Ssm is a qualitative methodology

IntroductionSoft Systems MethodologyDefinitionSoft systems methodological analysis ( SSM ) is a systemic attack for covering with real-world job state of affairss. Peter Checkland and his co-workers developed soft systems methodological analysis from system theory at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. SSM is a qualitative methodological analysis and was developed utilizing action research so that it is besides treated as a theoretical methodological analysis. The bosom of SSM is a comparing between the universe as it is, and some theoretical accounts of the universe as it might be.Out of this comparing originate a better apprehension of the universe ( â€Å"research† ) , and some thoughts for betterment ( â€Å"action† ) . ( See Figure 1 )Use of SSMInitially, the systems can be divided into two facets: proficient and human activity systems. However, human activity systems are much harder to pattern. The people ‘s place, people ‘s action and their relationship are involved. Therefore, it is more complex and mutable. Soft Systems Methodology places an accent on human activity systems. Furthermore, SSM is peculiarly used at the analysis phase of developing information systems. It is non a methodological analysis to cover all phases of the systems development life rhythm ( SDLC ) . However, SSM is extraordinary good at elaborating political and soft, people-oriented issues. Furthermore, it refers to job state of affairs instead than jobs. lAny composite, organisational, ill-structured, fuzzed, soft, and dynamic job state of affairsThe 7-Step Description1 The job state of affairs: unstructured The purpose of first measure is to understand the job state of affairs and addition as many different positions as possible. 2The job state of affairs: expressed Then is this phase, the research worker produces a elaborate presentation, a â€Å"rich picture† , of the state of affairs. Rich pictures show stakeholders, their duty, cardinal interactions, struggles, political issues and concerns. This measure is frequently done graphically. 3Root definitions of relevant systems After that, the root definitions of relevant systems are identified. Root definitions are intended to depict both political and personal premises. The root definition is frequently produced by CATWOE checklist in order to do certain all of import points are included.Client ( people who affected by the system )Actor ( people who convert inputs to end products )Transformation ( the alterations that take topographic point )Weltanschauung ( the relevant universe position or premises )Owner ( people who has the power )Environment ( the wider system or restraints )4Building conceptual theoretical accounts This measure is to pull conceptual theoretical accounts utilizing the root definition. A conceptual theoretical account exhibits the activities of the systems that represented in the root definition. 5Comparing conceptual theoretical accounts with world Compare and contrast the conceptual theoretical account with the rich image is considered in this measure. The purpose of is to look into the apprehension is right and whether the conceptual theoretical account can dress the job struggles. 6Assess whether the alterations are executable and desirable After comparing, suggested alterations are identified and evaluated.Those alterations can probably to change in desirableness and feasibleness: Desirability: Does it better technically? Feasible: Does it suit the civilization? 7Action to better the job state of affairs The recommendation will set into pattern.Analysis the CaseBackgroundBirths, deceases and matrimonies ( BDM ) in Salford Council has a long history. BDM office provides services such as registry a birth, decease or matrimony certifications, and aid with following household braid. As the services are more and more popular, the Salford Online Archive and Retrieval system ( SOLAR ) is introduced.Current Existing ProblemBDM staff reported trouble in covering with the clients during peek times.Long waiting lines developed at the response desk and the other service centres during popular times.Conflicts between the clients and staff happened.The contrasting demands of two different clients groups are hard to manage at the same time.Reasons why SSM is AppropriateThere are five major grounds why SSM is appropriate. First of wholly, the jobs of BDM office are decidedly organisational, ill-structured jobs. Soft Systems Methodology focuses on the human activities systems. And it is good at clear uping political and soft, people-oriented issues. After that, there are many different positions of the systems their demand in BDM state of affairss. SSM is besides such a methodological analysis that can cover with complex organisational and political job state of affairss where those involved lack a common understanding good. Additionally, the assorted facets of the jobs are extremely interrelated in the state of affairs of BDM. So if alteration one facet is likely to hold a enormous impact on other facets. As a systemic methodological analysis, SSM is helpful to develop such a moderately holistically understanding of the correlativities of the assorted facets of the job state of affairs. Furthermore, the intent of SSM is to transport out betterments in a state of affairs perceived as debatable. Meanwhile, SSM does non try to work out ‘the job ‘ but to ease a acquisition procedure which allows its users to bit by bit develop a more comprehensive apprehension of the state of affairs under survey. As a consequence, stakeholders are more likely to make understandings about what alterations in the state of affairs the involved parties can populate with. Finally, SSM uses a set of specific techniques and strict tools to see a â€Å"messy† job. Techniques contains†¦ †¦Application of SSMPhase 1 and 2In order to develop rich image of this instance, it is critical to derive as many different positions as possible.The stakeholders consist of clients, BDM Office staff, directors of the BDM Office, the possible spouses and the advisers of Salford City council.Client: We want to bask quality service and support.BDM Office staff: We were enthusiastic about the proviso of the call Centre services because it could liberate up the specializer resources, cut downing force per unit area and assisting to cut down the waiting clip for clients.Directors: We concerned on the current bing jobs and we can merely work out these jobs every bit shortly as possible.Potential spouses: We are interested in the proposals made by advisers which can do the populace services to be organized.Advisers: We concerned on more incorporate attack for future service development which can do the public service organized.Phase 3After set uping rich ima ge, root definitions of two relevant systems in phase 3 should be considered. The well-known CATWOE checklist will be used to place cardinal elements of the root definition.Phase 4Once the root definitions have been established, conceptual theoretical accounts that describe the activities should be conducted at phase 4. Therefore, the root definition of clients will be used to develop the conceptual theoretical account.Phase 5

Gaining Wisdom Through Suffering Essay

Wisdom is a difficult thing to define and understand. It’s easily recognized when people have experienced it. Wisdom is a tricky thing to obtain. Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. King Lear was foolish in the beginning of the play, but in the end he gained wisdom from his mistakes. Morrie from Tuesdays with Morrie was wise in the beginning of the book and became wiser in the end. Through suffering King Lear and Morrie obtained wisdom. ?At the beginning of the play, Lear was a selfish man. Power was very important to him. Suffering turned Lear from a selfish man wanted to be treated as a king without having the responsibilities that come with running a kingdom, to a man that comes to realize his morals and values. Lear gave away his kingdom to Gonerial and Regan but still wanted the same status and power of king. Lear gained wisdom through his mistakes of banishing his youngest daughter, Cordelia. Lear comes to the realization of his foolishness in act three. For instance, â€Å"Let thunder rumble! Let lightning spit fire! The rain, the wind, the thunder and lightning are not my daughters. Nature, I don’t accuse your weather of unkindness. I never gave a kingdom or raised you as my child, and you don’t owe me any obedience. † Here King Lear is coming to terms of his mistake of giving away his kingdom to the wrong people. He then goes on â€Å"So go ahead and have your terrifying fun. Here I am, your slave a poor, sick, weak, hated, old man. But I can still accuse you of kowtowing, taking my daughter’s side, against me, ancient as I am. Oh, it’s foul! In this scene Lear is in the storm with Kent and the fool. In this act the king is turning from an arrogant man to a noble man. It takes king Lear a complete breakdown to realize his mistake. ?Next, Lear gained wisdom through insanity and the cruelness of his to eldest daughters. For example, his eldest daughter Gonerial humiliates his loyal messenger Kent. Lear is telling kent his own flesh and blood would never commit such an act. â€Å"They durst not do’t. They could not, would not do’t. ‘Tis worse than murder to do upon respect such violent outrage. Resolve me with all modest haste which way thou mightst deserve or they impose this usage, coming from us. † (II iv 16-20). In this scene Kent was telling the king how his own daughter betrayed him. Lear is astonished that they would want to humiliate him and is realizing he is losing his status as king. ?Morrie also gains wisdom through suffering. In addition, Morrie was wise from the start but through his sickness he gained more wisdom. Morrie says to Mitch, â€Å"Truth is Mitch, once you learn how to die, you learn how to live. (Albom 82). Morrie learned to accept his sickness and that he is going to die. Once he learned to accept it he was able to live. He lives his life to the fullest he realized little things that you should be taking advantage of. Morrie used aphorisms to say how he lived his life. One of the aphorisms he told Mitch was, â€Å"Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do. † (Albom 18). You forget about everything that doesn’t matter and you just learn how to live life. His illness helped him to gain wisdom and to live life the fullest. ? Lastly, Morrie embraces his life. In order to gain wisdom one must experience suffering. Morries suffering from ALS caused him to grow weaker physically; however, it made him a stronger person mentally and emotionally. Furthermore, Morrie says, â€Å"Don’t assume it’s too late to get involved. † (Albom 18). This quote shows us that even though Morrie had a sickness taking his life away, he still made a difference for other people. He didn’t lie around pitying himself. Morrie embraced his life rather than fearing life. By way of example, Morries tells Mitch, â€Å"Mitch, I embrace aging† (Albom 118). This means he isn’t afraid of growing old, he embraces the years of life he has left. In conclusion, despite being very different in both characters and beliefs, both King Lear and Morrie acquire wisdom through suffering. Wisdom is comes when someone experiences it. Wisdom is the quality of having good judgement, knowledge, and having experienced hardships. Wisdom is hard to understand.

Execution Methods Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Execution Methods - Annotated Bibliography Example Baker, Peter. â€Å"Obama Orders Policy Review on Executions.† The New York Times. 03 May 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 05 May 2014.< http://ic.galegroup.com.ezproxy.cyclib.nocccd.edu/ic/ovic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=News&limiter=&u=cypressc&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE|A366879542.> In this article, there is a focus on policy required in implementing of the death penalty in various parts of the country. Baker notes that the Oklahoma execution is a clear example that something is amiss in the process of conviction. It shows the president of the United States also called for policy review in the sector. I chose the article as it helps in showing what need to be done to balance the view of those for and against the death penalty. The article is of the essence as it helps in showing areas that need policy changes. Baldus, David, C., Grosso, Catherine, M., Woodworth, George, Newell, Richard. â€Å"Racial Discrimination in the Administration of the Death Penalty: The Experience of the United States Armed Forces (1984-2005).† Journal of criminal law and criminology 101.4 (2011): 1227-1335. Print. The article presents evidence that there is racial bias in the implementation of the death penalty. The authors note that this is well documented in the administration of the death penalty in the United States armed forces in over two decades. The authors rely on three scenarios of racial disparities in the treatment of similarly situated death-eligible offenders. I chose this article as it highlights racial bias in the implementation of the death penalty programs. It is also of benefit as it helps in presenting evidence while the death penalty should be stopped due to racial bias in issuing the death sentences. BBC News- US & Canada. â€Å"US president Obama Calls for Death Penalty Review.† Bbc.com. Web. 05 May 2014 The article highlights the concerns of the United States president over the manner in which death penalty is executed in the country. The concern is based on the heinous execution of Clayton Lockett in the state of Oklahoma. The president expressed his feeling on the botched execution and calls for a rethinking of the process.

(argument research paper) advertising Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

(argument ) advertising - Research Paper Example Human beings have evolved from uncivilized beings to businessmen. Evolution has affected the lifestyle of the individuals, as the evolution gradually takes place it also keep changing the lifestyle of the individuals. Therefore culture can be defined as the way of life of people. The world around us can be read according to the cultural context. There are few themes which forms the basis of advertisement. These themes are youth, luxury, fashion, beauty etc. Advertising campaigns promote the idea that the solution of the problems of people lies in their consumption pattern which is backed by various cultural aspects. Culture is a key that defines the taste of the consumers belonging to a particular region. Advertisement is used by the companies as a tool to sell the commodities which are in demand due to the influence of the cultural trends existing in a particular society. Advertisement can be defined as the mirror of culture. Culture can be associated with the success of any product. The cultural belongingness increases the emotional attachment of the customers with a particular product and influences the decision making of the consumers (Janjua). It is the significant characteristic of the culture that it changes with time. Similarly the ideas, taste and habits of people also changes with time. Rapid industrialization has contributed towards changing the aspects of people towards many things. They are now going for time and energy saving commodities. Automation has affected the culture and the life style of the people as well. In many developing countries advertisement has influenced the culture and way of living of people. Cultural aspects in underdeveloped and developing countries, such as more children for the security in old age, high population rate due to early marriages, and emphasis of bearing a male child have declined due to advertising. Advertising not merely promotes a commodity but it promotes an idea in a

OH&S-Your organisation's OH&S system Case Study

OH&S-Your organisation's OH&S system - Case Study Example In this system the employees are expected to do as they are told. In this system the pattern of decision-making is centralized. All the employees are supposed to follow the same standards especially at the manufacturing stage. The organization uses a very formalized approach as far as safety of its employees are concerned. The management does not tolerate any deviation from the set norms. For e.g. no matter how old or new an employee is, he is given no special consideration if he does not follow the safety rules set by the company. Even the oldest staffs are not allowed to use their own techniques based on the on-the-job experience they have gained in so many years. Due to the low risk factor of the 'machine bureaucracy system', the organization completely believes in it. Until and unless health and safety initiatives are implemented as a part of the whole management program, the desired results cannot be achieved. Therefore OH&S management system has been successfully integrated with other business system like financial management system, environmental management system, quality management system and human resource management system for maximum benefits. In addition to all these my organization has employee wellness program in order to enhance the employees' health status and prevent stress and burnout. Thus periodical medical examinations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation training, hypertension detection and control, improved dietary practices, stop-smoking programs, exercise and fitness, weight control, stress management, immunizations, and accident-risk reduction training programs have been organized. All this was not possible without integrating the OH&S system with the financial system of the organization. All this has been done for the employees - the most important asset of the organization. Hence the above measures taken by the organization have fulfilled the safety needs of the employees, which have resulted in a fruitful integration of the human resource system with the core management systems of the organization. Safety and Quality are synonymous. Since there is excellent OH&S system prevalent in the organization, the quality system is bound to be satisfactory. By taking proper care of the OH&S system the management of my organization, successfully integrated the quality systems too. The environment in which one is working, immensely affects an employee's welfare. Just as OH&S is considered an integral part of the core management system, of late, environmental management systems are being considered an integral part of the OH&S system. This trend is prevalent in most of the modern and progressive organizations. My organization also believes in what the majority thinks. Hence OH&S has been integrated with the environment of the workplace to such an extent that these two systems, instead of separated identity, have started being addressed as - OHS&E. Since Environment

Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Speech - Essay Example As Danier specializes in the quality and expertise they put into their products, I would say that it would be best for them to position their company as a premium leather store that will bank on genuine leather materials and stick to a realistic premium pricing. I strongly believe that this will drive more sales as it will be more attractive to people who have affinity with leather products and will not create any doubts on the quality especially because real leather is practically priced premium. This will also drive loyalty once customers see that the products offered do not in any way compromise quality. I will measure the success of the campaign that centers on a strong brand positioning aside from sales monitoring by coming up with a loyalty privilege account where customers who see themselves doing constant business with Danier instead of a one-time purchase only can avail of this by just purchasing the loyalty privilege digital card which in turn will give them access to promos and discounts. This will surely push for future purchases by a strong niche of leather lover

West and the world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

West and the world - Essay Example The occupation of the Americas was fundamental for the development of the various European countries. As such, they employed specific strategies in their attempts to carve out huge empires in the regions. Among the strategies they used was the divide and rule, a technique the European employed thereby setting the indigenous people against each other thereby making them weak thus easy to rule. Furthermore, the European enjoyed economic and military might thereby quelling any form of opposition from the indigenous people. Using the above techniques, the Europeans readily occupied the most arable lands in the various countries thereby enhancing their economic growth. Â   The Europeans encountered numerous people including the indigenous people in the areas they occupied. The red Indians in North and Central America and the Latinos were among the groups of indigenous people the Europeans encountered in the quest to colonize the Americas. The indigenous people were few and lived in scattered structured. This made them vulnerable and exposed thereby making it easy for the Europeans to occupy. The outcomes of the encounters were bloody as the European often used force in their attempt to occupy the areas. Â   Making of the three empires above remain vital in the development of the world. The structures of the early empires influence the political structures of the specific regions. Among the factors that necessitated the development of the empires was the need for the societies to have centralized leadership. This way, the people could coexist peacefully under the leadership of a single leader. The empires resulted in the fortification of the regions as each empire developed clear demarcation thereby forming diplomatic relationships with other regions. This enhanced the development of trade thus enhancing the economic development of the regions. Additionally, the regions formed appropriate

Opinion on economic issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Opinion on economic issue - Essay Example Thomas Piketty, in his book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, warns that income inequality will continue increasing because the rate of capital return in developed countries exceed their respective economic growth rates. The book, by analyzing data of the past 250 years, notes of the problem of wealth concentrating in few hands. S&P reports that income inequality has grown in the US thereby excluding a huge part of the population from enjoying the benefits of a large economy. Income inequality is a great problem in the context of the recent recession that made many people lose their hard-earned wealth. It is crucial to highlight that income, in this sense, is assessed in terms of earnings. Economists and other intellectuals have hypothesized that gaps in technology and education are responsible for corresponding gaps in income earnings. This happens as highly educated and specialized people receive high-income incentives for their work while the lowly skilled receive relatively low pay. It is essential to highlight that firms have different calibers of workers. The workers who receive very high pay are highly likely to possess a larger bargaining power than the employees with lower skills. This seeps into the society and create a persistently unequal community. Numerous problems stem from income inequality in the society. In the American recession of 2007 to 2009, many individuals lost their job. Loss of jobs makes it difficult to ascend the job environment, especially, for those with relatively low skills. A generation’s inequality has high chances of moving into the next generation in case of no mitigation measures against the same. For instance, a family with low income has limited chances of accessing quality healthcare and education. This further entrenches inequality because talented but unprivileged people cannot access

Critically assess theories of Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Essay

Critically assess theories of Transaction Cost Economics and Resource Based View in terms of their usefulness in explaining firm - Essay Example However, in the modern approach, internationalization only explains the relationships existing between companies (Revilla, Cordeiro and Sarkis, 2011). Transaction cost of economics according to Williamson (1981) explains the cost incurred by a buyer or a seller to execute an economic dealing. It also explains the process via which the firm takes its decision to operate in the open market or in hierarchy. Transaction cost includes aspects of specificity, uncertainty and government mechanisms (Grover and Malhotra, 2003). Asset specificity is the primary explanatory factor of transaction cost theory (Williamson, 2008). Asset specificity refers to the transferability of the assets in business. The extent of asset specificity is directly proportional to the level of effectiveness of occurrence of an economic transaction. The resource based view explains that the firms may attain sustainable competitive advantage by using non-substitutable rare resources. And this advantage in turn helps t he firms to frame strategies for international business. Figure 1: Transaction Cost in Buisness (Source: Stephen, 2013) As shown in the above graph, the rise in the scale of business operations helps a firm to achieve competitive advantage and thereby helps it to reduce the cost the transaction cost of business. Thus competitive advantage facilitates internationalization of firms business by reducing their business operating costs. Application of the Theories The theories of transaction cost under the resource based view helps to justify the wide practice of internationalization in the modern world. In the last 30 years in the global economy, firms with large financial resources have turned into Multinational Corporations that undertook the process of foreign direct investment in business. These firms expand their competitive advantage by efficiently allocating resources in business and thereby reducing the cost of transaction. This has been facilitated after the emergence of global ization and liberalization in the world economy. The business firms in the modern world try to use unique resources in business to attain competitive advantage and thereby reduce the cost of any business transactions. These firms appoint the resources on the basis of VRIN analysis. The resources used by these companies are valuable, rare, non imitable and non-substitutable in nature. Weakness of the Theory However, there have been several weaknesses in the theory of transaction cost of economics under the resource based view. In reality, it becomes almost impossible to find a resource that suffices the conditions of Barneys VRIN analysis. It is also believed by analysts that resource that provided competitive advantage to a firm may be converted into a weakness if a sudden unfavourable change in the environment takes place. A resource cannot provide competitive advantage as that can easily be purchased by other companies. The concept of sustainability is highly versatile in nature. Today, the firms can only enjoy sustainable competitive advantage if its rivals in the industry do not imitate their competences. Alternative Perspectives According to the theory of transaction cost of resource based view, the modern business firms try to attain competitive advantage in their business activities in order to reduce the cost

Macroeconomic Transmission Mechanism Essay Example for Free

Macroeconomic Transmission Mechanism Essay Macroeconomic Transmission Mechanism of International Oil Price Rise: The Indian Situation In this Article, an effort has been made to trace the impact of an increase in international oil prices on Indian economy outlining the various transmission mechanisms. These transmission mechanisms take into account some of the important macroeconomic relationships, as relevant to the Indian context, and the administered nature of domestic oil price in India. The three broad channels through which the international oil prices impact the macroeconomy are identified as the (a) Import channel, (b) Price channel and (c) The fiscal channel. (a) A rise in international price of oil will translate to higher import bill for oil for the net oil importing countries like India (see, Table 1 and 2). Under the reasonable assumption of low price elasticity of demand for oil, ceteris paribus, the trade balance will worsen due to an increase in international oil price. Rise in inflation due to increase in oil prices means that the growth in real GDP is even lower. The compression in aggregate domestic demand dampens growth. In figure 1, the import channel is indicated by the link from international oil prices to current account balance to nominal GDP. Although managed float, the nominal exchange rate in India is observed to be determined solely by the capital account and not by the current account in the present Indian context. The second order adjustment to higher import bill and worsened trade balance occurs only through contraction in aggregate demand and decline in imports and it does not occur through movements in exchange rate (depreciation). Finally, it is expected that the slowdown in economic growth would subsequently reduce the demand for imports which, in turn, would partially mitigate the adverse impact of high international oil prices on trade balance. (b) The price channel links the international prices to domestic inflation. For a typical developing country like India facing an oil price hike in the international market, an unhindered pass-through of oil price increase leads to a jump in the general price level on account of direct use of oil at higher prices plus increase in costs of production of final goods using oil as an input. Modelling the passthrough of oil prices through an input-output system, Jha and Mundle (1987) estimated that in India if the administered prices of crude oil, gas and petroleum products increase by 7 percent, the overall WPI increases by 1 percent (i.e. the total elasticity to be 0.14). Recently the Reserve Bank of India (2011) has estimated that every 10 percent increase in global crude prices, if fully passed through to domestic prices, could have a direct impact of 1 percentage point increase in overall WPI inflation and the total impact could be about 2 percentage points over time as input cost increases translate to higher output prices across sectors. Greater the share of fuel in total consumption basket, larger would be the influence of international commodity prices on inflation. (see, Table 2 for other empirical studies relating to India) In India, a large proportion of the international oil price increase has traditionally been absorbed by the government (and shared with public sector oil producing and retailing companies). The objectives for regulation of price of oil have been three-fold: (a) To protect the domestic economy from volatility in international oil prices ; . (b) To provide merit goods to all households, e.g., clean cooking fuels like LPG, natu ral gas and kerosene to replace use of biomass-based fuels such as firewood and dung; and (c) To protect poor consumers so that they may obtain kerosene (through PDS) and LPG at affordable rates. In the recent years, there has been a change in the oil pricing policy with a move towards market determined oil prices. The extent of price regulation varies across products in the oil basket, with minimum control existing for petrol and very little pass-through for LPG and kerosene. The domestic price of oil is administered, which is essentially a policy decision, and thereby determines the degree of pass-through of the change in international prices to domestic oil prices. In figure 1, the price channel is indicated by the link from international oil prices to increase in administered prices to WPI inflation. (c) The third channel of transmission of oil price shock considered here is the fiscal channel. In the absence of a complete pass-through, an international oil price Increase will raise the subsidy on oil and therefore the revenue expenditure of the government. Furthermore, in India, the oil prices are subsidised, but they also generate substantial tax revenues both for the centre and the states because of an increase in ad valorem tax collections on oil and petroleum products that would have to be netted out to arrive at the net addition to oil subsidy given by the government.

Introduction To Marketing Management Marketing Essay

Introduction To Marketing Management Marketing Essay Marketing management is the act of choosing and targeting different markets and creating good relationships with them, regarding the resources of the company. The marketing managers are the responsible for directing and entering a company to different markets by setting a marketing plans and strategies based on information allocated by studying the markets and defining the needs and wants of customers and come up with products that satisfy the needs of customers and gain the market. According to Richard Branson, the founder and owner of Virgin Company, one of the richest and famous entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom and worldwide, A business has to be involving, it has to be fun and it has to exercise your creative instinct. In marketing we almost use the four Ps, (product, price, promotion, place), these four Ps represent a convenient way to summarize the main factors involved in any marketing strategy. Often, marketing strategy will evaluate a marketing plan in order to specify how able the company to implement the strategy decided and meet the business objectives. The purposes of marketing plan to help you state your vision, mission and values, it needs to include your marketing budget, marketing strategy and the advertising plan you will use to market your business, and you need to keep it flexible to be sure you rich you goals and invest the money wisely. http://www.principlesofmarketing.com/fall2002/chapter%20two.htm http://www.ehow.com/about_4727858_purpose-marketing-plan.html Vision is about the future situation that a business wishes to have, the visions intention is to control, to guide, and to encourage the business as a whole to achieve the desirable state of the business. -Here The vision of the company Mission are a measurable goals, the company has to know where it is going, and its current situation along the process, a business can have many different missions under the format of the vision of the business. -Here you put the mission of Turkish airline Values define the business beliefs, the rules that control the business to your peers, your staff and importantly to your customers. Your behaviors have a negative impact. -Here you put the mission of Turkish airline http://www.webandmacros.net/mission-vision-values-company.htm marketing strategy aims and objectives Is what unique position will the company be able to achieve, what the other advantage that the company will have at the end of the day and how the company will sustain these advantages all the time and thats will drive the company. A marketing strategy is about the designed marketing plan to achieve a certain marketing objectives, there might some objectives like becoming the market leader. The strategic plan here is a planning with details includes a marketing research, and next evaluating a marketing mix to become the leader. Every company needs to have marketing objectives to work on and achieve the strategy. In a marketing strategy time is everything as long as the company take the advantage to plan, distribute, and to develop. http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theorymarketing-strategy244.php SWOT ANALYSIS : is a technique uses to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your business and determine the opportunities and threats that your business might face. The SWOT analysis of Turkish airlines based on a face to face interview of the marketing manager said, Strengths of Turkish airlines are: Good relationships with the staff. Strong marketing strategy. Punctuality of flights. Sixty seven destinations from Morocco. One of the best airline companies in the Middle East, competing with Fly Emirates and Qatar Airlines. Customers care. Good services. Qualified staff. Attractive flights prices. Cargo flight service. Ranked 4 stars sky plate. Weaknesses of Turkish airlines are: Brand awareness in Morocco. No flights in destination to the countries in the East of Europe like Ukraine and Romania. Opportunities of Turkish airline are: Weak competition with African and south American aircraft companies. Royal Air Maroc got a weak marketing strategy. Focusing on getting destinations to most of the Asian countries, not like Royal Air Maroc that is focusing only on Chinese destinations. Daily flight to Istanbul, Royal Air Maroc has only three flights per week. Jakarta in Indonesia is the farthest destination for the Moroccan customers. Threats that Turkish airlines takes into consideration: High competition with big companies like fly emirates and others Random shocks, (political, social or natural events) Changes in government policy, ( the government may use a contraction monetary policy to prevent inflation which will effect the business) Turkish airlines staff are proud of the business and they are highly confident in the strategy of the managers to expand in all over the world and being global, in morocco they dont consider it as a big market even in their advertising strategy they are not planning to use Moroccan people or a Moroccan symbol to deal with the psychology of the Moroccans, but in general they are doing well, for example, in the strengths they are taking into consideration the most important part which are customers and how to provide to them a friendly and a good atmosphere in the agency and the plan. In the weaknesses as we mentioned above they dont really make a big effort to create brand awareness in morocco which is not professional and we did not like it. They have great opportunities to provide a better service than the African companies and South America and this is because of the less resources available in those countries, in they are completely true to do not consider la RAM as a big competitor and that as the manager mentioned about the marketing strategy that la RAM follow, and from our points of view, it has been so long that we have not seen or hear or read in thing about la RAM, either in the TV or RADIO or MAGAZINS or in the streets etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦., which very good for Turkish airlines to expand and growth. The threats that Turkish airlines take into consideration are challenging, they to be very smart and not make quick decisions which well affects the business. Market research http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=14Itemid=38 Marketing research is the collection and analysis of data to study a particular target market, environment, and competition. These data collected whether it is primary research, collected direct from a respondent, or secondary research (desk research) The purpose of market research is to increase the understanding of the project matter. For a market research the company might decide to work on the project by themselves, or to conduct a market research agency or consultancy to do it, but the company must decide in advance the research objectives. Quantitative research is a statistical analysis of a numeric data collected by a questionnaire survey that involves a ways to get numbers. For example, Turkish airlines might ask its customers to rate the overall service satisfaction as either very satisfied, satisfied, somewhat satisfied or poor. In quantitative research every respondent has to be asked the same questions series and involves a large number of questionnaires. Qualitative research is about understanding why or how the consumer see and buy a certain product this research might be done in a supermarket for example by asking the buyer why hi or she choose that type of product, in qualitative research the set of questions is not fixed.

Living Proof :: social issues

Living Proof A radical nut can be screaming at you off a street corner shouting something about your soul and a â€Å"God† who loves you. He yells â€Å"God is real, save your soul!† and no one stops to think much more then â€Å"This guy is crazy!†. Where is the proof in that? This is one of the major problems people have when trying to understand a higher power. This essay will consist of mind bending proof that we walk by each day, and the changing effects of having faith in Jesus Christ. It’s safe to say that many people of this age believe in a higher power, as did many hundreds of years ago. In fact Adolf Hitler wanted to kill every living Jew because they thought that God had told him them to do it. The ancient Egyptians worshipped cats as Gods. Any cat owner can tell you that cats have never gotten over it! Statistics of today show that 1.7 billion people world wide are Christians and that 875 million are Sunni Islamic. Recent Canadian Census only counted 21,975 agnostics (someone who is uncertain about the existence of God) and a surprising total of 1.3 million North Americans are atheists (has no belief in God). That makes up 0.5% of the North American people. Many people say â€Å"I need proof† as they are walking past a tree that gives that gives them the very oxygen they need to live. We as humans take for granted the proof that is around us each day. Creation itself is working proof of God. A tiny ant is complete with a brain and nervous system, the planets are perfectly aligned for us to neither freeze nor burn, we have teeth to chew, nails to scratch and cells so complex we can function. Speaking of complexity look at our bodies, our bones and blood so perfectly designed.. After a few biology classes most of us can agree that life was created on purpose. When one evaluates the scientific evidence for the existence of a creator and accept evolution instead, they have more faith then any Christian. They have faith in chance, by which somehow everything came to be. The thing that is so amazing about this eternal, devoted creator is that of all his vast creation, humanity is what He cares and loves the most. It is the Christian belief that shortly after the creation, humans were cut off from his creator by disobeying Him.

FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE :: Essays Papers

FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE In my 205 I was asked to consider how and why my writing changes from one community to another. This essay represents the results of that exploration. My writing style changes greatly between the communities of academia and newspaper journalism. In both academic and newspaper writing I am compelled to include as much information as possible, yet the two call for completely different styles. I think this difference exists because the two forms of writing have different objectives. The general objectives of a newspaper article are to examine a story or issue, to introduce the public to the issue, and to provide a forum for others' opinions. With a few exceptions, newspapers don't have the time or the space to delve into an issue; instead they introduce it and possibly follow it up later with another story. The general objective of most academic writings I have done is to comprehensively answer a question. This involves a far more exhaustive exploration of an issue. Often in academic writing, the question itself provides the objective and defines the content of the writing. The fundamental differences in purpose between newspaper and academic forms of writing manifest into more clearly defined differences. The most obvious difference between the two forms of writing is structure. By using the term "structure," I am referring to the length and context of the piece of writing. Structure is an important factor because it sets the ground work for my writing. In academic writing, I try to cite numerous examples or personal experiences to illustrate a point. Newspaper writing requires that I condense my points. The writing is supposed to be simple, yet informative, and is crammed into a few inches of type. Writing to fill six inches of type is quite different than filling six double-spaced pages. Structure also translates into differences in word usage. Because of space constrictions, every word counts when writing for a newspaper. The key is to say as much as possible in the fewest words possible. There is a specific "newspaper style" which calls for short paragraphs, constant attribution of information, active voice, and numerous other writing guidelines. According to newspaper style, paragraphs should be one or two sentences long, with each paragraph including a complete statement or thought. This allows the reader to move from point-to-point quickly, without becoming bored and losing interest in the story. Information in newspaper articles must always be attributed.

Atheism as an Evolution of Thought and its Place Among the Religious Mu

Atheism is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as (a) a disbelief in the existence of a deity or (b) a doctrine that there is no deity and by The Oxford Dictionary as the disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. The Supreme Court proceedings of Schempp vs. Curlett defined atheism in eloquent humanist terms: An atheist loves his fellow man instead of a god. An atheist believes that heaven is something for which we should work now – here on earth for all men together to enjoy. An atheist believes that he can get no help through prayer but that he must find in himself the inner conviction and strength to meet life, to grapple with it, to subdue it, and enjoy it. An atheist believes that only in a knowledge of himself and a knowledge of his fellow man can he find the understanding that will help to a life of fulfillment. He seeks to know himself and his fellow man rather than to know a god... He believes that we are our brother’s keepers and are keeper of our own lives; that we are responsible persons and that the job is here and the time is now. For the purposes of this discourse, the terms atheist and atheism will encompass this humanist philosophical view point as well as modes of thought based upon scientific principals and tangible realities of existence; thus avoiding defining atheism only in relation to theistic belief systems. It is important to acknowledge that atheism, and indeed non-theism as well, is not simply a reaction to theistic beliefs or an angry rebellion against the theocratic majority. Rather, it is a celebration of life, a complete acceptance of mortality, and a joyfulness in truth. â€Å"And what is more pleasing than practical wisdom when you consider the reliability and efficiency ... ...iedrich. Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ. Trans. R J Hollingdale. 1889. Introduction Micheal Tanner, 1990. Translator’s Note R J Hollingdale, 1968. London: Penguin Group, 2003. Print. â€Å"Our Founder†. Carnegie Corporation of New York. 2009 Pellissier, Hank. â€Å"Atheist are the Most Generous – Even Without Heaven Reward!†. The Richard Dawkins Foundation. 25 November 2011. Web. 3 April 2012. School District of Abington Tp., Pa. Vs. Schempp. No. 374 US 203. Supreme Court of the US. 17 June 1963. Westlaw. Web. 16 April 2012. â€Å"Sean Faircloth, Former Executive Director†. Staff. Secular Coalition For America, n.d. Web. 3 April 2012.

Early Intervention in North Carolina

Early Intervention In North Carolina â€Å"Early intervention is a term that often is used to describe specific agencies, programs, services, and resources. In North Carolina, early Intervention has been described as a system of services provided by many different agencies and programs for children birth to five and their families. The system is for students who are having difficulties In the general education classroom but has not been placed Into the special education class. This comprehensive, interagency system is called TogetherWe Grow. Together We Grow has two parts 1) – the Infant-Toddler Program for children birth to three & 2) the Preschool Program for children ages three to five. † The early intervention system of services is provided under federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part C of the IDEA provides the federal mandate for services for young children. North Carolina Early Intervention Branch (NCEI) Is a part of the N. C. Di vision of Public Health and is the lead agency for the Infant Toddler Program (ITP).Research has found this to be the critical time to offer positive opportunities for child development. The state of North Carolina offers eighteen Children's Developmental Services Agencies (CDAs) across the state and they work with local services to improve the children success. Together We Grow (ITP) serves families whose children have certain levels of developmental delay or conditions. They offer Service Coordination Physical, occupational and speech-language therapies Family support Special instruction Assistive technologyOther services Basic safeguards are providing to secure confidentiality of the passing of the child information. Together We Grow Preschool Program: â€Å"In February 2010, Superintendent June Atkinson created NCDPIS Office of Early Learning to implement a strategic focus on the Pre-K – Grade 3 learning continuum and its impact on high school graduation. NCDPl's focus o n Pre-K through Grade 3 alignment of standards, curriculum, Instructional practices and assessment maximizes learning gains for children throughout these early grades, providing a trong academic foundation that leads to improved high school graduation rates. There are many services that are offered within the Early Intervention program.

Pride and Prejudice Essay

1. What is the decisive moment that causes Lizzy to not only change her mind about Mr. Darcy but fall in love? The decisive moment that causes Lizzy (Elizabeth) to not only change her mind about Mr. Darcy but also fall in love with him took place during her visit to Mr. Collin’s home on the Rosings Park estate which is the family estate of Darcy. On the three occasions that Elizabeth and Darcy meet during this period, Lizzy was exposed to certain truths about Darcy that made her change her mind. First, Darcy’s proposal of marriage completely took her off-guard. Although she refused his proposal, Lizzy was nonetheless impressed and flattered by the fact that Darcy had loved her all these months. Second, the letter that Darcy gave Elizabeth cleared many of her misconceptions and prejudices. She understood from Darcy’s account why he had created a distance between Bingley and Jane, and about his own reasons for disliking Wickham. It was Darcy’s letter that helped her see the reality. He had doubted Bingley’s true feelings for Jane as he had seen his friend fall in love on several occasions before. Darcy didn’t want the Bennet family to feel disheartened by any adverse change in events. So before Jane could get too much involved with Bingley, Darcy thought it right to take Bingley away so that later she doesn’t face a heartbreak. As far as Wickham is concerned, Elizabeth realized after reading Darcy’s letter that he had very genuine reason to despise Wickham. Wickham had tried to seduce Georgiana and tried to elope with her when she was just fifteen years of age. No brother can tolerate such advancement towards one’s sister. Later in the novel, when Darcy helps Elizabeth in finding her sister Lydia who had eloped with Wickham, Lizzy came more close to Darcy romantically. 2. Pick two of the romantic poems studied by two different poets and compare how the romanticism compares to â€Å"pride and prejudice†. Two of the greatest Romantic poets in the history of English literature are P.B. Shelley and John Keats. Shelley’s â€Å"To A Skylark† and Keats’ â€Å"Ode to Autumn† are jewels that adorn high romanticism. Romanticism as reflected in these two poems speaks of the ideal versus the real, imagination, subjectivism, poetic creation, change versus constant, and many other traits of romanticism. Of all these traits, the most common quality between these two Romantic poems and Pride and Prejudice is that of ideal versus real. The novel deals with the issue of marriage. Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage is the ideal and perfect marriage amongst all the seven marriages shown in the novel. Their union shows that the ideal bond is between two people of equal standing. Physical appearance is not the right parameter to judge a person, as shown through the marriage of Wickham and Lydia, the most unsuccessful marriage in the novel. The series of events that lead Elizabeth and Darcy to analyze and study each other’s nature and personality, eventually bring them closer. Theirs is not a case of blind love and that is how all marriages should be. A marriage is successful only if it takes place between like-minded people. Idealism, an important trait in ‘To A Skylark’, can be found in the marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth. The optimism of ‘Ode To Autumn’ where Keats says that â€Å"If winter comes can spring be far behind†, can be traced in Pride and Prejudice in the way Darcy and Elizabeth finally unite despite their initial prejudices. 3. How does the realism of â€Å"Flaubert† go against the romanticism of both Austen and the poets? Flaubert’s realism was in reaction to the high Romanticism of late 18th and early 19th century in England. The realism that was practiced by Flaubert negated the idealism of Romanticism. In the novel ‘Madame Bovary’, Flaubert shows how the romantic notions of an ideal marriage in the mind of a country woman led to her downfall. Unlike the idealism that helped Elizabeth find her ideal suitor in Pride and Prejudice, in Madame Bovary the same idealism backfires. Thus, Romanticism of Jane Austen, Keats, and Shelley do not hold true in case of Flaubert’s realism. 4. We covered both realistic and romantic artwork pick two pieces from each (2 romantic and 2 realistic) and relate whether the (bennett’s), (emma bovary) or (charles bovary) would have this piece on their wall and why. Four pieces of art and three choices as to where to put them.(no pavilion at Brighton). The Bennets would put up Fuseli’s Nightmare and Thomas Cole’s The Course of Empire: Desolation because both these artworks depict high romanticism. Both Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth are intellectual beings, who love to read classics. So they would prefer more imaginative artworks such as Nightmare and The Course of Empire: Desolation. Emma Bovary would prefer J.M. Millet’s The Gleaners for in her young days she is full of romantic notions of love and marriage. Moreover she is a country girl, so the picture of gleaners working on the countryside farm would appeal to her. Charles Bovary represents the world and characteristics that is abhorred by Emma. He is unimaginative, unintelligent, stupid, and naà ¯ve. He would probably put up a picture that is as realistic and mundane as Bonheur’s The Horse Fair.

Chapter 13 Gryffindor Versus Ravenclaw

It looked like the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Each was so angry with the other that Harry couldn't see how they'd ever make up. Ron was enraged that Hermione had never taken Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent by suggesting that Ron look for Scabbers under all the boys' beds. Hermione, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that Ron had no proof that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, that the ginger hairs might have been there since Christmas, and that Ron had been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had landed on Ron's head in the Magical Menagerie. Personally, Harry was sure that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, and when he tried to point out to Hermione that the evidence all pointed that way, she lost her temper with Harry too. â€Å"Okay, side with Ron, I knew you would!† she said shrilly. â€Å"First the Firebolt, now Scabbers, everything's my fault, isn't it! Just leave me alone, Harry, I've got a lot of work to do!† Ron had taken the loss of his rat very hard indeed. â€Å"Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was,† said Fred bracingly. â€Å"And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to snuff it quickly — one swallow — he probably didn't feel a thing.† â€Å"Fred!† said Ginny indignantly. â€Å"All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself,† said George. â€Å"He bit Goyle for us once!† Ron said miserably. â€Å"Remember, Harry?† â€Å"Yeah, that's true,† said Harry. â€Å"His finest hour,† said Fred, unable to keep a straight face. â€Å"Let the scar on Goyle's finger stand as a lasting tribute to his memory. Oh, come on, Ron, get yourself down to Hogsmeade and buy a new rat, what's the point of moaning?† In a last-ditch attempt to cheer Ron up, Harry persuaded him to come along to the Gryffindor team's final practice before the Ravenclaw match, so that he could have a ride on the Firebolt after they'd finished. This did seem to take Ron's mind off Scabbers for a moment (â€Å"Great! Can I try and shoot a few goals on it?†) so they set off for the Quidditch field together. Madam Hooch, who was still overseeing Gryffindor practices to keep an eye on Harry, was just as impressed with the Firebolt as everyone else had been. She took it in her hands before takeoff and gave them the benefit of her professional opinion. â€Å"Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it's a slight list to the tail end — you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They've updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows — a pity they've stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She continued in this vein for some time, until Wood said, â€Å"Er — Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has the Firebolt back? We need to practice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Oh — right — here you are, then, Potter,† said Madam Hooch. â€Å"I'll sit over here with Weasley†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She and Ron left the field to sit in the stadium, and the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow's match. â€Å"Harry, I've just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It's Cho Chang. She's a fourth year, and she's pretty good†¦I really hoped she wouldn't be fit, she's had some problems with injuries†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said, â€Å"On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt.† He gave Harry's broom a look of fervent admiration, then said, â€Å"Okay, everyone, let's go –â€Å" And at long last, Harry mounted his Firebolt, and kicked off from the ground. It was better than he'd ever dreamed. The Firebolt turned with the lightest touch; it seemed to obey his thoughts rather than his grip; it sped across the field at such speed that the stadium turned into a green-and-gray blur; Harry turned it so sharply that Alicia Spinnet screamed, then he went into a perfectly controlled dive, brushing the grassy field with his toes before rising thirty, forty, fifty feet into the air again — â€Å"Harry, I'm letting the Snitch out!† Wood called. Harry turned and raced a Bludger toward the goal posts; he outstripped it easily, saw the Snitch dart out from behind Wood, and within ten seconds had caught it tightly in his hand. The team cheered madly. Harry let the Snitch go again, gave it a minute's head start, then tore after it, weaving in and out of the others; he spotted it lurking near Katie Bell's knee, looped her easily, and caught it again. It was the best practice ever; the team, inspired by the presence of the Firebolt in their midst, performed their best moves faultlessly, and by the time they hit the ground again, Wood didn't have a single criticism to make, which, as George Weasley pointed out, was a first. â€Å"I can't see what's going to stop us tomorrow!† said Wood. â€Å"Not unless — Harry, you've sorted out your Dementor problem, haven't you?† â€Å"Yeah,† said Harry, thinking of his feeble Patronus and wishing it were stronger. â€Å"The Dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic,† said Fred confidently. â€Å"Well, let's hope not,† said Wood. â€Å"Anyway — good work, everyone. Let's get back to the tower†¦turn in early†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I'm staying out for a bit; Ron wants a go on the Firebolt,† Harry told Wood, and while the rest of the team headed off to the locker rooms, Harry strode over to Ron, who vaulted the barrier to the stands and came to meet him. Madam Hooch had fallen asleep in her seat. â€Å"Here you go,† said Harry, handing Ron the Firebolt. Ron, an expression of ecstasy on his face, mounted the broom and zoomed off into the gathering darkness while Harry walked around the edge of the field, watching him. Night had fallen before Madam Hooch awoke with a start, told Harry and Ron off for not waking her, and insisted that they go back to the castle. Harry shouldered the Firebolt and he and Ron walked out of the shadowy stadium, discussing the Firebolt's superbly smooth action, its phenomenal acceleration, and its pinpoint turning. They were halfway toward the castle when Harry, glancing to his left, saw something that made his heart turn over — a pair of eyes, gleaming out of the darkness. Harry stopped dead, his heart banging against his ribs. â€Å"What's the matter?† said Ron. Harry pointed. Ron pulled out his wand and muttered, â€Å"Lumos!† A beam of light fell across the grass, hit the bottom of a tree, and illuminated its branches; there, crouching among the budding leaves, was Crookshanks. â€Å"Get out of here!† Ron roared, and he stooped down and seized a stone lying on the grass, but before he could do anything else, Crookshanks had vanished with one swish of his long ginger tail. â€Å"See?† Ron said furiously, chucking the stone down again. â€Å"She's still letting him wander about wherever he wants — probably washing down Scabbers with a couple of birds now†¦.† Harry didn't say anything. He took a deep breath as relief seeped through him; he had been sure for a moment that those eyes had belonged to the Grim. They set off for the castle once more. slightly ashamed of his moment of panic, Harry didn't say anything to Ron — nor did he look left or right until they had reached the well lit entrance hall. Harry went down to breakfast the next morning with the rest of the boys in his dormitory, all of whom seemed to think the Firebolt deserved a sort of guard of honor. As Harry entered the Great Hall, heads turned in the direction of the Firebolt, and there was a good deal of excited muttering. Harry saw, with enormous satisfaction, that the Slytherin team were all looking thunderstruck. â€Å"Did you see his face?† said Ron gleefully, looking back at Malfoy. â€Å"He can't believe it! This is brilliant!† Wood, too, was basking in the reflected glory of the Firebolt. â€Å"Put it here, Harry,† he said, laying the broom in the middle of the table and carefully turning it so that its name faced upward. People from the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were soon coming over to look. Cedric Diggory came over to congratulate Harry on having acquired such a superb replacement for his Nimbus, and Percy's Ravenclaw girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, asked if she could actually hold the Firebolt. â€Å"Now, now, Penny, no sabotage!† said Percy heartily as she examined the Firebolt closely. â€Å"Penelope and I have got a bet on,† he told the team. â€Å"Ten Galleons on the outcome of the match!† Penelope put the Firebolt down again, thanked Harry, and went back to her table. â€Å"Harry — make sure you win,† said Percy, in an urgent whisper. â€Å"I haven't got ten Galleons. Yes, I'm coming, Penny!† And he bustled off to join her in a piece of toast. â€Å"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?† said a cold, drawling voice. Draco Malfoy had arrived for a closer look, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. â€Å"Yeah, reckon so,† said Harry casually. â€Å"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?† said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. â€Å"Shame it doesn't come with a parachute — in case you get too near a Dementor.† Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. â€Å"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy,† said Harry. â€Å"Then it could catch the Snitch for you.† The Gryffindor team laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt. At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. The weather couldn't have been more different from their match against Hufflepuff. It was a clear, cool day with a very light breeze; there would be no visibility problems this time, and Harry, though nervous, was starting to feel the excitement only a Quidditch match could bring. They could hear the rest of the school moving into the stadium beyond. Harry took off his black school robes, removed his wand from his pocket, and stuck it inside the T-shirt he was going to wear under his Quidditch robes. He only hoped he wouldn't need it. He wondered suddenly whether Professor Lupin was in the crowd, watching. â€Å"You know what we've got to do,† said Wood as they prepared to leave the locker rooms. â€Å"If we lose this match, we're out of the running. just — just fly like you did in practice yesterday, and we'll be okay!† They walked out onto the field to tumultuous applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. Their Seeker, Cho Chang, was the only girl on their team. She was shorter than Harry by about a head, and Harry couldn't help noticing, nervous as he was, that she was extremely pretty. She smiled at Harry as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and he felt a slight lurch in the region of his stomach that he didn't think had anything to do with nerves. â€Å"Wood, Davies, shake hands,† Madam Hooch said briskly, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain. â€Å"Mount your brooms †¦ on my whistle †¦ three — two — one –â€Å" Harry kicked off into the air and the Firebolt zoomed higher and faster than any other broom; he soared around the stadium and began squinting around for the Snitch, listening all the while to the commentary, which was being provided by the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan. â€Å"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship –â€Å" â€Å"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?† interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice. â€Å"Right you are, Professor — just giving a bit of background information — the Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and –â€Å" â€Å"Jordan!† â€Å"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry streaked past Katie in the opposite direction, gazing around for a glint of gold and noticing that Cho Chang was tailing him closely. She was undoubtedly a very good flier — she kept cutting across him, forcing him to change direction. â€Å"Show her your acceleration, Harry!† Fred yelled as he whooshed past in pursuit of a Bludger that was aiming for Alicia. Harry urged the Firebolt forward as they rounded the Ravenclaw goal posts and Cho fell behind. Just as Katie succeeded in scoring the first goal of the match, and the Gryffindor end of the field went wild, he saw it — the Snitch was close to the ground, flitting near one of the barriers. Harry dived; Cho saw what he was doing and tore after him — Harry was speeding up, excitement flooding him; dives were his specialty, he was ten feet away — Then a Bludger, hit by one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, came pelting out of nowhere; Harry veered off course, avoiding it by an inch, and in those few, crucial seconds, the Snitch had vanished. There was a great â€Å"Ooooooh† of disappointment from the Gryffindor supporters, but much applause for their Beater from the Ravenclaw end. George Weasley vented his feelings by hitting the second Bludger directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it. â€Å"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn — Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision — balance is really noticeable in these long –â€Å" â€Å"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!† Ravenclaw was pulling back; they had now scored three goals, which put Gryffindor only fifty points ahead — if Cho got the Snitch before him, Ravenclaw would win. Harry dropped lower, narrowly avoiding a Ravenclaw Chaser, scanning the field frantically — a glint of gold, a flutter of tiny wings — the Snitch was circling the Gryffindor goal post†¦ Harry accelerated, eyes fixed on the speck of gold ahead — but just then, Cho appeared out of thin air, blocking him — â€Å"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!† Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. â€Å"KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!† Harry turned and caught sight of Cho; she was grinning. The Snitch had vanished again. Harry turned his Firebolt upward and was soon twenty feet above the game. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cho following him †¦She'd decided to mark him rather than search for the Snitch herself†¦All right, then†¦if she wanted to tail him, she'd have to take the consequences†¦ He dived again, and Cho, thinking he'd seen the Snitch, tried to follow; Harry pulled out of the dive very sharply; she hurtled downward; he rose fast as a bullet once more, and then saw it, for the third time — the Snitch was glittering way above the field at the Ravenclaw end. He accelerated; so, many feet below, did Cho. He was winning, gaining on the Snitch with every second — then — â€Å"Oh!† screamed Cho, pointing. Distracted, Harry looked down. Three Dementors, three tall, black, hooded Dementors, were looking up at him. He didn't stop to think. Plunging a hand down the neck of his robes, he whipped out his wand and roared, â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. He knew it had shot directly at the Dementors but didn't pause to watch; his mind still miraculously clear, he looked ahead — he was nearly there. He stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and just managed to close his fingers over the small, struggling Snitch. Madam Hooch's whistle sounded. Harry turned around in midair and saw six scarlet blurs bearing down on him; next moment, the whole team was hugging him so hard he was nearly pulled off his broom. Down below he could hear the roars of the Gryffindors in the crowd. â€Å"That's my boy!† Wood kept yelling. Alicia, Angelina, and Katie had all kissed Harry; Fred had him in a grip so tight Harry felt as though his head would come off In complete disarray, the team managed to make its way back to the ground. Harry got off his broom and looked up to see a gaggle of Gryffindor supporters sprinting onto the field, Ron in the lead. Before he knew it, he had been engulfed by the cheering crowd. â€Å"Yes!† Ron yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. â€Å"Yes! Yes!† â€Å"Well done, Harry!† said Percy, looking delighted. â€Å"Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me –â€Å" â€Å"Good for you, Harry!† roared Seamus Finnigan. â€Å"Ruddy brilliant!† boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors. â€Å"That was quite some Patronus,† said a voice in Harry's ear. Harry turned around to see Professor Lupin, who looked both shaken and pleased. â€Å"The Dementors didn't affect me at all!† Harry said excitedly. â€Å"I didn't feel a thing!† â€Å"That would be because they — er — weren't Dementors,† said Professor Lupin. â€Å"Come and see — â€Å" He led Harry out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field. â€Å"You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright,† said Lupin. Harry stared. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes. It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall. â€Å"An unworthy trick!† she was shouting. â€Å"A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!† If anything could have set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron, who had fought his way through to Harry's side, doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it. â€Å"Come on, Harry!† said George, fighting his way over. â€Å"Party! Gryffindor common room, now!† â€Å"Right,† said Harry, and feeling happier than he had in ages, he and the rest of the team led the way, still in their scarlet robes, out of the stadium and back up to the castle. It felt as though they had already won the Quidditch Cup; the party went on all day and well into the night. Fred and George Weasley disappeared for a couple of hours and returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets. â€Å"How did you do that?† squealed Angelina Johnson as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd. â€Å"With a little help from Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,† Fred muttered in Harry's ear. Only one person wasn't joining in the festivities. Hermione, incredibly, was sitting in a corner, attempting to read an enormous book entitled Home Life and Social Habits of British Muggles. Harry broke away from the table where Fred and George had started juggling butterbeer bottles and went over to her. â€Å"Did you even come to the match?† he asked her. â€Å"Of course I did,† said Hermione in a strangely high-pitched voice, not looking up. â€Å"And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday.† â€Å"Come on, Hermione, come and have some food,† Harry said, looking over at Ron and wondering whether he was in a good enough mood to bury the hatchet. â€Å"I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!† said Hermione, now sounding slightly hysterical. â€Å"Anyway†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced over at Ron too. â€Å"He doesn't want me to join in.† There was no arguing with this, as Ron chose that moment to say loudly, â€Å"If Scabbers hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them –â€Å" Hermione burst into tears. Before Harry could say or do anything, she tucked the enormous book under her arm, and, still sobbing, ran toward the staircase to the girls' dormitories and out of sight. â€Å"Can't you give her a break?† Harry asked Ron quietly. â€Å"No,† said Ron flatly. â€Å"If she just acted like she was sorry — but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something.† The Gryffindor party ended only when Professor McGonagall turned up in her tartan dressing gown and hair net at one in the morning, to insist that they all go to bed. Harry and Ron climbed the stairs to their dormitory, still discussing the match. At last, exhausted, Harry climbed into bed, twitched the hangings of his four-poster shut to block out a ray of moonlight, lay back, and felt himself almost instantly drifting off to sleep†¦ He had a very strange dream. He was walking through a forest, his Firebolt over his shoulder, following something silvery-white. It was winding its way through the trees ahead, and he could only catch glimpses of it between the leaves. Anxious to catch up with it, he sped up, but as he moved faster, so did his quarry. Harry broke into a run, and ahead he heard hooves gathering speed. Now he was running flat out, and ahead he could hear galloping. Then he turned a corner into a clearing and — â€Å"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!† Harry woke as suddenly as though he'd been hit in the face. Disoriented in the total darkness, he fumbled with his hangings, he could hear movements around him, and Seamus Finnigan's voice from the other side of the room. â€Å"What's going on?† Harry thought he heard the dormitory door slam. At last finding the divide in his curtains, he ripped them back, and at the same moment, Dean Thomas lit his lamp. Ron was sitting up in bed, the hangings torn from one side, a look of utmost terror on his face. â€Å"Black! Sirius Black! With a knife!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Here! Just now! Slashed the curtains! Woke me up!† â€Å"You sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?† said Dean. â€Å"Look at the curtains! I tell you, he was here!† They all scrambled out of bed; Harry reached the dormitory door first, and they sprinted back down the staircase. Doors opened behind them, and sleepy voices called after them. â€Å"Who shouted?† â€Å"What're you doing?† The common room was lit with the glow of the dying fire, still littered with the debris from the party. It was deserted. â€Å"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?† â€Å"I'm telling you, I saw him!† â€Å"What's all the noise?† â€Å"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!† A few of the girls had come down their staircase, pulling on dressing gowns and yawning. Boys, too, were reappearing. â€Å"Excellent, are we carrying on?† said Fred Weasley brightly. â€Å"Everyone back upstairs!† said Percy, hurrying into the common room and pinning his Head Boy badge to his pajamas as he spoke. â€Å"Perce — Sirius Black!† said Ron faintly. â€Å"In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!† The common room went very still. â€Å"Nonsense!† said Percy, looking startled. â€Å"You had too much to eat, Ron — had a nightmare –â€Å" â€Å"I'm telling you –â€Å" â€Å"Now, really, enough's enough!† Professor McGonagall was back. She slammed the portrait behind her as she entered the common room and stared furiously around. â€Å"I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!† â€Å"I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!† said Percy, puffing himself up indignantly. â€Å"I was just telling them all t o get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare –â€Å" â€Å"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!† Ron yelled. â€Å"PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!† Professor McGonagall stared at him. â€Å"Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?† â€Å"Ask him!† said Ron, pointing a shaking finger at the back of Sir Cadogan's picture. â€Å"Ask him if he saw –â€Å" Glaring suspiciously at Ron, Professor McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. The whole common room listened with bated breath. â€Å"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?† â€Å"Certainly, good lady!† cried Sir Cadogan. There was a stunned silence, both inside and outside the common room. â€Å"You — you did?† said Professor McGonagall. â€Å"But — but the password!† â€Å"He had 'em!† said Sir Cadogan proudly. â€Å"Had the whole week's, my lady! Read 'em off a little piece of paper!† Professor McGonagall pulled herself back through the portrait hole to face the stunned crowd. She was white as chalk. â€Å"Which person,† she said, her voice shaking, â€Å"which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?† There was utter silence, broken by the smallest of terrified squeaks. Neville Longbottom, trembling from head to fluffy slippered toes, raised his hand slowly into the air.

Personal experience with children from divorced families Essay

Two years ago, I was teaching young Korean children ages 8 to 11. Before I started teaching, I was briefly explained about the behaviour of several children by their tutors. A couple of them were from divorced families. I had a difficulty in handling one particular child called J, who was 11 years old at that time. According to his tutor, his parents were divorced recently and as a result, he enrolled in this school. I did not know the reason of his parents’ divorce but his mother was diagnosed with cancer. The tutor was the custodial parent of J. My first impression on J in class was that he was very loud and also it became a routine for him not to do his homework and turn up late in class. He became aggressive and tried to embarrass me by making ridiculous comments when scolded about his behaviour. On one occasion, J had a fight with another boy in class. J actually stabbed this boy with a pencil during break time. Although it was a minor injury, parents of both boys had to be called in and J’s tutor tried to make both boys talk about why it happened. But they did not say a word. Since J’s mother was sick, his grandmother came instead, apologizing for her grandson’s action. Nonetheless, explanation of J’s grandmother helped me to understand his behaviour. J became difficult to control since his parents’ divorce. He was furious with the fact that his father left his sick mother for another woman. His grade from previous school was average but with the change of family environment, he was achieving lower grade. However, considering he was fairly new to the school, he seemed to socialize with other boys easily and seemed to lead them as well. I have also noticed that when he was not being loud or seeking attention in my class, he would sit absent-minded and continuously shake his leg. Besides being aggressive he was probably feeling insecure as well. In the period immediately following the divorce, J’s mother’s ability to be a good parent probably declined and became more inconsistent in disciplining her son due to her illness. J’s reaction towards his parent’s divorce is all mentioned in past studies by Anthony (1974), Hoyt et al. (1990), Kurdekrikberg (1987), Liner (1976), Wickman (1987) where action-out behaviour was most apparent in his behaviour when he had stabbed a boy with a pencil and his reaction also showed that he was very aggressive, as Lee (1993) suggested that children of divorce can become aggressive. J’s behaviour of making comments in class also shares Hyatt (1999)’s findings of making irrelevant comments in class. J had also developed anger towards his father because he had left his mother when she was sick and Kurdekriberg (1987) mentioned that some children may develop wrath towards one parent after divorce. As illustrated in Lee (1993), Kurdekriberg (1987) and Weitzman (1985)’s study, J’s academic grade declined and exhibited withdrawing behaviour (1976) such as shaking his leg in class. He was also spotted lost in thoughts in class sitting completely absent-minded and this can refer to what Liner (1976) called disorganized behaviour that J probably wanted to escape from this painful reality of his. Case study 2 Another child called B, age 10, in my class, also experienced parents divorce. I got to know B’s background through a homework I assigned in class. Unlike J, her parents were divorced when B had just turned 5 and at that time, none of her parents were willing to look after her. Therefore she was left under the care of her grandparents in her mother’s side for a few years. And then, she joined her mother at the age of 9 who was by then re-married and had children of their own. Being with her mother’s also meant moving to another school, hence everything was new to her. Despite the change of the environment, she seemed to have adjusted herself well in school life. She had her own circle of friends and she was also active and lively during class and there was not much change in her school grade. I also noticed her suck fingers during class. One day, I assigned the whole class to write about their parents because it was soon to be Parents’ Day in Korea. Surprisingly, B did not do her home. To be exact, she actually refused to do it because she said there was nothing to talk about and as she was saying this, she was almost in tears. Then she explained her family background and she was ashamed of it. She mentioned that her mother and stepfather hardly gave her any affection and treated her as a burden, hence in order to avoid them, B spent most of her time in her room when she was home. For B, the school was some kind of a safe zone and because of her positive attitude in class, I never thought that she was unhappy at home. In my opinion, B was putting all her energy into school life to forget about troubles at home. It was obvious that B had the most difficulty in adapting to step-parenting and remarriage and what made it worse was that she hardly knew her mother either. So confronting her mother and step father was a great distress for B.

Teen-age pregnancy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teen-age pregnancy - Research Paper Example Nowadays, percentage of the high school males and females that have sexual intercourse is 48 and 45 respectively (CDC cited in Klein). These factors could be alleviated with the ready access to free condoms through schools and other agencies. For a lot of African American girls, the academic career culminates in the teenage pregnancy. Most parents don’t educate their daughters further after she becomes pregnant. The pregnant teenagers invite the wrath of the family and incur societal insult and embarrassment. Many countries have very strict rules in place regarding the division of responsibility of teenage pregnancy between the teenage boy and the girl that have had sexual intercourse. In most of the cases, the boy has to assume the role of financial provider for the family. Teenage sexual intercourse exposes both sexual partners to a lot of health risks. More than 9 million of the total 19 million cases of the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that surface on the yearly basis occur in people that are aged between 15 and 24 years (â€Å"Teenage pregnancy†). These STIs include but are not limited to Syphilis, Chlamydia and HIV. â€Å"Nationwide, 12.7% of students had been tested for HIV, not counting tests done when donating blood† (CDC 23). Teenage pregnancy often causes unfavorable outcomes for the baby. Health of the fetus is fundamentally dependent upon the health of the mother. In addition to the natural immaturity of the body, several internal and external factors also play an important role in the undernourishment of the girl and the fetus. Such factors include but are not limited to embarrassment, anxiety, poverty and lack of responsibility. Many of the babies born in the teenage pregnancy have a low birth weight. â€Å"11.7 percent of 15-year-old mothers had a low-birthweight baby in 2006; 18,403 babies were born to girls this age, with 2,153 of low birthweight† (Martin et al). Most teenage mothers want to have the

Classical Conditioning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classical Conditioning - Essay Example He developed a phobia not only for the mouse, but for all white things (CR). He developed a generalization phobia of all things white. This was because Little Albert had not reached the correct form of thinking that is hypothesized by developmental psychologists such as Piaget. Therefore, he began to fear everything that was white. The one fundamental concept about classical conditioning is the idea behind repetition and reinforcement. If the relationship between response and stimulus is not maintained, then extinction occurs. When extinction occurs, the relationship between the stimulus and response is lost. In this case, Little Albert would not associate the loud noise and fear with things that were white. This research study could not be done today due to ethical concerns. This is because it is causing psychological harm to the individual. Especially at a young age, there are rules that the APA, American Psychological Association, has in place which prohibit experimentation on chi ldren without parental consent as well as a wide variety of other restrictions. The only way in which this experiment could possibly be replicated is if there was therapy and techniques given at the debriefing of the experiment, which would ease or get rid of any/all effects from the experiment.

How Do the NSC and APNSA Operate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How Do the NSC and APNSA Operate - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the national security agency (NSA) is the U.S intelligence agency that has been given the responsibility of providing the United States government with encrypted information assurance and reading encrypted communication signals intelligence of other nations. The department that has been mandated with the duty to create and maintain secure computer network operations for the US government and prepare for impending network warfare. On the other hand, the assistant to the president for national security affairs   APNSA is the senior-most official in the executive office of the president who serves as the chief advisor stationed in the white house to the president of the United States on national security issues.   The person who seat in that chair also is a member of the national security council and is located in the west wing of the white house where he finds support from national security council staff that produces research, intel ligence, and briefings for the APNSA to review and present them to the president. The origin of NSA can be traced from 1917 after the Congress declared war on Germany in World War 1 during this time a code and cipher decryption unit was set up with its headquarters in Washington D.C. The NSA is responsible for the protection of U.S government communications and another information system, due to the growing practice of mass surveillance in the U.S. NSA collects all phone records of all Americans citizens that it uses in an analysis of the potential threat to the nation. However, NSA has no authority to conduct human source intelligence gathering although it is often portrayed doing so in popular culture and regions. Nevertheless, it remains its objective to coordinate and deconfliction of SIGINT components of otherwise non-SIGINT government organization. These organizations are prevented by law from engaging in such activities without the approval of the NSA through the secretary of defense. NSA has been reported to be doing the massive extent of the NSA’s spying both domestic and foreign that was revealed to the public in a series of detailed disclosures of internal NSA documents from June 2013 where most disclosures are said to have been leaked by former NSA contractor Edward snow den. Since everybody insists that they should have the privacy of what they do with their private lives, it is evident that with NSA there is nothing like privacy.

The Hoax in Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Hoax in Wal-Mart - Essay Example It employs over 2 million people, qualifying as the largest job provider in the private sector in the U.S, Canada and Brazil. With staggering revenue of four hundred and five billion dollars, the nearest competitor seems like a dwarf. Though these statistic depicts a success story, there a lot of hideous play behind the scenes.Wal-Mart trades more commodities with china as compared to other retailers in America. The yearly volume is to the tune of $25 a year. This mega imports cannot come at no cost to the economy and down to the other small retailers. Through its claim of being the apostle of the customer and its slogan of low cost, it pushes the suppliers to supply goods at the lowest cost possible. This ever-increasing pressure forces many suppliers to manufacture their goods outside the country where the labor is cheap. The imported merchandise is thus able to meet Wal-Mart’s demand on price. On a reflective note, how many stores are able to put such demands on suppliers? As the former chief executive officer of the now closed down Pillowtex observed, Wal-Mart inverted the natural order of the supplier having the say. Because of this, there arises an enormous disparity in the pricing of goods in Wal-Mart and other retail stores. When such a phenomenon occurs, the entire populace will certainly be persuaded to shop at the cheaper option. What follows is low turnover in competing stores and their eventual closure.

Multimedia and the Internet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Multimedia and the Internet - Research Paper Example The user has the ability to make member accounts on the website that is free currently. The website enables the user to gather the accessories of his or her interest by making an account also enabling the website to inform them of promotional activities and sales through emails. Advantage that the website provides is the function of displaying new items on the shelf at the home page. Apart from that, products that are in fashion are displayed at the home page with a brief insight on them to enable the user to get familiar with the product. A search section is also provided in case a user wants to search for a specific product on the website or look for several related products. The website also provides a function of comparing products on the basis of several factors and ranking them accordingly to provide the user the best brand according to his demands. The website design is perfect and up to the standards of any good website, there are no error links meaning every link does take you to a new page that displays information related to the caption of the link. The website contains all the information that a customer will need regarding the product with the added advantage of a simple window to window moving procedure. The website is quite user friendly and covers all the concepts that any good website does. Overview The second website that's going to be discussed on the same given standards is Computer Shops that is basically a search portal that provides the user list of websites that are selling computer accessories online. The difference between the two websites is a major one but we are not comparing here. Design and Layout This website is quite attractive and interactive but the problem is that the websites outlook is not as attractive as the one we discussed earlier. The options and functionality are obviously limited as this website is a search portal. Functions and Navigation The research portal gives the user access to articles and products related to computer accessories from all over the World Wide Web. The website also enables a user to search for different online shops. The website is easy to read with a simple two colored background and a decent font. The website also contains pictures to help give a clear and broader meaning to the material present on the website plus the user gets a clearer picture of the product and the search results. The website's additional advantage is that it also provides results from local databases as well as international. Error Links The error links that the website provide go up to twenty-five and are displayed on the home page of the website. Source coding = attached to the appendix Overall Feedback The website belongs to second-class category and the error links are the major draw back for the website. Tons of information is provided but moving through it is not as easy as it could have been, a certain amendment in the search method would give the website a better ranking. Overview The third website we will discuss is about Personal Computers and the name of the website is Southern Computers. Design and Layout The website's first impression is of a local low budget website with a very dull colored backgroun

Identify Savas Four strategies of privatization Research Paper

Identify Savas Four strategies of privatization - Research Paper Example There is no unanimous agreement on the set of words to define privatization. However, the word, in most cases, is associated with the ideological approach that involves the private sector, either partially or totally, to achieve public goals. E.S. Savas compares it to the exchange of roles between the government and the private segment (Hodge, 2006). Savas outlines various approaches through which government can implement privatization. Load shedding is one of the strategies. In this case, the government loses part or the whole of its ownership to private operators (Lawther, 2000). When left in the hands of the government, most of the enterprises become exploitive. Application of user charges is another strategy. To improve the economic society, goods and services that are provided directly by the government can be subjected to such charges. This aims at disclosing the real costs of the goods and services preventing any inclusion of unwanted expenses (Kemp, 2007). The third strategy is the introduction of competition. Most public sectors and cartels do not embrace competition which is, however, essential in improving public services. When there are various institutions interested in the same market, competition automatically arises (Otenyo & Lind, 2006). This gives customers a wide range of choice leading to appreciation of high quality products only. Finally, another way to privatize enterprises is by limiting government involvement in business procedures such as by making grants through the private sector (Hodge, 2006). This simplifies the public’s effort to assess the growth and development projects. Privatization is an essential practice in all aspects of life. In Florida, there has been continuous urge to privatize the prison system. Earlier this year, the state governor, showed deeper in implementing the same. Legislators who pioneered this idea typically consulted the Savas’ privatization strategies. According to the department of corrections,