Organisational Structure Key terms Chain of command Essay

Chain of command – Line linking the top of the structure to the bottom workers Top to bottom Responsibility Accountability Horizontal – People on the same line, but usually in different departments. A span of control is the number of people one person is in charge of. Tall Hierarchal structures Those with a long chain of command Management communicate with those directly below them and further down the line. Example: Marks and Spencer, Next, they’re normally formal organisations. They are tall because there are a lot of people working for them. Advantages Clear chain of command Staff know where they stand They know who there boss is Chances of promotion They know there entitlements and rights Specialist departments Disadvantages Takes more time to make a decision Inflexible, people only know there area of work, and can’t cover for someone who is not in that works in another area. Information might get misinterpreted and distorted along the line of communication because there are so many links in the chain. Read more:Â  Walgreens Organizational Structure Matrix Structure Sometimes an organisation needs to run according to what projects they have to do. In these situations people usually work together in a team to achieve their projects goals. A person working on a project would have two bosses, the boss of the department that they work in and the leader or manager of the particular project that they are working on at the moment. A project may cover some or all of the organisations departmental areas. Senior manager heads a division or team of specialists drawn from different departments. A specialist (e.g. finance) can be part of a number of teams or divisions Advantages Promotes coordination between departments – cuts across departmental boundaries – flexibility and creativity Mixture of knowledge and skills Allows a range of staff to be involved which gives good experience. Disadvantages Confusion between managers who are dealing with a number of projects at one time Projects may be temporary Too many people involved to make decisions.

Your development and Environmental Influences

The personal development as a child had an impact of my social perception as an adult that provided me with a sense of awareness of culture. The family unit experienced at childhood provided a platform that interacted with siblings and a mother and father. The positive and negative relationships between siblings produced a challenging environment for social learning. The atmosphere was unbalance that could also be defined as fractured during the most intense interaction with family members. The relationships between my mother and father provided a stern perception of leadership and organization within the family unit (Winnicott, 2003). The perceived leadership and organization model my parents incorporated showcased my mother very unsocialable and connecting to her children. This in part relationship created an uneasy atmosphere that limited the social connectivity with outside members of the family. An ongoing challenge for development was to take what was not given as child into adulthood. The relationship with my mother was focusing on the bread and butter of survival. Those areas of focus were keeping food on the table and a place to call home – that did not include a social connection with her children. In doing so, the skills needed to learn how to connect and interpret behavioral trends were not development as a child. The language opportunity that normally begins during childhood didn’t offer much of advancement. Mainly, the reason for the limited language skills was due to my mother being raised in a small town that had limited resources or highly educated people. Therefore, the need to expand on learning strong language was not encourage or sought after to better the existence of her children. The relationship with my father was limited as well as to develop critical social identity development that he was hardly around. The limited interaction provided a sense of loss to self identity and the self concept due to no real foundation developed with my father. The relationship was not a consisted bridge between my mother and father because there was no parallel universe of social building towards their children. Instead, my father felt that my mother should lead and make the decisions of connecting with the children to present a hard approach at all times. My father would take the occasionally approach to put his foot down but were more interested in other matters that centered on his existence. The family unit experience was a major deficient in the social identity development needed for the growth of an individual. The interactions between family members instill the psycho-social-culture environment that translates adulthood. The limited social building relationships as a child provided my teenage years quite difficult due to trying to understanding the definition of the human being. The combination of the relationships between my families provided an incorrect prism of the actual world that was corrected as an older age approached. The fundamental basis of social rendering is the understanding of how our family structure is one out of many ingredients to defining who we really are as individuals. In addition, the family unit is important only on the basis for providing an identity to how adults and children interact that are genetic related. This biological relationship poses an in-depth psycho-social-culture awareness to making sure the trends, styles; perceptions are embedded in one’s mind. Moreover, the benefit of the family unit impression on a child is an opportunity to redefine one’s individual perception on other people as well as experiences (Winnicott, 2003). The developmental psychology stage is crucial to allowing the child to grow as an adult with the basis of the family unit influence, however, the experiences later on in life provides a chance to create a new reality. The stages of individual’s development that opens up a perception windfall to present a newer understanding to interpersonal skills – that encourages the needed growth for long-term achievement. The benefit of understanding the roles that our family units play in the beginning actually empowers us to being able to restructure later years of maturity. In reaching the plateau of achievement for social growth is the number of experiences that human beings encounter that has additional impact as the family unit. The overall focus of what our mother and father did not do is not as important as compared to allowing newer experiences to redirect our mindset. The core vision to be focused on is the ability to learn the lessons that our family unit as a child presented and provide a deeper psychology terminology that doesn’t limits the journey (Winnicott, 2003). The most influential groups that assisted in the growth of social developmental growth is the church, community organizations, school parenting groups of development, and toastmasters. The organizations provided an opportunity to grow as child, teenager, and later on as an adult that empowered my mindset. The benefits of associating with the organizations provided a sense of what is most important to human growth – that learning something new that is different than something is a good thing. The overall perception also allowed a chance to redefine what was shown and taught as a child to create a different observation. The experiences as an adult introduced new and exciting individuals that opened up a wonderful projection to what was true and not a false pretense. Furthermore, the connection of meeting new people and experiencing new episodes of life provided a wealth of new understanding. The final analysis is that the key is having the willingness to learning a new perspective of social interaction that nurtures one’s human growth.

Is Fashion Trivial?

Is Fashion Trivial? Malcolm Barnyard's book ‘Fashion as Communication' (Bernard, 1996) addresses the argument that fashion is trivial and is used to communicate and challenge issues. One of the topics which is discussed in this book is the topic of whether fashion is trivial' this was questioned by Elizabeth Wilson who said that â€Å"the idea that fashion and clothing are trivial pursuits is Just one popular prejudice† (Wilson, 1992). In her book she quoted a letter that was in the Guardian newspaper, which stated, â€Å"fashion s trivial and ridiculous and serious minds need not be detained by it† (Wilson, 1992).In Sharon Stellar article she says, â€Å"As civilized human beings, clothing is a requirement in order to be decent and presentable to the public. † (Sharon Stellar, August 2007) She argues that clothing does more to our body than Just covers us. â€Å"It has to ability to accentuate your figure, minimize your flaws, give you the image of either professionalism or slovenliness, convey your individuality, and make you feel your best. Sharon Stellar, August 2007) What Stellar is saying is that clothes or fashion isn't only there to Just conceal us but it is there to express ourselves, show outsiders our personality and to most importantly to feel good. However Anneal Frostier argues that without a doubt fashion is trivial, she states her own opinion that â€Å"Fashion seems to me the most ludicrous and, frankly, disgraceful thing – the whole â€Å"out with the old† thing and the waste appeals me. † (Daily Mail 2008) In a sense she is right, why should we throw away clothes after t goes out of season?Surely we buy clothes because we love the way the look or feel on us. However I do not agree with her that fashion is â€Å"ludicrous† and â€Å"disgraceful† Everything that we wear, whether it is a E top from Primary or a El 50 dress from Marc Jacobs, was designed for a reason. Many women, espe cially those in professional positions, see themselves as having no interaction with the fashion industry as they do not follow the latest trends. Nonetheless every item of clothing that they pick up and buy links them to the fashion industry.Somebody has designed the fabric, color and style specifically for that person, and that isn't something that should be ignored. If these people state that they don't follow fashion and think what they wear has nothing to do with the fashion industry, then they should be walking around naked. Personally I do not feel that fashion is trivial. Yes sometimes it can be annoying when we spend EYE on the latest cashmere cardiac, then two weeks later its already out of trend. But fashion like Elizabeth Wilson states is a way of communicating with the est. of the world; it shows others our personality and individuality.

Gynocentric Feminism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Gynocentric Feminism - Essay Example In the past years, women were excluded from important activities in the society and, therefore, were denied the ownership of certain rights such as the right to expression, participation, and education among others. Although women had the power to change the situation, they did not have the courage to exercise this power. Every woman has an erotic resource lying deep within them and the spiritual plane. This resource is rooted in the power of their unrecognized or unexpressed feeling. However, in order to perpetuate the resource, various male models of power that bring oppression must be distorted. This is because oppression suppresses the erotic resource of the women making them powerless in the society (Allen 166). Men have made women to believe that it is only the suppression of the women’s erotic resource, within their lives, that can truly make them strong. However, that belief is illusory because it is framed by the male models of power which only aims at taking the advantage of female existence. However, through gynocentric feminism approach, women have come to distrust the male models of power. They have discovered the potentials and possibilities that lie within themselves. Their erotic resource offers a provocative and replenishing force to a woman (Ptacek 12). It is a source of information and power that can help them to explore the world. It is also a measure between the beginning of a woman’s sense of self and the pandemonium of their strongest feelings. In addition, it is â€Å"an internal sense of satisfaction† where once a woman has experienced it, she gets to aspire. Furthermore, this measure can be well understood by observing the current public housekeepin g of the modern cities in America. The city departments, controlled by men, have snatched women, their responsibility as housekeepers. This has affected their sense of self and they no longer aspire to carry out their responsibilities as housekeepers.

Improving the public transportation in america Essay

Improving the public transportation in america - Essay Example The public transportation system is currently one of the leading systems in the world. In fact, with the exception of a few countries, the United States has the most intelligent infrastructure for transportation in the world. With that said, the cost for maintaining this system is exceptionally higher than the cost for like nations. Such an expansive public transportation system means that there is a substantial consumption of energy to maintain the system (Achs, 1991). For the most prominent means of transportation i.e. the public bus, this means that the U.S. is putting out a large carbon foot print due to its use of gasoline. On the other hand, there are other sources of transportation such as the subway and railway systems that allow people to use trains and electrical energy for transportation. Unfortunately, only cities with enough funding for such projects have efficient transportation structures. This is unfortunate because the cities where there are high levels of poverty, t hey can’t afford to supply transportation routes to those who would most benefit from it (Achs, 1991). This strikes at the core of the theoretical underpinnings of the public transportation system. While some believe that it is critical to the elimination of traffic congestion, others believe it functions as a welfare system that allows the less fortunate to access cheap forms of transportation. Another problem facing the transportation industry is the fact that there are little public transportation systems that cross state boundaries (Roth, 2008). This is important for individuals living in border zones where they reside in one state and work in another. This could be extremely beneficial to both economies but the states are unable to capitalize on the transportation systems. Finally, transportation systems lack the logistical infrastructure that promotes the most efficient routes (Barletta,

Divorce and Remarriages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Divorce and Remarriages - Essay Example For the divorce option to be accepted the church need to consider the divorce’s ground according to scriptures. The main grounds for divorce according to the New Testament are on either desertion by an unbeliever or sexual sin features (Adams 1986, p.24).   These features comprise of sexual sin like homosexuality, incest, bestiality and adultery. In the case one of the partners violates the intimacy and unity of marriage by any of the sexual sins, thereby forsaking the covenant responsibility the faithful member is left in a very difficult situation. Under such condition, the bible permits the release of the faithful partner via divorce. After divorce has occurred the faithful partner is free to remarry if at all the divorce took place on biblical grounds. However, in case of people divorce on other grounds, they have sinned against both their partners and God. In mark 10:11-12, if these partners remarry, they will be considered to have committed an act of adultery. Paul made an explanation for this and proposed any person who divorces sinfully should remain unmarried for the rest of their life unless either of them reconciles with her or his partner (Cherlin 1992, p.54). The Jesus’ teachings on the issues of divorce should be read repeatedly in both the church and at home. It should be done in every part of the world in the essence of spreading the gospel. The society has witnessed an increase in the number of remarriages and divorces in the present days. The main reason of this problem facing the society is that people tend to ignore the instructions that are provided in the bible. Some people also tend to listen to what other men think about the teachings of Jesus rather that reading for themselves in the bible (House & Laney 1990, p.76).  

Public international law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Public international law - Essay Example paramount international law of the states in the recent phenomenon, the traditional concept of PIL has emerged by incorporating varied types of issues along with a broader scope of development activities1. In relation to the modern concept of PIL, the states across the global nations have a number of legal responsibilities to intervene and prevent war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing along with crimes against humanity2. Therefore, in keeping with the modern concept of PIL along with the legal responsibilities of the sovereign-states, the primary objective of this essay is to critically evaluate whether all States have adequate legal responsibility to assist insurrectional measures threatening to overthrow genocidal governments. The responsibility of protecting population from war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity involves the prevention of such in-humanitarian practices through effective and appropriate means. In this context, each individual State within the international community should inspire and support the other States to exercise the accountability and support the United Nations to enhance its early warning capability3. In relation to the agreed proposal of building crime free environment, the States from the global nations are obligated to comply with the international law along with demonstrating their commitment to promote peace and development in each State. In order to evaluate the responsibility of the States to support insurrectional movement, it is highly essential to understand the concept of sound responsibility and what it entails. With respect to the notion of PIL, protecting individuals from genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity is the key responsibility for the States. With regard to the concept of sound responsibility, the doctrine generally entails three major activities of the States. Firstly, the laid down activity includes ensuring that the population under the strong jurisdiction of the

Choose one promt to write about Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choose one promt to write about - Essay Example The shrink convinces the mother that she is in danger from her husband who wants to kill her and therefore, must leave him before she gets killed. The mother and son’s living arrangements were decided by the psychologist, the mother was to stay at a motel while her son stays with her shrink’s family. The doctor manipulated the main characters in the story for them to be live lasciviously and become dependent on drugs, limiting their developments in life. The mother had an illicit affair with a female friend while the son had sexual relationship with a male patient of the doctor. After so many struggles, the mother finally had her works published and was starting to stand strong however, she found out that she was deceived by her own doctor with the money her husband sent to support their son. Consequently, she stayed away from her shrink while his son went away from her to start his own new life. The aforementioned film exemplifies the making and breaking of a mother an d son relationship which this paper will further discuss, expounding on how relationships are developed and destroyed. Relationships are very important because as social beings, people cannot avoid building relationships. More importantly, family relationships are valuable to every human being because it is in the family that basic principles about relationships are established. In the film Running with Scissors, the relationship of the mother and son was initially good. The mother was adored by her son because she has shown how much she cared for the child and the mother in turn loved and cared for her son. However, the mother and son did not quite have a good relationship with the workaholic husband and father although this seemed to draw the two together as confidants and allies. The boy grew to empathize with his mother as the abused partner so that he did little things such as preparing tea to serve her mother and show his fidelity and care. The mother influenced her son even f urther by sharing with him her every dream and involving him with her plans (Murphy). The relationship of the mother and son is obviously good in the beginning because the mother worked hard to maintain good communication between them despite their circumstance with the father. The mother shared her career plans with her son which might have been good for his learning. The son in turn looked up to her mother. The two became encouragements to each other even during tough times. As a result, they formed a strong bond. When the mother and father fought in front of the boy and the father was knocked off and fainted as he attacked his wife, the father was never seen as a victim in the eyes of the son. Instead, of getting shocked with how the mother spoke against her husband, the son instead feared for his mother’s life than his father (Murphy). This only shows how he supported and protected his mother as a result of the relationship that they formed. On the contrary, the relations hip of the mother and child could also be considered not very normal, at least on the part of the child. The mother sharing her problems with her son at a very tender age somehow made the child feel the strain that she was going through. Therefore, the son did not have a normal childhood. Instead, he seemed to have grown extremely emotionally attached to the woman so that he imitated her in most of her actions, including how she dreamily delivered her speeches. As the

OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT - Assignment Example The various elements of its (Tesco’s) corporate strategy, and their bearing on the numerous aspects of the organisation’s vast enterprise, will be analysed, with a view to determining the nature of the relationship. An attempt will also be made to identify/evaluate possible areas of improvement in the organisation’s operations management; in addition, the ways in which Tesco’s operations add value to the delivery of its products/services will be explained. Corporate Strategy is essentially the long-term direction of an organisation. As a global mogul in the retail business, Tesco has a long-term business strategy of: (a) succeeding as an international retailer, (b) being as strong in food as in no-food business, (c) development of its retail services, (d) growth of its core UK business, (e) putting the community at the heart of its activities. In line with its organisational strategy of success as an international retailer, Tesco has imbibed a Facilities culture that reflects this aspiration. Ideally, organisational business activities should integrate the needs of people (customers and staff), machinery and material to provide a smoothly-functioning system. Tesco’s introduction of Tesco Link, giving its suppliers access to in-store sales and stock availability data, exemplifies this concept (the logistical underpinnings of a smooth flow of materials/goods from the suppliers through Tesco to the consumers, are obvious). This is further enhanced by the Capacity management efforts of Tesco, whereby it utilises an online delivery system to replenish its stores thrice daily, to achieve (in addition to meeting customer needs and the activity-level needs of staff) shorter lead-time in the supply chain and lower inventories (Case Studies From Tesco HSC, 2010). This, the source further notes, has helped the organisation ac hieve improved product availability and a boost in its labour productivity. There is a connection in the context of obvious benefits to

Training for Excellence at Wegman's Food Markets Essay

Training for Excellence at Wegman's Food Markets - Essay Example It has consistently appeared in Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work for, since Fortune started compiling it. The question now is how Wegmans can improve its training system better, so that it does not only measure store sales, but also evaluate changes in employee reaction, learning, and behaviour, as well as changes in results that pertain to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Problem Statements Challenge 1: The inclusion of new measures in assessing training effectiveness: â€Å"Wegmans measures the success of its training based on whether a store’s sales are growing.† Challenge 2: Changing the training process to include approaches that will be effective in influencing the new measures of training effectiveness: â€Å"Wegmans uses a blended approach to training, combining classroom sessions with on-the-job learning.† Challenge 3: Understanding the connection between employee satisfaction and delivery of services that result to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, because customer satisfaction and customer loyalty can also impact organisational succcess: â€Å"This vision of training assumes that people who understand what they are selling and who care about customers will naturally be able to sell by providing value to the customers...† Solutions Solution 1: It would be useful for Wegmans to expand the results it measures. At present, it only measures training effectiveness through store sales. In order to remain competitive, it must have a human resource (HR) strategy that fits its organisational strategy, and it can do so by doing its training differently from other supermarket chains and competitors (i.e. substitutes that do not directly compete with Wegmans, such as farmers that directly sell their goods at residential subdivisions). A different kind of training will need a different set of measures, so that the training process can improve the connection between positive reaction and learning t o behavioural changes, and results. In Ibrahim’s 2004 study on training effectiveness for 94 trainees, findings showed that the training program resulted to positive reactions and improvement in trainee’s knowledge and skills. This study has not established a direct link between positive reactions and employee and organisational performance, but it does suggest a potential relationship between training reaction and knowledge and skills development. Giangreco, Sebastiano, and Peccei (2009) suggest the importance of training reaction to training usefulness. Thus, it will also be fruitful for Wegmans to measure training reaction and learning, aside from its usual focus on the effect of training on store sales, so that it can enhance its training effectiveness. Solution 2: Changing the training process to include approaches that will be effective in influencing new measures of training effectiveness can also improve training strategy at Wegmans. At present, â€Å"Wegmans uses a blended approach to training, combining classroom sessions with on-the-job learning.† This means that Wegmans predominantly uses apprenticeship training. In order to identity additional training methods, it is important to conduct training needs analysis for both shop-level employees and management. The two main ways that can be used to analyse training needs are task analysis and performance analysis. Task analysis will focus on the kind and frequency of tasks performed, as well as where and how they can best be learned. Performance analysis will be conducted

Effective Administration Essay Example for Free

Effective Administration Essay Outline the ways in which the Director of Administration and Corporate services and her team can ensure they provides an effective administration service to achieve Accent’s ‘commitment to excellence.’ For the existence and survival of any business it is pertinent to have visions, set objectives and create strategies to achieve these objectives. Because business objectives are long term and in continuum, a machinery is required to design and implement these plans, this is known as administration. Mullins (2007:414 ) defines administration as† a key part of management process that is responsible for the design and implementation of systems and procedures instigated by management to help meet stated objectives†. Structure of the Business (ACCENT HOTEL GROUP) The business runs a chain of seven hotels in major cities and airports. These hotels include 3 and 4 star hotels. It has 8 directors on its board and Daniel Rycaart the founder also as the CEO. Each hotel runs a semi-autonomous strategic business unit and is headed by a General Manager. All the SBUs report directly to CEO. The units headed by the directors: -Administration and corporate service (includes IT) -Finance -Hospitality and hotel services -Human Resources -Legal Service (company Secretary) -Operations and conferences -Risk Management -Sales and Marketing The hotels together offer accommodation to about 800 guests and employ about 800 staff. As part of its commitment to excellence and the provision of a quality experience for all guests, the hotels offers service which include: -Conference suites for day delegates and function rooms for wedding receptions and parties -Evening entertainment in the bar -Indoor heated swimming pool -Leisure centre (gym, sauna, spas, etc for residents and members) -Outdoor terrace -Two bars (one of which offer 24 hour bar meals) -Two restaurants with top chefs (a la carte and self service buffet style) Due to the CEO Vision and business strategy, aiming to achieve ‘100% occupancy all year round was achieved by 40% increase in gross profits in the last four years, due to the group’s ‘commitment to excellence, ‘which has been underpinned by a number of strategic initiatives, stated below; Culture The Group’s culture has ‘changed’ with the introduction of a new management philosophy which sees everyone’s contribution (not just those managing the hotels) as key to its success. This more ‘inclusive’ culture gave all staff an opportunity to input into the Group’s critical success factors and key performance indicators (KPIs). These include: Commitment to excellence via quality, standards of performance and customer service Terms and conditions of employment Outsourcing and in-house services Health, safety and hygiene Occupancy Sales and marketing Ensuring that KPI were written into their business and operational plans and objectives were set and met accordingly would ensure that the organizations visions and strategies were communicated and understood from top to bottom through the organization. Learning and Development The Group’s commitment to being a ‘learning organisation’ and maintaining the status of an ‘Investor in People’ included the setting up of a new Learning  and Development Unit. A learning organisation as defined by Peter Senge (1990) are organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free, and where people are continually learning to see the whole together. The organisation’s commitment to being a learning organisation will ensure that the learning and development needs of the employees were in line with the business objectives of the organization. Performance Management A report, commissioned by Daniel, identified a number of inconsistencies with the outdated performance appraisal system, including the fact that reviews weren’t taking place at regular intervals, individual objectives weren’t linked to strategic, business and operational plans and some employees (including waiters, porters, chamber personnel and seasonal and casual staff) were not as adept at identifying their own learning and development needs. Performance management entails planning. Organizational overall performance depends on achieving outcomes identified by the planning process. Commitment to Excellence Daniel’s vision ‘commitment to excellence’ is the flagship behind the group’s success. However, with the new culture of ‘team work’ and ‘openness’, Daniel is striving to improve on the already successful ‘quality culture’. Daniels has asked for suggestions and ideas from both managers and staff on how service quality and performance could be improved. By linking the results of the internal feedback to performance management and identification of learning needs will further improve the successful quality culture through continuous improvement. Standard Operating Procedures In January 2005, a new set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were introduced to support the new culture, specific operational activities and good planning and control within the Group. The SOPs developed included: _ administrative management _ corporate governance _ customer satisfaction _ knowledge management _ outsourcing Daniel’s vision of ‘a commitment to excellence and the provision of a quality experience for all guests’ could be achieved through effective administration, this could be provided through the provision of systems, procedures, services and resources to support the business. This effectively will be determined on how effective the administrative management system in place is. â€Å"Administrative management can be defined as the effective and efficient management of the administration function and associated processes that support the organization in the achievement of its day-to-day business activities, objectives and strategies†. (Study Guide, p.49) Fayol’s theory on five function of management can also be used by the group in its strive to achieve its visions: 1. Forecasting and planning: This is analysing the future and drawing a course of action to achieve set goals and objectives. Developing administrative objectives and goals, keeping abreast with new development in external environment, determine human resource requirement for the functions and developing administrative budget. 2. Organising: It is the management function of ensuring that all roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. All skill level and training requirements are adequately in place. 3. Directing: This as an administrative function entails commanding to ensure that organizations’ tasks are carried out efficiently and effectively. 4. Coordinating: This is a very important part of management, it entails that all the resources of the organization are aligned to ensure that input, processing and output functions are supported. It is very important to ensure effectiveness and efficiency. 5. Controlling: Control is an integral part of planning process and involve measuring and correcting the performance of organizational objectives and plans, to ensure that they are implemented efficiently and effectively, within set timescales and  allocated resources (Fayol (1916) cited in study, p151). In conclusion, the onus is on the director of administration and corporate services to ensure achievement of the group’s success in its commitment to excellence through cohesiveness, planning, control and coordination of organization activities through effective management skills and administrative management. PART B In order to achieve ‘commitment to excellence’ and continually improve their business practices and services, organizations must put in place sound business strategies that must be flexible in nature so as to be compatible with the challenges and dictates of the business environment. This forces within the environment in which businesses operate have created the need for organisations to be effective and efficient in their resource allocation and administrative measures, thus; the quest for business excellence. Continuous improvement is an ongoing effort to improve products, services or processes. These efforts can seek â€Å"incremental† improvement over time or â€Å"breakthrough† improvement all at once. Continuous Improvement is a strategic approach to driving a cost competitive method for meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Regardless of customer needs, competition, or business challenges, a well executed continuous improvement program can ensure the success of any organization Different models can be used to illustrate and evaluate how organizations can achieve commitment to excellence and continually improve their business practices and services. Some of the widely used tools are identified below: Peters’ and Waterman’s Eight Attributes of Excellence Peters and Waterman in their submission in 1982 looked at some of the best-managed companies in the United States and found that they had a lot of things in common. They compiled a list of eight qualities that they believed to be present in the companies. Although not all eight were present in every company, these qualities regularly stood out. †¢A Bias for Action: Company gets things done; increases knowledge, interest, and commitments. †¢Close to the Customer: Customer satisfaction is very important throughout all the roles that the business plays. †¢Autonomy and Entrepreneurship: Encourage risk taking and innovation. †¢Productivity Through People: Everyone is respectful and enthusiastic towards each other. This creates an atmosphere that enables good work. †¢Hands-on, Value-Driven: Company philosophy and values are discussed openly. Leaders in the organization are also positive role models. †¢Stick to the Knitting: Company focuses on doing what it does best. †¢Simple Form, Lean Staff: Authority is shared as much as possible between the employees. †¢Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties: Good planning and controlling that still allows for worker autonomy and a less rigid atmosphere. Source: Kreitner (1992) However, organisations should be weary to consider these principles during strategy formulation as against the view that they are solutions to business problems EFQM Business Excellence Model This model was developed in 1992 by the European Foundation for Quality Management. . According to this body; Organisations can proactively identify areas of strengths and weakness which is allowed through a process of self development and in order to sustain this improvement planning and evaluation has to be continuous. The model focuses on the key elements that sustain business excellence, five of which are enablers (what the organisation does) and four of which are results (what an organisation achieves). The model gives equal emphasis to enablers and result. The five enablers are: Leadership People Policy and strategy Partnership and resources Processes. The four areas focusing on results are: People Customers Society Key performance Source:http://www.ims-productivity.com/page.cfm/content/EFQM-Business-Excellence-Model/ Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle Another tools for continuous improvement is the PDCA cycle. This cycle is a four-step quality mode which aims at achieving continuous improvement by identifying opportunities for change and planning for them, followed by actual implementation, monitoring and re-evaluation. This model is also known as Deming Cycle: †¢Plan: This entails identifying an opportunity and planning for change. †¢Do: This involves implementing the change on a small scale. †¢Check: This requires the use data to analyze the results of the change and determine the impact and effect it has had and whether it made a difference. †¢Act: This entails determining if the change was successful, and if yes, it is implemented on a wider scale and continuously assessment of results. However, if the change did not work, the cycle will begin. Six Sigma Another model that can be used in the evaluation of how businesses can achieve continuous improvement is the Six Sigma Model. This model or technique sees tasks as processes that can be defined, measured, analyzed, improved and controlled. All tasks will have inputs and produce outputs. By controlling the inputs, the outputs would have been effectively controlled. This process or model of continuous improvement emphasizes prevention of errors or variation in quality and standards over detection of them. It drives customer satisfaction and achievement of objectives by minimizing variation in quality and waste, with a view of earning competitive advantage. In conclusion, a review of the models above shows that they are all focused on the efforts to improve products, services and or processes with the aim reducing variations and waste. There is an emphasis on inputs, processes and outputs as well as continuous planning and re-evaluation. The Continuous Improvement Model allows organizations to make incremental change to existing processes, adopt new ways to improve and measure productivity and control, discontinue activity that adds no value and increase emphasis and  focus on the organization’s mission and objectives. Getting a continuous improvement environment institutionalized takes Executive Level support. A collaborative team approach inspires workers to make the extra effort and strive to do what is beneficial for the company and in line with management objectives. Management and administrators work with employees to implement change and ensure standards are in place and controls are functioning to optimize productivity while managing cost. REFERENCES David, B. and John, D. (1999) Understanding Learning At work. Routledge. Kreitner, R. (1992). Management. 5th Edition. Geneva: Houghton Mifflin. McLean, J.E. (2005). Contemporary issues In Administration And Management, International Study Guide. MDP (UK) Ltd. http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/continuous-improvement/overview/overview.html http://www.ims-productivity.com/page.cfm/content/EFQM-Business-Excellence-Model/ Senge, P (1992). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Century Business

Mental and Behavioral Health Services Essay Example for Free

Mental and Behavioral Health Services Essay While the future of Mental and Behavioral Health Services continue to strive through many striving goals to develop continuous practices, treatments, evaluations, policies, and research, advancements are taking place to better the future of this program and its outreach to the people. Mental disorders are common in the United States and internationally. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older — about one in four adults — suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.1 When applied to the 2004 U.S. Census residential population estimate for ages 18 and older, this figure translated to 57.7 million people.2 Even though mental disorders are common in the population, the main load of illness is concentrated in a much smaller proportion — about 6 percent, or 1 in 17 — who are suffering from a serious mental illness.1 In addition, mental disorders are the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and Canada.3 Many people suffer from mo re than one mental disorder at a given time. Roughly, 45 percent of those with any mental disorder meet the criteria for being strongly related to having 2 or more disorders.1 Awareness of having a disorder is very uncommon in the U.S. DEFINED FUTURE PROBLEMS Behavioral health is a state of mental/emotional being and/or choices and actions that affect wellness. Substance abuse and misuse are one set of behavioral health problems. Others include, but are not limited to, serious psychological distress, suicide, and mental illness (4. SAMHSA, 2011). Many of these problems are far-reaching and take a toll on individuals, their families and communities, and the broader society. Research allows us to get a better picture of what the future looks like and what people need to be continuing to do and improve on. By looking over research, statistics predict that by 2020, mental and substance use disorders will exceed all physical diseases as a major cause of disability worldwide. The annual total estimated societal cost of substance abuse in the United States is $510.8 billion, with an estimated 23.5 million Americans aged 12 and older needing treatment for substance use. Along with that, every year almost 5,000 people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking and more than 34,000 Americans die every year as a result of suicide, almost one every 15 minutes. Also, Half of all lifetime cases of mental and substance use disorders begin by age 14 and three-fourths by age 24—in 2008, an estimated 9.8 million adults in the U.S. had a serious mental illness. The health and wellness of individuals in America are jeopardized and the unnecessary costs to society flow across Americas communities, schools, businesses, prisons jails, and healthcare delivery systems. Many programs and services are working together to minimize the impact of substance abuse and mental illnesses on America’s communities. Many practitioners have a very deep understanding approach to behavioral health and perceive prevention as part of an overall continuum of care. The Behavioral Health Continuum of Care Model helps us recognize that there are multiple opportunities for addressing behavioral health problems and disorders based on the Mental Health Intervention Spectrum, first introduced in a 1994 Institute of Medicine report, the model includes these components: ( It is important to keep in mind that interventions do not always fit neatly into one category or another) * Promotion: These strategies are designed to create environments and conditions that support behavioral health and the ability of individuals to withstand challenges. Promotion strategies also reinforce the entire continuum of behavioral health services. * Prevention: Delivered prior to the onset of a disorder, these interventions are intended to prevent or reduce the risk of developing a behavioral health problem, such as underage alcohol use, prescription drug misuse and abuse, and illicit drug use. * Treatment: These services are for people diagnosed with a substance use or other behavioral health disorder. * Maintenance: These services support individuals’ compliance with long-term treatment and aftercare. Two strategies for promoting the more important and most effective openings in having access to mental and behavioral health services include providing education to reach the public, and the prevention and early intervention matters intertwining with the Continuum model components of treatment and maintenance. 7 The New Freedom Commission Report and Surgeon General’s Report both emphasized the importance of changing public attitudes to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness. Advocates for the mentally ill identify stigma and discrimination as major impediments to treatment. Stigma prevents individuals from acknowledging these conditions and erodes public confidence that mental disorders are treatable. A plurality of Americans believe that mental illnesses are just like any other illness; however, 25 percent of survey respondents would not welcome into their neighborhoods facilities that treat or house people with mental illnesses, suggesting that some level of lingering stigma persists.8 Sixty-one percent of Americans think that people with schizophrenia are likely to be dangerous to others9 despite research suggesting that these individuals are rarely violent.10 With that being said, the media plays a large role in shaping how the youth think and behave from many of the messages kids receive from television, music, magazines, billboards, and the Internet use. However, the media can be used to encourage positive behaviors as well. Four evidence based communication and education prevention approaches are through public education, social marketing, media advocacy, and media literacy that can be used to â€Å"influence community norms, increase public awareness, and attract community support for a variety of prevention issues† (SAMHSA). Public education is usually the most common strategy and is an effective way to show support to the development and success of programs and increase awareness about new or existing laws, publicizing a community based program, and reinforce instruction taught in schools or community based organizations. Through social marketing, practitioners use advertising philosophies to change social norms and promote healthy behaviors. Social marketing campaigns do more than just provide information and tries to convince people to adopt a new behavior by showing them a benefit they will receive in return.11 Social marketing campaigns are being used in a variety of social services and public health settings. Media advocacy involves shaping the way social issues are discussed in the media to build support for changes in public policy. By working directly with local newspapers, television, and radio to change both the amount of coverage the media provide and the content of that coverage, media advocates hope to influence the way people talk and think about a social or public policy12. Media literacy is a newer communications strategy aimed at teaching young people critical-viewing skills. Media literacy programs teach kids how to analyze and understand the media messages they encounter so they can better understand what they’re really being asked to do and think. Inferences about a program effectiveness relies on three things: (1) measures of key constructs, such as risk and protective factors or processes, symptoms, disorders, or other outcomes, and program implementation, fidelity, or participation; (2) a study design that determines which participants are being examined, how and when they will be assessed, and what interventions they will receive; and (3) statistical analyses that model how those given an intervention differ on outcomes compared with those in a comparison condition 19 In the past, practitioners and researchers saw substance abuse prevention different from the prevention of other behavioral health problems. But evidence indicates that the populations are significantly affected by these overlapping problems as well as factors that contribute to these problems. Therefore, improvements in one area usually have direct impacts on the other. According to the Substance Abuse and National Health Services Administration, not all people or populations are at the same risk of developing behavioral health problems. Many young people have more than one behavioral disorder. These disorders can interact and contribute to the presence of other disorders. Besides extensive research documenting strong relations between multiple problems, it’s not always clear what leads to what. Mental and physical health is also connected. Good mental health often contributes to good physical health. In the same way, the presence of mental health disorders, including substance abuse and dependence, is often associated with physical health disorders as well (OConnell, 2009). One major advancement that has been recently made is from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, adding a new search feature to its National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) Web site. The feature allows users to identify NREPP interventions that have been evaluated in comparative effectiveness research studies. Both the Obama Administration and the U.S. Congress have championed additional investments in comparative effectiveness research to enhance public understanding about which healthcare interventions are most effective in different circumstances and with different patients. The new NREPP feature can provide added information for States and communities seeking to determine which mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment interventions may best address their needs. The Surgeon General’s notes that â€Å"effective interventions help people to understand that mental disorders are not character flaws but are legitimate illnesses that respond to specific treatments, just as other health conditions respond to medical interventions.† (7) The two major influences that are targeted upon are risk and protective factors. According to SAMHSAs levels of risk and interventions, some risk factors are causal; others act as â€Å"proxies†, or markers of an underlying problem. Some risk and protective factors, such as gender and ethnicity, are fixed, meaning they don’t change over time. Other risk and protective factors are considered variable: these can change over time. Variable risk factors include income level, peer group, and employment status. Many factors influence a person’s likeliness to develop a substance abuse or related behavioral health problem. Effective prevention focuses on reducing those risk factors, and str engthening those protective factors, that are most closely related to the problem being addressed. Taken into consideration that preventive interventions are most effective when they are appropriately matched to their target population’s level of risk, The Institute of Medicine defines three broad types of prevention interventions, universal, selective, and indicated. Universal preventive interventions take the broadest approach, targeting â€Å"the general public or a whole population that has not been identified on the basis of individual risk† (OConnell, 2009). Universal prevention interventions might target schools, whole communities, or workplaces. Selective preventive interventions target â€Å"individuals or a population sub-group whose risk of developing mental disorders [or substance abuse disorders] is significantly higher than average†, prior to the diagnosis of a disorder (5. OConnell, 2009). Selective interventions target biological, psychological, or social risk factors that are more prominent among high-risk groups than among the wider population. Indicated preventive interventions target â€Å"high-risk individuals who are identified as having minimal but detectable signs or symptoms foreshadowing mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder† prior to the diagnosis of a disorder (6. IOM, 2009). Interventions focus on the immediate risk and protective factors present in the environments surrounding individuals. A more harsher or serious way of approaching prevention is through policy adoption and enforcement. Policy can be broadly defined as â€Å"standards for behavior that are formalized to some degree (that is, written) and embodied in rules, regulations, and procedures.†13 In order to work, these standards must reflect the accepted norms and intentions of a particular community. There are six major types of policy SAMHSA uses to prevent alcohol and other drug use through economic policies, restrictions on access and availability, restrictions on location and density, deterrence, restricting use, and limiting the marketing of alcohol products. Policy can be an effective prevention strategy—as long as the laws and regulations you put in place are consistent with community norms and beliefs about the â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"wrongness† of the behavior you want to legislate14. â€Å"The key to effective enforcement is visibility: People need to see that substance use prevention is a community priority and that violations of related laws and regulations will not be tolerated.† 6 Strategies that we use today for Enforcement are through surveillance, community policing, having incentives, and penalties, fines, and detentions. There have been many areas of progress in preventive intervention research since the 1994 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders: Frontiers for Preventive Intervention Research. Experimental research has greatly improved mainly due to the advances in the methodological approaches applied to intervention research. For a range of outcomes, while the different types of intervention research has increased, so has the number of studies providing economic analyses in the costs and benefits of these interventions. As the 2001 U.S. Surgeon General’s report on children’s mental health indicated, there is a current need for improved and expanded mental health services for children and adolescents (15). There is a greater need for greater access to a variety of mental health services for children including both medication for emotional or behavioral difficulties and treatments other than medication. Recent research studies have documented the increased use of psychotropic medications (16). Less is known, though, about the use of nonmedication treatments for the emotional and behavioral difficulties of U.S. children. These treatments may include community-based services such as behavioral and family therapy provided by mental health professionals in clinic and office settings and school-based services such as assessments of mental health problems, individual counseling, and crisis intervention services for students (17,18). With the information collected by the mental health service questions in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), it will be possible to monitor future trends in the use of both medication and other treatments for the emotional and behavioral difficulties of children. Recommended changes by the Surgeon General include: †¢ improve geographic access; †¢ integrate mental health and primary care; †¢ ensure language access; †¢ coordinate and integrate mental health services for high-need populations. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) 1. Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27. 2. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates by Demographic Characteristics. Table 2: Annual Estimates of the Population by Selected Age Groups and Sex for the United States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004 (NC-EST2004-02) Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau Release Date: June 9, 2005. http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/ 3. The World Health Organization. The global burden of disease: 2004 update, Table A2: Burden of disease in DALYs by cause, sex and income group in WHO regions, estimates for 2004. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO, 2008. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/GBD_report_2004update_AnnexA.pdf. 4. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2011). Leading change: A plan for SAMHSA’s roles and actions 2011-2014. Rockville, MD: SAMHSA. 5. O’Connell, M. E., Boat, T., Warner, K. E. (Eds.). (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press. 6. Compton, M. T. (2009). Clinical Manual of Prevention in Mental Health (1st ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. 7.. U.S. DHHS. 1999. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. 8. Pescosolido, B. et al. 2000.Americans’ Views of Mental Health and Illness at the Century’s End: Continuity and Change. Public Report on the MacArthur Mental Health Module, 1996 General Social Survey. Bloomington, Indiana. 9. Steadman, H.J. et al. 1998.Violence by People Discharged from Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Facilities and by Others in the Same Neighborhoods. Archives of General Psychiatry 55 (5): 393–401. 10. Borinstein,A.B. 1992. Public Attitudes Toward Persons with Mental Illness. Health Affairs 11 (3): 186–96. 11. Kotler, P. and Roberto, E. (1989). Social marketing: Strategies for changing pubic behavior. New York: Free Press. 12. Wallack, L., Dorfman, L., Jernigan, D., and Themba, M. (1993). Media advocacy and public health: Power for prevention. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. 13. Bruner, C. and Chavez, M. (1996). Getting to the grassroots: Neighborhood organizing and mobilization. Des Moines, IA: NCSI Clearinghouse. CSAP Community Partnerships (unpublished document). 14. Bruner, C. (1991). Thinking collaboratively: Ten questions and answers to help policy makers improve children’s services. Washington, DC: Education and Human Services Consortium 15. U.S. Public Health Service. Report of the Surgeon General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health: A National Action Agenda. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services. 2000. 16. Martin A, Leslie D. Trends in psychotropic medication costs for children and adolescents, 1997–2000. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 157:997–1004. 2003. 17. Steele RG, Roberts MC (Eds.). Handbook of mental health services for children, adolescents, and families. New York: Springer, 2005. 18. Foster S, Rollefson M, Doksum T, Noonan D, Robinson G, Teich J. School Mental Health Services in the United States, 2002–2003. DHHS Pub. No. (SMA) 05–4068. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2005 19. Committee on the Prevention of Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse Among Children, Youth and Young Adults: Research Advances and Promising Interventions, Institute of Medicine, National Research Council. 10 Advances in Prevention Methodology. Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People: Progress and Possibilities. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2009.

Six Records Of A Floating Life

Six Records Of A Floating Life This research paper will examine the historical significance of gender roles and relations as represented in Shen Fus Six Records of a Floating Life. I will investigate the representation of female gender as displayed in Yuns character through a maless point of view, and reach some understanding of the positive characteristics that a wife should have and the social effects of these societal preferences. I will also look at a husbands perception of his wife through Shen Fus relationship with Yun, and compare evidence of Shen and Yuns limited relationship to poetry from a woman named Xi Peilan that reflects her relationship with her husband during the same time period. Xi Peilan was an accomplished female poet and her poetry draws on her personal experience as a wife. Therefore, by looking at firsthand insight on the marital relationship from both a male and female perspective, we can that the personal relationship between a husband and his wife was directly and primarily affected by t he limitations placed on wives in society. Shen introduces Yun by explaining that their marriage was arranged at a young age and highlights qualities in Yun that impressed him. From Shens initial description, Yun appears to be an appealing candidate for a wife right away. As a result a general idea of the qualities desired in a wife is formed. For instance, upon meeting Yun when Shen and his mother were confirming the engagement, Shen tells his mother that he would like to marry Yun, and points out that his mother specifically like Yuns gentle nature. This passage shows how involved the family was in the marriage process, because although Shen happened to like Yun, it was his mother who chose her to be his wife, and he had little influence in the decision. And because Shens mother liked her gentleness, believing that a desirable young women should have a mild and kind disposition. Shen continues to describe Yun by explaining that her father died when she was young and she worked arduously at needlework in order earn money to provide for her family, as he states that the labor of her ten fingers came to provide for all three of them. Shen also focuses significantly on Yuns intellect, as he states Even while small, she was very clever, and he notes that while Yun was busy providing for her family, she took time to continue her education by reading her brothers school books. Yun is presented as a respectable woman because she embodies Confucian characteristics such as filial piety. Also, once married to Yun, Shen states that as a new wife she was quiet and never became angry, he continues by saying that She was respectful to her eldersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Everything she did was orderly, and was done properly. Shen emphasizes Yuns thoughtful behavior and her ability to quickly adapt to her role as wife. Exploring Yuns characteristics further, Shen mentions one incident that occurred between both of them during their youth that reveals the extent from Yun devoted herself to becoming an excellent wife. Shen explains that one day he desired something to eat, and he states that Yun secretly took me to her room, where she had hidden some warm rice porridge, but soon Yuns cousin saw what was going on and exclaimed to Yun, you said there wasnt any more [porridge]! But I see you were just hiding it in here and saving it for your husband! As a result, Yuns family laughed at her because she showed such devotion to her husband at a young age and she became embarrassed. Yun was so ashamed that she distanced herself from Yun up until their marriage ceremony. This simple incident seems to have impacted Shen opinion of Yun, for he brings it up again once they are married. Once married Yun always woke up early and ran off to get the day started, and he felt that she was still embarrassed, and he as ked her Why are you still afraid of someone laughing at you? Yun replied by saying that she woke up early not because she is embarrassed, but because she does not want his parents to think that she is apathetic. The rice porridge scene shows Yuns passionate devotion to family as she immediately adopts the role of wife. Even before Yun is married to Shen she is thinking about him and trying to serve him. Once married she is no longer feels that she must hide her devotion, and tries to be a good wife paying attention to not only his needs but to his parents as well. However, it appears that the camaraderie that Shen and Yun share is not ordinary. Their marriage is one of genuine affection for one another and a desire to interact, but it appears that their desire to be with one another is actually hurt by the Yuns role as his wife. For instance, once married Shen states that he and Yun would secretly meet up with one another to hold hands. Therefore Shen and Yun must try not to show affection for one another in public, even though they were married because it was not considered appropriate. This also shows that a husband and wife did not have private places to meet with one another during the day, and were surrounded by other family members in home. Shen continues by saying that The strangest thing to me then was how old couples seemed to treat one another like enemies, suggesting that their marriage as partnership was not the dominant model at the time. It can be concluded that Shen does not consider his relationship with Yun to be affected by t he construction of marriage roles, and views his marriage as a friendship. Therefore Yuns position in his life is one of a companion and not someone distant and secluded in her own sphere, as wives are presented as typically being.. However, Shen is aware that Yun is limited in how she can act and what she can do because she is his wife, which makes being with one another difficult. The main conflict revolves around Shen having to travel and Yun inability to follow him. For instance, Shen expresses that he thinks that their relationship would work better if Yun were a man, as he states that It is a pity that you are a woman and have to remain hidden away at home. If only you could become a man we could visit famous mountains. He continues to saying that in his next life I hope you will be born a manà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I will be a woman, and we can be together again. This is significant because it does not reveal Shens unhappiness with Yuns role as a woman. This instance seems to show that husbands did not necessarily limit their wives, and that men were also affected by womens societal role and were unable to change their wives circumstances. In this section Shen seems to be more distraught over Yun having to remain at home than Yun does. This is because in reply to Shens comment Yun suggests that she is content with her role as wife, as she states, What is so difficult about that? After my hair begins to turn whiteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦we could still visit places nearby, which shows that she is willing comply with social norms and wait until she is elderly to travel. Yun is making the best of her social role and attempting to assert her agency inside of it by traveling when she is older, which was socially acceptable. In her article ***NAME THE ARTICLE***, Paola Paderni states that Discussing cases of agency does not mean romanticizing reality but analyzing the possibilities that an individual has of mediating within a system of norms by manipulating the rules. Therefore, according to Panderni Yun appears to have accepted her role as wife, and is not a attempting to cross societal bounds, and is providing Shen with a realistic option for them both to travel together. Shen however rejects Yuns idea, stating that by that time she would be too old and could not physically make the journey. Shens quick rejection suggests and overall disappointment and unhappiness with Yuns gender construction, and his unrealistic outlook as he desires Yun to be a man. But at the same time, Yun displeased when she cannot go with Shen to a party. Yun states that What a shame that I cannot go just because I am not a man. Shen mentions that she should dress up like a man accompany him, however she almost backs out of it because she thinks his parents will disapprove, but Shen convinces her to go through with it. At the festival Yun identity is uncovered and her disguise is treated as a joke and everyone ends up having a good time. This expresses that as a married woman, Yun was not allowed be part of the outer domain, but it is clear from Shens perspective that, while Yun was committed to fulfilling her wifely duties, she desired to experience this part of a mans role, and this appears to be the main disappointment in Yuns life. The status of women appears to have been dictated by society rather than being primarily based in ingrained individual preferences.

The Effects of Caribbean Colonization on the Family: Through the Eyes o

The effects of colonization on the family of Caribbean people, as described by various twentieth century Caribbean woman writers, are as complicated as they are vast. These authors show that families continue to struggle with separation, poverty, and cultural identity issues that create extra ordinary difficulties for the families who live on these post-colonial islands. It can be argued that all families have struggles, both internal and external, and while this is undoubtedly true, the struggles that the families described in these novels endure have a direct connection to their colonized past and the influences of the colonizer, still felt by the countries colonized and their people. The abolition of slavery in these islands did not eliminate the special problems that the former slaves, now inhabitants, would inherit, nor did it eliminate the effects or consequences that these issues would create for the family. One of the most prevalent concerns for these families is that of separation, both literally and emotionally, due to differences in the family members interpretation and acceptance of their own cultural identity. We can see literal family separation in Jamaica Kincaid's â€Å"Annie John,† through both the emigration of Annie's mother, from the Dominican to Antigua, to Annie's eventual immigration to England. These literal separations of family are derived from economical and educational reasons. Annie John leaves Antigua, and her family, at the age of sixteen to pursue a continued education that she can not find in her own country. We can see the emotional toll this has on Annie as she describes her conflicted feelings on her departure: â€Å"My mother and my father... ...mer colonizer. The authors of these novels show us a glimpse of what it was and is like growing up and living in a post-colonial country. Their mouths have been the mouth of misfortunes which have no mouth. Works Cited   Cesaire, Aime. "Xcesaire." Instructional Web Server -. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.   Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! New York: Vintage, 1996. Print. Edgell, Zee. Beka Lamb. London: Heinemann, 1982. Print.   Estimates, By Some. "Haiti Earthquake Six Months Later: Where Do Things Stand? - ABC News." ABCNews.com - ABCNews.com: Breaking News, Vote 2010 Elections, Politics, World News,Good Morning America, Exclusive Interviews - ABC News. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. Kincaid, Jamaica. Annie John. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1985. Print. Marshall, Paule. Praisesong for the Widow. New York: Plume, 1983. Print.

KING TUBBY’S REIGN :: essays papers

KING TUBBY’S REIGN "Dub mean raw riddim. Dub jus’ mean raw music, nuttin water-down. Version is like your creativeness off the riddim, without voice." Osbourne Ruddock, known professionally and affectionately as ‘King Tubby’, the ‘Dub Master’ of all dub masters, is truly the Daddy of Dub, in every sense of the word. Not only was he one of the most innovative musical engineers of his time, but an artist, a pioneer, and a teacher to the procession of dub masters that would follow in his shadow. The list is endless of those he influenced first-handedly, including such noble names as Hopeton ‘Scientist’ Brown, Philip Smart, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Prince Jammy, and Yabby You, to name a few. His reign as the ‘Dub Master’ lasted for nearly a decade, but his innovative techniques, spaced out rhythms, and overall inventiveness have left a lasting imprint on the dub scene. King Tubby is dub, and he will never be forgotten. January 28, 1941 marks the day this emperor, Osbourne Ruddock, was born into the world. He was raised on High Holborn Street in Central Kingston, remaining there until 1955 when he moved to the Waterhouse district. (1) His career took off very slowly, as it did not have a title, never mind an available position, at that time. He began working as a radio technician, or repairman, and by the late 1950’s, had already started experimenting with sound system amplifiers, manipulating the available sounds to ones that sounded native of outer space. By 1964, he had his own Tubby’s ‘Home Town Hi-Fi’ system, to which he would eventually incorporate a custom reverb and an echo facilitator. During this time, he had taken up a job, working for Duke Reid as a disc-cutter. One day when Tubs was mixing up a version for Reid, he accidentally left out pieces of the vocal track from the recording. After replaying the mix, he found himself pleased with the sound he had inadvertently created. Tubby began to take the latest Rocksteady hits and create new versions of them by "dropping the vocal track, boosting parts of the instrumental track, and add(ing) subtles effects like echo or delay to the instruments he had isolated", writes John Dougan.(2) Without knowing it, Tubs had stumbled upon a whole new era for Reggae: he had invented DUB. In order to get his new sounds heard and recognized by the public, Tubby ambushed the radio waves in the early 1970’s by hijacking one of the two lines available in Kingston.

Womens Social Status in the World :: Gender Female Women Woman

[Introduction] Women's status is a complex issue and a hard-to-define subject. Around the world, women's status in each society and culture varies in different ways. In some societies, women's status improved gradually, while in other, it declined or remained unchanged. What affects women's status in a society? In what kind(s) of society, /is women's status /is/ among the highest? And why? My research paper will focus on the relationship between women's status and the degree of stratification and wealth of a society. [Hypotheses] Measurement of women's status: First of all, I realized that there is no standard on how people define and judge women's status in a society. In my point of view, one of the judgements /that could be used for women's status is the "opinion of people/," which includes two areas - society and family. That is, how the public views females and how parents' treatment of the daughter compares to that of the son. (See group III for related variables used.) This group of variables is going to be compared with other groups of variables in different areas to test my hypotheses. Besides, there are another two groups of variables related to women's status that are selected to be used in the paper. (See group V and group VI.) Factors that affect women's status: First, a woman's ability to survive, that is, what I refer to as financial independence for women nowadays, would affect women's status in most societies. I believe it is more likely that people would have more respect /for/on/ productive persons than /for/independen/ce/ts/WHY? in most cultures. Therefore, I suppose women's contribution to be one of the factors affecting women's status. Variables related to this topic are collected in group IV. Second, /in a society in which castes and/or slaves exist, that is, /in/ a non-egalitarian society, women are more likely to have a lower social status. My point is, /in such a case/if/ the public believe/s that human beings are not equal, and thus/,/ they classify people into different classes, socially or politically. Then speaking of genders, there must be a higher class as well. Would that be male or female? I suppose it to be male. The reason is that/,/ males are physically advantage/d/ous/ relative to females, and therefore, males are traditionally valued over females in many cultures. (Females could hardly talk about equal rights with males in jungles/[but look at the Mbuti of the Iruri forest for example-- doesnt it depend on the society?

Long shore Drift

The managed section of the beach will be affected more than the unmanaged section from longshore drift and thus cause coastal erosion. My intentions are to carry out an investigation, which will determine the affects of longshore drift. The investigation itself will be broken into two different parts, these being the affect of longshore drift on a managed section, which has groynes to trap sediment, thus forming a protective beach. I will assess these areas before continuing with any data collection, when we had discovered a managed. I understand that longshore drift is an important coastal process as it is related to the transportation and deposition of sediment and how either erosion occurs by abrasion or attrition or hydraulic action. ‘How does human management have an affect on the process of longshore drift?' I can expand on this question to create four sub-questions: What affects does longshore drift have on the managed coastline? What affects does longshore drift have on the unmanaged coastline? How do management techniques such as groynes affect longshore drift? What effects are there on the unmanaged section of the coastline? Method The methods below are to help me answer the purpose of the investigation. Field Sketches or Photos Equipment? Pencil and Paper and computer Method? * Simply involves annotating relevant sketches drawn by programs on computer. Why is it necessary? It provides an in depth, detailed outlook of the area under study. It is also a good source Advantages? * It is simple to achieve but it can account for explanation of my ideas. * This method needs a basic requirement of equipment. Disadvantages? * The sketch must be accurate otherwise the examiner will not understand what I am explaining. * Photos obtained from computer may be inaccurate Where? In areas with great importance to parts of coastline under study Questionnaires Equipment? Questionnaire, eleven relevant questions and pen. Method? * Ask people around the vercinity the questions. * Record the answers on the database as part of a group collection. Why is it necessary? It acquires the opinions of the public to how effective management techniques and how problems can be improved. Advantages? * It collects a wide range of views from different opinions. * The results can be moulded into different forms of representations of data. Disadvantages? * Some people may refuse to or do not have the time to answer the questionnaires; some may not be sure and may guess the answer. Where? I will take samples on the seafront and in the town centre. Analysis of Sediment Flow Equipment? Tennis ball Method? * Place each one in the swash zone of the sea. * Monitor the movement over a period of time and record their direction and distance traveled. Why is it necessary? This is simply to discover the impact of longshore drift on the coastline and its sediment. Advantages? * It shows the direction and speed of longshore drift. * It is an easy method to accomplish. Disadvantages? * It is time consuming. * If there is little longshore drift, then the movement of the ball is limited. Beach Profile Equipment? Ranging Poles, clinometer, measuring tape and record sheet Method? * Place poles on ground so that they do not penetrate. * Apply clinometer to section on pole and measure angle that the clinometer records. * Record results for each 2m interval on a longitudinal plain. Why is it necessary? By carrying out this investigation, I can see to what extent sediment build up is occurring and link my conclusions to longshore drift. Advantages? * It shows how the beach differentiates in slow gradient. Disadvantages? * The method is very time consuming * The angle of negative or positive elevation may contain an error of judgment. Where? Both sides of the groyne in a managed section

Fast food restaurant Essay

Introduction Fast food is very common in Hong Kong. We can find at least one fast-food restaurant nearby. McDonald, KFC, Burger King, Triple O’s, Cafe de Carol can be found everywhere in Hong Kong. Fast food means that the food can be prepared and served very quickly. It can save us time and is convenient. [pic][pic][pic] The aim of this report is to investigate fast food culture in Hong Kong nowadays. Firstly, trend of fast food culture in Hong Kong would be given in order to get further understanding of fast food. Secondly, negative impacts of fast food would be discussed. Thirdly, despite the fact that Hong Kong people are more aware of their health, fast food restaurants have emerged. Lastly, comparison between fast food shops and fast-service shops would be mentioned to find out how these two types of shops affect customers’ choice of catering. Mr. Victor Chan, the Managing Director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, was interviewed to find out the answer. Current situation [pic]Fig. 1 Top 10 Global Markets for weekly Fast Food. According to the survey from ACNielsen (Refer to figure1), Hong Kong has the highest percentage of eating fast food in the world, with 61 per cent of people eating fast food at least once a week. The survey was conducted in October 2004 over the internet in 28 countries and regions across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the US. It showed that more and more people are obsessed with fast food. Nine per cent of Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants at least once a day; 86 per cent of people visited at least twice a month. In the first nine months of this 2004, Hong Kong people visited fast-food restaurants on average seven times a month and spent $ 160. The survey revealed fast food has become a part of Hong Kong people’s lives. Hong Kong people are in fast pace of life. People have less time to eat and are busy to work. It makes fast food become more and more popular because it is convenient and comfortable. It replaces the position of traditional restaurants and these fast food shops have dominated our society gradually. Negative impacts of traditional fast food There are thousands of fast food shops in Hong Kong. They have totally changed eating habit and daily life of Hong Kong people. Albeit fast food is delicious and tasty, it brings several health problems. Fast food contains lots of fats and high calories. For example, McDonald’s provides a Big Mac, large fries and a large Coca-Cola drink which have 1430 calories. In fact, 2000 calories is the maximum amount a person needs in each day. Big Macs in Hong Kong contains more fat and cholesterol than those in the world. According to nutritional information on the company’s website, each Hong Kong burger weighed 560 calories but 80 calories is more than Australia, 67 calories more than Britain and 60 calories more than the Middle East. Obviously, fast food leads to obesity and diabetes, and increases the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Apparently, fast food contains high calories and lack in nutrition. Fast food is not proper meal that people can eat every day. Besides this, facing the influence of mass media and the trend in Hong Kong, slim body figures are encouraged. Therefore, Hong Kong people realize the importance of health. They are willing to eat healthy food with low calories and fats. In order to meet the demand of healthy and higher nutritional food from Hong Kong people, fast food shops start to provide healthy food to customers. For example, McDonald’s try to give more choice to customers by providing healthier food, likes fresh salad and low fat yogurt. Fast food culture in Hong Kong has changed. Emergence of Fast-service food shops in Hong Kong Interview with Triple O’s – White Spot Because of the rise in living standard and change in eating habits of Hong Kong customers, traditional fast food shops, such as McDonald’s and KFC, can no longer meet the demands of customers. The emergence of a brand new type of catering choice – fast-service food shops, introduces a new dining experience to Hong Kong customers, thus, bringing a positive and striking impact to the catering industry. One of the most successful fast-service food shops in Hong Kong is Triple O’s – White Spot, which was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1928, best known for its hamburgers In 2003, Triple O’s expanded its business to Hong Kong, setting up the first shop in the Great food hall in the basement of Pacific Place, Admiralty. Until 2010, there are already 5 Triple O’s established throughout Hong Kong, in which the franchises each record more than twice as many sales as the average location in BC. In order to know more about fast-service food shops, an interview has been conducted with the managing director of the Triple O’s, Hong Kong franchise, Mr. Victor Chan. [pic] [pic] Triple O’s – White Spot aims to provide high quality, home-made and healthy fast food and family-friendly services to create a new kind of dining experience to customers. According to Mr. Chan, Triple O’s’ in Hong Kong have to follow strictly the menu and ingredients set by the Canadian headquarters to ensure its high food quality. For instance, unlike traditional fast food shops that only focus in lowering their production cost, Triple O’s’ milkshakes are made of fresh milk and premium ice-cream. Burger beef is from Australia, delivered fresh to Triple O’s in Hong Kong, not frozen. Mr. Chan added that Triple O’s’ menu will not change in order to suit the appetite of Hong Kong customers, therefore resulting in a limited choices of food in their menu compared to other fast food shops. In order to provide freshly made burgers, it usually takes up to 5 to complete a whole meal set. That is why customer-friendly service is provided in Triple O’s. Instead of ‘self-help’ service in traditional fast food shops, waiters will deliver meals to customers in person, offering customers efficient dining services. Besides that, because of the insistence of high quality ingredients, price of food is again higher than that of fast food shops. Yet, it does not affect customer’s choice of catering since they are now enjoying a higher living standard, willing to spend more for the return of good food and nice service. Triple O’s’ success is also a result of change in eating habits and perceptions of Hong Kong customers. The idea of ‘thin is in’ is widely spread by the mass media, people are getting more conscious about their physique and health, leading to the rise of a new kind of eating habit – healthy eating. Believing that traditional fast food shops’ only provision of deep-fried food, customers tend to look for healthy, yet, delicious fast food for substitution. Triple O’s hit the exact demand of customers. ‘Food in Triple O’s is generally low in fat and that no preservatives and artificial flavours are added in. Vegetarian burgers and lots of vegetables are included in every meal set in order for customers to achieve a balance diet,’ said Mr. Chan, ‘healthy cooking methods are also used, such as roasting and grilling of burger beef and chicken stripes with refined olive oil rather than deep-frying. Fries with potato skins are again intended to provide dietary fibre for better digestion of customers. † Customers are free to choose according to their personal preference, having a custom-made burger in any way they want, like whether to add in any dressing in their burgers. Another special feature of Triple O’s is that there is no advertisement about it at all. â€Å"We rather spend our money in purchasing high quality ingredients than wasting them on advertising. We believe that with our food and service, reputation can be build up in no time. Once again, we prove ourselves right! † said Mr. Chan. Marketing is clearly not the major concern of Triple O’s. â€Å"From the fast food shops’ point of view, we (fast-service food shops) have become a huge competitor to the traditional fast-service shops. Like McDonald’s, they are, in fact, following our way in preparing food and provision of service. However, since there is vast difference between us and traditional fast food shops, we don’t treat them as a direct competitor. Our aim is not only to provide fast food to customers, but a new dining experience, which makes us unique in the catering industry. † Mr. Chan concluded by the end of the interview. Comparison between Fast food shops and Fast-service food shops Fast food shops have always been one of the dominating choices of catering. Yet, in recent years, there are a definite increasing number of fast-service food shops in Hong Kong, which result in an intense competition between the two. In the following table, we use the example of McDonald’s (fast food shops) and Triple O’s (fast-service food shops) to show the major differences between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, which affect customers’ choice of catering. [pic] [pic] |Differences |Fast food shops (McDonald’s) |Fast-service food shops (Triple O’s) | |Quality of food |Low |High | |Ingredients used |Use of low quality ingredients to cut off production cost| Strictly follow the Canadian headquarters’ use of high | | |e. g. |quality ingredients e. g. | ||milkshakes – milk, water, and milk |milkshakes – fresh milk and premium | | |powder |ice-cream | | |burger meat – organ meat mixed with |Burger meat – Australian imported, | | |bread crumbs and onion |pure beef | |Method of cooking |Deep-frying |Grilling and Roasting | |Health consciousness |Less |More | | |- lack of vegetables and fruits in the menu |- inclusion of vegetarian food choices | | |- unhealthy cooking method used |- healthier cooking methods used | | Flexibility of ordered food |Standardized food |Immediate, Custom-made e.g. | | |- Burgers are pre-made for purchase, which follow a |- Customers may add in more vegetables in their burgers or | | |uniform standard. |choose not to add any dressings at all. | |Food choices |Wide variety |Limited as it must follow the menu of their headquarters in | | |- Burgers, fries, ice-cream, different types of |Canada | | |fried-food, soft drinks, pies†¦ |- burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken stripes, milkshakes | |Characteristics |Fast, convenient | High quality of food, | | | |brand new type of dining experience | |No.of shops in HK |More |Less | |Cost |Low |High due to the high quality of ingredients used | |Services |Less |More | | |- provides only ordering services in the cashier |- provides not only ordering and packing up services, but | | | |also delivery of meals to customers like restaurants | |Advertisements |More |None | | |- wide coverage via the mass media (e. g. TV ads, the |- building up reputation by customers’ word of mouth | | |Internet, newspaper) |- money used in quality ingredients rather than in | | | |advertisements | From the above comparison, we can see that fast-service food shops introduces a brand new kind of catering experience to Hong Kong by providing high quality of food and efficient, customer-friendly services. As customers are being more health conscious, fast-service food shops seem to have hit the market, drawing enormous attention from customers of other types of catering choices, especially those of fast-food shops. Customers also enjoyed the idea of ‘immediate and custom-made’. Customers are able to order in according with their preferences. Burgers are freshly made with A-grade ingredients immediately upon order, which freshness of food can be completely guaranteed. Together with the efficient and friendly service provided, fast-service food shops seem to fulfill and satisfy the demands of picky customers. The success of a few fast-service shops in Hong Kong is inevitably bringing in a competitor to traditional fast-food shops. Conclusion In the past two decades, Hong Kong has inevitably been an international city under the great influence of fast food culture. As the only demand for food is efficiency, the mere provision of fast and convenient food could already satisfy the demands of most customers. Yet, with the improvement in economic level, living standard and change in eating habits of customers, fast food shop could no longer provide them with what they want. Customers are more willing to enjoy quality and healthy food and nice service when dining, thereby, leading to the introduction of fast-service food shops to Hong Kong. Fast-service food shops bring in huge impacts and brand new ideas to the fast food world. Not only efficiency, quality of food, provision of service and health consciousness should be brought into considerations in order to fulfill the demands of customers. The emergence of fast-service food shops provides a new choice of catering for customers, which leads to intense competition between fast food shops and them. Competition between the two definitely brings positive impacts to the catering industry. Traditional fast food shops seem to realize their shortcomings and need of change, now even McDonald’s follow the way of fast-service food shops by providing immediate-made burgers instead of pre-made ones. Because of the vast difference between fast food shops and fast-service food shops, it is difficult to determine at this stage that which one of them can dominate the fast food industry. The only thing for sure is that customers are, always and forever, the winner in this match, having to enjoy the great food! Reference OWikipedia OOfficial homepage of Triple O’s Hong Kong OSouth China Morning Post OHong Kong Yahoo OACNielsen OHKUSPACE [pic] [pic] [pic] Vocabulary Sheet – Fast Food Culture |Word (parts of speech) |Meaning | |Dietician (n) |a person who is an expert in nutrition or dietetics | |Fast-food addict (n) |a person who is addicted to fast-food | |Americanization (n) |assimilate to the customs and institutions of the U. S. | |Delicacies (n) |something delightful or pleasing, esp. a choice food considered | | |with regard to its rarity, costliness | |Sedentary (adj) |characterized by or requiring a sitting posture | |Coronary (adj) |of or pertaining to the human heart, with respect to health | |Superficial (adj) |shallow; not profound or thorough | |Standardize (v) |to bring to or make of an established standard size, weight, | | |quality, strength | |Unpalatable (adj) |not palatable; unpleasant to the taste | |Franchise (n) |the right or license granted by a company to an individual or group| | |to market its products or services in a specific territory | |Variant (adj) |tending to change or alter; exhibiting variety or diversity | | Proliferate (v) |to increase in number or spread rapidly and often excessively | |prominent (adj) |standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly | | |noticeable | |Prevalent (n) |widespread; of wide extent or occurrence; in general use or | | |acceptance | |Ubiquity (n) |the state or capacity of being everywhere, esp. at the same time | |Detrimental (adj) |causing detriment; damaging; harmful | |Umpteen (adj) |innumerable; many | |Flavor-enhancing (adj) |enhancing the flavor of food | |Paramount (adj) |chief in importance or impact; supreme; preeminent | |Consumer-friendliness (n) |products of non-harmful elements to consumers |

Chapter Practice

QuestionAnswerthe trend towards worldwide markets makes it easier to predict where competitors will spring up. true or false?falsebecause many countries are investing in countries other than their own, each country is becoming more autonomous and independent. true or false?falsean advantage of international expansion is that competition within foreign countries is generally very similar to that of the US. true or false?falseIn michael porter's â€Å"diamond of competitive advantage† there are 4 broad attributes that, as a system, constitute a nation's competitiveness in an industry. true or false?truethe factor endowments of a country are inherited and cannot be created. true or false?falsewith regard to factor conditions the pool of resources that a firm has is much more important than the speed and efficiency with which these resources are deployed. true or false?falsedemanding domestic consumers tend to push firms to move ahead of companies in other countries where consumer s are less demanding and more complacent. true or false?truehigh levels of environmental awareness in Denmark have led to a decline in Denmark's industrial competitiveness in the international marketplace. true or false?falsecountries with a strong supplier base benefit by adding efficiency to upstream activities. true or false?truetypically, intense rivalry in domestic markets does not force firms to look outside their national boundaries for new markets. true or false?falsemany international firms are increasing their efforts to market their products and services to countries such as India and China as the ranks of their middle class continue to increase. true or false?trueinternational expansion can extend the life cycle of a product that is in its maturity stage in a firm's home country. true or false?truean advantage of international expansion is that it can enable a firm to optimize the location of every activity in its value chain. true or false?truethe laws, and the enforcem ent of laws, associated with the protection of intellectual property rights, represent a significant currency and management risk to multinational firms. true or false?falsedifferences in foreign markets such as culture, language, and customs can represent significant management risks when firms enter foreign markets. true or false?trueoffshoring takes place when a firm decides to shift an activity that they were previously performing in a domestic location to a foreign location. true or false?true2 opposing pressures that managers face when they compete in foreign markets are cost reduction and adaption to local markets. true or false?truetheodore levitt has argued that people around the world are willing to sacrifice preferences in product features, functions, and design if they are offered lower prices and high quality. true or false?trueamong theordore levitt's assumptions that would favor a global strategy is that consumers around the world are becoming less price sensitive. tr ue or false?falsewithin a worldwide market, the most effective strategies are neither purely multidomestic nor purely global. true or false?trueindustries in which proportionally more value is added in upstream activities are more likely to benefit from a global strategy than those in which more value is added downstream. true or false?truein a global strategy a firm operates all its businesses under a single common strategy regardless of location. true or false?truea multidomestic strategy is the most appropriate strategy for international operations because it drives economies of scale as far as possible and provides a middle of the road product appealing to the largest number of consumers in every market. t or f?falsethe need to attain economies of scale encourages multinational firms to operate under a multidomestic strategy. true or false?falsecorporations with multiple foreign operations that act very independently of one another are following a multidomestic strategy. true or false?truea multidomestic strategy would likely include the use of high volume, centralized production facilities to maximize economies of scale. true or false?falsea limitation of a multidomestic strategy is that it may lead to overadaptation as conditions change. true or false?truemultinational firms following a transnational strategy strive to optimize the tradeoffs associated with efficiency, local adaptation, and learning. true or false?truea key tenet of transnational strategy is improved adaptation to all competitive situations as well as flexibility by capitalizing on communication and knowledge flows throughout the organization. true or falsetrueaccording to studies by Rugman and Verbeke, most of the world's 500 firms are global- not regional or biregional. true or false?falsea franchise generally expires after a few years whereas a license is designed to last into perpetuity. true or false?falsetypically joint ventures involve less control and risk than franchising. true or false?falsetypically the best method of entry into a foreign market is the establishment of a wholly owned foreign subsidiary so that the parent organization can maintain a high level of control. true or false?falsea major trend in international developments include:greater international trade and operations, growing recognition of an international managerial perspective, a large increase in international investmentthe reasons that explain why some governments make better use of the inflows from foreign investment and know how than others include:governmental practices that are business friendly, local entrepreneurs that can train workers and invest in modern technology, sound management of broader economic factors such as interest rates and inflationaccording to michael porter's framework all of these factors affect a nation's competitivenessfactor conditions, demand characteristics, related and supported industriesrivalry is intense in nations with conditions of ____ consumer d emand, _____ supplier bases, and _____ new entrant potential from related industriesstrong, strong, highaccording to michael porter, firms that have experienced intense domestic competition are:more likely to design strategies and structures that allow them to successfully compete abroad.all of these factors have made India's software services industry extremely competitive on a global scalelarge pool of skilled workers, large network of public and private educational institutions, large, growing market and sophisticated customersadvantages of global diversificationfirm not being solely dependent on domestic market, firm with large margins at home helping subsidize its operations in other nations, potential to lower costs of operation even if the primary market is at homeoptimizing the location of every activity in the value chain can yield all of these strategic advantagesperformance enhancements, cost reduction, extending the life cycle of the product or serviceMicrosoft decided t o establish a corporate research laboratory in Cambridge, Englandto access the outstanding technical and professional talent available there so that they can attain world class excellence in selected value creating activitiesthe sale of boeing's commercial aircraft and microsoft's operating systems in many countries enable these companies to benefit from:economies of scaleMany US multinational companies set up maquiladora operations south of the US-Mexico border primarilyto take advantage of the low cost of laborappreciation of the US dollar will have this impact on McDonaldslower profits, because foreign profits will be reduced when measured in dollarsThis occurs when a firm decides to utilize other firms to perform value-creating activities that were previously performed in houseoutsourcingwhat is one of Theodore Levitt's assumptions supporting a pure global strategy?MNCs can compete with aggressive pricing on low cost products that meet the common needs of global consumerspressur es to reduce costs require thata company must pursue what is economically beneficial to the company including maximizing economies of scale and learning curve effectsLow pressure for local adaptation combined with low pressure for lower costs would suggest what type of strategy?internationalHigh pressure for local adaptation combined with low pressure for lower costs would suggest what type of international strategy?multidomesticSoftware Tech Inc. a company in the computer software industry, invests heavily in R&D and product design. Thus, most of its value is addedupstreamIndustries in which proportionally more value is added in _____ activities are more likely to benefit from a ______ strategy.upstream, globalWhat types of international firms are most likely to benefit from a global strategy as opposed to a multidomestic strategy?firms in industries that have much value added in research and design or manufacturingRecent trends that might lead to managers of multinational corporat ions to adopt a more decentralized strategy for their operations would includeconsumers are the world are increasingly willing to trade off idiosyncratic preferences in product features for lower price, flexible mftg trends have allowed a decline in the min volume required to reach acceptable levels of production efficiencyFirms following a global strategy strive to offer ______ products and services as well as locate manufacturing, R&D, and marketing activities in ______ locations.standardized, fewGillete's worldwide success with its Sensor razor demonstratesthat a global marketing effort can sometimes be successfulas in the case of Siebel systems, elements of a global strategy may facilitate the competitive advantage of differentiation bythe creation of a world wide network to achieve consistent service regardless of location.risks associated with global strategyfirm with only one mfg location must export its product, geographic concentration of any activity may also tend to isola te that activity from the target market, concentrating an activity in a single location makes the firm dependent on that locationlimitations of global strategy:limited ability to adapt to local markets, concentration of activities may increase dependence on single facility, single locations may lead to higher tariffs and transportation costsElements of a multidomestic strategy may facilitate the competitive advantage of cost leadership bydecreased shipping and transportation costs inherent in local productionlimitations of a multidomestic strategyless ability to realize cost savings through scale economies, greater difficulty in transferring knowledge across countries, may lead to overadpatation as conditions changehigh pressure for local adaptation combined with high pressure for lower costs would suggest what type of international strategy?transnationalUnits coordinate their activities with headquarters and one another, units adapt to special circumstances only the face, and the e ntire org draws upon relevant corporate resources. These are attributes of:transnational strategyWhat is a disadvantage of a transnational strategy?unique managerial challenges in fostering knowledge transferin order to realize the strongest competitive advantage, firms engaged in worldwide competition mustpursue a strategy that combines the uniformity of a global strategy and the specificity of a multidomestic strategy in order to achieve optimal resultsAccording to studies by Rugman and Verbeke, approx how many of the world's largest 500 firms are global, that is, they have at least 20% of their total revenues each in North America, Asia, and Europe?10What describes the most typical order of entry into foreign markets?exporting, licensing, franchising, joint venture, and wholly owned subsidiarya domestic corporation considering expanding into international markets for the first time will typicallyconsider implementing a low risk/low control strategy such as exportingThe form of en try strategy into operations that offers the lowest level of control would be:exportingFees that a multinational receives from a foreign licensee in return for its use of intellectual property are usually calledroyaltiesthe difference between a franchise and licensing contract is thata franchise contract is more specific and longer in duration_________ entails the creation of a third party legal entity; whereas _______ do not.joint ventures, strategic alliancesa business in which a multinational company owns 100% of the stockwholly owned subsidiaryThis is most appropriate where a firm already has the appropriate knowledge and capabilities that it can leverage rather easily through multiple locations in many countrieswholly owned subsidiaries