Outline the Level of Engery Security in the Uk

Assess the level of energy security in the UK Energy security is defined as the extent to which an affordable, reliable and stable energy supply can be achieved. Over the last few decades, the energy situation in the UK has constantly been changing, from producing enough oil and natural gas to be a net exporter of both fuels to now being on the brink of not importing and producing enough energy to meet the nations’ demands.The past decades of the UK’s energy were probably brighter days than what we can look forward to in the future, with one researcher from Cambridge University, Professor David MacKay, suggesting the UK could face severe blackouts by 2016 (UK ‘could face blackouts by 2016’ – BBC News Sept 2009). Although the general use of energy in the UK has not increased huge amounts, with per capita usage in 1965 at 3. 6 tonnes oil equivalent per year and in 2005 at 3. 8 tonnes oil equivalent, the energy security of the UK has worsened considerab ly.As global population increases and more countries are using larger amounts of fossil fuels to meet their energy demands, the UK is limited to the amount it can import and is put under pressure to use more renewable sources of energy. Problems within geopolitics has also caused problems for the UK’s energy security as prices fluctuate, changing the amount of oil we can export and how much we have to pay for our imported energy. Past When BP records began, the UK was getting 98% of its primary energy from burning fossil fuels like oil, natural gas and coal mainly due to the increasing transportation and power generation sectors.Pre-1976, the UK was a large importer of oil due to the fact there were very few known oil sources that could be used domestically. In the following years North Sea oil was discovered and production got underway, meaning the UK could gradually reduce their imports and rely more on domestic oil. Within a few years, in 1981 the UK had become a net expor ter of oil showing that at this time there was no major issue with energy security but instead that there was a surplus and a chance to make some money. The use of natural gas in the UK did not get started until 1968 and production was thriving for 30 years ntil its peak in 2000 and then saw a gradual decline. The UK imported very little gas, and most of the gas produced from the North Sea was consumed in the UK and only for a brief period did the UK actually export natural gas. During the peak times of natural gas production, it was introduced as a replacement for coal for home heating and power generation as it’s a much cleaner source of energy and could help to reduce the air pollution in cities. Up until 1995 the UK imported some natural gas from Holland and Norway which could also be an important connection for the future.In the 60s, coal was the UKs main source of primary energy, accounting for around 60% of the daily consumption, but by 1999 this number had declined to just 16%, showing how the UK had found other sources of energy giving a much larger diversity to their energy consumption. If you were to give the UK a score for the energy security index for this period, it would probably be a similar score to today but for different reasons. The diversity score would be much lower as it is clear that the UK relied on coal, oil and gas and got very little energy from any other sources.However, the availability score would be much higher because we relied much less on imports and the majority of energy consumed was produced domestically. Present In 2006, the percentage of primary energy that comes from oil, coal and gas had reduced from 98% to 92%, showing that UK had introduced new renewable schemes and were increasing their diversity. Over the past 4 decades, population has increased from 54,350,000 to 60,245,000 but the per capita consumption has remained fairly constant with a slight increase to 3. 8 tonnes oil equivalent.Although the UK was re lying less on oil and gas consumption, we had once become a net importer of oil in 2006, when North Sea Oil production had started to decline. The falling production and rising prices of oil are predicted to have a huge negative effect on the UK’s economy. We could see a ? 5 billion profit in 2000 to a deficit of over ? 20 billion by 2012. It is estimated that there are still 20 billion barrels of oil available to exploit, but there is a worry that in the competitive market, investment is likely to go to other places in the world and this oil could go to waste. There are also worries that with the declining production nd increased reliance on imports that our oil supply could be limited. There is hope that drilling in the Falkland Islands will produce enough oil to pay-off the billion pound deficit. The UK is also having serious problems with coal and gas production which is leading to even more imports. We have once again become a net importer of both fuels, and as the marke t becomes more competitive these fuels will sell themselves to the highest bidders meaning that everyone in the UK will have to start paying more for their energy. Many people are starting to question why we do not use more renewable energy sources like wind, solar or nuclear energy.Critics say that we shouldn’t rely on wind energy because of its intermittent nature and it would make more sense to spend the money on improving nuclear technologies. The argument for nuclear energy is a controversial one however as people have heard worrying things about nuclear power plants. ‘As long as you don’t mention the words Chernobyl, or nuclear waste, or planning permission’ (Association of Commercial Energy Assessors (ACEA) 2011) nobody would have major problems with nuclear energy but would instead see an opportunity to produce lots of cost-effective, clean energy.A report from the Lords economic affairs committee has also suggested it would be worth while spending money on new power plants that are ‘connected to carbon capture and storage schemes’. This report also attacked the government’s plans of relying more on clean energy sources, saying that it is a way of ignoring the UK’s energy crisis and could also start costing households and extra ? 80 per year. It is clear that at this moment in time, the UK is fairly energy insecure as it has a massive reliance on foreign imports and the diversity of energy sources is fairly limited.Energy security has become a key issue for the government and there are plans in place to try and sort the problem. Future/Key Concerns Perhaps the biggest worry for the UK’s energy future is highlighted in the book ‘Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air’ by Professor David MacKay, where MacKay says the UK ‘could face blackouts by 2016’. The book concluded with the fact that the projections for power stations and new technologies does not add up and ‘not enough power capacity is being built’. He told BBCNews this could happen while coal and nuclear power stations come to the end of their productive lives and are phased out. Professor MacKay believes we need to invest more money into renewable and blames the public, for rejecting proposals of wind farms and nuclear power plants while demanding a unchanged lifestyle, for the possible energy problems. He also says how he thinks the blackouts could be the only way to get people to realise that we need to invest in modern nuclear technology and other clean sources of energy, rather than relying on the limited supplies of coal, oil and gas.In another report, written by Ian Fells (a professor at the University of Newcastle), the point about the blackouts was reinforced and the extent to which it could cause huge problems for the UK was made evident when he said ‘We had a power cut in 2003 for about 12 hours in the City of London – the consequential loss w as about ? 700m because everything stops. All you IT stops, the stock market doesn’t work. ’ This shows the economic losses of 12 hours of blackouts in just the City of London, so the threat of national blackouts for days would cost the UK economy billions of pounds.Fells’ report shows the same gloomy future as Professor MacKay’s book, with worries that over the next decade the UK will lose one third of its electricity producing capacity as we won’t have the renewable energy to cope and nuclear power stations won’t be ready. Fells also makes a point about how we will have to keep many nuclear and coal-fired power stations open long past their ‘sell-by-date’ which would not be good for the environment. Fells believes the controversial Kings North power station in Kent could also be needed, but it would need to be fitted with carbon capture and storage technology before it was brought into use.Ofgem have produced a major report on Britain’s energy supplies, to which it was concluded that by 2015 we will be hit by a ‘perfect storm’ that could cost the UK at least ? 200 billion to secure our energy supplies but to also meet carbon emissions targets set by the Kyoto Protocol. Conclusion Over the past 5 decades, the UKs energy situation has never been great, we have always relied on some foreign imports and we have never really introduced any major renewable energy schemes.However, our energy security has become progressively worse and is predicted to get worse still. If we do not start to introduce some more nuclear plants or renewable energy schemes then we will have very little energy available to us as oil prices rise and supplies run low. Power is soon to become a very expensive commodity as we try to cope with the challenge of rapid growth and so it is certain that very soon everyone in the UK will have to start paying more for their power.

Leadership Theory

BA365 Leadership Theory Mid Term Paper For this paper I decide to look at four of the leadership theories. The ones I chose are Trait, Contingency, Situational, and Behavioral. I will talk about the definitions of those four theories. Also I will discuss the overviews of the four theories including positives and negativities of each. Leadership Theories There is a wide and ever growing variety of theories to explain the concept and practice of leadership; to me leadership is a dynamic and complex process.Per our text book leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes. (Daft, 2011) The theories that I will talk about simplify leadership into different theories. The first I will talk about is the Trait Theory. Trait theory assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership. (Cherry, 2012) Also Trait theories often identify particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders. Cherry, 2012) Per our text book traits are the distinguishing personal characteristics of a leader, such as intelligence, honesty, self confidence, and appearance. (Daft, 2011) Contingency Theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. (Cherry, 2012) Success with this theory depends upon a number of variables and qualities of the followers and aspects of the situation. (Cherry, 2012) Situational Theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variables. Cherry, 2012) Per our book the Hersey and Blanchard’s extension of the leadership grid focusing on the characteristics of followers as the important element of the situation, and consequently, of determining effective leader behavior. (Daft, 2011) Behavioral theories leadership is based upon the belief that great lead ers are made, not born. This leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders not on mental qualities or internal states. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation. Cherry, 2012) Trait Theory The trait model of leadership is based on the characteristics of many leaders both successful and unsuccessful and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. (Daft, 2011) The resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to assess their likelihood of success or failure. Scholars taking the trait approach attempted to identify physiological, demographic, personality, intellective, task-related, and social characteristics with leader emergence and leader effectiveness. â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Among the core traits identified are: achievement drive, leadership motivation, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability, knowledge of business, emotional maturity, charisma, creativi ty and flexibility. (â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Strengths of Trait Theory include: it’s naturally pleasing, and it gives a detailed knowledge and understanding of the leader element in the leadership process. (â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) There are some limitations of the Trait Theory.They include: subjective judgment in determining who is regarded as a good or successful leader and the list of possible traits tends to be very long. (â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Contingency Theory In contingency theory of leadership, the success of the leader is a function of various contingencies in the form of subordinate, task, and/or group variables. (Daft, 2011) Fiedler’s contingency theory is the earliest and most extensively researched.Fiedler’s approach departs from trait and behavioral models by asserting that group performance is contingent on the leader’s psychological orientation and on three contextua l variables: group atmosphere, task structure, and leader’s power position. (â€Å"Contingency Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Fielder came up with his approach to leadership after realizing that leaders could function well if they changed their styles to suit the situation at hand. (Smith, 2012) According to Fiedler, leadership style may be defined as the way leaders and employees interact with one another. Smith, 2012) It should be noted that Fielder's theory does not cover all the possible factors affecting leadership. Some leaders may be more effective if they undergo training or gain experience on the job. Such factors have not been accounted for by the contingency theory. (Smith, 2012) Fielder was trying to say that leaders are not just successful or unsuccessful. Leaders can either be effective in certain situations and not all of them. Therefore, all individuals can become leaders if they choose the most appropriate situation to apply their leadership styles. Smit h, 2012) Additionally, it is possible to make a leader more effective by altering the following; position power, task structure and leader member relationships. Situational Theory The Situational Leadership Theory was developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The model shows that leadership of employees must be adapted to the skills and job maturity of the individual employee. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) The situational leadership style includes four leadership’s styles.They include telling, selling, participating and delegating. Also the situational theory includes four maturity levels. They include: M1, M2, M3 and M4. Telling is characterized by a strong leader categorizing roles for the employees, and who conducts his leadership with one-way communication. This leadership style is very autocratic, and is based upon followers being told what to do. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Selling is characterized by a strong leader providing directi on, but there is more communication with followers.Leaders are trying to sell their messages to the followers, so that the followers understand the importance of their duties, and understand why different processes are important for the organization. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Participating is characterized by two-way communication and shared decision making. Leaders include followers in job related aspects and in how task are to be accomplished. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) And Delegating is characterized by a leader leaving much of the decision making power to the followers.Leaders are still monitoring progress, but are not as heavily involved in decision making processes. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) The maturity level M1 is followers with this level of maturity lack knowledge, skills, or confidence to work on their own. They often need to be directed and supervised before they take on tasks. (â€Å"What is the Situationalâ₠¬ , 2010) Maturity level M2 is followers in this category are still unable to take independent responsibility for tasks, but they are generally willing to work at the task. â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Maturity level M3 are followers in this category are very experienced and able to perform the task at hand satisfactorily. And they do not have the confidence to take on sole responsibility for task accomplishment. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) With Maturity level M4, followers are experienced, and believe that they are able to perform well. They are not only able and willing to perform their tasks, but are also willing to take on independent responsibility for the accomplishment of tasks.By using the situational leadership model, leaders honor the different needs of individuals, leaders may increase the learning curve of followers, and get a more skilled and motivated workforce in return. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Behavioral Theory Behavioral approach does not focus on the internal states or mental qualities of the leaders. Based on this theory, a person can learn to be a leader through observation and teaching. This theory believed that the environment is a big factor of how a leader behaves. Most behaviorists assume that in order to understand the behavior of the leaders must be observed.Every behavior can be observed and monitored through the responses in every stimulus. The behavioral theory also assumes that the qualities of a leader are developed, and everyone starts with a clean slate. It is believed that the qualities of a leader are formed based also on the environmental factors. (â€Å"Behavioral Approach†, 2012) Conclusion So in conclusion I discussed in this paper four of the Leadership theories that we have learned about in this class. I went through and defined Trait, Contingency, Situational, and Behavioral theories.I also discussed the overviews of the four theories including positives and negativities of each theory. References Behavioral Approach. (2012). Retrieved September 20, 2012 from http://qualities-of-a-leader. com/behavioral-approach/ Cherry, K (2012). Leadership Theories – 8 Major Leadership Theories. Retrieved September 20, 2012 from http://psychology. about. com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories. htm Contingency Theory of Leadership (2012). Retrieved September 20, 2012 from http://www. utwente. nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Organizational%20Communication/Contingency_Theories. doc/ Daft, R. L. (2011). The Leadership Leadership Theory BA365 Leadership Theory Mid Term Paper For this paper I decide to look at four of the leadership theories. The ones I chose are Trait, Contingency, Situational, and Behavioral. I will talk about the definitions of those four theories. Also I will discuss the overviews of the four theories including positives and negativities of each. Leadership Theories There is a wide and ever growing variety of theories to explain the concept and practice of leadership; to me leadership is a dynamic and complex process.Per our text book leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purposes. (Daft, 2011) The theories that I will talk about simplify leadership into different theories. The first I will talk about is the Trait Theory. Trait theory assumes that people inherit certain qualities and traits that make them better suited to leadership. (Cherry, 2012) Also Trait theories often identify particular personality or behavioral characteristics shared by leaders. Cherry, 2012) Per our text book traits are the distinguishing personal characteristics of a leader, such as intelligence, honesty, self confidence, and appearance. (Daft, 2011) Contingency Theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. (Cherry, 2012) Success with this theory depends upon a number of variables and qualities of the followers and aspects of the situation. (Cherry, 2012) Situational Theories propose that leaders choose the best course of action based upon situational variables. Cherry, 2012) Per our book the Hersey and Blanchard’s extension of the leadership grid focusing on the characteristics of followers as the important element of the situation, and consequently, of determining effective leader behavior. (Daft, 2011) Behavioral theories leadership is based upon the belief that great lead ers are made, not born. This leadership theory focuses on the actions of leaders not on mental qualities or internal states. According to this theory, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation. Cherry, 2012) Trait Theory The trait model of leadership is based on the characteristics of many leaders both successful and unsuccessful and is used to predict leadership effectiveness. (Daft, 2011) The resulting lists of traits are then compared to those of potential leaders to assess their likelihood of success or failure. Scholars taking the trait approach attempted to identify physiological, demographic, personality, intellective, task-related, and social characteristics with leader emergence and leader effectiveness. â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Among the core traits identified are: achievement drive, leadership motivation, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, cognitive ability, knowledge of business, emotional maturity, charisma, creativi ty and flexibility. (â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Strengths of Trait Theory include: it’s naturally pleasing, and it gives a detailed knowledge and understanding of the leader element in the leadership process. (â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) There are some limitations of the Trait Theory.They include: subjective judgment in determining who is regarded as a good or successful leader and the list of possible traits tends to be very long. (â€Å"Trait Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Contingency Theory In contingency theory of leadership, the success of the leader is a function of various contingencies in the form of subordinate, task, and/or group variables. (Daft, 2011) Fiedler’s contingency theory is the earliest and most extensively researched.Fiedler’s approach departs from trait and behavioral models by asserting that group performance is contingent on the leader’s psychological orientation and on three contextua l variables: group atmosphere, task structure, and leader’s power position. (â€Å"Contingency Theory of Leadership†, 2012) Fielder came up with his approach to leadership after realizing that leaders could function well if they changed their styles to suit the situation at hand. (Smith, 2012) According to Fiedler, leadership style may be defined as the way leaders and employees interact with one another. Smith, 2012) It should be noted that Fielder's theory does not cover all the possible factors affecting leadership. Some leaders may be more effective if they undergo training or gain experience on the job. Such factors have not been accounted for by the contingency theory. (Smith, 2012) Fielder was trying to say that leaders are not just successful or unsuccessful. Leaders can either be effective in certain situations and not all of them. Therefore, all individuals can become leaders if they choose the most appropriate situation to apply their leadership styles. Smit h, 2012) Additionally, it is possible to make a leader more effective by altering the following; position power, task structure and leader member relationships. Situational Theory The Situational Leadership Theory was developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The model shows that leadership of employees must be adapted to the skills and job maturity of the individual employee. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) The situational leadership style includes four leadership’s styles.They include telling, selling, participating and delegating. Also the situational theory includes four maturity levels. They include: M1, M2, M3 and M4. Telling is characterized by a strong leader categorizing roles for the employees, and who conducts his leadership with one-way communication. This leadership style is very autocratic, and is based upon followers being told what to do. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Selling is characterized by a strong leader providing directi on, but there is more communication with followers.Leaders are trying to sell their messages to the followers, so that the followers understand the importance of their duties, and understand why different processes are important for the organization. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Participating is characterized by two-way communication and shared decision making. Leaders include followers in job related aspects and in how task are to be accomplished. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) And Delegating is characterized by a leader leaving much of the decision making power to the followers.Leaders are still monitoring progress, but are not as heavily involved in decision making processes. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) The maturity level M1 is followers with this level of maturity lack knowledge, skills, or confidence to work on their own. They often need to be directed and supervised before they take on tasks. (â€Å"What is the Situationalâ₠¬ , 2010) Maturity level M2 is followers in this category are still unable to take independent responsibility for tasks, but they are generally willing to work at the task. â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Maturity level M3 are followers in this category are very experienced and able to perform the task at hand satisfactorily. And they do not have the confidence to take on sole responsibility for task accomplishment. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) With Maturity level M4, followers are experienced, and believe that they are able to perform well. They are not only able and willing to perform their tasks, but are also willing to take on independent responsibility for the accomplishment of tasks.By using the situational leadership model, leaders honor the different needs of individuals, leaders may increase the learning curve of followers, and get a more skilled and motivated workforce in return. (â€Å"What is the Situational†, 2010) Behavioral Theory Behavioral approach does not focus on the internal states or mental qualities of the leaders. Based on this theory, a person can learn to be a leader through observation and teaching. This theory believed that the environment is a big factor of how a leader behaves. Most behaviorists assume that in order to understand the behavior of the leaders must be observed.Every behavior can be observed and monitored through the responses in every stimulus. The behavioral theory also assumes that the qualities of a leader are developed, and everyone starts with a clean slate. It is believed that the qualities of a leader are formed based also on the environmental factors. (â€Å"Behavioral Approach†, 2012) Conclusion So in conclusion I discussed in this paper four of the Leadership theories that we have learned about in this class. I went through and defined Trait, Contingency, Situational, and Behavioral theories.I also discussed the overviews of the four theories including positives and negativities of each theory. References Behavioral Approach. (2012). Retrieved September 20, 2012 from http://qualities-of-a-leader. com/behavioral-approach/ Cherry, K (2012). Leadership Theories – 8 Major Leadership Theories. Retrieved September 20, 2012 from http://psychology. about. com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories. htm Contingency Theory of Leadership (2012). Retrieved September 20, 2012 from http://www. utwente. nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Organizational%20Communication/Contingency_Theories. doc/ Daft, R. L. (2011). The Leadership

Unit 6 seminar Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 6 seminar - Research Paper Example Letter O is used to depict or rather show or represent measurements. In cases where same measurements or observations are done the O is considered sufficient enough for representation. In another instance where same set of measures is what is given at every point in time in a study the O can be sufficient enough to represent the entire set of measurements. The letter R is used to depict or rather show or represent a group that has been randomly assigned and if the group is not randomly assigned the N is used i.e. for a nonrandom assigned group while C shows groups assigned used cutoff score on a measurement. Measurement and observation – occurs when measurements are not carries out and demonstrations are not done at all hence not ascertaining or having a strong alternate relationship especially for the cause and effect relationship. Maturation is the process that occurs within subjects and act as a function of the passage of time for instance projects that lasts for a few years will have more participants improve on their performance the treatment

Ellen's analysis speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ellen's analysis speech - Essay Example The speech was well organized because it began on a light note with humor and proceeded to more serious sections of illustrations and facts before it ended with jokes and humor. The impact of this style enhanced the aesthetics of the speech. It also contributed to the aspect of memorability. The transitions were evident in the course of the speech. They were mainly noted in the rising and falling of pitch in different parts of the speech. Parts of humor were highlighted in a high pitch while factual parts were captured in a low and serious pitched voice. The effect was to capture and retain the attention of the audience. The speaker’s introduction was effective. She began the speech on a high note and enlisted humor to capture the attention of the audience. The introduction prepared the audience for the captivating details in the rest of the speech. The speaker’s conclusion was effective because it provided a summary of the major themes discussed. The conclusion also eased the attention of the audience through the relaxation of tone and mood. It also involved some sense of humor through the jokes used. Credibility of the story was used through reference to personal experiences. It was also enhanced by incorporating details of current affairs and information. This combination enhanced the factual representation of the core issues of the speech. The speaker’s facial expression and body movement were consistent with the verbal aspects of the speech. She did not exaggerate her gestures and appeared to command some balance in the aspect of presentation. However, her last minute dancing seemed to go slightly beyond expectations. The speaker was effective in her facial expressions. She changed her facial expressions at different parts of the speech to demonstrate change of tone and mood. This strategy provides the means of adjusting the expectations and concentration of the audience. The speaker was sufficiently effective in her vocal

Research Paper on A Raisin In The Sun Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On A Raisin In The Sun - Research Paper Example According to Miller (32), tragedy involves common people, not necessarily heroes. A â€Å"Raisin in the Sun† satisfies the requisites that Miller suggests. For example, in the play, the tragic hero appears to be normal, he does not have any superior qualities that would differentiate him from other characters in the play. Lorraine Hansberry creates common people who experience similar problems to people in the real world. The entire Younger family lives a poor lifestyle and only hopes for a better life than their current one in future. This is evident from the plant that Mama keeps in the play. This plant appears to symbolize the lack of direction that this family has. It has half a life and it grows in all directions that appear to have light (Hansberry 48). Lorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† presents the younger family that has struggles with acceptance throughout the play. She creates the title of this play from Langston Hughes’ poem â€Å"Harlem†. Throughout the play, Lorraine Hansberry struggles to make her audience understand the challenges faced by the Younger family in their rented ghetto apartment (Rorty 29). Each member of the family seems to have intense issues that he /she must address to avoid conflicts within their families. For example, the tragic hero in this play wishes to head the family after their father dies. Walter Lee feels emasculated probably because of the presence of several women in his life. His mother controls all the cash that flows to this family, making the tragic hero to question his role as a man in the Younger household (Hansberry 42). Aristotle focuses on the element of Harmatia in tragic plays. He also suggests that the ideal tragic play must involve catha rsis. This implies that the readership of the respective play must connect with the characters by sympathizing. Aristotle also seems to indicate that successful tragic plays should reveals extremely sympathetic situations for their respective protagonists. This facilitates a quick purging of emotions that must be present for the success of a tragic plays. In his definition of tragedy Aristotle suggests that perfect tragic heroes must experience serious loses in their lives. For example, a tragic hero must fall from a high ranking to an extremely low one. The tragedy is implied in the fall that the hero experiences. Normally in all these tragedies, the fall is a punishment to the hero who disrespects either the gods or fundamental rules of society (NYTC 3). Critics Some critics disagree on the perfection of â€Å"A Raisin in the sun† as a perfect tragedy. The reasons attributable to these allegations are the evident differences between this play and Shakespeare plays whose str ategic heroes were always superior and could never compare to the common person as Lorraine Hansberry does in this play (Hansberry 46). Other critics argue that in this, there are intense elements of positivity that should not be in tragedies. There could be certain sad scenes but when the play ends, the Younger family has resolved almost all of their issues. Mama cannot forget the flower because of the extreme that it suggests for the family. According to these critics, this play cannot be tragic because there are no major loses to the Younger family that Lorraine Hansberry highlights. The final category of critics suggests that the characters in this play do not have any flaws. Ideally, characters in tragedies must have flaws that make characters commit regrettable

Applied Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Applied Law - Essay Example This means that there is a promise made in return for something, which has already occurred. The promise to donate the receipts to the charity organization constitutes to insufficient consideration and cannot be enforceable (Adams, 2004). The formation of a contract takes place when what one party offers is accepted by the other party to the contract. Krauses cannot avoid the contract after learning that they could have sold the piece of land at a higher price than the price, which Jud offered. This is because they have already accepted the offer. Acceptance of the offer means that the Krauses bound themselves legally to the terms of the contract. Therefore, avoiding the contract could constitute to breach of contract. Krauses can only withdraw from the offer if they had not accepted the offer (Bhana, Bonthuys & Nortje, 2009). Jud can be held to pay the typewritten amount since a contract constitutes a legal agreement in writing between the two parties to a contract. This means that Jud is bound to pay the typewritten amount rather than the offered amount (Bhana, Bonthuys & Nortje,

New Product Introduction Processes. ( Engineering Strategy ) Coursework

New Product Introduction Processes. ( Engineering Strategy ) - Coursework Example Protection is better than treatment and even if it is expensive because here the cost we pay is through money but when we have to treat a disease we pay it through both our health and money. In this new era where health research has got to a point where a vaccine is available for all the difficult and resistant disease why not just avail it. â€Å"Although many successful antiretroviral drugs have been developed with enormous impact on HIV-associated morbidity and mortality, access to antiretroviral therapy remains limited to only 5% of the total population of HIV-infected subjects in developing countries† (Schwartlà ¤nder, 2434–2436). There are antiretroviral and a few more new vaccines developed by two pharmaceutical companies. These vaccines have a lot better efficacy and safety profile that has been tested and made sure through animal models first and then through clinical phase III trials. â€Å"Over the past 10 yr there has been a progressive increase in resourc es for vaccine research, allowing the generation of several candidate vaccines capable of stimulating anti-HIV immunity (Bart, 286–293. & McMichael, 227–255. ) These vaccinations need to be advertised in such a way that people get to know the facts of their productions and more importantly their good impact on health. These are T cell based vaccines, which have proven to be the most promising one out of all the other categories so that point should be the point of focus to get the customer’s trust in this new product. â€Å"T cell vaccines are unlikely to prevent infection but may control HIV replication after infection, leading to attenuation of HIV disease†(Desrosiers, 221–223& Pitisuttithum, 1160–1165). It is hard to accept a new thing easily and specially when it is dealing with human being’s health but in order to take care of these viruses that are merging day by day and

Ice-Fili .. Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ice-Fili .. Case Analysis - Essay Example In fact, many players are entering the market since it is very attractive. The economy of Russia has grown strong and cities such as Moscow is a very attractive position to start a business. It can be said that the Russian ice-cream market would evolve rapidly as many new players have gained entry to the market. Although the GOST was supposed to have created as a barrier for new players, existing foreign giants such as Nestle can dominate the market. Regional producers also pose as a threat to existing players since they can easily be flexible. In short, this means that the ice-cream industry is robust and dynamic. Despite the foreign players and regional producers coming into play , Ice-Fili has sustainable competitive advantage. For one, the company has the most number of brands. This gives the company advantage since it can penetrate many markets and create market segmentation of its consumers. Also, it has the largest production capacity which can easily cope up with production needs. These are internal strengths that the company can effectively use to capture the market .Although Nestle appears as a threat, its only edge of Nestle against Ice-Fili is its distribution channels which has strategically created a nice in the premium ice-cream market. There are also other factors such as pricing and cost which a company should consider when evaluating its competitiveness in the industry. Currently, Ice-Fili has placed its price as average, but as an Ice-Fili executive said, the slight 10% increase would not affect consumer behavior. This reveals a wealth of insight that the company can raise the price of some premium products. However, this move must be supported with a campaign to project to the Russians the uniqueness of these premium products. Ice-Fili has young managers who can creatively make a marketing program aimed at different segments. As for the cost-position, Ice-Fili must stick to its recipe since this is exactly what foreigners wanted

Patrol Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Patrol Operations - Essay Example This tool of law enforcement is poised to bring huge results for the interaction between law enforcement and its citizenry. As aforementioned among the most recent technologies available for security operations are body-worn-cameras (Manjoo 1). Body-worn cameras are small gadgets that are usually attached to the upper body of a security or police officers (Manjoo 1). Law enforcement agencies across nations are increasingly adopting the body-worn cameras. The resolution to adopt the use of body cameras is an addition of the use of dash-attached audio recorder and video cameras, which have been in use. The possible areas of wearing the camera include the head, shoulders neck, or chest. Some of the cameras are also hand held. The cameras are also fitted with microphones and are capable of recording the police officers’ daily work in both audio and picture (Goold 40). The proponents of usage of body cameras argue that the cameras they can hold police officers accountable for their actions (Manjoo 1). In addition, they can protect the police officers who might false accusation of wrongdoing (Goold 64). The body-cameras could also inspire police or security officers, who would recognize that the cameras are recording their actions, to behave in better and diligent ways (A Primer on Body-Worn Cameras for Law Enforcement). According to Manjoo (1), in New York City, a citys public advocate reported that outfitting the whole New York Police Department with the body cameras would cost about $33 million. The body cameras mostly cost $200 to $1,000 each depending on the type. However, in 2013, New York City paid $152 million because of claims of misconduct the police. Therefore, if these body cameras could help reduce the cost of those claims, then the gadgets would pay for or buy themselves. Some cameras are designed with enough battery life for a few hours of recording both audio and visual while others can last for as long as 12working hours

Case study analysis and continuous professional development Essay

Case study analysis and continuous professional development - Essay Example Organizational contextual factors Sonoco Products Company is a global packaging company that was developed in 1899 in Hartsville, South Carolina. Major James Coker established the company and his main target was to make paper cone used to hold yarn in the textile industry. The company kept on making paper cones till it became a leading paper cone industry, experiencing competition from other cone producing companies. This led to its expansion and it started manufacturing packages till it became the largest packing industry in the world (Thomas, Groysberg, and Reavis, 2008). The company proposed a new organizational restructuring that would suit the function cost by at least 20%, this is for the reason that, the company had been highly taxed due to the high cost it was experiencing, so the company managed to increase the sales by 14% by reducing expenses with the increase in shareholders. The organization established a new organizational model; this was to improve the top growth in im proving the company’s sales to compete with companies around the world. The consumer packaging department was to check the packaging style to meet the demands of the customers around the world. This strategy was a rethinking strategy of certain company structures like the human resources. Under the HR every manager managed talents within each of her or his division (Kotelnikov, 2006). The managing director developed policies for performance, management, compensation, development and successful management. These polices advocated for the HR to increase general manager accountability for talent management, to distribute HR talent management and to distribute more, to optimize HR talent ability to give customized ability to the customers. These strategies are only effective if implemented by serious working staff members within the organization (Fort and Salin, 2001). The Sonoco Company established in 1889 in California was a textual industry and gradually developed into a consu mer packaging consumer industry. This growth occurred manly through acquisition in 1990 where the company made 60% acquisition around the world. The company occupied two segments the packaging segments and the consumer packaging. The industrial segment which served as the textile industry paper industry and film industry employed around 11000 employees and made 55% revenue to the company. The consumer packaging had a range of 6000 employees and made high revenue to the company with its products. Some of the company’s products are Gillette, Krafts, Nestle and Procter as well as Gamble. The cultural background of the company is friendly, collaborative, and ethical and team oriented. Most of these employees have been in the organization for over twenty years and enjoyed working with the members of the community. During the late 1990s there was a fall in the stock and change was a required in the structure of the organization to solve the problem (Mission statement - Sonoco, 2009 ). In the early 1990, the packaging companies generated around 40 billion and the consumer industry represented about 70% countrywide distribution. Paper industry accounted for 30% and film industry accounte

Gender and Sex Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Gender and Sex Worksheet Essay What is gender? What is sex in biological terms? Are gender and sex the same thing? Explain why or why not? Gender is a subclass within a grammatical class (as noun, pronoun, adjective, or verb) of a language that is partly arbitrary but also partly based on distinguishable characteristics (as shape, social rank, manner of existence, or sex) and that determines agreement with and selection of other words or grammatical forms (Merriam-Webster). Biological term for sex is ones biological classification as male or female which is set into motion at the moment the sperm ertilizes the egg (Intro To Sociology, 2009). Gender and Sex in my opinion are not the same. Sex refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women, gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. How do gender and sex contribute to the concepts and constructions of masculinity and femininity? According to Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc (2013), â€Å"Culture determines gender roles and what is masculine and feminine. What does it mean to be a woman or man? Whether we are women or men is not determined just by our sex organs. Our gender includes a complex mix of beliefs, behaviors, and characteristics. How do you act, talk, and behave like a woman or man? Are you feminine or masculine, both, or neither? These are questions that help us get to the core of our gender and gender identity. † Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity? Yes, I do feel that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to the ways we embrace gender and sex in diversity. I feel that we look at males as the ones who are supposed to be the readwinner, the rough and tough kind of person and we look at females as the ones who are supposed to be the sweet and kind caregiver at home taking care of the house and kids and being the emotional one, when it can be the other way around. Do our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation? Explain. Yes, I feel that our concepts of gender and sex contribute to our understanding of sexual orientation in many ways. We have a understanding of what each gender is and what they provide, causing us to make a decision on who we want to be with in life.

Weber A The Protestant Ethic Sociology Essay

Weber A The Protestant Ethic Sociology Essay Marx Weber in his writing entitled The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, has had an enduring impact on the field of economic history. Weber presents the argument that religion in certain forms and ways had a critical influence modern capitalist economy and society. He believes that Puritan ethics and ideas influenced the development of capitalism. He supports his argument by examining the relationship between the ethnics of ascetic Protestantism and the beginnings of modern capitalism. Weber presents the problem of linking religion to the spirit of capitalism. He explains different religions and how they play into his study. Weber begins by comparing the differences between Catholics and Protestants. Although Weber admits that through history some of the richer areas tended to covert to Protestantism and that Protestants generally had a greater inherited wealth, this does not entirely explain the greater participation in capitalism shown by the Protestants. He believes that environment has a great effect on determining choice of occupation, but that Protestants have also shown a strong tendency to develop economic rationalism more so than Catholics. One explanation Weber provides for this is that Catholics tend to be more otherworldly than Protestants and therefore do not put as much importance on material gains. Weber mention s Catholics show a stronger propensity to remain in their crafts that is they more often become master craftsmen, whereas the Protestants are attracted to a larger extent into the factories in order to fill the upper ranks of skilled labour and administrative position (Weber, 3).Catholics answer with the accusation that materialism results from the secularization of all ideals through Protestantism (Weber, 4). Even though Catholic gets involved in economic activities, Protestants have stronger tendency to develop economic rationalism and Catholic criticizes Protestants materialism. He bases his argument on his observations in Germany and elsewhere, and this is why he focuses his argument on the Protestants. Weber also explains about the spirit of capitalism. There are conceptualizing the spirit of capitalism. Weber presents excerpt from the wirings of Benjamin Franklin. Franklin writes that time is money, credit is money, and the good paymaster is lord of another mans purse. Frankli ns moral beliefs are useful to promote profit for individuals. Weber mentions It is, namely, by no means exceptional, but rather the rule, for him to have a sort of modesty which is essentially more honest than the reserve which Franklin so shrewdly recommends (Weber, 19). In addition, Weber mentions about the importance of accepting capitalistic system to make money. He says the capitalistic system so needs this devotion to the calling of making money it is an attitude toward material goods which is so well sited to that system, so intimately bound up with the conditions of survival in the economic struggle for existence( Weber, 19).Weber also makes a point about calling and reformation. Weber does not think that calling explain the spirit of capitalism. Weber mentions that Luther developed the conception and activity as a reformer. However, Weber says that Martin Luther was a traditionalist and so believed in obedience to Gods will and acceptances of the way things are, that Luth eranism did not have great significance in the development of the capitalistic spirit. Weber argues that there is no relationship between the spirit of capitalism and reformation and tries to see how religion has impact on material cultures development. Weber says we have no intention whatever of maintain such a foolish and doctrinaire thesis, as that the spirit of capitalism could only have arisen as the result of certain effects of the Reformation, or even that capitalism as an economic system is creation of the Reformation (Weber, 28). Weber also mentions four principal forms of ascetic Protestantism which are Calvinism, Pietism, Methodism, and Baptist movement. He continues by explaining some of the values involved with these other sects although its clear that Calvinism will be the most important to his argument. Weber assumes that Calvinism influences in Western Europe in the seventeenth century. He notices that western Europe had followed Calvinist Protestantism. Calvinists saw their work as a calling from God and it was a moral duty. God does not exist for men, but men for the sake of God. All creation, including of course the fact, as it undoubtedly was for Calvin, that only a small proportion of men are chose for eternal grace, can have any meaning only as means to the glory and majesty of God( Weber, 33). They believed in the elect. They are chosen and predestined by God. However, Lutheran Protestantism was different. It believed that people could earn a place in Heaven through good works on earth.It seems capitalist ideology, but Lutheran Protestantism encouraged people to earn no more than they needed to survive. The problem with Calvinist Protestantism was that they did not know they would go to hell or heaven. Weber mentions on the one hand it is held to be an absolute duty to consider oneself chosen, and to combat all doubts are temptations of the devil(Weber, 37). Their uncertainty led them to work hard and that was for Gods favor. So their hard work led to the development of capitalism. They denied comfort and pleasure to themselves and despised laziness and hedonism. They made money for its own sake. Weber emphasizes that the spirit of capitalism is the values and attitude behind making money. Weber concludes that religion could cause economic change. Pietism is closely connected with Calvinism and gets influences by Lutheran Protestantism. However according to Weber it has an uncertain basis for asceticism and is therefore less consistent than Calvinism. Methodism has a simi lar uncertain foundation similar to Pietism and is also has some key differences from Calvinisms doctrinal basis. And finally the Baptist sects had quite a different foundation than Calvinism. Finally, Weber wants to figure out the relationships between ascetic Protestantism and the spirit of capitalism. Overall, Webers intent was to prove the positive correlation between capitalist spirit and Protestant religion. B. Choose one article from the list at the end of this exam In the article, Ethnic Differences in Endorsement of the Protestant Work Ethic: The Role of Ethnic Identity and Perceptions of Social Class by Kevin Cokley, Komarraju, Pickett, Shen, Patel, Belur, and Rosales, examined ethnic differences in endorsement of the Protestant work ethic (PWE) among Black and White college students and differences in ethnic identity and perceptions of social class mediated the relationship between ethnicity and the endorsement of PWE values. The Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) is an important aspect of U.S and authors mentions the traditional American values which have been associated with White culture, includes individualism, competition, orientation, and the PWE. Authors mention the PWE is a value system that stresses the moral value of work, self-discipline, and individual responsibility in forming a way to improve ones economic well-being (Cokley et al 2007: 76). They found that the PWE is related to attributions of greater personal obligation. However, Niles stated that there seems to be a stronger commitment to a Protestant work ethic among non-Protestant cultures. They found that the PWE is now more a reflection of culture than of religious values or nationality. Authors examined multi cultural differences in the PWE within the United States and their goal was to find which ethnicity might affect endorsement of the PWE. According to Cokley et al, differences in the importance of ethnic identity arise among ethnic minorities and Whites and ethnic identity caries in importance and strength among ethnic group members. They say we believed that cultural values like the PWE that promote individual responsibility while minimizing the impact of societal oppression on ethnic minorities such as Blacks would be negatively related to ethnic identity they also found that well- educated individuals are less likely to endorse PWE values due to the fact that well- educated individuals are more likely to be aware of systems of oppression, such as racism, sexism, homophobia. In addition, the PWE is also related to social class. They figure out Blacks face more negative perceptions about their work ethic from employers than do Whites and that employer see inner-city poor Blacks as especially problematic (Cokley et al 2007:79). Authors used three measures which are Protestant Ethic Scale (PES), Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (NEIM), and Demographic sheet. After they examined, they found that Black students the PWE was not significantly correlated with ethnic identity. Blacks were higher in ethnic identity than were Whites, but the relationship between ethnic identity and PWE was not significant. However, they found that ethnic identity and perceptions of social class can count for ethnic differences in endorsement of the PWE. Black students had a significantly lower PWE compared with White students. This indicates that they were less likely to believe that works hard will succeed. They mention the Black students or their close friends and family members may have had experiences that led them to believe that an individuals life outcomes are influences by much more than simply hard work because there ae other external, uncontrollable social forces( racism, sexism, discrimination) that can influence outcomes more than does ones own individual effort. On the other hand, whites are opposite. They tend to believe a strong positive relationship between working hard and achieving success. It indicates that White students were more likely to endorse PWE beliefs than were Black students. They mention the most significant result of this study was the emergence of perceptions of social class as the only significant mediator (Cokley et al 2007: 85). It shows that upper middle class and upper class had a significantly stronger PWE than working class or middle class among Whites, but not Blacks. They argue that social class in an important because they believe that social class might influence the cultural psychology of different ethnic groups. They mention the Blacks in the present study, regardless of perceived social class, were less likely to endorse the PWE, perhaps because they may have experienced first hand that the application of the PWE does not always result in meritocratic economic outcomes (Cokley et al 2007: 87). 2. A. Basic elements of bureaucracy that Weber describes. In the article, Bureaucracy, Weber believes that bureaucracy is a particular type of administrative structure developed through authority. Weber attributes the development of bureaucracy to the increase in rationalization in modern societies. Weber says Bureaucracy, thus understood, is fully developed in political and ecclesiastical communities only in the modern state, and, in the private economy, only in the most advanced institutions of capitalism (Weber 1946:196). Weber argues that bureaucracies have existed in places such as Egypt, the Roman Catholic Church, and China. Weber mentions a certain measure of a developed money economy is the normal precondition for the unchanged and continued existence, if not for the establishment, of pure bureaucratic administrations (Weber 1946:205). Bureaucracy is organized as a hierarchical system of offices that are governed by rules. For Weber the term bureaucracy are inseparable from the term rationality. According to Weber, there are ways of developing bureaucracies rational which are functional specialization, clear lines of hierarchical authority, expert training of managers, and decision making based on rules. Weber argues that such specialization is essential to a rational bureaucracy. His idea of functional specialization applies to persons within an organization and to relations between larger units or divisions of the organization. For example, work was broken down into many special tasks and employees were assigned few such tasks. Divisions of large organizations require clear lines of authority organized in a hierarchy. And division of labour is more fundamental that the others because it initiates and orders other divisions of labour. In addition, hierarchical authority is required in bureaucracies so that highly trained experts can he properly used as managers. He argues that managers at all levels have to be trained for their specific jobs. He mentions the demand for administration by trained experts is considerable, and the party followings have to recognize an intellectually developed, educated, and freely moving public opinion, the use of unqualified officials falls back upon the party in power at the next election(Weber 1946:201). Development is greatly furthered by the social prestige of the educational certificates acquired through such specialized examinations. This is all the more the case at the educational patent is turned to economic advantage (Weber 1946:241). Weber mentions the importance of education which can develop economic. Lastly, Weber makes a point that rational bureaucracies must be managed in accordance with carefully developed rules and principles that can be learned and applied and that transactions and decisions must be recorded so that rules can be reviewed. He mentions the management of the office follows general rules, which are more or less stable, more or less exhaustive, and which can be learned (Weber, 1946:198). Weber sees bureaucracy as one of the most important causes of the development of capitalism specifically. B. The strengths and dangers of bureaucracy that Weber describes. According to Max Weber, that bureaucracy are the most efficient form of administration and inevitable in the modern society. Weber offers a positive of bureaucracy through his ideal description of the administrative system as a rational and efficient type of organization. Bureaucracy is an administrative structure through hierarchical relations and pre-established spheres of competence. the large corporation as a type of bureaucratic organization that rivaled the state bureaucracy in achieving rational efficiency and calculated results (Rubenstein 1978:55). One of the strengths of bureaucracy is conduct of official business in strict accordance with the duty of every member, chosen through impersonal criteria to perform designated tasks subject to strict rules of practice. He mentions Precision, speed, unambiguity, knowledge of the files, continuity, discretion, unity, strict, subordination, reduction of friction and of material and personal costs, these are raised to the optimum points in the strictly bureaucratic administration. (Weber1946: 214). Also, Weber says that the organizations structuring into a vertical hierarchy to be governed by the rights to supervision and appeal. The military is an example of bureaucratic organization. Weber says Specifically, military discipline and technical training can be normally and fully developed, at least to its modern high level, only in the bureaucratic army (Weber 1946:222). Its specific nature, which is welcomed by capitalism, develops the more perfectly the more the bureaucracy is dehumani zed, the more completely it succeeded, in eliminating form official business love, hatred, and all purely personal, irrational, and emotional elements which escape calculation( Weber 1946:216). However, Weber also fears that people would become too controlled by people who are superior and too much rules and regulations deprive of peoples freedom. Weber argues about the consequences of bureaucracies in modern societies. He feels they represented a grave threat to individual liberty. Also, bureaucracy provides structure of domination. Governance in a class-based society resulted to abuse of power of the tope leadership resulting to corruption, and political infighting. A bureaucracy is organized as a hierarchical system of offices that are governed by rules. Each office has a sphere of tasks, and the offices operate and interact according to an explicit se of procedures. Power resides in offices. Office holders merely act out the responsibilities of their offices. furthermore, He notes No machinery in the world functions so precisely as this apparatus of men and, moreover, so cheaplyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦rational calculation, reduces every worker to a cog in this bureaucratic mach ine and, seeing himself in this light, he will merely ask how to transform himself into a somewhat bigger cog..The passion for bureaucratization drives us to despair (Weber). Power is exercise by bureaucrats whose interest is in regulation rather than principles. Individual are lost in the vast machinery of the bureaucratic organization. These bureaucracies become structures of domination. They govern social action on a regular basis, and they establish and sustain patterns of inequality. Weber mentions the bureaucratic tendency has chiefly been influenced by needs arising from the creation of standing armies as determined by power politics and by the development of public finance connected with the military establishment (Weber 1946:212). Weber implies that the decisive reason for the advance of bureaucratic organization has always been its purely technical superiority over any other form of organization (Weber 1946:214). the fully developed bureaucratic mechanism he was aware of the fact that actual bureaucracies seldom achieve the level of efficiency of the ideal type he had constructed( Rubenstein 1978:23). Webers writings on bureaucracy are part of a larger attempt to understand the social and political structure and the values of modern Western civilization (Rubenstein 1978:27). 3. According to Marx, the class struggle under capitalism is between those who own the means of production, the ruling class or bourgeoisie and those who labor for a wage, the working class or proletariat. the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of call struggles( Marx, Engels 1848,3). The worker is as part of the machinery. a class of laborers, who live only so long as they find work, and who find work only so long as their labor increases capital( Marx, Engels 1848,8). Weber also describes that the ruling class makes the rules that structure society. Marx made a set of demands which are 10points programs. He believes that the implementation of those policies would lead to a classless and stateless society. A. The Cunning of History by Rubenstein mentions as uprooted men and women were forced to move from the countryside to the cities, they had little choice but to accept the subsistence wages offered to them in the mills and factories. The alternative was starvation. There was an abundant labor supply and its cost was kept at a minimum (Rubenstein 1978:55). Even though there are criticisms, bureaucracy remains an important administrative system. Weber recognizes the ideal benefits of bureaucracy. http://www.dailyfinance.com/article/gates-says-urgent-need-to-cut-defense/1052189/ http://www.paperarticles.com/2009/06/singapore-at-50-managing-change.html According to the newspaper, Singapore at 50: Managing change gives a good example of efficient bureaucracy which helps to increase economic. http://www.uow.edu.au/~bmartin/pubs/90uw/uw08.html it provides the possibility for government to function effectively and efficiently, leading the larger and larger societies, with increasingly complex and diverse ways of life for its citizens. Beyond government, numerous other social organizations, both in the public and private sectors have developed bureaucratic forms of leadership, which have succeeded in advancing the goals of their organizations. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bureaucracy( good thing, bad thing)

Characteristics Required for IT Industry Job

Characteristics Required for IT Industry Job Web Developer General skills: e.g. Interpersonal skills Talking to and dealing with customers and clients is important for a web developer in order for them to find out what sort of work they will be doing. Along with what software they will need to use in order to complete the work that has been given to them as well as this the web developer will need to make a set price for the work they do for the client and other costumers. As well as talking with costumers the web, developer will also need to be able to communicate with other employees from other networks with offices across Europe or even the world. As well as with their employers on what tasks need to be done and to see what event are happening if any. Along with working with high end clients web developers also work with clients in the public which means that technical language is not as useful here meaning that the web developer must talk using vocabulary that the client will be able to understand. As well as this, web developers also work privately for companies and doing extra work for the businesses that they work for as well as third sector organisations and charities. A web developers clients can range from small ecommerce businesses up to national enterprises, this means that the work they do will vary in difficulty as a national company will have higher needs were as a small businesses will have simple needs which may not require high end software to complete. Problem solving A web developer must also be a good problem solver as if there are problems with the packages or the task that has been set they can quickly rectify it. As well as this being able to solve issues with programming software. It also comes in handy when putting out new ideas and products if there is any design flaws. Time management A web developer must also have good time management skills when it comes to deadlines for work projects. As well as this time management is a good skill for when it comes to meeting clients and for work meetings. Team working As a web developer, you must be able to work efficiently and effectively with co-workers and other developers along with putting forward ideas for new designs as well as programming software packages. Creativity Being creative as a web developer is a major skill as it can lead to unique ways of tackling problems in your work or when it comes to the design aspect of the work. As well as this, it helps when talking with clients when deciding what they want and how they would like it designed. Along with this creativity could help when using code. Functional Skills: e.g. communication and numeracy skills involve Basic typing skills, which will help with communication Basic programming skills, these involve numeracy skills Above average user of basic Microsoft applications such as excel etc. Good communication skills, both written and verbal Strong problem solving skills Good knowledge of IT Proactive and motivated to learn Industry specific: e.g. technical knowledge, working procedures and practices and health and safety knowledge Technical knowledge is important in the IT industry especially for web developers, along with General IT knowledge. Most web developers require specific skills in certain technical areas for web developers would be required to have experience with the software they use to produce the their work else they would not be as efficient compared to a highly experienced developer. Working Procedures Employers will require the web developer to be aware of procedures and practices and to have knowledge of all typical working practices in the relevant IT industry. This means that there are certain rules, based on legislation, that determine how work is carried out as well as what is allowed to be talked about outside of work. The Employer and the web developer will need to be aware of certain legislation that applies to IT, such as data protection and copyright laws. IT employers want to make sure that their company or organisation does not break the law, so they need the web developer to be aware of their responsibilities in these areas. Health and Safety The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 lays down wide-ranging duties on employers. Employers must protect the health, safety and welfare at work of all the web developer, as well as others on their premises, including temps, casual workers, the self-employed, clients, visitors and the general public. The above quotation shows that all employers are responsible for the health and safety as well as welfare of the web developer. Employers will want all their employees to have some knowledge of the legislation, so that they are aware of their responsibilities under the Health and Safety Act 1974 and to know how to be safe in the work place, and report to the employer any issues. Behaviours: Independent Being able to complete tasks and make deadlines without help from other web developers and co-workers. Working as a game designer there may be some tasks that require independent work it is important to be able to complete these tasks often without help or assistance from other workers and web developers. Determination Being able to complete tasks without the intension of giving up and doing the task to the highest possible standard the professional is capable of. Working as an IT technician there are quite often tasks that can be extremely difficult and demanding it is important that the professional keeps trying, focuses on the task set, and completes it to the best of his or her ability. Honest The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. In addition, being considered as trust worthy whilst dealing with important tasks and to be trusted with important products and events. Following your moral convictions and doing the right thing in all work instances. Leadership Leadership qualities are important in the IT industry as people who work well in groups are often needed in the IT industry leadership is often linked in with good planning and organisation as well as taking the initiative people who have good leadership skills are often good when it comes to leading tasks. Confidence Confidence is a rather important skill to have when working in the IT industry. Tasks require you to have sensible levels of confidence but not to be to over confident. finding the right balance is key when working in the IT industry for example if the Web developer is to confident the likelihood that their task wont be completed due to the fact that they haveÂÂ   a limited amount of knowledge to deal with this task then they may be fired . Self-motivation In the IT industry, self-motivation is a key skill in the work place. Making sure that all web developers are working efficiently and productively rather than laying around doing little bits of work here and there and not getting a lot down over all. It is all so a key skill when it comes to teamwork based tasks as when your group members see that you are motivated they may notice this and slowly become motivated. Works Used https://www.technojobs.co.uk/jt/smc?ID=2311897dfmid=dir https://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/web-developer/31812368#/jobs/it-jobs/web-developer http://www.careerbuilder.co.uk/uk/jobseeker/jobs/jobdetails.aspx?utm_medium=aggregatorutm_campaign=organicJob_DID=J3G7H277B2X6Q5QVHG5siteid=int_ukindeedutm_source=indeed

Freaks of the Core :: Essays Papers

Freaks of the Core Wherein lies the odd attraction and power of the freakish? Just as often as it introduces us to expressions of common human experience, study in the Humanities also introduces us to the decidedly uncommon--to writers, artists and thinkers who push conventional limits of language and narrative, vision and imagination, memory and history, or logic and rationality. For our Freaks of the Core colloquium, we explored the outer limits of human expression and experience. What, we asked, defines the abnormal or the outlandish? the fanatical or heretical? the illusory or the grotesque? Why are we commonly drawn to the very uncommon? "Nothing, indeed, is more revolting," wrote Thomas De Quincey in his famously freaky Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, "than the spectacle of a human being obtruding on our notice his moral ulcers or scars, and tearing away that 'decent drapery' which time, or indulgence to human frailty, may have drawn over them" (1).[1] But De Quincey chose to tear away tha t drapery in his Confessions nevertheless, believing that his outlandish experiences with addiction, poverty and illusion would teach his readers valuable lessons that outweighed any offense. "In that hope it is that I have drawn this up," wrote De Quincey, "and that must be my apology for breaking through that delicate and honorable reserve, which, for the most part, restrains us from the public exposure of our own infirmities" (1). The essays below also tear away the "decent drapery" which covers the sometimes unsightly extremes of human experience, and they do so with similar hopes and reasons. Kimberly Tsau, for example, follows De Quincey's lead in her analysis of T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land, suggesting that among the violence, apathy, and disjointedness of the poem is a call to face and learn from suffering. Her essay, "Hanging in a Jar," examines how Eliot collects a variety of "cultural memories," cutting and pasting them together to form a collection that is both terrifying and edifying. In "Per Repitio Nos Studiare: The Struggles of Abraham and God," Ryan Priester also explores how one learns through repeated suffering. Instead of examining human apathy or submission in the face of pain, however, his examination of the binding of Isaac introduces us to the role of human rebellion and resistance. Both The Waste Land and the relationship between Abraham and God revolve around the human response to excess and extremity.

Aquarius :: essays research papers

Aquarius Aquarius can be found in the SE sky in autumn, especially October. A dark night is especially helpful because many faint stars make up Aquarius. This will help to make the fainter stars stand out because its hard enough to see a shape in Aquarius. Up and to the west of aquarius, pegasus can be found. Down and to the east of aquarius, capricorn can be found. Aquarius portrays a man or boy spilling water from an urn. Aquarius is identified with Ganymede, a beautiful young shepherd who was abducted by Zeus and taken to Mount Olympus to be the cup bearer for the gods. Stars: Sadalmelik: Arabic for "lucky one of the king". It lies just off the celestial equator. Sudalsud: It means "luckiest of the lucky" in Arabic. It is the brightest star in the constellation Sadachbia: Arabic for "lucky star of hidden things" or " lucky star of the tents." This makes up part of the asterism sometimes called the tent, but is usually called the urn referring to Aquarius. Skat or Scheat: It comes from the Arabic word for shin and it dates back to the translation of Ptolemy's Almagest. Albali: The name comes from the Arabic, which means "swallower"; no one really knows why the star got this name Situla: This name comes from Latin and means "well bucket". Situla was the original Arabic name for the entire constellation Aquarius. There are three star clusters contained in Aquarius. M2, which was discovered in 1764, is one that can be seen with a small telescope. A larger telescope is needed to make out the individual stars. M72 is another cluster that is located southeast of Albali and isn't far from the Saturn Nebula. NGC 7492 is the third cluster and is located east of Skat. Aquarius also has two nebulae in it. It is called the Saturn Nebula because it resembles the rings on Saturn. A very large telescope is needed to see its rings. It was discovered in 1782 by William Herschel. In a small telescopes it will appear as faint disks of fuzzy light.

Essay on the Vengeful and the Virtuous in William Shakespeare :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Vengeful and the Virtuous in Shakespeare Whether you hate your King, your Christian rival or a neighboring foe, if you're in a Shakespeare play then you will be punished.   In the first act of each play Shakespeare shows a conflict between two groups of people, one is vengeful the other virtuous.   After the conflict is introduced, the malignant characters have important parts of their lives taken away and in the end the ultimate penalties of each are inflicted.   All of the antagonists are left desolate in the end of the plays by either lost fortunes or their lives.   Shakespeare takes good care to give the protagonists of the plays much reward for being on the right side of the spectrum.   As the characters hate increases throughout the play they begin to loose what is precious to them, first in small amounts, but in the end, they are stripped of all they love and value.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The basis for the hate is introduced to the audience very early on in all three plays.   The Capulets and the Montagues were neighboring feuding families.   Shakespeare never states the reason for the dispute between the two but he does clearly show the hatred from the beginning.   "Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" (I i 1-4).   These first few lines of the play clearly describe the hatred between the two families and at the same time foreshadow an unpleasant end.   In "The Merchant of Venice", Shylock more boldly states, "I hate him for he is a Christian" (I iii 39).   This cry of hate is also early on in the play, which clearly helps show the reader that he is the antagonist of the play.   In "Henry IV" it is revealed in the first scene that a young Hotspur has kept prisoners of war away from th e King.   He calls the King Bolingbroke behind his back out of disrespect.   "All studies here I solemnly defy, save how to gall and pinch this Bolingbroke.   And that same sword and buckler Prince of Wales (I iii 227-229).   In Shakespearean plays, a character who hates or plots against the King is automatically the villain of the play.   The first act in all three plays revealed the characters for the audience to root against throughout the play.

Poland Unemployment Rate Essay

Current : Poland’s unemployment rate climbed to 13.4 percent in December, from 12.9 percent the previous month, due to an economic slowdown and a seasonal loss of many outdoor jobs. The Main Statistical Office said Thursday that some 2.14 million people in this nation of 38 million were without a job at the end of December. Unemployment usually rises in Poland in winter, when outdoor jobs are lost due to snow and low temperatures. Additionally, Europe’s economic jitters have affected Poland, where growth is expected to slow to about 1.5 percent this year, from an estimated 2.3 percent in 2012 and 4.3 percent in 2011. Some industries, such as car manufacturing, have been hit by massive layoffs and more jobs are to be lost this year. History: Unemployment is one of the most serious economic and social problems in Poland. The unemployment rate has been growing successively in the recent years: in 1998 it was 10.6 %, and in 2002 almost 20%. That unfavorable trend changed in 2003. The biggest drop of the unemployment rate took place, however, in 2006 when the unemployment rate fell below 15%, reaching 8.9% in September 2008. It was the effect of an economic boom which brought more work offers and the growth of the number of working persons. In January 2012 the unemployment rate amounted to 13.2%. In an analogous period of the previous year the unemployment rate amounted to 13.1%. The characteristic feature of unemployment in Poland is its regional diversification, for example, in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship the unemployment rate in January 2012 was 9.8%, and in the WarmiÅ„sko-Mazurskie Voivodeship – 21.1%. Problems with finding a job are experienced by young people, women and the long-term (over a year) unemployed. Public Employment Services (the network of voivodeship and poviat labour offices) are there to help and give advice to the unemployed and persons who look for a job in order to get an appropriate employment and to employers to find appropriate employees. Therefore, employment services provide a range of services, including: job agency, professional agency or help in active job seeking. Labour offices also carry out various programmes which support local or regional labour markets, register the unemployed and persons looking for a job, pay unemployment benefits, organise trainings in order to give the unemployed greater chances to find a job. The unemployed can take part in various activities which facilitate their professional activation, inter alia, intervention works, traineeship, on-the-job training, training loans, trainings or support for business activity. As of 1 May 2004 Polish Public Employment Services became the member of the European Employment Services – EURES. Labour offices carry out activities for EURES, especially, international employment agency along with advisory in the field of earning mobility on the European labour market. Having a little knowledge about unemployment, especially in the country that we are going to work, is useful for each of us. Sooner or later, we will have to think about it while looking for a job or changing it. When unemployment is low we have more chances to catch a good job, when not it is success when we catch any. Unemployment is one of the most important economic and social problem in Poland because in recent years, the unemployment rate has been steadily rising. During communism the official unemployment level was less than 1%, but some economists estimated that the hidden unemployment in state-ruled companies was about 50%. That mean that typically two people were doing a job which could be done by one person. Because of political and economic transformation (from a centrally planned economic model, to a free market system) after 1989 unemployment start to rising rapidly. In 1990 it was 6.1% and in 2002 already 20% (the highest unemployment rate historically). This unfavourable trend was reversed in 2004. The largest drop in unemployment, however, has been taking place since 2006, when the unemployment rate declined below 15%, reaching 9,5% in 2008 ( the lowest unemployment rate). This was due to the economic upward trend which produced more job offers and more active people. Because of financial crisis, in 2009, the unemployment rate increased to nearly 12% and to 12,8 in 2010. According to the newest statistics Poland’s registered unemployment rate rose to 13.2 percent in February from 13 percent the previous month. Unfortunately, is also higher than year ago. Labour Minister Jolanta Fedak thinks that the numbers are not too disturbing, however. She said that „The rise in unemployment is seasonal. It’s difficult to judge now [if the trend will remain]. We need to wait until the spring to find out,† She also predict lower unemployment rate at the end of this year but everything will depend on Poland’s economic growth in 2011. As you can see in the chart seasonal unemployment is characteristic feature in polish unemployment. It is connected with fluctuations of the weather and seasons. For example, in winter there is a high unemployment especially in tourist industry, building industry or agriculture. Unemployment in Poland is characterised by: Geographical differentiation: A strong differentiation is observed in the unemployment rates for various parts of Poland, with the highest unemployment rate for a single region standing at more than twice the figure of the lowest. e.g. in the WarmiÅ„sko – Mazurskie voivodeship the unemployment rate in February 2011 was 21, 5 while in the voivodeship Mazowieckie – 10%. The highest unemployment rates are primarily seen in regions dominated by the agriculture, mining and manufacturing industries. Unemployment rate by voivodships (at the end of February 2011). Selectivity: Polish unemployment is, first of all, is a problem of young people (below 35 years of age). According to Eurostat data 24,9% among unemployed people are young. It is because young people have often no experience on the job market, their qualifications are incompatible with employers demandings and they are not flexible enough. Difficulties with finding a job are also experienced by women and people over 50 years. People of this last group spent at least half of their life under the communist system so they are not well adjusted to the capitalist system. They are unwilling or they do not have a chance to re-educate and move from their home to the areas where more jobs are available. Unemployment among young people in Europe Period of unemployment: unemployment in Poland tends to be of a structural or long-term nature. As we can see in the chart there are 34% of unemployed who cannot find a job above 12 months. This in turn has an impact on the health and well being of large segments of society. The forecasts predict that joblessness in Poland will stand at 9.9 per cent by the end of 2011, before steadily declining to 8.6 per cent by the end of 2012 and to 7,3 at the end of 2013.

International financial market

International Financial Markets and Institutions Practice Test Paper Trimester One 2013 (15 Macs for practice) The actual test consists of 40 Multiple Choice Questions (You have one hour and 10 minutes to complete the actual test). 1. Financial markets and Institutions affect the profits of businesses. Affect the types of goods and services produced In an economy. C. Involve the movement of huge quantities of money. D. All of the above. 2. A. B. C. 3. Financial market activities affect pending decisions by individuals and firms. He economy's location in the business cycle. Personal wealth. The bond markets are important because they are markets where Interest rates are determined. They are markets where foreign exchange rates are determined. C. They are easily the most widely followed financial market In the United States. D. All of the above. 4. Typically, Increasing Interest rates encourages corporate borrowing. Discourages individuals from saving. Encourages corporate expansion. 5 . Every financial market performs the following function:It channels funds from lenders-savers to borrowers-spenders. It determines the level of interest rates. It allows loans to be made. It allows common stock to be traded. 6. Financial markets have the basic function of Bringing together people with funds to lend and people who want to borrow funds. Assuring that governments never need to print money. Both A and B above. Both B and C above. 7. Which of the following can be described as involving direct finance? A. A pension fund manager buys commercial paper in the secondary market. B. People buy shares in a mutual fund.An insurance company buys shares of common stock in the over-the-counter markets. None of the above. 8. A country whose financial markets function poorly is likely to experience hardship and financial crises. Enjoy high productivity. Increase its standard of living. Efficiently allocate its capital resources. 9. A bond's future payments are called its maturity val ues. Yields to maturity. Cash flows. Discounted present values. 10. As the price of a bond and the expected return bonds become more attractive to investors and the quantity demanded rises. A. Alls; rises alls;falls rises; falls rises; rises 11. The supply curve for bonds has the usual upward slope, indicating that as the price , criteria Paramus, the increases. Rises; quantity supplied rises; supply falls; quantity supplied falls; supply 2 13. When the price of a bond is above the equilibrium price, there is excess bond market and the price will demand; rise demand; fall supply; rise supply; fall in the How expectations are formed is important because expectations influence A. The demand for assets. Bond prices. The risk structure of interest rates. 14.According to the efficient markets hypothesis, the current price of a financial security is the discounted net present value of future interest payments. B. Is determined by the highest successful bidder. Fully reflects all available relevant information. Is a result of none of the above. 15. When asset prices fall in a boom, moral hazard may increase in companies that have lost net worth in the bust. B. Financial institutions may see the assets on their balance sheets deteriorate, leading to delivering. Both A and B are correct. None of the above are correct. International financial market International Financial Markets and Institutions Practice Test Paper Trimester One 2013 (15 Macs for practice) The actual test consists of 40 Multiple Choice Questions (You have one hour and 10 minutes to complete the actual test). 1. Financial markets and Institutions affect the profits of businesses. Affect the types of goods and services produced In an economy. C. Involve the movement of huge quantities of money. D. All of the above. 2. A. B. C. 3. Financial market activities affect pending decisions by individuals and firms. He economy's location in the business cycle. Personal wealth. The bond markets are important because they are markets where Interest rates are determined. They are markets where foreign exchange rates are determined. C. They are easily the most widely followed financial market In the United States. D. All of the above. 4. Typically, Increasing Interest rates encourages corporate borrowing. Discourages individuals from saving. Encourages corporate expansion. 5 . Every financial market performs the following function:It channels funds from lenders-savers to borrowers-spenders. It determines the level of interest rates. It allows loans to be made. It allows common stock to be traded. 6. Financial markets have the basic function of Bringing together people with funds to lend and people who want to borrow funds. Assuring that governments never need to print money. Both A and B above. Both B and C above. 7. Which of the following can be described as involving direct finance? A. A pension fund manager buys commercial paper in the secondary market. B. People buy shares in a mutual fund.An insurance company buys shares of common stock in the over-the-counter markets. None of the above. 8. A country whose financial markets function poorly is likely to experience hardship and financial crises. Enjoy high productivity. Increase its standard of living. Efficiently allocate its capital resources. 9. A bond's future payments are called its maturity val ues. Yields to maturity. Cash flows. Discounted present values. 10. As the price of a bond and the expected return bonds become more attractive to investors and the quantity demanded rises. A. Alls; rises alls;falls rises; falls rises; rises 11. The supply curve for bonds has the usual upward slope, indicating that as the price , criteria Paramus, the increases. Rises; quantity supplied rises; supply falls; quantity supplied falls; supply 2 13. When the price of a bond is above the equilibrium price, there is excess bond market and the price will demand; rise demand; fall supply; rise supply; fall in the How expectations are formed is important because expectations influence A. The demand for assets. Bond prices. The risk structure of interest rates. 14.According to the efficient markets hypothesis, the current price of a financial security is the discounted net present value of future interest payments. B. Is determined by the highest successful bidder. Fully reflects all available relevant information. Is a result of none of the above. 15. When asset prices fall in a boom, moral hazard may increase in companies that have lost net worth in the bust. B. Financial institutions may see the assets on their balance sheets deteriorate, leading to delivering. Both A and B are correct. None of the above are correct.

Ikea Case

The market was primarily split between low-en and high-end retailers. Low-end retailers primarily focused on offering a wide array of merchandise including furniture on the basis of low prices. Aside from tight margins as part of a low-pricing strategy, there were also several â€Å"small-store retailers† targeting college students and other consumers with constricted budgets.Most of these stores were inconsistent with the environment ND displays portrayed, further contributing to poor inventory management practices and below-par customer service. On the other hand, high-end retailers carried either single brands or multiple brands as part of their product portfolio. Most high-end retailers employed expensive sales executives and focused more on offering value-added services including (but not limited to): measurement and product selection, customizable designs for complete makeovers, product delivery and installation, high number of SKU stemming from a base product, and even relocation of old furniture.Quality and service was the basis or these types of sellers, constantly reminding customers that their products would last a lifetime and that going through the installation hassle could easily be avoided. 2. When furniture titan KEA finally consolidated its business strategy in the US by the mid-ass, customers where typically defined as well-traveled, sophisticated yet practical in taste, likely risk-takers, technologically-savvy, and connoisseurs of fine food and wine. Customers at KEA look for a shopping experience that fulfills and exceeds their expectations by finding multiple types of furniture and other compliments (I. . Technician, decorations, etc) that are practical and can accommodate a â€Å"good-living† standard. Aside from fulfilling the need for new furniture, customers at KEA also valued complimentary services offered at the stores such as childcare facilities, on-site Scandinavian restaurants, and customer-service help desks for sh opping assistance. KEA open-ended states to its customers that they won t find a wide variety of same product SKI-I s in different colors or finishes, instead they have room only for what is considered necessary to furnish homes in unique, modern, and stylish ways. . KEA s competitive advantage features a well-defined supply chain strategy that allows for cost-saving opportunities when sourcing raw materials, streamlining packaging and shipping, negotiating In bulk with manufacturers, and promoting a self-service concept at store level. All these Initiatives translate Into lower prices for finished goods that customers prefer. The main disadvantages of KEA are centered on lower-quality furniture that doses ‘t last as long as other high-end more expensive products.Also, KEA furniture is not suitable for people who plan on moving or relocating as the pieces that make a perfect example of what W. Chain Kim and Rene ©e Unbroken coined a â€Å"Blue Ocean† company. The comp any's target market is considered to be niche but at the same time oriented at covering the masses and being high-volume, low-price retailers. The customer experience is unique and cannot be easily copied by other competitors. Sticking to Scandinavian-styled furniture helps distinguish KEA from traditional furniture stores while at the same time being distinctive and predictable.Blue Ocean companies such as KEA employ Continuous Improvement practices that allow for ewe styles and designs of furniture to be made available while on the lookout for cost reductions and price saving opportunities for consumers. 5. In order for KEA to continue and sustain its growth strategy and high success worldwide they have to place special emphasis to the following recommendations: a. Expand the customer base outside of established markets such as Europe and North America and target emerging economies that are also looking for inexpensive, practical and stylish ways of equipping their homes and offic es. . Offer complimentary assistance for assembling furniture at an additional cost in order to attract higher-end customers who do not want to partake in the tedious task but are willing to pay a premium for the service. Specialized carpenters and contractors should be carefully selected and trained according to company standards. This allows for furniture to last longer and survive relocation needs. C. Continue growing in POS (points of sale) in order to cover less-populated areas in current operating countries while increasing market share and widening the consumer's preference for the brand. Ikea Case The market was primarily split between low-en and high-end retailers. Low-end retailers primarily focused on offering a wide array of merchandise including furniture on the basis of low prices. Aside from tight margins as part of a low-pricing strategy, there were also several â€Å"small-store retailers† targeting college students and other consumers with constricted budgets.Most of these stores were inconsistent with the environment ND displays portrayed, further contributing to poor inventory management practices and below-par customer service. On the other hand, high-end retailers carried either single brands or multiple brands as part of their product portfolio. Most high-end retailers employed expensive sales executives and focused more on offering value-added services including (but not limited to): measurement and product selection, customizable designs for complete makeovers, product delivery and installation, high number of SKU stemming from a base product, and even relocation of old furniture.Quality and service was the basis or these types of sellers, constantly reminding customers that their products would last a lifetime and that going through the installation hassle could easily be avoided. 2. When furniture titan KEA finally consolidated its business strategy in the US by the mid-ass, customers where typically defined as well-traveled, sophisticated yet practical in taste, likely risk-takers, technologically-savvy, and connoisseurs of fine food and wine. Customers at KEA look for a shopping experience that fulfills and exceeds their expectations by finding multiple types of furniture and other compliments (I. . Technician, decorations, etc) that are practical and can accommodate a â€Å"good-living† standard. Aside from fulfilling the need for new furniture, customers at KEA also valued complimentary services offered at the stores such as childcare facilities, on-site Scandinavian restaurants, and customer-service help desks for sh opping assistance. KEA open-ended states to its customers that they won t find a wide variety of same product SKI-I s in different colors or finishes, instead they have room only for what is considered necessary to furnish homes in unique, modern, and stylish ways. . KEA s competitive advantage features a well-defined supply chain strategy that allows for cost-saving opportunities when sourcing raw materials, streamlining packaging and shipping, negotiating In bulk with manufacturers, and promoting a self-service concept at store level. All these Initiatives translate Into lower prices for finished goods that customers prefer. The main disadvantages of KEA are centered on lower-quality furniture that doses ‘t last as long as other high-end more expensive products.Also, KEA furniture is not suitable for people who plan on moving or relocating as the pieces that make a perfect example of what W. Chain Kim and Rene ©e Unbroken coined a â€Å"Blue Ocean† company. The comp any's target market is considered to be niche but at the same time oriented at covering the masses and being high-volume, low-price retailers. The customer experience is unique and cannot be easily copied by other competitors. Sticking to Scandinavian-styled furniture helps distinguish KEA from traditional furniture stores while at the same time being distinctive and predictable.Blue Ocean companies such as KEA employ Continuous Improvement practices that allow for ewe styles and designs of furniture to be made available while on the lookout for cost reductions and price saving opportunities for consumers. 5. In order for KEA to continue and sustain its growth strategy and high success worldwide they have to place special emphasis to the following recommendations: a. Expand the customer base outside of established markets such as Europe and North America and target emerging economies that are also looking for inexpensive, practical and stylish ways of equipping their homes and offic es. . Offer complimentary assistance for assembling furniture at an additional cost in order to attract higher-end customers who do not want to partake in the tedious task but are willing to pay a premium for the service. Specialized carpenters and contractors should be carefully selected and trained according to company standards. This allows for furniture to last longer and survive relocation needs. C. Continue growing in POS (points of sale) in order to cover less-populated areas in current operating countries while increasing market share and widening the consumer's preference for the brand.