Saturday, August 31, 2019

Mass Media in Great Britain Essay

The media play a central role in Britain’s daily life, informing and educating, questioning and challenging – and of course – entertaining. In recent years the availability of more radio frequencies, together with satellite, cable and microwave transmissions, has already made a greater number of local, national and international services possible. The transition from analogue to digital transmission technology is now expanding this capacity enormously. The Internet is providing, increasingly, an additional medium for information, entertainment and communication. Television and Radio Broadcasting in Britain has traditionally been based on the principle that it is a public service accountable to people. While retaining the essential public service element, it now also embraces the principles of competition and choice: †¢ the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), which broadcasts television and radio programmes; †¢ the ITC (Independent Television Commission), which licenses and regulates commercial television services, including cable and satellite services. †¢ the Radio Authority, which licenses and regulates commercial radio services, including cable and satellite. The three bodies work to broad requirements and objectives defined and endorsed by Parliament, but are otherwise independent in their daily conduct of business. Television viewing is by far Britain’s most popular leisure pastime: over 97 per cent of households have at least one TV set. British television productions are sold world – wide. BBC The BBC provides two complementary national terrestrial television networks: BBC 1 and BBC 2, which transmit 24 hours a day. It also provides a range of digital channels, including BBC News 24 and BBC Choice. BBC Network Radio serves an audience of 29 each week, transmitting 24 hours a day on its five national networks. BBC has 39 local radio stations serving England and the Channel Islands, and regional and community radio services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. BBC World Service broadcasts by radio in English and 42 other languages world – wide. It has a global weekly audience of at least 140 million listeners. BBC Worldwide Television is responsible for the BBC’s commercial television activity. It is one of Europe’s largest exporters of television programmes. It also runs an advertiser – funded, 24 – hour international news and information channel; and an entertainment and drama channel broadcast to subscribers in continental Europe and Africa. The BBC’s domestic services are financed predominantly from the sale of annual television licences; there are no paid advertisements. BBC World Service radio is funded by a government grant, while BBC Worldwide Television is self – financing. Independent Television The ITC licenses and regulates three commercial television services – Channel 3 and Channel 4 (in Wales the corresponding service is S4C), which complement each other, and Channel 5 – all financed by advertising and sponsorship. Channel 3 programmes are supplied by 15 regionally based licensees and an additional licensee providing a national breakfast – time service. Licences for Channel 3 and 5 are awarded for a ten – year period by competitive tender to the highest bidder who has passed a quality threshold. Independent Radio Independent radio programme companies operate under licence to the Radio Authority and are financed mainly by advertising revenue. There are three independent national services: Classic FM, broadcasting mainly classical music; Virgin 1215, playing broad – based rock music; and Talk Radio UK,  speech – based service. About 200 independent local radio services are also in operation. Stations supply local news and information, sport, music and other entertainment, education and consumer advice. Teletext, Cable and Satellite Services The BBC and independent television both operate a Teletext service, under which information is displayed as â€Å"pages† of text and graphics on receivers equipped with the necessary decoders. Cable services are delivered through underground cables and are paid for subscription. Cable franchises have been granted covering areas comprising 83 per cent of all homes and nearly all urban areas in Britain. In mid – 1999 there were about 12.1 million homes able to receive such services, and 3 million subscribing homes. Digital technology is being introduced which will support up to 500 television channels. Cable also has the capacity for computer – based interactive services, such as home shopping and email. Many British – based satellite television channels have been set up to supply programmes to cable operators and viewers with satellite dishes. Some offer general entertainment, while others concentrate on specific areas of interest, such as sport, music, children’s programmes and feature films. The largest satellite programmer is BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting) which, with around 7 million subscribers, dominates paid – for television in Britain. It launched its digital satellite service in 1998, carrying more than 140 channels. Satellite television and cable services are funded mainly by subscription income. The Press National newspapers have an average total circulation of over 13 million on weekdays and about 14 million on Sundays, although the total readership is considerably greater. There are 10 national morning daily papers and 10  national Sundays – five â€Å"qualities†, two â€Å"mid – market† and three â€Å"populars†. There are about 1,350 regional and local newspapers, and over 7,000 periodical publications. There is no state control or censorship of the newspaper and periodical press, which caters for a range of political views, interests and level of education. Where they express pronounced views and show obvious political leanings in their editorial comments, these may derive from proprietorial and other non – party influences. A non – statutory Press Complaints Commission deals with complaints by members of the public about the content and conduct of newspapers and magazines, and advises editors and journalists. In 1995, the Government rejected proposals for statutory regulation of the press and for legislation to give protection to privacy. Instead, it endorsed self – regulation under the Commission and recommended tougher measures to make self – regulation more effective. Working practices throughout the newspaper industry have become more efficient with the widespread used of advanced computer – based technology. Publishers have been able to reduce production costs by using computer systems for editing and production processes.

Friday, August 30, 2019

A Relation of Difference: The Politics of Black “Signification”

Louis Gates, Jr’s examination of the â€Å"the tropes of tropes† in Afro-American literature is a pioneering account of the vicissitudes of a movement of difference. As a critical response to The Signifying Monkey, the essay would seek to reveal the idiosyncrasies of Gates’ literary criticism with relations to the idiosyncrasies of black literary tradition of difference.The Discreteness of Black DifferenceThe second chapter of Louis Gates, Jr.’s famous book The Signifying Monkey has a wonderful analysis of the rhetoric system and Afro-American signification traditions.The black concept of signifying, quite differently from the standard English, is inherently difficult to comprehend as it (re)doubles itself at every attempt of closer examination. Gates (1988) forcefully argues that parallel to the â€Å"classic confrontation between Afro-American culture and American culture, there is a political and metaphysical, â€Å"relationship that black â€Å"Sign ification† bears to the English â€Å"signification† is, paradoxically, a relation of difference inscribed within a relation of identity† (p.45).It is important to note the organic relations black literary traditions have with the identity of blacks, which are again (re)constructed through these traditions themselves. The discreteness of Black difference emerges from its status of being parallel to the white American literary universe.Intertextuality is also a discrete feature of the Afro-American literature as â€Å"each poem refers to other poems of the same genre† (Gates, 1988, p.60). Here, the repetition and revision of structural elements are something common and shared.It must bee seen as a narrative technique for emphasizing the common signifier which is a de facto priority for the community. Therefore, Gates asserts that â€Å"value, in this art of poeisis, lies in foregrounding rather than in the invention of a novel signified† (p.61). Needl ess to say, the common signified in black literature as a shared meaning is diametrically opposite to the white American idea of new signified as authentic.Moreover, it is possible to argue that the Black English itself is a different language and the blacks do not speak the same language of the whites. For Gates, the language of blackness encodes and names its sense of independence through a rhetorical process that we might think of as the Signfyin(g) black difference. For Blacks, language and its discreetness is a question of (re)inventing themselves as creative, as opposed to the white imposed idea of being imitative.In addition, for blacks, a new language with their own jargons is a tool for ultimately defining themselves.   The black life is more about the living poetry in the streets than the taught poetry in the class rooms.   The question of black Signifying is a question of another way of life that is not centered on the literary paradigms of white male Europeans.The as sertion of the politics black difference by Gates is not an attempt at molding a difference for a new zone of engagement. But, it is the simple assertion of what really exist as the difference of both living and creating since slavery as â€Å"black people have been Signifyin(g), without explicitly calling it that† (Gate, 1988, p.67).As it is in the white language, black Signification is not merely a form of indirect signification; on the contrary, it is a way of identifying with one’s true identity. Most importantly, Black Signification is a complex rhetorical device that is heterogeneous and multiple.ConclusionThe Signification in black literature is closely related to the discreteness of their way of life. The Black Signifyin(g) is closely linked to the identity and collective belongingness of the blacks. The Significations stands not with its meaning, but with its utterance itself.ReferenceGates, H. L, Jr. (1988). The Signifying Monkey: a Theory of Afro-AmericanLit erary Criticism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 44-89

Thursday, August 29, 2019

NBA Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NBA - Research Proposal Example This study would involve a quantitative research design. The researcher will use all the data from Nba.com and espn.com. This type of data can be referred to as secondary data. In this context, secondary data refers to data that are not from the researcher’s personal sources (Peeffer 6). This means that the researcher cannot boast of being the original collector or owner of secondary data. As is often is the case, secondary data are not first-hand data but once the approach towards their collection is well conducted, the researcher can be assured of authentic data (Peeffer 6). To ensure that there is authenticity, the researcher first shall develop a data log. The data log will involve a statement of all themes or topics that the researcher would wish to collect. Next, the researcher will form a list of sources including internet sources in which the data would be obtained. The researcher will then collect the sources and samples from the specific materials that are useful tow ards the answering of the research questions proposed. The researcher will make use of the quantitative reviews of the materials selected from the sources. This means that, the researcher will not only gather information from the sources but also discuss the quotations by comparing ideas from different sources and drawing personal conclusions. By the end of the study, data will be collected, analyzed through coding first and the later through triangulation of the coded data. Descriptive techniques such as tables, charts, percentages and charts will then be used to present the analyzed data. Secondary data will also be used in the analysis of the causal effect of NBA team’s salary dispersion, the degree of team’s tacit understanding, team efficiency, and super star player on team performance and a comparison will be made with already conducted studies on the same topic. The obtained

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Managing Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing Intelligence - Essay Example United State have put in place a new intelligence cooperation structure for safeguarding the security of the American homeland, creating the limits on the intelligence to be shared. This issue paper discusses the advantages, disadvantages as well as the recommendations involved in sharing intelligence information with the Somali anti-piracy and anti-terrorism coalition. The paper compares the current coordinating establishments accountable for national security, economics, intelligence, and drug control. It then grants the streamlining recommendations for the Secretaries of State and Defense, which recognizes the necessity to assimilate foreign and domestic counterterrorism activities, although there is disagreement whether to depend on the existing National Security Council organization or construct a new organizing process, and on the need for uniting some of the effective homeland security interventions and offices. The Secretaries of State and Defence Department facilitates the sharing of an extensive range of piracy and terrorism intelligence. Moreover, there is sharing of related intelligence among several users in the National counterterrorism public via its production of inclusive, nationally coordinated, investigative products and the safe website. These provide the coalition against piracy and terrorism with relevant information to capture the criminals (Tuzuner, 2010). Global authorized agencies like the coalition against piracy and terrorism that comprises Kenya, and other nations can request the intelligence information from the Secretaries of State and Defence Department to assist in the coalition’s undertakings. This should be consistent with applicable rules and guidelines controlling access to intelligent information as stipulated in the Department for State and Defence requirements. The counter-piracy mission necessitates sharing several types of piracy-related information with the Secretaries of State and Defence Department, for example,

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Text analysis , written text , English linguistic and literature Essay - 1

Text analysis , written text , English linguistic and literature - Essay Example Instead, it addresses an issue that concerns survival of the humankind as a whole or ‘citizens of the world and not of this or that sect or nation’. From the words ‘To take an even more spectacular example, which is in everybody’s mind at the present time’, it may inferred that the essay was written at a time when the world, after having witnessed two world wars, lived in the grip of constant fear. For later generations, it can serve as an important source of indicative information on apprehensions of intellectuals that emanated from the scientific and political developments in the mid-20th century. However, on account of its highly academic nature of the content and the subtle style, the essay warrants a lot of effort from the reader to be able to fully comprehend precisely what is on the author’s mind. It is too hard to be understood in a single reading. Once understood, it may be said that the essay has the capacity to radically reorganize one’s paradigms in understanding the world, right from an insight into the precautions required to be taken by men of science engaged in research to a revi sed blueprint of religious and moral instruction. Though the essay offers the scope to learn wisdom by reflection and imitation rather than by experience, the fact remains that the ideals proposed by the author in the essay are so lofty that they could turn the world into a heaven if only the inhabitants of the planet imbibed the substance of such ideas. But it can only be a utopian dream for it is easier said than done to overcome the egoism of surroundings, senses and emotions. The first paragraph of the essay introduces the two questions the author intends to deal with, the first being ‘What is wisdom?’ and the second being ‘What can be done to teach it?’ The second, third, fourth and fifth paragraphs address the first question and provide a definition of wisdom as a combination of five factors namely comprehensive vision, awareness of the ends

Monday, August 26, 2019

How the technology affects our life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How the technology affects our life - Essay Example dents, it was later expanded to include anyone in the world (Lauria 1).This network has revolutionized the way people interact online, making access to any of the Facebook users easily available to those who wish to interact with them. Facebook has become a useful tool through which people not only interact, but also conduct business. This network is relatively easy to use, and it is for this reason that it has more users than any other social networking site online. However, it has proven to be a little hard to use especially for the older generation, most of whom prefer maintaining their privacy, unlike the younger people. From its beginnings, Facebook has been considered a tool through which friends can interact with each other. People post pictures of themselves in this place, and their friends can send private or public messages to each other, and most of all, they can get news about what is happening in the world. Just like email, this social network has made communication between people in different parts of the world easier. In fact, it can be considered a much more effective means of communications between friends than email. While in the beginning Facebook was only meant for interactions between friends, this network has grown to become a place where people meet others from different countries and cultures (Daly). Therefore, it can be said that this network has made the world an even smaller place. It has created a forum through which people from different cultures are able to share their views and make friends with those people who they have only met online. Facebook is one of the most easily accessible websites on the internet today; it can be accessed not only from computers, but also from any device that can access the internet. This has ensured that the majority of its users are always available at whatever time they are needed. The easy accessibility of this network has also enabled people to conduct business through it. Facebook allows for

Sunday, August 25, 2019

My passion for education. Why become an educator Essay

My passion for education. Why become an educator - Essay Example A society is a place where human beings work together to form a livable environment. It’s a place where everyone has a role to play. But what shapes a society? Well the people obviously! But who shapes these people? The answer is teachers. From the point of our birth to the end of our lives we keep learning new things, big or small, it does not matter. In our childhood our energies are high and we perceive this world as a place of abundant knowledge but what knowledge is important? This is something that is pointed out by our teachers. What to learn what not to learn. Our teachers shape our minds, open our imaginations and give us the belief and the tools to learn. A teacher quite literally shapes the future. I want to be a teacher because of all these things. Today our world is falling into chaos. Nations are at their wits ends, wars are being waged, hunger, famine and much more. This is all because we fail to look forward to the future. The children of today are the future of this world, so I feel like it is my responsibility to step up and take charge. I feel responsible to mold these young minds for a better and stronger future- a future filled with happiness! Becoming an educator has a lot to do with passion and skill. There is no doubt that anyone can have any sort of passion but being an educator requires a lot of skill. It’s about passing on your own knowledge in an effective way. In a way that the receiver of that education not only absorbs the meaning of it but also develops the urge to further study it. I have that passion in me and I definitely have the skill as well. There is also a concept of morality behind the desire to be an educator. Whenever we go out in the search of truth and somehow find it we share it with the world because if we did not we would have still been in the dark ages. If Heisenberg had not shared his uncertainty principle or if Schrodinger had not shared the knowledge of his

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Don't Ask, Don't Tell - Essay Example It is important to note that at the time of implementation, this was only a policy, and not a law! According to it, neither was anybody allowed to investigate the sexual orientation of the members in service in US military, nor the members would discuss it with anybody. Thus, if gays and lesbians were to serve in the US military, they would have to keep their sexual concerns unrevealed. Contrary to this policy, the law did not prevent the US military soldiers from being interrogated about their sexual orientation (Burrelli). This has conventionally remained a very controversial subject on political grounds. For a long time, the number of US military soldiers who would be discharged for the charge of homosexuality was readily dropping until 1993. From 1993 onwards, US military soldiers have increasingly been discharged for being homosexual till 2001. In order to put forward a sufficiently comprehensive account of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, it is imperative that th e reaction of American nation towards the policy is studied. According to (Mccabe), the opinion of public regarding the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy can be classified into three types. ... The three types of opinions can be referred to in one word as â€Å"permissive†, â€Å"restrictive† and â€Å"prohibitive† respectively (Mccabe). Two main questions have conventionally been put in front of public to offer their opinion upon in the public polls. One of them inquires if the gays and lesbians should be allowed to openly serve the US military. This question essentially asks the public to convey their opinion with the condition that the servitude is â€Å"open†. Thus, if someone answers in negative, it is not clear if he/she would have maintained the same response for those gays and lesbians who would keep their sexual orientation unrevealed while serving in the US military. In this way, the wording used in aforementioned question distinguishes the permissible opinion from the restrictive and prohibitive opinions. The second question asks the public if gays and lesbians should or should not be allowed to serve the US military without any indica tion of open or restricted expression of sexuality. In this case, when someone says that they should be allowed to serve, it is not clear if he/she would maintain the same response if the question mentioned that the gays and lesbians would openly express their sexual orientation. In this way, this statement distinguishes the prohibitive opinion from the permissive and restrictive opinions. Since the time of implementation of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, a number of Washington Post polls and ABC News polls have been conducted in which the American public was asked to respond to the two aforementioned questions simultaneously. Comparison of the findings of these surveys makes it possible for one to simultaneously analyze

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 51

Summary - Assignment Example Further, the firm has established a team of caring and genuine people, which contributes in winning trust from its clients. This aids in ensuring that the firm does not face challenges in conducting its business activities. These persons also have the essential skills and knowledge to ensure that they have the ability to deliver the best results as expected. Moreover, the firm embraces the concepts of effective communication. This ensures that there is a two way channel of interaction in terms of winning trust and communicating effectively. The communication strategy, which is adopted by the firm, ensures that customers get satisfied with the information they get. It is this communication strategy that supports effective interaction through the social media where individuals can gain immediate feedback on their queries. Moreover, the communication strategy eliminates issues of delay and client dissatisfaction, which may have negative impacts on the business activities of the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Two Statistical Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Statistical Methods - Essay Example This distribution is a theoretical method used normally to have the goodness of fit of an observed statistic to a theoretical model and the degrees of freedom that it is calculated to. The chi-square is used to test both of these parameters. Most often this is used in specifically to address the issues relating to proportion of population. Two chi-square tests are comfortably used; one, test for goodness of fit and two, test for independence2. Analysis of Variance provides the methodology to analyses a dependent variable and the effect of other interval independent variables on the values of the dependent variable. ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) may be One-way ANOVA when the effect of one independent variable is measured. However, effects of multiple interval independent variables can be measured. This helps in substantiating the 'main effects' and the 'interaction effects'3. Main effects bring out the direct variation in the dependent variable due to every single independent variable. Whereas, the interact effect brings out the combined effect of the independent variables on the dependent variable. This is normally analyzed in various combinations.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

College Players Should Get Paid Essay Example for Free

College Players Should Get Paid Essay In the world, college athletics grows and continues to bring large financial benefits to colleges, universities and even sponsors. This leads to many debates concerning the payment of the athletes. Some people think that scholarship paid to colleges for these student athletes is enough while others claim that the payments might make them to leave the college early for participating in the athletics. Division 1 college athletes should be paid. College athletes put their bodies on the line just like the pros do. Wide receiver Martin Brown tears his ACL and his career in football is over. Defensive tackle Eric Legrand gets paralyzed from the neck down and his career in football is over. Wide receiver Dante Love gets a spinal injury and ends his career in football. Players do a lot for their communities. Like the Santa Ana college football team devoted a whole weekend volunteering in two charity events. Last year Ohio State did community service for a total of about 6,496 hours. Ole Miss has a program call The Ole Miss Rebel Reading Program where they read to local elementary schools. The college athletes bring in a lot of money to their institutions. The players should receive some of this money because without them the schools cannot be able to receive all the popularity and the money. College athletes make enough money for colleges that it would not hurt to give some back. They should take better care of their student-athletes by paying them for their services. Many College athletes live in poverty because the money they get is not sufficient enough to pay for all of the expenses and basic necessities. The athletes that graduate from colleges stay because their parents support them by giving or sending money to them. If college athletes are paid, there would be more athletes graduating from colleges. Paying athletes would be good for everyone and players would be forced to go for college education instead of only concentrating on the sports. The colleges athletes are not allowed to work hence do not get money to purchase the necessities. This leads to players accepting any illegal money, cars, clothes, etc. Most college athletes dont turn professional, so the athletes wont have any working experience when they get into the real world. This would give the non-athletes and advantage in the working world over the athletes. Most of the athletes that have the opportunity to leave school and turn professional do so, because college athletes live in near poverty. To avoid all the illegal gains, the athletes should be paid. Marylands Gary Williams says . some of these guys are pretty poor coming here, and a lot of college students have some money you feel out of place, you dont feel competitive academically sometimes, and I think it could do a lot of good If colleges dont pay the athletes the professional leagues should. Professional leagues such as the NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB use colleges as minor leagues. Most of the players in these leagues come from universities across the U.S.A. Since the leagues get the athletes from the universities, they should pay them the same way they league players. College athletes should receive money for all of their needs, or if they cant do this the athletes should be given the opportunity to work, which will assist them, learn about working in real world.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Trends in Social Welfare and Crime Control

Trends in Social Welfare and Crime Control Georgiana Raluca Andrei Explain and illustrate the claim that contemporary trends in social welfare and crime control policy are indicative of a punitive turn. In contemporary Western societies the division between crime control and welfare is blurred, with the two coming together to produce a complex and sometimes ambiguous policy mix, within which crime control policy substitutes for welfare but may also incorporate welfarist notions of care and protection. The threat and fear of crime has impacted on public and policy attitudes towards welfare and crime control through a process of innovation in law and policy that blurs the boundaries between traditional crime control and welfare fields. Punitivity is a term which means that systems of punishment have become harsher and that though measures have a large degree of popular support (Cochrane and Talbot, 2008, p. 11). Allan Cochrane and Deborah Talbot (2008) suggest that the security/insecurity nexus illuminates a set of connections between the worlds of social welfare (broadly, the search for security) and crime control (broadly, responses to threats of insecurity). The policy worlds of social welfare and crime control need to be understood in relation to one another. In the contemporary world, demands for security and fears of insecurity are present and visible in personal lives, in political agendas and in policymaking domains. The search for security is likely to be unfinished as efforts to ensure security paradoxically heighten personal and societal senses of insecurity, in turn leading to further searches for more security. The emergence of security as a personal, governmental and policy concern is reflected in the work of social theorists and policy analysts, who have debated how the search for security may be understood as shaping social relations and social policy. There are competing app roaches to achieving security. Some emphasize the need to extend criminal justice and legal systems to address the behaviors of those that threaten ‘our’ security; others highlight the need to address broader social divisions, inequalities and problems that undermine the security of societies. Security is a concept with multiple dimensions at individual, group, national and global levels. It’s sometimes argued that the responsibility for achieving security rests with us as individuals rather than with governments. Collective responses to the search for social and economic security are visible in the work of institutions, such as trade unions, credit unions, charities, businesses and governments. These organisations and institutions work to ensure economic security through work, welfare benefits, or pensions, and health security through medical support and care in times of illness and infirmity. They also work to ensure the air we breathe is free from pollution, the water we drink is clean, and the food we eat is uncontaminated. The loss of any one of these will undermine the security of individuals and potentially of societies. Government seek to defend the nation from perceived threats, such as terrorism, political dissent and foreign aggression, and to secure the resources necessary to support their economies and population’s water, food and energy. They enter into international agreements with other governments to address threats of global crime. For example money laundering and trafficking of humans, environmental degradation such as problems of global warming, pollution and waning biodiversity; and also to cooperate with other countries on matters of policing and justice. Security has meanings at every level of human existence from the most private needs and relationships to the broadest currents of international relations and global problems. Focusing on different sources of insecurity leads to different ideas about how we can achieve security. Focusing on security may heighten the anxieties and feelings of insecurity whether now or about the future. They may lead us to try to achieve our own security and that of our families in ways that make others less secure. For example, securing the houses with cameras, alarms, and fences, a nd having police officers visible on the streets, may make us feel safer. But it may also make others more fearful of crime. Actions taken by governments in the name of protection from internal and external security threats sometimes come at the cost of personal freedoms and civil liberties of entire populations. Measures used in pursuit of security often fail to deliver it, and may often, paradoxically,increasea sense ofinsecurity. Security is increasingly being sought (by those who can afford it) through private solutions. Examples of such solutions include living in secure residential enclaves or driving sports utility vehicles (SUVs). This recourse to private solutions represents a form of risk management and social retreat. The media is one of the main drivers of insecurity. The news organisations create a false picture of the problem of crime, exaggerating certain categories of offending, such as random and violent attacks by strangers, and ignoring or underplaying other types, such as the crimes of governments and powerful organisations, or domestic crimes within the family. This can result in a distortion of public perceptions about crime, with greatest level of fear attached to crimes which are least likely to affect them. It has been noted that fear of crime often exceeds the actual risk of personal harm (Jewkes, 2008, p. 33). As individuals, people seek to manage risk by creating safe spaces in a variety of ways. At one extreme these strategies include narrowly delimited places of retreat for personal safety, which might incorporate a range of security devices including barred windows, spy glass, intercom systems. Families are a site of both individual and social security; that is, they are seen as being a key social formation that ensures personal security, as well as a ‘building block’ of society and social order. Families have tended to remain at the top of political and policy agendas, with strong families being equated with strong societies. However, families can also be understood as sites of insecurity – for individuals, who experience family life as harmful or neglectful, and for societies more broadly. While recent debate has centred on whether family change represents some kind of social decline or descent into social disorder, ‘family breakdown’, ‘problem families’ or ‘failing’ families are not new anxieties. For many decades, families who were thought to be ‘failing’ in some way have been a target of social welfare interventions and, increasingly, of crime prevention strategies. Families mirror the contradictio ns in relation to security – they offer a range of securities and act as sites of safety and social welfare, but they also present a range of insecurities, threats and dangers. This means that families are the focus of not only social welfare policy but also crime control policy. Some families are perceived as ‘better’ and more competent than others, and some families are perceived as problematic, disorderly and threatening, and therefore in need of different kinds of policy intervention, including crime control and social welfare policies. These perceptions can be normative and influenced by assumptions based on class, ethnicity and sexuality. Families are closely connected to child welfare issues. Contemporary anxieties about the nature of childhood, together with conflicting ideas about children – as vulnerable and in need of protection and care, and as threats to society and in need of control – are reflected in child and family policy intervent ions. These tensions and ambiguities about children inform social policies aimed at providing both welfare support and reducing crime. Antisocial behaviour and hate crime legislation can both be understood as sites in which the criminal justice system has been extended into new areas. In this way, there is an increasing shift to a more punitive approach within criminal justice systems, particularly in the UK and the USA. Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs), were part of an increasingly large and complex set of New Labour measures for managing and governing populations. Wacquant stated that â€Å"various neo-conservative think tanks in the USA were able to valorise the diminution of the social or welfare state† and that punitive measures were spreading from USA through Europe. According to the article, the USA/UK policy is being defined by â€Å"mass imprisonment, curfews, interventions based on risk assessment rather than need, zero tolerance, naming and shaming† , becoming more punitive and affecting everyday social relations. States all around the world seem to take a puntive turn to young offending. The depth of the punitive turn in USA in the 1990s is undeniable and Wacquant’s thesis is being supported by quantitative data that shows an increase of children detained in â€Å"juvenile secure estate† in UK and Wales. The American intolerance for those under 18 is getting more popular in the rest of the world. A punitive turn in juvenile justice in a number of countries in Western Europe has been more repressive but not necessarily more efective. It has achieved a political legitimacy to the detriment of traditional principles of juvenile protection and support. The article provides important data that shows the high number of immigrants and minority groups under arrest or in detention and the more punitive elements of juvenile justice. It is difficult to estimate the total amount of the juvenile secure population in various countries at various times due to differences in defining a child, a juvenile. Different countries have different ages of criminal responsability, there is also a difference in definition of offences which make it difficult to compare the countries. Security cannot be fully understood without reference toinsecurity, the idea of security implies the threat of insecurity, so that insecurity and security are intertwined. The ways in which welfare and crime control policies intersect and are entangled help to shape experiences of social inequality. Families can be sites of both security and insecurity. Identifying differences in experiences of security and insecurity is important for understanding, in turn, the different responses of policy and legislation to the (in)securities of family lives. In order to keep under control juvenile and adult crime rates, the system becomes punitive and adopts extreme solutions that will only lead to more drastic consequences. Words: 1652 words References Cochrane, A. and Talbot, D. (2008) ‘The search for security’, in Cochrane, A. and Talbot, D. (eds)Security: Welfare, Crime and Society, Open University; Jewkes, Y. (2008) Insecurity, fear and social retreat, in Cochrane, A. and Talbot, D. (eds)Security: Welfare, Crime and Society, Open University; Muncie, John (2008). The ‘punitive’ turn in juvenile justice: cultures of control and rights compliance in western Europe and the USA. Youth Justice, 8(2) pp. 107–121. Reflection I found it challenging to incorporate in my essay the details from the journal article due to the large amount of information provided. The journal article was written in a different way than the course materials from OU and it needed extra attention. The language used was complex and specialised and required further investigation. I developed the ability to integrate a journal article into my essay. I have used the skills that I have practiced before such as gathering ideas from different sources and create an essay, reading and interpreting different types of evidences such as journal articles or quantitative data. I have used my tutor’s previous feedback and tried to be more confident with using references.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Problems In The London Zoo

Problems In The London Zoo The Zoological Society of London known as ZSL was founded by Stamford Raffles in 1826 and in 1828 it was opened to member of London Zoological Society for the study of animals, Zoo was on open to public until 1947 to get aid funding. In 1926 there were major expansions to Zoo to accommodate new animals and to keep large animals into natural environment. As Zoo continues to progress and in 1931 it was worlds first open zoological park. In 60s Institute of Zoology was established. London Zoo has been known as national history and contribution to the zoological world. Despite the low visitor turn up and today its a home of wonderful animals of more then 650 species and 130 animals are used breeding purposes. Not only that its also recognized worlds first reptile hose in late 40s and in 1852 worlds first aquarium. Decimus Burton was the first architecture designer of the zoo who was also the designer of Marble Arch London and Colosseum Theater. Q1: Identify and describe one of the problems that currently exist and explain how it is potentially harming the company. Problems in London Zoo London Zoo since its opened in 1828 has played vital role in the country scientific and entertainment activity of the society. London Zoo had grown rapidly from early start and continues expending but it ran into multiple problems in 1960s and 1970s due to various reasons. One of the major problems which can be easily identified is the lack of strategy operation plan for London Zoo. Operation strategy involved keeping the routine operations in place despite the number of visitor to the Zoo. Marketing plan had work out in the past but it all goes into drain, if end of the day customers feel lost and are not entertained or managed well. Customer dissatisfaction can potentially lead to customer not returning to Zoo and as well as it can create bad impression which can harm new or returning visitors. In these competitive era of entertainment; customer satisfaction is consider a key to success, which London Zoo has failed to provide effectively over the period of time. London Zoo has failed to delight its customer by not providing quality of service for customer processing which involved managing parking areas, queues, information desk, customer handling and information processing. Fail to achieve can lead to customer unhappiness, can create chaos and seriously damage the Zoo image. Other problem can be related to Society attitude and behaviour towards the animals, today people are well more aware of animal warfare, rights and conservation. There have been questions and debate concerning what is the role of a Zoo in society, should animal be kept in captivity or used for human entertainment. People have become much more educated and are questioning the role of Zoo in the society. Attracting number of visitors and applying capacity management operation to keep them organise have been crucial problems of London Zoo for long time. It has harmed company potentially as it has lead to various problems which included cut down in development projects; number of large animals has been move to sister Zoo to cut down the cost, services quality has affected due to lack of funds. This may lead to people not returning to Zoo for next 3 to 6 years unless there has been major development or new attraction in Zoo to drag them back to Zoo. Q2. Describe the evidence that support your claim that problem exists. Problems Evidence The major problems of London Zoo as identified previously have come to know from various sources. The source has been various reviews, feedbacks and various studies have been conducted on London Zoo to identify these problems. From past experience of the Zoo we have seen the whole operations crashed when more then expected visitors attendance. Management announce save my Zoo campaign after it failed to meet the expenses. Campaign attracted 18000 visitors in a day which lead to complete chaos in Zoo; there were queues everywhere, restaurants run out of food, parking problems and visitors found them self lost. There have been continues decline in number of visitors since 60s and 70s. Number of visitors have be fluctuating because of various reasons, There has been continues increment in number of leisure and attraction places in London only, there are around 130 major attractions in London. There have been numerous communications and travel invention has made easy to travel and trip around world which has made number of domestic visitor to decline. As stated in case there has been no major development for last 30 years, but in last couple of years Zoo has done some development work to improve the visitor attendance level. There have been animal welfare, rights, law and ethics awareness as it never been previously. Britain Govt created animal welfare advisory committee in 1967 which later became Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1979. It recommends animal freedoms and rights. There are 5 major freedoms which are promoted under this council which have been given in appendix. There have been debates in society in first half 20th century but its get intensified in 1980s to protect the ethics of animals. Due to continue awareness and debate in society has made people to think about the existence of the Zoo in society and their interest towards the Zoo. Customer Quality satisfaction has been the main issue in zoo. As its mentioned in case study, as Zoological society restructured is organisational departments to improve the operations and quality of service. After reviewing various unbiased reviews, the quality of service has been poor in London Zoo and as customer feedback shows there has been lack in operation management. There have been number of issues with visitors which includes poor operations and Planning, Empty Cages, Low Food Quality, Queues Everywhere, Lack of Seating, Baby facility. Few customer reviews have been attached in appendix with references. Q3. Carry out a critical literature review to identify what is considered to be Best-Practice in the area of Operations Management related to the problem. Literature Review and Best-Practice Introduction London is one of the major tourist attraction for visitors around the world, every year approximately 150m number of tourism day trips are made to London (source: The Countryside Commission website) and estimated total attendance 50m to London attractions during 2006 (Source: Visit London website). As a result of large number of visitors; attraction increases competition and importance to continuously improve the service quality to attract large chuck of visitors coming from domestically and internationally. Literature Review As previously discussed London Zoo has number of problems from which one of the major problem is to address the issue of service quality and customer satisfaction. There are various academic studies has been conducted to address the issues related to customer satisfaction, service quality and behavioural intent. Different model present different method of measuring the service quality some author describe as gap between customer expectation and perception, alternate author believe assessing the perceive quality by customer is a component to measure quality. A literature overview of different models can be found in Cauchick Miguel and Salomi (2004) presented in table 1 below. Table 1 Proposed models for measuring service quality (adapted from Cauchick Miguel and Salomi, 2004). As it can be concluded from the diagram there is no best practice to be adapted to measure the quality service. SERVQUAL has been centre of debate for most researchers but there have been critics of its accuracy, validity and implication on all kind of service industry. There has been intense use of SERVQUAL model in different service industry like banking, fast-food restaurant, call centre and other various industries despite huge criticism of the model. As oppose to SERVQUAL other model was developed as a result of criticism, SERVPERF is comparatively less used in industries like hotels, public services, cell phones services and various other. SERVPERF critics believed its only applicable in developed countries. SERVPERF Model One of the strong critics SERVQUAL model were Cronin and Taylor (1992) and they developed their own new model based on the original model, they argued that quality service can be measured based performance only. SERVPERF model is single item scale and developed based on performance satisfaction as oppose to performance and expectation in SERVQUAL. SERVQUAL Model The SERVQUAL model is a technique that can be used to measure a gap and perform analysis of an organization between customer expectation for the service and their perceptions of the providers. It can also be used internally to perform the gab analysis of the employees and employers. It was initially based on 10 aspects if measuring the service quality of an organisation and later refined by author to five dimensions which are reliability, assurances, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. SERVQUAL requires conduction a detailed survey or questioner to analysis the gaps between what was expected by the customer and what currently offered by the organisation. It involves relevant important of each question and measurement of perceived service and measurement of quality service provided. Conclusion From the brief literature review we can conclude that best practice can be SERVQUAL Model as its widely used in for service quality measurement model. SERVERF can be useful but its not as intensely studied and reviewed by researches and practitioners. SERVQUAL Gap Model Diagram illustrated Available at: http://www.gccrm.com/eng/content_details.jsp?contentid=2068subjectid=101 [Accessed 8 November 2009] Q4. From the conclusions drawn from your literature review and your findings within the case study create a proposal for the changes you would like to see introduced to solve the selected problem. Finding and Change Proposal A conclusion can be drowned from research, evidence and literature review that Zoo has number of problems which can be addresses by following these steps. Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction Development Work Animal Captivity and welfare Issues Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction As previously found the customer satisfaction and quality of service score was low. Furthermore the finding of review of different customer at various review sites shows that London Zoo operations have poor performance which includes poor operations and planning, empty cages, low quality food and queues everywhere. This shows there is a gap between customer perception and service provided. As suggested from literature review that customer satisfaction and perception can be achieved and that can be used to improve the services. After gathering the results from SERVQUAL model, these issues should be addressed operation management tools. Development Works There has been greater decline towards the visitors attendance due to lack of attraction and facility provided by London Zoo. The new development like African Bird Safari in 2005, In 2006 Meet the Monkeys opening and walkthroughs Into Africa Butterfly Paradise and Gorilla Kingdom and Clore Rainforest Lookout in the year 2007 by the London Zoo were encouraging and right steps towards creating more attractions, But as analysis shows its only mange to increase visitors at smaller scale and reviews shows customer were not satisfy with the new Gorilla Kingdom as their expectation were much higher then the what the got. There should be continue development in providing support facilities like baby facility, seating facility, parking, extra counters to reduce queues and journey planner for Zoo to walk through the Zoo to give complete and entertaining day out in Zoo. Animal Captivity and welfare Issues One of the major concerns by animal rights and welfare society were to address the issues related to animal facility and welfare in society. London Zoo management should work towards the captivity and happiness of animals. London Zoo should work to provide natural environment for animals so there happiness are confirmed with the entertaining of the visitors. Animal breading and preservation research work should be launched by zoological society and should raise awareness about the work been done but zoological society, so in this way instead of become party against all the animal rights and welfare organisation ZSL can actually work with hand to hand to address these issues and develop a positive society attitude. Conclusion The above mentioned points can clearly address the basic and major problems currently faced by London Zoo. It can certainly create positive and healthy attraction and attitude of the society and which can lead to new visitors and as long as returning visitors as well. Q5. Additional task: If you were appointed as a Management Consultant of London Zoo and you were requested to conduct a competitive analysis of your park versus those offered in: 1) Bristol zoo and 2) Chester zoo in order to improve your competitive edge and attract more customers; which operations mange tools/models would you use to do so and why? After so doing, what set of reasonable improvements would you suggest to the London Zoo director. Competitive Analysis To evaluate the strength of competition is the key to gain competitive edge on your competitors. The competitive environment provides opportunity to analysis the own organization and competitor as well, to achieve this edge various tools and models are available which are widely used in different industry sectors. There are different methods and techniques available to conduct a competitive analysis of different organization in similar industry. Popular models include Porters Five Competitive Forces SWOT Analysis Competitive Benchmarking Porters Five Competitive Forces Michael Porter model provides the framework to gain competitive edge by analysing the industry context in which firm operates. The competitive model is identifying the 5 basic competitive forces: Entry of competitors Threat of substitutes Bargaining Power of buyers Bargaining Power of suppliers Rivalry among the existing players Critics believe that this model is to analysis individual business strategies and extra care is required to not to underestimate current organization strength and weakness. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is used to analyze the competitor and identify their strengths, weaknesses; opportunities and threats which help determine the target market, competitive edge, customer services and forecasting. Strengths This is use to identify the strength, potential strategy, marketing strength, customer services and positive tangible, intangibles. Weaknesses Weaknesses involve evaluating the culture, organization structure, operation efficiency, operation capacity, market share and position on experience curve. Opportunities An opportunity is consider as a chance to introduce new product or service. Opportunity can arise due to external factors and can increase the chance of high return. Threats Similar to opportunity these may lead to potential threat, it can be social changes, customer, competitor, new technology, economic or political and regularity changes. Benchmarking Benchmarking is a process to identify performance of organizational processes and activity are best-practice. The objective of benchmarking is to evaluate business unit, division, and organisation performance as compared to similar industry. There are 5 types of benchmarking Internal Benchmarking Competitive Benchmarking Functional Benchmarking Generic Benchmarking Collaborative Benchmarking In this scenario competitive analysis should be performed using performance or Competitive Benchmarking. Competitive Benchmarking Competitive Benchmarking is used to identify and compare the company performance with a competitor. Comparison can be all dimension of a business it can range from finance, product and services, technology, development and personal polices. To increase Zoo competitiveness, it helps to understand how your operations and business processes compare to that your competitors. It allows to examination of current processes and weaknesses which help to change and improve with experience and practice. While conduction benchmarking it should be clearly define and data information shared. Wrong comparison and less information may lead to meaningless comparison. Process of benchmarking can be elaborate using following diagram. Benchmarking process [online] Available at www.pcimag.com [Accessed 17 November 2009] Improvement Recommendations Would like to suggest following recommendations: Strengthen the competitive edge and try to come over weakness identified while doing competitive analysis. Improve Quality of service and customer satisfaction Provide support facilities like baby facility, seating areas and information desk Improve daily operation task effectively Increase the big animals which can increase the competitive edge Provide animals with closer to nature living facilities Take measures to cater the animal happiness and welfare issues. Appendix Customer Reviews London Zoo, not great! On a 3 day trip to London and unfortunately was part of a day I felt could have been spent somewhere else! It is one of the worst Zoos I have ever been to! Most of the cages were empty and to be honest I have been to much better zoos!! by gooseuk7 [online] Available at: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d187553-r48182591-London_Zoo-London_England.html [Accessed 9 November 2009] London Zoo An expensive waste of time Costly admission prices to a zoo with few interesting animals and many sections and stalls empty. The admission prices are already expensive at  £13 per adult,  £10 per child, but then the ticket sellers force you to pay an extra  £1.50 optional donation. Its hard to stand up to them to avoid this donation. Car parking is expensive at  £9. There were no elephants. This has been the case for a while, and has been mentioned by other reviewers, but seems a shocking omission. There were no gorillas the whole section is boarded off and under development. The bugs area was also under development. There are none of the exotic animals like pandas any more. Many of the animals that were present stayed out of view. The food was pricey like the admission (but this is normal for such places).by yood [online] Available at: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/theme-parks-zoos-national/london-zoo/1034722/ [Accessed 8 November 2009] Disappointing Ive been many times and this time was the most disappointing. Too many areas seemed to be in the middle of refurbishment. Night zone was too dark couldnt see anything. I like meerkats, but they seemed to be everywhere. The outback was dismal showing a lack of ideas. As Ive said Ive been before and those visits were much better, I would still go again in the hope that things improve. To be honest Chester zoo is better. By munslowl [Online] Available at: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d187553-r36778432-London_Zoo-London_England.html [Accessed 8 November 2009]

Monday, August 19, 2019

How Diverse is B.E.T. :: essays research papers

The television and music industry is one of the main industries of today. I chose to research the company BET (Black Entertainment Television). BET is the number one black television network on television today and it is the only television show that does not have any white announcers or white based shows, everything is based on blacks and what is going on today in the lives of Black people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BET is a show for the ages and what I mean by that is that you will only ever hear about teenagers and young adults watching it, it is not a show that is centered around all age groups like MTV (Music Television). The people that BET is targeted towards are the group that is what makes the world go round.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But the problem with BET is that even though it targets the main age groups of the world, it only is targeted towards the black race and isn’t meant for whites. BET is not a very diverse company and they need to become one, but if they become more diverse they could actually loose the business they have now. It is the only show in the world that has no white television announcers and will not have any television shows that are white based and that would encourage white living.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  BET is one of those shows that plays all rap videos and goes around to the ghetto’s of the US and shows what life is really like outside of the yuppie lifestyle so many people think this world is like. It shows how things are and they shouldn’t change anything. If they changed the races they attracted then I believe they would loose money. BET is probably the only company that can get away with not being very diverse and still be successful. They will never be a diverse company and will never show diverse shows.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

To Dream Out Loud :: College Admissions Essays

To Dream Out Loud    is it the fear for losing freedom, or is it that the unripe fruit of idealism we begin with has finally become ripe? because it seems that the youthful starry-eyed liberalism fades. our fruit becomes rotten, stinking of uncaring, self-serving, change-fearing conservatism. precariousness becomes anathema. some keep out the fear of losing comfort. I hope I do. Lou Reed, face wrinkle-worn, still not-sings about a poor boy in New York, still refers to the Statue of Bigotry. but my father tolerantly smiles as I dream out loud as I try to believe that there is good in most as I talk about trying to make things better. he's cynically calling himself conservative as he pretends to dislike feminism and truly believes that people should want to help others. that people should not have to. that most people do not want to. my father is good, and sturdy. generous. stoic. he believes that I will gain wisdom with age   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (I will) and that I will come to think liberalism is misguided and overly hopeful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (I hope I won't.) my father is not an artist. he is a lawyer. he still struggles to help people but he has stopped believing they'll be grateful. his fruit of idealism has become rotten. where are the Romantics? the Transcendentalists? they've just turned 19 and are going to a college I can't afford. hair, jeans, love, and hope all fade. I respect my father, and I respect Lou Reed. I respect the freedom-loving hopeful criticizing words of Bob Dylan. my father still respects those too. perhaps the hope doesn't die; perhaps it is cloaked in the fear of losing what you've already gained. precarious youthful hope feeds off the youthful need for freedom-

Julius Caesar: Tragic Hero :: essays research papers

Tragic Hero Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sometimes our friends keep us from achieving our goals. We make sacrifices to make our friends a part of our goals and achievements. If a friend gets left out, we stay behind with them to keep them from being alone. Some achievements require us to leave out our friends. This is what happens in the case of Julius Caesar. He became the ruler of Rome, leaving out his good friend Brutus. Brutus and other conspirators assassinated Julius Caesar turning him into a tragic hero. A tragic hero must portray four main traits. The hero may neither be perfect nor ultimate evil, the audience must feel pity or fear for the hero, and must be a ruler or leader; good but with flaw. The hero must also come to recognition; from ignorance to knowledge. William Shakespeare identifies three tragic heroes throughout the play; Caesar, a great ruler who took advantage of his power; Brutus, a gullible noble Roman, and Rome. Julius Caesar was an honorable man, but with his power, came his corruption and greed in the eyes of Rome’s leaders. Several high political figures in Rome were becoming more and more discontent. Caesar’s friend Brutus tells Cassius, â€Å"[w]hat means this shouting?/I do fear the people choose Caesar for their king.† (24). Brutus and Cassius felt Caesar was gaining to much attention to quickly. With each amount of increasing support from the Romans, Caesar extended his use of power further. Brutus and the conspirators then go on about Caesar’s abuse of power: â€Å"Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus, and we petty men Walk under his huge legs and peep about To find ourselves dishonourable graves. Men at some time are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.† Cassius uses this line to persuade Brutus into joining him in a conspiracy against Caesar. To Cassius, Caesar was a gigantic Colossus walking all over the common people, ignoring the opinions and thoughts of the Roman people. His abuse of power leads to the discontent of several political figures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brutus was a kind noble man; however, he was very easy manipulated. This bad trait eventually molded Brutus into a tragic hero. Cassius tried to persuade Brutus by stating that: â€Å"Brutus and Caesar: what should be in that 'Caesar'? Why should that name be sounded more than yours? Write them together, yours is as fair a name;

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Mastertag: a Case Study

I. POINT OF VIEW Supply chain manager He ensures that their supply chain is efficient and cost-effective. A supply chain is the collection of steps that a company takes to transform raw components into the final product. Typically, supply chain managers are responsible in comprising the five stages of supply chain management: plan, develop, make, deliver, and return. II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM How should the management establish an efficient solution in producing exact number of tags that will be needed to meet and achieve the customer’s satisfaction and to avoid the shortage and excessive production of the plant tags? III. OBJECTIVES * To come up with a better solution for a achieving a match between supply of the producers and the demand of the consumers * To maintain and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the company * To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the supply chain management system of MasterTag * To implement a new style in producing tags that would enhance positive outcome to the company * To formulate action based on the chosen solution for the problem IV. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION * The demand of the consumers (seed companies) didn’t match the supply of the company because its supply chain is not effective * The company expects possible crop failures of the seed companies * The management of MasterTag planned to introduce new items of seed companies V. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION * Set a new supply chain management system by making a fairly large batch which would be produced and shipped directly to the growers instead of the seed companies. And later, when the grower results became available, a second batch would be produced using information from growers on how many additional tags are needed. The second batch would then be made and shipped to the growers. Pros: There will be an assurance of exact numbers of plant tags. They will not end up with millions of leftover tags. Cons: Time consuming process. There is a lot of process to take. * Deal and find a better consumer (seed companies) that will match the company’s supply. Look for a company that can satisfy the number of products of the supplier (MasterTag) Pros: The company will surely lessen the leftover of the plant tags. Cons: The company will find it hard to find seed companies that will match their supplies. There will be limited chances in having this option. At the same time, you have to allot time and effort. VI. RECOMMENDATION Based on the alternative courses of action, we think that the best alternative course is to set a new supply chain management system by making a fairly large batch which would be produced and shipped directly to the growers instead of the seed companies. And later, when the grower results became available, a second batch would be produced using information from growers on how many additional tags are needed. The second batch would then be made and shipped to the growers. In this case, although the action is said to be time consuming process, the company will achieve the consumer’s satisfaction because eventually, the supply and the demand will meet. The problem regarding the leftover and unused tags will be lessening. At the same time, the chosen action achieved organization’s established objectives and deliver effective performance not only for the company but also to the consumers. We consider the importance of supply chain management system which involves coordinating and integrating flows in both within and among companies. It is said that the ultimate goal of any effective supply chain management system is to reduce inventory (which is the main problem in this case study. ) VII. APPLICATION AND STEPS BEFORE AFTER

Friday, August 16, 2019

Salem Trials: A Lesson from History

Salem was taken from the word, â€Å"Jerusalem†, seat of Christianity. This is where Christ trudged on and lived a holy life but became ironically symbolized in America by people become crazy. It has gained notoriety due to cruelty that pervaded in 1692 in that village in Massachusetts. â€Å"Time is the Mother of Truth and Truth the Daughter of Time† (Hale), scholars have studied documents surrounding that incident in Salem. The truth was told through documented events of those fateful days when those innocent people were tagged as ‘witches’. The people of Salem acted on suspicion without substantial bases for accusing one hundred fifty villagers of a crime that is ‘witchcraft’. They have admitted to a mistake that was horrible, became a controversy for ages, and a lesson for humanity. (Hale) Several factors influenced the villagers to act in such frenzy: politics, religion, and hysteria. For lack of a strong leader who can effectively give direction to the people’s thinking, the incident went out of hand. Even the leaders themselves were controlled by the situation, perhaps, due to hidden interests as well. P. S. Nissenbaum) Internal bickering in the community is not exceptional for it also occurs in other New England communities at that time. Add to it a weak institution that can handle the population. They were claiming to see an apparition of the witches at their beds. (P. B. Nissenbaum) Having them hanged will not make any difference using that argument. The devil can harm them in whatever form us ing their kind of thinking. It is incomprehensible how individuals can be united to wreak havoc upon other individuals. People of such ignorance have been put together to teach humanity how extremism and stupidity can cause such a tragedy. The lives of the people who were innocent of a crime that is witchcraft which was not proven enough were put to waste due to the cruelty that beset upon them. They had to suffer in jail and have to go through torture because their co-villagers were obsessed with the idea of a devil that is lurking around their lives and is causing an illness which they do not understand. They used the words: â€Å"fits†, â€Å"odd postures†, â€Å"foolish, ridiculous speeches†, â€Å"distempers†, etc. o describe what are being manifested by the victims of witchcraft as they said. (P. S. Nissenbaum) One was seen crawling on the floor during an attack. (P. S. Nissenbaum) The symptoms that were being manifested by the said victims of witchcraft could be epilepsy. This illness has always been associated with demonic possession which can not be cured. The stig ma that can be brought upon the individual experiencing this can be enormous that it is convenient to blame it on somebody performing witchcraft upon him/her experiencing it. This can be genetic and in Salem during that time, having fifteen children in a family was the average. It is not negligible to note that this disease could be running in families. Not to mention the hysteria that came with it. Children were manipulated by adults to say things or even their musings were interpreted to mean according to how they wanted it to mean. (P. S. Nissenbaum) The colonies of England included Massachusetts which was under the laws that govern these colonies. In England, witchcraft was a capital crime as declared in 1641. Chronology of Events Relating to the Salem Witchcraft Trials) Anyone suspecting of witchcraft activities were hanged by the stake. The colonial village of Salem was a staunch believer of the Bible. They took to the letter every bit of the Scriptures. They have become extremists that they have forgotten that ‘love’ was taught by Christ primarily. The ministers who were at a loss in governing the villagers conveniently blame witchcraf t as the culprit in the disunity eminent among the folks. Disputes led the villagers to falsely accuse innocent citizens in response to the hysteria that pervaded them. The early ministers who led them were also blinded by their desire for territory. It was a difficult time for this colonial town. Land was getting scarce while families were becoming big. They work very hard on their farms only to be obliterated by blights. (P. S. Nissenbaum) Children were not allowed to play: girls were taught to spin yarn and help in the household while the boys were brought by the men to help them to hunt. They did not have the opportunity to play as normal children would. These children were deprived of the happiness of childhood. It is not surprising if they would deliberately act out abnormal behavior because opportunities to play were rare. It is possible that acting out those eccentricities was a form of ‘play’ for these deprived children. Their sense of awe and wonder were suppressed by the adults. Their words were twisted by the older ones to serve their purpose. (P. B. Nissenbaum) They lived at a time when there were no other forms of entertainment but chores. It was also a time for New England to be established. Institutionalizing law and order was especially difficult in this part of the colony. Political disputes were prevailing in terms of who would minister the community. They were like a flock in need of a shepherd. But the shepherds who should be taking care of them also have vested interests. They carry within them their wants and needs. The chronology of events is very telling about man’s desire for power and control. The judicial system was used and manipulated according to the whims of the judges. (Chronology of Events Relating to the Salem Witchcraft Trials) The humble investigation of John Hale speaks of how erroneous the system is in handling the cases in Salem. With all humility he explained that what transpired in Salem was a lesson learned for humanity. Quoting from the Scriptures, he reiterated that the innocent must not suffer. (Hale) The evidence against them was obviously weak based on spectral evidence that Governor Phipps opposed. (Chronology of Events Relating to the Salem Witchcraft Trials) He was able to save lives due to be hanged in the Gallows. After fourteen years, one of the accusers, Ann Putnam, publicly apologizes for her actions in 1692. The event in 1692 was very unfortunate for the people in Salem. Hysteria emanated in that village due to numerous factors. One would see how religious extremism can drive people to do harm towards others which are contrary to the teachings of religion. Greed and desire for power can attribute to people’s insensitivity and delusions. It was formally admitted as a mistake by the government of Massachusetts in 1957 (Chronology of Events Relating to the Salem Witchcraft Trials) and a good reminder for everyone of the cruelty that occurred centuries ago. This is a lesson learned which must be avoided. It is important that judicial system must be respected by honoring facts; biases must be avoided; and the right to be represented must be observed. Law and order are present for people’s protection. These should not be used to cause harm to a nation’s citizens. Leaders appointed are also responsible of the people’s safety. They must safeguard the lives entrusted them. It is important for them to ensure that due process must be served in the courts. This incident must never happen again.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Strategic Decision-Making

â€Å"Rational decision-making is an impossible ideal in strategy formulation and implementation due to incomplete information and organisational politics. † Strategy is formulated and implemented by organisations as a means of gaining competitive advantage and achieving organisational success. Frequent fast, widely supported, and high quality strategic decisions are the cornerstone of effective strategy (Eisenhardt, 1999 in Clegg et. Al, 2012). In today's world of borderless business, ever-evolving technology and rapid change, can these decisions be made rationally?Currently there are three main decision-making paradigms in the literature – rational decision-making, political decision-making and the garbage can model. Each paradigm frames the decision-making process differently and each will be discussed in turn in this essay. It will then be concluded that while rational decision-making is possible, it is only boundedly so due to incomplete information confounded by t he limitations of human cognition, particularly in the fast-paced business world of today.Furthermore, while people can be individually rational, collectively this is not the case (Eisenhardt ; Zbaracki, 1992) – as organisations are political systems, politics and power are often central to decision-making in the formulation and implementation of strategy. Rational decision-making Model According to the rational decision making model, clear goals and objectives are first identified and listed in order of importance. All the alternative courses of action associated with each objective are then identified and the consequences of each action are established.Consequences are assessed against the values and objectives pursued, with the course of action that best maximises these values being the one that is chosen. This logical step-by-step approach suggests that the outcome will be maximised. It also assumes the decision maker has complete knowledge of not only all possible altern atives, but also their consequences. For strategists who subscribe to this model of decision making, the organisation is seen as a rational bureaucracy where strategic planning is conducted by top management and organisational structure follows.This prescriptive view of decision-making has scientific principles at its core as decision makers are thought to be accurate and objective. Research, however, has shown that the decision-making process used by managers is not as straightforward or linear in nature. In fact, the assumptions underpinning the theory of omniscient rationality, while ‘strikingly simple and beautiful' (Simon, 1978), are fundamentally flawed. Although such an approach to strategy formulation may appear ideal in theory, it cannot be practised except for with relatively simple problems (Linblom, 1959).Limits of the cognitive capacity of humans, and on available information set definite limits on a manager's ability to be fully rational. In addition to this, oth er members of the organisation may disagree with the decision makers choice leading to power plays and politics. Whilst strategic decisions then, fall short of omniscience, they are not necessarily irrational. Rather, they are, and can only ever be, a bounded rationality. Cognitive biases of managers limit the applicability of the rational decision-making approach (Santos & Garcia, 2006).The organisational situation is framed by the decision makers who perceive an approximate model of the circumstances, choosing from a limited list of subjective alternatives. Some choices are given weight and others are relegated to the background, thus large segments of reality are out of focus (Feehan, 2013). Simon (1956) recognising the limits of comprehensive rationality, posited the concept of ‘satisficing', that members will choose the first alternative that is deemed to adequately meet the organisation's objectives rather than taking the time to survey all possible alternatives and find ing the optimal choice.This satisficing alternative will meet the minimal satisfactory requirements. Linblom's ‘Muddling Through' theory (1959) was one of the first to recognise the role of politics in strategic decision-making. Linblom refers to the comprehensive rational model mentioned above, as a ‘root' approach to decision-making where the process begins with the fundamentals, always starting from the ground up. This means-end analysis requires that values are clarified in advance of examining alternatives. He posits a ‘branch method' of incremental comparisons as a more suitable method for complex problems.Here, the decision-making process begins in the current situation, building out with incremental changes. Lindblom argues that the organisation and individuals may hold conflicting values which only become clear after the fact. A good outcome is therefore, not the optimal one but one that is agreed upon by all players. These theories highlight both the limi ts of rationality and the importance of context in strategic decision-making. Unlike many other decisions, strategic decisions are made in an organisational context where the reaction of the players affects the outcome.This view of organisations not as rational optimisers but ‘satisficers' resonates with the author's experiences. Having owned my own business I understand due to time constraints, working memory limits and finite funding levels, it is not possible to make decisions in a perfectly rational fashion. There will always be alternatives you (the organisation) had not considered, preferences you have that may be conflicting, and choices that cannot be made due to disagreements among stakeholders.This is not to say that the strategic decisions cannot be rational – they can but only boundedly so. It is important, in my view, to approach these significant and complex decisions in a systematic manner when possible. However in a dynamic world, where business is borde rless and technology is advancing at an ever increasing rate, I would question the utility of this approach. Context is key. Political decision-making model The political model of decision-making presents a compelling case against the possibility of perfect rationality in strategy formation and implementation.In fact, according to Clegg (2012, p. 267) the biggest enemy of rationality is the power and politics that are inscribed in every organisational decision. The division of an organisation into separate departments, encourages political activity between them as they compete for scarce resources (Pettigrew, 1973). Coalitions are formed around a perceived affinity of interests, with the ultimate aim being to accrue enough power to influence the decision-making process. It is out of this struggle for power that decisions emerge.Strategic decisions are particularly likely to stimulate political actions because they are complex, significant, and subject to uncertainty. There may be mu ch to gain/lose for each of the players from both a material and reputational point of view (Child, Elbanna ; Rodrigues, 2010). Take for example, an organisation such as a hospital. It is pluralistic in nature, often experiencing conflict between departments, staff subcultures and rifts between administrative staff and departments.Imagine as part of a cost containment strategy, it is decided after rational analysis, that the optimal alternative is to reduce wage costs by 20%. The highly paid consultants and lower paid floor staff will be pitted against each other, each protecting their own self-interests. The cost cutting strategy may have to be adapted in order to appease the players. As this example conveys, it is out of differences in self-interests that conflict rises (Eisenhardt ; Zbaracki, 1992). Research has consistently found organisational decision-making to be political in nature.A study of nine international corporations found that they were political systems comprised of a myriad of coalitions and groups (Quinn,1980 in Child et. al 2010). Pettigrew (1972) observed a scenario where established computer analysts conflicted with a newer team of analysts over which IT system their company should invest in. A member of the established coalition of analysts acted as gatekeeper, using his role to control the flow of information to top management whilst communicating negatively about his opponents ideas at the same time.This resulted in management deciding to take his advice. Another often cited example of the political decision-making model the Cuban Missile Crisis (Clegg et al 2011; Child et al 2010). Garbage Can Model The garbage can model of decision making offers an alternative insight into strategic decision-making in organisations. Here, the organisation is described as a loose collection of already-made solutions, waiting for new decision opportunities to be applied. Contrary to the assumptions of the rational model, decision making in these organi sed anarchies is not an orderly, linear process.The ambiguity is due to the radical instability of three premises – preferences, technology (know-how, techniques ; equipment) and participation. Decision-making occurs when the right problem arises and the right people are receptive to it's solution. These variables are coupled temporally, by chance, rather than consequentially by rational calculation (Rainey, Ronquillo & Avellaneda, 2010). The garbage can model differs from the rational and political models as it conveys the role of chance in the decision-making process.Decisions are not arrived at through boundedly rational analysis, nor are they negotiated by the interactions of coalitions. Instead, they are the random result of the convergence of problems and solutions at a particular point in time. This is not to say that this model is intended to replace rational decision-making, rather it's purpose is to supplement it (Rainey et. al 2010). Not all decision making situati ons are organised chaos, neither are they all rational. Many organisations in the public sector serve as examples of the garbage can model of decision-making.Many policy-making decisions for example, are imprecise and vague in nature with no defined goals attached. Participants in the public sector decision making process are prone to change – board members, consultants and even governmental parties are likely to change during the course of the decision-making process. Rational decision-making then, is problematic for making the predictions about the future preferences and consequences when formulating strategy. The human cognitive system will simply not allow us to consider all possible alternative solutions to any given problem.This assertion highlights the importance of brainstorming and group work in order to generate possible alternatives that we, ourselves, may not have thought of. Even taking this into account however, it is doubtful that an exhaustive list of all even tualities would be arrived at. Groupthink and politics are also likely to factor into the equation. Furthermore, even if rational decision-making were possible, it may not be even be the ideal. It does not allow for the input of emotional intelligence and ethical considerations which are often required in the decision-making process.How then can the business of today ensure they are making adequate decisions when formulating and implementing strategy? Organisational learning has been posited as an alternative view to organisations as decision-makers. Organisations are seen as learning by encoding inferences from experiences which are then used to direct behaviour (Levitt ; March, 1988). Organisations adapt to changes in the environment, storing data in it's repository to be drawn on later. References Clegg, S. , Carter, C. , Kornberger, M. amp; Schweitzer, J. (2011) Strategy: Theory & Practice. London : Sage. Child, J. Elbanna, S. & Rodrigues, S. . (2010). The Political Aspects of S trategic Decision Making. In: Nutt, P. C. & Wilson, D. C. Handbook of Decision Making. Sussex: Wiley. 105-138. Eisenhardt, K. M. & Zbaracki, M. J. (1992). Strategic Decision-making. Strategic Management Journal 13, pp. 17-37. Feehan, M. (2013) Organisation & Strategy Slides. IPA Moodle. Accessed on 21/01/2013. Levitt, B. & March, J.G. (1988). Organizational Learning Annual Review of Sociology. 14, pp. 319-340 Linblom, C. E. (1959). ‘The Science of Muddling Through. ‘ Public Administration Review 19 , 2. pp. 79-88. Pettigrew, A. M. (1973) The Politics of Organizational Decision Making. London: Tavistock Pettigrew, A. M. (1972) Information control as a power resource, Sociology, 6, 187–204. Santos, M.. V & Garcia, M. T. (2006) Managers’ opinions:reality or fiction. A narrative approach. Management Decision 44, 6. pp 752-770.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Book of the Courtier Essay

â€Å"Whatever character an individual has determines how successful the community he belongs to will be†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ these lines are indeed true with what the â€Å"Book of the Courtier† suggests. Authored by an Italian soldier, and a statesman attached to the court of the duke of Milan and later in the service of Duke Urbino, Baldassare Castiglione, the entire book dwells in a central theme which includes having graceful behavior, especially that of the impression of effortlessness or referred to by the book as â€Å"sprezzatura. † This series of four books deals so much on how an individual should train himself in discipline so as to be able to reach the best person he could in a way that he could contribute so much to his own community. In the case of this book, Castiliogne puts it in the personification of a perfect courtier. On the third book though, the story evolves on how a court lady should carry herself and thus be able to serve her master in a way that they will never have any point of despising her service. Being clever is quite a clear attitude pointed in this part of the book. In addition to this, the wide differences between male and female genders is shown with emphasis. One part of these series of stories talks about the individuality of each men as I may quote: â€Å"I don’t want to be like the man who stripped down to his shirt and then jumped a shorter distance than he had in his greatcoat. So as far as I am concerned it is very fortunate that the hour is late, because as there is little time I shall have to say far less, and not having given the matter any thought, I will be excusable and allowed to say without being censured all the things that come to my mind. And now in order not to have to carry the burden any longer, let me start by saying that to recognize true perfection in anything is so difficult as to be scarcely possible; and this because of the opinions vary. Thus there are many who like to hear someone talking a great deal and who will call him an agreeable companion. Some will prefer reticence; others an active and restless man; others one who always acts with calmness and deliberation; and so everyone praises or condemns according to his own opinion, always Importance Placed on Individual or Society Page #2 camouflaging a vice under the name of a corresponding virtue; or a virtue under the name of a corresponding vice. † This lines shows how individual opinions affect how one person chooses to conduct himself in front of the other people in his community. Sometimes held in hindrance to what he really likes to do, a person chooses to succumb to what his society considers to be right and acceptable. Yet some choose to stick to what they believe in and dares to be different in some ways thus facing the judgment of his community men regarding his rather different being. Indeed, however a man chooses to deal with his own life defending his own beliefs as such, it will strongly influence his society’s views on things. A real â€Å"perfect courtier† is referred to as someone who can direct his own way. Someone who would not allow his principles be cracked by people who aims to put his â€Å"service to his master† into a lower state of excellence. A real noble man is the one who can decide for himself. From the smallest detail of how he should dress to the most complicated issue of how he should deal with his life. He that continuously struggles for his goals toward aspiring people. Someone who is able to measure his accomplishments with those of other people is the one considered to be truly successful. Everything must occur in such a reasonable way and with purpose. It is very important for each and every one of us to continue on pursuing our own goals to attain self excellence. As Sydney Bremer says in his book Successful Achievements: â€Å"In the assurance of strength, there is strength, and they are the weakest, however strong, who have no faith in themselves or their powers. Men often conquer difficulties because they think they can. Their confidence in themselves inspires confidence in others†. This is indeed true specially in connection with the theme of the book of Castiglione. It is thus true that what a person does as a separate part of his community is directly linked to other people living with him. Man, as the very basic part of a certain society determines both the norms and the idealism a community considers to be true and acceptable. On the other hand, aiming for the best, as suggested by the ideas of Castiglione is concerned with how we embed ourselves with the positive traits that lead to self excellence and also eliminating negative characters which may Importance Placed on Individual or Society Page #3 hinder us from doing what we are supposed to reach as our aims in life. One of which is â€Å"sprezzatura† which was translated in the modern English as â€Å"recklessness†. It came from an Italian root-word â€Å"sprezza† meaning contempt, disdain, or scorn. Having such attitudes wouldn’t make any young courtier a successful one at that. On the contrary, it will just lead him to failure and distress. His goals of giving his best service will surely be a waste if he continues to cultivate this character in his everyday dealings. This is so much true even to an individual who strives to be the best in what he does. As a whole, as we could closely see, the â€Å"Book of the Courtier† shows so much emphasis on the kind of living of an individual person. From the positive traits he must posses to the negative attitudes he must omit from his system so as to be able to meet the goal of self excellence. Women also were given emphasis to have certain independence from the authority of men in some ways. Giving them the free will, freedom of speech and freedom in deciding for what they want with their lives. Yes, as this book has been set at a long time past in England, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t have any practical advise to the modern times we are presently living in today. Apparently, the contents of this book has a lot of advise enclosed for these generation which we are living in. As to what we could actually observe, many young people today lack the enthusiasm of actually establishing their own purpose in life. Sadly, only a few of the youth today endeavor to influence the community they are living in with positive contributions to the moral, spiritual, and even secular aspects of life in the society. Only a fewer percent of today’s population really strive for the aim of having self-excellence. Yes, sometimes, its not bad to be a bit perfectionist with ourselves. Knowing our limits of course, perfectionism usually lead us to self-excellence. As one saying implies : â€Å"Make perfection your aim and be satisfied with nothing less†. Yes, we must always remember to ask ourselves of what we ought to do as an individual, what we could improve on ourselves and thus be able to make a difference on the community we are living in. Not to be praised or to be renowned as a noble man, but to reach the reality of self-excellence. Sources: Castigliogne, Baldesar. The Book of The Courtier. Penguin Classics. 1967.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Food inquiry Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Food inquiry - Movie Review Example She always does the best editing job that will always be appealing to the public and she has edited the annual Best Food Writing series since the year 2000. She is the author of Frommer’s 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers. The last year 2012 review was her twelfth year of the Best Food Writing series and is an enjoyable anthology of all times. There were contributors like John T. Edge, an accomplished author, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, one of the most popular bloggers, amongst other several levels of notoriety. One can easily appreciate her writing styles and skills, the diversity of topics and sources that are incorporated in her collection which provides a rich, complete and captivating representation of the best food writing scenario. There are many pieces in the Best Food Writing that are from popular books like Tomato land, A Spoonful of Promises, An Everlasting Meal amongst others. She has also incorporated pieces from New York Times, popular food magazines like Food and Wine. There are also very interesting pieces from non-traditional food writing sources which are incorporated in her collection. There is a variety of contributions whose approach ranges from light-hearted to serious and part of these are Maureen O’Hagan’s topic of Childhood Obesity as she focuses on two obese teens, giving a clear perspective on junk food and effects of overeating among the population. Joel Stein writes hilarious food reflections and entertains as he reveals in his piece how he found his manhood through barbecue, Kevin Pang’s story of an upcoming chef, Brandon Baltzeley, who struggles with the addiction of cocaine, and David Leite writes about his thanksgiving baking catastrophes. This series has always included many online writers over the years into its page and giving credit as well as recognizing authors who mainly digitally publish their work. Pieces like those of