Pedophilia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Pedophilia - Research Paper Example Pedophile is sexually attracted not towards opposite sex people but towards young children. Pedophiles abuse children in order to satisfy their sexual desires. This is why they pose a threat to the society. Pedophilia is considered as a mental disorder according to the International Classification of Diseases (WHO, 2007). Treatment of this disease is not known today. In this essay we will argue why a crimes like pedophilia are still persistent in our society. Absence of Appropriate Punishment Appropriate punishment can hinder any crime. It is in human nature to give in to emotional desires and only threat of punishment can stop criminals from committing any kind of crime. It is very hard for human beings to control his or her impulses therefore law and order and its enforcement is important in order to maintain the balance of the society. This balance will be only be maintained if appropriate punishment will be given to the criminals in accordance with the crimes they commit. Treatme nt of pedophiles in the justice system is not appropriate and that is why pedophilia is still persistent in our society today. Perpetuators of sexual abuse on children are not punished severely by the criminal system due to many reasons. Mostly children are not able to explain what has happened to them and that is why pedophiles are not identified. ... When sexually abused children feel that this is too part of life and therefore are not likely to report such incidents. This is a big hindrance in the punishment of pedophiles. They take advantage of this and continue their crimes. Also in the justice system there are certain loop holes and pedophiles exploit them to avoid punishments for their crimes. Children can usually not recount what has happened to them and are mostly not able to testify in courts. This is why pedophiles go free and are not convicted in court. It is also hard to prove sexual abuse on children because abuse is different from that on adults. Sexual intercourse usually doesn’t happen with children and pedophiles use different ways to satisfy and pleasure themselves. This is why it is hard to prove sexual abuse on children due to lack of DNA evidence. When sexual intercourse happen DNA tests can easily prove that but this is usually not the case with children. This is another problem in the legal system whi ch is exploited by pedophiles. Also laws made for the sex offenders are based on emotions and do not focus strategically on the eradication of the crime itself (Lynch, M. 2006). This is another reason why punishment received by pedophiles is not enough. The nature of the crime committed by pedophiles is different from other crimes. First of all it is important to understand that pedophilia is a mental disorder. It is not a crime like murder or theft where criminal is committing the crime at his or her own discretion. In the case of pedophilia criminal should be treated as a patient. He is doing the crime because he is mentally sick. This difference should be taken into account before sentencing a pedophile. The sentence of a pedophile should be

Tuesdays with Morrie Essay Example for Free

Tuesdays with Morrie Essay Tuesdays with Morrie is a true story about sportswriter Mitch Albom and his favorite college professor Morrie Schwartz. During Alboms undergraduate years at Brandeis University, when he takes every class taught by his mentor, he and Schwartz form a bond that goes beyond the typical student/teacher relationship. The author, Mitch, who is a teacher in the eyes of hope. After graduation, he entered the community, containing floating up, there was the ideal gradual disillusionment, lifes difficult to face an increasingly large problem. Sixteen years later, he stumbled and mentor college reunion, but this time his teacher only last a few months to live. So, he went to fourteen of his teachers class Mitchvisits his teacher every Tuesday. The teacher, Murray. Schwarz (Morrie Schwartz), one step closer to facing death, honesty saw himself in the face of death, fear and vulnerability, admitted that their love of this world is to accept defeat, but he broke these emotions, to show life after Che Qingming hole and quiet, and with a sense of humor. Murray not only their own courage to face death, read all the documents multiple meanings of death, but through conversations with students Mickey, Mickey because little by little so sophisticated and calloused heart gradually soft, let him look at life. The author dreams fade, narrow field of vision, emotional moments become stiff, have the opportunity to listen to former mentors teachings. People who read this book, it also seems to follow the Church is called to attend the What is Life lesson learned to be the wisdom and warmth. This is the story that will shine, and makes you a lifetime memorable. After graduation, Albom promises to stay in touch with his professor and moves to New York City with the intention of pursuing a career as a professional musician. He spends several frustrating years working odd jobs and wondering what he is doing wrong. He loses touch with all of his college friends and Schwartz. His musical dreams are dying a frustrating death, and he feels like a failure for the first time in his life. Around that time, a favorite uncle passes away from cancer at the age of forty-four. This frightens Albom into action. He returns to school and earns graduate degrees in journalism and business administration from Columbia University in New York. Albom accepts a job as a sports writer and begins working long, grueling hours, determined not to end up at a corporate job he hates like his uncle did. He bounces around the country working for different newspapers and magazines before finally settling at The Detroit Free Press, where his career really begins to take off. As Alboms career grows, so do his income and his material possessions. The more he gets, the more he wants and the harder he works. During this time, he also gets married. His wife wants to start a family, and he promises her someday. One evening while flipping channels on the television, Albom catches the introduction to Nightline and hears the name Morrie Schwartz. His long-forgotten favorite professor is the subject of a Ted Koppel interview. Albom watches in shock as he learns Schwartz is dying of ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease. Shortly after learning the diagnosis, Schwartz makes an important decision. He isnt going to hide behind his illness. He isnt going to be ashamed or afraid of dying. Hes been a teacher all his life and decides hell teach one final class, teaching his students how to die. Thats where Schwartzs old student and friend Mitch Albom comes in. After seeing the Nightline interview, Albom visits Schwartz and makes another promise to keep in touch. A few weeks later, Alboms newspaper goes on strike, and he is out of a job. Left with too much time on his hands and too many unsettling thoughts in his head, he returns to Massachusetts to see Schwartz. In fact, he returns to Massachusetts every Tuesday until the end of Schwartzs life. After a couple of visits, Albom begins recording their talks, with Schwartzs permission and his encouragement. He wants to share this journey with the world and knows that Albom can help him reach beyond the walls to which his disease has confined him. For the next fourteen weeks, Schwartz and Albom discuss everything from regrets and death to money and marriage, from family to forgiveness. Their conversations and the insights they give into the way Schwartz has lived his life and accepts his death become the foundation around which Tuesdays with Morrie is written.

The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar Reflects The Reality Of Politcs In The Ph :: essays research papers

The Philippines is known to have been through a lot of corruption especially during the Marcos era. Tyranny was prevalent. Absolute power, whether is a king, president or a protector is not only alien to our idea of â€Å"democratic decision† but without fail, gets to be arbitrary despotic and corrupt. Tyranny was at its height during martial law, which began September 1972. William Shakespeare reveals his perception of a corrupt society in his play â€Å"Julius Caesar† . This play is about the assassination of Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome. His assassination by the conspirators , Brutus and Cassius was brought about by a lot of motives. Cassius’ purpose is merely his envy and his greed for power. Brutus is concerned for the good of Rome. He did not want Rome to suffer in the hands of a tyrant. Caesar’s character is not only judged by what he says or does but mostly what others think of him. To the common people he is a hero, but to the sonspirators he is a traitor to Rome. It is evident that Caesar can easily be moved by flattery which led to his death. Shortly before his death, he didn’t want to go to the capital because he gave in to Calpurnia’s fears that he might get killed. However, Decius , one of the conspirators played with his vanity by interpreting Calpurnia’s dream in a way that would flatter him. T his proves that he masks his fears because he wants to cast himself in the role of a god. The play â€Å"Julius Caesar† has its similarity in the person of Ferdinand Marcos. The rise of Ferdinand Marcos began when he pursued law at the University of the Philippines College of Law. During his senior year, he was accused of the murder of Julio Nalundasan, his father’s opponent in the election who won. Marcos defended himself in court but was eventually pronounced guilty. While in prison, he reviewed for the Bar examination. In addition to graduating with honors in his law class, Marcos topped the bar. During the war, he served as a guerilla where he was awarded medals of recognition. He became one of the most decorated hero of the Philippines, eclipsing even the most recognized leaders of the resistance against the Japanese. Marcos gained the support of his and Imelda’s family when they were wedded. In the election of 1965, Marcos then a senator changed affiliation and became the candidate for president of the Nacionalista Party.

Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory and the CSI Effect on Jurors Essay

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office presented a study in 2005 in which it examined the impact of the so-called â€Å"CSI effect† to its jurors. The data was gathered by means of surveying prosecutors who had jury trial experience, and from there, the study assessed the samples’ perceptions as to whether the â€Å"CSI effect† had played a part in the decision of some juries. Interestingly, although the â€Å"CSI effect† may be deemed an unlikely factor, the study showed that the â€Å"CSI effect† is real and may affect jury behavior (Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, 2005). Television watching, as some media theories have discussed, can create a psychological impact to its viewers especially as it can inevitably serve as an educational source; however, the problem lies in what television can actually teach (Condry, 1989). The presence of the â€Å"CSI effect† in justice and legal systems can be deemed significant especially as to how this may affect the judgment of the members of the jury. The idea that certain television genres, especially along the lines of the highly popular crime drama Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), can affect certain trial outcomes may seem outrageous, but the â€Å"CSI effect† has been established as a ground that connects the real-life justice and legal systems and products of media and entertainment (Smith, Patry and Stinson, 2008; Stevens, 2008; Mardis, 2006). As the effectiveness of the justice system also relies on the effectiveness of its jurors, the impact of the media and entertainment products towards people in this context may be deemed problematic (Stevens, 2008). This is why it is important to evaluate the impact of the â€Å"CSI effect† because of its implications thereby highlighting the relationship between the law and mass communications. The term â€Å"CSI effect† is based on the popular television show Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and other shows that present the following basic premise: the ability of an (fictional) authoritative group in crime and justice that can expose the truth based on their systematic and sophisticated processes. However, since these shows are made for televisions, it is inevitable that these processes are glamorized and may not be realistic at all. The â€Å"CSI effect† therefore pertains to the influence of such television programs to the perceptions and behavior of the people, especially in relation to the justice and legal systems (Smith, Patry and Stinson, 2008). Stevens (2008) further explains that the â€Å"CSI effect† is based on fictionalized accounts as to what forensic science can do but, due to the twisted conceptions of reality of some viewers, there is the inescapable belief that these components of the shows are something happens in real life. Among the media and communication theories that can serve as fundamental framework of this assessment is Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory. The theory suggests that information sources such as television contribute to the cultivation of the individual and the social environment; therefore, conceptions of reality are formed (Gerbner & Gross, 1976; Gerbner, 1998). This theory can then be based on the concept that stories, as projected, tends to reflect a certain extent of reality, therefore, they animate a society’s cultural environment. As Gerbner (1999, ix) explained the functions of stories, they â€Å"illuminate the all-important but invisible relationships and hidden dynamics of life†; as these stories represent a degree of shared beliefs, the cultivation of these tales and representations therefore create a significant input to the perceived reality of individuals. The Cultivation Theory is also further supported by several studies conducted by Gerber and his colleagues with a focus on the impact of television to real world perceptions. This brings an interesting premise as the projected reality is based on fictional work; the impact of the cultivation thereby leads to behavioral effects. Television shows, as Gerbner (1998) pointed out, are important marketing tools that have affected not only the people’s perceptions but also their identity and expectations from the society. The validity of television can be based on its function, being a source of information and spectacle representing the shared images and history across many societies (Gerbner, 1998). This paper therefore aims to evaluate the relationship of Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory with the â€Å"CSI effect†, especially as to how this has affected and may affect juror perceptions and judgments. This study addresses this thesis by conducting a review of a series of related literatures that are deemed integral to a better and cohesive understanding between this phenomenon and the theory of cultivation. The findings and implications discuss the degree of impact of the â€Å"CSI effect† and whether this is something that the justice system should seriously consider and devote effort to. Furthermore, approaches towards the Cultivation Theory are also addressed especially in terms of its applicability to the â€Å"CSI effect† and juror behavior. The study then concludes with an analysis on how the findings may actually help in the formulation of a more effective jury screening process. Review of Literature Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory, the Media, and the Television A series of studies conducted by Gerbner and his colleagues tackled the effect of the television and its contribution to the formation of reality among its viewers which are, interestingly, found to be similar to the world in these television shows. Functioning under the umbrella of the Cultivation Theory, the studies also initiated cultivation analyses and the identification of cultural indicators that were also deemed to contribute to reality- and perception-formation among television viewers. As Gerbner (1998) explained these processes, the activity was spawned from the previous examinations on how stories, in general, may be formed for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing purposes. Television is therefore seen as an important medium in story-telling, especially how technological innovations seem to have continuously supported the role of the television in the society. As Gerbner’s studies (1998, 1999; Gerbner & Gross, 1984; Gerbner, Gross, Morgan & Signorelli, 1984) have emphasized the role and importance of television, the origins of cultivation found its venue in this particular technology and social tool. This is because media messages can be easily accessed through television, therefore the cultivation of social reality may be based on what the media feeds its viewers. However, as Gerbner (1998) noted, although the television may be an important tool, it merely plays an integral aspect in the overall dynamics of information processes and conception-formation. This is to say that, for instance, a person may be a huge fan of CSI because of its entertainment value, but the same person is also well-aware that what he or she is appreciating is fiction and not necessarily real and factual. Hence, it can be gathered from the cultivation theory that although television plays an integral role, its effect is not absolute as people are continuously exposed to many channels of information and messages (Gerbner, 1998). The cultivation, on one hand, is seen to be more effective is the viewer is experiences a repeated exposure to particular television images (Gerbner & Gross, 1976). The definition of cultivation is thereby defined as â€Å"the independent contributions television viewing makes to viewer conceptions of social reality. The ‘cultivation differential’ is the margin of difference in conceptions of reality between light and heavy viewers in the same demographic sub-groups† (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan and Signorielli, 1994, 23). An analysis towards Gebner’s theory is presented by Hughes (1980) who presented some shortcomings in the studies presented by the former and his colleagues in the context of the effect of violence in television to the perceived reality. The initial cultivation theory studies conducted by Gerbner in the1970s generally made use of the following controls: age, sex and education. Hughes pointed out that there were more factors that could affect the responses of the sample that participated in the General Social Survey such as race and income. This shows that the applicability of the cultivation theory is limited; hence, how television content may cultivate certain conceptions among individuals may be more minimal impact than expected. One of the studies that applied the notion of cultivation theory is a study conducted by Shrum (1999) where the author measured attitude strength and attitude extremity as implications of Gerbner’s cultivation theory. Shrum’s initial approach to the study was to weigh in theories along the lines of Gerbner’s work and its critics such as those presented by Hughes (1980). Basically, the author agreed with the identified shortcomings of Gerbner’s work although the criticisms were mostly based on the process Gerbner and his team used. Shrum also pointed out that one of the probable weaknesses of Gerbner’s work was the identification of the two main categories of samples in addition to the previously identified controls of age, sex and education: participants who were heavy television viewers and those who were light television viewers. The main purpose of Shrum’s study was to evaluate the impact of television towards the attitudes demonstrated. Although Shrum showed that what could limit Gerbner’s work was the issue on the lack of efficient design, the author approached the study in a similar manner — by comparing the results between heavy and light viewers — as a means to identify differences. The categorization between the heavy and the light viewers would prove to be simplistic yet substantial in the author’s approach especially as the samples he used fell in the same demographic categories which were students. The study’s result showed that it reflected Gerbner’s cultivation theory; apparently, heavy television watchers were found to have the tendency to perceive a â€Å"television world† as compared to the light television watchers. The study examined students who watched soap operas, hence, from the results, the sampled heavy viewers were found to have the tendency to experience more distrust and possibly, more marital problems. Shrum (1999) utilized regression approaches and analyses in order to come up with this conclusion. A similar study can be also found in Quick’s (2009) assessment of variation among patient response as based on whether they watch the medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. The study found that patients who heavily watched the show are most likely to have positive associations in terms of their perceptions towards doctors. The perception, according to this study, is not necessarily based on the positive portrayal of the doctors but rather the show was seen as a credible reference to what happens in the hospitals and how doctors can be expected to behave in this space. Hence, despite the presence of both positive and negative portrayals of medical professionals, heavy viewers of this particular show count the courageous and compassionate aspects of the fictional characters, hence, the study found that these patient-viewers have a positive perception towards their physicians. Quick (2009) mentioned, however, that although this context does not necessarily provide harm, the problem is that the sensationalization of the show may further cultivate wrong or high expectations from patients. Quick (2009) further mentioned that the implications of such results can be used to communicate accurate depictions such as, in the case of Grey’s Anatomy, conveying important health-related information. In a sense, by using the fictional channel such as television, viewers are able to be more informed in important issues. This is discussed by Appel (2008) in which the television plays an integral role in just-world beliefs; as Appel mentioned, the cultivation of beliefs can be specially affective among those who heavily watch television. Appel (2008) supported this posit by conducting a comparison study between Austrian and German television viewers; the main purpose of this research was to determine the degree of just-world beliefs among television viewers. The study showed that fictional narratives can change the perceptions of the people, and interestingly, these narratives usually feature a world that is just. Basically, what can be attributed to this impact can be pointed at the content of the program. The effectiveness of these messages in the â€Å"television world† is due to the following factors: the stimulation of moral evaluation paired with the presence of resolution, and at the same time, the entertainment value of these programs (Appel, 2008). This is why, according to the author, heavy television viewers especially those who watch a lot of fictional narratives demonstrate a strong belief in a just-world as compared to viewers of infotainment and non-fiction where belief in the mean-world is seen to be more emphasized. From this, content evidently plays a role in the amount of influence to the viewers, but from this study, the fictional programs are seen to be a more effective venue in changing the beliefs of the viewers. When it comes to content, genre plays a very important role. An important point raised by Cohen and Weinmann (2000) is that the viewers themselves unconsciously â€Å"cultivate† themselves through television because the viewers choose which shows to watch. The selection can be based on many factors, from age, education, sex, personality and even life experiences. Since genres vary as based on content and certain plot norms, it can be gathered that social realities in these contexts also differ. Which is why, according to the authors, the view and representations on the world are not similar, and at the same time, these program contents may also present conflicting perspectives. Hence, in the aspect of cultivation, different attitudes and world-views can be formed; Shrum’s (1999) and Quick’s (2009) studies are only therefore applicable to the specific genres they focused on (soap operas and Grey’s Anatomy, respectively) and the results towards attitudes and viewer response may be different if the study evaluated viewer response towards different shows. Cultivation Theory and the Crime TV Genre When it comes to the cultivation impact in crime genres in television, Dominick (1973) examined Gerbner’s theory specifically his studies in cultivation when it comes to crime- or violence-related shows. Dominick mentioned that prior to Gerbner’s study published in 1972, there were already past studies as to the presence of crime-related shows as found on television. In fact, as the author mentioned, it was found that even in the majority of the television shows in the 1950s demonstrated many programs of this genre, and that law enforcers were already highly stereotyped. Dominick (1973) cited Gerbner’s previous study as a stepping stone to further analyze crime and violence on television; according to the author, Gerbner’s studies, which covered television shows in the later half of the 1960s, showed a significant amount of violence and crime on television yet, in reality, there was the noted decrease in violence among criminals but the law enforcers maintained a certain degree of violence. In reflection, Dominick noted that on television, the law enforcers were seen as the main authoritative figure that always saves the day. Hence, in agreeing with Gerbner’s study, Dominick’s analysis lead to further contribution as to the role of cultivation theory especially as to how the audiences are influenced on their stereotype perceptions, especially in crime- and violence-related shows. Stereotyping seems to be a common element in television crime shows especially as this genre play up certain norms when it comes to the supposed social reality of crime. What is interesting is that racial elements were found to be contributory to these portrayals. For instance, in a study by Dixon (2007), the author noted that responses from heavy television viewers of crime-related programs are most likely the ones to reflect a racial bias in the identification of the perpetrator and the police officer. This shows that even though fact-based programs such as the news present reality, as also adapted in fictional programs, there is the aspect of racialized portrayals. Hence, cultivation in this context has led to certain media imageries that have become a social reality based on the collective perception towards crime racial stereotypes. However, what challenges this is presented by a study conducted by Grabe and Drew (2007) in which the authors examined how crime in the media would actually successfully cultivate specific crime orientations. According to the authors, the study of crime in the media has been a prominent subject in studying cultivation. Grabe and Drew conducted a study among 505 selected adults located in Indiana, and from this, the study concluded that there was a significant variance depending on the many media genres and channels. Hence, the study showed that crime orientation among individuals may not be as strongly influenced by the media especially as viewers have different personal orientations that may affect their own worldviews. This is also reflected by a study executed by Diefenbach and West (2001) in which the authors tested the effect of cultivation theory when it comes to perceptions on violence and crime as seen on television. However, Diefenbach and West also showed results which point at the influence of light versus heavy viewers perceptions. The study showed that projections on crime rates are higher among heavy television viewers. On one hand, it should be also noted that in this study, as the authors pointed out, the samples were limited among the participants from a small North Carolina town with crime rates below the national average. The background of the participants can then be said to factor into perceptions, which is to say, for instance, that projections from samples from a small town may differ from those from the city who have a greater exposure to criminal incidences in their communities. Another variation of a study applying the cultivation theory in crime television is conducted by Heath and Petraitis (1987). According to the study, adapted perceptions projected from the â€Å"television world† were believed to be mostly realistic in distant settings and not in their immediate environment. The study concluded that the fear viewers feel towards crime are more apparent among viewers who see the possibility of such incidents in a distant urban setting rather than in their neighborhood. Basically, based on these applications of the cultivation theory in the crime genre, it can be observed that the varying results are due to the different impacts of many factors. It is evident that one of the crime genre norms is the utilization of stereotyped portrayals which, in the end, does lead the viewers to make certain conclusions thereby affecting their crime orientations. On one hand, other studies further look at the derivatives at the actual effect of crime television exposure among the viewers, and this shows that the cultivation theory is applicable only up to a certain extent. The validity of Gerbner’s cultivation theory still has to rely on the background of the viewers, the relevance of the show’s content to the viewers’ reality, and the amount of media exposure a viewer may have. Hence, it is possible that some viewers demonstrate a quintessential example or a manifestation of Gerbner’s cultivation theory, but as time went on and as can be seen in the more recent cited studies on audience response towards crime television, perceptions in this context are not homogenous. The impact of television towards perception and behavior can then be regarded on a case-to-case basis, especially as audience exposure is no longer limited to the offerings of television, in addition to the fact that there has been also the emergence of sub-genres among many other shows.

Personal and Professional Ethic Essay

List 2 examples of legal issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be legal issues. 2. Give 2 examples of ethical issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be ethical issues. 3. Give 2 examples of moral issues affecting healthcare and describe how you determined your choices to be moral issues. 4. Describe the impact your own personal ethics may have on your practice as a healthcare professional. 5. List 3 ideas that you have for keeping your personal and professional ethics separate: . How does diversity (ethnic, social and cultural) play a role in providing patient care for your chosen profession? Unit 9 Project Questions: Part II (NOTE: you may need to refer to chapter 3 and/or Unit 2 for this section) 7. What is the name of the professional organization related to your chosen career? (NOTE: a list of professional organizations can be found in the Code of Ethics and Professional Organizations module in the Reading section of Unit 2) 8. How will your professional Code of Ethics help to guide you in making decisions on-the job? NOTE: a link to your Code of Ethics can be found in the Code of Ethics and Professional Organizations module in the Reading section of Unit 2) 9. How does your professional Code of Ethics differ from the American Medical Association Code of Ethics? 10. Does your professional organization offer a credentialing exam for your career? If so, what is the name of the credential you can receive after passing the exam? 11. For most allied health professionals, a certification can be preferred but is optional. Why is this? 12. Name two healthcare professionals in which a license would be required to practice.

Examining a Business Failure

Examining a Business Failure Introduction It is the wish of all business organizations, both big and small, to succeed in whatever activities they undertake. Traditionally, all for-profit organizations endeavors to realize improved financial performance, maintain solvency, consistently retain, and increase their capital and client bases.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Examining a Business Failure specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, various factors, either internal or external, can cause business failure in a given segment of an organization or even the entire organization. This research paper explores a business failure that occurred at Chrysler Group LLC in 2009. The paper aims to describe how organizational-behavior theories could have predicted or explained the company failure. It also compares and contrasts how leadership, management, and organizational structures contributed to the failure. Organizational-behavior theories that can p redict or explain a company’s failure Chrysler Group LLC is an American multi-national automobile maker with its headquarters in the Detroit, suburb of Auburn Hills, in Michigan. It was positioned as Chrysler Corporation in 1925 under the leadership of its founder Walter Chrysler. In 2009, Chrysler LLC slipped into bankruptcy and on April 30, 2009, filed for chapter 11-bankruptcy protection from which it emerged on 30 June 2009 after collaborating with the Italian automaker, Fiat (Isidore, 2009). Typically, a well-established business organization like Chrysler Group LLC is run by a management team consisting of senior officials like CEOs and senior financial managers, board of directors, and internal and external auditors. All of these players actively take part in the decision making processes of an organization regarding all of its aspects including human resources management, production, marketing, financial management, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) among othe rs.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Even though, there is a tendency to hinge a company’s future success on the shoulders of the CEO, each of the above-mentioned key players is supposed to play his or her part in order to safeguard the future success of the organization. Concisely, a company’s success or failure can be determined by the role played by its key decision makers during a definite period. Former Chrysler Group LLC board of directors failed to play their role effectively or professionally. They over relied on the leadership of CEOs as the principal key to the company’s future success especially during the early years of the 21st century. Even though, the CEOs of an organization play a critical role in guiding an organization along the path of success, they cannot run an organization singlehandedly. The necessary input of all relevant senior stakeholders is a requisite for success of an organization. Chrysler’s board of directors was wiling to approve exorbitant salaries and bonuses for its CEOs at the expense of the corporation’s ability to pay its debts. Moreover, the board of directors did not consider the company’s ability to continue remunerating its other workers and remitting their employment benefits. The result of this trend was an abnormal accumulation of debts, which nearly pushed the 85-years old automaker out of the market. Fortunately, the company was saved from an inevitable liquidation by Obama’s administration bail out and a successful merger agreement with Fiat. Financial managers viz. internal and external auditors, bear the greatest blame for the failure of the Chrysler Group LLC because they aught to have raised a red flag for other stakeholders following the evident accumulation of debts. In any case, the inability of this category of officials to provide relevan t financial information to the board of directors and the CEOs should have pointed to a possible company failure in the future. Apart from providing key decision makers with reliable financial information on which they can base their strategies, financial officers of an organization should offer reliable insights on how a company should perform in coming days, in relation to possible business and market conditions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Examining a Business Failure specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In short, financial performance of an organization should remain closely monitored under the guidance of the relevant stakeholders including senior financial managers, internal, and external auditors because it is one of the key indicators or pointers to the fate of an organization’s future success. The CEOs and former board of directors of the Chrysler Group LLC probably ignored this fact and hence, the e ventual failure of the company was inevitable given the unfavorable economic conditions of the year 2009. Leadership, Management, and Organizational contribution to the failure Proper and professional management of an organization’s resources, both human and non-human, is central to its success. Leadership, management, and organizational structures provide the needed framework within which control of organizational resources takes place, as well as the running of the day-to-day activities of an organization. These important features of an organization can therefore, contribute to the failure of a company. Chrysler Group LLC leadership, which was expected to emanate from its CEOs and board of directors, similarly failed to find out the cause of the consistent accumulation of debts. They also equally failed to guide the company on how to reverse the trend in order to sustain its solvency. In contrast, one leadership segment, that is, the board of directors, contributed to the f ailure of the company because of its hands-off attitude that left the company’s future success at the mercy of the CEOs who were also unable to avert the eventual failure that befell the company. Both the leadership and management were unable, and/or unwilling, to read possible pointers to possible failure due to the unpleasant debt accumulation that proceeded its eventual slippery into a detrimental bankruptcy. Chrysler LLC’s organizational structures contributed to the failure by failing to unite the CEOs and board of directors into a constant platform, which could foster teamwork needed in the making and approval of all sensitive decisions that guide a company to its future success.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, the lack of teamwork orientation between the CEOs and the board of directors prevented them from seeing the looming failure from a similar perspective. This, in turn, meant that they did not have an opportunity to put in place the necessary measures at the right time in order to prevent the failure that befell their company. Conclusion All for-profit organizations aim to realize improved financial performance and retain their ability to pay their debts and employees in order to survive in the increasingly dynamic markets. However, that is only possible through able and competent guidance of its leadership and management. The leadership and management of an organization should be able to establish organizational cultures that nurture behaviors, which are congruent to its desire to succeed such as teamwork and professionalism or risk failing to achieve its set goals. Chrysler LLC’s poor leadership, management, and ineffective organizational structures, was its undoin g that culminated into an unfavorable bankruptcy that nearly drove the 85-years old automaker out of markets; but thanks to the federal government bailout, the company remained in the market. Its leadership and overall management failed to read signs of a possible failure; the company‘s financial performance deteriorated as indicated by its adverse preceding debts accumulation but the management was too busy or ignorant to realize it. Reference Isidore, C. (2009). Chrysler files for bankruptcy. CNN Money. Retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/2009/04/30/news/companies/chrysler_bankruptcy/

A New Forest To Conquer Essays - English-language Films, Bozeman

A New Forest To Conquer Essays - English-language Films, Bozeman A New Forest To Conquer The following is a story that I hope to someday tell my grandchildren. I want it to serve as a means of instilling in them the courage and dexterity that I have somehow found within myself to make it through this wonderful and sometimes very painful journey. Once upon a time, high, high up in a tree, there was a birds nest and in that nest there was a special, little egg . The mother bird worried and fussed and fussed and worried over her little egg, saying, Oh my, this little egg cannot possibly be big enough for my baby bird. Finally, the mother birds wait and worry over the little egg came to an end and her baby hatched. Unfortunately, the egg had indeed been far too small for her baby bird; the little bird was terribly sick from not having enough room to grow. Not sure how to care for the little one, which they named Polly, the mother bird and father bird took their new baby to the Great Owl . Thanks to the Great Owls wisdom and patience, the little bird lived, but, despite his tender care, Pollys wings would not grow. The mother bird refused to believe that her darling baby, that she had worried and waited for, for so long, would never fly. As Polly grew, her mother worked with her everyday, in hopes of teaching her daughter to fly. Eventually, their hard work paid off and, although she was a little slow and awkward, Polly finally learned to fly. As she grew bigger and surer of herself, Polly wished to play with the other birds her age. She tried to fly and play with them, but they did not want her in their games. They teased and mocked her and said she was too slow. Polly wished the other birds understood how hard she had had to work, just to be able to fly at all. But that did not matter to the other birds; they only wanted the strongest, fastest birds for their games . So, Polly went home, heartbroken, and made up her own games to play. When it came time for all the young birds to begin school, Polly had no choice but to join them. Afraid that her sensitive little daughter might be hurt by the other young birds, Pollys mother offered to let her go to a special school, but Polly refused. She was determined to keep up with the normal birds and find a way to fit in. In the beginning, the other birds made fun of Polly, but it turned out that the games she had made up to occupy her, made Polly much better than the others in school. Her experience with playing with twigs made her the best nest builder in her class and, even though she flew slower than the others, the hide and seek games she played with her mom made her the fastest at finding worms. Soon, the other birds were so busy trying to keep up with Polly; they forgot to make fun of her. As time passed, all of the young birds started to become aware of their unique appearances and some traits became more desirable than others. It turned out that small, delicate wings became quite the fashion and soon the little boy birds began to notice that Pollys wings were especially small and especially delicate. It didnt matter anymore that her wings made her slow; now, they made her pretty. At first, Polly was proud that her special wings were finally being appreciated and she made sure to show them off every chance she got. However, it didnt take long for Polly to get tired of all the attention she was getting. Many of the boy birds cared more about Pollys wings than they cared about Polly and, after awhile, they seemed to forget that she was attached to her wings at all. Some of the boy birds were mean and nasty to her when she refused to show off her wings. Before long, Polly didnt want to be around the boy birds . Then, one day, as Polly was flying around by herself, trying to stay away from all the

The Difference Between Homology and Homoplasy

The Difference Between Homology and Homoplasy Two common terms used in the science of evolution are  homology and homoplasy. While these terms sound similar (and indeed have a shared linguistic element), they are quite different in their scientific meanings. Both terms refer to sets of biological characteristics that are shared by two or more species (hence the prefix homo), but one term indicates that the shared characteristic came from a common ancestor species, while the other term refers to a shared characteristic that evolved independently in each species.   Homology Defined The term homology refers to biological structures or characteristics that are similar or the same. These characteristics are found  on two or more different species when those characteristics can be traced to a common ancestor. An example of homology is seen in the forelimbs of frogs, birds, rabbits, and lizards. Although these limbs have a different appearance in each species, they all share the same set of bones. This same arrangement of bones has been identified in fossils of a very old extinct species,  Eusthenopteron, which was inherited by frogs, birds, rabbits, and lizards.   Homoplasy Defined Homoplasy, on the other hand, describes a biological structure or characteristic that two or more different species have in common that was not inherited from a common ancestor. A homoplasy evolves independently, usually due to natural selection in similar environments or filling the same type of niche as the other species which also have that trait. A common example often cited is the eye, which developed independently in many different species.   Divergent and Convergent Evolution Homology is a product of divergent evolution. This means that a single ancestor species split, or diverges, into  two or more species at some time in its history. This occurs due to some type of natural selection or environmental isolation that separates the new species from the ancestor. The divergent species now begin to evolve  separately, but they still retain some of the characteristics of the common ancestor. These shared ancestral characteristics are known as homologies. Homoplasy, on the other hand, is due to  convergent evolution. Here, different species develop, rather than inherit, similar traits. This may happen because the species are living in similar environments, filling similar niches, or through the process of natural selection. One example of convergent natural selection is when a species evolves to mimic the appearance of another, such as when a non-poisonous species develop similar markings to a highly venomous species. Such mimicry offers a distinct advantage by deterring potential predators. The similar markings shared by the scarlet kingsnake (a harmless species) and the deadly coral snake is an example of convergent evolution.   Homology Versus Homoplasy Homology and homoplasy are often difficult to identify, since both may be present in the same physical characteristic. The wing of birds and bats is an example where both homology and homoplasy are present. The bones within the wings are homologous structures that are inherited from a common ancestor. All wings include a type of breastbone, a large upper arm bone, two forearm bones, and what would be hand bones. This basic bone structure is found in many species, including humans, leading to the correct conclusion that birds, bats, humans, and many other species share a common ancestor.   But the wings themselves are homoplasies, since many of the species with this shared bone structure, including humans, do not have wings. From the shared ancestor with a certain bone structure, natural selection eventually led to the development of birds and bats with wings that allowed them to fill a niche and survive in a particular  environment. Meanwhile, other divergent species eventually  developed the fingers and thumbs necessary to occupy a different niche.

Strategic Management Meredith Belbin Research Paper

Strategic Management Meredith Belbin - Research Paper Example The Team Role theory sprung from the research done by Meredith. It sought to understand human behavior, by studying individual’s affinity to behave in a certain manner, and their contribution in relating with others. This defined way, gave the theory a meaning. In addition, it helped understand one’s behavior and the behavior of fellow team members (Larson & LaFasto 2006; Adair 2007). Meredith outlined nine team roles. A completer has an attitude to plan ahead, and ensure that targeted goals are attained. A coordinator is composed even in the face of controversy, whereas an implementer works with the interests of the company and not his own. A monitor evaluates proposals with a detached mind (Parker 2004; Rees 2001). A plant is an intellect that solves difficult problems, whereas, a resource investigator is always in a position to relate to people and explore things associated with outsiders. A shaper considers all possible means, to solve a problem and leaves out the unnecessary ones. A specialist provides rare expertise and skills, whereas a team worker promotes team spirit (Gardenswartz 2003; Belbin 2006). Meredith Belbin is a British researcher, born in the year 1926. He obtained a first and second degree at Clare College, Cambridge, in Classics and later Psychology. He worked as a researcher upon completion of his doctorate at Cranfield College. Later, he became the chairman of the Industrial Training Research Unit (Carr 2001). He and three other scholars, Bill Hartston, Jeanne Fisher and Roger Mottram, began a seven year task. They held three games a year, and each game constituted eight teams. In each meeting, they observed and recorded the contribution of each team. Belbin established Belbin Associates, with an aim to publish and promote his research in the year 1988 (Belbin 2003; Maginn 2007). The theory is of immense importance, because it helps understand individuals own behavior and

Cinematography - Social Issues in Documentaries Essay

Cinematography - Social Issues in Documentaries - Essay Example Except that, there are also â€Å"easy† movies that are intended to entertain and relax. However, there are rather serious genres that motivate people to think and read between the lines, implying deep inner sense. Among such genres, there are documentaries, films, which are often rather deprived of aesthetic embellishments and fancy fiction. These movies hold their own particular niche in cinematography, being rather different from fictional feature films because they do not try to colour the truth or distort reality. â€Å"Documentary filmmakers seek to capture on film a representation of the world â€Å"as it is† (or least a representation which is as undiluted as possible), (Tarantino, 2010, p.3). In a documentary movie, the author seeks to depict a real-life event or story objectively rather than through the prism of personal bias or perspective. According to academics, â€Å"documentary is a form of argument about the historical world† (in contrast to fict ional imaginary and metaphorical worlds) (Warmington et al, 2011, p.462). Moreover, as far as many films focus on relevant social, political, religious or cultural issues, the filmmaker may use them to communicate his message to the audience. Although unbiased and rather succinct in their nature – and only sometimes with a pinch of sentimentality – documentary can make people consider serious problems and think over their resolution. The peculiar features of such films are that they are unobtrusive, often feature only real-life characters (not actors) and show real footage of the depicted events. According to Ward (2008), the documentary is the type of nonfiction motion picture, which provides a specific opinion on a certain issue along with presenting facts. Thereby, the documentaries are peculiar in their nature due to a combination of objective facts’ presentation and clearly identified point of view regarding these facts. Documentaries focusing on social issues interact with and affect the audience and are likely to produce a significant impact on people’s minds.  Ã‚  

Epigenetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Epigenetics - Essay Example Altering the mice epigenome so that they can produce thin, brown mice rather than fat, yellow ones means that epigenetics is close to curing some of the diseases considered as inherited. In the video, the pregnant rats are fed diets rich in methyl groups to form tags that can turn genes off. This experiment proves successful in mice as the coat color was shifted producing many more brown mice. The epigenetic fix when the mothers were pregnant resulted to a consequent produce of brown mice. Use of environmental toxin on the mice instead of nutrients produced more yellow mice doomed to grow fat and sick like their mothers. This video shows that in humans, epigenomes change in relation to what we eat, smoke or drink. The video shows that, in younger twins the epigenome is almost similar but as the twins grow older, epigenomes change dramatically and especially when they are subjected to different lifestyles. The research conducted on Sandra Shelby and Roy Cantwell using epigenetic therapy aimed at changing the instructions of the cancer cells through genes reactivation is a step closer to solving modern day killer diseases like cancer and leukemia. This video cautions us from engaging in activities that can mess up our genomes. According to the video, humans are what they eat and what their parents and grandparents eat. Unlike the genome, the epigenome is subject to change affecting our future generations and humans should be responsible as there is hope for the future.

A physical description of an object. not emotional, imaginative or Essay

A physical description of an object. not emotional, imaginative or interpretive - Essay Example The outside cover can be hard bound or just a sturdy paper that extends from its cover to its back. Its purpose is to indicate the title of the book and its corresponding pictures and designs to make the book appealing to its readers. It also serves as a protection that would prevent the contents of the book from being damaged which are composed of thinner leaves of paper where the printed words are written. The physical description of a book are the following, its shape typically rectangle. There are however other variations of which could be square, sometimes oblong. Its inner leaves are made up of thin leaves of papers where the printed contents are written. Its contents can be made up of solely of words or pictures, charts, illustrations or any visual elements that would help the readers understand the book better. Its contents are also divided into chapters to organize the ideas of the book. The wonder of a book is in its contents. When used properly, a book is a very powerful tool that could expand the mind and horizon of an individual that would bring about great and revolutionary ideas. It can also be used as a tool to improve oneself and to convey ideas and instructions. A book maybe just a bound of paper with printed word on its pages but it is the one of the most important if not the most important thing that mankind has created because it has expanded his or her mind that help create other things that made the world a better

Historical Timeline and Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Historical Timeline and - Essay Example 1856: Sacking of Lawrence - The Sacking of Lawrence event occurs on May 21 in Lawrence, Kansas where devastating vandalism was done by pro-slavery supporters in order to put pressure on the territory to vote to support ownership of slaves. 1857: Dred Scott v Sanford - Dred Scott v Sanford is heard in front of the Supreme Court where Dred Scott sues for his freedom based on the premise that he was transported into areas that did not allow slavery so his ownership was therefore invalid. The court decides that 1857: Economic Depression - Economic depression affects the North more than the South, hurting the Democratic Party and setting up the Republican Party for further support and creating a foundation for the election of Abraham Lincoln. 1859: Harpers Ferry Armory - On October16 John Brown leads a raid on the Harpers Ferry Armory in order to arm slaves and create an army sweeping through Virginia and picking up slaves along the way, depleting Virginia of its slaves. The intent was to use the weapons only for defense, but the raid began with bloodshed and was ultimately unsuccessful. As a result of the raid, John Brown was executed by hanging. 1860: Republican Victory - Republican Abraham Lincoln is elected as the 16th President of the United States with only 40% of the vote in a four way contest fueled by the divide between the North and the South. The American Civil War began in 1861 after a series of economic issues, combined with the highly emotional and volatile results of the issue of slavery, resulted in the secession of seven states after the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. There were several specific events that created the political environment that would become ripe for the divide. Economic factors that were different in the North than in the South created resentments that caused the initial rift between the two areas of the country. Both the pro-slavery and

A physical description of an object. not emotional, imaginative or Essay

A physical description of an object. not emotional, imaginative or interpretive - Essay Example The outside cover can be hard bound or just a sturdy paper that extends from its cover to its back. Its purpose is to indicate the title of the book and its corresponding pictures and designs to make the book appealing to its readers. It also serves as a protection that would prevent the contents of the book from being damaged which are composed of thinner leaves of paper where the printed words are written. The physical description of a book are the following, its shape typically rectangle. There are however other variations of which could be square, sometimes oblong. Its inner leaves are made up of thin leaves of papers where the printed contents are written. Its contents can be made up of solely of words or pictures, charts, illustrations or any visual elements that would help the readers understand the book better. Its contents are also divided into chapters to organize the ideas of the book. The wonder of a book is in its contents. When used properly, a book is a very powerful tool that could expand the mind and horizon of an individual that would bring about great and revolutionary ideas. It can also be used as a tool to improve oneself and to convey ideas and instructions. A book maybe just a bound of paper with printed word on its pages but it is the one of the most important if not the most important thing that mankind has created because it has expanded his or her mind that help create other things that made the world a better

Readers response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Readers response - Essay Example The term â€Å"coy† informs the reader that the young woman is not an easy catch. In other words, she is not easily carried away. Besides suggesting that the word â€Å"coy† could mean a â€Å"sweetheart â€Å" or a â€Å"lover†, it could also be the equivalent for a lady, manager or a courtesan. The lady in â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† plays a kind of a cat and mouse game with her suitor in being shy and artfully demure and at the same time being playfully hesitant. She is well aware that the young man’s motivation is more of a carnal desire for her than true love. He urges her time and again to take advantage of the moment saying â€Å"sport us while we may† telling her that dallying was not a good idea because youth passes quickly. He presses his case on telling her that the luxury of time is not with them for â€Å"time’s winged chariot is ever racing along’ and before they realize it, youth would have passed them by and only their graves would remain. From the lady’s point of view, it is understood that her lover is not motivated by true love but by sheer carnal desire for her. She doesn’t seem to want to succumb to his charms and passion. Though her lover seems impatient and desperate, yet she does not relent. Though the lover suggests that time and their youth is passing them by and they should take advantage and enjoy the pleasure of each other presently, yet she stalls on this fact and does not want to give into his passions. The silent female in this poem tries to be quite tolerant to her suitor and does not encourage his advances. She seems to be somewhat unhappy and dejected by the fact that his key motivation behind his advances is not that of love but of lust or carnal desire and passion. She would rather prefer that his desire for her would be centered on pure love than on fleeting passions. This beautiful poem by Andrew Marvell – â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† has both crude and shocking imagery and gross

Simple pendulum experiment Essay Example for Free

Simple pendulum experiment Essay A string measured to be over 1 meter, so as when its length was being adjusted there was enough string to pull on from between the wooden blocks, was tied to a bob. The end of the string was then placed between two wooden blocks and adjusted so that the length of the pendulum was 1 meter. The wood blocks were then placed in the clamp and the grip was tightened. The pendulum suspension was made sure to be friction-free so that the wood blocks could provide a point of suspension for the string. The angle at which the pendulum is drawn out to should be small. The smaller the angle, the closer the harmonic motion it will behave because the restoring force is acting tangent to the arc the pendulum moves through instead of being outside of it. The time taken for 20 oscillations with the length of the pendulum being 1 meter was recorded but was also repeated for accuracy. The two times were averaged and the result was divided by 20 so as to find the time for one oscillation which was then squared. The length of the pendulum was decreased by 0. 1 m each time. The pendulum should swing freely without hitting anything. A table was drawn to record the results and from this a graph was plot. Results: Table showing the time taken for 20 oscillations for each length. Time for 20 oscillations l/m t1/s t2/s AverageGradient = g g= gradient   g = 0. 24ms-2   39. 48 = 9. 79 ms-2 Conclusion: Using a simple pendulum, the acceleration due to gravity was concluded to be 9. 79 ms-2.

The beliefs of Childrens Learning

The beliefs of Childrens Learning Identifying the beliefs of Childrens Learning, Development, and the Social Influences that shaped them. A childs learning and development begins from the moment they are born, the early years from birth to five are an important milestone in a persons life, what a child experiences in the early years has a major impact on their future chances in life. A safe, secure and happy childhood is important in its own right. We can shape a childs learning from an early age, children learn through experience and adult involvement, therefore interaction with babies and young children is fundamentally important, it helps to build ideas, creates thinking and helps them develop as learners. Babies are born with an interest in people and a drive to find out about their world. Observing and assessing babies and young children is an important basis in their learning and development. Watching children learn can open our eyes to the capacity of how they learn (Pugh, 2001, p. 66), and this shows us the i mportance of these first few years in a childs life. Over the decades early education, policies and practices have seen significant changes. We still use many of the earlier theories and methods through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in our early education settings today. The EYFS is part of a ten year Childcare Strategy introduced in 2008, it relates to the Childcare Act 2006, and its aim is to give young children the best start in life, it sets standards to enable early years providers to implement the rich and personalised experience many parents give their children at home. It provides legal requirements relating to learning, development, assessments and welfare. The EYFS principles which guide all practitioners consists of four themes; a Unique Child, Positive Relationships, Enabling Environments, Learning And Development. It implies that all children from birth to five will acquire the same skills and knowledge in preparation for school while at the same time recognising that all children are individuals that require ind ividual learning strategies. The construction of early education and care of children and young people dates back many years, as early as the 17th century. Friedrich Froebel a major theorist was born in 1782 in Thuringia what is now Germany and was well known for saying play is a childs work, he formulated the idea of kindergarten meaning childrens garden as a means of educating young children. Play and the outdoor environment were important in Froebelian kindergartens. His approach emphasized that children are able to develop their capacity for learning through play, and that active learning is essential with guidance and appropriate direction. He believed that training of workers within the early years was essential, and the importance of parents as partners in the education of young children. The influence of Froebels methods are well established in early years settings to date, his work was one of the theories that made the basis of early education. Many recent theorists based t heir work on these early findings, and say, he was ahead of his time as one of the EYFS themes and commitments, of today states active learning. Active learning it is implemented through the learning and development principle of the EYFS, it provides physical and mental involvement, decision-making and personalised learning, and it occurs when children are keen to learn and are interested in finding things out for themselves. Play is a dynamic process that develops and changes, it provides children with opportunities for developing cognitive, social, emotional and physical skills. Froebelian kindergartens were seen to be middle class; despite this his methods were adapted for use with disadvantaged children and families within developing 20th century nursery and infant schools. (Pound, 2008, p. 16). The first nursery school opened in Scotland in1816 by Robert Owen(1771-1858), he was a mill owner who refused to employ children less than 10 years of age, he believed that education should be a common right for all children, and that children are passive, contrived and by due preparation and accurate attention can be formed into any human character. He managed their behaviour through kindness, which in the19th century was unusual, children as young as 2 years attended his school. The opening of his nursery school influenced changing attitudes on child labour, and set the basis of early education for young children. The start of the curriculum method was one of Owenss ideas, his vision on education-inspired generations of activist; he recognised the link between social welfare and early education this is an important part of practice in modern day settings. His commitments to education were radical as were his ideas on the importance of equality, although his policies were a bold ste p forward, he was criticised as being rooted in his desire for profit. (Pound, 2008, p. 13) In the UK the development of early education was very slow compared to Europe, it was In 1870 that publicly funded education became compulsory for children age 5, the need to understand these early childhood services is important as they laid down the foundations of our education system (Pugh, 2001, p. 8) During the 1960s the voluntary playgroup movement emerged. A letter sent to the Guardian by Belle Tutaev, a young mother of a four-year-old expressing concern to the lack of appropriate nursery provision within our education system. For many years the main means of early education was state primary schools, and this was aimed at children over 5 years, after campaigning to the authorities to no avail she opened her own playgroup, this progressed and by the seventies playgroups became a recognised form of pre-school provision. Over the next 2 decades the changing family patterns and employment patterns meant early years provision were a much needed source, this saw the growth of private nurseries. Only after a review in 1988 on early childhood and education services, (The Education Reform Act) did the government realise there was a growing problem. It found flaws, in uncoordinated services, which varied between different parts of the country, compared to the rest of Europe there were low levels of public funding. It had different services ran by a diversity of different organisations, this meant a wide range of clients used them, all with different aims and purposes. The education system needed the government to intervene. A number of national reports was to be published, one of them the Rumbold report published in 1990, expressed concerns about education and the lack of access to Early Years services. It highlighted the need for the development of good quality provision in the early years, and believed it to be vital that all that work, or are involved with young children recognise the importance of their educational role and fulfil it. She urged those who make provision recognise the growing demand for and the expansion of high quality services to meet children and parents needs (rumbold, 1990). The report also highlighted the way in which young children learn are as important as what they learn, and argued against the introduction of formal learning. At the time, this report was ignored but it is now used as a basis for best practice in todays Early Years settings. The establishment of the Early Childhood Education forum in 1993 meant bringing together all national agencies working in the field, (Pugh, 2001, p. 11) it clarified that an early years policy is needed, and an expansion in services, the forum gathered strength with over 45 national organisations by 1998. Its aims were to champion childrens rights and entitlements, support the training development and education of early childhood practitioners, and all those who work with children and their families. The government took action and in 1995, funding for the education of 4 year olds was introduced this was in the form of vouchers that could be redeemed in private, voluntary, or local authority nurseries, the vouchers were extremely criticised at the time and was abolished in 1997 when Labour Government was elected. The election of the Labour Government brought big changes in the way our whole Education System was run, especially Early Education; its key issue is to eradicate child poverty, and provide more family friendly policies and childrens centres. The Sure Start initiative, launched in 1999 under the National Childcare Strategy plays a major role in doing this, by helping families in local communities of need with children under 4years old. The government pledged 1.4 billion pounds over 6 years. This meant that parents had access to a multi agency of services within the Sure Start Childrens Centres. They are now a key influence within our communities helping children, families and society, by learning and developing life skills in the early years so that young children grow up to be happy, healthy and are able to achieve their goals in life. The centres are at the Heart of the Every Child Matters Change for Children 2004. The green paper Every Child Matters was published in 2003, in response to a report by Lord Laming in 2001, into the death of Victoria Climbie. Victoria was a young girl who was horrifically abused, tortured and killed by her great aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao and partner Carl Manning; they were the people who were supposed to be caring for her. Shameful failings within a number of systems meant on 12 occasions over 10 months the chances to save Victoria were missed. Evidence from this Inquiry demonstrated the dangers of staff from different agencies not fulfilling their separate and distinctive responsibilities. The death of Victoria showed a fundamental need for an integrated service that would be part of a political agenda for many years, despite the Children Act 1989 provisions, child protection strategies and services stayed within the social service system, and the level of communication and co-operation between these and other services in health and education were variable. The Ev ery Child Matters agenda is recognised by five outcomes; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution, and achieve economic wellbeing; these outcomes are a universal ambition for the government, and form a strong basis for the EYFS curriculum used in Early Education Settings to date. The transfer of responsibility for children under 8-years-old were made from the Department of Health, to the Department of Education and Skills and from 2001, an integrated inspection service was introduced, bringing together all the services, enabling multi-agency working, which was an important step forward. The Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership in local authorities were also introduced, helping to increase levels of provision in Childcare. Working in partnership with the Local Education Authority, each authority completed an audit, with a plan to reach the governments targets for early education places for all 3- and-4year-olds. This was made easier in the change of policy earlier, that allowed non maintained sectors to apply for nursery grants, children in private day nurseries, pre-schools and some childminders could now access their free half-day nursery provision. In this way the strategy started to tackle the long-term split between Early Years education serv ices and the childcare services. (Macelod- Brundenell,and Kay 2nd edition 2008 pg 352 ). It has been without doubt that Early Education has come a long way since Froebel in the 17th century, and the opening of Owens nursery school in 1816, but not many things have changed, it was evident then that children learn through play and exploration, and early learning is important in the first five years. Maybe many generations of children have missed out the chances given to young children of today. The EYFS has been an important milestone for early education and young children, and is now the way forward in preparing a child for school, but its existance is still in the primary stages, and many small nursery settings may find adapting to these changes and sustaining them quiet difficult as the standards and welfare requirements set are extremly high.

Gastric Bypass :: essays research papers

Gastric Bypass More than 40,000 people a year are so desperate to lose weight they turn to the controversial, sometimes life-threatening surgery such as Gastric Bypass. I will be explaining what the surgery entitles, disadvantages vs. advantages. And most important, is Gastric bypass surgery the right choice when considering the risks.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most common form of â€Å"stomach stapling† is gastric bypass. In this procedure, a small pouch is formed in the stomach and stapled shut. The small intestine is then cut and stapled onto the pouch, shrinking the stomach’s ability to take in food. The technique involves removing a section of the stomach and rearranging the small bowel to divert bile and pancreatic secretions away from the food stream. Fats and starches flow through without being absorbed. In order to be a candidate for the surgery, patients must be considered morbidly obese or at least 100 pounds overwei ght. Before an individual gets the go-ahead, he or she meets with doctors and psychologists to rule out all other ways of help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surgery may sound like the best option for a morbidly overweight person, but a small figure comes at a high price. There are health risks and the side effects can be fatal. Three people will die during every 1,000 procedures, according to the ASBS. Let me tell you about more disadvantages. More than one-third of obese patients who have gastric surgery develop gallstones. Nearly one in three develop nutritional deficiencies. Patients could also be at risk for anemia, osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease. However, these side effects can be avoided with the proper amount of vitamin and mineral supplements. Up to 20 percent of patients who undergo the operation will require follow-up surgeries to correct complications. Common problems include abdominal hernias, breakdown of the staple line and stretched stomach outlets. There’s rapid regain of weight and all sorts of medical problems. From vitamin deficiencies to constant illness, stomach upsets, diarrhea, fatigue and horrible wound infections. Many people don’t want to admit they’ve had problems because they’re so happy to be thin; â€Å"People who have had the surgery the past couple of years are in a honeymoon state†, states Guthrie, Catherine. The author of â€Å"Bariatric Surgery: A Radical Obesity Fix. They is so thrilled to be thin. They believe being thin at all costs is more important than their own lives. Even if the patients have problems  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  although these are some complications, most patients undergo only one surgery and there's an 85 percent success rate. Gastric Bypass :: essays research papers Gastric Bypass More than 40,000 people a year are so desperate to lose weight they turn to the controversial, sometimes life-threatening surgery such as Gastric Bypass. I will be explaining what the surgery entitles, disadvantages vs. advantages. And most important, is Gastric bypass surgery the right choice when considering the risks.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most common form of â€Å"stomach stapling† is gastric bypass. In this procedure, a small pouch is formed in the stomach and stapled shut. The small intestine is then cut and stapled onto the pouch, shrinking the stomach’s ability to take in food. The technique involves removing a section of the stomach and rearranging the small bowel to divert bile and pancreatic secretions away from the food stream. Fats and starches flow through without being absorbed. In order to be a candidate for the surgery, patients must be considered morbidly obese or at least 100 pounds overwei ght. Before an individual gets the go-ahead, he or she meets with doctors and psychologists to rule out all other ways of help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Surgery may sound like the best option for a morbidly overweight person, but a small figure comes at a high price. There are health risks and the side effects can be fatal. Three people will die during every 1,000 procedures, according to the ASBS. Let me tell you about more disadvantages. More than one-third of obese patients who have gastric surgery develop gallstones. Nearly one in three develop nutritional deficiencies. Patients could also be at risk for anemia, osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease. However, these side effects can be avoided with the proper amount of vitamin and mineral supplements. Up to 20 percent of patients who undergo the operation will require follow-up surgeries to correct complications. Common problems include abdominal hernias, breakdown of the staple line and stretched stomach outlets. There’s rapid regain of weight and all sorts of medical problems. From vitamin deficiencies to constant illness, stomach upsets, diarrhea, fatigue and horrible wound infections. Many people don’t want to admit they’ve had problems because they’re so happy to be thin; â€Å"People who have had the surgery the past couple of years are in a honeymoon state†, states Guthrie, Catherine. The author of â€Å"Bariatric Surgery: A Radical Obesity Fix. They is so thrilled to be thin. They believe being thin at all costs is more important than their own lives. Even if the patients have problems  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  although these are some complications, most patients undergo only one surgery and there's an 85 percent success rate.

Prediction of Stock Market Indices

Prediction of Stock Market Indices-Using SAS Author—B. Siddhartha Reddy Abstract— The SAS © System has a powerful suite of tools for analyzing and forecasting data taken over a selected time period. The paper concentrates more on Stock Market (NSE-Nifty, India) & its prediction, by and large a risky venture. Knowledgeable investors base their predictions either on the basis of Fundamental Analysis, or Technical Analysis, or both. But most of the investors rely on the tips given by the experts for Stock Market Predictions.However there are many such models available such as Interrupted Time Series, Auto Regression (AR), Exponential Smoothening, Moving Average (MA), and Distributed Lags Analysis. The procedures FORECAST, ARIMA process will be illustrated. analysis, traditional time series analysis and machine learning methods. The analyzing and predicting of the indices is in one line-To reap returns while investing on the index derivatives, Index derivatives provide in vestors the exposure to price movements of entire indices through a single futures or options contract.Using index options, a very interesting kind of â€Å"portfolio insurance† can be obtained, whereby an investor gets paid only if the market index drops. If one does not want to bear index fluctuations in the coming weeks, then the index futures or index options can be used to reduce (or even eliminate) the consequent index exposure. This is far more convenient than distress selling of the underlying equity in the portfolio. Thus, such prediction of indices would help the investor to play safe in the dynamic volatile market arena. Analyzing What?Analyzing the indices as in NIFTY MIDCAP 50, one can determine various trends the market has seen on day-to-day basis-the process which includes determining the trends underneath the data series (at a stretch of 13 years from 19972010) brought down from various secondary sources. Moreover, these trends can be used to identify the pat terns in the series and thus laying the foundation for forecasting adopting a couple of iterative processes which will be explained in the following sections. Details of the data: Observations-3282, Type-Daily Tools used: SAS © and Eviews. II.DATA FEATURES AND EXAMPLE The first step in time series analysis, or any good statistical analysis for that matter, is to plot the data. However, unless the user knows what to look for in the plots this exercise is futile. Features of interest usually include: Trend – an overall long term upward or downward movement in the data. Do we handle this by differencing the data or fitting a low order polynomial in time? Seasonality – a component of the series repeats periodically, for example, retail sales have a tendency to be high around November and December and lower near the first of the year.Do we look at seasonal differences or put in seasonal â€Å"indicator variables†? Keywords— forecasting, prediction, stock mar ket prediction Time series analysis. I. INTRODUCTION Stock market is the market for securities where organized issuance and trading of Stocks takes place either through exchanges or over-the-counter in electronic or physical form. It plays an important role in channelizing capital from the investors to the business houses, which consequently leads to the availability of funds for business expansion.Determination of stock price considers that market is supreme and it discounts everything (economical, political and all related factors). It presumes that all the investors behave rationally and the value of the asset is estimated based on future expectations. Hence, with every new information, the future expectation of the market is liable to change and consequently the stock prices. As the new information is erratic in nature so it influences the price in a random way. The purpose of this trend analysis is to enable the organizations/individuals improve their knack of trading their ind ex options/futures in the available markets (NSE, BSE).The SAS technology helps the organization/individual to speed up the process of investing in this second’s market (changing over a period of seconds) and timely reducing the loss at all the levels in a trading process thus leveraging their portfolios. Why Analyze? Stock Market Investments are subjected to market risks and the returns are variable in nature because it is an uncertain existence. Hence Stock Market Prediction is not a guaranteed one. It is based on certain analyses linked to the Macro & Micro economic factors or variables such as demand & supply.There are certain other analyses available such as fundamental Siddhartha Reddy. B is with IBS Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA. Ph: 91+9886768492,e-mail:Siddhartha. [email  protected] com Page | 1 Variability – is the variation additive or multiplicative (in which case we might want to analyze the logarithms of the data). Special events – was there a stri ke sometime during the period? Does the time period include the dotcom bubble and the recession in 2008? Is there an effect of the same or some other impingements?The features of the data determine which procedures are appropriate and identify those that are not appropriate. There are statistical checks available in the system for deciding, for example, the best approach for modeling the trend. As an example, Fig 1 shows the change in the Index values of NIFTY MIDCAP 50 in INDIA. While not exactly steady, we can see an overall increase/decrease in market with time. If we are thinking in terms of polynomials, it seems that at least a cubic polynomial might be needed to approximate the curvature in the historic data plot.The flexibility of high degree polynomials allows them to fit historic data well, but becomes a liability in forecasting in that such polynomials can, by their inherent flexibility, produce unreasonable increases or decreases as they are projected out into the future. Having checked with the seasonality and stationary test of the data, the logarithmic value of the data CLOSE (closing point of NIFTY) is taken and rechecked for the stationary test. If the data is a stationary, then the data is ready to model into a time series. The stationarity tests are done by using the Time Series Analysis in SAS, preferably The Fullers Test. Fig. Log Transformed Flows (Data Series: Obs – 3282 Type – Daily) The accuracy of the above forecast shown in fig 2 can be viewed in the fig 3 which shows the difference of the actual values and the predicted values of the market by considering the entire data of 13years at once and later on the same difference in case of the splitted graph. Fig 3 shows the statistics of differences in forecasting of the data: the graph (trend) with split and without split. Fig. 3 Differencing of Forecasted Data with Split & Without Split Thus, from Fig 3 it is evident that the data series has to be split as per the trends an d seasonality available.Having inspected the trends available in the above data series, it is found that there are various trends in the market index (closing) and had resulted in the 10 splits. The entire project has been verified while considering each and every split that shows some or the other trend and/or the impact of global impacts such as the Dotcom bubble and followed by the Recession in the year of 2008. The above impingements referring the dotcom bubble and recession are clearly observed globally and their impacts on the Indian Market are analyzed and assessed.It can be inferred that though Indian markets have shown a slight drift in its market during the above impacts, the overall effect of the recession on India is far negligible compared to the other developed countries (in reference to the BPO sector: India at its best) and we can say India along with other Pan-Asia countries have stood back from such wallops. III. RELATED WORK The Time Series Prediction analyzes his toric data and attempts to approximate future values of a time series as a linear combination of these historic data.In econometrics there are two basic types of time series forecasting: univariate (simple regression) and multivariate (multivariate regression). These types of regression models are the most common tools used in econometrics to predict time series. The way they are applied in practice is that firstly a set of factors that influence Fig. 2 Log Transformed Forecast Siddhartha Reddy. B is with IBS Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA. Ph: 91+9886768492,e-mail:Siddhartha. [email  protected] com Page | 2 (or more specific is assumed that influence) the series under prediction is identified.These factors are the explanatory variables xi of the prediction model. Methodology: The methodology includes ? Collecting the Secondary data from the market sources such as National Stock Exchange (Nifty). ? Checking the seasonality in the data series (if any) and minimizing the same for an ac curate prediction. ? Claiming the data series to be precise – i. e. checking whether the data series obtained is stationary and raising the steps to make it a stationary series. Having checked with the stationarity, the data would be crisp and apparently ready to fetch a good forecast. Subjecting the resultant series into various models such as AR, MA etc. ? Forecasting the index and plotting the change in behavior of the market indices which is a real time analysis. This will help analysts/investors to make good and accurate investment decisions. Limitations: ? Access to the market’s real time data would be time variant and a slight change in the market may change the trend. ? Time series forecasting heavily depends upon the availability of the data. Long time series give the flexibility of verifying alternative models and choose the best. Exact modeling needs lots of experience and trend identification will be heavily depend upon this experience. ? Though the study g ives a trend analysis it might not work in a uniform way for all the investors, therefore the behavior of the investor also plays a vital role in the modeling. ? The resultant analysis may work only for a specific period and may always subject to change depend on other externalities which will impact the economy of the country. ? Limited time may or may not fetch good results in implementation of the analysis since share market cannot be cracked in the real time. Fig. Forecasting System The Model Building and The Forecasting Process IV. PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS The Performance analysis is been considered for the 10th split of the above data series since the entire paper concentrates on the Real-Time analysis of the NIFTY market, while comparing the predicted values with that of the Real-Time Index values and the same difference of Prediction is shown in the below Excel table. Fig 5 shows the graph (LCLOSE) for a time period of July 09 – Feb 10 and is not stationary. It can be det ermined by just viewing its trend and moreover the data is not moving in and out of the MEAN at equal intervals.However, the series clearly shows the trend with a non-stationary series. Such a trend does require a differencing while fitting into the model. Fig. 5 Log Transformed Close Values (LCLOSE) Siddhartha Reddy. B is with IBS Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA. Ph: 91+9886768492,e-mail:Siddhartha. [email  protected] com Page | 3 The stationary series (ref fig 5) is best fitted into the AR Model (Auto Regressive Model) and is fitted for eight lags. Fig 5 shows AR (8, 1) since the parameter estimates show that: The probability is 0. 221 which says that the series (LCLOSE) is more significant at lag 8 and the coefficient of the standard error is almost zero (0. 0839) as obtained during the evaluation of the above model leading to the best fit than any other model. Fig 6 shows the statistics of fit of LCLOSE graph with RSquare as 0. 961 which says that the series is been fitted into th e model with the 96. 1% of confidence with the adjusted R-Square of 0. 958 (almost same) and with the mean absolute error being almost zero thus leading to the best fit. Fig. 6 Statistics of Fit Fig. 8 Predictions and Data OverlaidThe predictions of LCLOSE in fig 8 are listed for the next 6 days: 7. 8190 to 7. 8274 are the forecasted values of the NIFTY closing for the dates above 24th of Feb 2010 that is for the real time of the future. These values are checked with the real time closing values of the NIFTY MIDCAP 50 on the following days. Fig 9 shows the predicted values and real time values of the same. Fig. 9 Predicted Vs Real Time Values The reason for this best fit of almost 96. 1% is due to the upward trend with the elevation of the data series which could make the prediction more accurate as it is a stationary.Fig. 7 96. 1% Confidence Interval Forecast (LCLOSE) From fig 9 it is evident that the predicted value of the NIFTY MIDCAP 50 as 7. 8190 and can be arrived at 2487. 416 (anti-log of Predicted) which has just 4. 2167 points of difference with the real time i. e. 2483. 20 which is a secondary data downloaded from the NSE site. The real time values for the rest of the periods are written manually and the difference is checked accordingly. V. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS ? The above forecasts of the time series models clearly show the behavior pattern of the market (NIFTY MIDCAP 50) in the near future.One may or may not find a difference in the values of predicted to that of the real time. Fig 7 is obtained on this day of 24th Mar 2010 (the updated data) and the values of the above forecasted graph are fed into the excel sheet to calculate the anti-log of the same in order to come up with the predicted values for the NIFTY closing. ? There is always a possibility of certain standard errors in case of the time series analysis which may be found due to the absence of the best fit models than which are fitted above. Siddhartha Reddy. B is with IBS Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA.Ph: 91+9886768492,e-mail:Siddhartha. [email  protected] com Page | 4 ? Such and such above models namely AR do have some limitations which would result in an inaccurate prediction since these predicted values may sometimes have a huge difference with that of the real time values caused due to the external factors. These external factors can be: 1. 2. Policies implemented by the GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. Variation in the rates such as ? Interest Rates. ? Fluctuations of Indian Rupee with the impact of other currencies. ? Foreign Exchange Rates etc. Unforeseen issues such as : ?A sudden decline in the foreign markets. ? A variation in the chain of demand and supply. ? Sudden attack by the outlaws. 3. ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to take this opportunity to thank Prof. Prashobhan Palakkeel and Prof. Veena Bhat (faculties, IBS Bangalore) for their assistance in the concepts of Business Intelligence and statistical tools used in this research namely SAS 9. 1 & Eviews 6. 0; their ceaseless support has resulted in such a vulnerable & successful explore. This research paper would not been possible without the untiring support provided by my family and friends.The input and guidance provided by other faculties have been invaluable. I would like to extent my gratitude to all these people. REFERENCES [1] www. nse-india. com (NSE National Stock Exchange, India) as a secondary data source for Nifty daily. [2] http://www. statsoft. com/textbook/time-series-analysis/ [3] http:/webspace. qmul. ac. uk/dsgpollock/public_html/courses /tseries/1trends. pdf [4] www. nse-india. com/content/fo/fo_NIFTYMIDCAP50. htm [5] Brocklebank, J. C. and D. A. Dickey (2003) SAS for Forecasting Time Series, SAS Institute, Cary, N.C. [6] http://nseguide. com/press-releases/nse-index-weightsbased-on-nse-daily-bhav-copy/ [7] http://www. hkbu. edu. hk/~billhung/econ3600/application/a pp03/app03. html [8] http://webspace. qmul. ac. uk/dsgpollock/public_html/course s/tseries/8idntify. pdf [9] http://www. duke. edu/~rnau/411arim. htm â€Å"Model Selection is seldom Precise in Time Series modeling, because it’s An Art more Than a Science† Siddhartha Reddy. B is with IBS Bangalore, Karnataka, INDIA. Ph: 91+9886768492,e-mail:Siddhartha. [email  protected] com Page | 5

Marketing Strategy at Ikea Essay

Synopsis The case study is to discuss about the different strategy used by IKEA to approach their customers. It is also talking about the localization concept from a global company based on the cultural demand from different countries worldwide. IKEA is also famous for their less expensive furniture, has some other strategies to â€Å"reach† the customers based on their needs. 4 Ps concept plays a very important role on IKEA’s success besides the way of shopping which is differ from all other their competitor. Company Background 1920s At the age of five Ingvar Kamprad starts selling matches to his next door neighbors and by the time he is seven, he starts selling to further neighborhood, using his bicycle. He buy matches in huge numbers cheap and re-sell them individually at a very low price but still make a good profit. From selling matches he expands to selling flower seeds, greeting cards, Christmas tree decorations, and later pencils and ball-point pens. 1940s-1950s The roots of a furniture dealer, Ingvar Kamprad is entrepreneurial in developing IKEA into a furniture retailer. This period sees the exploration of furniture design, self assembly, advertising, the use of a catalogue and a showroom to reach the many people. 1960s-1970s The IKEA concept starts to take place. New IKEA stores opened and hero products are developed such as POÄNG, KLIPPAN and BILLY bookcase. It is a time where concept takes shape and is documented in Ingvar Kamprad’s The Testament of a Furniture Dealer. 1980s IKEA expands dramatically into new markets such as USA, Italy, France and the UK. More IKEA classics arrive such as LACK and MOMENT. IKEA begins to take  the form of today’s modern IKEA. 1990s IKEA grows more by introducing Children’s IKEA and the focus is on home furnishing solutions to meet the needs of families with children. The IKEA Group is formed and responsibility for people and the environment is seen as a prerequisite for doing good business. 2000s IKEA expands into new markets such as Japan and Russia. Everything for the bedroom and kitchen is explored and presented in coordinated furnishing solutions. This period also sees the successes of several partnerships regarding social and environmental projects. IKEA’s Vision and Business Idea IKEA’s vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Their business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. IKEA’s mission: People have very thin wallet. We should take care of their interests. IKEA’s Product RangeIngvar Kamprad The IKEA product range focuses on good design and function at a low price. It offers home furnishing solutions for every room in the home. It has something for the romantic at heart, the minimalist and everyone in between. It is coordinated so that no matter which style you prefer our designers and product developers work hard to ensure that our products meet your day-to-day needs and eliminates the unnecessary. IKEA’s Low Prices Low prices are the cornerstone of the IKEA vision and our business idea. The basic thinking behind all IKEA products is that low prices make well-designed, functional home furnishings available to everyone. We are constantly trying to do everything a little better, a little simpler, more efficiently and always cost-effectively. A better everyday life We have taken the straightforward approach to the furniture business, by starting with developing furniture with the price tag in mind. This is the IKEA way, to maximize the use of raw materials in order to fulfill people’s needs and preferences by offering quality products at an affordable price. Social & Environmental Responsibility In 2004, IKEA published their first Social and Environmental Responsibility report. IKEA believes good society is good for IKEA with the passionate to create successful business in a responsible manner. That’s the reason sustainability is very important for IKEA’s strategic direction. Prioritizing sustainability drives further innovation and development. Managing resources with new ways to do things and developing skill set and expertise are very important in driving IKEA’s business. As a company with low price product must be a low cost company which include earth’s limited resources usage in a good manner. IKEA has made tremendous and valuable contribution across the world. Forests of Siberia, cotton fields of India, homes in New York, Lisbon and Shanghai are good examples of sustainability. IKEA blue bags are big, sturdy and sustainable. Out with plastic bags! In with reusable bags! SWOT analysis IKEAs objectives are easily achieved via their SWOT analysis and it is a  strategic planning tool too. It helps the business to focus on key issues. SWOT is the first step of planning based on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved in a business. Strengths and weaknesses are internal aspects and it is within the control of the business. They may refer to aspects of marketing, finance, manufacturing or organization. Opportunities and threats are external factors and they are outside the control of the business. These may include the environment, the economic situation, social changes or technological advances, such as the internet. Strengths Strengths could include a company’s specialist marketing expertise or its location. IKEA’s strengths include: a.Low cost structure At any economic situation, IKEA able to maintain the profit margin due to their â€Å"affordable† products. IKEA buy the products in bulk from suppliers with a lower price and get their customers to assemble the product by themselves, which gives customer a lower price product. Their long term partnership with their suppliers also ensures they have access to high quality material at reasonable prices. Their furniture is stylish, modern and functional. The company’s low cost structure is able to meet the customers’ need at any point of economic condition. b.Sustainability IKEA’s cost effective and Social & Environmental Responsibility concept is a unique strength of IKEA compare to their other competitors. IKEA use renewable, reusable and recycled materials as much as possible. Example, IKEA’s catalogues are printed in chlorine-free paper and contain at least 10% to 15% post consumer waste. All of their products come in cardboard, compact packaging for easy use and recyclability. These make IKEA outstanding from their competitors. Opportunities A business uses its strengths to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. IKEA believes that its environmentally focused business conduct will result in good returns even in a price sensitive market. Some of the opportunities that IKEA takes advantage of through its sustainability agenda are: a.IKEA can further invest on the â€Å"go green† movement and IKEA’s customers’ desire to have less of an impact on the environment. This concept is also denoting the demand for cheaper and greener products. b.Sustainability can be further maintained by offer tips and ideas online for customers to create a more sustainable home in any part of the world. It can also help to reduce carbon footprint by packaging in less material. . Weaknesses and threats Weaknesses IKEA has to acknowledge its weaknesses in order to improve and manage them. This can play a key role in helping it to set objectives and develop new strategies. IKEA’s weaknesses may include: a.The size IKEA is a warehouse style shopping centre. Because of their huge size, there are not enough people in a smaller region to maintain a store at that size. Also, IKEA find it difficult to penetrate a small market because they offer only home furnishing. Unlikely company like Target offer home furnishing besides clothing, groceries and also technology. b.The need for low cost products. This needs to be balanced against producing good quality products too. They are also need to differentiate itself and its products from other competitors. IKEA believes there is no compromise between being able to offer good quality products and low prices. c.Communication Communication or updates on their environmental activities with its consumers and stakeholders must be consistent and up to date. IKEA produces publications in print and online (for example ‘People and the Environment’) and carries out major TV and radio campaigns to enable the business to communicate with different target audiences. Threats If a company is aware of possible external threats, it can plan to counteract them. By generating new ideas, IKEA can use a particular strength to defend against threats in the market. Threats to IKEA may stem from: a.Competition More competitors are now entering the low price household and furnishings markets. Example Home Depot is the 2nd largest retailer in the world and also a huge threat for IKEA. Home Depot also provides hardware, lumber, kitchen appliances, furniture and many other products. IKEA needs to reinforce its unique qualities to compete with this kind of â€Å"giants†. Question 1 – What are some of the things IKEA is doing right to reach consumers in different markets? What else could it be doing? IKEA Group operating 301 stores in 41 countries worldwide (IKEA statistics 2012) including franchisees. IKEA’s marketing strategy starts with their business concept as stated in IKEA’s vision statement: The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. We make this possible by  offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing product at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. (IKEA Corporate Website) IKEA has a principle to work in the same way in every country. This standardized approach provides operational advantages besides some disadvantages due to the different markets. Based on the marketing mix which starts with product strategy, product covers more than the physical goods that a company wants to sell. It is the goods & service combination that a company offers to the target market. Thus, IKEA offers a whole range of product with the pricing which supposed to be the same (95%) with very small adaptations for all countries and in all stores worldwide. The pricing of products are comparatively low to what the consumers can find in a competing store. The basic aim of IKEA is to deliver high value at a low price. IKEA has been cutting price in most of the countries. IKEA is also source it’s products from various companies all over the world rather than a small number of suppliers like many of the retailers do. IKEA has 1,300 suppliers from 53 countries, who can supply products as per local taste based on their needs. Most of the IKEA stores are placed out of city centre, out of town location due to a lower land cost and traffic access. Exceptional for UK stores (Coventry – 2007 & Southampton – 2009) located in city centre as a response to UK government restrictions blocking retail establishment outside city centers. It is a seven floors store with a different flow compare to other IKEA stores. Normally the stores will be 2 floors with a car parking availability and also comes with restaurants. The restaurants sell foods according to the local taste and also it opens daily before the rest of the stores. Example in Canada, breakfast includes eggs, sausage, and hash browns and various add-ons like bacon and pancakes at additional costs. In the United States, the local variation serves scrambled eggs, bacon, country potatoes and choice of Swedish pancakes or French toast sticks. The selling environment and service of IKEA stores are also adjusted to fit with local taste. Example like DIY concept is fully accepted by Sweden and UK where the consumers believe that’s the price they pay for the low prices products. Whereby in China, DIY concept is new to them because of the cheap labor and the prices are also not perceived as generally low. Q1.1What else could it be doing? 1.Developing competitive advantage – because IKEA has a low cost structure, they should be able to expand online market easily without incurring too much additional costs. IKEA also should look at an expansion to the West Coast, particularly California. Also, expansion into regions with enough people to sustain a store of their size. 2.Developing a strategic focus – going online is not only reaching potential customers in less populated area, it is also will help customers to catch up with competitors. Besides that, younger people (Gen Y) willing to buy online more compare to the older people. Question 2 – IKEA has essentially changed the way people shop for furniture. Discuss the pros and cons of this strategy. Factors that encourage customer’s choice of visit to IKEA – Pros i.Social motives for the customer – the shoppers go in group since the outlet is huge and it will take time to shop. Also the location is far from city. It’s a kind of short trip instead of shop-visit which consume a lot of time and they prefer to go in a group (friends or family). ii.Availability of other services and amenities – Restaurants (food and beverages) and baby-sitting services within the stores which gives a greater convenient to all customer. Parking is also not an issue since most of the stores located far from the city. iii.Information availability – online info is more useful. Customers can  surf online catalogues in various languages for inspiration and planning purpose before go to the store. This will also help them to catch up with their competitors. Younger generation will be also attracted with this online concept because they are the IT savvy generation compare to the older generation who is still a little â€Å"doubt† about buying online. iv.Access – Operating hours are good. Long hours on weekend very helpful for those customers work odd hours and also busy on weekdays. v.Speed of delivery – no waiting time as they go and pick up their products. Factors that discourage customer’s choice of visit to IKEA – Cons i.Design – the color and bulbs used make the environment dull. Less store assistants and the routes are very long also make customers not really prefer to shop in IKEA. Customers feel bored when they are required to follow one special route instead go direct to the product that they want to purchase. ii.Product availability – difficult to find, stored somewhere else, arrange in an illogical order. Also, ONLY furniture available in IKEA unlikely Home Depot provides all kind of products / items beside furniture. iii.Amount of shopping time  ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ it is time consuming. The route makes them to go through all products and to get the product seen before must go a big turn again. Also, customers ended up buying more than planned as going thru all the display products. iv.Assemble yourself – most of the IKEA products are need to be assembled by customers themselves. If you’re a handyman, or someone experienced with tools, it is fine. But for the normal men or even women, assembling some pieces might be slightly difficult. Also it can be ended up doing something wrong. Conclusion In conclusion, IKEA is a good place to shop furniture with a lot of different designs. Less expensive furniture made IKEA grow consistently around the world. IKEA has their own way of sustaining their business for decades. The overall identity of IKEA is based in Smà ¥land, historical and thrift are strong characteristics of the region and its people. All IKEA policies live up to this standard from the products that they sell. Exhibit 1 – Facts & Figures FY2011 References 1.The Testament of a Furniture Dealer – A Little IKEA Dictionary by Ingvar Kamprad (founder). Published by Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2007 2.Standardized Marketing Strategies in Retailing? IKEA’s marketing Strategies in Sweden, the UK and China by Steve Burt, University of Stirling, 2008. 3.IKEA Facts and Figures -2011 http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_AU/pdf/yearly_summary/Welcome_inside_2011.pdf 4.Student Info – IKEA http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/press_room/student_info.html 5.The IKEA Experience – A case study on how different factors in retail environment affect customer experience by Rebecka Isaksson & Mirela Suljanovic. 6.History – IKEA http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/the_ikea_way/history/index.html 7.Introduction – SWOT analysis and sustainable business planning – IKEA case studies and information The Times 100 http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/ikea/swot-analysis-and-sustainable-business-planning/introduction.html 8.IKEA International A.S. History & Company Profile http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/ikea-international-a-s-history/ 9.Kerry Capell, â€Å"IKEA: How the Sweedish Retailer Became a Global Cult Brand,† BusinessWeek, November 14, 2005 10.IKEA group corporate site n.d., About the IKEA Group. Cited from (08.05.2009) http://193.108.42.168/?ID=25