Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativity Cultural differences and Essay

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativity Cultural differences and UniversalsSubcultures and countercultures - Essay Example By analyzing the major concerns of cultural interpretation through linguistics and the essential motivations for the British efforts, the colonial effort in India is shown to represent a universal impulse of the state that continues to exist in the contemporary world. The history of the British in India dates back to the efforts of the English East India Trading Company to establish British economic interests in India in 1612. India operated merely as an economic trade-port until the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Considered a pivotal point in the colonization of South Asia, the battle occurred during the Seven Years War and pitted the English East India Trading Company against their French counterpart. The British victory resulted in the emergence of government authority in India and included an abundance of wealth from the Bengal Empire that flowed into Britain. The infusion of wealth helped British colonial efforts that expanded throughout the area for the next 200 years and established the British as the predominant colonial power of the 19th century. Chamberlain (1974) makes the point that -- although theorists make direct causal connections between the British and their impulses in India -- it's absurd to assume that over the 200 years of colon ial expansion the British motivations remained static. Over the 200 year period the British passed from Tudor rule to Victorian, and as such British motivations need to be understood in relation to an ever-changing Empire. ECONOMICS The exact terms of the relationship between the British and the Indians seemed to remain highly ambivalent throughout the period of British occupation. One strand of thought on British control of India was that the Indian people were so uncivilized that if the British ceased occupation than the Indian economy would fall into shambles due to lawlessness; whereas, a strong contingent of Indians believed that British ethnocentrism was such that they merely used India as an economic means for British gain, resulting in a highly distorted economy that oppressed the Indian population. Conversely, it's argued that the British economy was equally distorted by relying too heavily on Indian production. During their occupation of India, the British used a sense of cultural superiority to consistently avoid laws that would positively benefit Indian society. Speaking on the effects of this British ethnocentrism, Henry Verelst, former governor of Bengal, wrote: It appeared that an exemption from duties had thrown the whole trade of the country into the hands of the English. This, however, was the least evil. The country government was destroyed by the violence of their agents; and individual tyranny succeeded to national arrangement. In the general confusion, all, who were disposed to plunder, assumed the authority of our name, usurped the sears of justice, carried on what they called a trade, by violence and oppression. (Chamberlain, p. 20, 1974) While Indians seemed to favor the laws and structure the British government offered, they believed that the British presence in India operated as a means of exploiting their culture for profit. While a large amount of Colonial literature attempted to paint the British efforts as liberating, it's notable that from the onset British interests in India were directly related and expanded on economic means. A similar comparison can be made to Western efforts to bring a 'civilizing impulse' to Afghanistan and

Training and Trust Essay Example for Free

Training and Trust Essay The training of an individual, especially in the field of profession, plays an important part in his or her ability to trust others. The demands of the profession and the degree to which it calls for individual skills, talents and prowess surely affect the ability of a person to trust others and work with them. In certain professions, working with others is a necessity and that the performance of a team is very much needed in the delivery of a product or service. This kind of training may be seen in basketball players where everyone has to depend on each other in the execution of a play. Likewise, this is very much evident in the process of surgery where the doctor has to trust his aides and nurses to heed his instructions and give him the right instruments and perform the right procedures. On the other hand, there are professions in which the individual is trained to work by himself and expect little or no help from others. Especially, if there is stiff competition in the field. Such a kind of training may develop confidence in the ability of the individual while being uncertain in the ability of others to deliver it in the same way. This kind of training may be seen in the training of lawyers where the success or failure of a case depends solely on the individual. In addition to this, there are also kinds of profession in which trusting easily is discouraged and rather, there should be a testing of truth. This may be evident in psychotherapy and counseling where the practitioners are trained to look beyond the faà §ade of what people claim. In addition, in a society where individualism is highly prized, trusting is not easily done. Nonetheless, training in various disciplines affects the individual’s propensity to trust others.

Role of Solar Energy for Sustainability

Role of Solar Energy for Sustainability Environmental Sustainability Introduction This paper is based on the environmental sustainability and the role of solar energy in environmental sustainability. Maintaining the qualities such as human life, clean water and suitable climate that are valued in the atmosphere is termed as environmental sustainability. There are various resources and factors, which contribute directly or indirectly in maintaining the quality of environment. The various aspects of environment that produce renewable resources are water, solar energy and timber. In this present scenario, most people want to maintain the capabilities inherent in the natural environment to sustain the conditions of living and the beauty of environment (What is Environmental Sustainability, 2006). Thesis Statement: Eminent role of solar energy towards the establishment of environmental sustainability. Argument Solar energy plays a significant role in sustaining the environment, as it is the most valuable and environmental friendly source of energy. It is the utilization of radiant energy from the sun. Solar distillation and disinfection are the most common techniques used for the purpose of producing potable water. It also supplies energy for cooking, drying and pasteurization. Solar energy is an effective technique, which maintains the quality of environment by different mechanisms such as solar thermal, solar lightening, agriculture horticulture and architecture urban planning. It uses secondary sources of energy along with solar radiation such as wind and wave power, biomass and hydroelectricity, which produce renewable energy (Environmental Sustainability, 2008). Thermal mass is primarily used for the purpose of conserving the heat of the sun. It is the increasingly used source of energy generation because of its economic feasibility. Apart from this, solar energy has various advantag es such as it is environmental friendly and more easily accessible technique in comparison to other techniques of energy generation. It provides various technologies for heat generation and collection, which proves its importance in environmental sustainability (What is Solar Energy, 2005). Support to the argument Solar energy is the most effective source of producning energy and plays an important role in environmental sustaining. This can be explained by the help of five elements: Economoicall feasibility: It is a more feasible economic source in copmrison to other sources of energy producing, as it is cost effective(in the case of greenhouse) and technologically advanced( in the case of solar lighting ). Environmental friendly: It is an envrinmental friendly source as most of the solar electricirty generated vehicles produce no emissions. In this way, they are non pollutant and safe for the people. Non cosumptive source: The radiation of sun is a limitless resource of energy, so it does not require any destrucive process, which is another advantage of this technique. Security and distribution: The prices of solar electricity, which is produced through photovaltaic cells does not flactuate with the supply pattrens, so it is the best source of energy generation. The distribution cost is less in case of solar electricity, which is produced by the technology of solar energy. This is another positive approach of using solar enegry in environmental sustainability. Save energy and other resources: Solar energy also assists the people in saving energy and other valuabl resources by solar lighting and thermal mass. Thus, it helps in maintaining environmental sustainability. Apart from the above mentioned elements, many other arguments favoring it describe that solar energy is the vital source of producing energy for millions of people through the utilization of different technologies. Solar technologies are widely used in day to day practices and also offer various benefits, which in turn assist in sustaining the environment. Architecture and urban planning: Solar energy assists the architectures in designing of building, as it includes many aspects such as thermal mass, shading and sun orientation. Apart from this, it is also helpful in effective urban planning (Vlek Steg, 2007). Solar lighting: Solar energy implements the concept of day lighting in the interiors of many buildings, which reduces the need for artificial lighting. Hybrid solar lighting is another concept, which is used to provide illumination. /a> Source: New York Times Heating cooling and ventilation: Solar energy reduces the use of artificial methods involved in heating, cooling and ventilation by implementing the use of thermal mass. Solar chimneys are increasingly used to offset the significant part of energy used by other methods. Solar disinfection and distillation: Solar disinfection is used to produce water purifier and considered to be as the viable and safe source of household treatment. Solar distillation is the mechanism of producing potable water from the saline water through the help of solar energy and is considered the most economical source of producing water (Stipanuk, 2006). Agriculture and horticulture: Solar energy technologies assist in growing fruit walls and vegetables in an effective manner by using the solar energy. The concept of greenhouse is also used increasingly as it saves the solar heat. Water heating: This system is used to heat water by using sunlight and considerd as an effective method as it is an eco-friendly system. Counter Argument Solar energy offers various advantages of using it at broad level but there are some limitations of using it, which reject the concept of using solar energy in the energy production. Expensive source: Solar energy is useful when the sun shines but in the course of night these expensive solar equipemnts are useless. It is the drawback of using the solar energy for generating electricity and heat. Location: It is another disadvantage of using solar nergy in electricity generation, as solar equipements require large areas for installation, hence if the area is limited, it will create problems (Disadvantages of Solar Energy, 2008). Dilution: As solar energy is diluted, it requires a lot of solar collectors for the purpose of storing solar energy effectively. Solar collectors are expensive and need a heavy mainatanance for proper functioning. So, the return on investment is also maximum in comprison to other resources, which generate electricity for environmental sustainability. So these are the disadvantages of using solar energy in generating electricity and these forms the basis of not using it as the source of energy, as in the shortage of energy resources, it becomes price competitive source in comparison to other sourecs (Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy, 2008). Conclusion On the basis of above discussion on the role of solar energy in environmantal sustainability, it is concluded that it is worthy enough to implement the concept of solar energy in electricity generation. Solar energy is an important source of electricity generation, as it saves the cost included in other sources of electricity generation. It is an evironmental friendly technique, as the solar vehicles are eco-friendly and do not emmit pollutant substances in the atmosphere. It is also an economically viable source, as it uses technological advanced insturments in electricity generation. It is also an cost effective source, as there is no distribution cost involved in its distribution. Water heating through the use of solar energy teachnology is also an effective method because it saves the environment from pollution. All of these statements with regard to solar energy prove its increasing use in present scenario. Hence, solar enegry is useful in environmental sustainability in an effe ctive manner. References Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Energy. (2008). Retrieved July 25, 2008 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-solar-energy.html Disadvantages of Solar Energy. (2008). Retrieved July 25, 2008 from http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/articles/disadvantages_of_solar_energy.html Environmental Sustainability. (2008). Retrieved July 25, 2008 from http://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/Council/Consultation/Plan_for_the_Future/Environmental_Sustainability.asp Stipanuk, D.M. (2006). Hospitility Facilities Managemnet And Design (3rd edition). Texas: Culinary and Hospitality Industry Publications Services. Vlek, C. Steg, L. (2007). Human Behavior and Environmental Sustainability. USA: Blackwell Publishing. What is Environmental Sustainability. (2006). Retrieved July 25, 2008 from http://www.ces.vic.gov.au/CES/wcmn301.nsf/childdocs/-441BB07721D61152CA256F250028C5FB?open What is Solar Energy. (2005). Retrieved July 25, 2008 from http://www.prometheus.org/research/whatissolar

Diverse Australian Biomes Adapting :: Adaptation Australia Essays

Diverse Australian Biomes Adapting Australia is a land of rather extreme weather conditions and widely diverse climates that force the vegetation living there to adapt in many interesting ways. Australia is the driest continent, and biomes such as grasslands and savannas are prime sources of widespread catastrophic fires. The plants that grow in the vast arid and semi-arid regions of Australia are prone to fires simply because of the desert climates that they grow in. High temperatures combined with low fuel moisture contents, little humidity and drying winds that sweep across the landscape encourage many of the plants living in these areas to burst into flames at fairly frequent intervals. Serotinous cones, protective bark, intricate underground recovery systems, unique seed distributions and even the necessity of fire for reproduction are just some of the amazing ways that the major plant families which grow in these fire-prone areas have learned to adapt to their environments. History of fires in Australia Australia is currently the driest continent in the world and has a vast history of fire to prove it. Bushfires in the Adelaide Hills were first described and recorded in 1827, and have occurred at frequent intervals since that time. Fire weather can reach extremes in places such as Rudall River National Park in NW Western Australia. Temperatures are often above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), dew points can drop to —37 degrees Celsius, and the winds, uninhibited by trees, can reach speeds of 50-60 km/h (31-37 mph) at any given time in the year. The fuels there may appear to be completely dead, and gaps between plants may be a meter or more (Gill, 1995). In 1966 a massive fire at Brooyar, Queensland had flame heights of 20-25 meters (65-82 feet). In addition to being devastating, the fires are also very unpredictable. A bushfire in the Baulkham Hills in January of 1975 completely destroyed property and some homes, while leaving others untouched. Serious fires occur in the Dandenog Ranges at frequent intervals, and housing there has always been a difficult problem with fire control [3]. Fire has also been used for centuries as an important tool for land management (O’Neill, 1993). Necessary Conditions For Fire Plants that grow in the vast arid and semi-arid regions of Australia are prone to fires simply because of the desert climate they grow in. High temperatures, low fuel moisture contents, little humidity and drying winds that sweep across the landscape encourage small patches of plants to burst into flames.

Relationship Characteristics

1. According to p. 117 in Ch. 5 of the textbook, what are the four characteristics that define intimate relationships? Why does building relationships involve a degree of risk? The four characteristics that define intimate relationships are emotional availability, emotional attachment, and behavioral interdependence. When you meet someone new rather it is an intimate relationship or building a new friendship, it is always hard because you have to build trust and get to know that person. Then there is always the possibility of rejection, betrayal, or disappointment. People’s expectations sometimes set them up to be hurt and then sometimes their expectations are â€Å"reasonable† but the other person is just hurtful. Whenever 2 people are involved, you have but so much control over what will happen 2. Refer to Table 5. 2 on p. 132 in Ch. 5 of the textbook. What are three characteristics of a healthy relationship? Why is it important to be aware of the unhealthy characteristics of a relationship? Three characteristics of a healthy relationship are trusting and being honest with yourself and each other, resolving conflicts in a rational, peaceful way, and lastly practicing safer sex methods. It is important to beware of the signs of unhealthy characteristics for yourself and also for maybe a loved one or a friend. When someone is in a unhealthy relationship sometimes it can lead to more violent things such as suicide, death, or any act of violence. So knowing the signs in the long run can help saving a life. Also read  Driver’s Ed Module Reflection Journal 3. According to p. 119 in Ch. 5 of the textbook, there are bonds that are common to both friends and lovers. What are the five common bonds? The five common bonds that both friends and lovers have in common are nurturance, enhancement of personal well- being, mutual regard, mutual trust, and lastly security.

History of Guidiance and Counselling in Nigeria

What's the historical development of guidance and counselling in Nigeria? African nations are in a hurry to educate citizens in order to modernize and enhance their social, economic and political development. The concept of guidance and counseling, although relatively new in Africa has been embraced by most developing nations with enormous enthusiasm. This is because counseling is being regarded by most nations as an educational service through which efficient manpower for development can be attained.Counseling practice, however, does run into frequent clashes with African traditions and development goals typical of developing countries. In order to become fully acceptable at this initial stage, the guidance and counseling profession in Africa must tolerate some compromises and modifications from its original philosophy in the Western sense. Several events led to the institutionalization of guidance and counselling in Nigerian school system.Most prominent was the efforts of a group o f Catholic nuns at the St. Theresa's College, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. The Catholic nuns developed a career workshop for all the school's graduating students during the 1959 academic session, especially in the area of subject selection and job search. A major outcome of the workshop was the distribution of the much needed career information that enabled 54 out of the 60 graduating students to gain full employment upon their graduation.The workshop on guidance and counselling held at the comprehensive high school, Aiyetoro in 1963 where Mr. R. O. Rees delivered a paper titled â€Å"The role of the guidance counsellor in a comprehensive high school† was also instrumental to the emergence of guidance and counselling in Nigeria. So, was the book written by Mr. C. I. Berepiki entitled, An approach to guidance in schools. This book inspired the Federal Government of Nigeria to develop a workshop on guidance and counselling in schools.Through these efforts, the Federal government was able t o appreciate the role guidance and counselling needed to play in the nation's overall development that later motivated the Federal Ministry of Education to appoint Mr. C. I. Berepiki to take full charge of the coordination of school guidance and counselling services in Nigeria's school system. Another force that led to the emergence of professional counselling in Nigeria has to do with the events that cropped up after the Nigerian civil war. At the end of the civil war, there arose the dire need to rehabilitate the war victims.The post-war social, political, economic, religious and educational problems, which students, workers and the general public had to face, became enormous such that the less trained career masters/mistresses could not cope. This necessitated a very high demand for guidance counsellors who were expected to provide veritable counselling interventions in the rehabilitation of the war victims. One approach then was for the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant sch olarship to most candidates who desired to pursue masters' degree in guidance and counselling in any Nigerian universities.The introduction of the new National Policy of Education in Nigeria (commonly referred to as the 6-3-3-4 system of Education) for the whole country in 1977, with major revision in 1981, which had among its features, the introduction of a new educational focus for the primary and secondary levels of education also influenced the emergence of guidance and counselling in Nigeria. This policy was a major break away from the existing educational policy that was bequeathed to the nation by the British colonial masters at independence.Under the previous arrangement, secondary school students were expected to spend five years in the secondary school. In addition, the curriculum tended to emphasize much of liberal type of education. But the new policy extended the number of years in secondary school from five years to six years. It further divided secondary education int o two levels: junior secondary school (where the student was expected to spend three years) and the senior secondary school level (where the student was expected to spend the remaining three years).

Parsing Text Files With Perl

Parsing Text Files With Perl Parsing text files is one of the reasons Perl makes a great data mining and scripting tool. As youll see below, Perl can be used to basically reformat a group of text. If you look down at the first chunk of text and then the last part at the bottom of the page, you can see that the code in the middle is what transforms the first set into the second. How to Parse Text Files As an example, lets build a little program that opens up a tab separated data file, and parses the columns into something we can use. Say, as an example, that your boss hands you a file with a list of names, emails, and phone numbers, and wants you to read the file and do something with the information, like put it into a database or just print it out in a nicely formatted report. The files columns are separated with the TAB character and would look something like this: Larry larryexample.com 111-1111 Curly curlyexample.com 222-2222 Moe moeexample.com 333-3333 Heres the full listing well be working with: #!/usr/bin/perl open (FILE, data.txt); while (FILE) { chomp; ($name, $email, $phone) split(\t); print Name: $name\n; print Email: $email\n; print Phone: $phone\n; print -\n; } close (FILE); exit; Note:Â  This pulls some code from the tutorial on how to read and write files in Perl. What it does first is open a file called data.txt (that should reside in the same directory as the Perl script). Then, it reads the file into the catchall variable $_ line by line. In this case, the $_ is implied and not actually used in the code. After reading in a line, any whitespace is chomped off the end of it. Then, the split function is used to break the line on the tab character. In this case, the tab is represented by the code \t. To the left of the splits sign, youll see that Im assigning a group of three different variables. These represent one for each column of the line. Finally, each variable that has been split from the files line is printed separately so that you can see how to access each columns data individually. The output of the script should look something like this: Name: Larry Email: larryexample.com Phone: 111-1111 - Name: Curly Email: curlyexample.com Phone: 222-2222 - Name: Moe Email: moeexample.com Phone: 333-3333 - Although in this example were just printing out the data, it would be trivially easy to store that same information parsed from a TSV or CSV file, in a full-fledged database.

Free Essays on The Comeback Of TB

Executive Summary: The return of our nation’s biggest killer in the 1900’s is re-emerging in its most powerful form ever seen. Tuberculosis (TB) faded off America’s screens in the 1950’s as the invention of antibiotics became the problem solver. As problems with the disease became domestically solved, funding for the cause decreased under the assumption that other areas would begin to win the fight against TB as well. They never did. Currently new strains of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB are now the world’s biggest killer, second only to the AIDS virus. Explanations of how TB returned are present, as well as explanations of the areas in most dire need of attention. The synergistic effects that AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases can have on TB are explained. Current program implementations, domestically and internationally, are discussed with special attention diverted to the Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) program. An example of what the author believes to be an effective research design, with respect to the nature of MDR-TB, is included as well. HOW THE OLD THREAT CAME BACK AS A NEW THREAT: In the early 1900’s and throughout the industrial revolution, the number one leading cause of death among Americans was Tuberculosis (TB), also called the â€Å"consumption† by which many people knew it to be called. It took many people by surprise, initially introducing itself with fever, flu or cold-like symptoms. Eventually it progresses so that it consumes its victims to the point where the disease causes them to perish in their own bodily fluids. The disease floods the lungs with fluids, making it very difficult to breathe until the body can no longer fight the bacteria that has permeated its system. In 1882 Robert Koch discovered the disease-causing agent, known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacillus form of bacteria can be present in two forms. One form is the active and contagious form of t... Free Essays on The Comeback Of TB Free Essays on The Comeback Of TB Executive Summary: The return of our nation’s biggest killer in the 1900’s is re-emerging in its most powerful form ever seen. Tuberculosis (TB) faded off America’s screens in the 1950’s as the invention of antibiotics became the problem solver. As problems with the disease became domestically solved, funding for the cause decreased under the assumption that other areas would begin to win the fight against TB as well. They never did. Currently new strains of multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB are now the world’s biggest killer, second only to the AIDS virus. Explanations of how TB returned are present, as well as explanations of the areas in most dire need of attention. The synergistic effects that AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases can have on TB are explained. Current program implementations, domestically and internationally, are discussed with special attention diverted to the Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) program. An example of what the author believes to be an effective research design, with respect to the nature of MDR-TB, is included as well. HOW THE OLD THREAT CAME BACK AS A NEW THREAT: In the early 1900’s and throughout the industrial revolution, the number one leading cause of death among Americans was Tuberculosis (TB), also called the â€Å"consumption† by which many people knew it to be called. It took many people by surprise, initially introducing itself with fever, flu or cold-like symptoms. Eventually it progresses so that it consumes its victims to the point where the disease causes them to perish in their own bodily fluids. The disease floods the lungs with fluids, making it very difficult to breathe until the body can no longer fight the bacteria that has permeated its system. In 1882 Robert Koch discovered the disease-causing agent, known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacillus form of bacteria can be present in two forms. One form is the active and contagious form of t...

Research study on treatment for acute otitis media Assignment

Research study on treatment for acute otitis media - Assignment Example The sampling approach may however suffer from threats of unrepresentative sample but the researchers addressed this reliability threat through application of a large sample space. Implementing a double blind approach to the study is another measure that the researchers undertook to address validity and reliability issues, core to which is prejudice into bias. Double blind scope however eliminates such a prejudice from research participants and the researcher. Another measure that the researchers implemented towards ensuring validity and reliability was using an experimental design in which the difference between the experimental group and the placebo group validates treatment effect. Lack of such an experimental set up induces uncertainty as to effects of independent variable. In addition to the double blind approach, the researchers ensured independence of the study from their influence by contracting an independent party to implement the study, and initiative that managed researche r bias at the data collection process towards validity. use of an experimental design, application of a double blind approach, randomization, and using an independent party to implement the study are therefore measures that the authors undertook to address validity and reliability issues (Tahtinen et al.,

Describe a domain name, and provide examples of domain names Essay

Describe a domain name, and provide examples of domain names - Essay Example The name is divided into two parts. The first part is a unique string selected by the owner of the name. The second part appears to the right of the last period (dot) and refers to the type of presence. For the second part, there are standard strings which define various types or groups, some of which are given below: .edu Educational institutions .gov Government .com Commercial organizations .org Non-profit organizations .net Network organizations The Internet is a web (and thus the name) of countless computer servers internetworked with each other through the IP communication protocol where each node has a unique IP address assigned to it. The domain names, described above, map to one or more IP addresses and help to create a friendlier, easy to remember layer on top of the IP numbers. The Domain Name Service accessible through every server helps to translate these names to IP addresses. In this way, it is easier to remember www.google.com rather than a string of numbers representi ng it. Some examples of domain names are: www.microsoft.com Microsoft www.apple.com Apple www.icann.org ICANN Finally, several countries have their own suffixes at the end of the domain name. For example, .au Australia .uk United Kingdom .mx Mexico References ICANN-Accredited Registrars. (2011, Jan 10). Retrieved from http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/accredited-list.html

Beats By Dre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Beats By Dre - Essay Example Due to the entry of new players into the market, the level of competition is believed to be on the rise, as manufacturers adopt more aggressive and market cantered marketing approaches to reach out to new customers (Breen, 2014). Beats by Dre is a headphone manufacturing line in the united states that has gained significant prominence due to the promotion and celebrity endorsements that it has acquired in the past. The company own the consumer can access significant patent for audio technologies and some of the music from online music stores. However, as a strategy to reach out to new customers and increase influence in the market, the company has collaborated with a number of companies including HTC and Chrysler (Doyle 2011). In 2014, Apple Inc. acquired the company through a cash and stock deal worth more than $3 billion, one of the largest company acquisitions ever witnessed in the headphone industry. In this report, beats by Dre will be discussed in light of its competitive market strategies and how it performed in the face of emerging small businesses. Porter five force analyses and Ansoff growth matrix will be used to evaluate the performance and prospects for the company (Johnston, 2012). The headphone industry has emerged as one of the most attractive sectors in 2014 due to the emerging interests from music producers, mobile phone companies among others. Though the industry is still emerging from low market recognition, the reputation it has gained in the market demonstrates its great potential and future prospects. A number of small companies have entered the market and they continue to rise above the stiff competition (Akoth, 2014). One such company is beats by Dre, a headphone company that was founded in 2006 by Dry Dre, an American musician. Through a well-coordinated market campaign and market sensitization programs, the company acquired dominance and respect in the industry. This attracted major

Political and Social Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political and Social Theory - Essay Example As the paper outlines, team cohesion refers to the ability of employees and the management to work together towards attaining the same goal. Through the role theory, both parties know what duties they ought to perform. The role theory defines the expectations of the employee; therefore staff members perform their roles bearing in mind that they are individual members of a team aiming at eventually achieving the same goal (Harnisch, 2011). On the other hand, functionalism shows the employees that each department in an organization forms a synchronized system which ought to function in unison so as to obtain the key target (Kendall, 2007). Therefore, these two theories help in displaying the reason both the employees and management, who have different functions, should work synchronously to achieve the main interest.  Conflict resolution in institutions refers to the ability of affiliates to provide solutions that resolve group differences. In any group, lack of knowledge about oneâ €™s role and position often leads to conflict. Therefore, in order to avoid or resolve the differences that may develop, the management should apply concepts found in both the role theory and functionalism. Concepts of the role theory such as expectations and resources stipulate some of the duties an employee has to perform and the supplies provided (Harnisch, 2011). Similarly, the functionalism perspective describes some of the activities particular members of the organization need to accomplish in order to assist in the overall production of the whole corporation (Quah, 1990). Both theories are beneficial in preventing and resolving conflict since they help the management and employees to understand their individual roles.

Employee Training and Development Research Paper

Employee Training and Development - Research Paper Example (Cormier) Training enhances the skills, knowledge, new information, and cultural awareness of an organization. The transfer is accomplished when the subject matter of the training is passed to the members of the organization, who then apply the skill set in the job environment. While the transfer of training process sounds simple and rudimentary, several barriers exists that can hinder the transfer of training process, or even nullify it completely. It is essential to understand the barriers to training in order to enhance the success of transfer of training. Several common barriers exist; lack of reinforcement on the job, non-supportive organizational culture, immediate work environment interference, impractical training programs, irrelevant training content, discomfort with change, lack of inspiration or support of the trainer, poorly designed / delivered training, and pressures from peers to resist change associated with training. Barriers to training exist in every organization t o varying degrees. (Broad) These barriers all hinder the importance of the training process and can mitigate the positive effects intended by the training process.

History of the Rockettes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of the Rockettes - Research Paper Example The Rockettes have a long history that spans several decades. Most people who enter the Radio City Music Hall may not know that the Rockettes were a group that was formed in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri by Russell Markert. Markert originally called the group, â€Å"The Missouri Rockets† (The Radio City Rockettes). Markert decided to create this group after he saw the John Tiller Girls who were a part of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1922. Markert thought that he would be able to put together a group comprised of leggy women who could do â€Å"complicated tap routines† and â€Å"eye-high kicks† that in his words, would â€Å"knock your socks off† (The Radio City Rockettes). Eventually, the Missouri Rockets were moved to New York to perform at the Roxy Theater, then owned by S.L. â€Å"Roxy† Rothafel, who was the theater impresario. The Missouri Rockets performed in a program at that time called Rain or Shine. There were actually three different groups of women who comprised the Missouri Rockets until Rothafel, so imp ressed by the women, pulled them all together and renamed them the Roxyettes. In 1932, the Radio City Music Hall had its opening night and the Roxyettes performed for the first time on this stage; since then, there have been hundreds of performances and they have become famous. During this opening night, they were part of 17 groups who performed including such performers as the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger and Martha Graham (The Radio City Rockettes). In 1934, the group was â€Å"streamlined† and the Rockettes were born. In the early years of the Rockettes all girls were white and their height had to be between 5’6† tall and 5’10† to 5’10  ½Ã¢â‚¬  tall. In 1985, Setseko Maruhashi became the first Asian (Japan-born) Rockette and in 1988, Jennifer Jones became the first African-American. For many years, there was controversy about hiring African-Americans because it was felt that they would â€Å"distract from the consistent

Political and Social Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political and Social Theory - Essay Example As the paper outlines, team cohesion refers to the ability of employees and the management to work together towards attaining the same goal. Through the role theory, both parties know what duties they ought to perform. The role theory defines the expectations of the employee; therefore staff members perform their roles bearing in mind that they are individual members of a team aiming at eventually achieving the same goal (Harnisch, 2011). On the other hand, functionalism shows the employees that each department in an organization forms a synchronized system which ought to function in unison so as to obtain the key target (Kendall, 2007). Therefore, these two theories help in displaying the reason both the employees and management, who have different functions, should work synchronously to achieve the main interest.  Conflict resolution in institutions refers to the ability of affiliates to provide solutions that resolve group differences. In any group, lack of knowledge about oneâ €™s role and position often leads to conflict. Therefore, in order to avoid or resolve the differences that may develop, the management should apply concepts found in both the role theory and functionalism. Concepts of the role theory such as expectations and resources stipulate some of the duties an employee has to perform and the supplies provided (Harnisch, 2011). Similarly, the functionalism perspective describes some of the activities particular members of the organization need to accomplish in order to assist in the overall production of the whole corporation (Quah, 1990). Both theories are beneficial in preventing and resolving conflict since they help the management and employees to understand their individual roles.

History of the Rockettes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of the Rockettes - Research Paper Example The Rockettes have a long history that spans several decades. Most people who enter the Radio City Music Hall may not know that the Rockettes were a group that was formed in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri by Russell Markert. Markert originally called the group, â€Å"The Missouri Rockets† (The Radio City Rockettes). Markert decided to create this group after he saw the John Tiller Girls who were a part of the Ziegfeld Follies in 1922. Markert thought that he would be able to put together a group comprised of leggy women who could do â€Å"complicated tap routines† and â€Å"eye-high kicks† that in his words, would â€Å"knock your socks off† (The Radio City Rockettes). Eventually, the Missouri Rockets were moved to New York to perform at the Roxy Theater, then owned by S.L. â€Å"Roxy† Rothafel, who was the theater impresario. The Missouri Rockets performed in a program at that time called Rain or Shine. There were actually three different groups of women who comprised the Missouri Rockets until Rothafel, so imp ressed by the women, pulled them all together and renamed them the Roxyettes. In 1932, the Radio City Music Hall had its opening night and the Roxyettes performed for the first time on this stage; since then, there have been hundreds of performances and they have become famous. During this opening night, they were part of 17 groups who performed including such performers as the Flying Wallendas, Ray Bolger and Martha Graham (The Radio City Rockettes). In 1934, the group was â€Å"streamlined† and the Rockettes were born. In the early years of the Rockettes all girls were white and their height had to be between 5’6† tall and 5’10† to 5’10  ½Ã¢â‚¬  tall. In 1985, Setseko Maruhashi became the first Asian (Japan-born) Rockette and in 1988, Jennifer Jones became the first African-American. For many years, there was controversy about hiring African-Americans because it was felt that they would â€Å"distract from the consistent

Field trip example for developing questions Essay Example for Free

Field trip example for developing questions Essay Listed below are some sample questions that were asked about a hand plow used in the 1800s that one group of students saw in a museum. These might give you some ideas for developing questions: †¢ What function do you think this object had? †¢ When do you think it might have been used? †¢ Who might have used it? †¢ What materials were used to make it? †¢ How do you think it was made/manufactured? †¢ Imagine using this plow all day. How would you feel? †¢ How do farmers plow their fields today? †¢ Do you think they feel any differently than the farmer using this plow did at the end of the day? Explain. †¢ Do you think there are people in the world today who still use tools like this? Explain. ACTIVITY TO BE DONE: FIELD TRIP TO A OLD-TIMECRAFT MUSEUM Questions: †¢ Are the crafts carefully made to show the culture and beliefs of the people who made them? †¢ Basing from the craft materials that you’ve seen, how might you describe the ancient generation of humans? †¢ How are you able to connect the past with the present through the crafts that you have seen? †¢ Are there any depictions of the past that you could identify to characterize the present human society today? †¢ Do you think these crafts could still be improved through the usage of modern technology? †¢ How would technology actually affect the presentation of the said crafts? Appendix 23. 07c Sample Pre-, During- and Post-Field Trip Activities for a Field Trip to a California Mission Grade Level: 4 Pre-Trip Activity: Who Built the Missions? I will read sections from â€Å"Missions of the Southern Coast† by Nancy Lemke (1996) to my students. After reading the story, we will record information learned about who built the missions on a wall chart. We will discuss how the life of many native Indians changed after the Spanish padres taught the natives Indians to speak Spanish, make adobe bricks, sing Spanish religious songs, and change their religious beliefs, etc. I will set up a computer station for students to explore the site: http://library. thinkquest. org/3615/index. shtml, which describes the layout of the missions and how the structures were built. Students will record their findings for later use in their creative story writing. During the Trip Activity: Mission Architecture At the site I will gather students around me at the entrance to the mission. Here we will take a close look at the basic architectural design of the building and compare it to the photos we examined in class, looking for similarities and differences. Students will sketch three architectural features that they see. As we walk through the mission building (using the mission’s map to navigate our route), students will make a list of the different rooms and make note of several objects or architectural design elements in each room that are similar to items in use today. We will also discuss items that are no longer used. Post-Trip Activity: Travel Brochure for the Mission After the trip, students will summarize their learning by working in pairs to design a travel brochure inviting tourists to visit the mission. Students will need to include the following information: mission name, date built, brief history about why missions were founded, a brief story unique to this mission, a statement that explains to the tourist why missions are an important part of California’s history. Brochures will also include students’ decorative artwork. Per-trip Activity: Sharing the Goals of the Trip with the Students This activity shall help the instructor outline the reasons for the fieldtrip thus guide the students with the necessary learning that they are supposed to receive from the activity that they are to encounter in the field. It is expected that through this particular activity, the students would have a logical understanding of how much they are supposed to be benefited by the said activity. During the trip activity. It is simply through the actual field trip that the understanding of the gist of the activity shall be realized by everyone involved in the project. Thus, through the activity itself, the students would realize the real impact of the process within their learning and personality as well. With the realization of the students with regards the benefit of the trip to their learning process, they are then expected to apply in themselves whatever it has been that they have learned from the trip. Post-Trip Activity Recollection of the things learned is a primary focus of the instructor after the trip is over. It is through this after activity meeting that the educators as well as the coordinators of the trip would naturally measure the success of the activity thus scale it for further pursuance during the following years of operation. Appendix 23. 07b Field Trip Planning and Implementation Form 1. Decide where you are going and record the pertinent information, including: †¢ site address †¢ relevant telephone numbers †¢ admission costs; group rates; group size limitations †¢ hours of operation †¢ content of the exhibits †¢ facilities (bathrooms, area to eat, etc. ). †¢ availability of food concessions, gift shops †¢ requirements for reservations †¢ availability of guided tours (Are they required? Costs? ) †¢ availability of curriculum materials for teachers †¢ special requirements (walking shoes, binoculars, warm clothing, etc. ) †¢ handicapped accommodations, and other relevant information (brochures, handouts) Enter Step 1 information here: 1. Craft Museum in Los Angeles: features the exhibit of the works of the families and cultures of both ancient and modern America. 2. Schedule of Tour: Wednesday or Saturday in the afternoon beginning 1pm. 3.time length of tour: 3hours 4. Exhibit Content: family crafts of the ancient and modern American civilization. 5. Facilities: With comfort rooms and lobby for resting purposes 6. Ground Rules: No eating within the premises of the showroom during the tour activities. 7. No Reservation Payment; but there is an enlisting process before the tour begins. 8. school uniforms for quick identification is required due to the continuous tours taking place in the museum. 2. Educational and other considerations for the field trip. †¢ How does taking a field trip relate to your classroom studies? †¢ What are your objectives for the field trip? †¢ What information will tell you if your students have achieved your objectives? †¢ Visit the museum/site before your field trip. †¢ Which exhibits would you like to use? †¢ Are there any special conditions you will need to accommodate? †¢ What are the rules and procedures for group visits? Lunch plans? †¢ Do you have a map of the museum/site? †¢ Do you have some pictures, slides or postcards of the site that you can use with your students? †¢ Do you know your way around the museum/site? Enter Step 2 information here: 1. The field trip is expected to enhance the knowledge of the students with regards how much ancient America connects with the modern generation of people of the country today. 2. This field trip is rather pursued to help the students see the actual display of intellect of both the ancient and modern Americans whether with the aid of technology or those others that were created without the said utilization of modern technology. 3. to ensure safety of the whole class, it is advised that the instructor sees the museum first for security measures and assessment of the place whether it would be feasible for the subject or the students the like. 4. Souvenirs are given to the students visiting there and several brochures which could later on be used for classroom discussions. The said brochures are accompanied by maps showing the interiors of the museum. 3. Make Advance Arrangements †¢ What are your school’s procedures for field trips? Do you need special permission? †¢ Have you made reservations at the site for your trip? †¢ What transportation arrangements do you need to make? †¢ Have you kept copies of forms, requests, reservations, etc.? †¢ Have you sent out and received permission slips from parents? †¢ Can you anticipate any student behavior problems? Do you have a plan to cope with them? †¢ Have you arranged for payment of field trip expenses? †¢ What is your policy about visits to the museum/site gift shop? Tell students in advance! Enter Step 3 information here: 1. Parental permission must be first received before a student is to be joined in with the group for field trip. 2. Hiring a bus is a necessary step for getting the students safe into the museum. 3. The transportation is supposed to fetch the students back and forth from the school within at least five hours time difference. 4. To avoid unruly behaviors, the instructor is to have three appointees per group who would serve as group leaders thus making the trip much more controllable and the students easier to accompany with. 5. Snacks are to be served to the students in the bus after the three-hour field-trip. 6. all ground rules are to be discussed during the pre-trip meetings with the students. 4. Pre-Trip Activities: Introduce Museum/Community Site †¢ What pre-trip activities have you planned to introduce your students to the field trip site? †¢ What pre-trip activities have you planned to enable your students to try out and practice perceptual skills? (touch-boxes, sounds, smells, same-different, matching, sketching, color) †¢ What pre-trip activities have you planned that pertain to the subject matter of your field trip? (vocabulary, experience chart, artifacts, speakers, research groups, developing worksheets) †¢ Design six questions to ask your students that will help them think about something that they will see on the trip. Enter Step 4 information here: 1. Each student is advised to bring short note pads where they could take down their notes for review purposes in class. 2. Questions: †¢ Are the crafts carefully made to show the culture and beliefs of the people who made them? †¢ Basing from the craft materials that you’ve seen, how might you describe the ancient generation of humans? †¢ How are you able to connect the past with the present through the crafts that you have seen? †¢ Are there any depictions of the past that you could identify to characterize the present human society today? †¢ Do you think these crafts could still be improved through the usage of modern technology? †¢ How would technology actually affect the presentation of the said crafts? 5. Plan Field Trip Activities †¢ Will your students be participating in a site-led program or tour? †¢ If so, have you talked to the guide about your students’ background and preparation for the trip? †¢ Will your students be using worksheets you’ve developed as a basis for their site activities? †¢ What other activities will your students do at the site (beyond a guided tour)? †¢ Have you planned the work in small sections (in case some children finish sooner than others)? †¢ Are the activities varied intellectually? †¢ Review field trip plans with chaperones. †¢ When will you meet with chaperones to review your plans for the trip? †¢ Have you recruited the chaperones you need? Do you have a back-up plan if a chaperone fails to show up? †¢ Have you prepared an information packet about the trip for each chaperone? †¢ Do the chaperones clearly understand what they can do to support the educational objectives of your trip? Enter Step 5 information here: Each group leader is assigned with a name of list in their groups who they would be appointed to check on time and again. Nevertheless, after the three-hour tour, everyone is expected to be intact in their groups as their grade on the said activity shall well depend on how well they behave during the tour activities. Making necessary pre-announced quizzes about the trip would also help the students more attentive and interested in the discussions presented to them during the tours and keep them safe with their groups as well. 6. Field Trip Day †¢ Review plans and schedule with students and chaperones. †¢ Give the bus driver a map, parking information and a schedule. Get the bus number. †¢ Bathroom stop before boarding the bus. †¢ Give a brief orientation to the site upon arrival; review what to do if anyone gets lost. †¢ Conduct at-site activities and adjust pace as needed. †¢ Finish activities and stop at the gift shop if planned. †¢ Move to the exit, do headcounts and board the bus. †¢ Notify the school office when you return. †¢ Discuss the trip with students. Enter Step 6 information here: Headcounts are to be performed, before, once during, and after the tours. The headcount is supposed to be a security check on the whereabouts of the students. If incase anyone gets lost, the enlisting before the entrance of the students in the museum shall be a great help thus alerting the museum securities of the said lost student. Once the trip begins to pursue, the administration should be notified as well as when it is already over. This would give the administration less frustration in handling activities as such in the future. 7. Post-Trip Activities †¢ What activities have you planned to continue your students’ learning back in the classroom? (murals, dioramas, newspaper, letters, tape recordings, posters, plays/skits, creative writing, travel brochure, museum memory capsule) Enter Step 7 information here: Poster making and role playing shall be the main activity inside the classrooms once the activity is over; so as to help the children recover about what they have learned from the touring activities held. 8. Evaluation of the Field Trip †¢ Does the kind of feedback you received from your students allow you to tell if you met your objectives for the trip? †¢ Did you meet your trip objectives? †¢ How did your students evaluate their trip? †¢ What were your students’ reactions to the trip? †¢ What did they learn from their worksheets or other activities? How do you know? †¢ Were there any problems you could avoid next time? Surprises? †¢ What improvements or changes would you make next time? †¢ Have you recorded your thoughts for future reference? Enter Step 8 information here: It should be understood that part of the activity is the assurance that each student is given the careful attention that they need, simply for them to benefit well from the activity. Through post-activity class discussions and presentations, the said matter could be then well measured as to how the activity applied well for the development of the students with regards their learning as considered within the curriculum that they are to discuss along with the integrated goals of the field trip within the development of the lesson. (Adapted from: â€Å"Teach the Mind, Touch the Spirit A Guide to Focused Field Trips† Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago) †¢ Describe your class, their interests, cultural backgrounds, SAT9 profiles, English language levels, reading abilities and special needs levels. The class to be dealt with is comprised of multicultural population that ranged from the fast and the slow as well as the average learners the like. This particular diversity on the part of the class make up actually makes the instruction of integrated lessons quite a challenge for the instructor. Moreover, the ways by which the instructor should deal with the situation should integrate both lecture and practical implication of the lessons as well. Seeing the cultural differences of the students, the instructors are rather required to have a quality that needs to be handled to the said specific types of students. It is understood that with a multicultural population in class, it is needed that the educational instructors utilize the different strategies to approach the learning diversity of all the students catered through the lessons presented in class. †¢ Profile your school culture, family involvement and home/school communication. Because of multiculturalism, the need for long understanding is required. For this reason, it is understood that the instructors could not be able to be expected to do the entire job. The cooperation of the parents and guardians of the students is highly regarded for the treatment within this particular situation. The communication between the parents/guardians and the instructors is to be treated as a primary source of success in this process. Thus it is encouraged that updating the parents/guardians with the development of their students as well as the extra needed attention that the young learners require be made known to the individuals needing the information. Doing so would give the instructors and the parents as well as the guardian of the students give full focus to the advancement of the young learners as primary receivers of the education that they are due. B: Learning Goals †¢ Select goals that are developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive, student-interest-based and drawn from the California academic content standards. There are numerous academic goals that actually outlines the need of increasing the capability of the students to deal with the challenges of life in a more practical process that would be most beneficial for their own good. Among the said goals is to teach them to become reliable at almost all the times needed. With regards this, it could be noted that understanding the primary issues that are related to life and the challenges that it offers shall give the students the real and right motivation to advance further with their learning. It is through this that they become motivated to hone their capability of being reliable at most especially during the times that their support and understanding are highly needed. Another goal is to help the students relate their school lessons with their real life situations. Being practical in dealing with real life situations could be stressed out during classroom discussions that are expected to be presented during class. Handling this particular responsibility is of utmost need for the instructors to consider during class operations. References: Shapiro, B. L. (1994). What Children Bring to Light: A Constructivist Perspective on Childrens Learning in Science; New York. Teachers College Press. Helm, J. H. , Katz, L. (2001). Young investigators: The project approach in the early years. New York: Teachers College Press.

British Airways: SWOT and Porters Five Analysis

British Airways: SWOT and Porters Five Analysis Before establishing an analysis of the financial performance of British Airways, and stating the main reasons as to why this organization has been chosen as the proposed case study of this report, the most predominant issue at hand is to define ‘financial and ‘business performance. It performance of a certain organization stands for a measure, which shows how a company can efficiently use its assets from primary mode of business to produce revenues and returns. It can also be considered as a measure of the overall financial performance of the firm over a specific given period or a scale to make comparison of two or more firms in a single industry. Researcher will provide a detailed account of significance of financial performance, but before that, a brief summary of BA as a leading airline company of UK is necessary to explain. British Airways is the flag carrier airline of United Kingdom and it was first established in 1971 in Waterside. The airline was initially formed to control the two nationalized airlines already operating in UK, i.e. BOAC, and BEA, as well as two other regional airlines operating within the country, Cambrian Airways, and Northeast Airlines. All these four airlines were then liquefied to form British Airways which had much larger infrastructure than any individual company and had high prospective earnings. In the recent times, British Airways provide air transport services as well as deliver cargo shipments in to more than 90 countries all around the world. Reason for choosing the organization: There are plenty of reasons as to why this particular organization has been chosen as subject case study. As we know the ongoing economic recession, and this has folded the developed countries into a web of economic decline. The rise of oil prices from $48 to $110 per barrel since the last 6 years is also a reason for the deepest economic downturn for transporting companies. BA faces a challenge of a permanent shift in the business travelling where the larger organization do not prefer their employees to travel for short trips by paying high premium prices. The financial access that was readily available few years ago is now declining and less finance is readily accessible and cash level is decreasing All three challenges force us to make up an analysis that would reveal the financial performance of British Airways over the three years period, i.e. 2007 2009. The review of the financial performance of any particular company that is facing a financial crisis would be the best approach to determine the factors and develop a clear understanding as to why the financial crisis is being faced by that company. A number of factors can be counted towards explaining the problem. Researcher has chosen the financial performance as the main indicator for developing a clear understanding of the financial crisis BA is facing. The financial performance over a specific three years period would also assist the researcher in making up the prediction concerning the future prospects, which would be based on the recognition of significant variables affecting the organization as well as its financial performance. The next two sections would be based on discussion of aims, objectives, and research questions raised by the researcher. Research Aim: The main aim of the research is to make up an analysis of financial performance of British Airways (BA) over a three year period (2007-2009). Apart from the discussion of the financial performance, the report would also be looking at the micro and macro economic factors that lead to the expansion and development of the overall growth of aviation industry in UK. Research Objectives: To analyze the financial performance of British Airways in lieu of the recent financial crisis, and forming an in-depth discussion of how the financial crisis has affected the revenue, cash balances, and stock prices of BA. To evaluate the factor s that lead to the direct effect on growth rate of the airline industry. To ascertain the macroeconomic as well as microeconomic factors those affect the financial performance of BA. To understand the global trends and fashions adopted in the industry as well as viewing the BA as playing a key role in global aviation industry. Observation of the effects of modern technology on the performance of BA on financial and economic grounds. Research Approach: Researcher will make the most of qualitative as well as quantitative methods to ascertain the research objective and aims. The Qualitative method uses a number of approaches and it will be based on different theoretical principles, such as Hermeneutics, Phenomenology, and Social interactions. The quantitative approach would also be taken, based on the principles of positivism, as well as neo-positivism. The approach would be based on the pre-designed standards which are developed before carrying out the actual research (Adams et al. 2007. The significance of qualitative and quantitative methods in a research project as follows: â€Å"If graduate students are to blend qualitative and quantitative research methods in their research study, they can profit at the outset from considering three questions: How are the terms qualitative and quantitative best defined? What are examples of qualitative and quantitative methods? How can the two methods be compatibly combined?† (Murray, 2003) The argumentative reasoning adopted in this report would be based on inductive as well as deductive approach. Saunders et al. (2003) define the inductive approach as the one in which you gather data and form data analysis on the basis of which you develop a theoretical approach. On the other hand, they have defined the deductive approach as the one where a hypothesis is developed first and then a research design is established to explore and test that hypothesis. The very useful approach is to attach both of the approaches to different philosophies; the inductive can be considered more as qualitative approach, where as deductive as more of a quantitative approach (Saunders et al. 2003). Methods of Data collection: There are two types of methods which are given below. Primary Data collection: This data collection is based on interviews, group discussion, Informal Discussion, Debates, Surveys, Community meeting and events (Kumar, 1996). Secondary Data collection: This data collection is based on books, journal, articles, websites, newspapers, magazines, television and company financial reports (kumar, 1996). Data Collection process: Researcher has used mainly secondary source due to availability of reliable and bona fide information. The sources that the researcher has used would basically concern the annual reports from 2007-2009 periods from the website of British Airways. The economic survey of United Kingdom, as well as stock prices would also be used to explore the financial performance of British Airways. Researcher has managed to gather these sources through secondary approach. Therefore the primary sources are not very much often used. The audited financial statements of British Airways are the most relevant source for data collection on the basis of which analysis would be conducted. These financial statements or other relevant data is attached in the Appendix at the end of the research study for the convenience of reader. Researcher has used reference books as well as ACCA text books of paper F7, F9 and P3. Use of secondary sources can be associated with many advantages as well as disadvantages: Advantages Adams et al. (2007) have described the advantages as below: Larger delegate samples are available, which are considered well beyond the research of an individual researcher. Secondary data is an excellent source for inspecting the longitudinal data as well as other trends. Researcher can focus more on the data analysis as well as on its interpretation. Limitation of Data collection: According to Adams et al. (2007) the disadvantages of the secondary sources as below: Data may not be compatible, or the information that has been collected for the data analysis may not be relevant to what is required. The research might be limited in terms of its depth and information gathered might be odd or not up to date and recent concerns might have been over shadowed that can make the research and analysis outdated. The information might not be gathered from whole time period that should be covered and there might be found research gaps. Business and financial performance techniques used: Researcher would exploit the following four business and accounting techniques in this research: Value chain analysis Porters five forces analysis SWOT analysis Financial Ratios As the above mentioned techniques will be elaborated below : Value chain analysis: This technique would be useful in gaining the competitive advantage as well as generation of the shareholder value in the market. The analysis basically divides the business into a series of value-generating activities, known as value chain. The actual purpose of the value chain is to better understand the activities with the help of which the firm develops competitive advantage with the course of time in the market. These activities can best be described by the following picture: (Source: http://www.provenmodels.com/26/value-chain-analysis/michael-e.-porter/) Porters five forces analysis: This technique allows an organization such as BA to seek for outside forces, i.e. companies involved in market competition that tend to affect the competition within the airline industry. Porter five forces model is as follow. Source: Book On Competition By Michael E. Porter Monczka et al. (2009) stated five points as follows: Highest level of competition in the market would lead to creation of more options and chances for buyers as well as suppliers. Risk of entry of new competitors in the market. The threat posed by substitute entrants, i.e. products and services. Extent and power of buyers. Extent and power of suppliers. The key limitation posed in this model is occurred when there is some innovative movement in the market in terms of technological progress which may alter the whole status quo market structure in a very short span of time. SWOT analysis: This technique would analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, as well as threats for BA through inside or outside forces. The main issue at hand then would be to minimize the threats as well as maximize the benefits by British Airways Strengths: Business strengths are, the things which business doing well or, it have which are better than others e.g. Loyal experienced personnel, efficient processes, Advanced IT systems, better customer care, or any other internal factor that leads to success. Strengths of an organization give it a competitive advantage over its competitors Weaknesses: Activities which an organization carries out badly and dont have specialist knowledge to perform in better way are weaknesses of the organization. These weaknesses are internal to organization. Opportunities: These are the factors which the management could take benefit of, e.g. new IT systems, latest technology t, new products etc. Threats: These are issues which can have harmful effect on the performance and activities of business. Threats are generally from outside the organization unlike its strength and weaknesses e.g. substitute products or economic downturn, and these factors are outside of control of organization. International institute of business analysis (2005-2009) A Guide to Business Analysis Ethical issues: As a professional ACCA student it is my responsibility to comply with ACCA five ethical principles i.e. integrity, confidentiality, objectivity, professional competence and due care. It is therefore in my research I have not breached any of these ethical principles. So that research work done is not copied or duplicated and I have complied with oxford Brooks Universitys outline that is the used Harvard referencing system. Business status Of British Airways: British Airways is leading scheduled premium international airlines which flays to over 150 destinations and ha 250 planes in service. British Airways is based in UK and its main revenue earner is UK and in 2008/ 09 48% was generated from UK .22% was from continental Europe and from USA it was 17% and rest was from rest of the world. Since 2008, British Airways have taken many new initiatives to reduce their additional costs that can enhance their profits. They also have increased the number of flights including Africa as well as Central Asia. These flights will definitely help them in finding new routes and clients as well as cutting down their overall costs. The new routes or flight might however not be very much profitable for them as the flights to central Asia and Africa are not organized very often and are not considered quite profitable routes. Another notable point is concerned with the bad performance of British Airways which was due to sudden rise in the prices of oil during the period 2007-2009. According to British Airways chief financial officers report, the profits reached record levels in 2007-08 as they achieved the target of 10% operating margin for the first time. But for the year 2009 even though revenues were increased but operating costs were significantly increased which turn the profit in to loss. Economic recession has hardly hit British Airways and exchange rates have also adversely affected on British Airways. Pound starling has lost its value to euro and dollar. The increased fuel prices in years 2007-2009 have directly affected the revenue as well as profits of the industry, whereas it is evident from the graph below that the reduced prices in oil have again raised the profits of the firm to greater amount. The major loss incurred in 2007 by BA was due to the volatility in oil prices and devaluation of pound sterling against dollar and euro. The reduction in the number of passengers lesser than the average annual rate was also low, which can be due to social and economic constraints on the individual level. Even though there was plenty of reason for economy shrinkage but British Airways sales were increased. The graph given below would explain the trends concerning revenues and profits of BA for the period of 2007-2009: British Airways revenues increased from 8492  £million in 2007 to 8992  £million in 2009 and as in the graph above it can be seen that operating revenues are increasing through the period by 3% which is a healthy sign for the company. Even though BA‘s revenues are increased but profits have fallen sharply and converted in a loss after tax profits have become losses and 401  £million loss which was recorded in year 2009 is very significant. It is specifically down to fuel and oil cost which has increased sharply by 900 £million and some restructuring is been done in its employees contracts which will give benefits in future. Share price of British Airways was at its peak in 2006/07 but after that there is rapid decent as shown in graph below: http://www.financial-spread-betting.com/shares/Spreadbetting-British-Airways.html Share price was at 6.60  £ in 2007and it start dramatically falling and in year 2009 it was as low as to 1.34  £.but after that there is a recovery and share price is increasing gradually. The reduction of the carbon footprint was the one step that was taken in early 2008 and has been quite successful in attracting more customers than ever before. The 2009 annual report also stated some of the new IT systems being introduced as well as implemented, given as follows: Cargo tracking Reservation system ULD management system AIRCOM; a technology that provides the location and movement of the aircraft in real time Movement manager and dispatch manager in flight operations of British Airways The performance of British Airways is very much closely related to the economic conditions. Therefore, it would be very important to consider the state of economy. It should first be noted that the economic crisis has badly affected the economy of US and UK, and after the recession economic growth is far less than inflation. The individual economic condition would suffer so it would also be affecting the whole states economy, and based on that the customer base of the airline industry would also be affected as most of the customers would prefer to travel through train for domestic travel. On the other hand, the consistent downfall in the purchasing power of the consumer as devaluation of pound would also affect the per capita income which would directly impact the consumer base of British Airways. The economic survey held in UK in 2009-10 stated that year 2007 was the worst year for airline industry. The overall decline of 2.4% in the passenger demand was recorded in the year 2007 alone. However, the losses incurred in 2007, as some economic analysts say, had been met in the 2008 year as the profits were higher and losses lesser, which became worst again in 2009. Although there was some relief in fuel bills but economic recession continued to cause a decline in passenger and freight demand. Long term investment in the period 2007 to 2009 specially restructuring of employees and there contracts BA will gain advantage from it in future. Even though BAs financial performance is not great but operationally however, BA is achieving levels of excellence which were never seen in the history of the airline and have won awards for that. Analysis of British Airways using business and financial techniques By using different business and financial models heres a brief explanation of value chain and analysis of British Airways value chain. Analysis of British Airways through Value chain analysis: The similar approach as mentioned above in the value chain analysis section would be adopted here, as to develop an understanding of several activities in BA and concerning how it is important in offering the competitive advantage to the firm in discussion. The British Airways have managed to control the system through forward and backward integration. The primary activities for BA to take great care would be considered as follows: Inbound logistics: BA has managed to control the stock. It has also managed to make ongoing relationships with the suppliers. Operations: The BA management has enabled to make increased bagged security. The management has also taken steps to improve the quick check in services as well as secure online bookings. It has also enabled itself to pre-book additional services. Outbound logistics: BA has managed to improve the customer services. It has larger database of airport slots which provide majority of the passengers a facility to access their destinations from preferred airport. Marketing Sales: The BA has also developed the marketing relations with all the well known and large stake holders. British Airways support Activities The structured chain of command permits the BA to utilize the multitude of specialist for gaining the competitive advantage of the downsized organizations. The human resource management is the integral part of this analysis. The investment made in the development of the customers through service training in 2007 which attracted the best employees. The surveys and questionnaires appreciate the employees and other support staff to provide the feedback. The technological development is also an integral part for BA to look for keeping the services up to date. BA has managed to add value to the smaller companies due to the floppy resources that can be used to recreate the resources, The size of this business as well as coalitions and alliances BA has succeeded to make since the long time in history has led to make BA able to leverage the suppliers as well as through the economies of scale for developing efficiency where the other competitors have most of the times failed. Application of Porters five forces to evaluates British Airways performance: The porters five forces analysis would discuss the negotiating power of the suppliers, and consumers; threat posed by the substitute products, and new services or products into the market, as well as the competition in the market. Existing competitors/rivalry. UK airline industry can be divided in two major sectors budget airlines and schedule airlines. Where schedule airlines operate worldwide as well as in Europe. While budget airlines mainly focus on the short distance destination. British Airway has to compete at the same time in both sectors. Market share in relation to their competitors is not very significant. It is important to discuss existing competition in the industry because this situation may offer opportunity or threat and company might have to take some actions e.g. innovation, deliver excellent customer services, research and development. Market share of British Airways in UK can be divided into two categories in respect of long haul and short haul destination. As given below graphs illustrate the long and short haul destinations from the year ended 2004 to 2008. Data Source: www.mintel.com (2009) As the above mentioned graph demonstrate that British Airways market share is declining. Graph shows market leader Delta airline share is reducing significantly since last three years. But there are some airlines industry like Emirates and Singapore airlines capturing more market share. And also low cost carriers like easy Jet has also start flaying to long haul destinations and has shown increase in there market share over the last five year period even though comparatively it is not that much worry as it is in short haul destination market share. Source: mintel (2009) The above given graph explains that market share of British Airways increased by 15.6%. But as compare to its competitors easy Jet ,whos market share increased by 106%,BA increase is not significant not significant and Rayanair is market leader and capturing more and more market share every year and over the last 5 year they have recorded 117% increase in there market share. Threat of new entrant. According to Mockler (1994), threat of new entrant indicates the new firm entry in an industry with innovation, new ideas and creativity such elements enable new firms to capture market share. In the case of airline industry the entry barriers are significantly high because it is much more regulatory industry. But still in the past there are many new entries in the industries e.g. easy jet which are performing outstandingly as compare to British Airways. Any new entry in that industry could lead British Airways to decrease in profits and revenues as well as loss of market share. Power of the customers According to Mockler et el (1994), determining bargaining power of customers is important for strategy and overall business objectives. The strength of negotiation power of customers of British Airways is nether very high nor very low . Customer have different kind of choices like low cost airlines e.g. Rynairs airlines, easy Jet etc and schedule airline virgin airlines, BMI airlines etc. Therefore customers have wide range options to choose from and there is no switching cost to customer. Therefore it is important for British Airways keep customer loyalty. Fare levels are very crucial to attract all class of customer and provide them with things which they value. Power of suppliers. The negotiating power of the supplier is always very high as there is always limited number of suppliers in the market e.g. Boeing and air bus. As both of these are major supplier of airplanes in the industry and providing more planes to more than 650 airlines. Other major suppliers for airline industry are the oil companies, who are providing oil and energy to many industries and the airline industry is not the major consumer of their products. BA has restriction to choose the oil provider, one who has contracted to supply oil to that airport. BA employees are well unionized and force their power collectively which we have seen in resent strikes. Threat of substitute. Geographically UK is an island and main methods of transportations in past to Europe and rest of the world through the sea or by air. But recently introduction of channel tunnel from UK to France has given another alternate route for travelers to Europe. And introduction of euro star means much faster route to travel to continental Europe compare to airline industry long waiting before boarding and after arrivals. And this has forced some threat to air line industry in UK. But it is not that much significant for BA because it fly all over the world not just to continental Europe. Application of SWOT Analysis on British Airways: The SWOT analysis would provide a detailed analysis for British Airways concerning its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, as well as threats. Strengths BA has a very strong power even in an oligarchic system which gives this firm capability to even set the prices not by coming on the pressure of the other competitors by using its differentiation strategy. Major strength of British Airways is that it controls the landing and take of slots at Heathrow air port which is one of the largest airports in the world. BA, as compared to its competitors, is considered as well in a sense it is more equipped with technology and always uses up to date technology, e.g. it relatively has new planes than other firms. It has relatively larger market to target including domestic as well as international customers. Weaknesses Main weakness of British Airways is its suffering financial performance. The high amount of debt that BA had incurred in 2007 was a result of their bad organization of operational activities .British Airways employees are highly unionized which means strikes are still on the cards and BA has a great deal of influence from the UK government in terms of devising several rules. This type of outside mediation can greatly reduce the organizational efficiency. In the organization internally or externally there are lot of issues of trust which are effecting its performance. Opportunities British Airways have lot of opportunities to exploit in future .Mega sporting events of next decade are to be held in UK including Olympics, cricket, football and rugby events through out .which means BA has opportunities to take advantages .it needs to make strategies to exploit the International market. British Airways also can start flying more flights to other growing economies e.g. China ,India because London is the financial hub .United kingdom is metropolitan so BA can exploit this opportunity and start flying to other countries from where people are coming more often. Threats. Major threat which is faced to British Airways is from the cost competition. As number of low cost carriers are performing well in last five years it can be speculate that in economic down turn these low cost carriers will perform better. Threats to BA also include the fact that extremism and terrorism has made the whole world its prey and any kind of activity can be expected from such fanatics as well. Additionally, the high interest rates, as well as the depreciating currency have also affected the overall performance and profits. Recently bank of England has announced the inflation rate will be far more than growth so this can lead in to down fall in sales. Financial ratios: This section will discuss the financial ratios which would analyze the behavior of the firm in terms of the financial performance of BA. The financial ratios are being calculated for the period of 2007-2009 and after the calculation of the ratios of all the three different periods separately, the results will be drawn which will compare the financial performance of BA over the three years concerning different periods of times. This section would also develop the detailed account of the use of financial ratios which would also be discusses in terms of what these ratios are determined for and what is the reason and intuition behind each of them regarding the financial ratios calculated. These ratios are used as a standard in building the comparison of BAs performance over a period where different years performance would be compared actually. These can also be compared with the other companies which are in competition with BA, either domestically, or internationally. Calculation of the financial ratios is very important and if the companies do not do this exercise, then they would not be able to track their performance efficiently. The companies will keep themselves in dark if they do not keep the record of the financial ratios and they would also not be able to keep informed themselves concerning what and how their growth can be made. Interpretation of these ratios can sometimes put up ambiguous results, so the companies do need to the exact calculations and to put those numbers exactly. Now the research would turn to determine the important financial ratios for developing the understanding of the financial performance of the British Airways over a three year period of 2007-2009. Liquidity ratios: The liquidity ratio is calculated to measure the ability of a certain firm to pay off the bills. Some of the key financial liquidity ratios would be mentioned as follows: Working capital: Working capital is like blood in company, which is necessary to make company operate. Working capital is the measure of the difference of current assets and the current liabilities of the company. Working capital is actually operating liquidity which is there for business to operate and is necessary for day to day operations and it quantify business short term financial health. The equation for the ratio goes as follows: Working Capital = Current assets Current liabilities The net working capital of British Airways and Easy jet for the period of 2007-2009 is as follows: Graph As it could be seen from graph that working capital position of British Airways is not very satisfactory, and the negative figure indicate that working capital management is poor so current assets are less than its current liabilities British Airways can be in danger to fade short term financing problems .which can give a little indication of overtrading in some cases .it is clear from the graph that over the three year period its net working capital is gone bad to verse, and from 194  £million deficit its now 1820  £million deficit. While on the other hand its competitor Easy jets working capital level is relatively stable over the three year period. Decrease in British Airways working capital was 1439  £million from year 2008 to 2009 which was 377% decrease and it is alarming for its liquidity. Current ratio: Current ratios indicate business capability to pay its short term debts. Higher current ratio suggests business has more power to pay its obligations. Current ratios formula takes the assumption that the inventory which is in fact part of the curr

O, the Sweetness of Reading :: Literacy Illiterate Education Texas Essays

O, the Sweetness of Reading Works Cited Missing Deep in the wilderness of Texas, the untamed, open fields provide a vast space for imagination to run free. Tales of adventure, cattle ranches, gamblers, rogues, and scoundrels abound. In the book Raising Sweetness, author Diane Stanley contrasts the stereotype of uncivilized lawlessness with a story of eight Texas orphans and the sheriff in their town who adopted them. The contrast of a sheriff of the wild west and orphans provides a unique juxtaposition. Despite this contrast of the stereotypical Texas sheriff, a more realistic problem provides the major conflict of the story—the sheriff and the orphans can not read. Although illiteracy was a common problem in the west it is not a respected method of killing off bad guys. Therefore, modern depictions of the wild west overlook illiteracy. Because illiteracy is the main hindrance to the characters’ quest of being able to read a letter, the illustrations to the book become even more important than just providing interest to the reader. The pictures provide a medium in which not only actions and key information, but also emotions are portrayed. These illustrations become an integral part in adding depth to the story. Through the use of coloring, style, details not described in the text, and perspective the illustrations make the story more effective. The coloring in the pictures makes the story more effective because it portrays the emotion that correlates to the text. For example, one illustration has only the colors brown, black, and white. The corresponding text is a flashback of how the sheriff’s â€Å"darlin’ done broke† his heart (4). Thus, the coloring effectively portrays the sad emotion because dark, neutral colors have a depressing connotation associated with them. Another picture that uses dark coloring portrays the orphanage and the mean caretaker who made the orphans scrub floors with toothbrushes. This illustration uses different shades of brown as the only colors. The picture represents a flashback to a previous book in which the sheriff adopts all the children to save them from the horrid caretaker. The brown tones give the appearance of an old, faded picture. The tones also lack warmth or brightness thus, they correspond to the emotion of dislike for the caretaker. This portrays that the actions took place in the past, and emphasizes the unpleasantness of the memory. Conversely, the illustrator uses light pastel colors whenever the sheriff’s sweetheart, Miss Lucy, is shown.

The American Civil War Essay -- History Historical Civil War Essays

The American Civil War In May of 1861 five states in the upper south United States seceded from the Union and joined the seven states already seceded and created the Confederate States of America. This was the beginning of the Civil War; it was the Union against the Confederates. Many People believed that the war would be over quickly they thought it was more of an uprising then a full on war. Nobody expected it to last four years and take so many lives. The Civil War was a serious test for the new democracy of the United States, it tested the strength of the government and all of the people involved. This would be a defining moment for the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the reasons for the south secession was the fact that the north was going to abolish slavery and the south still strongly believed in slavery. It was a very strong part of there work force, most of the income was from agriculture and the slaves worked the fields for the farmers. Then in early 1863 Lincoln passd the Emacipation Proclamation this stated that all slaves in the south were free and were welcome in the north. The north hope this would bring African American workers north and they would fight the war with the north. Another leading cause of the war was the election of president Lincoln he won the election but did not get a single electoral vote from the south. Lincoln was a strong abolishionist and he thought that if slavery was going to stay it should not be allowed in any new states joining the union. This angered the south and they felt that they had not been fairly represented in the election. This fueled many in the south to question if they should stay with the north. There were many important battles in the war but the first was the first battle at Bull Run. The Union sent a group of volunteer soldiers and they were not ready to fight them lacking training and they were disorderly on the battlefield. The confederate?s army was better prepared for the battle and they had a constant flow of troops coming in so they forced the Union soldiers to retreat. There were nearly 5,000 casualties, this showed that this was going to be long and drawn out. Many civilians came out to watch this battle because they thought that it would be a good form of entertainment, they soon learned that this was not true and that this war would be a bloody one. The Union also learned that th... ... was on of the most important points in American history is proved that our government was strong and here to stay. Through out the entire war congress and the other branches continued to function with out problems. They showed that even under dire circumstances like war in your back yard the American people can be strong. Many people today still honor the soldiers who lost there lives by holding civil war reninactments and the sites of famous battles. The largest one is when they reninact Gettysburg they do it every summer and include more then 3,000 people. When the Union won the war it proved a point, it showed that a sound government and solid leadership is best. The entire time the American people stood behind President Lincoln and General Grant. The confederates didn?t have a full government established and they had problems getting descions made and problems solved quickly. America is now a stronger nation because of this war with its self. Works Cited: ?Civil War? www.civilwar.com Online Google 14 Jan. 2005. ?Civil War? www.civil-war.net Online Google 14 Jan. 2005. Keith D. Dickinson ?The Civil War for Dummies.? New York: For Dummies press. March 2001