History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

History - Essay Example Globalization is a continuous process that is yet to be realized in some developing nations. However, historians believe that it began in Europe, during the BCE. This discourse is about the history and the demand among other relevant aspects of globalization. History records that the earliest globalizations were realized when there was need to expand the trade links and capacities between two major trading partners, namely Indus and the summer during the 3rd millennium B.C.E. This occurred during the Hellenistic era, associated with the introduction of Greece culture into commercialized zones like India and Spain among others. Some historical records that Alexandria is among the first cities to embrace globalization, even though others believe it adopted globalization few decades after the initial globalization was recorded. Greece main force to expand its operations and trade with other regions was the issue of importing wheat among other major raw materials. The commodity was entir ely transported by the ships and canoe among other water transport vessels that existed during the Hellenistic era. Several trade links were later established and the three main links were the Han dynasty, the famous Roman Empire and the Parthian Empire among others. There was an expansion in transport routes from the borders of ancient China to Rome to enhance international trade. Furthermore, there was increase in Greece Ships sailed to the furthest corner of India among other Asian nations, in search of wheat among other raw materials. First globalization was meant to enhance international trade between the earliest Asian and European nations; however, it came with several negative implications to the societies involved. The Chinese from the Han Empire developed some conflicts that led to ancient war with other Asian Kingdoms like the Persians and the Indian Kingdoms among other Asian kingdoms. Han who was the ruler of Wu Empire declared war with the Yuezhi Kingdom, with the main aim of taking control of the Tarim Basin. Globalization was further enhanced by the Muslims during the golden age, when more trade routes or links were established between the Radhanites or Jewish and the Muslim community. The two communities developed their technology, trade and agricultural practices after some interactions. Muslims resolved in producing large volumes of Sugar, cotton and wheat among other crops. Small part was internally consumed while the rest was transported to European region, for international trade purposes. The second phase of globalization also called proto-globalization occurred in the 16th and 17th century when European Empires explored other developing regions and this resulted to influence of the European culture and trade among other aspects. Portuguese and Spanish empires were the first to make such movements or initiatives and they colonized the United States and Horn of Africa among other territories. The British and the Dutch also followed and th e expanded or rather global trade links which further led to establishment of multilateral companies like the Dutch East India among others. There was an increased trade trend in food and slaves to the European regions. Slave trade promoted the spread of communicable diseases in both Africa and Europe, more so along the trade routes. The final stage of

A detective story written by Conan Doyle Essay Example for Free

A detective story written by Conan Doyle Essay Baskerville and his companions later on meet a friend, who tells the about a convicted murder called Seldon, escaping from prison and being loose upon the moor. Seldon is part of the atmosphere in Dartmoor. Seldon is described as being fiendish and having a heart full of malignancy, which links him to the Hound, a creature known to kill the Baskerville family. The hound is also loose in Dartmoor. The Hound and Seldon bring a menacing, and deadly atmosphere to Dartmoor. In the distance, clearly visible was a mounted soldier holding a rifle. The soldier is an example of the symbol used in the setting. Soldiers carrying rifles have connotations of dark, menace, and death. These descriptions together with the moor give a forbidding atmosphere, preparing readers for forthcoming, menacing events. Baskerville had travelled across Dartmoor, and now had an exterior view of Baskerville Hall. As he walked in he noticed the decaying gates made of granite. Granite has connotations of darkness, hard, and black, suggesting Baskerville has a dark decaying family. This is true, as he is the only Baskerville remaining. They later enter a tunnel, increasing the darkness of the atmosphere. The house glimmered like a ghost, suggests the supernatural, and death. This is symbolic for the death of those who lived in the house. The descriptive words dark veil, dull light, and black granite all indicate the darkness and gloominess of Baskerville Hall. This raises a sinister, forbidding, and menacing atmosphere. Baskerville adds to the frightening atmosphere by saying its enough to scare off a man. The walls of the rooms were made from age-blackened oak, which also suggests darkness, and adds to the menace of the atmosphere. Conan Doyle obviously intended the atmosphere of the book to be a menacing one, and he did an excellent job in my opinion. The excellent description of setting in his books is one of the reasons why his books are so popular.

Facilitating Change in Health and Social Care Management

Facilitating Change in Health and Social Care Management Summary There needs to be a summary of the major points, conclusions, and recommendations. It needs to be short as it is a general overview of the report. Some people will read the summary and only skim the report, so make sure you include all the relevant information. It would be best to write this last so you will include everything, even the points that might be added at the last minute. Normally it start with past tense Introduction According to Kotter (1999), change management is a set of principles, techniques, and prescriptions embed to the human aspects of executing major change initiatives in organisational settings. It is strategic tool deploy by management to re-direct the use of resources, business process, budget allocations, or other modes of operation that radically reshape a company. The focus of this report is on Beacon Edge Care Home(BECH), a care home that provides support and care for 33 people with Dementia. An inspection was conducted on 21th and 22th of November 2016, and on the 13 of December 2016 unannounced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and the outcome of the inspection indicated that Beacon Edge Care Home has not made any improvement based on the recommendations of the first inspection conducted by CQC and the home does not have a registered manager on duty at the time of the inspection.   Regulatory body later found out that BECH does not even have a registered manager as stipula ted under Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Edwards, 2013). The Act indicated that it is mandatory that registered providers of care have a registered persons. A Registered person have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements under Health and Social Care Act 2008 and has the necessary qualifications, competence, skills and experience to supervise the management of the regulated activity (CQC, 2017). The researcher of this report will be the new manager of BECH and will be responsible for implementing change within the organisation.   The manager will need to identify and make required changes before the next inspection by CQC According to Kotter (1999), to implement change in an organisation, the firm have to understand their environment, their strengths and weaknesses and identify areas of improvement that could lead to change management. Hence, to gain a clearer of pictures of the problems facing Beacon Edge Care Home, the researcher will need to conduct a PEST analysis to identify the strength and weakness and areas of improveme nt of BECH. The key factors that can bring change in Beacon Edge Care Home management is be by conducting identifying the strength, weaknesses, areas of improvement as well as turning weaknesses to opportunities. The PEST Analysis and SWOT Analysis will be deployed as factors that can drive change in Beacon Edge Care Home. A PEST analysis is an analysis of the external macro-environment that affects all firms. It helps organisation to determine how political, economic, social and technology can impact the performance and activities of an organisation in the long-term (Daft, 2011). Political Factors Beacon Edge Care Home would assess the political factors affecting its organisation for failing to comply with regulatory bodies like Care Quality Commission. In the report, CQC indicated that their recommendations from the first visit was not implemented and BECH violated   health and safety Act 1974 by not having adequate   care plans and risk assessments to meet the individual needs of people who used their service   and medicines given to service users were poorly managed, hence people are placed at risk of not receiving their medicines as prescribed (Devorshak, 2012).BECH breaches different regulations in the BECH for not   providing adequate care for their service users. Person centred approach was not notable during the CQC visit, there was lack of good governance and staffing, servicers were given the wrong medicine and local health and social care professionals were concerned about the inconsistent of management team in the home. For the new manager to facilitate cha nge in the organisation, all regulatory bodies and environmental issues will need to evaluated and change to meet the needs of the service users. Economic Factors Beacon Edge Care Home should review their employment policies and ensure that it is in compliance with health and Social care requirement of employing candidate that have the right skill set needed in the establishment (Devorshak, 2012). The report indicated that service rendered by BECH to their clients was not adequate and staff lack the understanding and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Training and development strategy will need to be deployed by the new manager to continually improve the skill of the workforce. Social Factors The manager of Beacon Edge Care Home would need to conduct critical evaluation how the organisation meet the needs of the patients Beacon Edge Care Home. The gap in service delivery will enable the manager to understand the areas that need immediate change (Devorshak, 2012). The CQC report indicated that employees of the organisation have no idea how to meet the cultural and social needs of the patients Technology The new manager of Beacon Edge Care Home should investigate how technology can enhance the delivery of quality service to their patients. This can be conducted by looking at current quality cycle of the service provided and factor areas that will be easier to implement with the introduction of technology. SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is a strategic tool used by organisations to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and to identify their opportunities and threats (Rego and Nunes, 2010).Strengths and weaknesses analysis the internal structure of the organisation, while opportunities and threats generally relate to external factor that the business do have control of (Rego and Nunes, 2010).The researcher will focus on the internal structure of the Beacon Edge Care Home by looking at the strengths and weaknesses. Strengths The strength of Beacon Edge Care Home is the staff. People that were spoken during the inspection indicated that the staff were very caring, pleasant and helpful. Patients were comfortable with the staff as well as they find them very friendly helpful. Further, visitor to the home also indicated that the staff were excellent. The management is blessed with good staff. However, the management lack leadership and do not follow the regulatory bodies criteria especially noncompliance with Health and Social Care Act 2008. Weaknesses Beacon Edge Care Home lack leadership. CQC report on the inspection of BECH indicated that the care and service provided by the organisation is not fit for purpose. Confidential information is not kept secured and did not meet the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. There are catalogues of regulation breaches and there is was no registered person on the premises during the time of the inspection that can help the organisation to meet the requirement of different regulatory bodies. The two major weaknesses   are lack of leadership and skilled workers that understand the requirement of Data protection, Act, Health and Safety Act 1974 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The new managers will need to evaluate the weaknesses of the organisations such noncompliance with regulations bodies, lack of leadership and lack of training for the employees in order to implement changes in the organisation. The home has good and dedicated staff, Beacon Edge Care Home can tap into by providing leadership, firstly getting a registered person on board and providing training and development for existing staff as well as employing staff with key skills to fill the gaps identified. Opportunities The new managers can help to turn things around in the organisation. There is opportunity to recruit and train existing staff on different requirements associated with health and social care The report by CQC on BECH highlighted most of issues the company need to resolve and this   presents the opportunity for BECH to implement these changes in order to improve their rating   health and social care rating,  Ã‚   customers satisfaction, staff satisfaction and other stakeholders 1.2 The challenges that key factors of change bring to health and social care services Business organisations are faced with different challenges. The health and social care organisations are not immune from these challenges as well. The critical evaluation of the Care Quality Commission report on Beacon Edge Care Home clearly shows that the organisation is faced with various challenges such as: Lack of management support Financial resources Equipment Lack of leadership, Training and development for employee Shortage of staff with key skills, Maintaining quality Effective use of resources Noncompliance with different regulatory bodies. Lack of communication and coordination To implement change, Beacon Edge Care Home must address these issues. 1.2.1 Lack of leadership The CQS report on the home shows that the organisation lack leadership. Daft (2011) describe leadership as individual that have the ability to inspire, mobilise and encourage people to achieve the goals of an organisation. A leader has to be organised, have the ability to delegate task and ensure that all the arms of the business is consistent with all the goals of the organisation. Beacon Edge Care Home lack leadership that is organised, coherent and the ability to inspire staff to meet the objectives of the home (Edwards, 2013). For instance, there was no registered manager on duty during the inspection and no senior management oversight to help ensure effective quality monitoring and improvements were carried out.   The management of Beacon Edge Care Home would need to employ a registered manager according to the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulat ions about how the service is run. 1.2.2 Lack of management support Change is hard to implement without the support of the management. Shore (2012) suggested that management should be in the forefront of supporting desirable change because such change will increase the profitability of the company. It is obvious from the case study that the management of BECH is in shambles and the management do not have an idea of what is needed to improve the delivery of their services to their patients. This is one   of the main challenges facing the organisation. The managers must employ a democratic leadership that will enable all employees to cultivate a culture of quality assurance in order for BECH to meet the regulatory bodies requirement and to effectively meet the needs of their service user. 1.2.3 Financial Resources The process of implementing change in an organisation can be affected with lack of financial resources.   Financial resources maybe recruiting top notch manager, training employee to meet the expectation of customers or fund to acquire new equipment.   In the case of BECH, the business is faced with different problems and financial constraints maybe one of them. It could be the reason why the company did not employ competent and skilled workforce for effective management of their operations and services. 1.2.4 Lack of communication and coordination Communication at Beacon Edge Care Home was ineffective, wrong drugs are given to patients, staff are not clear on their roles and management Care plans were not focused on upon individual preferences, choices, needs and abilities, in addition, patients received inconsistent care because staff focused on tasks rather than supporting people with their individual needs and preferences. The roles of individual staff need to be defined and the quality of their work would need to be monitor by their supervisor. Supervisor should schedule meetings with staff on a regular basis to communicate what need to be achieved and the approaches staff need to deployed to achieve those goals. 2.1 In relation to the CQC report on Beacon Edge Care Home, the strategy and criteria for measuring recent changes in health and social care have to be effective and efficient.   Hence, it is essential to set up a system that will allow the organisation to know the changes made will work, how to know changes that resulted in improvement and which changes is most vital and have resulted in the most significant improvement. Thus, by collecting data before, during, and after the change have been implemented, Beacon Edge Care Home can measure, evaluate, and compare their home progress with respect to the goals set out. The process of measuring changes should be simple to implement and have immediate impact. Based on these facts, the researcher decided to deploy the use of questionnaires and surveys, interview with service users and employees and discussion with other stakeholders to measure improvement in the services provided by Beacon Edge Care Home. According to Davis (2010), criteria is a standard set by organisation as target that is decided upon.   Setting criteria will enable Beacon Edge Care Home to identify areas that needed improvement and base line for measurement. The Home will need to consider the new and previous recommendations made by CQC which that services provided by the Home have to be effective, responsive, safe, well-led and caring in order to meet the expectations of their service users. A strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. The plan for strategic and measurement will need to address the factors identified by the CQO in the report and to meet the criteria of the Health and Safety Act 2008. Questionnaire is a qualitative method that can be used to   measure gather information from service user about effectiveness of the service provided. According to Creswell (2014), questionnaire is a research instrument with a written set of questions given to people to collect facts or opinions about a study. It a relatively cheaper and efficient way of collecting large amounts of information a sample of people. In the case, the questionnaire will be design to rate the effectiveness of the service provided, if the staff are responsive and caring, also if the Home conduct risk assessment on their patients and their environment. This will provide a compressive idea of the changes that have been implemented is effective and improve the level of service to the stakeholders. Questionnaire is an effective instrument because it will provide management fast result and it can be easily quantified. It can be used to measure customer or staff satisfaction. Interview is a qualitative approach of gathering information from participants. Interviewing involves asking questions and getting answers from participants in a study.   Interviewing has a variety of forms including: individual, face-to-face interviews and face-to-face group interviewing.   The asking and answering of questions can be mediated by the telephone or other electronic devices (e.g. computer (Wiley, 2014). Interviews can be structured, semi-structure or unstructured. The use of interview techniques at Beacon Edge Care Home to collate data from patients and other stakeholders will provide an insight into the quality of service rendered by the organisation. This can be a semi structured interview by asking patients about specific question about the quality of service and the organisation is meeting their needs in terms of caring, responsive and effective. These approaches and strategies will enable the management of Beacon Edge Care Home to measure the effectiveness of the changes made to meet the criteria of the CQO. CQC drives improvement in the quality of health and social care services. It regulates against the registration requirements set out in regulations to the 2008 Act. These are the essential standards of quality and safety that providers are legally required to meet. These standards therefore represent the minimum quality bar which all providers of regulated activities must meet and should not dip below. 2.2 Measuring the impact of recent changes on health and social care services against set criteria Creswell (2014) defined data collection as the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of interest, in an established systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes. In the case of Beacon Edge Care Home, compliance and adherence report, employee engagement and participation, Issue, compliance and error logs, observation of behaviour change, employee feedbacks and employee readiness assessment results were used to measure the recent changes against the set criteria.   Observation of employee engagement with service users, issue, compliance and error logs as well as the employee feedbacks provided crucial information about the changes made at Beacon Edge Care Home against the recommendations made by the CQO. The changes ade by the manager of BECH has enhanced the communication between care workers and service user, improved the provision of person centred care, the management if medicine which was a major problem before and effective care home engagement to ensure that patients are not exposed to any hazard or risk that may cause them harm. 2.3 The overall impact of recent changes in health and social care The recent changes made by the manager and management has improved the quality of service provided by by Beacon Edge Care Home. The appointment of a registered person that understand the criterias and codes of conduct of health and social care, enabled the organisation to comply with various regulations and legislations. For instance, a competent and qualified person was assigned by the manager to monitor and measure health and safety procedures in the organisation. This include conducting risk assessment, reports of incident, communicating changes in operational model to management etc. The registered person on the other hand ensured that training and development are provided for employees, observation conducted to ensure staff are effective and responsive on delivering their duties and survey on patients to measure their level of satisfaction. In most organisation, changing the ways of doing things can either lead to positive or negative outcome. However, the most essential is to h ave management that is open to change and not afraid to implement new approaches. Hence, Beacon Edge Care Home need to continuously monitor and measure the changes that have just been implemented and also look for areas of improvement to in order to meet the ever-changing needs of their service users (Shore, 2012). 2.4 Propose appropriate service responses to recent changes in health and social care services There many approaches and techniques BECH can deployed to response to recent changes in health and social care services The Care Act 2014 underpin the way people receive care and provide a vehicle to communicate changes health and social care services. Regarding BECH, the management can response to recent changes in health and social care services through the following: Training: The case study highlighted BECH lack skilled employees that understand the regulatory requirement of working in health and social care organisation. This will need to be addressed either by employing skilled workers or providing training for old workforce to gain the competency of needed to be a care worker. Compliance with different regulatory bodies requirements: There were different breaches of regulations during the inspection by CQO. For instance, confidential data were not kept secured (Data Act violation), Health and Safety of service user and staff did not comply with the requirement of Mental Capacity Act 2005. The new registered person or manager has to ensure that the cultivate a culture of quality management and effective communication of different policies, procedure and regulations of health and social care to the workforce Continuous quality improvement of services rendered by the organisation: BECH should continue toi improve the level of their service delivery through the quality management tools like Kaizen quality control or quality cycle of Deming. According to Coy and Adams (2012) quality Management tools help organisation collect and analyse data for employees to easily understand and interpret information. Quality Management models require extensive planning and collecting relevant information about end-users. Customer feedbacks and expectations need to be carefully monitored and evaluated to deliver superior quality products. By embracing this approach, BECH, management will be able to meet and exceed the expectations of their service users. Embrace current best practice to treating people and supporting the specialist needs of people living with dementia:BECH provides care and home for people with dementia. It is essential the company lassie with other service providers, professional sand specialist in the field of providing care for people with dementia in order to provide appropriate and adequate service to their clients. Monitoring and managing medicines administered in the way that meet the requirement of the regulatory body: To meet the requirement of Mental Capacity Act 2005, the manager BECH have to monitor and manage the way drugs are administered to their patients. This was one of the findings in the inspection by CQO, patients were given the wrong drugs which can make their situation worse. 3.1 The key principles of change management In the todays business environment, change is inevitable and understanding the principles of change is equally vital. There different principles of change that Beacon Edge Care Home can deploy to meet the expectations of their service users and the objectives of the organisation. John M Fisher and John Kotter are change management theories that have made significant contribution to the subject. Others are Kurt Lewins change management model, Burke-Lewins causal change model; action research; gap analysis and Kà ¼bler Ross transition cycle. The researcher will focus on John Kotters Change Model that consist of eight stages. 3.1.1Establish a sense of urgency: Beacon Edge Care Home need to implement change immediately to meet the criteria and recommendations of the CQO 3.1.2 Form a powerful guiding coalition: The organisation need to employ a registered manager that will help coordinate the process to meet the recommendations set on the report about the Home. 3.1.3Create a clear vision; The manager and management have to set a clear vision on what they need to achieve and the changes that need to be made for the survival of the business. 3.1.4 Communicate the vision; The objectives will need to be communicated to the employees and other stakeholders. 3.1.5 Empower others to act on the vision: Training and development for employees, recruitment of skilled specialist is crucial to meet the vison set for change. 3.1.6 Plan and create short-term wins: The plan to me measurable in short term and long term to know if the changes implemented is working. 3.1.7 Consolidate improvements and produce still more change: Need to conduct survey, questionnaires and interview to measure improvement and benchmark the process in order to continuously improve the quality of the service delivery. 3.7.1 Institutionalise new approaches: After measurement of the impact of change and improvement, areas with positive outcomes and improve should be institutionalised. 3.2 How changes in health and social care are planned There are different approaches and techniques that can be deployed in health and social care setting to manage and plan change. However, it is essential to identify areas that needs change and improvement. Regarding Beacon Edge Care Home, the areas that need change and effective planning are the management style, Staff development needs, communication channel and reconditioning. In addition, changes in health and social care   have to consider the local authority, CCG, community needs, quality of care and finance available to BECH before planning can commerce. 3.2.1 Management style is the principles that underline the methods, abilities and techniques managers use in handling situations and expressing leadership within an organisation (Moss and Moss, 2012). The report on the services rendered by Beacon Edge Care Home by CQO was classified as been ineffective, unresponsive, unsafe and not well managed. The management style deploy by the organisation is not meet the needs of the service users and the goals of the Home.   The report indicated that employees do not have an understanding of their roles and duties, hence, the management are communicating with staff about what is expected of them. By embracing a paternalistic style of working the manager decide what is best for the employees as well as the organization. The policies are devised to benefit the employees and the organization. In addition, employee play a part in the decision making and roles and duties of individual staff are communicated to them. By deploying management style, employees would feel attached and loyal to the organisation. 3.2.2 Staff development needs is essential to meet the needs of the service users, in the report, CQO indicated that staff lack the essential training to be a mental nurse. And there were breaches of regulation in relation to person centred care, safe care and treatment, safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment, meeting nutritional and hydration needs, good governance and staffing. Lack of staff development through training has led to the health care provider providing inadequate care. There was also lack of effective communication channel between the management and employees which made it difficult for staff to understand their roles and duties in the establishment.   By investing in training and development, staff will be able to acquire the necessarily skills to conduct their duties appropriately and effectively. 3.2.3 Reconditioning refers to an organisation restructuring their goals and objectives to meet the criteria and regulations of sector they operate (Moosavi, 2009). Beacon Edge Care Home clearly deviated from the codes of conduct of health and social care and the criteria of the CQO. Reconditioning will enable the organisation to evaluate the regulations and legislation they have to adhere to meet the criteria of CQO in order to meet the expectations of their service users. 3.3 Monitoring recent changes in health and social care services Effective monitoring of change in the health and social care involves the systematic and analyse of information collected to measure change and meet objectives and help management to make informed decisions (Haluza and Jungwirth, 2016). The monitoring process comprises of internal and external analysis to measure changes. Internal analysis will usually involve supervisors, managers, clinical audit team, team leaders or a registered person. While, external monitoring comprises of CQC, CCGs, Monitor, Audit Commission and Health inspectors. Monitoring is essential in an organisation because it helps to track implementation and outputs systematically, and measure the effectiveness of programmes. It helps determine exactly when a programme is on track and when changes may be needed (Haluza and Jungwirth, 2016). There are various approaches Beacon Edge Care Home can embed to monitor the impact of change in the organisation, some of the techniques are reviewing the service delivery, supervi sion, shadowing, observation, audits, feedbacks, interviews and questionnaires. References Creswell, J. (2014). Research design. 1st ed. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. Daft, R. (2011). Leadership. 1st ed. [S.l.]: South Western Cengage learning. Devorshak, C. (2012). Plant pest risk analysis. 1st ed. Cambridge, MA: Cabi. Edwards, N. (2013). Implementation of the Health and Social Care Act. BMJ, 346(apr03 1), pp.f2090-f2090. Green, G. (2002). Training and development. 1st ed. Oxford, U.K.: Capstone Pub. Haluza, D. and Jungwirth, D. (2016). ICT and the future of healthcare: Aspects of pervasive health monitoring. Informatics for Health and Social Care, pp.1-11. Kotter, J. (1999). John P. Kotter on what leaders really do. 1st ed. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Moosavi, S. (2009). Restructure Conflicting Grant Incentives. Science, 326(5952), pp.521-521. Moss, B. and Moss, B. (2012). Communication skills in health and social care. 1st ed. London: SAGE. Rego, G. and Nunes, R. (2010). Hospital Foundation: A SWOT Analysis. iBusiness, 02(03), pp.210-217. Shore, D. (2012). Forces of change. 1st ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Wiley, N. (2014). Interviewing Herbert Blumer. Symbolic Interaction, 37(2), pp.300-308.

Generation X, Less Happy, Why? :: essays research papers

Generation X, Less Happy, Why?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nowadays divorce is so common it's hard for people to try hard, fight through their problems and make a marriage last when there's such an easy way out, divorce. Marriages of earlier generations were sometimes happier, because divorce wasn't the immediate anecdote to family or marital problems. I come to this conclusion from hearing about my moms childhood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandparents have stayed together to this day regardless of their problems which made my moms childhood happier. One incident which illuminates my moms childhood being happier is when my grandpa had to take care of the kids because my grandmother was in the hospital. It was great for my mom to have her own father take care of them instead of being left with an aunt or a close family friend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandmother was told she'd be in the hospital for a couple of weeks , it ended up being three. This was the first time she was separated from her children, and the first time my grandpa, the businessman, had to take care of the house and kids. All the household duties changed and it was hectic, my grandpa had to take on the mother role. He had to make breakfast for the kids, pack their lunches, go grocery shopping, help with homework and take the kids to school. My mom who was only nine was the only girl so they made her make the beds and clear the table. Those three weeks were hell, for all of them. For my grandpa it was difficult to take care of everything and work over forty hours a week. For the children it was hard to be separated from mom. All my grandmother did was worry the whole time about the kids, the house and my grandpa probably having a nervous breakdown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was very difficult, but this incident brought all of them closer, in a way. My grandmother missed her family as much as they missed her. My mom and uncles also became a lot closer to my grandfather. Overall this experience showed my grandparents how much they loved, missed, and needed each other but it was better when they handled things together and then they knew they made the right decision by staying together. This experience, in a way, showed them what it would be like if they were divorced or separated, lonely, sad, and very Generation X, Less Happy, Why? :: essays research papers Generation X, Less Happy, Why?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nowadays divorce is so common it's hard for people to try hard, fight through their problems and make a marriage last when there's such an easy way out, divorce. Marriages of earlier generations were sometimes happier, because divorce wasn't the immediate anecdote to family or marital problems. I come to this conclusion from hearing about my moms childhood.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandparents have stayed together to this day regardless of their problems which made my moms childhood happier. One incident which illuminates my moms childhood being happier is when my grandpa had to take care of the kids because my grandmother was in the hospital. It was great for my mom to have her own father take care of them instead of being left with an aunt or a close family friend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My grandmother was told she'd be in the hospital for a couple of weeks , it ended up being three. This was the first time she was separated from her children, and the first time my grandpa, the businessman, had to take care of the house and kids. All the household duties changed and it was hectic, my grandpa had to take on the mother role. He had to make breakfast for the kids, pack their lunches, go grocery shopping, help with homework and take the kids to school. My mom who was only nine was the only girl so they made her make the beds and clear the table. Those three weeks were hell, for all of them. For my grandpa it was difficult to take care of everything and work over forty hours a week. For the children it was hard to be separated from mom. All my grandmother did was worry the whole time about the kids, the house and my grandpa probably having a nervous breakdown.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was very difficult, but this incident brought all of them closer, in a way. My grandmother missed her family as much as they missed her. My mom and uncles also became a lot closer to my grandfather. Overall this experience showed my grandparents how much they loved, missed, and needed each other but it was better when they handled things together and then they knew they made the right decision by staying together. This experience, in a way, showed them what it would be like if they were divorced or separated, lonely, sad, and very

Al Qaeda Network

Al qaeda the ‘terrorist network’ and Osama bin Laden have carried out a complicated ‘media campaign and ‘public relations’ over the last 10 years (qtd. in Bevy, 2006).As Bevy (2006) excerpted, â€Å"’terrorism-analyst’ think that these communications have been intended to draw out ‘emotional reactions’ and converse intricate ‘political messages’ to a worldwide viewers as well as to explicit populaces in the ‘Islamic world’, the U.S., Asia, and Europe.†A number of analyst and officials consider that ‘Al Qaeda’s messages’ hold signs that notify and educate operatives to get ready for and perform fresh attacks. Bin-Laden has referred to his ‘public-statements’ as significant chief sources for parties in quest to know Al Qaeda’s political demands and ideology.Osama bin Laden’s familiarities as a ‘financier’ and ‘logistical-coordinat or’ for the Arab and Afghan struggle to the ‘Soviet-Invasion’ of Afghanistan throughout the 198os are considered to have supplied backdrop for his principle that ‘Muslims’ can obtain valuable ‘military action’ motivated by ‘Islamic principles’ (Bevy, 2006).According to Bevy (2006), his contact to the philosophies of ‘conservative Islamist-scholars’ in Saudi Arabia and his work with the Arab activist in Afghanistan offered the ideological and theological foundation for his principle in the interest of ‘puritanical Salafist Islamic-reform’ in Muslim societies and the need of ‘armed resistance’ in the countenance of ‘perceived aggression’ – an idea Al-Qaeda has since connected with a commonly-binding ‘Islamic principle’ recognized as â€Å"defensive-jihad† (qtd. in Bevy, 2006).After a few years after he initiated setting up Arab volunteers to dispose of ‘Soviet forces’ from ‘Afghanistan', bin-Laden had a ‘vision’; the instant had come, he informed his friends, to start a ‘global jihad’, or’ Islamic holy-war’, in against to the crooked ‘secular-governments’ of the ‘Muslim Middle East’ and ‘Western-powers’ that maintained them (New York Times, 2001).Bin Laden, the ‘Saudi’ millionaire’, would utilize his campgrounds in Afghanistan to obtain ‘holy-warriors’ from around–the-world – who had at all times followed ‘local goals’ – and figure them into an ‘international-network’ which would wrestle to convey all Muslims under a ‘militant-version’ of ‘Islamic law’. At some stage in the ‘anti Soviet jihad’ Bin-Laden and his combatants have been given American and Saudi funding; a number of ‘analysts’ think Bin-Lad en himself had ‘security-training’ from the C.I.A. (BBC, 2004).Following the ‘Iraqi-invasion’ of Kuwait, Bin Laden articulated these analyses in resistance to the beginning of ‘foreign military-forces’ to Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden illustrated the presence of non-Muslim troops and U.S. in Saudi Arabia following 1991 Gulf-War as reason for transformed commitment to ‘defensive jihad’ and the endorsement of violence against the United States and Saudi government.What is Al Qaeda?Any number of theories has been advanced as to the origins of the name â€Å"Al Qaeda†, from a reference to a computer file revealing the identities of Arab veterans of the Afghanistan conflict (the database), to Osama bin Laden’s alleged high-tech headquarters, deep in the mountains of Afghanistan (the secret base), drawings of which – impressive though entirely fictitious – were produced by the American media when U. S. operations be gan in October 2001 (Chaliand & Blin, 2007).The name Al Qaeda, which instantly became the focus of the media attention following the August 1998 U. S. embassy bombings had long had mythical status. According to Chaliand and Blin (2007) Osama bin Laden himself had contributed to the mystery surrounding the name by never uttering it prior to the events of September 11. The groups’ leaders, in their internal communications, usually referred to it as â€Å"the society†, an internationally neutral appellation.In fact, it was ‘Abdallah Azzam who had named the organization; in 19888, the first signs of a Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, ‘Azzam decided that he would not disband the Army of Arab volunteers he had created four years earlier but would use it to undertake a much vaster mission – re-conquest of the Muslim world (Chaliand & Blin, 2007).To that end, he needed a standing vanguard of fighters to serve as leaders of the umma; he coined the term al- qaeda al-sulbah (the solid base) for this, which was also the headline of an editorial he wrote in al-Jihad in 1988.

The Social Context in the Original Planet Of The Apes essays

The Social Context in the Original Planet Of The Apes essays Some of us may see Planet of the Apes as the film responsible for the later annoying talking monkey films, while others may see it as the classic sci-fi with the intriguing plot and special effects for its time. However, what some of us may not know or have noticed about this classic film, is just how much this film covers many relevant sociological themes of the 60s era in which it came out. These sociological themes are not quite as relevant however, to todays modern audience. Focused mainly on the under 30 year olds in the 60s era, Planet of the Apes became the classic we all know, where three astronauts crash land on a futuristic planet where apes rule and humans are slaves... As the plot unfolds, the stunned trio discovers that these highly intelligent simians can walk upright, talk and have even established a class system and a political structure like that of humans. The astronauts suddenly find themselves part of a devalued species, trapped and imprisoned by the apes. However, with the aid of a pair of compassionate chimps named Cornelius (Roddy MacDowell) In this film we encounter unusual themes for this movies time. The strong themes throughout this film include religion, bigotry, and domination. In Planet of the Apes, like in the 60s era, one of the big themes is a mentality of enlightenment about religion. In the film, the religion they were force-fed by Dr Zaius (Maurice Evans) was that humans were never superior to apes. Cornelius ...

Mary Ann Bickerdyke, Calico Colonel of the Civil War

Mary Ann Bickerdyke, Calico Colonel of the Civil War Mary Ann Bickerdyke was known for her nursing service during Civil War, including setting up hospitals, winning confidence of generals. She lived from  July 19, 1817 to November 8, 1901. She was known as Mother Bickerdyke or the Calico Colonel, and her full name was  Mary Ann Ball Bickerdyke. Mary Ann Bickerdyke Biography Mary Ann Ball was born in 1817 in Ohio.   Her father, Hiram Ball, and mother, Anne Rodgers Ball, were farmers.   Anne Balls mother had been married before and brought children to her marriage to Hiram Ball. Anne died when Mary Ann Ball was only a year old,. Mary Ann was sent with her sister and her mother’s older two children to live with their maternal grandparents, also in Ohio, while her father remarried.   When the grandparents died, an uncle, Henry Rodgers, cared for the children for a time. We don’t know much about Mary Ann’s early years.   Some sources claim she attended Oberlin College and was part of the Underground Railroad, but there’s no historical evidence for those events. Marriage Mary Ann Ball married Robert Bickerdyke in April 1847. The couple lived in Cincinnati, where Mary Ann may have helped with nursing during the 1849 cholera epidemic.   They had two sons.   Robert struggled with ill health as they moved to Iowa and then to Galesburg, Illinois. He died in 1859.   Now widowed, Mary Ann Bickerdyke then had to work to support herself and her children. She worked in domestic service and did some work as a nurse. She was part of the Congregational Church in Galesburg where the minister was Edward Beecher, son of the famous minister Lyman Beecher, and a brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Catherine Beecher, half-brother of Isabella Beecher Hooker.   Civil War Service When the Civil War began in 1861, the Rev. Beecher called attention to the sad state of soldiers who were stationed in Cairo, Illinois.   Mary Ann Bickerdyke decided to take action, probably based on her experience in nursing.  Ã‚   She put her sons under the care of others, then went to Cairo with medical supplies that had been donated.   On arrival in Cairo, she took charge of sanitary conditions and nursing at the encampment, though women were not supposed to be there without prior permission.   When a hospital building was finally constructed, she was appointed matron. After her success in Cairo, though still without any formal permission to do her work, she went with Mary Safford, who had also been at Cairo, to follow the army as it moved south.   She nursed the wounded and sick among the soldiers at the battle of Shiloh. Elizabeth Porter, representing the Sanitary Commission, was impressed by Bickerdyke’s work, and arranged for an appointment as a â€Å"Sanitary field agent.† This position also brought in a monthly fee. General Ulysses S Grant developed a trust for Bickerdyke, and saw to it that she had a pass to be in the camps.   She followed Grant’s army to Corinth, Memphis, then to Vicksburg, nursing at each battle. Accompanying Sherman At Vicksburg, Bickerdyke decided to join the army of William Tecumsah Sherman as it began a march south, first to Chattanooga, then on Sherman’s infamous march through Georgia.   Sherman allowed Elizabeth Porter and Mary Ann Bickerdyke to accompany the army, but when the army reached Atlanta, Sherman sent Bickerdyke back to the north. Sherman recalled Bickerdyke, who had gone to New York, when his army moved towards Savannah.   He arranged for her passage back to the front.   On her way back to Sherman’s army, Bickerdyke stopped for a while to help with Union prisoners who’d been recently released from the Confederate prisoner of war camp at Andersonville.   She finally connected back with Sherman and his men in North Carolina. Bickerdyke remained in her volunteer post – though with some recognition from the Sanitary Commission – until the very end of the war, in 1866, staying as long as there were soldiers still stationed. After the Civil War Mary Ann Bickerdyke tried several jobs after leaving army service. She ran a hotel with her sons, but when she got sick, they sent her to San Francisco.   There she helped advocate for pensions for the veterans.   She was hired at the mint in San Francisco.   She also attended reunions of the Grand Army of the Republic, where her service was recognized and celebrated. Bickerdyke died in Kansas in 1901.   In 1906, the town of Galesburg, from which she’d left to go to the war, honored her with a stature. While some of the nurses in the Civil War were organized by religious orders or under Dorothea Dix’ command, Mary Ann Bickerdyke represents another kind of nurse: a volunteer who was not responsible to any supervisor, and who often interjected themselves into camps where women were forbidden to go.

The American Dream Essays - Presidency Of Harry S. Truman

The American Dream Essays - Presidency Of Harry S. Truman The American Dream The American Dream It is the intent of this paper to prove that the American Dream can best be explained as a ciity upon a hill. Ciity upon a hill meaning being above and superior over those below. The Civil War, the imperialistic race of the 19th century, the Korean War, the KKK, and the Gulf War are all examples of the American Dream of superiority playing a part in American History. Each American has a different idea of this superiority, but nonetheless strive to achieve it, whatever it may be in. The Civil War which split the United States, was a clash of two aspects of approaching the American Dream in a young America. Both sides felt their idea's and philosophies were superior to those of the opposing side and therefore would benefit the country more and make it superior. Both North and South wanted to better the country to have it achieve the American Dream. Unfortunately, each side had a different perspective on how to approach it. Slavery was a major issue, the North against, the South pro. The disagreement on slavery lead to difficulty in the issue of Westward expansion. Both agreed to it, but whether to admit them as free or slave states was where the split occurred. The compromise of 1850 stated that California enters free, and New Mexico and Utah decided on their own which is giving them more state rights in which the South heavily supported. This compromise did not satisfy each side fully. The issue of State rights intensified by the issue of slavery because the Southern states felt they had the right to decide on their own about Slavery without Federal intervention. It seems the Southern states felt that the American dream was out of their reach because they felt powerless and inferior with the Central government. When the American revolution was fought to break from Britain, the Southern States thought they would be treated as sovereign and free. With the State's limited power, they felt as if the Federal government would become a monarchy. The Northern States wanted the American dream achieved for the whole country to be industrial, anti-slavery, and very federalist. Upon these institutions they planned to make the U.S a superior nation in the world. The South wanted to achieve the same ultimate goal for the U.S but with agricultural, pro- slavery, and states sovereignty institutions. These are the differences between both sides in achieving the American Dream. In order to resolve the conflict of interests, North and South had to go to war to prove superiority thus proving which side is the ciity upon the hill in which the losing side would follow. During the time of Imperialism in the 19th century, the U.S wanted to expand worldwide and strive for the lead in the imperialistic race. In 1871, the U.S and Canada signed the Washington treaty meaning that the U.S recognized Canada as an independent dominion. Any schemes to forcefully annex Canada and to unite the North American continent under the U.S flag had been rejected. The U.S could not expand any further in North America and had to look at other parts of the world for expansion. At the time, there were many other nations looking to expand its empire such as Britain and Germany. Some Southern expansionists saw Cuba as an interest because it could have possibly been used as a slave territory. Because Northerners were highly against slavery, the plan was dropped. After the Civil War, Secretary of State Seward had negotiated a treaty to purchase the virgin Islands from Denmark, but the senate rejected this treaty. They were not purchased until 1917. In 1859, the U.S annexed the Midway Islands in the South Pacific, and half the Samoan Islands; the other half belonging to Germany. Hawaii, another Pacific island, had always been important to the U.S. It served as an important base for trade with Japan and China. When the U.S annexed Hawaii in 1893 after a coup, to justify it, the U.S claimed it was an important strategic military foothold. They also claimed that the inferior Hawaiian natives were incapable of self government, and that it was in their best interests. After the annexation of Hawaii, and later the Philippines in 1899, it seemed clear the U.S was relentless in becoming the most powerful imperialistic nation. It is this idea of expansion thus gaining power and superiority over other nations that proves the American Dream/Ciity upon a hill being about superiority. The invasion of South Korea by North Korea was the opportunity

Information Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Information Management - Coursework Example This paper analyzes the unique e-business model perpetuated by Ebay with respect to conceptual frameworks like Porter’s five forces model and value chain analysis. The findings reveal both the competencies of Ebay and the surrounding factors which favored the growth of EBay’s business model, owing to the need of speed, access and frequency of information managed in the industry. Recommendations follow at last to highlight few of the threats and means to overcome them. Introduction The selection of the topic is very relevant and significant in relation to the increased popularity of electronic means of transactions and trading platforms being devised. Company chosen also reflects careful consideration in this regard because Ebay holds the recognition of being the first ever organization to use information systems as its competitive weapon after the dismal performance of Dot.com. While selecting the frameworks to analyze, both external and internal environment have been t aken care of. Porter’s five forces model helped develop better insights about market forces which shaped up the creation of such a business model and value chain analysis helped understand the techniques and strategies implemented by Ebay in turning the industry attractiveness factors to its advantage. Use of journal articles from Harvard business review made the work more interesting and valuable as deep level understanding came from expert’s opinions and observations. Overview of organization- Ebay Ebay holds the accredition of being the first online marketplace for buyers and sellers to trade online. Transcending from traditional business practices, the core philosophy and positioning statement of Ebay lies in providing a common platform for diverse buyer and seller communities worldwide to transact and achieving a breakthrough by automating the brick and mortar presence of trading. The essence of e-commerce has been realized and absorbed more seriously by Ebay than any other online retailer. It presents an example of deploying and using information systems to its competitive advantage because of the primary components of managing information systems in place. From developing technological tools and components to providing for customer support and care, technology stands at the heart of EBay’s corporate strategy. Even regulatory compliances and IT policies are standardized and adhered to which demonstrates the pure professional attitude of Ebay in adopting information technology as the driver to its Numero Uno status. External environment analysis To establish the uniqueness of e-business model of Ebay through the use of information systems, it is first essential to look at the surrounding factors and their impact on the general industry practices where Ebay has placed itself differently. Porter’s Five Forces Power of suppliers- The field in which Ebay operates is crowded by limitless number of suppliers because online auctioning and internet based buying and selling business has thrived leaps and bounds in the recent years. All the major competitors of Ebay namely Amazon, Yahoo and even Dell has forayed into internet world to offer and sell their products. However, distinguishing factor in this industry is the availability of own warehouses which saves a lot of expenditure and offers cost effectiveness. While Ebay has developed the market of

Political and Social Reality of the City of Seoul Research Paper

Political and Social Reality of the City of Seoul - Research Paper Example Polarization refers to the process of grouping of two opinions into two extreme ends. Social polarization arises from the normal societal stratifications and depicts itself in nearly every aspect of life in the people habiting a particular geographical location. Polarization arises from conventions of life some of which people abide by naturally yet others follow economic capabilities and stratification mechanisms. Every community, including the modern day urban settlements, have different opinions among its inhabitants often resulting in either polarization or quasi polarization.   The city of Seoul in southern Korea is therefore no exception and experiences one of the most radical extents of polarization evident in its pattern of habitation and the people’s way of life in the city. The special city of Seoul is the capital city of South Korea and arguably the largest modern day metropolis in the entire Korea. It is home to approximately fifty million people most of whom are South Korean nationals but also provides residence to more than ten million international business people (O'Loughlin 33). The city has an elaborate design, one that considers and showcases the economic growth of the country and its interesting history. The architecture of most skyscrapers in the city embodies the modernism in design and comfort but also imbed the rich cultural history of the South Korean people. The wide clean highways, the artistically tall building structures, and the every glaring subway stations among other interesting features such as Seoul’s nightlife all act as a unifying feature to the diverse people of the city. However, behind the glamor and the beauty, the truth of the city lies in a more analytical scrutiny of the residences’ way of life. ...where is accessible and every product available in the market, the price tag on the commodities and services in the market always ensure that the rich rarely interacted with the poor. Additionally, it provides for an effective mechanism of keeping the rich to their own society and possibly denying the poor access to such societies. Seoul is one such city. Being an industrial country, the South Korean economy grows very fast with international businesses giving rise to extremely wealthy businesspersons and business empires. The wealth disparity and economic imbalance influence the design since the city has to include all its residences despite their financial positioning. This has resulted in the birth of two residential regions namely the Gangnam and the Gangbuk.  

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 21

Case Study - Essay Example This incentive makes workers perform better. By making their own steel, Nucor cut down costs. This made the company more profitable. When making a product, it is normally cheaper to make your own supply. The making of steel made Nucor more profitable. Waits on shipment were eliminated, a cheaper process was used, and more effective steel joists could be made. The supply of steel allowed Nucor to bid on contracts for steel joists all across the United States. Finally the reason Nucor has performed better in the past is the cut of losses. If a division, acquisition, or venture did not perform as expected, Nucor would close the division or sell the losing acquisition or venture. This helped the remaining successful divisions make a profitable corporation. The company’s strategic positioning has been a factor in the success. The company has always changed with the times. From the beginning as a car maker to merge with a Nuclear Company, and finally as a steel manufacturer, Nucor has changed with the times in order to make a profit. Since making steel and steel joists was profitable, Nucor focused on making cheap steel products. The restructuring of the corporate level also was strategic positioning. When Iverson took over his method of vice presidents, division heads, and so forth worked in the beginning. However, after Iverson retired, a change needed to be made in order to keep up with other corporations. The strategic options for the future need to include more change. With the bad economy, development using steel joists will slow down. Cut backs will be necessary. Production cuts will have to be faced. However, the recession will not last forever. Nucor needs to look into other options for their steel. Oil rigs need steel pipes, decks, and platforms. Focusing on this industry until the economy picks up could be the answer. Development might slow down, but it will not stop. Nucor can focus on other industries, but

A Bar at the Folies-Bergre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Bar at the Folies-Bergre - Essay Example There is also a seemingly displaced symmetry of the lights that have been placed on the pillars that are behind the woman. The illusions on the reflection of the woman on the mirror prompt one to change their thoughts great meaning about the woman on the painting. The comparison of the woman’s frontal image and the image of her that is reflected on the mirror that is behind her conveys a certain the painting can be difference and a form of tension. This tension can be interpreted to be the difference between the way that a customer at the bar sees the woman and the way that the painter sees her, or the difference between the illusion of the calm that the woman presents and the reality that is the chaos in her life.. In other words, the woman is not necessarily what she seems. The use of classical iconography in the painting can be studied to provide clues as to whom the woman really is. The roses that are on the painting have been placed in a glass of water have great meaning. The white rose is a symbol of purity while the pink rose is a symbol of divine love. There are also white roses on the woman’s corsage. This is done to present the woman as a representative of ancient deity in modern times. There is also a crystal bowl of tangerines that have been placed on the bar. The tangerines provide color to the painting as they are glossy and are also an iconographic representation. This is because they are often used as a substitute for apples in the Christian iconography.

Business Impacts of Computerized Accounting Assignment

Business Impacts of Computerized Accounting - Assignment Example He has always been willing and ready to offer any form of help. Company he works for Green works for Alliance for Arab women, a ‘non-governmental’ organization that operates in Cairo, Egypt. Alliance for Arab women is a human rights campaigner that spearheads fight for women’s rights and the identity of women in the society. Technology covered The subject of the interview was a recently implemented technology in the interviewee’s workplace. Having been an emerging technology in the developing countries and since his company just implemented computerized accounting a year ago, the interviewee promised to be fruitful in exploring business impacts of the technology. Even though his company is a ‘non-governmental’ organization, a ‘non-profit’ making entity, the experience that he has had with the technology is sufficient for drawing conclusions on the business impacts of the technology. Interviewee’s experience with the technolo gy The interviewee has had sufficient experience in electronic technologies. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in information technology and taken an additional accounting course, Green has sufficient experience in technological applications in accounting. ... The technology has facilitated work through easy accounting processes. Accountants have for instance been saved the agony of making double entries with respect to transactions because the technology updates entries on single recording of a transaction. This has particularly reduced chances of errors due to incorrect entry of figures in different accounts for double entry procedures. The technology has further enhanced accuracy in accounting as the use of software has eliminated errors that were previously encountered during entries and computations in accounts and statements. Application of the technology has also aided the works of accountants through its capacity to handle large amount of data. Unlike the manual accounting processes that are prone to confusion especially when the data to be handled is large, computerized accounting maintains precision and accuracy irrespective of the size of records to be kept and dealt in. The technology has also enhanced accuracy and reliability in accounting, as records are easily retrievable on demand. Drawbacks to the technology implementation Implementation of the technology faced a number of obstacles, both within the organization’s accounting department and the management. The accounting staffs were for instance reluctant to change to the new technology because of the required training that they would be subjected to. There were also reports of employees who had not been comfortable with computers and saw the technology as push towards reliance on computers. The management was on the other hand reluctant to implement the technology due to the costs that would be involved. First, the management would be expected to contract a firm that would determine and maintain the company’s hard drives

Falcon Computer Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Falcon Computer Company - Essay Example The higher management was great in formulating the values to be followed by the employees but only formulation was not the very success of it. The prime influencing factor is in appropriately propagating the values and the support of the management to exercise in practice. â€Å"Attention to detail is our trademark; our goal is to do it right the first time†. However it was observed that the design flaws caused the main hurdle and in the first place it needed to be corrected to prevent flaws in the forthcoming steps. Employees were pressurized to rush for getting the product out to the customers without putting a check on the quality. Employees were afraid of their immediate manager which would result in insult and embarrassment. The employees did not feel safe to stand up to the problems they were facing. The culture statement promising to encourage open, direct, person-to-person communication as part of the daily routine was not at all followed in practice. At Flacon it was more of secrecy than openness. Even after the value document was formulated and was expected to be followed, lack of management enforcement was greatly lacking to get the values embedded into the employees. If the formulators are themselves lack the will t support the values and make sure they create examples so that there is an evidence of its usage in the proper context, the employees cannot be expected to envelope anything from it. It will stay in the books only. Lack of interest from the employee side was a turnaround feature in exercising the values. They did not take it seriously and never bothered to come up with valuable suggestions so as to prove that there was an initiative from their side. They have never held the management accountable for the non-compliance of values. They instead have understood what was really emphasized in the organization namely hierarchy, secrecy and expediency. They never moved out of their comfort zone to take a stand. The lack of initiative also made the other employees to follow the similar notion to take a back seat.  Ã‚  

What am I Learning in Global Perspectives Essay

What am I Learning in Global Perspectives - Essay Example These views have been cultivated, transmitted, and declared functional at all times. Thus, cultures are viewed as not only end results of past behavior but also shapers of upcoming behavior. The tendency of equating culture with an ethnic group is very common in people. In connection with this claim, it is apparent there is diverseness in cultural values. The paper expounds on cultural perspectives, the impact of an individual on others and the immediate environment, and the contribution of the module used in discussion in learning. Sharing personal values to strangers is very difficult. Many people including me consider sharing personal values with people different from me as not only an unsafe practice but also the exposure of oneself weaknesses. As a result of this, it is normal to see some people avoiding at all cost to share their personal values with people different from them. However, my engagement in the discussions and lead events changed my perception on personal values. First, I learnt that it is important to share personal values. The sharing of values enables people to learn each other’s interests and to allow each other to be what they are without any confrontation. In addition to this, it is apparent that sharing of values with other people enables individuals to learn the values that they have in common. The sharing of values not only makes individuals compatible but also strengthens the foundation of relationships between people. In addition to this, the discussion proved that people le arn many things in life through sharing their personal values with other people. Many people in the society correlate well with people from their race or ethnic groups. In tandem with this claim, I can affirm that majority of my friends are from my ethnic group. We cope up well with people from my ethnic group. However, this cultural practice is declining in institutions because of people’s diverseness.

Falcon Computer Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Falcon Computer Company - Essay Example The higher management was great in formulating the values to be followed by the employees but only formulation was not the very success of it. The prime influencing factor is in appropriately propagating the values and the support of the management to exercise in practice. â€Å"Attention to detail is our trademark; our goal is to do it right the first time†. However it was observed that the design flaws caused the main hurdle and in the first place it needed to be corrected to prevent flaws in the forthcoming steps. Employees were pressurized to rush for getting the product out to the customers without putting a check on the quality. Employees were afraid of their immediate manager which would result in insult and embarrassment. The employees did not feel safe to stand up to the problems they were facing. The culture statement promising to encourage open, direct, person-to-person communication as part of the daily routine was not at all followed in practice. At Flacon it was more of secrecy than openness. Even after the value document was formulated and was expected to be followed, lack of management enforcement was greatly lacking to get the values embedded into the employees. If the formulators are themselves lack the will t support the values and make sure they create examples so that there is an evidence of its usage in the proper context, the employees cannot be expected to envelope anything from it. It will stay in the books only. Lack of interest from the employee side was a turnaround feature in exercising the values. They did not take it seriously and never bothered to come up with valuable suggestions so as to prove that there was an initiative from their side. They have never held the management accountable for the non-compliance of values. They instead have understood what was really emphasized in the organization namely hierarchy, secrecy and expediency. They never moved out of their comfort zone to take a stand. The lack of initiative also made the other employees to follow the similar notion to take a back seat.  Ã‚  

Moral achievements during adolescents Essay Example for Free

Moral achievements during adolescents Essay The adolescent period is marked by a number of physical and emotional changes for individuals. During this period, an individual strives to move from the identity that is dependent on parental and societal influence in to one that is determined by the individual. The purpose of this paper is to review the moral developments during this period of identity formation, and whether it is an entirely free process. To do this, the paper will rely on selected literature to study the various dimensions related to the issue. Introduction One of the hallmarks of adolescence is the search for identity. At this stage of human development, the individual attempts to cultivate a personal identity that will act as the basis for person’s future life. Consequently, this stage is mostly marked by defiance and general non conformity, which happens as one tries to explore practices that are not necessarily in line with both societal and familial norms and expectations. Although important, the search for identity may be a source of discord between an individual and the family or society. The discord may become a source of antagonism between the individual and the society, but more importantly, it may lead to a realization of moral consciousness for the adolescent. In the context of this paper, the word moral shall be taken to be what one perceives right or wrong based on personal conscience. In that regard, moral achievement refers to positive changes in conscience one undergoes during the adolescent period. The paper will be based on selected literature available on the subject. It is however worth noting that the subject under discussion is a multidimensional one, and for that reason, the paper will confine itself to those dimensions covered in the literature as a way of ensuring systematic coverage. The paper will study coping socialization agents, drug use, parental influence on school disposition and identity problems. These are some of the dimensions related to moral achievements. However, even though an individual is supposed to develop a personal identity during this period, the resulting identity is always influenced by external factors such as that from peers, societal and parental influence. Coping Coping refers to an individual’s ability to appropriately react to situations as they arise. Adolescents, like all the other human beings experience adjustments and extensive stressors. According to (Garcia, 2009), some of these stressors and adjustments include dealing with peer relationships, physical and emotional changes that an individual experiences during the period, family dynamics, poverty and crime. Proper coping means that the adolescents must be able to deal with these challenges with resilience and show positive health outcomes (Garcia, 2009). An adolescent achieves cognitive and moral development in a set of three stages. According to (Garcia, 2009), these stages are assimilation, accommodation and equilibration. In addition to these strategies, the adolescent develops critical thinking and information processing, which enables for gradual development of the mind in an adult like thinking one. Guided by the newly acquired traits of critical thinking and information processing, the individual moves away from what they conceive as parental influence and set out to develop their own way of approaching life. At this stage the individual is torn between peer influences and conformity with parental expectations. According to (Garcia, 2009), a well coping individual should be able to develop a healthy identity, which is one developed by the individual as opposed to one imposed by peers or parents. An important element related to coping developed during the adolescent period is the coping strategy. Most prominent of these strategies, according to (Garcia, 2009) is problem solving or help seeking. In other words, during this period, the adolescent will develop coping strategies. In the study, (Garcia, 2009) undertook a study of literature related to the general subject of coping. The study identified coping as coping as one of the key pillars in the health of adolescents. The study found that unhealthy coping strategies lead to unhealthy mental health states such as depression and exhaustion. It is therefore important that during adolescence one develops appropriate coping strategies towards various stressors and adjustments. Religion, peer pressure and drug use These issues are related to search for identity. At this stage, the individuals experiment with new religions, try different types of drugs, which may all be a result of succumbing to influences from peers. According to a survey reported by (Bahr Hoffman, 2008), 22% of youths admitted having used cigarettes, while another 45% had used alcohol, with another 30% reporting being drunk and 18% acknowledged using marijuana. This was a survey done on high school seniors, most or all of who are in the adolescent stage. The finding is a pointer to how life is volatile for the adolescent. (Bahr Hoffman, 2008) further notes that there is a negative correlation between religiosity and drug use. In a way, the report endorses religion as a way of reducing drug use because youths with religious affiliations showed less affinity to drug use. To justify this correlation, the study uses social control theory. According to the theory, deviance is more of a natural act while conformity is not. It then follows that religiosity brings in prosocial controls that encourage individuals to conform. Without it, the individuals would follow their natural instincts, which would mean becoming defiant. The other theory used by the report is social learning theory. From the perspective of social learning theory, the religious groups take precedence over friends and family on matters concerning drug use so that instead of individuals picking this habit from them, they are taught by the church (Bahr Hoffman, 2008). After establishing theories to explain correlations, the study of (Bahr Hoffman, 2008) notes some control variables such as gender and race and then goes ahead to carry out a survey to validate the hypothesis. The result found a negative correlation on religion measured against cigarettes, heavy drinking and marijuana. The results on other illicit drugs were inconsistent and therefore inconclusive. From the study however, it clear that adolescents can, to an extent, be protected from drug use by being encouraged to take up religiosity. Socialization for adolescents Within an adolescent’s life, there are several agents of socialization. Among these are school, family, peer groups (friends) and community. (Arnon, Shamai, Ilatov, 2008) did a research in which peer pressure was examined and its effects compared with those of the other agents such as family, school and community. The researchers’ decision to focus on peer influence is premised on the fact that as people approach adolescence, they tend to move away from parents, religious institutions and other official socialization institutions within the community. That therefore leaves peers as the most significant influences at this point because the youths will tend to spend more time with them at the exclusion of the other socialization agents. The study also relies on social theory to explain the influences of peer groupings. Although the study notes the negative influence of peers, it nevertheless notes that it is important for peers to move away from parents for them to develop an independent identity. What the study finds negative is the tendency of the peers to move from parental influence in to conformity towards peer expectations. The identity so obtained will not be a healthy one according to the earlier noted definition. From the study, it emerged that peer groups were the most influential followed closely by family. Other agents, notably school and community only provided secondary influence. It is therefore clear that adolescents submit themselves to be influenced by peers and other socialization agents. Taking in to account the context of this paper, one can conclude that an adolescent’s moral achievement will largely be dictated by the kind of socialization agents in play during the period. Identity problem symptoms in adolescents (Berman, Weems, Petkus, 2009) defines identity disorder as the inability of an individual to accept aspect oneself. A person is deemed to an identity disorder if for one reason or another, the individual cannot accept certain or all aspects related to his persona. Consequently, the individual becomes predisposed to self denial leading to a form of distress, which may manifest itself in a number of ways. Some of the areas of concern related to this problem, as listed by (Berman, Weems, Petkus, 2009), include career choice, sexual orientation, friendship and religious identification. The research underscores the importance of identity disorder by citing the fact that the problem is listed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) criteria for mental disorders. The importance of identity formation is identified by Erik Erikson as crucial process in young adults because it does provide one with a future direction while at the same time giving a sense of continuity from the past (Berman, Weems, Petkus, 2009). Adolescent’s search for identity is characterized by two dimensions; exploration and commitment. The two dimensions can be combined by the individual differently so as to come up with differing identity statuses. For instance, one of the statuses is known as achievement. An individual with this kind of status has a high exploration and commitment tendencies. Such kinds of individuals tend to be less predisposed to identity disorders. The aim of the study was to show that trouble with identity fit the definition necessary for them to be termed as disorder. Currently, issues related to identity crisis are classified as problems and not disorder, and have consequently been downgraded within the DSM hierarchy. The downgrade is symbolic because the hierarchy is used by various medical stakeholders such as insurance companies and medical practitioners to determine priority in terms of coverage and treatment. The study found that 14. 3% of the sample met DSM IV criteria for identity problem (Berman, Weems, Petkus, 2009). It goes to show that the current classification of the problem is unfair because it underestimates its effects. The study then attributes the rise in the identity problem to increased globalization and immigration, which has subsequently led to more clashes between different cultures and more confusion. Moral achievement in as far as identity formation is therefore dependent on how the youth is able to cope with the increase cultural diversity (or clashes) and globalization. Parental influence and its role in on student’s attitude towards school Parents have a role to play in influencing the attitudes children adopt towards schooling. (Annear Yates, 2010) did a study on how parents influence the children’s disposition towards school. The study drew from a number of aspects of parenting related to schooling such as perceptions of a child’s potential, monitoring and control, level of affect and focus on a child’s ability. The study takes the view that authoritarian kind of parenting was likely to result in lower grades as opposed to parents who allowed their children to undergo the normal process of socialization. It refers to the authoritarian type of parenting as restrictive parenting while for the more liberal parenting, the term used in autonomy support. The study used a sample made up of both parents and students to come up with its findings. The only variable within the study was whether the parent in question was a mother or father. Generally, the study found that autonomy support to have favorable results both in terms of grades and disposition. Further to that, the study found additional side effects of restrictive parenting as sadness, depression and loneliness. Conclusion From the foregoing, it clear that extraneous factors are more responsible at determining an individual’s moral achievement during adolescents. Ultimately, an individual will be responsible for shaping the direction life will take after breaking free of childhood dependencies and parental influence. It however emerges from the paper that even as one breaks free of these influences in search of individual identity external influence is not extinguished, rather, it is just transferred from one entity to another. Implied here is the fact that freedom from childhood dependencies does not mean complete freedom. In an ideal situation, approaching adulthood would mean that one gets to chart the future devoid of external influences so that the individual can claim full credit for the personality developed thereafter. However, that postulation is invalidated by the paper. Theories such as social learning and social control theory would have no place in an adolescent’s world or an adult’s world was that assumption to hold water. This paper limited itself to the adolescent ages between 12 and 18 years, and may not have sufficient grounds to make any inferences concerning post adolescent life. However, this matter can also be extrapolated, to some extent. Given that individuals at adolescence have partially entered adulthood, it also follows that adolescent behavior is not far from adult behavior. For that reason, it is safe to assume that adult behavior will also be subject to influences from external sources, and especially, socialization agents. Bibliography Annear, K. D. , Yates, G. C. (2010). Restricitve and supportive parenting: Effects in childrens school affect and emotional responses. The Australian Educational Researcher , 63-82. Arnon, S. , Shamai, S. , Ilatov, Z. (2008). Socialization agents and activities of young adolescents. San diego: Libra publishers. Bahr, S. J. , Hoffman, J. P. (2008). Religiosity, peers, and adolescent drug use. Journal of Drug Issues , 743-770. Berman, S. L. , Weems, C. M. , Petkus, V. F. (2009). The Prevalence and Increamental Validity of Identity Problem Symptoms in a High School Sample. Child psychiatry and human development , 183-195. Garcia, C. (2009). Conceptualization and measurement of coping during adolescence: A review of the literature. Journal of Nursing scholarship , 166-185.

Consumer Buying Behaviour In Textile Retailing

Consumer Buying Behaviour In Textile Retailing Consumer behaviour is a complicated and diverse area of study. Since marketing is based on identifying, anticipating and providing customer needs it is important to understand them. There are two predominant types of buying: consumer buying, which consists of buying products for personal use, and organisational buying, which involves buying for organisational purposes. Consumer buying behaviour is defined as the buying behaviour of final consumers, individuals and households who purchase goods and services for personal consumption (Kotler et. al., 2001, pg. 858). Purpose of choosing this topic: For a marketer to satisfy customer needs efficiently and lucratively, understanding consumer behaviour is essential. Research into consumer behaviour allows the marketer to create target groups of people with common interests, values, beliefs and patterns of behaviour which will be discussed further in this proposal. Once a market segment has been identified, marketers can research the target market more thoroughly and the marketing mix, product, price, promotion and place can be adjusted to ensure the product position is correct. 2.0 Objective This dissertation will identify the main factors influencing consumer behaviour patterns, particularly in textile retailing. It will examine how buyer characteristics influence buyer behaviour and also how retailers react to such characteristics. In particular this proposal will look at the cultural factors, demographic factors and psychological factors that influence consumer buying. Also, it will investigate on different types of buying behaviour that helps to find how and why consumers make their purchase decisions. It is vital to note that the purchase of a particular product does not always derive the same type of decision making behaviour (East, 1997: 19). For example, an affluent businessman who enjoys collecting cars may not undergo complex buying behaviour as opposed to an average earning salesman who is buying a car for transportation purposes. 3.0 Method In order to achieve the objectives stated above, the research will utilise online survey and will consider the scope to which: Online community members share their views on buying; The sharing of pre-buying experience differs from the sharing of post-buying experience; Comments made by third party and direct contact through an online community affect buying pattern; Comments received on different company websites affect buying pattern. Also, the research will utilise online database: Mintel and Emerald, and published material: books, articles on newspaper, magazines, or journals. Feasibility There is no purpose at this stage to employ any company information for preparing the dissertation. The author wants to ensure if he needs permission from the online community to approach individuals to take part in the survey. Participants will be at liberty to withdraw from the survey at any moment of time. 5.0 To what extend the existing published material meets the proposal The dissertation intends to explore the knowledge of types and elements of buying behaviour that influence consumer buying behaviour such as cultural factors, demographic factors and psychological factors. This will significantly assist the marketers to invade the competitive market and come out with fruitful wings. Complex buying behaviour Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour Habitual buying behaviour Variety-seeking buying behaviourFigure A: High Involvement Low Involvement Significant differences between brands Few differences between brands Figure A shows the relationship between different types of consumer buying behaviour with the level of consumer involvement and the degrees of differences between brands. The level of involvement in a purchasing a product is related to the importance of the purchase, the risks involved and the type of cognitive processing that is generated (East, 1997: 19). It helps the marketer to keep a better hold on the competing market. Culture affects consumer behaviour in a variety of ways. It relates to customs and beliefs that are learned from the society in which an individual grows up. Aspects of our socio-culture, such as sub-culture, social class and reference groups play different roles in influencing consumers. A common pattern of behaviour can be observed within groups. Cultural change occurs at a very slow pace and can be seen to marketers as threats or opportunities. Cultural elements that influence consumer behaviour can also be said to be environmental influences. A reference group is one that the individual tends to use as the anchor point for evaluating his/her own beliefs and attitudes (American Marketing Association, 2004). Sub-culture plays an important part to marketers because of their influence on brands and types of product and services demanded by their members (Chisnall, 1975, p.98). Mintel (2003) reports that an emerging youth sub-culture, in which extreme sports is the focal point. He estimates that consumers spent  £4.5 billion on extreme sports goods in 2003, an increase of 29% on 1998. (See appendix 1, figure 3) Demographic elements (ref Fig.7 appendix.3) can significantly affect consumer behaviour. As an individuals stage of life progresses, so will the needs and wants of a product. To help marketers make a clearer distinction between demographic groups for market segmentation classification bases have been developed. A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods (ACORN) is a popular geo-demographic technique used as a segmentation base. ACORN maps geographically the concentrations of a particular type of individual and can be useful for helping marketers decide upon store locations and targeting direct mailing (Beaumont, 1989). Lansing, J and Morgan, J (1955) have devised a popular and successful break down of the life cycle of families to successfully target a market. Each stage influences consumer behaviour in a different way (see table1 appendix2). Mintel (2001) reports that the greatest time of expenditure for women in the AB social grade are during the bachelor stage where 56% of women spent more than  £500 on clothes in a year. However, during the newly married couples, full nest 1 and full nest 2 periods the percentage of women that spends  £500 a year on clothes decreases to 35%. This percentage increases at the empty nest stage to 46%. (See appendix 3, figure 6) Psychological factors are related to perceptions, motivations, attitudes and personality of a consumer so it crucial to know how life patterns influence purchasing decisions. Psychographics are usually based on demographic information as well as ratings of consumers activities, interests and opinions (Williams, K, 1981, pg.91). Lifestyles and patterns have strong influences on consumer behaviour. Figure 7 (see appendix. 3) illustrates the main factors that form a lifestyle. Perception and motivation relates to an individuals interpretation of a product and company. Maslow recognises that people with intensive needs can be motivated to purchase the goods if identified properly (Lancaster, G, Massingham, L, and Ashford, R, 2002, pg. 80). With this, marketer can convey good brand awareness. The subject of personality is a very complicated area. There are many variables that reflect a comprehensive view of a personality. This makes it difficult for marketers to understand the link personality has with consumer behaviour (Williams, K, 1981, pg.133) 6.0 Timescale Milestone Task Due date Remarks 1 Stage 1: Area of interest identified 24 March 10 Completed 2 Stage 2: Specific topic selected 24 March 10 Completed 3 Stage 3: Topic refined to develop dissertation proposal 6 April 10 Completed 4 Stage 4: Proposal written and submitted 22 April 10 Completed 5 Stage 5: Collection of data and information 30 June 10 6 Stage 6: Analysis and interpretation of collected data 10 July 10 7 Stage 7: Writing up 31 July 10 8 Stage 8: Final draft prepared submission of dissertation 31 Aug 10 9 Final Deadline of dissertation 17 Sept 10 7.0 Bibliography American Marketing Association (2004). Dictionary of marketing terms: reference group Available from: http://www.marketingpower.com/live/mg_dictionary-view3860.php [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] American Marketing Association (2004). Whats hot whats not: Teens tastes in fashion change and change often? Teens also spend, and spend. Available from: http://www.intellisearchnow.com/mp_pwrpub_view.scml?ppa=7iempYZhklooprVSlj%216%3C%22bfej%5B%21 [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Batista, E (2004). Wired News: What your clothes say about you. Available from: http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,58006,00.html [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Beaumont, J. R. (1989). An overview of market analysis: Who?, What?, Where? and Why? International Journal of Information Management Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages 51-62 Available from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6VB4-45M2NCT-16_user=822084_coverDate=03%2F31%2F1989_rdoc=1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1303548251_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000044499_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=822084md5=6b2bce837f0436807b24710842e5914a [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] Chisnall, P (1975). Marketing: a behavioural analysis. 1st edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company (UK) Limited. East, R. (1997). Consumer Behaviour: Advances and Applications in Marketing. Prentice Hall, London. Goldsmith, R (2002). Some Personality Traits of Frequent Clothing Buyers. Emerald, journal of consumer marketing, volume 6, number 3. Available from: http://oberon.emeraldinsight.com/vl=3977275/cl=13/nw=1/fm=html/rpsv/cw/mcb/13612026/v6n3/s6/p303 [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] Kotler et. al. (2001). Marketing. 5th Edition, Prentice Hall, Sydney. Lansing, J, and Morgan, J, (1955). Consumer Behaviour: Consumer finances over the life-cycle. 1st Edition. Clark, L.H., New York University Press. Lancaster, G, Massingham, L, and Ashford, R (2002). Essentials of Marketing: Understanding the Behaviour of Customers. 4th edition. McGraw-Hill Education. Mintel, (2001). Marketing to ABs UK June 2001. Available from: http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/mintel/searchexec/fulltext=family+life-cycletype=reportsreport_titleresults=1000proximity=anywherevariants=trueorder=2/report/repcode=S192anchor=accessS192/doc/712626029repcode=S192#0 [Accessed: 2nd April 2010] Mintel, (2003). Extreme Sports UK November 2003 Available from: http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/mintel/searchexec/fulltext=sub-culturetype=reportsreport_country=224report_titleresults=1000proximity=anywherevariants=trueorder=2/report/repcode=L439anchor=accessL439 [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] Moran, C (2004). Fashion Crime: hoodlums love their hooded tops The Times. Plummer, J (1974) The Concept and Application of Life Style Segmentation The Journal of Marketing. Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 33-37. American Marketing Association Williams, T (2002). Social Class Influences on Purchase Evaluation Criteria. Emerald, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 19, Number 3. Available from: http://titania.emeraldinsight.com/vl=7203230/cl=70/nw=1/fm=html/rpsv/cw/mcb/07363761/v19n3/s5/p249 [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] 8.0 Appendices 8.1 Appendix 1 Figure 3: Consumer spending on extreme sports goods, 1998-2003 (Source: Sports Industry Research Centre/Sports Industries Federation/Mintel)  £m Index  £m at 1998 prices* Index 1998 3,470 100 3,470 100 1999 3,560 103 3,331 96 2000 4,107 118 3,227 93 2001 4,048 117 3,158 91 2002 4,319 124 3,088 89 2003 (est) 4,476 129 3,054 88 Figure 4: PDI, consumer expenditure and savings, 1998-2007 (Source: National Statistics 2002/Mintel) It demonstrates that between 1998 and 2003 while levels of disposable income have increased by 21%, consumer spending has increased by 22%. PDI at 1998 prices Index Consumer expenditure at 1998 prices Index Savings Index  £bn  £bn  £bn 1998 592.74 100 557.35 100 35.39 100 1999 614.50 104 582.90 105 32.80 93 2000 639.80 108 612.25 110 28.09 79 2001 676.08 114 638.52 115 40.02 113 2002 697.58 118 665.05 119 37.20 105 2003 (est) 715.02 121 681.01 122 56.52 160 2004 (fore) 732.18 124 697.36 125 62.86 178 2005 (proj) 749.02 126 715.49 128 68.16 193 2006 (proj) 768.50 130 734.09 132 73.86 209 2007 (proj) 787.71 133 753.91 135 76.75 217 8.1 Appendix 2 Figure 5: Socio-economic classification as defined by the National Readership Survey (Chisnall, P, 1975, pg.114). Social grade Social status Head of households occupation Approximate percentage of families A Upper middle class Higher managerial, administrative or professional 3 B Middle class Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional 10 C1 Lower middle class Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional 24 C2 Skilled working class Skilled manual workers 30 D Working class Semi and unskilled manual workers 25 E Those at the lowest levels of subsistence State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest-grade workers 8 Table 1: Life cycle stage (Lansing, J and Morgan, J, 1955) Stage Category 1 Bachelor stage young single people 2 Newly married couples young, no children 3 The full nest 1 young married couple with dependent children 4 The full nest 2 older married couples with dependent children 5 The empty nest older married couples with no children living with them 6 The solitary survivor older single people.