century figure Pope Gregory who endeavoured to bring the whole world into the Christian faith and succeeded in bringing Kings and Rulers to the church, was weakened by the fact that the type of Christian faith that was produced was very superficial. A kind of faith that the church still struggles with today. The Synod of Whitby 648 was a gathering of bishops preoccupied with the significant issues of the day such as the shape and style of vestments worn by clergy and the date of Easter. This historical example showed how sometimes the church can completely forget its mission. Disagreements over the use of icons during the next century began to split east and west, coming to a great climax in 787 when the Iconoclastic controversy hit the second council of Nicaea. Although the church eventually allowed the use of icons, it was only under the insistence that they were not worshipped but used for instruction only. However, over the years this line again became blurred and images were given an even more important place in public worship. Whilst empires began to crumble, power was shifting towards the church, and this power was often achieved by corrupt means. Educational standards were falling; often the clergy were more ignorant of Gods word than those they were preaching to and standards of spiritual direction fell. The influence of Eastern traditions and beliefs isolated the Western church, and the popes of Rome were now able to take more power, unchallenged as they were by any degree of accountability to a higher power on earth. They began to acquire land and used the revenues from them to dominate the wider church with their corruptions. Many began to recognize the corruption between state and church and this led to disagreement over who should be able to elect clergy, the state or the church? More and more of the higher offices of clergy seeing the need to gain power began to raise funds with which to grow their dynasty and spiritual wellbeing gave way to fundraising and the selling of indulgences. It was in this climate that many began to voice their concerns, and the reformation movement really began to gather momentum. Whilst this is very important to the deeper understanding of the roots of the reformation, for the needs of the target group of my presentation, I have begun in the 14th century with the introduction of Wycliffe and his translation of the bible into English. Whilst a brief introduction that sets the scene is necessary, the amount of preceding information would be too much for the group to take in at one go, and may require a separate session. However, such in-depth detail may only be needed by those wishing to continue studying reformation history, rather than just a basic understanding of where this fits in to the development of the faith of the Anglican church. I decided by way of brief introduction to discuss the discontent with Rome and the political power wielded by the papacy, the use of Latin in both the Catholic Mass and the Bible as a way of controlling the information the populations were given, and the selling of indulgences by the clergy as a supposed way of gaining forgiveness and a sure way to enter heaven. To help the students understand just how early this discontent began, two slides about Wycliffe and Hus have been included, with the link to Luther coming from the slide about Hus prophecy regarding another man 100 years on, who would be proclaiming the same discontent and proposed reforms. Whilst I have maintained a little of the Star Wars theme, I did not wish this to become confused with the focus of the presentation and so after using a little picture to retain their interest I then left this until the last slide to finish the theme. Luther is introduced, with a brief history of his life and how he came to disagree with the traditional Catholic biblical teachings and the corruption of Rome. Then follows an explanation of his 95 theses and the controversy its publication caused. I believe that the importance of the printing press on the spread of the ideals of the reformers should not be underestimated. It is often debated that without it perhaps Luthers influence would not have been so far reaching. The students need to understand this and so the slide regarding this was introduced. The following information regarding the main concerns of Luther has been simplified as much as possible to aid students understanding of a very complex topic which contains a lot of historical information. It is important though that the main facts and chronology are established. Luthers theses that expressed his concerns about certain Church practices largely the sale of indulgences, and his deeper concerns with Church doctrine are explained. And how Luther could not reconcile this practice with his beliefs. When Pope Leo X began allowing indulgences to be sold it was to raise money for the rebuilding of St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Johann Tetzel, a monk began selling them not far from Wittenberg, where Luther was Professor of Theology. Luther could not find any scriptural evidence that this practice was of God. The students are now shown how Martin Luthers personal faith journey evolved from being a devout Catholic to hating the vengeful God he found in the bible. He concluded that no matter how good he tried to be, he could never earn his way to heaven. Luther re-read St. Paul, who wrote The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). Luther had a eureka moment and began to understand that those who go to heaven will get there by faith alone not by doing good works. In other words, Gods grace is something freely given to human beings, not something we can earn. This belief was not shared by the Catholic Church. Luther and other reformers also disagreed regarding the transubstantiation of the Eucharist. Luther thereby challenged one of the central sacraments of the Catholic Church, one of its central miracles, and thereby one of the ways that human beings can achieve grace with God, or salvation. Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X when he refused to recant his theses and other works at the diet of Worms. There needs to be balance in any teaching session and it is important to look at the churchs response; which was called the Counter-Reformation. The slides include information about the 1545 Council of Trent and its discussions to deal with the issues raised by Luther. This is important as it shows that the Catholic church attempted reconciliation and although many of its former practices and traditions were upheld, there was some attempt to stamp out the corruption that had in many ways led to the reformation. This and the later values of the Oxford movement are discussed. It is only then that the involvement of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth are brought into the session. The influence of religion upon the political world and the wars and persecution that happened then; and is still happening today, are addressed. The Reformation was a very violent period in Europe. Each side, both Catholics and Protestants, were certain that they were in the right. Bibliography Ferguson, Sinclair B.; Beeke, Joel R.; Haykin, Michael A. G.. Church History 101: The Highlights of Twenty Centuries. Reformation Heritage Books. Spencer, Stephen Anglicanism:SCM Studyguide. 1 Jun 2010 Reeves, M and Chester, T: Why the Reformation Still Matters, Inter-Varsity press 2016.

The Effect of Divorce on Children Essay -- Papers Marriage Cause Kids

The Effect of Divorce on Children Divorce, once uncommon in our society, is now becoming more and more frequent, disrupting our children's state of well-being. Some children of divorced families have long-term behavior problems such as depression, low self-esteem, poor school performance, acting out, and difficulties with intimate relationships. Children with divorced or divorcing parents often have a sense of abandonment, because their parents become too preoccupied with their own psychological, social, and economic distress that they forget about their kids? needs (Lamb and Sternberg, 1997). In 1988, Professor Jeanne Dise-Lewis conducted a survey of 700 middle school students. The students were asked to rate certain events as to the stress they causes. The death of a parent or close family member was the only thing that outranked divorce (Zinsmeister, 1996). A divorce in the family creates a major life change for most children. Loss of contact with friends, schoolmates, neighbors, teachers, and sometimes m oving to a new location may bring a lot of psychosocial stress upon the children, and that stress can be very harmful. Since the divorce boom started in the 1960?s, father-mother divorces have increased at an alarming rate. Today more than 1,000,000 kids experience a divorce in the family every year in the United States alone (U.S.A. Today, p. 8). As a result of the divorce, many children live in single-parent homes. This usually results in a drop in income for the family. Remarriage creates step families. Children often have a hard time adjusting to this new situation. Many of the remarriages end in divorce. As children see these marriages end, they may become more likely to accept divorce as they ente... ...e parents. "Divorce is now the single largest cause of childhood depression. Marital disruption, quite clearly, can wound children for years" (Zinsmeister, 1996). References Doob, Christopher Bates, Sociology, and Introduction, 5th ed. (Fort Worth: Hartcourt Brace College Publishers, 1997), p 142. Driedger, Sharon Doyle. (1998) After Divorce [On-Line] Available: http://gw3.epnet. com/ehost.asp?key=xwBRPG6&site=ehost Lamb, Michael E. and Sternberg, Kathleen J. (1997) The Effects of Divorce and Custody Arrangements on Children?s Behavior, Development and Adjustment [On-Line]. Available: http://gw3.epnet.com/ehost.asp?key=xwBRPG6&site=ehost ?Minimizing the Effects of Divorce on Kids,? U.S.A. Today May 1996: 8. Zinsmeister, Karl. (1996) Divorce?s Toll on Children [On-Line] Available: http://gw3.epnet.com/ehost.asp?key=xwBRPG6&site=ehost

Developing, Using Organising Resources Within the lifelong Learning Sector Essay

1. Understand the purpose and use of resources 1.1 Explain the purpose of resources in teaching and learning Different types of resources are used in lifelong learning process so that the knowledge of the learners can be practiced and their learning can be progressed. The learners’ level of understanding and the areas they find difficult can be assessed and identified by providing them with the resources. Moreover, the learners with learning difficulties can be provided with differentiated tasks and additional support by providing resources. The additional explanations that are not explained by me during the class can be provided to students in detail by giving them resources. Also, a vital role is played by the resources in avoiding bias and in increasing focus in the process of learning. The main advantage of utilizing resources in the learning process is that it will make the learners actively engaged in the learning activity as the tasks provided by the resources are planned interactively. Utilising the resources in the process of learning enables learners to develop their learni ng skills and achievements. Expertise knowledge of the tutors can also be developed as preparing materials for resources provide them training as well as the understanding of effective resource materials that can be used in teaching activity. 1.2 Review the effectiveness of specific resources in meeting individual learning needs in learning and teaching contexts Strengths and individual needs of all learners have to be identified by tutors as a part of their  responsibility and the needs of the learners have to be satisfied accordingly. Learners have to be motivated and encouraged by me so that they can reach their maximum potential in their learning activity and feel inclusive in the learning environment. The weaknesses of each learner have to be identified and I have to help them strengthen their weaknesses by working together with them and support them in their learning progression. Varieties of resources are used in my learning environment in order to make sure that the needs of the learners are met and satisfied. Resources such as interactive whiteboards, PowerPoint presentations, worksheets, textbooks and hand-outs are used in my learning environment so that each learner can get the benefits out of those resources. Using interactive whiteboards and its different features make my learners stay focused and engaged in their learning activity. It draws the attention of all the learners. Certain topics can be understood by reading various textbooks that are provided to my learners. The PowerPoint presentations again draw the attention of my learners and help them understand what they are going to learn in the class every day. The worksheets given to students are a way of assessing whether learners understood the topics and the teaching methods used by me are effective. The learners and peers are always encouraged to provide feedback on my teaching methods and resources so that the effectiveness of my methods and resources can be analysed and developed. Feedback forms are often provided to my learners so that they can express how useful did they find my teaching methods and resources provided. Regularly scheduled standardised meeting are attended in order to cope up with the standards as feedbacks will be provided in these meeting on the effectiveness of the resources I use by internal verifiers and my peers. External sources such as external examiners and verifiers also who come to assess the works of my learners also provide me with their feedbacks and comments which help me to improve my skills. 2. Be able to develop and use inclusive resources 2.1 Review sources which inform resource development A teacher has to also play the role of a resource developer. A resource developer can be referred to a person who is in charge of preparing and developing resources that can satisfy the needs of learners and help them achieve their full potential in their learning activity. The duties and roles that have to be carried out by a resource developer are explained by the figure above. Individual needs of every student have to be identified and plans have to be developed in order to satisfy the learning needs of all learners. The next step is to design the resources according to the individual needs that are identified and deliver those resources to the learners. Once the task in completed by the learners the resource developer then can assess their performance which will automatically enable the resource developed to identify the effectiveness of his resources. According to the information given by Turkish online journal of education technology (2009), two student groups are surveyed where one group of students provided with the lower level of teaching resources while second group of students are provided with the higher level of teaching resources. The surveys identified that the students who are provided with higher level of teaching resources have got muc h more positive outcome comparing to the other group of students. ‘We have found that when technologies are thoughtfully integrated with a sound pedagogical vision, students’ views of teaching and approaches to learning can be positively affected.’ The LeTUS report series (2003) also shows how important it is for the teachers to understand their educational capacities and utilise and organise educational resources in their teaching environment in order to develop an organised teaching environment. It recommends that the teachers should develop and plan resources that help learners to improve their knowledge and skills in various methods rather than developing a ‘one size fits all’ types of resources. Developing resources in such a way helps the teachers to enhance their utility and professional development which will then help them to create a deeper connection with their learners to make them feel inclusive in their learning environment. The advantages of providing personalised resources either via technology or textbooks are shown and proved by many research studies and articles where all of them stress the importance of providing learners with personalised resource documents in order to help them reach their maximum potential. Downloadable resources such as PowerPoint slides, eBooks, worksheets, Podcasts and word documents that can bring many benefits in the learning environment. All these resources have their own advantages and disadvantages. Online downloadable E-journals and article are available instantly and available for free most of the times. Knowledgeable and portable information are provided by the online journals and articles. However, the information provided in these resources will not be reliable if they are not updated regularly. Another resource that can be easily used and accessed is PowerPoint which is portable as well. But, as the information given are in a point based format and brief some students might find it difficult to understand. Especially learners with learning difficulties may not find it useful. E-books are another type of resources that are portable and useful as it is has a feature of audio speaker especially when it is accessed through Kindle. However, the limitations of E-books can be its limited battery life and expensive. There is a chance that the learners might get visual issues when it is used for a long period of time. Worksheets can be downloaded online so that the time spend in preparing new worksheets can be saved and it can be easily adapted. But by easily downloading worksheets online can make the tutors very lazy and the tutors will be demotivated. The worksheets available online might not suite the requirements of learners with learning difficulties. Another problem with downloading worksheets online, it can be time consuming if the tutor has got no proper searching skills in the internet. 2.2 Explain ways in which resources can be adapted to enable an inclusive approach It is important for me as a tutor to analyse and understand the strengths and weaknesses of  each learner and identify their learning needs in order to work together with them and help them overcome their learning difficulties and weaknesses. Learners have to be constantly motivated and encouraged by me in order to make them inclusive in the learning environment and enable them reach their full potential. There were many situations where the learning resources had to be adapted according to the learning needs and requirements of each learner in my class. The resources had to be adapted and differentiated for the learners with hearing impairments, visual impairments and dyslexic students according to their personal needs. The size of the fonts has to be changed to a bigger size, the colour of font can be changed to black and relevant pictures can be used in order to meet the needs of visually impaired students so they can easily follow the slideshows. In order to make my hearing impaired students inclusive in the learning environment the Podcasts can be downloaded for them so they will be able to understand the learning outcomes and lesson plans. Local care coordinators or specially trained and qualified staffs will be carried out some assessments according to the personal circumstances of these kind of students with hearing and visual difficulties (NHS and Community Care Act 1990). Learners with weak written skills will be provided with the voice recorder so their answers can be recorded verbally. A mentor can also be arranged for them to write their work. Specially trained and qualified staff members can also be arranged in order to help them with their learning activities. Another challenge that can be faced in my teaching environment is dyslexic students. First the level of their dyslexic has to be identified and then referred to qualified specialists in order to guide them properly. The resources and their contexts also have to be personalised and modified in order to suite their learning requirements. The resources have to be simple and easy so that they will be able to understand and achieve their learning achievements. 2.3 Design resources, including resources which involve new and emerging technologies, to engage and meet the individual needs of learners in own specialist area Please refer to attached Worksheet and PowerPoint Slides. 2.4 Justify the effectiveness of own design and use of resources to engage and meet the individual needs of learners in own specialist area In order to satisfy the learning needs of my visually impaired, auditoria and kinaesthetic learners, the personalised resources are prepared and designed. Slides are prepared and provided to my learners so that they will be able to effectively follow the lesson and attain their learning targets by the end of the session. Learners who have hearing difficulties and visual impairments can be benefited by the PowerPoint presentations I provide. Lessons can be delivered to the visually impaired learners effectively by the clear and big fronts used in the slides so a clear perspective of lessons can be provided to them. Objectives of the learning sessions can be elaborated and explained effectively by presenting them in PowerPoint slides which will be beneficial to the hearing impaired and audio learners as well. In order to encourage team working skills I provide my learners with pair and group activities which will encourage them to share their knowledge and skills with each other. Group activities also motivate and encourage learners to progress in their learning targets. Personalised and different worksheets are provided to my learners with different learning needs so that I can examine their knowledge and test the effectiveness of my teaching methods. I always keep my students occupied by providing them various activities and tasks. Knowledge and level of understanding of students can be tested and examined by the adapted worksheets provided at the class which will also help them apply what they have learned. 2.5 Employ resources to engage and meet the individual needs of learners in own specialist area Please see set (SOW, Lesson plan, Self-evaluation & assessment observation) and session feedback form 3 Understand how to organise and enable access to resources 3.1 Explain ways in which resources can be classified and stored Learning resources are available in many forms in different sources and formats. There are various ways such as scanning and photocopying available  to reproduce learning resources. According to the different learning requirements of each learner resources will be amended. After amending the resources, tutors can reproduce and save those in the format of PDF or save the audio files in the format of mp3. In order to store these resources carefully a hard drive with a proper password can be used so others will not be able to access it. Ownerships of resources can be owned, reproduced and stored by an individual in different ways which is mentioned clearly in the Copyright Law 1976. Data are stored in variety of formats by different programs. Certain formats of files can only be supported by only certain programs and applications. Usually formats of file can be appeared in 3 letter format such as jpg, pdf, psd, tif, gif, ppt and doc which illustrates the different formats of files. Fi les can be stored in Adobe illustrator in different formats as follows: .ai — Adobe Illustrator, its â€Å"native† format .ait — Adobe Illustrator Template .pdf — Adobe Portable Document Format Although there are variety of file formats available to store resources, PDF can be considered as the most suitable and appropriate file format. PDF refers to Portabe Document Format which can also be called as ‘Paperless Office’. Documents can be developed and transferred without printing each files. In order to create PDF file Adobe Acrobat Reader have to be downloaded which is available for free download in the internet. Both bitmap and vector graphics formats can be represented by PDF file. Any applications can be converted into PDF formats, but unless other users have Adobe Acrobat it is impossible to edit the file. Additional it provides the option to merge files with other formats of applications and it can easily be transferred to the printing machine. Another format that is commonly used is Vector-Graphics. Files can be easily created, saved, transferred, printed and archived in the native format of the illustrator which is .ai. It has to be converted into the f ormat of EPS or TIFF file in order to transfer it to a PostScript Printer or to be able to use in a page layout program. The format that is most appropriate to save images is JPEG which has got best compression ability. Blackboard and Moodle are well-known resources that are widely used in learning environments to redevelop access and upload learning materials. Moodle platforms have got many educational aspects which stress the importance of interactive learning and inclusive learning environment. It is a useful platform for learners to access learning materials that can help in achieving their learning goals. Friendly and supportive user groups are available in the Moodle platform which can help learners to get support in their learning activities lively. Moodle platform is available to view in three different ways which are weekly view, topic view and social view. Combinations of various file formats and scheduling is available in Moodle. Different features such as chat, assignment, dialogue, choice, journals, glossary, forums, workshop, wiki and lesson are available on Moodle for the access of learners. However, it has got some disadvantages as well. The privacy of these platforms is questionable and these are very transparent. Initiative is required in terms of gathering support and it is timely. 3.2 Identify ways of sharing resources with other learning professionals Teaching resources can be considered as crucial tool in the process in teaching and learning. Formation of resources can consume more time and money when trying to connect them and present them with the use of technology. But it is not possible to carry out a teaching process without the use of teaching resources and materials. The learning needs and requirements of all learners are observed and the resources will be prepared and utilised to the maximum in order to achieve the learning targets. In order to reduce the financial burden, the financial costs of all resources can be shared among various teaching institutions. It is very common to share teaching resources between educational organisations, teaching organisations, subject fields, publishers and libraries as it provides benefits to learners and tutors. Mostly teaching resources are shared between various institutions to utilise varieties of resources available. Resources can be shared among professionals using different tech niques such as LAN (Local Area Network), VLE (Virtual Learning Environment), File Sharing and Published Journals. LAN can also be referred as Intranet which is a well-known technique of sharing resources inside the organisations. In  order to share these resources via Intranet, it is not necessary to have internet within the area and it will always have access within the organisation. Computers and systems that are connected in the LAN network will be connected with the same hard drive so that the resources can be accessed easily even without internet. File Sharing is a similar method of sharing resources thus the teachers within the institution can get access to all learning resources regardless whether it is created online or not. As different varieties of resources are available in File Sharing and LAN everyone in the organisations can be benefited by using these platforms. The individuals with learning difficulties will find it very useful as varieties of personalised resources by different resource developers and available instantly. Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) also another technique used to share resources online. It is very easy and convenient to share resources using VLE because all the learning materials and resources will be uploaded in the online portal and learners will be given the access to it which enables them to access the resources anywhere and anytime they want. But it is necessary to have an internet connection to get access to VLE. Another effective technique of sharing resources is through Published Journals. Published resources can be found in many copies whether on a newspaper, blog, textbook or magazine. For some published journal resources only a controlled access is allowed by the publishers. Valuable resources are published and shared in a large amount of numbers where the protection of the sources has not been given the importance it requires. However, this can be considered as very a valuable and useful study aid. 4 Understand legal requirements and responsibilities relating to the development and use of resources 4.1 Summarise legal requirements and responsibilities relating to the development and use of resources Development and use of educational resources need to meet several legal requirements and responsibilities. The current copyright law available in UK is Copyright Act 1998 – The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The owners of the materials will be given the rights to decide in which ways their resources can be used and controlled by other users. Areas such as  public performance, broadcast, adapting, photocopying, renting copies to public and issuing are covered by this act. The owner will be given the right to call himself as Author. When a work is created by an individual and it can be considered as original and a degree of skills will be exhibited then the person will get the rights to acquire copyrights to his work. For example, the creator of a book cannot get the rights to protect the book itself, but the content of the book will be protected by the Copyrights. Another individual will be given the rights to get some idea of some particular book to create his own work, but the content of the book cannot be directly copied or adapted. However, if an individual creates a work as a part of his job, then the copyright cannot be acquired by him, thus the company or employer who hired will have the rights to hold the copyrights of that work. An individual still can have the copyrights for his work when it is created under a commissioned or freelance work, if there is no agreement exists between the individual and the company. Regarding any infringement the proceeding can only be brought by the owner of the work or his exclusive license. Intangible assets such as literary can be obtained with certain rights using Intellectual Property Act. The areas such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, some trade secrets and industrial design rights are included in the Intellectual Property Rights which can be used by individuals and companies in order to protect their work. Majority of the countries put this law in commonplace in the late 20th century although the principles of Intellectual Property Act have been in existence over hundreds of years. Rights of processing the data on public will be determined by the Data Protection Act 1998 which is created by the UK Act of Parliament who makes most of the law in the country. Although the term privacy is not mentioned in the Act, it determines the privacy every individual has to be given with respect to processing the personal data. In simple words, an individual can have the rights to decide to which extent his personal data can be used and processed. Thus, individuals and companies have to comply with this law and keep the personal information confidential when required. Disabled people are protected by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 against discrimination against them related to employment, provision and disposal of good and services and management of premises. This act will decide provision about disables people’s employment and it will also help to  form a National Disability Council. All the above regulations have to be followed when creating and publishing the resources for educational purposes. Regardless of the learning difficulties faced by learners, the resources have to be created in a fair manner. 4.2 Review the implications of intellectual property rights and copyright for the development and use of resources It is both teachers’ and learners’ responsibility to enforce Copyrights Act 1998 and Intellectual Property Rights in the learning and teaching environment. The original authors of each resource have to be mentioned and cited in my work when using information from research materials, books, e-books, articles and journals in order to support my thoughts. The source of the information has to be mentioned briefly in my work and my learners’ work so other users will be able to refer that information when needed. The companies and organisations also have to comply with these laws. Some educational institutions will have the copyrights on their materials and work where their employees created the work and they must comply with existing law. If someone else’s work is claimed as an individual’s own work that will be called as Plagiarism and this is totally not accepted. Various books, journals, e-books and articles are used when creating resources for my tea ching. I always make sure that I have mentioned proper in-text and full referencing for the resources I used in my work. I always stress my learners on the importance of mentioning originality of the resource by citing proper referencing. My own work will be indicated with my name and my organisation’s name when needed in order to show that this resource is created by me or on behalf of my company. The original source of the information must be mentioned even though there are some adaptions made in relation to the learning needs of my students. Furthermore, it is not accepted to share the work with others when it is prohibited. When reading through materials and article to use them in my work it is important to make sure that it is acceptable to use them in my work as some books and resources do not give the permission to use them in others’ work. The permission from the owner of the work has to be obtained before using their resources. 5 Understand how to evaluate own practice in relation to  development and use of resources 5.1 Review the effectiveness of own practice in relation to development and use of resources In my teaching and learning environment resources are considered as valuable tool. Learners can be kept engaged in various class tasks and activities and they can have a clear progression in their learning with the use of appropriate resources. The resources such as worksheets, PowerPoint slides and Interactive whiteboards and used in my teaching environment. I use PowerPoint slide to give my students a view of the lesson objectives and what is going to be taught in class. The slides will be in simple and brief format. Font sizes of my slides are usually kept between 14 to 16. My learners and I find this resource very effective as it is pretty straight forward and convenient. It can be considered as an effective technique of guiding the lesson and explaining the lesson objectives. The knowledge and understanding of my learners can be examined and tested using the worksheets provided at the end of the session. The effectiveness of my teaching methods and techniques also can be assesse d using the worksheets and changes can be made to the way I teach if needed. Most of the students complete the worksheets I provide which indicates that they understand what they are being taught in my class and achieve their learning goals. 5.2 Identify own strengths and areas for improvement in relation to development and use of resources 5.3 Plan opportunities to improve own skills in development and use of resources Action Plan: development of resources (5.2 and 5.3) Strengths Areas to improve: Resources Objectives Methods used to improve By when My learners are always kept engaged by giving them varieties of challenging  activities and tasks Worksheets: For the different level of students in my class room two variety of worksheets have to be prepared for both higher ability learners and lower ability learners Develop the ability to create two varieties of worksheets for higher level of ability students and lower level of ability students. More worksheets can be obtained online and permission can be obtained from owners to adapt those materials in my class which will enable me to differentiate tasks depends on the learners’ needs 10st April 2014 At least one learner task will be included in my teaching session using the interactive white board resource Interactive whiteboard: Group activities have to be planned that can be practiced using the interactive whiteboards rather than providing activities based on whiteboards. To provide the opportunity to work with team so they can interact to share ideas for their own presentations and assignments. Online research can be done on effective ways of using interactive whiteboards to engage my learners in the learning activity and training can also be attended. 30th April 2014 My learners will be always guided properly with the learning outcomes, objectives and summary of the lesson PowerPoint: Lesson objectives have to be broken down to the different tasks that are going to be provided in the class Develop the ability to create tasks effectively for both individual and group activities so they will be aware of what they are learning More time can be spent in creating more slides in my PowerPoint presentations to make sure that all the learning outcomes and objectives are explained to my students 30 March 2014 BIBLIOGRAPHY Reece, I. and S. Walker (2007). Teaching , Training and Learning: A practical guide, Business Education Publishers, Limited Gravells A (2012) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector London Learning Matters Gravells A & Simpson S (2012) Equality and Diversity in the Lifelong Learning Sector London Learning Matters A Contextual Guide to Support Success in LLN Provision: Embedded Learning. DfES (QIA 2008) Websites http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/50/introduction http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ21.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ875780.pdf http://www.inquirium.net/people/matt/teaching_as_design-Final.pdf http://laeremiddel.dk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Quality_principles

If I Were a Boy Essay

The artist Beyonce has a fantastic music video, directed by Jake Nava. He is best known for his Anti-gun campaign music video; he also attended University of Westminister. It is about a girl who put herself in a guys shoes. This particular song portrays an R&B genre. Beyoncà © is shown as a female police officer arresting a grown, black male who looks to be from an impoverished area. This often times suggests R&B; however, both Beyoncà © and the male featured in the video appear to be clean cut and well presented. They also show the couple’s nice apartment, and the guy is shown giving Beyoncà © an expensive-looking pair of earrings. Based on this information, one can assume that this music is not R&B, it’s pop. The purpose of this video was to highlight the misunderstanding between genders. The theme of role reversal was used. Beyoncà © was shown in the shoes of a man. She treated her man the way your stereotypical male would treat a female. Men don’t take the time to sit down and eat breakfast together, as shown in the video; they tend to worry more about work, alcohol and other women. Beyoncà © illustrates the feeling of men coming and going, always assuming that when they do in fact come home their girl will be right there waiting for them. She proves that point wrong when she says â€Å"you lose the one you wanted because you’ve taken her for granted†. A person can only take so much before they decide to walk away. Aside from what had previously been mentioned it is noted that there is a very strong relationship between the lyrics and the visual. The way Beyoncà © acts towards her man in the video is much the same as she describes it through her words. She shows distance and selfishness. She puts herself first, which is what she feels most guys do. This video portrays their closeness, but also her reluctance  to be treated poorly. At this point, viewers are able to sense her. confusion: she seems tired of the situation, tired of her man constantly coming and going. It almost seems as if its time for her to make a decision, judgment day. The roles are suddenly flipped and everything begins to make sense. However, if you pay close attention you also begin to realize that the record company is trying to do multiple things with this song. You can tell that the record company is not only trying to sell the track but the artist as well. A vast majority of Beyoncà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s songs have leaned more towards the R&B genre, all songs that could be played at a party and cause a live atmosphere whereas this song is deeper and more heartfelt. This song is looking to grab peoples attention in a different way, she wants people to relate. The record company tries to sell her as a diverse artist, and was trying to prove that she is capable of executing multiple forms of music. Overall, this song is about a female who feels as if men have it easier, almost like they can sa y and do things that woman cannot do within a  relationship without facing consequences. Beyoncà © feels a man wouldn’t stick around if they were treated like a female. They wouldn’t have the patience nor would they continue to make an effort. This song/video combo was well executed and served a clear purpose. Some women feel a man’s position is easier to fulfill, but who is to say that some men don’t feel that way about women? It would be very interesting to see a male version of this music video.

Free Essays on Why Drop Out

Why Drop Out? Each fall a new crop of first year college students, wavering between high hopes for the future and intense anxiety about their new status, scan college maps searching for their classrooms. They have been told repeatedly that college is the key to a well-paying job, and they certainly don't want to support themselves by flipping hamburgers or working at some other dead-end job. With notebooks ready, they await what college has in store. Unfortunately many of them, indeed over thirty percent, will not return after the first year. Why do so many students leave? There are several reasons. Students leave college because they either find the academic program too hard, lack the proper study habits or motivation, fall victim to the temptations of the college environment, or simply for preexisting personal reasons. Not surprisingly, the academic shortcomings of college students have strong links to high school. In the past, a high-school student who lacked the ability or desire to take a college-preparatory course could settle for a diploma in general studies and afterward find a job with decent pay. Now that possibility scarcely exists, so many poorly prepared students feel compelled to try college. Getting accepted by some schools isn't difficult. Once in, though, the student who has taken nothing beyond general mathematics, English, and science faces serious trouble when confronted with college algebra, freshman composition, and biological or physical science. Most colleges do offer remedial courses and other assistance that may help some weaker students to survive. In spite of everything, however, many others find themselves facing ever-worsening grade point averages and either fail or just give up. Like academic shortcomings, poor study habits have their roots in high school, where even average students can often breeze through with a minimum of effort. In many schools, outside assignments are rare and so easy that they re... Free Essays on Why Drop Out Free Essays on Why Drop Out Why Drop Out? Each fall a new crop of first year college students, wavering between high hopes for the future and intense anxiety about their new status, scan college maps searching for their classrooms. They have been told repeatedly that college is the key to a well-paying job, and they certainly don't want to support themselves by flipping hamburgers or working at some other dead-end job. With notebooks ready, they await what college has in store. Unfortunately many of them, indeed over thirty percent, will not return after the first year. Why do so many students leave? There are several reasons. Students leave college because they either find the academic program too hard, lack the proper study habits or motivation, fall victim to the temptations of the college environment, or simply for preexisting personal reasons. Not surprisingly, the academic shortcomings of college students have strong links to high school. In the past, a high-school student who lacked the ability or desire to take a college-preparatory course could settle for a diploma in general studies and afterward find a job with decent pay. Now that possibility scarcely exists, so many poorly prepared students feel compelled to try college. Getting accepted by some schools isn't difficult. Once in, though, the student who has taken nothing beyond general mathematics, English, and science faces serious trouble when confronted with college algebra, freshman composition, and biological or physical science. Most colleges do offer remedial courses and other assistance that may help some weaker students to survive. In spite of everything, however, many others find themselves facing ever-worsening grade point averages and either fail or just give up. Like academic shortcomings, poor study habits have their roots in high school, where even average students can often breeze through with a minimum of effort. In many schools, outside assignments are rare and so easy that they re...

Overcrowding in our Prison System essays

Overcrowding in our Prison System essays Prison overcrowding is quickly becoming a major financial and controversial problem in the United States. There are now more than two-thirds of a million people in our country in jail or in prison, and soon there will be half a million in prison alone. With that being said, two-thirds are confined in less than 60 square feet of floor space. While prison conditions have improved considerably in many ways, the present correctional system is still struggling to deal with the same problems that the United States has experienced in the past. State and Federal prison overcrowding has continued to hurt United States correctional facilities because of increasing inmate population and the demand for lower corrections costs. These two factors have resulted in a growing shortage of living space for prisoners. Many correctional facilities are operating under hazardous conditions, which include operating past the maximum capacity. Overcrowding in prisons and inmate to inmate violence appears to b e closely related as well as intolerable living conditions, which contribute to many of the problems in prisons, which seem to be unconstitutional. Violence including sexual assault, poor health and the spread of diseases among inmates, and several inmates in a cell that holds fewer people, with every inch of space occupied by a bunk or a person are a few of the unconstitutional problems going on in prisons today. Overcrowding is a serious problem as many can see, but there are many reasons for overcrowding, as well as effects of it, and there are strategies people are trying to use in order to control this dilemma. Whether some want to believe it or not, overcrowding is a serious problem that we all have to look at because it is our money that is being used to support a failing prison system. The government has to come up with new ways to punish the guilty, and still manage to keep American citizens satisfied that our prison system is still effective. ...

Municipal Recycling Is Not Mandatory in All U.S. Cities

Municipal Recycling Is Not Mandatory in All U.S. Cities Mandatory recycling is a hard sell in the United States, where the economy runs largely along free market lines and landfilling waste remains inexpensive and efficient. When the research firm Franklin Associates examined the issue a decade ago, it found that the value of the materials recovered from curbside recycling was far less than the extra costs of collection, transportation, sorting and processing incurred by municipalities. Recycling Often Costs More Than Sending Waste to Landfills Plain and simple, recycling still costs more than landfilling in most locales. This fact, coupled with the revelation that the so-called â€Å"landfill crisis† of the mid-1990s may have been overblown- most of our landfills still have a considerable capacity and do not pose health hazards to surrounding communities- means that recycling has not caught on the way some environmentalists were hoping it would. Education, Logistics and Marketing Strategies Can Lower Recycling Costs However, many cities have found ways to recycle economically. They have cut costs by scaling back the frequency of curbside pickups and automating sorting and processing. They’ve also found larger, more lucrative markets for the recyclables, such as developing countries eager to reuse our cast-off items. Increased efforts by green groups to educate the public about the benefits of recycling have also helped. Today, dozens of U.S. cities are diverting upwards of 30 percent of their solid waste streams to recycling. Recycling Is Mandatory in Some U.S. Cities While recycling remains an option for most Americans, a few cities, such as Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Seattle, have made recycling mandatory. Seattle passed its mandatory recycling law in 2006 as a way to counter declining recycling rates there. Recyclables are now prohibited from both residential and business garbage. Businesses must sort for recycling all paper, cardboard and yard waste. Households must recycle all basic recyclables, such as paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass, and plastic. Mandatory Recycling Customers Fined or Denied Service for Non-Compliance Businesses with garbage containers â€Å"contaminated† with more than 10 recyclables are issued warnings and eventually fines if they don’t comply. Household garbage cans with recyclables in them are simply not collected until the recyclables are removed to the recycling bin. Meanwhile, a handful of other cities, including Gainesville, Florida and Honolulu, Hawaii, require businesses to recycle, but not yet residences. New York City: A Case Study for Recycling In perhaps the most famous case of a city putting recycling to the economic test, New York, a national leader on recycling, decided to stop its least cost-effective recycling programs (plastic and glass) in 2002. But rising landfill costs ate up the $39 million savings expected. As a result, the city reinstated plastic and glass recycling and committed to a 20-year contract with the country’s largest private recycling firm, Hugo Neu Corporation, which built a state-of-the art facility along South Brooklyn’s waterfront. There, automation has streamlined the sorting process, and its easy access to rail and barges has cut both the environmental and transportation costs previously incurred by using trucks. The new deal and new facility have made recycling much more efficient for the city and its residents, proving once and for all that responsibly run recycling programs can actually save money, landfill space, and the environment. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted on About Environmental Issues by permission of the editors of E.

The Role of Strategic Communication in Relation to Professionalism Essay

The Role of Strategic Communication in Relation to Professionalism - Essay Example The number of professional public relations officers has been on the rise over the last years. Moreover, the number of women in the profession surpassed that of men in the US in the 1980s. This can be attributed to the fact that the number of women entering the workforce has been on the rise as compared to the past decade in which many women were housewives. The status of the job was lowered when women became the majority of workers, which resulted in low salaries, and the exclusion of the professionals from important decision-making organs of an organization. This resulted in many scholars referring to the job as a women’s work. The number of women in the workforce started to increase during the Second World War because most of men in the society were engaged in war. When the men started to trickle back in the communities, women had no choice but to go back to their more feminine jobs of motherhood and housekeeping . Â  The role that social media is playing in terms of adver tisements of an organization’s products is immense. This implies that all organizations aspiring to remain in the ever-increasing competitive world of business has to have people with abilities to tap the social media’s potential. This cannot be achieved if organization does not hire the right people and define their roles clearly. Definition of duties means that the public relations professionals understand exactly what to do and when. Studies have established that the functions of the public relations.... This means that the time taken to send information from the source to the recipient is minimal and as a result, the right people receive the intended message through the best means. The number of professional public relations officers has been on the rise over the last years. Moreover, the number of women in the profession surpassed that of men in the US in the 1980s. This can be attributed to the fact that the number of women entering the workforce has been on the rise as compared to the past decade in which many women were housewives. The status of the job was lowered when women became the majority of workers, which resulted in low salaries, and the exclusion of the professionals from important decision-making organs of an organization. This resulted in many scholars referring to the job as a women’s work. The number of women in the workforce started to increase during the Second World War because most of men in the society were engaged in war. When the men started to trickl e back in the communities, women had no choice but to go back to their more feminine jobs of motherhood and housekeeping3. The role that social media is playing in terms of advertisements of an organization’s products is immense. This implies that all organizations aspiring to remain in the ever-increasing competitive world of business has to have people with abilities to tap the social media’s potential. This cannot be achieved if organization does not hire the right people and define their roles clearly. Definition of duties means that the public relations professionals understand exactly what to do and when. The main role of public relations is enhancing the image of an organization. The media portrays the public relations department

Answers to Cases Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Answers to Cases - Case Study Example The armed force and militias systematically loot several minerals and raw materials including coltan from eastern part of Congo. They utilize this profit for their operation funding. Stakeholder Theory Approach This case study is all about the Coltan conflict in Congo. A particular business firm can address to the views or opinions of several stakeholders linked with a specific issue through stakeholder approach. Stakeholder theory approach helps an organization to manage and control several critical conflicts and issues. There are two kinds of stakeholders, such as non-market stakeholders and market stakeholders. This part of the report will discuss about the contribution of these two categories of stakeholders. In-Market Stakeholders In this specific case; employees, customers and suppliers are considered as the in-market stakeholders. Employees of an organization are considered as the important stakeholders of an organization. It is important for the organizations to maintain heal th and safety standards of the employees. However, this coltan conflict in Congo can force the employees to raise their voice against the management, but several regional and political conflicts are the major reason behind these issues. Customers are the other important stakeholders. High consumption volume and numbers measures the growth and profitability of an organization within this industry. Loot and smuggle of this coltan raw material by the Congo’s militias stopping the global electronic organizations to meet market demand. Supply chain system of Congo is very much complex due to internal regional conflicts of the country. Suppliers can be considered as other major stakeholder within an electronic industry. Local, regional and global traders are trying to maintain effective supply chain despite the impossible sourcing of coltan raw material. Non-Market Stakeholders With respect to the case, communities and government are considered as the non-market stakeholders. Commu nities like NGOs, group of electronic firms, electronic industry citizenship coalition collaboratively tried to develop conflict-free assessment programme to help the global organization to avail conflict free raw materials. On the other hand, role of government of Congo is not impressive since last four decades. They should review and control the conflicts during the starting phase through strict administrative action. However, government and several organizations are collaboratively trying to ban the conflict. Stakeholder Map Coltan conflict in Congo affected the global electronic supply chain. The country was suffering from several regional conflicts after Second World War. Coltan is a key raw material that is utilized in the manufacturing process of several electronic goods. Congo is the major sourcing country of coltan. Militias and armed force of Congo generally loot and smuggle this coltan and make huge profit. Government of the country failed to take strict actions against t hese issues. This conflict affected the supply chain and social life of the workers. Lack of machineries and poor workplace environment can result serious workplace hazard. Looking into these matters, government of Congo and several electronic

"Juvenile Delinquency Interventions" Coursework

"Juvenile Delinquency Interventions" - Coursework Example This is quite some amount of cash and is unbelievable as a result. I believe in the findings of this study because teenagers seem to do what they are particularly asked not to do. By exposing teenagers to jails and making them aware of the criminal activities that put people in jail, they are made aware of wrongs that they perhaps were unaware of. It is imperative to note that teenagers may be vulnerable to attempting to engage in illegal activities simply because they were exposed to them. In the case of Johnny, who was diagnosed and found to be psychopathic, there are a number of effects that his diagnosis would have on his rehabilitation. For instance, his condition will not allow him to listen and partake advises from his counselors or therapists. Additionally, with his condition, he may be resistant to psychotherapy. A good example of the effects of this diagnosis is a patient who punched his psychotherapist in the face during a session when he was asked to sit calm and watch a predetermined video as a healing process. This was posted in the

5ELW Employment Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

5ELW Employment Law - Assignment Example sation should have taken to comply with UK law and procedure as well as recommend the most appropriate course of action that can be taken after the dismissal. According to UK Employment Law, the circumstances surrounding a dismissal will determine whether is fair or unfair and the procedure employers must follow when dismissing employees depends on the date of the dismissal (BIS, 2013). To comply with the UK law, the employer should follow the procedures stipulated by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) Code of Practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures. In Paul’s case, although the employer may have had justified grounds to dismiss him, the procedures were not followed from various perspectives. Most significantly, he was not given notice or allowed a disciplinary hearing. The requirements for fair dismissal include the capability (or lack of) the employee to work, their conduct, redundancy and circumstances that prevent them from conducting their job legally, such as the loss of a driving license by a driver. To comply with the UK law and specifically the Acas Code, the employer and the employee must have acted consistently whereby necessary investigations needed to be carried out to establish the case’s facts. Legally, he could have been dismissed without notice if he was in his first month of employment, if his contract indicated so or if he had conducted himself in a manner that undermined the confidence and trust of the employer. However, Paul had worked at the department store for four years on a full-time basis yet he was instantaneously dismissed, which means the employer did not comply with UK law. It is necessary that the dismissal decision and procedure are fair even in cases where the employer has a justifiable reason for the dismissal. To comply, the first step should have been sending a letter that pointed out the problem and an indication of the consideration for dismissal or disciplinary action (Citizens Advice,

Recession and Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Recession and Banking - Essay Example This was indicated by the McKinsey research which demonstrated that the competitive analysis proved how the banking industry was not adhering to set market dynamics anywhere in the world. With differences in performance between regions, structures and sub sectors, the use of the five forces of competition easily came across in the changing global dynamics of the banking sector. The McKinsey research further concluded that the next decade will herald a worldwide GDP growth reaching 16% by 2012. According to Deloitte, "The global banking industry weathered turbulent times in 2007 and early 2008. After rising interest rates and a decline in U.S. housing prices drove increased defaults among subprime borrowers, investors rapidly lost their appetite for securities based on subprime mortgages and soon for other securitized assets as well. Given the integration of capital markets, the impacts quickly ricocheted around the world, affecting banks, securities firms, and hedge funds in the Unit ed States, Europe, and Asia." (Global Banking Industry Outlook, 2008; Pp 1 to 12) This can be seen in the fact outlines by Deloitte according to which the AAA downward trends have affected the hedge funds the most. While commercial and investment banking institutions had announced write offs of almost $100 billion by January 2008, increased legal activity (double of what was seen in the previous year) became the trend for August 2008 onwards. (Global Banking Industry Outlook, 2008) In the face of these trends, this essay will seek to study the changing dynamics of the global banking industry according to the Pestel analysis and Porter's five forces of competition. PESTEL ANALYSIS Following are the features according to which the analysis has been carried out by taking the questions into consideration when studying the various pieces of literature to find a conclusion: Political What is the culture of the organization, How is the HR function viewed by other functions Who are the political champions of HR (or its adversaries) Shareholder views Economic What is the budgetary position of the department, Is more money available Are our customers likely to spend more or less money on the services we offer What is happening to the financial status of the organization Interest rates Inflation Salary trends in the sector Sociological Other departmental attitudes to HR Population shifts (age profile) Education Fads Diversity Immigration/emigration Health Living standards Housing trends Fashion & role models Age profile Attitudes to career Technological What changes may be coming our way What new technology/ systems, How do we record attendance, performance how might this change Use of and encourage home working Communications technologies changes of technology that will increase/ reduce the need for recruitment changes to HR software Legal What is happening in our sector that will impact what we do Minimum wage, Working time, Food stuffs, Under 18 working, Occupational/ industrial Training etc. What changes will impact the services of the organization Environmental Staff morale Staff engagement Need to reduce storage needs Management attitudes (inside dept/ function) Organizational culture Source: RapidBi - Pestel Template Findings The basic finding based on the PESTEL analysis points to the following trends as outlined in the various

First, choose an organisation that interests you based in the UK or Assignment

First, choose an organisation that interests you based in the UK or abroad - Assignment Example Currently, British Airways has been branded as one of the first airlines in adaptation of green technology and environmental friendly strategies. British Airways was among the leading companies to be among the schemes of European Countries decreasing greenhouse emissions. In addition to the innovative improvements towards the ways in which passengers fly, the company has also undergone huge revolutions. The passengers can print their own boarding pass thanks to British Airways. Among other developments initiated by the airline is the ongoing developments in Heathrow airport which is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom The 2008 economic crisis affected the airline in terms of revenue. Nevertheless, with the recent mergers changes and in air trade regulations and policies, the company’s future is bright and there are a positive sign for British Airways both in domestic and foreign markets. The annual report of the company has always emphasized on how much the company would wish to become one of the best responsible airlines in the world and designing of the guiding principles together with careful strategic direction will ultimately allow the achievement of the desired goals (Porter, 2002) Customers-even though customers are the greatest source of the company’s profits, they have less impact on how the company is being managed. British Airways wants to maintain the existing customers and attract new customers. Employees-they have the ability to influence the customers. The reduction the company has to make, though, leads to employee dissatisfaction. The cabin crew have mostly expressed their demands through strikes and go-slows Competitors-British Airways is the leading airline with a turnover of  £8.99 billion per year. Though British Airways is the market leader, airlines that adopt low cost strategy can affect decision making of the company Suppliers-Airbus

Recession and Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Recession and Banking - Essay Example This was indicated by the McKinsey research which demonstrated that the competitive analysis proved how the banking industry was not adhering to set market dynamics anywhere in the world. With differences in performance between regions, structures and sub sectors, the use of the five forces of competition easily came across in the changing global dynamics of the banking sector. The McKinsey research further concluded that the next decade will herald a worldwide GDP growth reaching 16% by 2012. According to Deloitte, "The global banking industry weathered turbulent times in 2007 and early 2008. After rising interest rates and a decline in U.S. housing prices drove increased defaults among subprime borrowers, investors rapidly lost their appetite for securities based on subprime mortgages and soon for other securitized assets as well. Given the integration of capital markets, the impacts quickly ricocheted around the world, affecting banks, securities firms, and hedge funds in the Unit ed States, Europe, and Asia." (Global Banking Industry Outlook, 2008; Pp 1 to 12) This can be seen in the fact outlines by Deloitte according to which the AAA downward trends have affected the hedge funds the most. While commercial and investment banking institutions had announced write offs of almost $100 billion by January 2008, increased legal activity (double of what was seen in the previous year) became the trend for August 2008 onwards. (Global Banking Industry Outlook, 2008) In the face of these trends, this essay will seek to study the changing dynamics of the global banking industry according to the Pestel analysis and Porter's five forces of competition. PESTEL ANALYSIS Following are the features according to which the analysis has been carried out by taking the questions into consideration when studying the various pieces of literature to find a conclusion: Political What is the culture of the organization, How is the HR function viewed by other functions Who are the political champions of HR (or its adversaries) Shareholder views Economic What is the budgetary position of the department, Is more money available Are our customers likely to spend more or less money on the services we offer What is happening to the financial status of the organization Interest rates Inflation Salary trends in the sector Sociological Other departmental attitudes to HR Population shifts (age profile) Education Fads Diversity Immigration/emigration Health Living standards Housing trends Fashion & role models Age profile Attitudes to career Technological What changes may be coming our way What new technology/ systems, How do we record attendance, performance how might this change Use of and encourage home working Communications technologies changes of technology that will increase/ reduce the need for recruitment changes to HR software Legal What is happening in our sector that will impact what we do Minimum wage, Working time, Food stuffs, Under 18 working, Occupational/ industrial Training etc. What changes will impact the services of the organization Environmental Staff morale Staff engagement Need to reduce storage needs Management attitudes (inside dept/ function) Organizational culture Source: RapidBi - Pestel Template Findings The basic finding based on the PESTEL analysis points to the following trends as outlined in the various

Democracy in the United States and Great Britain Essay Example for Free

Democracy in the United States and Great Britain Essay Although the need for government to have leadership that provides direction is universal among states, the form that the government leadership assumes varies. Government structure varies significantly between the United States and Great Britain, despite that each is a democracy and share a common history. In fact, the common history of the United States and Great Britain suggests reasons to explain the broad differences between the governments of each respective state. In the wake of the American Revolution, the people of the United States rejected the forms and institutions, most notably a monarchy and Parliament, of British government as well as British sovereignty. Possessing a democratic presidential government, the United States has two separately elected agencies of government. The executive and legislative branches of the United States, the President and Congress, respectively, both derive their power from the people, whereas in Great Britain only the legislative branch, Parliament, derives its power from the people, as the executive is elected by Members of Parliament, thus effectively combining both branches within a single institution. The Parliamentary system in Great Britain and the Presidential system in the United States both have histories marked by an absence of abject failure, yet neither system can be considered truly perfect. Consequently, the analyst cannot conclude that either system is better; rather, he must recognize that there are merits and faults in both systems. The Parliamentary system tends to legislate efficiently, whereas a presidential system tends toward gridlock. However, the presidential system grants both elected representatives and citizens greater influence in government. The Parliamentary system tends to favor Prime Ministers who have much experience, whereas the Presidential system favors Presidents who are responsive to the general will of the people. Also every week the British prime minister appears before the House of Commons and must answer questions put to him or her by the members of Parliament. Sometimes it is suggested that the president of the United States should be subject to similar questioning by members of Congress, as a way of encouraging closer interaction between president and Congress. If the president did so, however, it would be his or her choice; the president is elected directly by the people and is answerable to the voters rather than the legislature. Whereas the prime minister has no choice because he or she is a member of Parliament and is directly accountable to that body. Herein lies a very basic difference between the presidential system of government as it exists in the United States and the parliamentary system that has evolved in Great Britain. Another point is that the framers of the U.S. Constitution adopted the principle first enunciated by the Baron de Montesquieu of separation of powers. They carefully spelled out the independence of the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. At the same time, however, they provided for a system in which some powers should be shared: Congress may pass laws, but the president can veto them; the president nominates certain public officials, but Congress must approve the appointments; and laws passed by Congress as well as executive actions are subject to judicial review. Thus the separation of powers is offset by what are sometimes called checks and balances. In a parliamentary system, by contrast, the legislature holds supreme power. The prime minister is chosen by members of the legislature (Parliament) from among their own number and in practice is the leader of the majority party in the legislature. The cabinet members must also belong to the legislature, where they are subject to the same kind of questioning that the prime minister experiences. If the prime minister loses the support of the majority in the legislature on a significant vote, he or she must resign, and elections are called immediately. Thus, whereas in the United States, elections are held at fixed intervals, in Britain and other parliamentary countries, they may occur at any time, the only restriction being (in  Britain) that they must be held at least once every five years. In Conclusion, the governments of Great Britain and the United States of America have many differences, they are, at the core, provides leadership and direction to their nation.

Morphology of the Golgi Apparatus

Morphology of the Golgi Apparatus The Golgi apparatus is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. According to Keaton et al. (1993) he noted that the Golgi apparatus is prominent in cells involved in cell secretions of various chemical products. This is due to the level of secretory activity of these cells changes corresponding changes occur in their morphology of the organelle. Its main function is to process and package macromolecules such as proteins and lipids after their synthesis. According to Solomon et al. (2008) the Golgi apparatus which is also known as the Golgi complex was first described in 1898 by the Italian microscopist Camillo Golgi. Mr. Camillo found a way to specifically stain this organelle. However in further study Solomon et al.(2008,pg 91) stated that many investigators thought the Golgi complex was an artifact until cells were later studied with the electron microscope in the 1950s. The Golgi apparatus is usually located near the cell nucleus, and in animal cells it is often close to the centrosome, a small structure near the cell centre (Albert et al. 2004).This organelle consists of a collection of flattened membrane-enclosed sacs known as cisternae which are piled up like a stack of plates. Solomon et al. (2008) notes that some cisternae may be distended because they are filled with cell products. Each of the flattened sacs has an internal lumen. The Golgi complex contains a number of separate compartments, as well as some that are interconnected. The stack of Golgi has three different regions which are the an entry- the cis, medial and exit-the trans. Albert et al.(2004) established that the cis face is adjacent to the endoplasmic reticulum and the trans points towards the plasma membrane. Steven (1998) explained that the soluble and properly folded proteins enter the cis Golgi network via transport vesicles. They are transported from the endoplasmic reticulum to the Golgi complex. If a protein has an endoplasmic reticulum retention signal reaches the cis Golgi network Steven (1998) noted that it binds to a specific receptor and is repackaged into vesicles that return it to the endoplasmic reticulum. Freeman (2003) further described that the newly synthesized proteins and lipids have been modified within the cis-cisternae 50 nm diameter coated vesicles bud of the dilated ends of this compartment and fuse with the medial cisternae. Within each region there are different enzymes that transform proteins to be secreted and membrane proteins differently. Lodish et al. (2003) discussed that this process depends on their structures and destination. After the enzymes of the medial cisternae acts on the proteins and lipids, the process continues in an assembly line fashion by c oated vesicles budding from the terminal dilations and fusing with the Trans cisternae. From the Trans (exit) cisternae the proteins and lipids will exit the Golgi and then are passed into the Trans Golgi network. Lodish et al. (2003) distinguished that after this process the macromolecules are sorted into different transport vesicles destined for the lyosomes, plasma membrane or secretion. These Golgi compartments have their own specific functions. Secretory proteins are released from the cell by exocytosis. Albert et al. (2004) clarified that in all eukaryotic cells there is a steady stream of vesicles that grow from the Trans Golgi network and combine with the plasma membrane. Goodman (1998) suggested that this exocytosis pathway performs continuously and provides newly made lipids and proteins to plasma membrane. Proteins, fats and polysaccharides are carried from the Golgi apparatus to their ultimate destination via the secretory pathway, Cooper et al.( 2009).This entails the sorting of proteins into diverse kinds of carrying vesicles which sprout from the trans Golgi network and distribute their contents to the appropriate cellular locations.Moroever Cooper et al.(2009) noted that proteins that purpose within the Golgi apparatus must be maintained within that organelle rather than being conveyed along the secretory pathway. Transportation from the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface can occur by at least three routes. The simplest is the direct transport from the Trans Golgi network to the plasma membrane. Henceforth this leads to the arrangement of innovative proteins and lipids into the plasma membrane and the constant secretion of proteins from the cell. In addition to that Cooper et al. (2009) described that proteins can also be transported from the Golgi to the plasma membrane via an intermediate of recycling endosomes. Moreover these pathways which lead to continual unregulated protein secretion some cells obtain a distinct synchronized secretory pathway in which particular proteins are secreted in response to body signals. For instance regulated secretion entails the liberation of hormone from endocrine cells, the discharge of neurotransmitters from neurons and lastly the liberation of digestive enzymes from the pancreatic cells. Furthermore proteins are arranged into the synchronized secretory track in the Trans Golgi network where they are packaged into specialized secretory vesicles. This sorting appears to be mediated by cargo receptors that recognize signal patches shared by various proteins that go through the pathway, Cooper et al. (2009). Then the receptor cargo complexes selectively aggregate in cisternae of the Trans Golgi network and are then discharged by budding as immature secretory vesicles. Goodman(1998) noted that these vesicles which are bigger than transport vesicles further process their protein contents and often combine with each other to form mature secretory vesicles. Therefore the mature secretory vesicle then stores their contents until specific signals express their synthesis with the plasma membrane. For instance, the digestive enzymes manufactured by pancreatic cells are stored in mature secretory vesicles in anticipation of the existence of food in the stomach and( ileum) small i ntestine which activate their secretion. This method is known as vesicular transport. Last but not least it can be concluded that these following processes are involved in the Golgi apparatus. They are known as cisternal maturation and vesicular transport. First of all the polypeptides are synthesized on ribosomes.Keaton et al.(1993) described that the protein is then assembled and carbohydrate component is added in the lumen of the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover transport vesicles move the glycoprotein to Golgi Cist face. The Golgi apparatus receives proteins from endoplasmic reticulum and starts to chemically modifying them. In Trans face glycoprotein are packaged in transport vesicles.Glycoproteins are then transported to plasma membrane and finally released from cell. Last accessed Sunday 01.11.09 Reference list Cooper, Geoffrey M. The cell: a molecular approach. 5th edition Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer Associates; Basingstoke: Palgrave [distributor], 2009. 087893300x(pg 408-415) Essential cell biology / Bruce Alberts [et al.]. 2nd edition. New York; Abingdon: Garland Science, 2004. 081533480x(pg 518,519) http://www.bio.miami.edu/~cmallery/150/cells/c7.6.13.Golgi.jpg last accessed on Sunday 01/11/09 Keeton, William T Biological science / William T. Keeton, James L. Gould, with Carol Grant Gou. 5th edition. New York: Norton, 1993. 0393962237(pg 133-135) Medical cell biology / edited by Steven R. Goodman. 2nd edition Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott-Raven, 1998. 039758427x(pg 134-137) Molecular cell biology. 5th edition. New York: W. H. Freeman, 2003. 0716743663 (pg 169,170) Solomon, Eldra Pearl Biology / Eldra Pearl Solomon, Linda R. Berg, Diana W. Martin- 8th ed. (International) New York : Brooks Cole, 2008 (pg 91-93)

Smoking Cigarettes Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Example Essays

Thank you for your warm welcome. Good afternoon. David, thank you for your introduction. To David, Dr. Cynthia Callard and all the others in the organization known as Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, thank you for having invited me to be part of this day. Also, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak with you about our common commitment against smoking. And let me also say how much I admire the work that has been done by the members of the Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada. As David mentioned, because of the nature of your profession, you see up close and first hand the effects of tobacco use. You have seen its toll and you have decided to move beyond treating its symptoms to confronting its causes and by bringing your insight and your efforts from your practices to the public domain. You have made a real difference and I want to express today, on behalf of the government of Canada, our gratitude and admiration for the efforts that you have made in this important area. I know there are other groups present here today, health groups committed to reducing the level of smoking in Canada, people who have spent their time and their energy speaking out and acting. By doing so, you have earned the respect of Canadians by helping us better understand the impact of tobacco use. The example that you have set, whether through individual action or membership in groups, by speaking out, organizing, acting, and raising public awareness of these issues, you have demonstrated once again that in order to effect positive change it is not necessary to run for Parliament or to hold a senior public position. Someone once said that the highest office in a democracy is the office of citizen and by your commitment and by your actions you have fully discharged the responsibilities of that office and you have made Canada a better place. What brings us all here together is National Non-Smoking Week. This week also draws attention to the many people and groups that are active in anti-smoking initiatives. The commitment that each of you brings to non-smoking is shared by my provincial and territorial colleagues, family doctors and specialists, medical and health associations, and by municipalities, voluntary groups and individuals across Canada. As that range of participants shows, National Non-Smoking Week is very much rooted in our communities. Across Canada,... ...adversary. Smoking is addictive. Its influence sometimes seems pervasive. It is part of the daily ritual of almost seven million Canadians and it is going to take a sustained and a long term effort by all partners to achieve our public health goals. But those challenges give us every reason to get down to work and I am here today to tell you as Canada's Minister of Health that I am fully committed to our common cause. Over the years, the partnership between health ministers and health groups has produced some very substantial gains on the subject of tobacco use. Smoking bans that were thought of as radical 20 years ago are now commonplace. Public awareness of smoking risks has never been higher. And our new Tobacco Act sets a world standard for anti-tobacco legislation. It is now up to us, those of us in this room, those whom we represent, and me, as Minister of Health, to sustain that effort and to make further progress, step by step, to use all available tools as shrewdly as we can, and above all, to speak with one voice in serving notice on those who have a different interest that we shall continue until we prevail. Thank you very much for having invited me here today.

AIDS :: AIDS Essays

AIDS HIV and/or AIDS is a life threatening disease that is affecting society today. It is a serious epidemic that is threatening millions of lives around the world. A person can become HIV infected thorough the sharing syringes or through vaginal or anal sex, one does not become infected from the air as some might think. It is infected through the blood. Testing positive for human immunodefiency virus or HIV, means that you carry the antibodies, you can be HIV infected and not have AIDS, AIDS occurs in later stage of infection. A person is infectious through all stages, although studies have shown that a person is most infectious during the early stage of detection and in the final stage of AIDS, during the midcourse of the infection they are less infectious. There are several things that one can do to prevent becoming HIV positive. One items is that you can practice abstinence, or on a more realistic view, one should be monogamous and always use condoms. It has been researched that the use of condoms lowers the risk of becoming HIV infected by 90%. Although this protection is not 100% it is the only way that actually helps prevent you from getting the virus. I think that society should make condoms more accessible to young people, I believe they should have condom machines in girl and guys school bathrooms. I also feel that they should be distributed in school social events such as dances or proms, when it is most likely that they will be having sex. Giving youth condoms is not encouraging sex, in my opinion yet it is educated them that they must protect themselves not only from unwanted pregnancies or venereal disease but from death, and from future spread of this epidemic. Studies shown that 50% of infected people are youths between the ages of 15 to 24 years of age. (Public Health Reports Jul. 1995, v110n4, p462-466. If this is the stage that statistics is showing that are most k]likely to contract the virus than why not do everything possible to help prevent it. Another study that I believe has brought results in the needle exchange program, In which drug users go and exchange their dirty needles for clean ones in order to prevent becoming or getting someone infected. "There are increasing data showing that those who regularly exchange their syringes in such programs benefit by lowering their risk of HIV acquisition". Khoshnood, Haven Public Health Reports Jul 1995, v110n4, p 462-466. I believe that AIDS education should be mandated in al states. As I

Porter’s generic strategies Essay

Introduction Porter’s generic strategies of cost leadership, differentiation and focus can be (and often are) adopted by competitors in any given industry and can be provably successful in 21st century business. According to Porter: Effectively implementing any of these generic strategies usually requires total commitment and supporting organizational arrangements that are diluted if there is more than one primary target. . . . [These] generic strategies are approaches to outperforming competitors in the industry. Porter (1980: 35). Furthermore, Porter argues that â€Å"the firm failing to develop its strategy in at least one of the directions–a firm struck in the middle–is in an extremely poor position† and is doomed to essentially low profitability. Porter (1980: 41). In cost leadership situation an organization sets out to be the low-cost producer in its industry. It caters for many industry segments. If an organization can achieve and sustain overall cost leadership then it will achieve superior performance. Cost leadership can be obtained by focusing on key accounts, reaping economies of scale, controlling costs† (Sultan Kermally; 2003, 66-67). Main Body In order to achieve an proper competitive positioning and above average performance, Porter has proposed the following strategies which are termed as generic strategies: Cost leadership A differentiation strategy Focus strategy Cost leadership (attaining the lowest cost position) is clearly not within every firm’s ability to strive toward and attain. In fact, not more than one or two firms in any industry can give value arising predominately from cost-effective operations. By far the majority of firms succeed through the implementation of one of the other two strategies. Even in the case of supposed commodities, companies strive to raise other dimensions of value given to consumers rather than seeking just to compete on a cost basis. Mobil and Exxon are amongst the petroleum firms that attempt to position their gasoline as being superior in quality (anti-clog, non-freeze, etc.), additionally to which their service stations stock an increasing array of convenience items. Mercedes Benz focuses on the prestige and image-conscious end of the automobile market, while Toyota’s manufacturing efficiency gives it a cost and quality facilitator which is reinforced by its marketing wizardry. Combinations of these strategies are also probable, as when instant oil change (focus) specialists look to establish a low-cost position due to the high volume of business generated by a sensible response to customer’s minor automobile service needs. The cost leadership strategy frequently requires a `lean’ culture and is usually perceived as `unattractive’ with the constant focus on cost management and efficiency. A leaning to be production or operations led therefore emerges. This produces a concentration on standardization of products, components as well as processes with the minimization of variations/derivatives. A fine balance needs to be attained between maintaining a contracted range of products/services and meeting the varying needs of diverse customer groups. It is these tensions between either giving a differentiated approach to match customer require and gain competitive advantage, or pursuing cost leadership to gain profit margin and value advantage, that frequently leads in practice to a mixed approach. This means that the advantages of neither competitive position are attained. This being `stuck in the middle’ yields no competitive advantage and corrodes the position of the business unit. Differentiation would involve an organization in providing something unique to its target customers. The uniqueness can be related to products, the way it delivers its goods and services, the way it markets its products or anything that shapes a customer’s perception in relation to differentiation. This could be the way products and services are branded or designed and the customers perceive such offerings as unique† (Sultan Kermally; 2003, 66-67). The differentiation strategy is often the most `attractive’ in that it gives the opportunity for a more resourceful approach to the market. For this reason the organization tends to be marketing led. It is fundamental in these business units that the cost/benefit analysis of any new type of differentiation is thoroughly evaluated. In addition, sensitivity analysis should be used to look at the capability of the associated cost base at different levels of sales performance and in diverse market conditions. The primary challenge with differentiation is one of competitor replication, where the benefit is temporary and, once replicated, becomes an increase in the industry/market cost base for all competitors. This growing migration of the cost base can over time destroy an attractive market segment. According to Grant (1991): â€Å"Differentiation is different from segmentation. Differentiation is concerned with how the firm competes — in what ways the firm can proffer uniqueness to its customers. Such exclusivity might relate to consistency (McDonalds), dependability (Federal Express), status (American Express), quality (Marks & Spencer), and innovation (Sony). Segmentation, in terms of market segment choices is concerned with where the firm competes in terms of consumer groups, localities and product types†. Whereas segmentation is a feature of market structure, differentiation is a strategic choice by a firm. A segmented market is one that can be partitioned according to the characteristics of customers and their demand. Differentiation is concerned with a firm’s positioning within a market or a segment in relation to the product, service and image characteristics that influence customer choice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Sultan Kermally; 2003, 66-67). Michael Porter also has addressed the issues of competitive advantage in relation to the nations. In his book ‘The Competitive Advantage of Nations’ (1990), Porter’s view has an impact in relation to global competition and consequently global marketing. He puts forward a view that national conditions influence a firm’s competitive advantage in globally competing industries. Then comes focus strategy that â€Å"involves an organization being selective in terms of the segments it wants to serve and focusing on these segments to the exclusion of other segments. The focus strategy can either be cost focus or differentiation focus. If an organization does not choose generic strategies it wants to focus on then as Porter puts it, it will be ‘stuck in the middle’. The extent to which a generic strategy can be sustainable will depend on competitors’ behavior and action. The organization constantly has to be a step ahead of its competitors† (Sultan Kermally; 2003, 66-67). Porter’s generic strategies are based on the competitive methods and possibility of the organization, both of which compromise its strategy. His recommendations have perceptive appeal. Unfortunately, Porter does not cite any contributing literature in the development of his typology. It is also unfortunate that Porter’s deductively derived typology was not convoyed by an attempt to validate its contents empirically. However, separate research efforts have been directed at subjecting Porter’s conceptualized typology to empirical verification. One of the first empirical tests of Porter’s hypothesis was conducted by Dess and Davis, who examined 22 firms in the paint and related products industry (Dess and Davis, 1984). A total of 78 executives from these firms completed questionnaires by representing the importance of 21 competitive variables (Woo and Cool, 1983). The resulting correlation matrix of this distinctiveness was subjected to factor analysis to isolate the competitive dimensions linked with Porter’s three generic strategies. The principal factor solutions hold three elements that were matched against Porter’s generic strategies. A panel of seven academicians was then surveyed to establish the importance of each competitive means for each of the generic strategies. Overall, general agreement was attained between the panel’s definition of cost leadership and differentiation and that resultant via the factor analysis. However, disagreement existed over the panel’s idea of focus strategy and that which was labeled through the beginning. So as to differentiate firms according to discrete patterns of strategic behavior, Dess and Davis entered the factor scores of each firm into a group algorithm. Performance data (return on assets and annual sales growth) were provided for 15 of these firms. The authors observed four separate clusters, of which three were hold as pursuing distinct generic strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, or focus). They labeled the fourth cluster â€Å"stuck in the middle.† Return on assets for both the cost leadership and differentiation strategies were considerably higher than that generated by the â€Å"stuck in the middle† strategy, lending some support to Porter’s argument that generic strategies produce superior performance. However, the focus cluster was also shown to have the lowest profitability, signifying that Dess and Davis’s results were not conclusive. The authors also raised questions concerning interpretation of factor scores, given concerns they had with the constancy of factor loading in the sample set. The study is also limited in that it implicated only one industry. In a separate study, White examined 69 business units from 12 different businesses from the Profit Impact of Marketing Strategies (PIMS) data base in order to determine the â€Å"proper† organizational requirements approved for Porter’s three generic strategies (White, 1986). A differentiation strategy was operationalized by high relative cost and price, whereas a cost leadership strategy was distinct by low relative price and cost. The organizational â€Å"context† of the business unit was operationalized along three dimensions: autonomy, frequency of reports/reviews, and functional coordination. Performance was determined according to return on investment (ROI), real sales growth, relative market share, and cash flow from investment. By statistically comparing different organizational characteristics, White was capable to demonstrate that businesses within a common strategy class had similar organizational contexts within the overall corporation. For businesses that followed a cost leadership strategy, higher ROIs were linked with low autonomy and more frequent reviews and measures of performance. For businesses following differentiation strategies, higher ROIs were linked with an opposite set of interorganizational characteristics. These results were reliable with Porter’s contention (Porter, 1980). However, when White employed other measures of performance (for instance, real sales growth), the previously mentioned relationships did not always hold. In addition, the combination strategy of both low cost and differentiation produced the highest overall ROI results and higher real growth consequences than a simple pure cost strategy. This suggests that, differing to Porter’s hypothesis, some successful businesses follow a combination of two or more â€Å"generic† strategies concurrently. Another study based on testing Porter’s hypothesis was performed by Woo and Cool. The primary aim of this study was to contrast the performance of Porter’s differentiation and cost leadership strategies with non-generic strategies. The study concentrated on domestic manufacturing businesses over the period from 1976 to 1979 and used the PIMS data base. Woo and Cool chose relative price and cost as representative of the major dimensions that reflect Porter’s differentiation as well as cost leadership strategies. Performance was represented by four factors: return on investment, real sales growth, relative market share, and cash flow to investment. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure was performed that designated mixed results for the generic strategies. According to Woo and Cool, â€Å"In all cases, non-generic strategies as a group seem to achieve as well as the generic strategies.† (Woo and Cool, 1983, 17). These results seem to corroborate those findings of White. In addition, the use of discriminant analysis recognized differences in the functional components of Porter’s two generic strategies and revealed that (1) differentiation strategy was recognized with higher product quality and product R&D and (2) cost leadership was linked with lower discretionary spending and a heavy emphasis on forward integration. In all, Woo and Cool’s conclusions challenged two aspects of Porter’s hypothesis, namely, that generic strategies produce superior performance and that the useful components of particular generic strategies are static and deductively particular The generic strategies make the postulation that the company intends to persist in a concentration mode, that is, limit its horizons to a single product/service or attain a predominant portion of its sales in one industry. Few large or medium size firms confine their product horizons. Characteristically it is small businesses that start with such a focus. With success and growth usually comes a desire to reduce dependence on any one product/market. Diversified firms have more established sales and earnings. Risk reduction unquestionably helps improve shareholder value. Most firms have historically been uncomfortable about â€Å"sticking to their knitting† lest they knit a sweater that’s no longer in style or that someone else can make at half the price (perhaps with a machine they’ve just invented). The unwillingness to place all one’s eggs in one basket is quite comprehensible since it could result in binding the company’s future to just one product, a product that might be rendered obsolete or alternated by alternate products. Also, competitors could prove to be more competent at value formation by identifying the desired components of value more accurately or delivering them more efficiently. Continuous value enhancement in a single product area is positively laudable, but prudence dictates that other stakeholders’ needs (shareholders, employees, creditors, and suppliers, for instance) also be taken into thought. Diversification is an important strategy in assuring that the needs of a diversity of stakeholders are given careful enough attention to merit their strong support. Moreover, expanding the product as well as market scope of the firm widens its range of customers, providing even more opportunities for delivering value in completely novel ways. Diversification has, of late, come under fire for being the reason of many firms’ declining ability to compete with domestic and foreign rivals. It is, however, conglomerate diversification that distracts a firm from its work of value. When a firm has numerous product and service offerings, few of which have any association to each other, the objective becomes to exploit shareholder value (stock price and/or dividend). Commitment to a product line or to its customers is noticeably absent at the corporate level. Conglomerates not simply keep their eggs in different baskets, they often forget where their baskets are! On the other hand, concentrically diversified firms–General Electric, Matsushita, Procter and Gamble, IBM, and Honda, to name a few–seek new product or market opportunities with a view to ongoing their prior success in value creation. IBM, for instance, has excelled at providing engineering, installation, maintenance and other types of services to customers. This source of value has been deliberately developed and maximized regardless of whether the product is a mainframe computer, a microcomputer or peripheral equipment. Procter and Gamble, whether in consumer non-durables or in its more recent food/pharmaceutical ventures has, certainly, always been known for its clear conceptualization and faultless construction of value? However, its capability to unerringly communicate the value inhabiting in its products–through timely and well-planned distribution, superb promotion, and rapid assimilation of customer comments-is what enables P & G to exploit value in its erstwhile as well as new product areas. Thus, Porter three generic strategies are alternative, workable approaches to dealing with the competitive forces.†Ã‚   However, the uniqueness of Porter’s cost, differentiation, and focus strategies has been empirically supported by Dess and Davis, White, and Woo and Cool. These same researchers have also suggested that various combinations of these strategy taxa (cost, differentiation, focus) often result in superior performance. Here, the central matter is focused on the proper level of abstraction in conceptualizing generic strategies. As such, cost, differentiation, and focus (or their derivatives) have been equally viewed as representative of lower levels of concept and as such are more appropriately measured as strategy â€Å"types† or â€Å"strategic factors† that in combination make up the taxa or composite strategies. Conclusion Porter’s generic strategies can be linked directly to the competitive positioning strategy. Product specialization, high-quality offerings, and product innovation are all derivatives of Porter’s differentiation strategy; the combination strategy type recognized in this study relates to Porter’s cost and differentiation strategies. Porter also suggests four strategic alternatives in global industries: broad line global competition, global focus, national focus, and protected niche. These broad patterns resemble aspects of the internationalization dimension. For instance, the domestic strategy type identified in this study is closely linked to Porter’s national focus strategy. Porter also does not mention either exporting or mixed international strategy types. Porter has yet to differentiate fully his conceptualization of global strategy in terms of internationalization and competitive positioning. Indeed, his own perspectives of global strategy seem to have matured with time, perhaps as a consequence of mounting criticism leveled against his cost/differentiation generic strategies. To Porter, the essence of a global strategy can be captured through strategic focus. Yet by defining global industries throughout international parameters, it becomes imperative to determine both whether and how member businesses are in fact competing internationally. Later Porter expands his earlier conceptualization of global strategy by defining it as â€Å"one in which a firm seeks to gain competitive advantage from its international presence through either concentrating configuration, coordination among dispersed activities, or both.† (Porter 1986a: 20) With this definition, global strategy is no longer portrayed as just a function of the one-dimensional geographic experience captured by strategic focus. Rather, it is reflected in the essence of internationalization captured in this study. Porter has always faced a complex challenge subordinating his own four–largely internationalization–strategy types to his leading generic strategies. Indeed, by identifying global strategies through predominantly internationalization, Porter is seen implicitly supporting an agreeing strategic emphasis on both competitive positioning and internationalization. For instance, a broad-line global competitor will compete either on the basis of low cost or differentiation. Thus, cost and differentiation are dimensions of a global strategy, and the same a global strategy is rooted in cost or differentiation advantages. Work Cited Dess G., and Davis P. ( 1984). â€Å"Porter’s (1980) generic strategies as determinants of strategic groups’ membership and organizational performance†. Academy of Management Journal, 27, 467-488. Grant, R.M. (1991). The Resource-based Theory of Competitive Advantage: Implications for Strategy Formulation. California Management Review, Spring, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 114-135. Kim, Eonsoo, Dae-il Nam and J.L. Stimpert (2004) ‘The Applicability of Porters GenericStrategies in the Digital Age: Assumptions, Conjectures, and Suggestions’ Journal of Management, 30:5, 569–589 Millar, D. (1992), ‘The Generic Strategy Trap’, Journal of Business Strategy, 13, 37–41. Parnell, John A. 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