JD sports free essay sample

Describe the differences between primary and secondary market research. The difference between primary and secondary research mainly lies in the way in which the information is collected. Primary market research data is collected by observing the behaviour and opinions of consumers through questionnaires, experiments etc†¦ Secondary market research relies on data that has already been collected whether it is by internal or external sources such as government census, trade associations or transaction records. Primary research tends to be more valuable as it is designed with a specific company aim in mind. Secondary research whilst potentially more cost efficient isn’t as reliable as it may be available to competitors or out of date. Use an example from the case study to explain the purpose of market research. The purpose of market research is to gain an understanding and awareness of consumer trends, competitor activity, possible future planning and the need to identify changes within a given sector. We will write a custom essay sample on JD sports or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page One way that companies conduct this research is via an exit survey with consumers before they leave the premises. Usually covering a cross section of stores exit surveys provide the ideal opportunity to obtain valuable face to face information and views from the consumers spread across various locations and regions. This helps assist with demographic variants within current trends, gives an idea of travelling distances and may potentially help to identify new locations for company expansion. Whilst conducting exit surveys it is possible to identify the reason for the visit to the store and why the consumer did or didn’t make a purchase. The company can then take this information and use it to help identify any possible changes in trends helping to provide sound planning strategies and gain an understanding of current consumer needs reducing any risk or uncertainty in the future. When used in conjunction with other forms of market research exit surveys can help to validate and support additional information that has been gathered. Analyse why market research should be viewed as an on-going process. Market research should be viewed as an on-going process in order for the company to keep up to date with the following information and also to ensure that current demand and future financial risk are secure and informed. Helps to see where you are in the market compared to competitors. Potential to diversify range into other areas. Gives consumer insight into the company. Helps with acquisition and expansion. Ability to build customer profiles. Build on existing customer base. Stay up to date with current trends. Evaluate how market research, if undertaken properly, adds value to the decisions made by a large company. Why does it help to reduce risk? If market research is undertaken properly it can add value to the decisions made within a company as it gives up to date well informed feedback. It can cover all aspects of the industry helping to meet current demands and foreseeing potential future changes. It can also help assist with growth and expansion plans and give an idea of where the company stands in the market compared to competitors. As a company JD was founded in 1981, it has grown both organically and inorganically in this time. JD employs a very proactive approach to market research which is evident in its success during a turbulent time within its industry. When market research is conducted properly it allows the company to collate the information gathered and use tools such as an Ansoff matrix to help assess the level of risk the company is facing. Without properly undertaken market research a company would not be able to understand the most important factors relevant to moving forward and would simply be guessing when considering any future plans.

Lighting Units - their uses, pros and cons.

Lighting Units - their uses, pros and cons. I will be discussing lighting units, their uses and their pro's and con's. The ability to construct a well light set is relied upon the Director of Photography, and ranges from being used for dramatic intensity or just softening a room. Unlike human eyes, sets need some adjustments to keep up with lighting balance. A good knowledge on differing colour temperatures and what gels can provide for a scene.INTERIOR LIGHTING EQUIPMENTA lighting fixture, or better related to as a Lighting UNIT is basically what we refer to the globe or bulb. They are identified by type and power consumption. The brightness of a bulb is referred to as the Wattage, which is a reflection of its power consumption.The intensity of light decreases the further from the subject it is - know to us as Falloff. Falloff is inversely proportional to the square of the distance e.g.English: Stage lights at Mie University Festival 2...(‚/x"). The sharper the falloff, the closer the subject is to the light. Soft light s ources fall off more sharply than focussed hard light sources.COLOUR TEMPERATUREColour temperature, measured in degrees Kelvin, is the measure of how warm or cool the light sources and colours are. Our brain compensates for the differing colour temperatures and so what appears white to us, may appear to have a green, orange or blue tint on a camera (with no colour balancing). Daylight is 5600K.BULBSBulbs differ in type, colour and intensity. An average household bulb emits 2900K Wattage while white Tungsten emits 3200K. Photo Bulbs look and are like average household bulbs yet are more powerful like Photofloods emitting 250W brightness.Majority of films use 3200K Tungsten lights, which are small and efficient. They can be balanced to daylight by changing its colour temperature. This is accomplished by placing a blue gel...

Free Essays on Business Plan

Can’t find a greeting card that suits you? Tired of writing out practically hundreds of Christmas cards each year? No one show up for that garage sale on Saturday? Uh-Oh. Sounds like you need our help. Personalize It! strives on providing simplicity and easing the burdens of the lives of our consumer by creating a flawless card, invitation, or flyer at the drop of a hat. We want your invitations to be for a party that everyone wants to go, the â€Å"Happy Birthday† card that creates a tear, and the signs that nobody could possibly miss. Our plans for this small business is to individually design and create personalized greeting cards, invitations, and flyers. We will make a wide variety of cards such as graduation notices, wedding invites, and party invitations, but our specialty will be holiday greeting cards. We can also produce simple, yet eye-catching, flyers for your next garage sale or for your band’s next concert. Our open door policy means that people can come to us with their ideas and leave with a product that will not only be personal, affordable, and dependable, it will be memorable. Personalize It! is an equal opportunity business making its expertise available to help its customers create their own products. Keeping in tune with the needs of the consumer, utilizing the latest technology and trends, all while ensuring that the client receives the individual attention they deserve is the vision and daily mission of Personalize It! Our goals include consistent, accurate achievement of the client’s wishes, competitive pricing for the quality of services provided, and significant profit made on each product produced. Founded in 2003 on a part-time basis, Personalize It! is a small business designed to meet the needs of the ever-changing social world. New York City is the current home with plans to expand to branch offices within four years. Personalize It! is invested in the community it reside... Free Essays on Business Plan Free Essays on Business Plan Executive Summary The Dark Side, is an after hours coffeeshop located on East Evans Avenue and South High Street. Hours of operation being 4 pm to 2 am, the intention is to attract people ages 15 to 30 years, mostly being students especially from the University of Denver. By offering three distinctive atmospheres within the coffee shop our goal is to satisfy the diverse needs among this age group. We will do this by implementing a study room, a lounge and a main room. On weekends we plan to host live bands on our stage in the main room. In order to attract international students, we are selling international newspapers and hosting international conversation groups. The coffee industry is growing, and we feel that our coffee shop will fit a set of needs that have not yet been met. After surveying a group of people from our draw area, we determined that our business will meet the needs and wants of our target market. The direct competition is mainly Starbucks, Stella's and Colorado Espresso. By utilizin g our unique qualities we will be set apart from our competition. By using the zip code breakdowns, we have determined that our target market consists of 76,047 people that live in 6 specific zip codes. (EST) From this number we determined that we would have 5,497 hot prospects. (EST). These people would visit The Dark Side a total of 134,678 times in one year. (EST) From this estimate our anticipated annual sales is $538,712. Our objective is to meet the needs of our target market, to maintain repeat customers, and to break even after one year. Our goals are to have 70 percent of our customers return at least once during the year. We also plan on breaking even, and perhaps making a profit after our first year in business. Our distribution channel runs from producer to wholesaler to distributor to retailer to consumer, this is the most efficient way for our small business. Price stability is the pricing strategy that we have chosen, this ... Free Essays on Business Plan Business Plan Business Plan: Progressive Consulting What follows is a complete business plan for a hypothetical company. Please copy or save to your disk and use as an example in developing your own business plan. If you would like to read a series of articles jump to Web Marketing . For additional business aids click on The Practical Tools of Consulting 1. 0 Executive Summary Progressive Consulting will be formed as a consulting company specializing in marketing of high technology products in international markets. Its founders are former marketers of consulting services, personal computers, and market research, all in international markets. They are founding Progressive Consulting to formalize the consulting services they offer. 1. 2 Mission Progressive Consulting offers high-tech manufacturers a reliable, high quality alternative to inhouse resources for business development, market development, and channel development on an international scale. A true alternative to in house resources offers a very high level of practical experience, know how, contacts, and confidentiality. Clients must know that working with Progrssive Consulting is a more professional, less risky way to develop new areas even than working completely in house with their own people. Progressive Consulting must also be able to maintain financial balance, charging a high value for its services, and delivering an even higher value to its clients. Initial focus will be development in the European and Latin American markets, or for European clients in the United States market. 1. 3 Keys to Success Excellence in fulfilling the promise completely confidential, reliable, trustworthy expertise and information. Developing visibility to generate new business leads. Leveraging from a single pool of expertise into multiple revenue generation opportunities: retainer consu... Free Essays on Business plan Business Plan Business Plan: Progressive Consulting What follows is a complete business plan for a hypothetical company. Please copy or save to your disk and use as an example in developing your own business plan. If you would like to read a series of articles jump to Web Marketing . For additional business aids click on The Practical Tools of Consulting 1. 0 Executive Summary Progressive Consulting will be formed as a consulting company specializing in marketing of high technology products in international markets. Its founders are former marketers of consulting services, personal computers, and market research, all in international markets. They are founding Progressive Consulting to formalize the consulting services they offer. 1. 2 Mission Progressive Consulting offers high-tech manufacturers a reliable, high quality alternative to inhouse resources for business development, market development, and channel development on an international scale. A true alternative to in house resources offers a very high level of practical experience, know how, contacts, and confidentiality. Clients must know that working with Progrssive Consulting is a more professional, less risky way to develop new areas even than working completely in house with their own people. Progressive Consulting must also be able to maintain financial balance, charging a high value for its services, and delivering an even higher value to its clients. Initial focus will be development in the European and Latin American markets, or for European clients in the United States market. 1. 3 Keys to Success Excellence in fulfilling the promise completely confidential, reliable, trustworthy expertise and information. Developing visibility to generate new business leads. Leveraging from a single pool of expertise into multiple revenue generation opportunities: retainer consu... Free Essays on Business Plan Can’t find a greeting card that suits you? Tired of writing out practically hundreds of Christmas cards each year? No one show up for that garage sale on Saturday? Uh-Oh. Sounds like you need our help. Personalize It! strives on providing simplicity and easing the burdens of the lives of our consumer by creating a flawless card, invitation, or flyer at the drop of a hat. We want your invitations to be for a party that everyone wants to go, the â€Å"Happy Birthday† card that creates a tear, and the signs that nobody could possibly miss. Our plans for this small business is to individually design and create personalized greeting cards, invitations, and flyers. We will make a wide variety of cards such as graduation notices, wedding invites, and party invitations, but our specialty will be holiday greeting cards. We can also produce simple, yet eye-catching, flyers for your next garage sale or for your band’s next concert. Our open door policy means that people can come to us with their ideas and leave with a product that will not only be personal, affordable, and dependable, it will be memorable. Personalize It! is an equal opportunity business making its expertise available to help its customers create their own products. Keeping in tune with the needs of the consumer, utilizing the latest technology and trends, all while ensuring that the client receives the individual attention they deserve is the vision and daily mission of Personalize It! Our goals include consistent, accurate achievement of the client’s wishes, competitive pricing for the quality of services provided, and significant profit made on each product produced. Founded in 2003 on a part-time basis, Personalize It! is a small business designed to meet the needs of the ever-changing social world. New York City is the current home with plans to expand to branch offices within four years. Personalize It! is invested in the community it reside... Free Essays on Business Plan Business Plan Template Here's your sample Title Page. It's a great idea to put a color picture of your product right on the front. But leave room for the following information. [Your Company Name] Month, 19xx [month and year issued] Business Plan Copy Number [x] This document is confidential. It is not for re-distribution. [Name of point man in financing] [Title] [Address] [City, State ZIP] [Phone] [e-mail] [company home page URL] This is a business plan. It does not imply an offering of Securities. Table of Contents Here's a sample Table of Contents. Be sure to modify the page numbers when you’ve finished your Business Plan. Executive Summary 1-1 Mission 2-1 Company Overview 3-1 Legal Business Description 3-2 Strategic Alliances 3-3 Product 4-1 Current Product 4-2 Research and Development 4-3 Production and Delivery 4-4 The Market 5-1 Market Definition 5-2 Customer Profile 5-3 Marketing Plan 5-4 Sales Strategy 5-5 Distribution Channels 5-6 Advertising, Promotion, PR 5-7 Competition 6-1 Risk/Opportunity 7-1 Management Team 8-1 Capital Requirements 9-1 Exit/Payback Strategy 9-2 Financial Plan 10-1 Assumptions 10-2 Financial Statements 10-3 Conclusion 10-4 Exhibits 11-1 Executive Summary If the executive summary doesn’t succeed, your business plan will never sell investors. We recommend that you write the summary first and use it as a template for the plan as a whole. Since one of its primary functions is to capture the investor’s attention, the summary should be no longer than two pages. The shorter the better. Want to see what the pros think about raising money? Tune into The MoneyHunt Show (for info on showtimes, etc., go to moneyhunter.com/htm/show/show.htm). Mission Our company's missi... Free Essays on Business Plan „h Broad Market and Segmentation o We are going to go into three parts of Austria. The northern Limestone Alps, High Alps, and southern Limestone Alps. o There are about 10 resorts within these mountains and this is whom we will focus on. o Within Austria the mountains take up about 68% of the total land. o There is a high standard of living in Austria and this is why we are bringing a top of the line snowboard into the region. o Snowboarding is a male dominant sport in Austria making up 85% of the sport o The dominant race is Caucasian o Snowboarders in Austria are between the ages of 15 and 29 o Austrians are introduced to new products and product lines through rental shops „X So we will find rentals shops to sell our product to and sell our product in bulk to them each season „h Size and Trends o The ski resorts busiest time of the year is the first month and a half of the ski season o There are 9 million people living in Austria and it is a cold country that receives lots of snow annually and we plan on the snowboard distribution to be very successful. o Snowboarding was introduced in Austria in the early 1990 ¡Ã‚ ¦s so it is extremely new cold weathered sport compared to skiing o Snow sports are the most popular sport in Austria and there is a high demand for the newest sport, snowboarding o Statistically Austria ¡Ã‚ ¦s younger generation (15-24 years old) are more willing to try new products and/or sports „h Buying Criteria of Consumers o About 78% of the Austrian population has buying power, and are able to use the product themselves. o Rental shops are the best way for people to try the new products and we will entice them to buy them by letting them try them through the rental shops „h Receptivity to New Ideas o Skiing is the most popular sport in Austria, although there is an upcoming focus on snowboarding o We feel this is a good place to show off...

On the origin of speaking - Emphasis

On the origin of speaking On the origin of speaking Last Thursday marked the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin: an event that did not go uncelebrated at Emphasis HQ. And even as we hung the streamers and tied up the balloons we were silently thanking the birthday boy for explaining the opposable thumbs that allowed us to do it. I mean, of course, his theory of natural selection: that particular cause of evolution that pits genes in competition with each other so that organisms can win the reproduction war, becoming increasingly sophisticated in tiny increments along the way. The roots and evolution of language have proved trickier to reconcile with Darwins magnum opus. The fact that humans happily chat away from an early age while chimps our closest relatives in the animal kingdom stay stoically silent has led to doubts on the subject. Possible suggestions for our capacity for communication are as varied as Divine bestowment or a coincidental by-product of some other adaptation process. (For example, bones are white not for aesthetic reasons but because they are strengthened with calcium. Which is white.) But theres hope yet for hard-line Darwinist linguists. Steven Pinker suggests humans have a language instinct, * which has been gradually honed for 200,000 years: this explains why children begin to pick up pretty complex grammar before they even go to school; why every community and tribe ever discovered has a stable language with regulated grammar and syntax; and why even people deaf from birth include these features in their sign language. And we cant possibly learn it by rote since it is virtually limitless: we can use it to form endlessly innovative combinations of words. Theres no reason to expect chimps to have this innate ability (tea adverts aside) because we are not descended from them directly: we share a common (extinct) ancestor. Developing our brains in this unique way is no odder, Pinker points out, than an elephant developing a trunk. In business, out-performing your rivals is still vital for survival. So were here to help your writing evolve: we like to think of ourselves as the winning gene. And hopefully that Darwin would be proud. * For more on this see Steven Pinker The Language Instinct (Penguin Books Ltd 1994)

Article Assignments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article Assignments - Essay Example The Roe v Wade accused some courts of violating the right to privacy because they were violating this right; a woman had the right to terminate a pregnancy if she wanted according to Roe v Wade. The role of the judiciary when it comes to policy making will also be looked at, as well as the pros and cons. Edmund Burke was an Irish statesman and also a political philosopher. He is greatly remembered for his speech on the idea of representation in Congress. Edmund criticized the British Parliament as being inhabited by a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests. He urged that electors were supposed not to vote by numbers, but to vote accordingly. Edmund held that a representative owed his supporter or his constituents’ unbiased opinion, his mature judgment and should have an enlightened judgment. He held that a representative was supposed to work to educate his constituents on matters regarding public policy, and was against individualism. The wishes of the constituents ought to have great weight on their representatives; however, the representative should also not work to the pleasures of his constituents, because he is going to be answerable to that. Rather, he or she should use reason and judgment. He continues to argue that the parliament should deliberate assembly of one nation, with one interest; that of a whole nation, but should never serve local purposes or prejudices, but the general fold. To his supporters, he told them that when they choose a member to represent them, he was not to be a member to represent them only, but rather to represent the whole nation. He told them that their representatives were required to act towards the betterment of the whole nation, and not their pleasure. Edmund burke told his supporters that they should remember that they are members of a rich commercial city, which is part of a rich commercial nation which itself part of a great empire. He argued that the diverse interests

Visual Perception (Psycology 101) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Visual Perception (Psycology 101) - Essay Example Thus the retinal stimuli or the image on the retina of the eye is pretty different to what is actually viewed by the eye in the first place. Scientists and doctors alike have been researching for a long time so as to understand the basis behind such an anomaly. The people who have interest at understanding this proposition thus make it a point to find out the exact basis of the visual processing which is taking place and the relationship that is formed up between the two as a result of the same. There has been some difficulty at understanding and thus translating the basis of visual perception and the eventual processing of the visual sense as to how the same creates or at times maintains what a person actually wants to see but the image is just not there at all. Thus this phenomenon holds a lot of ground for the people who fathom that eyes play a huge part in the development of the pictures that brain wants it to make and thus portray to the human being. It is for this reason that there has been work in the related field. As concerns to the unconscious or subconscious mind, we understand the fact that inference of an unconscious nature takes place. It was Hermann von Helmholtz who devised the study which was related with the visual perception. He stated that vision had a lot of part in the make up of the unconscious inference and thus it was contemplated that vision is indeed a part of the matter which discerns the basis for a probable understanding or interpretation as concerns to data which has not been considered complete by now. Gestalt theory also has its say in the make up of the visual perception discussion. With this, we find that Gestalt researchers raised a number of significant questions which had one thing or the other with the whole paradigm of visual perception. In fact they came out with the famous Gestalt laws of Organization which have to this day facilitated in the study of as to how people think

Speech Night Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speech Night - Research Paper Example Stage 2 Below I have mentioned the important dates regarding the project. Start date: 19/12/2008 End date: 10/04/2008 Critical and non-critical activities Critical activities Non-critical activities Decide on date Program written Guest speakers invited Time for guest speaker to reply Choose prize winners Program printed Prize winners choose their prizes Invitations to guest speakers printed Speeches written Inform parents and send invitations Book hall Decorate hall Dress rehearsal for the evening Music items arranged Musicians practice for event Order flowers Prizes stamped and put in order of Presentation Thank you gift bought for guest speakers Supper arranged Work Breakdown Structure Activity NO. Level 1 Level 2 1. Decide on date 2. Analysis event 3. Gather requirements 4. Decide date 5. Program written 6. Analyze the main satiation 7. Decide main events 8. Write program 9. Program printed 10. Program printed 11. Invitations to guest speakers printed 12. Prepare main list of people 13. Post the Invitation 14. Guest speakers invited 15. Guest speakers invited 16. Time for guest speaker to reply 17. Waiting for the reply 18. Choose prize winners 19. Searching the best person for the category 20. Nomination person for the prize 21. Inform parents and send invitations 22. Prepare winner list 23. Post list to parents 24. Prize winners choose their prizes 25. Informing prize winners 26. Placing different prizes options 27. Speeches written 28. Speeches written 29. Book hall 30. Search for good rate and best quality

Personal Knowledge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Knowledge - Essay Example This then directs me to the investigation of epistemology itself, how do people react and pay attention to music, how do listeners perceive sound out of it It seems that, they need to cling to certain metaphors, to 'mentality'; they will feel stuck if they can't perceive a green garden, and a blued-sky or something relevant to that. Using implicit consideration that a year ago I attended an opera which featured a well known singer, say understanding how to play music persuasively so far not being proficient to amply illustrate my 'knowledge' of it, I came to react like 'our musical bands are poor and irrational'. They played music over their pa systems whose frequencies are mostly consistent with their power fields, and are in fact upsetting for persons that are not accustomed to it. Various frequencies create various emotions. I know sometimes music genres - rock and pop - in fact make me ill if I am rendering to them for considerable period of time. I had left that opera. It so gives me the impression that something is off-center with this particular situation - either widely heard music is beyond phase with, or completely hearing-impaired to, listener's anticipation or the listeners had plunged into a sort of easy listening habit. Exemptions allowable on both of these choices, I think 'clued-up music' is in general easy-to-get-to the population, given this public is equipped maintaining an ultimate preliminary shock, since there certainly exists an interval between the overall styles, methods and artistic grounds of the melody we are caused to experience in our routine life and those of this era's. Music skills can only be unintelligibly known, that is to say, they can come what may understood perfectly and even if our faith may comprehend the relation of their elements we have convolution in telling these relations through our aptitude to communicate, i.e. 'clear-cut language' (Michael Polanyi 1998). It is irrefutable that these day's erudite music isn't that much easy to discern and comprehend, comprising the extensive demands for music, not to point out that of the more genres, and the relatively scanty interest of the music listeners. Moreover, it is usually worded as excessively difficult and tightly-packed without rationalisation. Is this a symptom of our times Without a doubt, our times are those of a 'speedy being', spilling over with every day concerns, that does not nurse anything that adds more trouble to its maze-like pace. According to Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001), "music is not simply a language. Every piece is resembling a hard rock, with myriad ruts and sliced with depictions on the surface and underneath, which people make sense of and understand in a thousand diverse ways, none of them being the most excellent nor the truest". And, he continued, "The actual disaster will be if, as new composers rummage around for diverse and probably more 'classical' forms of look and production, the confused voices of an previous originality are covered up" (Arnold Whittall). This made me absolutely lay down my arms on that widely-established idea that music is a worldwide language, understood at once and perceivable by every person. Furthermore, I'd say that it is incorrect to consider that music is for all and sundry or, in other words, that a 'music composition' is always made up with consensus in mentality, every person gathering a similar accepting from hearing it. I take from this that the 'positive reception' of a

The USA expansion after the year 1800, changes between the years 1820 Essay

The USA expansion after the year 1800, changes between the years 1820 and 1850. Hamilton's financial program and the growth of industrial manufacturing - Essay Example 4," 2010). America refused, reminding the government of Mexico that the terms that had already been agreed to in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made America responsible only for protection, not financial compensation for any losses that happened to people or territory belonging to Mexico ("Gadsden purchase, 1853-1854," 2010). Complicating matters was the fact that some developers desperately wanted a Southern transcontinental railroad to connect the West through a southerly route. The only available routes passed through portions of Mexican territory. Things came to a boil in 1853, when the Mexican government evicted Americans from their homes in the Mesilla Valley ("Gadsden purchase, 1853-1854," 2010). ... Though there were small outbreaks of tension from this point on between the United States and Mexico, this treaty did much to cool the foreign relations that had previously been tense between the two countries. The United States experienced many changes between the years 1820 and 1850, including economic, industrial, and socioeconomic changes, as well as the issue of slavery. Of these changes, which do you think had the greatest effect during this time? Explain your choice. I think that the industrial changes experienced in the United States during this time had the greatest effect on the country. Though the changes were fueled by an enormous population growth, with the American population expanding from four million in 1790 to ten million in 1820, and seventeen million in 1840, it was still industry that grew rapidly and influenced almost every other sector of American life (Brinkley 2004). The growth of industries influenced the growth of cities, which influenced the changes that c ame about due to the expanded number of people in those cities. The populations of cities accelerated quickly, as did the number of factories in New England, with water power being replaced by steam power and later coal power. What had begun as a â€Å"factory system† in New England for textile workers was quickly expanded into other industries, such as the shoe industry (Brinkley 2004). I also believe that industrial changes had the greatest impact on the country from 1820 to 1850 because the growth of industry fueled new inventions and gadgets that came into service for the first time. Perhaps the biggest was the railroad that would soon span the entire length of the United States. Before 1820, the main form of transportation

My worldview as a Christian Essay Example for Free

My worldview as a Christian Essay This essay is for the purpose of formally stating my worldview as a Christian and demonstrating how I perceive reality when it pertains to certain issues. While this will not have changed much from my original worldview outline, it serves to expand on the issues and give intelligent analysis to my beliefs. As this semester draws to a close, and I re-evaluate my worldview outline, I a consistency between my beliefs and those presented in the course material. After analyzing the major questions, I have been able to find academic support for each belief that I hold. The first question we were asked was ‘Who is God, and what is he like?’ my initial answer was that God is the creator of heaven and earth, the supreme celestial being that oversees and influences everyday events. As to His characteristics, I believe that he is absolutely just while being full of grace. He is absolute power, under perfect control. He has intense emotions, but perfect reactions to them. That is who God is to me. The second question was about humans, what they were, and what happened when they died. A human is a being created in the image of God, with capabilities for reason, and an innate understanding of right and wrong. When a human dies, they go to one of two places. Those who have chosen to follow God will go to heaven. Those who don’t will go to hell. The third question was ‘what is the nature of the universe?’ When I hear that, I have to ask what they mean by nature. I have to look around and say ‘is it the actual physical world, and how it fits into a bigger picture? I would assume so, and say that by nature, what God created was good, And was later polluted by sin. The most confusing question was ‘how do I know what I know, and how do I know it’s true?’ I know what I know because of what I’ve been told, and what I’ve experienced, and how I apply it through the filter of my faith and values. And I kn ow that I know because if I didn’t know that I knew I wouldn’t be able to analyze this question about knowing. The next question was the only one that my answer changed slightly. What is right and wrong, or does it exist? Right exists, but wrong is only the absence of right, not something in and of itself. And the only way we can discover it is through the experiences, of ourselves and others, and through the filter of God’s word. Is life pointless or is there a purpose? If we believe God creates us, we must believe that there is a reason. I believe my purpose is to help people through hard times, since I have gone through enough hard times that I can empathize with them. Each person has a unique attribute that helps them glorify God in some way. What core commitments are consistent with my worldview, and how do they impact my life? I’m still not exactly sure about what is meant by core commitments, but the actions and values that I hold myself to identify key aspects of my worldview. I would say that the things I do are very consistent with my moral and spiritual beliefs. My worldview is based a lot on faith, and I try to find reason for what I believe. I do need to evaluate if the beliefs that I have actually have base in reality, scientifically and morally. I have very strong beliefs and opinions, as a result of coming from a very opinionated family. My worldview is very consistent with the perspectives expressed in the coursework. I have a fairly weighty background in biblical studies from other schools, and so have been exposed to this subject more than the average student. As a result, my worldview has been shaped by what I have learned, and there were few if any contradictions between what I believe and what was presented. My worldview passes (to my knowledge) all of the four tests of a worldview. In the test of evidence, my worldview draws from personal experience and scientific reason, and assumes (if not proves) the existence of a God who embodies the characteristics I have identified. In the test of logical consistency there is no reason to doubt what I have seen or read, and I try not to act outside of my beliefs in a way that would cause any inconsistency to be evident. In the test of existential repugnance, it is possible to live the life that I am attempting to live in the ‘outside’ world. Anyone can live a moral life and follow specific rules about how we should govern ourselves, but not on their own. And the test of human nature is consistent with my belief on the nature of humanity. Nothing about humanity suggests that we are not designed by a higher being, and everything points to inherent value that other creatures do not and can not possess. My worldview affects everything about my actions, because I will not leave that frame of reference without changing part of my worldview. I cannot act outside of my worldview, because I will always analyze things based on what I assume to be right information, and will act accordingly. My worldview has stayed consistent throughout this course, and if it has changed at all it has been a subconscious change. I have had a good upbringing and a solid background in biblical studies, so I did not hear anything that was shockingly new or revolutionary. Cosgrove, M. P. (2006). Foundations of Christian thought: faith, learning, and the Christian worldview. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications. Strobel, L. (2000). The case for faith: a journalist investigates the toughest objections to Christianity. Grand Rapids, Mich.: ZondervanPublishingHouse. Wilkens, S., Sanford, M. L. (2009). Hidden worldviews: eight cultural stories that shape our lives. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academi

Health Indicators for Diverse Groups in New Zealand

Health Indicators for Diverse Groups in New Zealand Introduction Public health is the science and art of promoting and protecting the life and well being of the population as a whole, by preventing the ill health and prolonging the life through the organized efforts of the state and the society. This assessment aims to discuss and present the health status indicators for diverse groups in the National and International perspectives. It also includes the causative factors in health. Current Health Status indicators for Three Diverse Groups from National and international perspectives. New Zealand New Zealand is located in the South Pacific. It is a multi-cultural country and a very supportive on health of the society and its program. There are several diverse groups that living in New Zealand namely: the Maori, The Pacific people, the Pakeha or Europians and the Asian migrants. a. The Maori Maoris are the most important ethnic groups in New Zealand. They are the original settlers of the country. One indicator that compromises the health of the Maori is smoking. Smoking was identified as the most prevalent health status indicator and it is significantly observed in areas inhabited by the Maori. Broughton (1996) stated that traditionally the Maori society was tupeka kore (tobacco free). Maoris’ first encounter with tobacco was through the British, it was used as a tool of colonization by gifting or trading it in return for land and other resources. Currently, 32.7 per one hundred of Maori identified as being regular smoker, more than twice the smoking rates of European and Asian ethnic groups. Among Maori males the regular smoking rate is 30.5 percent and among females it is 34.7 percent. For Maori women of childbearing age (20-44 years), 40.5 percent smoke regularly. (Statistics New Zealand, 2014) Moreover, the Maori youth aged 15 – 19 years has higher smoking rate than non-Maori. In this age group, 38.8 percent (CI 29.3–48.3%) of Maori were current smokers compared with 13.7 percent (CI 10.4–17.1%) of non-Maori. There were some findings that there were notable difference in the average of the Maori and non-Maori’s initial taste of cigarette. On average Maori youth, their first cigarette was as early as 11.5 years compared to non-Maori youth at 12.7 years. As a result, tobacco smoking is the primary cause of the preventable death for Maori in New Zealand. Approximately, three times as many Maori died from Lung cancer and other smoking related diseases as Non-Maori each year. Maoris’ current smokers are more likely to prefer on smoking a roll-your-own-cigarette than non- Maoris smokers. The frequency of roll-your-own-cigarette was 70.3 percent for Maori and 57.4 percent compared to non-Maori. The most common reason of Maori and non-Maori for using the roll-your–own-cigarette was that, it has less expense than the manufactured cigarettes. The other reason for Maori and non-Maori they gave was, it last longer and taste better. Another health indicator among Maori is the Life Expectancy. The life expectancy of Maori men is 73 years while the Maori women is 77.1 compared to the non-Maori men which is 80.3 years and 83.9 years for the non-Maori women. The life expectancy at birth has narrowed the gap to 7.1 years between Maori and non-Maori people. In comparison with 8.2 years in 2005-07, 8.5 years in 2000-02, and 9.1 years in 1995-97 based on death rates of New Zealand in 2012-2014 (Statistics New Zealand, 2014). The differences in the life expectancy rate of Maori people compared to non-Maori are due to the number of factors including rates of smoking and socioeconomic status. b. The Pacific people The Pacific community in New Zealand are consist of different ethnic groups like the Samoans who are the largest group with 50% of the population, the Cook Islanders, 20%, the Tongan, 18%, the Niuaen, 8% and the Fijans who have the smallest group of 4%. (Ministry of Public Island Affairs, 2013) Obesity is one of the biggest issue in health for the Pacific Islanders. Among the New Zealand diverse groups, the Pacific adults had the highest rate of obesity with 67 percent followed by 46 percent Maori adults. Contrasting to, only one in seven Asian adult is obese, with a rate of 14 percent. On the other hand, Pacific children aged 2-14 are 55 percent obese or overweight, compared to 29 percent of the total child population in New Zealand. Based on body mass index, it was found out that almost one out of three adults from age 15 years and above were obese with a rate of 31 percent while about 34 percent were overweight. In ages 2-14 years, one in nine children were obese or 11 percent. Furthermore, high rate of overweight children of the Pacific people were also found, which was 22 %. c. The Asian group The Asian adults are generally in good health. They have the positive focus on health and well-being. In fact, Asian adults have comparatively low rates of smoking, hazardous drinking, asthma, arthritis, chronic pain, diagnosed mood or anxiety disorders (Asian Health, 2006). However, Asian adults are about 1.8 times as likely to have been diagnosed of type 2 diabetes as non-Asians. Self noted diabetes rates are common among Indian people, more than three times than the normal average. Asian adults generally report lower use of primary health center because of the language and cultural barriers that affect the access to health services (source). It was noted that after migration, Asian people may have increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases due to the lifestyle changes, physical activity and change in diet. United States of America United States of America is among the world’s good provider on health for its people. The total population of America as of 2013 is 320,051,000, with a gross national income per capita of 53,960. The allocations for health per capita is 8,895 international dollar in 2012 and the total expenditures for health as percentage of GDP as of 2012 is 17.9. (WHO, 2015) United States of America is a multicultural country and they have several diverse groups namely: the Whites Americans, the African Americans, the Asian Americans, the Native Americans/ American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders and Hispanic and Latino Americans. a. American Indians and Alaska Natives Tobacco remains the largest preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Every year 480,000 of Americans are killed through cigarette smoking, and 41,000 of these deaths were due to the second hand smoking. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Cigarette Smoking is the most prevalent case for the American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States of America with significantly the highest percentage rate among other racial groups, of 26.1 percent compared to 19.4 percent of the White Americans, the African Americans with 18.3 and the Hispanics has 12.1 percentage respectively. The Asian American has the lowest percentage of smoking with 9.6 percent. Men in the United States are the most frequent smokers with 20.5 percent compared to women who has 15.3 percent. Among the adults in America, ages 25 to 44 years are the most habitual smokers with a 20.1 percent, followed by the ages 45 to 64 years with 19.9 percent and 18.7 percent for ages 18 to 24. The least frequent smokers are at the age of 65 years and older with 8.8 percent. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). b. The African American Obesity is based on the body mass index(BMI) of a person of 30 or higher. The body mass index is measured of an adult’s weight in relation to his or her height, calculated by the adults weight in kilograms divided by the square root of his or her height in meters.(U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention,2014). In the United States more than one-third or 34.9% or 76.8 million of adults are obese. The African American have the highest rates of obesity with 47.8 percent, followed by the Hispanic with the rate of 42.5 percent, the White comes third with a percentage of 32.6 percent, and for the American Asian has the lowest rate of obesity with a rate of 10.8 percent. (Journal Of American Medicine, 2014) Obesity are more prevalent among middle age group from 40 tp 59 year old with a rate of 39.5% compared to the younger adults, the 20-39 years age group with a percentage rate of 30.3%, and the adults of over 60 years and above has a percentage rate of 35.4 percent. (Journal of American Medicine, 2014) Another indicator among African American is Diabetes. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States of America, killing 71.5 thousand people in 2012. (WHO, 2012) Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by hyperglycemia or high glucose levels in the blood. In a healthy person the blood sugar level are kept in an acceptable range by insulin. Insulin is a hormone, that is produced in the pancreas, that will help the body absorb excess sugar from the blood stream. Among diabetic people, blood sugar levels are not adequately controlled by insulin. (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2010). Diabetes is most prevalent among African American adults, from ages 18 and over, with a percentage rate of 13.2 percent compared to the Hispanics with 12.2 percent, while, 7.3 percent for both White Americans and Native Hawaiians.(CDC, 2014) In 2012, 44.2 per 1000 population of African American adults were hospitalized for lower extrimity amputation in contrast with 12.5 per 1000 population of the White and 25.4 of the Hispanics. (National Healthcare Quality and Disparities, 2014) c. White Americans The Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)2014, gathered the information about the mortality in the U.S., including the death by suicide. In 2013, there were 41,149 suicide cases reported. This makes the suicide, as the tenth primary cause of death in America. The CDC calculates the suicide rate each year by the number of the accounted suicide deaths that occur for every 100,000 people in the population. White americans got the highest rate of suicide death with 14. 2%, followed by the American Indians and Alaska natives with a rate of 11.7%. Much lower and nearly the same rates are common among Asians and Pacific Islanders with 5.8%, Hispanic with 5.7%, and African American with 5.4% respectively.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014) In 2013, Men were most likely to commit suicide compared to women with a significant rate of 20.2, and women had a rate of 5.5, that is four times higher in men. It was noted in in 2013 that 77.9% of males died in suicide in comparison to much lower rate in female for only 22.1%. Among the age group, 45 to 64 years had the highest suicide rate of 19.1%, followed by 85 years and older with 18.6%. The younger groups aged 15 to 24 years had lower suicide rate of 10.9%.(CDC,2014). Causative Factors a. National Causative Factors The influence of the family members or growing up in the house or environment where people regularly smoke has a great impact for the prevalence of smoking among Maori people. The total lack of discouragement since some or all of the family members are smoking. In general, the peer pressure for the teen agers that caused them to start smoking at an early age and the feeling of relief from stress and fatigue. Lastly, the use of the roll-your–own-cigarette which has cheaper cost. (The Buzzle, 2015) The factors that influence the obesity of the Pacific people are, there lifestyle, habits and food consumption. For age fifteen years and above, less than half or about 40.9% of the Pacific males and Pacific females (48.9%) met the recommended vegetable intake that was notably lower than non-Pacific group. In addition, Pacific males and females consumed more servings of soft drinks or energy drinks per week. In particular, Pacific female, were three times as likely to eat fast food and takeaways in comparison to non-Pacific people. Children aged 2-14 years were less likely to have eaten breakfast at home compared to non-Pacific. (The Pacific Peoples Health, 2014) One causative factor of Diabetes is obesity. Atleast 80% of Type 2 diabetes are overweight. Due to today’s sedentary and westernised lifestyle, people will become overweight and eventually become obese. Obesity causes insulin resistance, meaning that the fats and muscle cells of obese people do not seem to react to the insulin, so there is an uncontrollable blood glucose level in the body, thus, leading to Type 2 diabetes. (Diabetes Info NZ, 2014) b. International Causative Factors The factor that triggers the prevalence of smoking among American Indians and Alaska Natives is that, it is included in a sacred tobacco ceremonial rights, religious practices and as medicinal roles for native culture. In addition, tobacco sold in tribal lands are exempted from state and national taxes, thus, it is cheaper and affordable. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015) The causative factor of obesity of the African American is the limited access to safe places for outdoor physical activities. In order to carry out a a good and a balance healthy living, one must participate in a sufficient physical activity. In addition, lower incomes and poverty contributes to the increasing obesity, since less nutritious foods or calorie-loaded foods are often less expensive and affordable than healtier foods. (Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Obesity, 2014) The risk factor of diabetes which is prevalent among African Americans are due to lifestyle choices. The lesser chance of regular physical activity and consuming high-calorie foods in larger amount than necesarry will have the high risk of devloping type 2 diabetes. Another factor is heriditary, if someone in close family has diabetes, other members might also develop diabetes.(Endocrineweb, 2014). Based from the causative factors of the different health problems encountered from the national and international aspects, it is observed that they have almost the same common factors that triggers the prevalence of diseases. Lower incomes and living in more deprived areas are more prone to such diseases. Regular physical activities and proper nutrition is the key to have a healthy life. 3. Discussion Smoking is one of the major problem that the government of New Zealand is facing especially with the Maori group who is the leading cigarette or toabcco smoker than other ethnic groups. It is further noted, that there is a strong relationship between smoking and neighborhood deprivation. It means that there are more people who are engaged in smoking in most deprived areas than the least deprived areas. The government should continue to dessiminate information and awareness for the effects of smoking for the active and passive smokers most especially to the deprived areas where smoking is rampant. Conduct counselling for the addictive smoker and the family. Create programs or provide facilities that promotes physical activities to different groups. There should be a thorough emphasis and education for the tremendous effect of smoking like: smoking can harm every organ and systems in the body, cause 80% of lung cancer, and respiratory condition like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, stroke and other cancers. In addition, smoking around children increases the risk of lung infection like croup, bronchitis and peumonia. There are a lot of health problems that the United States of America is facing, one of them is obesity and it is quite alarming that more than one-third of the population in America are obese. Among the diverse groups, Afrian Americans has the highest percentage of obesity. One factor of obesity for Black Americans is that they have limited access to safe areas for outdoor activities. To carry out a balance and healthy living one must indulge in a regular physical activitivities. It is also observed that lower income and poverty contributes to the increasing obesity since they will opt to consume the cheaper, less nutritious and high calorie foods. Being obese increases the persons risk to developing heart diseases (cardiovascular heart disease, stroke), type 2 diabetes and and other forms of cancer. In order to prevent obesity and the risk of developing long term diseases the government should continue to support programs that involves physical activities. Provide facilities for indoor and outdoor sports and a safe playground for children. The government should also provide a team that will monitor the intake of nutritious foods especially in the deprived areas where obesity is common. A quarterly checks of the blood for blood sugar, lipid profile and blood pressure for the obese persons.

Symbols and Symbolism in A Raisin in the Sun †Dream Symbolism :: Raisin Sun essays

A Raisin in the Sun – Dream Symbolism A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, portrays the life of a black family living in a bad section of Chicago. There are many problems in this family, but mostly it revolves around the character of Mama and how she longs to give her family a better life through the money she receives when her husband dies. Also, the family deals with the racism in Chicago in the 1950's complicating the realization of Mama's dreams for the family as well as other family conflicts that come up when money is entered into the equation. A Raisin in the Sun is basically about dreams, as the main characters struggle to deal with the oppressive circumstances that rule their lives. The Youngers struggle to attain these dreams throughout the play, and much of their happiness and depression is directly related to their attainment of, or failure to attain, these dreams. By the end of the play, they learn that the dream of a house is the most important dream because it unites the family. "Oh--So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life--now it's money. I guess the world really do change." Mama is Walter and Beneatha's sensitive and loving mother and the head of the Younger household. She demands that members of her family respect themselves and take pride in their dreams. Mama demands that the apartment in which they all live always be neat and clean. She stands up for her beliefs and provides perspective from an older generation. She believes in striving to succeed while maintaining her moral boundaries. Money is only a means to an end for Mama; dreams are more important to her than material things, and her dream is to own a house with a garden and yard where Travis can play. The following quotation occurs in Act I, scene ii when Mama asks Walter why he always talks about money. Walter then replies "money is life," explaining to her that that he believes that success is all about how much money you have. This conversation ta kes place early in the play and reveals Mama's and Walter's money struggles, and it goes to show the difference in their generations.

Exploring The Discourse Of International Affairs :: College Admissions Essays

Exploring The Discourse Of International Affairs When I first enrolled in State University, I began to search the course catalog for undergraduate programs. I was a transfer student from a Law school; therefore, I knew from past experiences that I was interested in Politics. State University offers Political Science and International Affairs. The word â€Å"international† got my attention due to the fact that I have always been interested in traveling and learning languages. I already spoke Spanish, English, and some French. Yet, I really did not know anythingabout my elected major; therefore, I knew that I needed to do more research. Every academic discourse is like a different nation. The professionals, students, and faculty members are its citizens, and they all share a different language. This big differentiation was one of the first things that I explored about my elected major. One of the learning objectives in Kennesaw State University’s program is to prepare students to communicate effectively in order to approach global affairs. Inside this discourse, people talk about global economic, political affairs, etc. As a result, to be able to approach any subject the speaker most know the appropriate terms that refer to different organizations or political situations. Some common examples that I found as I searched the internet were abbreviations like EU (European Union), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), IGO (Intergovernmental Organization), etc. In order to fully understand international affairs professionals and students must be familiar with the terms used. As I became more familiar with the type of communication in this particular field, I began to find similarities between students, professionals, and faculty. This discourse involves a lot of exploration and critical analysis on past and current events. It is a field that will never be truly defined due to the fact that the world is constantly evolving. While students are focused more on past and current events, professionals are creating the fields of study for the future. There are different types of professions, students prepare themselves to choose from a large variety of globally oriented careers in business, diplomacy, governmental services, law, and non-profit sectors. Those interested in business could do field works for companies with corporate offices in different countries. If politics is your scope of interest, you could work in counsels or embassies representing your country in other countries; or represent your country in intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations, or a specific cause in nongovernmental organizations such as Amnesty International.

Half-Life of M&Ms Essay

Introduction Half-life is the time required for something to fall to half its initial value. The half-life of a radioactive element is the time it takes for half of its atoms to decay into something else. M&Ms were chosen because they all have the same m mark on the on one side. In this lab you will go through predicting and counting the number of remaining â€Å"mark-side up† candies that should help understand that rates of decay of unstable nuclei and how it can be measured; that the exact time that a certain nucleus will decay cannot be predicted; and that it takes a very large number of nuclei to find the rate of decay. Purpose To stimulate the transformation of a radioactive isotope with M&Ms over time and to graph the data and relate it to radioactive decay and half-lives. Materials and Safety Materials * 200 pieces of M&Ms (trademark only) * Shoe Box * Pen/Pencil * Paper Towel Safety- No safety precautions needed Procedure 1. Count out 200 M&Ms. Place all 200 candies in the shoe box with the letter facing up 2. Cover the box and shake it vigorously for 3 sec. This is 1 time interval. 3. Remove the lid and take out any atoms (candies) that have â€Å"decayed†, that is, that are now showing lettered sides down. Record on the data table the numbers of decayed and remaining atoms. 4. Replace the cover on the box, and shake for another 3-sec time interval. Record the number of â€Å"radioactive’ atoms remaining. 5. Keep repeating time interval trials until all atoms have decayed or you have reached 30 sec on the data table 6. Repeat the whole experiment a second time, and record all data. 7. Average the number of atoms left at each time interval from both trial. Make a graph of your data showing the average number of atoms remaining versus time Conclusion: 1. After how many time intervals (shakes) did one-half life of your atoms (candies) decay? Trial 1- 1 interval Trial 2- 1 interval 2. What is the half-life of your candies? 3 secs 3. If the half-life model decayed perfectly, how many atoms would be left after 12 sec? 12.5 4. If you increased the amount of atoms (candies), would the overall shape of the graph be altered? Maybe, the amount of M&Ms that are flipped over after shaking is always a gamble and you never know what you’re going to get Graph of the average number of atoms remaining versus time. Conclusion 8. After one shake, which is one time interval, almost half ouf our atoms decayed. 9. The half life of the cadies is three seconds. 10. If this experiment had been conducted perfectly, 12.5 atoms would be left. 11. No, overall the shape wouldn’t change it would may become a slight rounder or steeper but the dominate shape of the line would not change 12. The experiment did not work perfectly. The percentages came pretty close to 50%. Some were way off, but for the most part they were close to 50%. From 3 to 12 secs was the closet to 50% than the other time intervals. From 18 to 30 secs the percentage started to steer father from 50%. I believe this happened because the less amount of candies or atoms the less chance the atoms will decay.

Duties of Sales Assistant Essay

To be a responsible sales assistant, the frontline workers need to recognize the Inherent Power of their Professional Presence and start establishing effective nonverbal Communication. Creating their own virtual presence is important as well. For the store manager to lead effectively, they need to demonstrate good leadership skills and be engaged in the workplace. As a sales assistant with the following duties and responsibilities , they are responsible for assisting and providing support to the sales manager of the organization , responsible for solving all the queries and problems of the employees , developing and implementing new strategies and plans in the sales department to improve work quality and providing report to the sales manager . Sometimes they also can motivate all the employees in achieving all the targets and goals of the company . Some company they increase the performance of the sales department by 30% to motivate the sales assistant . Maintaining a good work environment in the department this may help the sales assistant to work better and they will want to come to work everyday . To survive in today’s competitive climate , organizations must provide good service . Employees who have direct contact with the customer , client , or patient play a key role in the area of service. Effective frontline employees are able to express a warm , sincere greeting , display a caring attitude and provide competent service . The first impressions is very important for the customers must be aware of your appearance and display good communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal and also establish the value you provide . On the 29th of October we went to Queensbay Mall to survey around. We went to Forever 21 boutique first and once we walk in to their shop, 15-20 sales assistants can be seen. Forever 21 butik they sell ladies fashion wear and their price is above average . Example like a dress is around rm 150-200 . To continue my research, we requested to find the size that are not displayed. Immediately, they walked away without even greeting and were obviously reluctant to serve us, this strongly make us feel negative .The other sales assistants that are standing around the store acted like they did not see us and we were shocked about their rude attitude and service. As a customer, these kinds of attitudes cannot be tolerated and they should train their sales assistants to at least be friendly and willing to help. Apparently their sales assistants did many things that make us feel negative . At the same day , the second store that we went to is Body Glove. They selling male and female wear and it’s beach wear and also casual wear , the price of their clothes is average . Example like a t-shirt is around RM 40-50 .We were shocked but in a good way this time because the workers there are very friendly and helpful. When we could not find the size that we need, they smiled really cheerfully and got the sizes that we want in just a few minutes. As a customer, we felt very comfortable and bought a few apparels from Body Glove. These are the attitudes that they should practice and I will definitely visit Body Glove again. This shows that the sales assistant makes us feel positive about them . Greetings| All the sales assistant walking around the shop but there is one sale assistant stand at the entrance of the shop to say ‘Welcome’(Positive )| Once we walk into the shop they say out loudly ‘Welcome’ (Positive )| Attitude| The sales assistant are reluctant to answer enquiries, rude towards customers . (Negative )| The sales assistant is cheerful, helpful and willing to learn . (Positive)| Facial expression| All the frontline people smile to us but some sales assistant they act like they don’t see us.(Negative) | All the front line people include the supervisor in the shop smiling at us once we step into the shop .(Positive)| Communication skills| As we visit their shop , they dint tell us more about their promotions .(Negative)| Once we go in to the shop they will depends on what we see and promote us about their promotions . (Positive)| Presentation technique| They don’t even promote their promotions.(Negative)| They tell us clearly about their promotions and tell us which one is more worth it to buy . (Positive)| As showing by the table above we can clearly see that the difference between Forever 21 and Body Glove shop frontline people . The positive and negative experience are clearly shown in the table . Through this experience we can see that we get good service from Body Glove shop than Forever 21 . -Write abt the positive and negative behaviour Reference link : http://www.bestresumewriting.com/sales-assistant-resume-example.html

Dual nature of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and the duality between good and evil Essay

The struggle between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde reflects upon the duality of man, in between good and evil. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the novel in the 1800 where T.V and other forms of entertainment didn’t exit, therefore the Victorian audience, found it entertaining to read. The novel explores the attitudes of the Victorians people with regard to their obsession with keeping a respectable society However, despite this public decency, Stevenson appears to be suggesting that underneath the surface, people’s behaviour was not quite as respectable as it should be. Stevenson believed that there is light and dark in all of mankind- man is not truly one, but truly two. Most of the characters are seem as having professions considered to be important and influenced, such as lawyers, doctors and politicians, all representing respectability. Mr Jekyll liked to indulge in pleasures but his status prevented him to do so, he creates an alter ego for himself to live out his passions. Dr Jekyll dependence on Mr Hyde became an addiction, although Jekyll says that he ‘can be rid of Mr Hyde at any point’ his lack of control helps Mr Hyde to over power him and take over. Robert Louis Stevenson was born and bread in Edinburgh. He was a very sick boy thought his childhood which had confined him to a bed. His nurse used to read to him the Pilgrims Progress and the Old Testament, telling him stories about evil, causing him to suffer nightmares. Stevenson grew up in Edinburgh which itself had two faces on one hand the modest, religious and respectable ‘New Town’ and on the other hand a bohemian Edinburgh- the dark one. This Edinburgh was symbolized with brothels and shadiness. The contrast of the two was a bit like the nature of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is largely allegorical. In the first chapter we see the theme of duality when the two characters Utterrson and Enfield are a taking a walk and they see a door which described as ‘bore in every feature the marks of prolonged and sordid negligence’. The door stood out from the rest of the street because all the other buildings were well kept. Mr Enfield has a flash back, he remembers the time Mr Hyde tramples over the girl and describes him as a ‘juggernaut’. The first victim of Hyde was the little girl. I think the reason why Stevenson chose a little to be the first victim of Hyde is because a child represents innocence and he is trying to say that Hyde is pure evil with a cold heart. The description of the street reinforces the theme of duality because it is a dingy neighbourhood and there are shops like ‘rows of smiling women’ this raises a question why is Dr Jekyll living in a tawdry neighbourhood. Jekyll appearance is a lot different from Hyde he is smoothed face where as Hyde looks as if though he is deformed and short. I think the reason why Hyde is short is because the evil side of Dr Jekyll hasn’t developed properly. Hyde becomes Jekyll’s demonic, monstrous self. Stevenson presents him as such from the outset. Hissing as he speaks, Hyde has a kind of black sneering coolness†¦.’like satin’. He also strikes those who witness him as being deformed, ‘pale and dwarfish’ As the story progresses, Hyde becomes more and more violent, culminating with the death of Sir O.Carew. The maid describes the murder as horrific but before the murder there is a pleasant description of the setting ‘the soft, clear night, the romantic nature of the maid, the full moon, and the sweet loveliness of the old man’. This is another example of the use of duality and the theme of good and evil because Stevenson describes the setting with a romantic aroma ‘full moon’ but then everything changes from good to evil. The horrific description of the murder includes a ‘storm of blows’ and bones being ‘audibly shattered’ once again Hyde is described as ‘disgusting looking’. The description implies Stevenson views of the world of certain, inherent evilness in people, something that can be detected by merely glancing at a person. Stevenson explores the theme of double through symbols and characters. Most of the novel is set at night, and the fog becomes almost a character hiding people in the city. Where ever wine is present there is positive happening but it can also symbolize evil because too much wine can transform a person making him drunk. This happens to be like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, when he drinks the potion. Stevenson tries to create an atmosphere which is based on (emphasise) tension between order and disorder-duality. He finds the truth. However, even Utterson seems to have a double life, and in his quest he examines his own conscience â€Å"and the lawyer, scared by the thought, brooded a while in his own past, groping in all the corners of memory, lest by chance some Jack-in-the-Box of an old iniquity should leap to light there† Dr Lanyon dies because he was exposed to the pure evilness of Jekyll’s experiment that went wrong. The evil, Jekyll created, killed Dr Lanyon, indirectly. When forced to confront his divided self, Lanyon could not bear to think that he may have his own Mr Hyde in him. So he kills himself.

Understanding the Management Role The WritePass Journal

Understanding the Management Role Introduction Understanding the Management Role , Accessed 5 June 2012 wdp-drugs.org.uk/pages/what-we-do.html)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Recently have WDP gained some prison based services in which we have a presence within some prisons offering advice and support to people with substance misuse problems. WDP’s is committed   to creating a society that is healthier and safer because it is well informed about drug and alcohol use, where people adversely affected can get effective help. Evidence of this can be seen in the services being provided to the community as a whole. The Finance Team The Finance team handles all aspect of the company’s finances. From the preparation of budgets for tendering purposes, to the raising   sales invoices, to the processing of both staff expenses and purchases invoice, also giving a breakdown of actual vs. budgeted spend to both internal and external stakeholder’s. The finance team ensures that there is a proper utilisation of the financial resources against all aspect of the organisation. The team is made up of 4 staff we have the: Financial Controller who has the overall responsibility of leading and guiding the team and also handles the strategic aspect of the company’s finances and ensures that there is a proper utilisation of the financial resources against all aspect of the organisation. Financial Accountant: dealing with the everyday running of the department and responsible for managing the finance administrators Finance Administrators: There are two people in this position. They deal with processing purchase invoices and other administrative tasks There is a strong emphasis upon teamwork within the department dealing with finance.   The ethos is one of understanding how decisions made by individuals form part of a much larger picture. This ethos of teamwork extends not just to our department, but is part of the overall organisational vision, which is predicated upon the notion that every one of us has a responsibility to society as a whole. The organisation’s structure, functional areas and managerial roles, in relation to its purpose WDP   has a broadly hierarchical structure, that is it consists of several levels with fewer people at the higher levels holding more power, both in terms of authority over others and in terms of swaying decisions about the organisation. At the top (see illustration) is the chair, working with the CEO and other directors. The CEO reports directly to the board, and in turn manages the Directors and Financial Controller of individual departments.   Ã‚  There is then a layer of middle management, consisting of the directors of various departments within WDP.   This layer is also known as the senior management team, and is made up of the HR director, Director of Operations and the Director of Development.   Below this layer are individual managers. There may be more than one manager within a department. Although lower levels are not shown on the diagram, they do exist, for example the administrative staff in the finance department.  Ã‚   The structure at WDP is not as hierarchi cal as some organisations, and there is an ethos of teamwork and cross-level communication, however some division of power between ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ of the scale offers opportunities for progression within work, and allows WDP to deliver its objectives better.   Lower organisational levels can concern themselves with day-to-day tasks, while long-term perspectives and strategy are decided by the board (Dunnette et al 1994).  Ã‚   As well as a division into hierarchical levels, WDP divides into different functional levels (these are also shown in the diagram below): human resources (handling recruitment, discipline, grievance and other aspects concerned with people as a strategic company asset, such as training and education), finance (covering all aspects of finance), development (future planning and ensuring plans are carried out as decided), and operations (covering ongoing running of what we do as an organisation, smooth running of existing contracts and looking for new business opportunities). Things to do:- Investigate the organisational structure (hierarchical structure) Explain the role of the chair The organisations’ stakeholders and their objectives Ideas about stakeholders originate in attempts to introduce ethical practices into business, and move focus away from shareholders. The stakeholders of any organisation are the set of people who are affected by, or who have an effect on, the organisation as it carries out its purpose(s) (Visser et al 2010).  Ã‚   WDP has a number of stakeholders, with different perspectives. What one group holds as the interests most important to them is not always shared by other groups. The main stakeholders of WDP are: Our service users: people with drug and / or alcohol problems Their families People in their community who are affected by the problems of our clients (friends, people who are impacted by their behaviour) The wider local community WDP employees and directors Other community, local authority organisations and / or service providers, for example the police, the courts, prisons and others in the criminal justice system, healthcare providers The local authority commissioners who commission WDP to provide services in the boroughs we work in Each group of stakeholders has a different set of interests, each of which impact on the organisation in different ways. Within each group, there may also be conflicting interests. For example, our service users seek support and help overcoming their drug / alcohol problems overall, but some users might hope for more intensive interventions while others might attend as a consequence of family pressure or pressure from social workers.  Ã‚   Families’ main interests are helping their relative overcome their addiction, but often have unrealistic expectations of the degree and kind of intervention we can make.   The local community’s interest is also varied, from wanting us to make a visible drug / alcohol problem go away, to supporting what we do. Broadly, all employees and the board of WDP are committed to supporting people with addictions and helping them overcome them, but again there is a diversity of opinion here, with some employees wanting or expecting different things from WDP. Overall, WDP need to understand the differing viewpoints of stakeholders, and try to achieve a balance between them in addressing them.  Ã‚   In general, our service users are the priority, but it is also important to take the other positions into account.   Problems arise when stakeholder perspectives are incompatible, for example we have had demands from the community to be less visible, as it is perceived that our presence impacts upon house values in the neighbourhood. Clearly, this is incompatible with our objective of supporting users. In cases like this there is a need for someone to take an overall perspective and decide which need overrides the other, then be able to explain this decision in a diplomatic way. The role of management in achieving goals Management plays a big part at WDP in reaching organisational goals.  Ã‚   My own role has some managerial functions, however I should point out that my own role is not akin to that of middle managers in the organisation, although I do have responsibility for overseeing other people’s work, particularly in supervision, training and mentoring departmental administrators. I also take on some other managerial functions, for example honing office and organisational systems and feeding into board-level decisions, and helping people grow individually and as a team. It is possible to see an organisation in tiers: at the top are the highest levels of management. The concern at this level is the operation of the organisation overall. At the lowest level, different sections of the organisation carry out their function (for example, financial accounting and transactions for the finance department). Middle managers act as a buffer or co-ordinator between the two levels, managing entire departments and feeding into higher level decisions (Hewison 2004).   While I have some input into higher level decisions, I have a line manager, the Financial Manager, who performs the middle management function for my department. In our organisation, middle managers are responsible for the overall efficient and correct running of their department, and for having input into organisational decisions at board level. Because of the ethos of the organisation, there is a strong focus upon taking the views of all employees into account when planning at board level, so the middle manager is also responsible for ensuring that the views of the staff she or he manages is fairly and fully represented, and also that board decisions are clearly fed back to staff.  Ã‚   As well as making sure that lower levels of the organisation have a ‘voice’ at board level, middle managers at WDP need to translate the organisational strategy, developed in its most general form at board level to a workable version, cashing it out in terms of particular actions to be carried out by staff at lower levels.   Middle managers have to be particularly flexible, as they have to ‘translate’ between the everyday workin g role of grass roots level staff and the long-term focus of the board.  Ã‚   There are also issues of accountability. Middle managers are accountable for their entire department, to the CEO and board. Personally, I am accountable to the Finance Controller, and the two Finance Assistants are accountable to me.  Ã‚   I am responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day running of financial matters, and for feeding back to my line management other issues raised by the staff, for example working conditions, co-ordination of leave, training requirements and other issues.  Ã‚   As a manager, like managers higher in the organisation, I am expected to lead both through directing others but particularly by example. The effect of communication and interpersonal relationships on managerial performance Communication skills and interpersonal relationships play a particularly important part at WDP, perhaps because of the high emphasis placed upon teamwork and shared communication, but perhaps also because of the need to be particularly sensitive to our main client group, people with drug and alcohol problems.  Ã‚   Both areas can have negative and positive effects on managerial performance.  Ã‚   Good communication can make the manager’s job much easier. It has been estimated that managers can spend up to 80% of their days communicating with others (Daft and Marcic), and certainly communication plays a central role at WDP.   Personally, I have found that communication can be positively enhanced through careful listening to people, asking questions to draw out what they mean, rather than offering them one or two alternatives (‘open’ rather than ‘closed’ questions, to use a term from neuro-linguistic programming) (Linder-Pelz 2010).   It can als o be improved by paying attention to staff’s body language, for example being aware through non-verbal cues how people really feel. This skill has helped me read people during presentations, and tailor them to people’s boredom level. In both these ways, good communication can help the manager understand his or her staff better, and this is a first step to getting more out of staff, through building a relationship of mutual trust and respect (Templar 2011).  Ã‚   Interpersonal relationships can also have a positive impact on managerial performance. WDP places a large emphasis upon teamwork, because everyone needs to be committed to our goals to make them a success. Therefore, there is also a big emphasis on people working well together.   If the atmosphere in a division is positive, people are willing to help other colleagues out, for example covering for someone when they are ill, and being less resentful of others.   This impacts upon overall productivity. However, both communication and interpersonal relationships can have a negative impact upon managerial performance.   On occasion,   staff have become too close, for example entering into a romantic relationship which alienates other staff members, and creates a difficult atmosphere, particularly if one or both partners in the relationship are already in a formal relationship. This has made, in my experience, managing the situation extremely difficult, as the staff in question are reluctant to see the negative impact of their behaviour, and even more reluctant to end the work relationship.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poor communication can also have negative impacts upon productivity. Where channels of communication are blocked, for example where lower level staff feel unable to approach their line manager, this can lead to frustration and poorer in-work performance, as staff feel they lack the trust and support in which they work best.   I have also seen the effect of rumours about redundancy and the negative impact these can have on workplace performance.  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also what I see as a natural human tendency to keep information to oneself or share with one or two trusted others, which works against teamwork. Some employees are also more prone than others to gossip and manipulative behaviour. If such an individual is on the team, he or she needs careful management to mitigate the impact of these destructive behaviours. Barriers to communication and effective interpersonal relationship in WDP, strategies to overcome these I have identified a number of barriers to communication and interpersonal relationships: Poorly managed circulation of information: information is ‘leaked’ from higher managerial levels, so some staff know about it before others. This builds an atmosphere of mistrust and secrecy, and divides the workforce. Relatedly, information is often told to people on a ‘need to know’ basis, that is, in passing and not as part of an overall strategy. This has similar negative impacts as above, leading to division between staff and tension Lack of investment in team building: because we are so busy, important exercises which will build us as a team such as regular feedback meetings and ‘bonding’ sessions where we socialise together are either missing or mis-managed. Lack of listening skills on the part of some managers: everyone can improve their listening skills, but certain managers at WDP seem to lack the skills altogether. They seem bored to listen to anyone else but themselves, do not pick up on non-verbal cues, and don’t employ strategies to draw people out in conversation. On a positive note, I believe all these barriers can be overcome. The first and second could be eradicated by better managing the flow of information. It is easy to identify the source of leaks, and the person concerned should be reminded of the repercussions of what they are doing, and perhaps disciplined if the practice continues. There should be a clearer policy at board level about how information is to be circulated to others. I believe that if people saw the wider context of their ‘leaks’ and disclosures, the problem would be reduced if not eradicated.  Ã‚   In terms of the third barrier, I believe that team building needs to be built into the work schedule. All middle managers should be told they must arrange more regular meetings between staff and develop imaginative ideas for ‘bonding’ exercises. There also needs to be financial investment in these exercises. Finally, listening is a skill, and one which can be learned. The barrier caused by poor l istening skills can be addressed by a training programme in listening and communication, perhaps for all managers so the ones with poor skills do not feel singled out. Development opportunities I have used a process called reflective learning to work out which areas in my working life are problematic, and trying to work out how they can be opportunities for development. Reflective learning is   a process of looking at ones experiences in the workplace, particularly reflecting upon areas of concern, in order to isolate the elements of the experience, interpret them and possibly change the way one behaves in the future (Jasper 2007).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through identifying problematic areas and critically analysing them, I have found several areas which impact upon my managerial ability (see table 2) Area Knowledge Skills Personal Attributes Behaviour Impact on Managerial Ability ‘Can do’ attitude I believe I know everything I need to know I feel I can do everything well enough Control Refuse to allow staff to do things for themselves, hard to delegate Negative – staff become frustrated, can’t make decisions for themselves Independence N/A Accounting tends to be fairly autonomous: something one can do in isolation I am used to working on my own. Not used to having the responsibility of others I tend to let them manage themselves, even when they are struggling People do not function as a team. My staff struggle to cope.  Ã‚   I tend to resent advice from ‘above’. Staff don’t feel they ‘belong’ Not sure what role involves I haven’t been given the information about what my role involves N/A I am reluctant to ask what my role is, in case I look less than competent I struggle along, don’t ask for help or clarification, become bad tempered with staff Staff lose motivation, lack direction and sense of purpose Table 2: breakdown of problem areas Overall, I feel that I am struggling with a new role as a manager. I’m used to working in isolation from others, and see asking for help as a form of weakness. However, I can recognise that I need to be able to enthuse my team more, and build cohesiveness within it.  Ã‚   I feel I’ve not really been adequately trained for the role, and now realise it is not a question of simply teaching other people to do the financial things I do. Rather, there’s a lot more to the role of manager including team building. Although I feel I have good listening and communication skills, I feel I am lacking in other areas such as enthusing others about the organisation as a whole.  Ã‚   I also believe that leadership can be learnt, and is something I can get better at. Action Plan Based on your assessment, determine priorities for further development of your own managerial behaviour and plan activities to achieve these Priority Area to be addressed / developed or improved Precise action to be taken Date to be completed by Job role I need clarification of what role involves Ask line manager for job description, full details of role 1 week Management skills I lack experience in managing others, particularly communication and team building Ask for support / mentoring / formal training 1 week. Control I am used to doing everything by myself. I need to delegate more Break down daily / weekly / monthly tasks and start to delegate at least some of them 2 weeks Independence I am too independent, used to working on my own. Now I need to be able to support others and lead a team Ask for training in building a team / communication. Read around the subject Ask for training: 1 week. Reading ongoing References Daft, R L and Marcic, D (2012)   Understanding Management, Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Dunnette, M D, Hough, L M and Charalambos, H (1994) Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Consulting Psychologists Press, USA Hewison, A (2004) Management for Nurses and Health Professionals: Theory Into Practice, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ Jasper, M (2007) Professional Development, Reflection and Decision-Making, John Wiley Sons, USA Linder-Pelz, S (2010) NLP Coaching: An Evidence-Based Approach for Coaches, Leaders and Individuals, Kogan Page Publishers, London Templar, R (2011) The Rules of Management: A Definitive Code for Managerial Success, FT Press, London Visser, W, Matten, D, Pohl, M and Tolhurst,   The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ MARK SHEET: WORK BASED ASSIGNMENT (M4.01) Centre Number Centre Name Learner Registration No Learner named below confirms authenticity of submission NAME: Criteria WBA Strengths WBA Areas for Improvement Assr mark QA mark The organisation in relation to its purpose and its stakeholders  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The organisation’s purpose and its stakeholders are described  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The organisation’s structure, functional areas and managerial roles are explained       / 24 marks (min 12) The role of management in achieving goals     ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The specific responsibilities of middle managers in enabling the organisation to achieve its goals is described       / 20 marks (min 10) The effect of communication and interpersonal relationships on managerial performance  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effect of interpersonal relationships and communication on managerial performance is explained  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barriers to communication and effective interpersonal relationships in the organisation are identified and strategies devised to overcome these          / 30 marks (min 15) Development opportunities  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Own knowledge, skills, personal attributes and behaviour and their effect on own managerial ability is critically assessed  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Areas for personal development to improve own managerial behaviour is identified  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Priorities for future development are planned and set       / 26 marks (min 13) (External) Assessor’s Decision Quality Assurance Use Total Marks Outcome (circle as applicable) Total Marks Outcome (circle as applicable) Total 50+ overall, AND minimum in each section   PASS/REFERRAL Total 50+ overall, AND minimum in each section   Ã‚   PASS/REFERRAL Section fail if applicable: Date of QA check: Name of Assessor Name of QA Assessor Signature and date QA Signature and date