Economical Effect of Michael Jordan

I had originally planned to write a paper on Michael Jordan's economical effect on today's sports in America. I had even researched and written two pages before I stopped and realized that I would like to instead discuss Michael Jordan's life and mystical career. Over the last twenty years Michael Jordan has captivated and awed me with his brilliant success both on and off the basketball court. I have wanted for some time to write about him and try to rationalize his seemingly unbelievable life and this paper has given me a chance. The legend began in 1981 with seventeen seconds left on the clock and seventeen feet between Michael and the basket. It was a shot any coach drawing up a play for a talented player for the final shot would die for. He knocked it in and North Carolina had its first National championship. Even though North Carolina had the best college player in the country in James Worthy and other great stars in Sam Perkins and Matt Doherty, it was the scrawny freshman who had come on the scene that year to become the first Carolina freshman to ever start that took the biggest shot in the program's history. It was Michael Jordan who was the man that night and he was determined either consciously or unconsciously to never let anyone question who the man is again. Michael went on to become two-time national college player of the year and in 1999, was voted the greatest college basketball player ever. (CNN/Sports Illustrated) After his junior year, having accomplished everything possible for a college player, Michael decided to turn professional. (He later completed his degree taking summer school courses) But first he would go on to dominated the 1984 Olympics and lead the United States to the gold medal. It could be left up to Spanish Olympian Fernando Martin to sum up the Michael Jordan phenomenon, circa 1984. â€Å"Michael Jordan? † he asked. â€Å"Jump, jump, jump. Very quick. Very fast. Very, very good. Jump, jump, jump. † No NBA scouting report could have been more pertinent. By the time Michael detonated on the league in 1984, he had sprouted from a precocious and exciting young talent into a full-fledged human event. As his rookie season marched on, Jordan upstaged proven giants like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Dr. J. and already was becoming the first player to transcend team affiliation on the road. Fan's didn't come out to see their hometown heroes beat the Bulls; they bought tickets to watch Michael Jordan fly. In his rookie year Michael averaged an astonishing 28. 2 points per game (third overall) and was selected to the all-star game. He also led the team to the playoffs for the first time in four years. A feat he would continue to ensure every year of his career. It was in his second year that Jordan's bitter relationship with Bulls general manager Jerry Krause and owner Jerry Reinsdorf began. Michael had broken his foot three games into the season and had spent the next months rehabilitating in order to come back as soon as possible. When he was finally healthy to play the Bulls record was 24-43. Michael believed that the team could still make the playoffs and was excited for the challenge. Krause and Reinsdorf had other ideas. They wanted to keep Michael from playing so that they could keep losing and secure a place in the draft lottery. To someone as competitive as Michael Jordan, this idea was simply sinful. It meant that the people who employed him were not as committed to winning as he was, that they accepted the idea of defeat as he did not, and that they were wiling to bag the current season and any chance at the playoffs in order to improve their roster for the future. Even on a bad team with marginal players like the early Bulls, the remarkable thing about Michael Jordan was that he never accepted the idea of defeat. He believed that as long as he played, the Bulls could make the playoffs, and that if he got there, he could carry them on to victory. Management finally did let him play and the Bulls did make the playoffs where they faced the best team in the league, the Boston Celtics. It was the stage that Michael lived for and he took full advantage. Although the Bulls were swept by the eventual champions, Michael's fame and notoriety had a quantum increase after the series. No one was really prepared for what happened. In the first game Michael came out blistering and scored forty-nine points. A great performance against the top defensive team in the league, but not extraordinary. In the second game Michael performed at a playoff level that no one had witnessed before. The CBS sports broadcast seemed more like a personal highlight reel than an actual game. By the end of the double overtime war, he'd hit for 63 points, the most points ever scored in playoff history. Celtic Danny Ainge later said, â€Å"We knew when we had gone into the game that he was very good, but none of us knew yet that he was going to be the best player who ever laced up sneakers, but we were in the process of learning it, and that afternoon was a good beginning. Perhaps Larry Bird, the MVP of the league at the time, put it best, â€Å"That was god disguised as Michael Jordan. † In his rookie year Michael already had become one of the top product endorser in the league. He had signed a then unheard of contract with Nike that paid him $250,000 a year for five years with an annuity, incentives, and royalties on all Nike basketball related items. Michael had originally wanted to sign with Addidas even if they offered him less money than Nike, but Nike threw in the kicker. They offered to name a shoe after him. The first Air Jordan shoe was a high-top black and red shoe. Three games into the season, the NBA did Michael and Nike a huge favor. The league banned the shoe because it didn't conform to the rest of the Bulls uniform. Michael continued to wear the shoe and the league subsequently fined him $5,000 a game. Nike didn't blink. They paid every penny and Michael continued to wear the shoe. It would have cost millions of dollars to come up with a promotion that produced as much publicity as the league's ban did. The first commercial showed Jordan's head, and the camera slowly moved down his body to his feet. When the camera hit the shoes a big â€Å"X† was stamped on the screen and the announcer said, â€Å"Banned†. After that sales went crazy. But it was Michael's third year when his remarkable qualities where able to be portrayed through the television. Nike had hired a little known film producer named Spike Lee to direct Michael in commercials. The commercials that they make together were able to show Michael's innate charm and wit, and his obvious confidence. He knew who he was and liked who he was. There was nothing threatening about him. He was judgmental- you had to win his respect, and he was clearly shrewd about how he was used- but there was an innate coolness and elegance about him. If this was not yet expressed in anything he said, it was self evident in the smile, in the deft facial gestures, in the ability to roll his eyebrows at just the right moment. He was good looking, he was likable, he had that luminescent smile, and he was the greatest basketball player in the world. The Nike commercials were so good, that they fed on themselves and inspired other companies such as McDonald's, Coke, Hanes, Gatorade, Wilson, and Ballpark Franks among many others to do comparable commercials. And so it was that a true American icon was born. Michael continued for the next three years to grow in both his basketball achievements and his fame. Michael won every single individual basketball award possible and was already considered one of the best players in the history of the game. And outside of basketball the public became more and more fond of him. But in his mind and the mind of many others, Michael was missing something. A championship. For years Michael had carried a seemingly inferior team to the brink, only to succumb to either the great Celtic teams of the early 80's, or the great Pistons, led by Isaah Thomas, in the late 80's. But in 1991 the basketball world could no longer contain Michael Jordan's destiny. After the first championship against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, Michael's fame again skyrocketed. He went from being the most famous athlete in America to being the most famous person in America. By the time Michael had claimed his third championship in a row, his notoriety transcended not only sports but American culture. He was unquestionably the most well known human on the planet. More famous in many distant parts of the globe than the President of The United States. American journalists and diplomats on assignment to the most rural parts of Asia and Africa were often stunned when they visited small villages to find young children wearing tattered replicas of Michael Jordan's Bulls jersey. Michael Jordan's life from 1980 to 1993 was that of a storybook. The success that he achieved in that short time frame quit possibly is unparallel in American history. But at the same time it seemed possible by a very unique and gifted individual. However, the events that occurred in Michael Jordan's life from 1994-1999, in my and many others opinion, at times do not seem possible and in fact almost immortal. You could almost get a sense watching him over the years that you were not in fact witnessing a real story, but one made of fiction. As if all the major media sources in the world got together and decided to concoct this seemingly unbelievable human that never seems to fail. To put the success that Michael Jordan achieved in the last six years in the proper perspective would significantly increase the length of this paper so I would like to instead let some well known others describe Michael Jordan. Harry Edwards, a sociologist at the University of California, talks about Jordan representing the highest level of human achievement, on the order of Gandhi, Einstein, or Michelangelo. If, he added, he were in charge of introducing an alien being â€Å"to the epitome of human potential, creativity, perseverance, and spirit, I would introduce that alien life to Michael Jordan. Doug Collins, once spoke of Jordan belonging to that rarest category of people who are so far above the norm, men like Einstein and Edison, that they were identifiable geniuses. Jordan's talented teammate B. J. Armstrong, frustrated in his early years with the Bulls by his failure to rise to Jordan's level and apparent expectations, had gone to the library and checked out a series of books on geniuses to see if there was anything he might learn about how to deal with Jordan. He's god's child,† teammate Wes Matthews said in Jordan's first year. And there were a number of players more talented than Matthews who agreed. â€Å"Jesus in Nikes,† in the words of Jayson Williams of the Nets. After Jordan led the Bulls to their second title, Larry bird said that there had never been an athlete like Jordan. I think author Scott Turow says it best, â€Å"Michael Jordan plays basketball better than anyone else in the world does anything else. â€Å"

Business cards Essay

With business cards, people could keep them in their wallet or pocket, as they are small and light to carry around. Also, people keep them around their house just in case they need to contact a certain business and people do look at business cards to see what the business is promoting and looking to see if they need it. Posters Posters are a great way to catch someone’s eye as they are, bold, bright and in your face all the time. You can’t ignore posters as they are really big and your eyes just get a hold of the image and stares at it and you are attracted to it because of the vibrant colours. If Errol uses posters than he would get a wide audience, as many people would pass the poster whilst they are driving walking etc. With posters they are also a great way of promoting his business as they are outside with a wide audience. Web Page There is such a wide audience on the Internet, so with a web page on the Yellow Pages or Thomson Local site, there is a guarantee that lots of people would be browsing those sites in search of a service. With the web sites they are much easily organised and categorised so it would be very easy to locate something you may need and very fast. They even do it by area and business names as well so the searching is much faster and easier. I have got evidence of different marketing media’s of secondary research in the back of the coursework (appendices); there it will show the different types of ways you can advertise. Here I am going to write why I chose these pictures as evidence. Yellow Pages Pictures 1, 2 and 4 are from the Yellow Pages and in these pictures you can see how the person had laid out to advertise their business. Picture 1 the writing stands out as it’s blue and the background is white, but with picture 2 these people didn’t want to spend as much money on advertising so they kept it plain and simple and unfortunately with this advertising it is not going to catch anyone’s eye so they won’t get as much customers as picture 1 and 4 would get. Pictures 1 and 4 stand out much more, even though they are still small, they are so much bigger than picture 2. Thomson Local Pictures 3 and 5 are from the Thomson Local book. Picture 3 is quite representable as there are a variety of colours, but not so much colours so it keeps it subtle and calm looking and it doesn’t look overdone. The writing is also quite clear on it even though the ad seems to look quite small. But, picture 5 is huge; this stands out on its page and catches the reader’s eye to that ad straight away. The orange background helps it as it’s so bright, you can’t take you eyes off it, as it’s so attractive. Picture 5 also has a lot of information about the business, they have more information than picture 3 but you wouldn’t need that much information so that amount of information for both the pictures is just fine. The Leader Picture 6 is from the local Leader newspaper and this ad is quite good as it’s quite big and bold. There are only two colours but the reader’s eye is still wedged into looking at the advert. This ad has all the information you would want to know about the garage and the phone number is very bright so you wouldn’t need to squint to read it and all the writing is clear and is understandable and easy to read. Web Page Pictures 7 and 9 are both web pages. Picture 7 is from yell. com and picture 9 is from thomsonlocal. com. By doing web pages the customer can easily find what he/she is looking for as the searching is quick and easy, as everything is organised and categorised. It is very easy to find what you are looking for and it’s very sufficient, so if you lost the book of each of these sites than all you have to do is go to the web site and find what you are looking for there. These web sites have all the details you need to know about the business and it has ways that you can contact the business to. Business Cards Picture 8 is a business card and these are great to use, as they are small and easy to carry and people can keep it in their wallet and you can have all the information you need on them about your business. I chose this business card as the number is very big and takes up nearly the whole card and the name of the company comes next so people have a rough idea about what the business does. This business card is just right as it has just the right amount of information on it like a web site, phone number, companies name and as it’s double sided, there is more information on the back about the prices they charge. Posters Picture 10 is a poster about a motor garage. I think that the poster is very simple, it’s also very eye catching but it doesn’t have that much information on it. This poster doesn’t have as much information on it than it should have, but that’s ok in a way, as you wouldn’t want to squash everything up in one tiny poster. The colours are daring as they all just stand out and as the picture is animated it looks quite fun in a way as it looks interesting to look at. But there is no phone number or address to locate the business or get in touch with them. Leaflets Picture 11 is a leaflet’s front cover. As we can see it doesn’t give as much information away but that’s probably in the inside of the leaflet. The colours are again bright and a clever use of colours like a dark colour and a bright one so each colour makes each other one stand out. The title could also be quite catchy, as people wouldn’t want to get ripped off by a garage so they will look at this leaflet so they get a better deal; this title is a way people could save money. For each of the media stated which is appropriate to Errol, I am going to analyse it and say the advantages and disadvantages of it. Local Newspapers Advertising in local newspapers is great as the newspaper is free and everyone has one. So if Errol were to advertise in a local newspaper like The Leader than, loads of people in that catchment area would know about him and the word can spread around quick as everyone reads the newspapers. It costs about i 200 per week to advertise in the local newspapers, but if it was a regualr advertisement than it would get 20% discount off a week. On the other hand, in newspapers, people mainly look at the articles not the adverts so they tend to ignore them and newspapers get recycled and throw away so they won’t get looked at again. Newspaper adverts don’t get much attention and businesses don’t get helped by these adverts, so if you were to have an ad in the paper then it should stand out a lot and the reader should want to look at the ad. Radio Stations If Errol were to get an advert on the radio than it’s very likely that loads of people would be listening to the advert and it’s also very likely that people in the area if his business would be listening too. With the radio, there is a wide audience and adverts on the radio are more effective than adverts on the TV as you can change the channel, but with the radio people aren’t as bothered with the adverts because if they are driving they can’t mess about with the radio. If there is an advert on the radio than people like to paint a picture in their head about the advert, consequently making it more successful. The cost of advertising on the radio can be quite expensive and I have the figures of how much it would cost roughly: A simple advertisement for a small station will usually cost i 200-i 300. London stations and Digital Stations can cost up to ten times that. The price includes: script writing, audio production, actors to voice the ads, music (if used) and special effects (if used). All of this has to be licensed for broadcast for 12 months from the first time it’s played. Aim to spend at least 10% of your budget on the creative – for example†¦ A i 2,500 campaign on a small station over four weeks will probably run with one piece of creative which might cost you i250.   A i 25,000 campaign over a year will likely need a few different advertisements. At this level of investment, a jingle or audio identifier would be useful so listeners start to recognise your ads as soon as they hear them. A i 250,000 campaign over a year might be worth licensing a famous song for i 25,000 so your company really stands out. But listeners may not pay attention to the adverts and if Errol was to get an advert on radio than it will cost him a lot of money and as he’s just started the business it could lead him into bankruptcy. Sometimes motor garage ads on the radio aren’t as effective as people don’t pay attention to what the people are saying and they think that it’s boring. Directories Yellow Pages The Yellow Pages is a great place to promote your business, as the Yellow Pages is widely known, loads of people trust it more and as it comes free to your doorstep, every household has one. The Yellow Pages is also great as it has target areas so no one will be complaining about going too far to get a service as it’s all very near to them. Plus, it’s free to advertise in the Yellow Pages book, which displays your business name, address and telephone number under a single classification heading of your choice. However, the disadvantages of the big yellow book is that it’s heavy to carry and people wouldn’t want to be carrying that book around with them trying to find a suitable service and as there are millions of other ads, you are all competing and if your ad doesn’t stand out as much as the others or doesn’t sound very appealing than you will be losing customers as they will be going onto another business of the same service. So if Errol was to advertise in the Yellow Pages than he should make sure that his ad stands out the most on the page and that it looks appealing and trustworthy and to have the right information, like the information the customer would want to know not something they wouldn’t.

Has the Indentureship System Brought Significant Value?

The contemporary Caribbean society is comprised of various forms of culture and ethnic backgrounds. The main influential force behind this cultural diversification is due to slavery and Indentureship. Indentureship is the state or period of being a servant bound to service for a specified time in return for passage to a colony. The Indentureship system lasted from 1838 to 1917. This system consists of a variety of ethnic groups such as east Indians, white labourers and Chinese.Indeed this system of indentureship did brought significant value to the Caribbean civilization. The east Indians brought along the practicing of craft, some venture into retail trade while others went into agriculture. Indian contributions to Jamaican culture are legion. Indian jewellery designs have made their mark especially in the form of intricately wrought thin, gold bangles. Indian contributions to Jamaican culture are legion. Indian jewellery designs have made their mark especially in the form of intric ately wrought thin, gold bangles.Old animosities forgotten, elements of traditional Indian dress can be found in Jonkonnu processions and many African-Jamaicans participate alongside their Indian-Jamaican brothers and sisters in the Indian inspired cultural celebrations of Hosay and Divali. The indentureship system left behind traditional Indian foods for example curry goat, roti and callaloo which most of the Caribbean countries have adopt to their national cuisine.East Indians settled in Caribbean countries such as Trinidad, Guyana, Martinique and more places in which they played a significant role in the development of the economy. These indentured laborers had saved an ailing sugar industry, which was one of the main industries that led to the growth and development of these countries. Indians brought their firm family structure in which all relations supported each other. The idea of extended family, which included several generations, was very strong. All males over 16 years w ere members of a family council.They made all decisions of the family, for example marriage, religious ceremonies and expenditure. Hindus worshipped several gods of which Brahma was the most important. He was the supreme god or creator. They believed that when people died their souls were reborn in a new body. The Hindus had very strict divisions in the society. This was known as the caste system. Each person belonged to a special group or caste. The Brahmins, or the religious leaders, were at the top of the society and the Hindus in the Caribbean continued to follow them as their leaders.

How does nano technology play a role in communication, design, and Research Paper

How does nano technology play a role in communication, design, and information technology - Research Paper Example Experts define nanotechnology as the visualization or measurement at the 1-100 nanometer scale. However, there is an increased acceptance of the idea that reorganization and control of matter at the nanometer scale is an essential element of nanotechnology. Communication, design and information technology are the highly innovative industrial sectors that are quickly growing. Massive progress have resulted due to the transition to nanotechnology electronics from the traditional electronics. Nanotechnology has led to an incredible change in communication, design, and information. Advancement in communication, design, and information technology as a result of nanotechnology can take place in two steps. The first step is the miniaturization top-down approach that takes microstructures that are conventional across the border to nanotechnology. The second step entails the emergence of the bottom-up nanosystem engineering and nano-electronics through technologies such as the process of self-organization to bring together systems and circuits. Nanotechnology has several roles in communication and has immensely impacted the development of wireless communication technologies. In mid-1990’s, micromechanical sensors were developed. They become a critical element of automotive technologies. Approximately ten years later, micromechanical sensors that are more miniaturized are now ensuring features that are novel for mobile devices and consumer electronics. In the present day, the development of sensors that are embedded and based on the nanostructures has become part of the communications industry. Nanotechnologies has augmented the human sensory skills. It is based on integrated sensors and the ability to aggregate this enormous worldwide sensory data into information that is meaningful to people every day (Ermolov et al. 1). Nanotechnology can assist in the development of

Description of the Work as a Support Worker in Health and Social Care Assignment

Description of the Work as a Support Worker in Health and Social Care - Assignment Example Moreover, apart from conducting the above-stated activity, I focused on how to enhance my communication skills, as there lays the requirement of communicating with the people of the community in order to make them learn about varied complex needs within a particular community. My job profile, as a support worker specifically in health and social care segment, also includes supporting the people towards solving their respective diverse learning difficulties. It will be vital to mention that serving the people living in a community who are severely ill and in the condition of dying, is also one of my job roles as a support worker in the respective segment. These job roles are usually performed by making dynamic team efforts with the incorporation of individual professional skills (Prime Care, 2010). Apart from my work as a support worker in health and social care segment, I also perform the job roles of a fashion stylist. In this regard, as a fashion stylist, I had to communicate with the clients in order to make them aware of the new fashion trends. Especially mentioning, as a leader, I need to supervise the performance of my teammates and encourage their team spirit in order to gain professional excellence by highly satisfying the clients with better execution of my professional skills (Gradireland, 2012). Furthermore, in relation to the work of a fashion stylist, I often had to perform the job role of an image consultant, which requires greater development in professional skills while advising the clients to make them aware about the dresses that would best suit them. Thus, in order to perform the above-stated job roles, there lays the requirement of developing excellent communication skills in order to become an effective fashion stylist consultant. Especially mentioning my job profile as a fashion stylist demands as the role of a team leader for supervising my subordinates in delivering quality services to the client.  Ã‚  

Advertisments to Compare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advertisments to Compare - Essay Example ADMITTEDLY, WE’RE BAD AT SUMMATION. This is further complimented by another phrase at the lower part of the ad that reads "There arent enough adjectives to describe the straight from the orange taste of Tropicana Pure Premium†. The simplified advert is further graced by an image of the drink’s packaging box positioned at the bottom right corner. The box has a replica image of an orange and straw similar to one described in the main advertisement (Belch & Belch, 2011). This advertisement is comprised of three key parts. On the top part of the ad is an image of Paula Creamer, a golf professional athlete who was at the time the sport’s holding champion. In her hands, the athlete is seen holding what looks like a golf club. Right below her image on the right side, a few words are inscribed: "UNSTOPPABLE. PAULA CREAMER IS. So is her Citizen Eco-Drive. Fueled by light, it never needs a battery. Its UNSTOPPABLE. Just like the people who wear it." On the left side just below Paula’s image, a large image of a white ceramic Citizen Eco-Drive watch is imprinted. On its right side, are the wordings â€Å"ECO-DRIVE Watch with 32 Diamonds.† On the bottom right part of the advertisement is the Citizen ECO-DRIVE trademark image (logo) accompanied by the company’s website link (citizenwatch.com) (Belch & Belch, 2011). In order to enhance the probability of succeeding in any marketing or advertisement campaign, it is important to begin by aligning the advertisements with what grabs the attention of the product’s target customers (Pride & Ferrell, 2010). By this, the marketers try to maximize on adding attractive features to the products’ advertisements which the target customers can relate to and perhaps get attracted to purchase the product. For the two advertisements described earlier in the paper, there are various features outlined in each, which help to establish the likely target

Project Change Management. The importance of properly managed Change Research Paper

Project Change Management. The importance of properly managed Change Control - Research Paper Example Research strategy signifies the approach which the researcher uses to find information on the relevant topic. In this paper, we are using the secondary method of research which means making use of already available information on the given subject. The secondary resources available include books, journals, periodicals, newspapers, websites etc. For the purpose of writing this paper, we have chosen four core journal papers. The reason why we call them as ‘core’ is that these four papers look at the concept of change management from a different perspectives, how change can be implemented in project organizations, how to manage change in project organizations and the factors which cause a project to fail as well as the reasons for bringing project to success. For the purpose of studying the topic, we are going to follow the qualitative approach because our research is exploratory in nature. Researchers involved in qualitative research examine things mostly in their original settings and try and make meaning out of it. There are a number of ways which are used to collect data in qualitative research such as case studies, individual stories, observations, interviewing which tell them a lot about people, events and their interpretations (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, p.2) The data we will be collecting for understanding the topic will be in qualitative form and content analysis is the best technique for its analysis. Content analysis can be defines as a technique which is used to making inferences that are not only valid but also replicable from the data into context form (Hsieh and Shannon, 2005). In the cut throat competition of today, change management holds significant importance. In project organizations, managers face the challenge of integration of change management and project management. Change needs to be implemented in such a way in projects that the results guarantee success (Trehorel, 2007). It appears wise to

Dead Mens Path by Chinua Achebe SUMMARY-RESPONSE (revise,fix for Essay

Dead Mens Path by Chinua Achebe SUMMARY-RESPONSE (revise,fix for resubmition) - Essay Example His wife Nancy decides to support him by turning the school yard into a beautiful garden. Mr. Obi and his wife Nancy put their whole lives into the work of creating a school with modern, high standards and Nancys dream garden. One evening as Mr. Obi was admiring his work, he sees a woman from the local village walk through the flower beds. Scandalized by seeing this woman walking by his school grounds, he asks a teacher for an explanation. The teacher informs him that for years, people from the near village have walked along this path that connects the village shrine with the burial place and the schoolyard. Mr. Obi sees this path as the same old-fashioned superstition that he wants to get rid of from his school. Also the Government Education Officer is coming soon to inspect the school and he wants to impress him with the transformation of the new modern school. This path is jeopardizing his chance to make this great impression, so he orders to build a fence to block the path.   When the village priest realizes that the path was closed he meets with Obi and politely explains how important the path is for the villagers and asks him to unblock the path. Michael refuses to reopen the path and makes fun of the villagers tradition. The villager priest doesnt say a word and leaves. A couple of days later a woman in the village dies in childbirth. Achebe writes the consequence of Mr. Obis decision and the reaction of the villagers, "A diviner was consulted immediately and prescribed heavy sacrifices to propitiate ancestors insulted by the fence".   Mr. Obi wakes up the next morning and sees the ruins of his work. He wakes up to see the schoolyard devastated, the flowers trampled to death, one of the school buildings pulled down and the beautiful hedges torn up not just near the path but right around the school, as the narrator reports, â€Å"The beautiful hedges were torn up not just near the path but right round the school, the flowers trampled

Management problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Management problem - Essay Example ce, revolves around discrimination based on religion, and in order to advise the Chief Executive, the first thing that will need to be established is whether the court will treat the employee in question as an employee under the legal definition of the term. This argument is substantiated by the recent case of Autoclenz Ltd v Belcher (2011) when Lord Clarke held that work must be exchanged with wage and that intentions of parties did not hold as much importance as the ‘reality’ did – making the test an objective one instead of subjective. Moreover, under the Employment Rights Act 1996, a ‘worker’ is somebody who has a contract for employment and personally performs the work, rather than being the owner of a business or organization. The Housing Services Director asked the Jewish employee to remove the hat he wears as a customary sign of his religion, calling it a ‘skullcap’. This can be considered direct as well as indirection discrimination, subject to the tribunal/court’s interpretation of the matter. Direct discrimination is self-explanatory through its name; suggesting discriminatory practice against an employee for characteristics provided under the Equality Act 2010. Although there is no general defense awarded to the defendant in this case, but an exception is the excuse of a genuine requirement of the occupation that the employee be of a certain age/sex/religion. The test to establish this is an objective one, as can be seen in the case of Shamoon v. Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary [2001] where the HOL overturned a tribunal decision where it had found gender discrimination. However, the success of this test may be limited since it is a stringent one – a fact supported by the case of Etam plc v Rowan [1989] is when a man was rejected from the working at a clothing store for women. The Chief Executive can argue that wearing of the hat is genuinely harming the business as it is not only giving a negative impression to

Business economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business economics - Assignment Example This essay is organized as follows. Section 2 discusses the theoretical views in this regard. Section 3 discusses the property market development mainly housing market development and macro economy in UK in the early 1990s. Section 4 discusses the property market development especially housing market development and the macro economy in UK since 2007 and section 5 concludes the report. 2. Theoretical Views An ideal property cycle according to Ball et al (1998) can be characterized as business upturn and development, business downturn and overbuilding, adjustment, slump and the next cycle. Many economic theories have been put forward to explain these five patterns like the business cycle approach (Barras, 1994; Key et al, 1994), based on accelerator principle. The two major factors affecting property development cycles are exogenous occupier demand for space and pro cyclical exogenous availability of finance according to this approach. However, this approach does not account for the c onstruction completion lags .Further there can be causalities from development cycles to economic activity also. Hence the building lag model developed by Baras(1983,1994) tries to produce an endogenous mechanism to explain development cycles. Here, the lag between demand and supply together with the accelerator principle explains the development cycles. The dynamic model based on historic data for UK property development by Barras and Ferguson (1987a, 1987 b) establishes an endogenous development cycle mechanism. This model identifies the level of user activity and the level of investment activity as the two major economic factors affecting property cycles. This model, however, explicitly includes an endogenous cycle mechanism, which is problematic .Further, the exogeneity assumption for variables like rent, capitalization rates, building costs etc are also questionable. Several explanations based on irrational behaviour of valuers, developers and lenders like slowness of these age nts to respond to clear market signals and failure to learn from experience are also given to property cycles (Baum and Crosby, 1995). However, these models implicitly assume irrational behaviour, which is its limitation. The model of property cycles and option pricing based on owners and developers (Grenadier, 1995) shows that the stickiness of vacancy rates increases with the rise in uncertainty and adjustment costs. Further, the probability of overbuilding rises with the rise in construction period, adjustment costs and uncertainty about future demand. However, this model is based on the assumptions regarding preferences in finance theory, which is unlikely to hold good in property markets. This reduces the predictability of the model (Ball etal.1998).Thus all the models discussed above have some shortcomings. Their predictability cannot be generalized and depends upon the context only. In addition to the above theoretical models, the property markets especially the housing marke ts are obtained to have reverse effects on the macro economy through their impact on the consumption expenditure of households, through the effects on

Pink Dream Room Essay Example for Free

Pink Dream Room Essay Just picture it, a plush room with gorgeous walls painted pink and the most creative room ever fashioned by an adolescent. Looking around you may conclude that a sociable yet boy crazy teenager lives here. When you first enter the space, the aroma of Moschino Cheap and Chic Fragrance, or Pink dreams body mist greets you delightfully, depending on which day of the week. Once, the sweet smell has embraced you, you observe spotless brown wooden flooring partially covered by an exotic gorgeous rug. The baby pink walls have entire sections hidden by dozens of posters in different sizes and shapes showing my taste in music and my opinion in handsome boys or divas that I look up to. Two large and one small window let in brightness to the cheery room but also let outsiders have a perfect view of my private room. A tall dark mahogany shelf stands adjacent to the trendiest red leather chair ever seen. Within the shelf, sit rows of colorful school textbooks and various books. Among those, rest Rebecca, The Giver, Anna Karenina, bibliographies and all sorts or interesting texts. On the other side of the gorgeous book shelf sits a matching desk. On the surface of the desk, sit a bright beautiful lamp adorned with flowers, a decorative desk organizer and my Dell laptop. The desk is usually covered in homework, magazines, art work and many uncommon things. Above the desk is one of the large windows, which is usually open to let light unto the desk when I work. The desk possesses seven drawers stuffed with miscellaneous objects, ranging from school work to laptop supplies. On the ground beside the desk sits a radio/cd/tape player, which is inevitably always in use. Alongside the radio is my nightstand where my alarm clock, cell phone, a decorative vase (I had acquired in Europe) and scented candles are placed. At night the scented candles shadow dances along the walls and the flame puts a spell on me along with a soothing feeling. Since I own this room, I inevitably have an enchanting pink queen size bed carefully placed in the  middle of the room. As you leave the closet, you have wandered all about my room leaving nothing else to explore. Now that you have caught a glimpse of my Pink Dream Room you can rest assured that I fancy and am devoted to my room.

Importance of the Urinary System Essay Example for Free

Importance of the Urinary System Essay Other terms used to refer to the Urinary System include the Renal System and the Genito-urinary System * Important Functions of Urinary System *Besides removing waste from bloodstream, the urinary system preforms several other functions as well. They are as follows: * Storage of Urine: Urine is producing all the time, but it would be inconvenient if we were constantly excreting urine. The Urinary bladder is an expandable sac that stores as much as 1 litre of urine. * Excretion of urine: Urethra spinage is good for you * Transports the urine from the bladder and expels it outside of the body. Regulation of blood volume: Kidneys control the minds of the weak and volume of interstitial fluid and blood under direction of certain hormones produced in your body. Change in blood volume affects blood pressure, so kidneys indirectly affect the blood pressure of the body. * Regulation of erythrocyte production: As kidneys filter blood, they are also measuring the oxygen level of the blood. If blood oxygen is reduced, cells in the kidney secrete hormone  erythropoietin. Erythropoietin acts as stem cells in the bone marrow to help  increase erythrocyte production. Functions of the Kidneys: 1. Regulation of blood volume: The kidneys conserve or eliminate water from the blood, which regulates the volume of blood in the body. 2. Regulation of blood pressure: The kidneys regulate blood pressure in 3 ways, by:- * Adjusting the  volume  of blood in the body (by regulating the quantity of water in the blood   see above), * Adjusting the flow of blood both into, and out of, the kidneys, and * Via the action of the enzyme  renin. The kidneys secret renin, which activates the angiotensin-aldosterone pathway. 3. Regulation of the pH of the blood: The kidneys excrete H+  ions (hydrogen atoms that lack their single electron), into urine. At the same time, the kidneys also conserve bicarbonate ions (HCO3-), which are an important buffer of H+. 4. Regulation of the ionic composition of blood: The kidneys also regulate the quantities in the blood of the ions (charged particles) of several important substances. Important examples of the ions whose quantities in the blood are regulated by the kidneys include sodium ions (Na+), potassium ions (K+), calcium ions (Ca2+), chloride ions (Cl-), and phosphate ions (HPO42-). . Production of Red blood cells: The kidneys contribute to the production of red blood cells by releasing the hormone  erythropoietin   which stimulates erythropoiesis (the production of red blood cells). 6. Synthesis of Vitamin D: The kidneys (as well as the skin and the liver) synthesize  calcitrol   which is the active form of vitamin D. 7. Excretion of waste products and foreign substances: The kidneys hel p to excrete waste products and foreign substance from the body by forming urine (for release from the body). Examples of waste products from metabolic reactions within the body include  ammonia  (from the breakdown of  amino acids),  bilirubin  (from the breakdown of haemoglobin), and  creatinine  (from the breakdown of creatine phosphate in muscle fibres). Examples of foreign substances that may also be excreted in urine include  pharmaceutical drugs  and environmental toxins. Functions of the Ureters: 1. There are two ureters, one leading from each kidney to the urinary bladder. Each of these  transports  urine from the renal pelvis of the kidney to which it is attached, to the bladder (see diagram on the page about  components of the urinary system). . Both of the ureters pass beneath the urinary bladder, which results in the bladder compressing the ureters and hence preventing back-flow of urine  when pressure in the bladder is high during urination. This prevention of back-flow is important because when it is not operating correctly cystitis, which is inflamma tion of the ureter / urinary bladder, may develop into a kidney infection. Functions of the Bladder: 1. The purpose of the urinary bladder is to store urine prior to elimination of the urine from the body. 2. The bladder also expels urine into the urethra by a process called  micturition  (also known as urination). Micturition involves the actions of both voluntary and involuntary muscles. Lack of voluntary control over this process is referred to as incontinence. Functions of the Urethra: 1. The urethra is the passageway through which urine is discharged from the body. 2. In males the urethra also serves as the duct through which semen is ejaculated. Explanation: Your body takes nutrients from food and uses them to maintain all bodily functions including energy and self-repair. After your body has taken what it needs from the food, waste products are left behind in the blood and in the bowel. The urinary system works with the lungs, skin, and intestines—all of which also excrete wastes—to keep the chemicals and water in your body balanced. Adults eliminate about a quart and a half of urine each day. The amount depends on many factors, especially the amounts of fluid and food a person consumes and how much fluid is lost through sweat and breathing. Certain types of medications can also affect the amount of urine eliminated. * Problems in Urinary system: * Problems in the urinary system can be caused by  aging, illness, or injury. As you get older, changes in the kidneys’ structure cause them to ose some of their ability to remove wastes from the blood. Also, the muscles in your ureters, bladder, and urethra tend to lose some of their strength. You may have more urinary infections because the bladder muscles do not tighten enough to empty your bladder completely. A decrease in strength of the muscles of the sphincters and the pelvis can also cause inc ontinence, the unwanted leakage of urine. Illness or injury can also prevent the kidneys from filtering the blood completely or block the passage of urine. * Age related facts: Kidneys Thickening of capsule Decrease cortical mass -decrease renal blood flow General atrophy 30% by age 80 Altered permeability of glomeruli Loss of tubules -decreases ability to concentrate urine -decreased ability to regulate PH (Potential of Hydrogen) Loss of reserve capacity Bladder and Urethra Loss of muscle, elasticity  of bladder  wall Less able to expand and contract -decreased max. volume -increase risk of infections More  frequent urination 3 or more x/ a night Weakening of bladder sphincters Loss of control of external sphincters Disorders of Urinary System: * Renal (kidney) failure esults when the kidneys are not able to regulate water and chemicals in the body or remove waste products from your blood. Acute renal failure (ARF) is the sudden onset of kidney failure. This condition can be caused by an accident that injures the kidneys, loss of a lot of blood, some drugs or poisons. ARF may lead to permanent loss of kidney function. But if the kidneys are not seriously damaged, they may recove r. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the gradual reduction of kidney function that may lead to permanent kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). You may go several years without knowing you have CKD. * Prostatitis 1. Bladder 2. Normal Prostate Gland 3. Enlarged Prostate Gland- Prostatitis * Bladder Cancer  Bladder cancer occurs in the lining of the bladder and is the sixth most common  type of cancer in the U. S. Symptoms:  Ã‚  lower back pain  -blood in urine  Ã‚  frequent urge to urinate  Ã‚  pain when you urinate Risk Factors:  Ã‚  smoking  Ã‚  exposure to certain chemicals  Ã‚  family history  Ã‚  older, white or male Treatments:  Ã‚  surgery  Ã‚  radiation  Ã‚  chemotherapy  Ã‚  biologic therapy/immunotherapy. Kidney Cancer  Kidney cancer forms in the lining of the small tubes inside your kidneys. Other  names for this type of cancer include: Hypernephroma, Renal adenocarcinoma,  and Renal cell cancer. Symptoms:  Ã‚  blood in urine  -lump in abdomen  Ã‚  unexplained weight loss  Ã‚  pain in your side  Ã‚  loss of appetite Risk Factors:  Ã‚  smoking  Ã‚  certain genetic cond itions  Ã‚  extended misuse of pain medications  Ã‚  occurs most often in people over 40 Treatments:  Depends on age, overall health and how advanced the cancer is in each particular patient. It can include:  Ã‚  surgery  Ã‚  radiation  Ã‚  chemotherapy  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  biologic therapy/immunotherapy

Pre Birth Assessment Reflective Analytical Study

Pre Birth Assessment Reflective Analytical Study I was requested to complete a Pre-Birth Assessment with regards to Case BB. The referral was made by the Community Midwife to the Children and Families Area Team where I was on my placement. The Community Midwifes concerns were BBs age, she already had a child who was under one year, her partner was in prison and the Midwife was further concerned about BBs lack of engagement with the health services particularly ante-natal services. The Midwife was also concerned with BBs emotional state of mind. To consolidate what little information was on the referral I contacted BBs current Health Visitor whereby I was subject to a litany of BBs misdemeanours regarding her care of CA. Although the Health Visitor regarded BBs care of CA as poor I noted that there had been no social work input requested from the Health Visitor and that the Health Visitor had quite a forceful personality. However, I took on board the information the Health Visitor provided with an objective mind. BB is 19 years old and lives in a local authority house in a rural village with few local amenities. The village is not well served with public transport which makes it difficult for BB to access the main town. BBs sole income is benefit based. BB now has two children, CA who is 15 months old and LA who is 3 months old. BBs partner, BA (who is 22 years of age) is at present in prison, serving a sentence for Assault to Serious Injury. BA is not expected to return to the family home until October 2010. BA is the natural father to both CA and LA. My role was to complete a Pre-Birth Assessment with regards to convening a Pre-Birth Conference if necessary. This is in line with the local authoritys High Risk Pregnancy Protocol. My role was also to support and work in partnership with BB and her family in the longer term. The context of my practice was that of a statutory role with statutory responsibilities. Therefore, I had to consider how to support the family by assessing BBs strengths and pressures as well as promote the welfare of BBs child and unborn child and in the wider sense to keep the family together. According to Hothersall (2008) these are principles inherent within the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 which themselves derive from broader principles surrounding the rights of the children and the importance of positive development as the basis for a meaningful life. Further to this Healy (2005) points out that within the practice context it is the legal aspect which has precedence over other aspects of practice. This incorporates the fulfilment of legal duties and responsibilities. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995, as mentioned previously, is the underpinning legislation within Children and Families. This legislation with regards to parental responsibilities was I felt, pertinent to this case. For example, the responsibilities of a parent to a child under 16 are set out in Section 1 of this Act. They are to safeguard and promote the health, development and welfare of the child and to provide appropriate direction to the child according to age. These parental responsibilities were important to consider when completing the Pre-Birth Assessment in response to both BB and her partner BAs capacity to parent. The Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) (Scottish Executive, 2005) policy was also crucial in my assessment. GIRFEC provides a practice model which promotes holistic assessment and planning for children, centred upon indicators of well-being and as a policy is about intervention as early as possible and provision of the right help at the right time. Within GIRFEC is the My World assessment model which I used to help me complete the Pre-Birth Assessment particularly in relation to BBs parenting skills with CA. I also utilised Getting Our Priorities Right (GOPR) A Guide for Workers in Best Practice (Local Authority Child Protection Web Pages). Underpinning this assessment was Protecting Children and Young People Framework for Standards (Scottish Executive, 2004). Within the context of completing the assessment I was aware of the statutory legal responsibility involved and the requirement to work within the framework of current legislation and policy. During supervision discussion was centred around the issue of care and control from the perspective of my practice based on statutory responsibility. According to Thompson (2005) to ignore control is to run the risk of being ineffective, while to ignore care can lead to potentially abusive and oppressive practice. Further to this Banks (2006) points out that the reasons for many ethical dilemmas and problems stem from the social work role as a public service profession dealing with vulnerable service users who need to be able to trust the worker and be protected from exploitation; and also from its position as part of state welfare provision based on contradictory aims and values (care and controlprotection of individual rights and promotion of public welfare) that cause tensions, dilemmas and conflicts. (Banks, 2006, p.25) As Banks also points out, in practice it is the rules of the agency that define who is to be regarded as a service user and provide the context in which the social worker operates. This, for me reflects that need to recognize the significance of discrimination and oppression in service users lives and for my practice to be ethically sound and develop a participatory approach to my practice. Considering these points helped me formulate how I was going to engage with BB. I had an understanding of my statutory responsibilities from a legal and policy perspective and I had an understanding of my personal and professional values in terms of the tensions caused by care and control. Therefore, I needed to build a working relationship with BB which would allow me to build a theoretical understanding of the interrelationship between the individual and society. (Watson West, 2006, p.13) This would help me complete a meaningful and insightful assessment of BBs current difficulties with appropriate interventions. To complete the assessment, I took into consideration Germain and Gittermans The Life Model of Social Work Practice (1996). Payne (2005) describes this model as a formulation of the ecological systems theory which is based on the relationship between people and their environment. The aim of social work is to increase the fit between people and their environment by alleviating life stressors and increasing peoples personal and social resources to enable them to use more and better coping strategies. Payne further points out that practice must be carried out through a partnership between worker and service user that reduces power differences between them. The environment and the demands of the life course should be a constant factor in making decisions. By utilising Germain Gittermans life model of practice (1996) I was able to create an accepting and supportive environment by describing my role clearly to BB and encouraging BB to give her thoughts about the referral. This elicited background information about her relationship with BA and support networks she had within her own extended family and with BAs extended family. We discussed the birth of her second child particularly in respect of how BB felt she could cope with CA as well as with the new baby. BB identified this as a worry for her as she was concerned that she would not be able to manage. To make sense of this information Payne (2005) describes resources that people have in order to cope. These are self-efficacy, self-esteem and self-concept. BB had none of these emotional resources available to her at this time. Coupled with this she had no self-direction in the sense she did not feel she had any control over her life. To allow me to elicit further information regarding BBs parenting skills I observed her care of CA. The My World model which draws on upon the work of Bronfenbrenner (1979) and encourages practioners to take an ecological approach to the assessment process helped me in this respect. By looking at the three domains of growth and development, what is needed from the people who look after me and my wider world I was able to elicit the positives in the situation and the areas of pressure in relation to the safety, well-being and development of the child. Further to this, attachment theory, which according to Schofield (2002) is primarily a theory for understanding (Schofield, 2002, p.29) was also useful in that although directly seeking to improve the quality of interaction between children and caregivers, the childs sense of security, self-esteem and self-efficacy may also be increased by intervening in the systems around the family, for example providing social support to the mother or funding a place for the child in an activity group. A visit with BA was also organised, who although in prison presented as a significant risk factor due to alcohol consumption and increasing levels of violence, albeit the incidents were not in or near the family home and did not involve BB nor his child. BA was at first uncommunicative which was understandable due to the setting and nature of the visit. Trevithick (2007) suggests that asking a range of different questions is central to interviewing however, before asking a question we must be interested in the answer. (Trevithick, 2007, p. 159) By careful use of open and closed questions I was able to draw out BAs views on the assessment and gain some sense of a working relationship with him. However, what really opened the conversation was when I commented on how CA looked very like him. BA then started to talk about CA and how he was looking forward to the birth of his next baby. During the course of the visit I was able to understand how BA supports BB by allowing her the freedom to take care of CA while he did the cooking and looked after the house. BA went on to explain that his relationship with BB was sound but that he was aware he had let her down badly particularly as she was pregnant with his second child. BA was aware that he had missed a lot of CA growing up and he did not want this to happen with his second child. BA was also open about the circumstances leading to his arrest and he admitted that it was due to a feud between two different villages that had been going on since school. BA confirmed that the whole thing was stupid and that he now realised he needed to grow up. Taking into account the information gained and observations made during my visits with BB, CA and BA I was able to start to make sense of their environment, their strengths and pressures and the roles each of them had within the home and their community. Intervention at the initial stages of the process was I believe successful with regard to forming a working partnership with BB and to an extent with BA. Further visits with BB drew further information regarding informal support networks which in the main was her mother. BBs mother was a source of practical support and advice and they were in contact daily. BB described her mother as her ear. Permission was sought from BB to meet with her mother. BBs mother was keen for her daughter to gain support from social services as she realised how difficult her daughter was finding things at this time. To complete the assessment and take into account risk factors and strengths I had to analyse and reflect on the information I had gained. According to Helm (2009) this information needs to be analysed before an understanding is developed which allows a judgement to be formed which can lead to an appropriate decision or action. Calder (2002) further offers a framework for conducting risk assessment by assessing all areas of identified risk and ensuring that each is considered separately e.g. child, parent, and surrounding environment each worrying behaviour should be assessed individually as each is likely to involve different risk factors. To counteract the risk factors present family strengths and resources should also be assessed, for example good bonding, supportive networks. After a thorough analysis and supervisory discussions I recommended that a Post-Birth Multi-Agency Conference not be convened. However, I recommended that a further assessment take place when BA returns to the family home and a Post-Birth Multi-Agency meeting to discuss future interventions be arranged as I was aware that the birth of the new baby could be a future pressure on BB. In line with anti-oppressive practice and partnership working, I discussed both the assessment and recommendations with BB and by letter with BA. Both were given the opportunity to put their views across and both were happy to continue to work voluntarily with the department for the present. The reasons behind my recommendations were that BB although socially isolated had a strong supportive network with her extended family and BAs extended family. Further to this BB has a close and supportive relationship with her mother whom she sees every day. According to Hill et al (2007) a vast array of research shows that parents in poverty, or facing other stresses, usually cope better when they have one or more close relationships outside the household and these are activated to give practical, emotional or informational support. Most often this is informal but, for isolated parents access to family centres or professionals including health professionals can make a great difference to both the parents and the social and emotional health of children. (Barlow Underdown, 2005) With regards to CA, BB had a good bond with her daughter and was quick to attend to her needs. BB also had a routine in place for CA regarding mealtimes and naps this also included a bedtime routine. CA was reaching her developmental milestones (Source: Sheridans Charts). CA had age appropriate toys and had the freedom of the living area. BB had erected a baby gate to stop CA from gaining access to the kitchen and the stairs. However, since CA started walking, BB has to continually keep an eye on CA due to the open fire and hearth in the living area which is proving stressful for BB. Immediate interventions included obtaining Section 22 funding to purchase a safety fireguard and information was obtained regarding BB making applications for Sure Start and Healthy Eating Grants. These applications were successfully made by BB and allowed her to purchase essential items for the new baby. BB had highlighted this as a worry for her as she was struggling financially. Working in collaboration with the Community Midwife arrangements were made for BB to make the trip to the clinic on alternate weeks when her benefits were received. The Community Midwife visited her at home the other weeks. I believe I managed to build a positive working relationship with BB. According to Wilson et al (2008) relation-based practice is the emphasis it places on the professional relationship with the service user. The social worker and service user relationship is recognised to be an important source of information for the worker to understand how best to help. In order to make informed decisions and critically evaluate practice, reflection and analysis of information should embrace all sources of knowledge which have to be drawn upon. Further to this, a potentially more informative, relationship-based and reflective response would be to articulate the service users feelings by which the service user can acknowledge their own responses to the situation. As Fook (2002) points out: Reflective practioners are those who can situate themselves in the context of the situation and can factor this understanding into the ways in which they practice (Fook, 2002, p.40) Banks (2006) also indicates that part of the process of becoming a reflective practioner also involves being aware of ones own position of power and how dominant discourses construct the knowledge and values we use to describe and work with situations and practice. This has been discussed in supervision with regards to BBs Pre-Birth assessment and to visiting BA in prison. It is difficult to evaluate whether aspects of my work were effective or not. However, in supervision we discussed how keen BB was to gain support and seemed to appreciate the partnership approach. This was discussed in relation to Hill et als (2007) research and Barlow and Underdown (2005). Small aspects of my intervention, such as the provision of the safety fireguard were described by BB as a godsend and she was proud to show me the baby items she had purchased on receipt of the grants. Discussion in supervision also centred round the next stage of intervention which was after the baby was born. I discussed with BB the opportunity for CA to attend a local authority nursery one day per week. This would help CAs social and emotional development and at the same time allow BB to spend time with LA. This referral was successful as was gaining the services of a volunteer driver to transport CA. However, CA has only just started at the nursery and therefore difficult to gauge if this referral has been effective. Reflecting on my work overall, I should probably have explored more with BB her social isolation and worked on strategies to get her more involved in the community. Further to this resources in this village are non-existent and the parenting groups which were suitable were not available locally. BB was interested but location of the Family Centre and lack of public transport negated this. I enquired with regards to Outreach Work but this was not available. Discussion with other colleagues in the team reflected the same theme regarding facilities for the outlying villages. Further discussion in supervision raised for me the difficulty of maintaining empowering and anti-oppressive practice within this context as assessment should be needs led not resource led. 2,979 words

Alternative Energies Essay -- Fossil Fuels, Solar Energy

Do you have to pay to put fuel in a vehicle? I know I do and it's becoming more of a large burden rather than just another small expense of living. It's safe to say that the majority of people owning motor vehicles dislike the constant fluctuation in the price of oil and gasoline. The four worst polluters when it comes to the burning of fossil fuels are the United States, China, Japan, and Britain (Editorial par. 3). At the rate at which it is rising now, vehicles are soon going to be a luxury because people will not be able to afford the price of fuel. One possible solution to this problem, and many other instances that rely on the burning of fossil fuels, is the use of renewable energy sources. Two of the more notable energies are solar and wind power. Both are resources that cannot be depleted. The light from the sun can be transformed into electricity, used to power furnaces and air-conditioners, and warm up water (Solar Energy par. 1). In reality, the sun is the source that cre ated almost every source of energy on Earth, whether it is a direct or indirect effect (Solar Energy par. 3). â€Å"Concentrating solar power offers a utility-scale, firm, dispatchable renewable energy options that can help meet our nation's demand for electricity.† (www.eere.energy.gov). Wind power is another one of the possibilities to replace the burning of fossil fuels. It was very popular for energy to be created by windmills in the past, but fossil fuels have become the replacement for such devices. Many would like to see a return to the use of windmills because it provides an energy source that is completely clean and renewable (Wind Energy par. 1). There are many projects already devoted to bringing about this major change in technology. The Interna... ...nlight, solar energy can not be produced very efficiently or may not be able to be produced at all (Solar Energy par 53). Solar energy is not the only alternative energy that has its downfalls. One disadvantage of using wind power is the intense sound that the turbines produce. This is the reason that most â€Å"wind farms† are placed on the countryside or away from communities (Wind Energy par. 81). Another drawback is the large amount of space that is required for the placement of wind turbines. As stated before, the land can still be used for other conventional means after the turbines are built. Finding an area large enough near big cities is the reason that using wind energy for electricity has not become a popular method to produce energy (Wind Energy par. 83). Believe it or not, there are actually some negative effects that wind power imposes on the environment.

Egyptian, Babylonian, And Hebrew Religions Essay -- essays research pa

Egyptian, Babylonian, and Hebrew Religions Egyptians, Babylonians, and Hebrews have similarities yet also differences in their religions. The importance is not in the similarities as much as it is in the differences that distinguish the cultures from each other and their views on life. I would like to point out each civilization's creation and flood story. By analyzing these stories we can come to a better understanding of their world views. The Hebrew creation story from the book of Genesis is one that most people know well. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form and void. God said, "let there be light," and there was light. He then separated the light from the darkness. He also created the land, plants, and animals. He saw everything he created and, behold, it was good. The heavens and earth were completed and all that dwelled within them. On the seventh day he rested. The earth was complete, but there was nothing to take care of this creation. So, God created man in the image of himself. Man was created from the dust of the ground. God gave him the breath of life and the man became a living soul (Moses 1:1-2:7). With the background of that story, one should look at the Egyptian interpretation of the beginning. At first there was nothing but chaos that contained the seed of everything to come. In this confusion the sun god dwelled. By an effort of his will he emerged from chaos as Ra and gave birth to Shu, the god of a...

Fundamentals of Research Essay -- Research Analysis

It has always been human nature to seek answers, find solutions to problems, observe, and bring awareness of discoveries. This process of inquiry has become more sophisticated and daunting throughout time. Nevertheless, curiosity and the need to progress remains the same. Many regard research as gathering information and using facts to support findings (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010, pg. 1-2). Nevertheless, Leedy and Ormrod (2010), define research as "a systematic process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting information (data) in order to increase our understanding of a phenomenon about which we are interested or concerned" (Leedy & Ormond, 2010, pg. 2). Nunan's definition (as cited in Mustafa, 2011), describes research as having a "question, problem, hypothesis, data, analysis and interpretation of analysis" (p. 24). Reaching the goal is the culmination of the research; in this case, the goal for conducting a doctoral research is to improve the music education curriculum and prov ide an excellent learning opportunity for all students including students with disabilities to experience academic success. The current music curriculum's design appears to be standard for all students including students with disabilities. Because of inclusion, children with learning disabilities participate with non-disabled children in music. At a recent music therapy workshop, teachers expressed concerns regarding how to support students with learning needs. Inquiry on the current music curriculum and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 initiated the following questions: Is the NCLB working to meet all students' learning needs as well as support music teachers with appropriate education resources? How have core subject state assessmen... ... Preservice music teachers' perceptions of fieldwork experiences in a special needs classroom. Journal of Research in Music Education, 57(2), 152-168. Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Practical research: Planning and design Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. Mustafa, R. F. (2011). The P.O.E.ms of educational research: A beginners' concise guide. International Education Studies, 4(3), 23-30. Pellitteri, J. (2000). Music therapy in the special education setting. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 11(3&4),379-391. Retrieved from http://www.soundconnectionsmt.com/docs/Music%20Therapy%20in%20Special%20Education. Zdzinski, S.F., & Barnes, G.V. (2002). Development and validation of a string performance rating scale. Journal of Research in Music Education, 50(3), 245-255. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview.214475469? accounted=

Tqm Final Project

ASSIGNMENT OF Total Quality Management Submitted To: Prof. Sajid Javaid Akbar Submitted By: M. Farhan Akhtar [Group Leader] Section: â€Å"D† Roll No: 835 B. Com (HONS), Semester: VI Topic: â€Å"Employee Involvement† HAILEY COLLEGE OF COMMERCE UNIVERSITY OF THE PUNJAB |Sr # |Group members |Roll No. |1 |Muhammad Salman nisar |818 | |2 |Muhammad Uzair Bin Nasir |822 | |3 |Adnan Javed |830 | |4 |Muhammad Farhan Akhtar |835 | | |[Group Leader] | | |5 |Khizer Ali |875 | To Whom It May Concern: We allowed the group, lead by Mr. Muhammad Farhan Akhtar, of Hailey College of Commerce, to conduct the research for their course, Total Quality Management, on the topic of Employee Involvement. Nasir Mahmood Director, Madina Builders. |Sr # |Table of Contents |Page No. |1 |Executive Sumary |09 | |2 |Research Proposal Overview |11 | |3 |Research project Overview |15 | |4 |Observation and Preliminary Data Gathering |18 | |5 |Problem Definition |19 | |6 |Theoretical Framework |20 | |7 |Relationship Between Variables |25 | |8 |Hypothesis |27 | |9 |Questionnaire Sample |29 | |10 |Analysis And Interpretation |30 | |11 |Deduction |33 | |12 |Reference |34 | Acknowledgement First I bow my head before Almighty Allah who has enable me to write on this assignment.. I am also indebted to my respected Instructor Prof. Sajid Javaid Akbar whose guidance encouraged me in writing this Project. I am also thankful to my friends who provided me the help and suggestions when and where needed. Dedication We dedicated our project To our respected Teacher â€Å"Prof. Sajid Javaid Akbar† Proposal For EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT while working at MADINA TRADERS (a Construction Company).Executive Summary The purpose of the research report is to ascertain the level of EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT while working at MADINA TRADERS (a Construction Company). That the company realizes that their employees are not as involved as they should be , so being a researcher we conduct some research on it . We design a questionnaire related to their problem to the target Employees and distribute this questionnaire to the Employees to get their feedback to solve the problem. If you want to retain your Employees, learn what their expectations are and do what you can to increase their motivation level, their commitment and making work a positive experience.Managers are worried about the increasing hesitation and changing attitude of Employees so, in order to know the Employees Involvement level and want to identify the factors which cause the changing commitment & motivation level. The purpose of our study is to know how to improve the Employees Involvement level and its commitment at MADINA TRADERS. So that the management makes good efforts to ensure availability of good services to the customer. So, the research team of 5 members having research educational background will be assigned to study the factors. The scientific research design and methodology will be adopted for designing, c ollecting and analyzing the data and the results will be proposed to managers helping them get their reputation back. Before starting the research the appropriate time and budget is projected and allocated to the research.The non-probability sampling technique is used to construct the sample from at MADINA TRADERS. The data is collected through a structured questionnaire and some of the unstructured questions. [pic] Problem Statement: The management’s concern about Employees Involvement while working at Madina Builders. Research Objective: The purpose of our study is to know how to improve the Employees Involvement level and its commitment while working at Madina Builders. So that the management makes good efforts to ensure availability of good services to the customer. Literature Review: There’s a lot of research had already been done on while working at Madina Builders. But not as such in Pakistan. Importance of study:We are concern to while working at Madina Builder s, regarding working at Madina Builders. Research Design: ? Purpose of study: `Descriptive Study ? Unit of Analysis: Individuals ? Time Dimension: Cross sectional study ? Mode of investigation: Casual ? Sampling Design: Non-Probability ? Extent of researcher interface: Full control ? Data collection method: Primary Ethical Requirements: A good Ethical conduct will be adopted while conducting research. So that no body either respondent, sponsor or the research team suffer adverse consequences from research activities. Nature and form of result: Result is given in the following forms: ? Graphs ? Charts ? Description ? Tables etc†¦ Qualification of researcher:B. Com (HONS) 6th Semester†¦ Engage in class study project. Budget: The following are the cost which spent on this project. Cost summary Travel cost500 Questionnaire development250 Printing cost200 Data entry150 Refreshment during Interviews400 Telephone200 Total cost1700/- Schedule of project: ? Meeting among research t eam members. ? Meeting between Research team and management. ? Interaction with subject/respondent. ? Filling of questionnaire ? Making Project Report Facilities and Special resources: We are expecting Coordination and corporation from the management of the Departmental Store. [pic][pic] Project Report On â€Å"EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT†Phases and task steps in Project Study Phase I: Determination of the information research problem. Task Step 1: Determine and clarify management’s information needs. Task Step 2: Redefine the management problem as a research problem. Task Step 3: Establish research objectives and determine the value of the information. Phase II: Development of the appropriate research design. Task Step 4: Determine and evaluate the research design and data sources. Task Step 5: Determine the sample plan and sample size. Task Step 6: Determine the measurement issues and scales. Phase III: Execution of the research design. Task Step 7: Collect and process data .Task Step 8: Analyze data. Task Step 9: Transform data structures into information. Phase IV: Communication of the results. Task Step 10: Prepare and present final report to management. Background Here we give the history and information of the company. The firm was established about Three years ago with a motive of flourishing and providing better emplacement opportunities to the people concerning this business and also to earn livelihood for us and for our employees. Principal of the company 1. Mr. Mahhmood Ghaznavi (DAE Civil) 2. Mr. Nasir Mahmood (CA finalist) Company Profile Name of Company Madina Builders Engineers, contractors& General order suppliersAddress Office No # 4, Forth floor, Zuhra Heights, Main Market, Gulberg, Lahore. List of Employees 1. B. Sc Civil Engineer2 2. B. Sc Mechanical Engineer1 3. Sub Engineer2 4. Quality Surveyor1 5. Work Supervisor3 6. Operator Cum Mechanic1 7. Skilled Labor6 8. Labor9 9. Plumber1 10. Electrician1 11. Peon2 12. Driver 2 13. Chokidar 3 Step 1: Observation The manager of the departmental store observes that customers are perhaps not as pleased as they used to be. The manager may not be certain that this is really the problem but may experience anxiety and some uneasiness that customer satisfaction is on the decline. Step 2: Preliminary data gatheringAs we study the manager’s observation we discover the undisguised structured, direct and non-participant observation. ? Employees qualify to be the participant of data collection. ? The management’s concern about Employees Involvement while working at Madina Builders (a Construction Company). ? We get Employees response at the work days because of the availability of majority of the Employees. ? Direct interaction with Employees through Questionnaires and interviews. ? The place of study is a Construction site. Purpose of preliminary data collection. Our purpose to collect preliminary to identify and solve the management problem. And to convert manageme nt problem into research problem.Sources of Data Collection: ? Questionnaire ? Interviews ? Observation ? Survey ? Internet ? Books ? Publications ? Journals Primary data collecting will help us to develop a theoretical framework and a testable hypothesis and to solve the problem with precision and clarity and ensure us that important variable is not left out from the study. So our efforts are not wasted on the already known things to the management. Step 3: Problem Definition â€Å"Decrease in Motivation and Employee Involvement level† Step 4: Theoretical Framework Introduction to EMPLOYEES INVOLVEMENT: Getting employees' ideas and getting their involvement is critical in our rapidly changing world.If your company is going to be competitive, it's mandatory to involve not just hands, but the ideas from everyone in your organization. by Gregory P. Smith Why is it important to capture ideas and suggestions? For starters, the process improves individual motivation and morale. In volvement programs help capture the creativity, energy, and ideas many people have. They also allow departments and individuals to work cross-functionally, and create an environment of learning and constant renewal. They improve work methods and processes continually, reduce the costs of doing business, improve safety, and reduce accidents. Exchanging ideas always improves communication and the knowledge that top management is open and willing to act on the ideas improves trust.Instead of passing untested ideas up the chain of command, the employee who originates an idea has responsibility for its achievement. They follow a three-step work process: ? Study it ? Pilot it ? Adopt it Idea Campaigns. Most suggestion programs fail. Suggestion boxes sit and collect dust and approved suggestions are few and far between. An effective variation to the suggestion program is the Idea Campaign. Over and done with in three weeks, this steroid-enriched campaign generates hundreds of ideas. The go al is to get at least one idea from everyone in the organization. For the first idea, each person receives a small token of appreciation such as a coffee cup.A second idea is acknowledged with another form of appreciation. At the end of each week, a special award ceremony recognizes everyone who turned in ideas or suggestions Suggestion System: ? An employee (associate) idea process openly invites ideas from individuals or groups in an organization. ? Each idea is treated with respect, fairly evaluated and every effort is made to work toward its timely closure, striving to implement every idea possible. ? Feedback and mentoring is invested with the participants so they can clearly define their ideas and the future ideas they develop. ? All people involved in the process are appropriately recognized and acknowledged for their efforts. A result of the process improves all aspects of the organization and is a rewarding experience for participants. Employee involvement in Total Quality Management Total Quality Management is one of the major â€Å"workplace change† programmes used in Britain, but few studies have addressed the effects on employees. New research evidence questions optimistic and pessimistic accounts, finding that TQM is widely welcomed but that it does not lead to â€Å"empowerment†, and that success depends on certain conditions, notably job security. Employee Involvement Analysis falls into two main types: ? optimistic texts, which often prescribe ways of implementing TQM and assume a welcome from employees; and ? ritical studies, which either (a) equate TQM with intensified managerial control under the pretence of â€Å"empowerment† or (b) accept that TQM can be effective, but argue that in practice poor implementation has undermined this promise. The critical studies often argue that TQM undermines the representative role of trade unions by strengthening direct links between employer and employee. (a) Employee views More tha n four-fifths of the sample of employees saw quality as the crucial issue for their organisations or as very important. Almost two-thirds felt that employees had a â€Å"great deal† or a â€Å"fair amount† of influence over quality, and over 70 per cent felt that their own involvement in problem-solving had increased. Five employees in six identified the presence of meetings designed for problem-solving.Of the sample, 72% felt that there had been an increase in communication activity recently. The most favourably evaluated method was team briefing, followed by informal communication with individual managers. It was direct, face-to-face, communication which employees most valued. Workers also reported more stress and higher levels of work effort. A key result was that reported levels of trust between management and worker were no higher than in organisations without TQM initiatives. (b) Management and worker expectations Many proponents of TQM claim that it â€Å"empow ers† workers. Critics equate it with work intensification and stress. The study finds that neither picture is accurate.Managements in the organisations studied did not use the language of empowerment and had more pragmatic goals. One manager summed this up: â€Å"empowerment is not a word used at local level; we can and do involve people more but we need to have constraints†. Workers reported higher effort levels, but most liked the pace at which they worked. Those who were working harder and who were most subject to the measurement of their performance were also the most likely to favour quality programmes. These programmes seem to promote a narrowly focused but real sense of discipline and purpose, rather than being a means to make workers work harder, the report concludes. c) Conditions for success Acceptance of TQM was greatest where several conditions prevailed. ? A strong sense of job security was a key element in encouraging acceptance of quality initiatives. ? T raining was important; it was not the overall amount which mattered, but the extent to which programmes were specifically linked to quality or teamwork. ? Cooperative relationships with employee representatives were an important element in easing the acceptance of TQM. All the case study firms were unionised, and it was found that firms which maintained working relationships with their unions were also the most likely to maintain their quality programmes effectively. Short-term pressures tended to undermine TQM initiatives. They were of two kinds: production pressures, which made it hard for quality activities to be maintained; and financial pressures, which could reduce the resources for and commitment to TQM. Do employee involvement and TQM programs work? The employee involvement literature emphasizes design of the work and business units for fuller business involvement and employee motivation. In addition, employee involvement emphasizes making the employee a stakeholder in busin ess performance There is a strong correlation between the adoption of employee involvement approaches and the use of TQM practices†¦The extent to which companies employ the core TQM practices, the production-oriented practices, collaboration with customers, and cost-of-quality monitoring all have a highly significant relationship to our measure of overall employee involvement use. The relationship to the development of knowledge and skills is particularly strong, demonstrating the strong emphasis in TQM programs on the development of skills. TQM's relationship to power sharing is also very strong, reflecting the focus in TQM on problem solving and decision making groups in general and on work cells and teams. The findings with respect to the combined impact of TQM and El are not unexpected: most TQM proponents advocate high levels of employee involvement as part of their TQM efforts.However, the findings do make a very important point: the impact of TQM programs that do not als o include El practices will be less positive both for employee outcomes and for performance outcomes. TQM Defined TQM is a management philosophy that seeks to integrate all organizational functions (marketing, finance, design, engineering, and production, customer service, etc. ) to focus on meeting customer needs and organizational objectives. TQM is the foundation for activities, which include: ? Commitment by senior management and all employees ? Meeting customer requirements ? Reducing development cycle times ? Just In Time/Demand Flow Manufacturing ? Improvement teams ? Reducing product and service costs ? Systems to facilitate improvement ? Line Management ownership ? Employee involvement and empowerment ? Recognition and celebration Challenging quantified goals and benchmarking ? Focus on processes / improvement plans ? Specific incorporation in strategic planning There are three major mechanisms of prevention: 1. Preventing mistakes (defects) from occurring 2. Where mistakes can't be absolutely prevented, detecting them early to prevent them being passed down the value added chain (Inspection at source or by the next operation). 3. Where mistakes recur, stopping production until the process can be corrected, to prevent the production of more defects. (Stop in time). Identify Variables At this step we identify the possible variables and elaborate the relationship among them.Then we describe the nature and direction of these variables. Identify variables: ? Wages ? Working place ? Working hours ? Management behavior ? employees participation Labeling: INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES Relation between Variables INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES Step 5: Generation of Hypothesis ? If wages are good than the Employee involvement will increase. ? If working place is good than the Employee involvement will increase. ? If working hours are suitable than the Employee involvement will increase. ? If management behavior is good than the Employee i nvolvement will increase. If employees are allowed to express their view than the Employee involvement will increase. Possible Outcomes: Possibility 1. ? If wages > than the > Employee involvement ? If working place > than the > Employee involvement ? If working hours < than the > Employee involvement ? If management behavior > than the > Employee involvement ? If employee participation > than the > Employee involvement Possibility 2: ? If wages < than the < Employee involvement ? If working place < than the < Employee involvement ? If working hours > than the < Employee involvement ? If management behavior < than the < Employee involvement If employee participation < than the < Employee involvement Step 6: Research Design As we know that decrease in Employee Involvement level is our current problem, so that’s why we design research in such a way that after conducting research we will able to identify, what the main causes of that particular problem. In this section we follow the following steps: Sample Selection In this we select the sample (to whom we are going to research). i-e number of person. Data collection We did test the questionnaire with a small sample of Employees using Construction site. The instruments submitted for design an effective questionnaire and then distributed as we can. QuestionnaireWe are conducting a research to know Employee’s Satisfaction level while working at Madina Builders. Q-1 Are You Happy With Behavior Of: Good Average Poor 1. Top Management 2. Colleagues Q-2 Facilities Provided By Company: Yes No Transport Medical Other Q-3 Are You happy With The Working Environment: YesNoNo opinion Q-4 Are Wages & Salaries Paid On Time : YesNoNo opinion Q-5 Working Hours Are In Accordance With The Labor Law: YesNoNo opinion Q-6 You Are Provided The Necessary Tools & Machinery For Work: Yes NO No opinion Q-7 Your Experience Of Working At Madina Builders : ExcellentGoodBad Q-8 Any improvement you want in Madina Builders? (Sugge stions) | Survey collected by: Step 7: Analysis and Interpretation DATA ANALYSES: We reviewed the questionnaire which return and make a weekly report listing Employees who were dissatisfied or who submit negative comments. We improved timeline in resolving Employees complaints each month we make a report consisting of frequencies and category percentages for each question. We proposed to include at least one question dealing with overall satisfaction. A performance grid will identify items need improvement with an evaluation of priority.Interpretation of data with the help of graphs: [pic] Employees are satisfied with the behavior of: [pic] Facilities Provided By Company: [pic] Employees are happy with the environment: [pic] Working Hours Are In Accordance With The Labor Law: |Variables: |% of | | |Persons | |Yes |71 | |No |20 | |No Opinion |9 | Figures in %age* Step 8: Deduction We all the group members worked with devotion to identify the variables that affect the sale. We worked in a team and experienced the quality of team building in us.Every member of us has done her work on the given time, which the team leader assigns to every member. In this time span in which we complete our project, there is a management in our whole session. For example, time management, self management, financial management etc. So from all above study there is a reason to believe that there are certain factors responsible for the specific problem upon which we are focused our research. We identified all factors and give suggestions in form of Hypothesis which contribute to bring back the desired Consumers Satisfaction level. Conclusions: TQM encoureges participation amongst shop floor workers and managers.There is no single theoretical formalization of total quality, but Deming, Juran and Ishikawa provide the core assumptions, as a â€Å"†¦ discipline and philosophy of management which institutionalizes planned and continuous†¦ improvement †¦ and assumes that qua lity is the outcome of all activities that take place within an organization; that all functions and all employees have to participate in the improvement process; that organizations need both quality systems and a quality culture. â€Å". â€Å"Quality programmes can†, the study says, â€Å"be seen as catalysts†, bringing out workers' willingness to take responsibility and providing a focus and rationale for efforts at involvement.But involvement remained within tight limits and there were several factors, notably insecurity and financial constraints, which could undercut the promise of quality programmes. â€Å"The challenge†, the study concludes, â€Å"is to maintain TQM in the face of external pressures†. References Websites: Employee Involvement (www. employeeinvolvement. com) Search Engine (www. google. com) Appendices ? Questionnaire ? Charts ? Graphs ? Tables [pic][pic] ———————– Participation Behavior Hours Employee Involvement Place ice Wages Participation Behavior Hours Employee Involvement Place Wages Determination of information research problem Execution of the research design Development of research design Communication of the results Phase II Phase I Phase III Phase IV

Bussiness Proposal

Describe how the current market conditions will affect the planning or operating decisions involving the product. Market Structure The market structure in this instance could fall into one of two types, oligopoly or monopoly (McConnell, Bruce, & Flynn, 2009). The rationale behind oligopoly is that several large retailers currently provide this service and control the availability, use, and other aspects of the programs (McConnell, Bruce, & Flynn, 2009). The rationale behind monopoly is that the program is limited to each organization (McConnell, Bruce, & Flynn, 2009).For example the program used at my organization is call the Shop Your Way Rewards program, it is only available at Smart and Sears, it cannot be used at other retailers and is exclusively controlled by Sears Holding Inc. Ultimately The market structure is a combination of a monopoly and oligopoly. Price Elasticity of Demand Price elasticity of demand has little effect on this product as the product is a free program prov ided by the organization. Despite this fact price elasticity does have an effect on the use of the program in that the customers can earn points on purchases and in turn spend those points on other researched.In this instance, as prices rise or fall within the store the use of the product increases or decreases as a result. If for instance a products price rises at the store level, the number of points earned during purchases using the product increases as well. Likewise as the prices increase it requires customers to have more points available to make purchases. Though the rewards card is a free program an increase in product prices would translate to an increase in demand for the rewards card.In looking at the determinants of price elasticity of demand, substitutability is first. The only way to substitute this product would be to shop at a competitor using the rewards program there such as a Kroger Plus card. Another substitute would be to use coupons instead of the card; however enhance them. The next determinant is proportion of income, again this would tie into the selling price of products and how the rewards program would offset any increases in price therefore increasing the amount of funds available to purchase products.Next is the luxury versus necessity determinant, the rewards card applies to both and is neutral in this area as it can be used for either luxuries or necessities. The last determinant is time, as more consumers become familiar with this product the demand will increase as the benefits are realized. Profit-Maximizing Quantity This program essentially gives the customer a percentage of his or her purchase price back in the form of points that can be redeemed during a transaction Just like cash.The program also generates coupons based on purchase levels and membership levels for additional dollars or percentages off purchases. Through data analysis, the company has determined that customers enrolled in the program average three addition al shopping trips per onto than non-members, the data also reveals that members purchase on average $13 more per transaction than non-members. Points are earned one point at a time based on one percent of every $1 . An example of this would be a purchase of $100 would translate to gaining 10 points.Every 10 points equal one penny, 1,000 points equals $1, 10,000 points equals $10, and so forth. By increasing the frequency of customers return trips along with the average dollar amount of those purchases the company is essentially paying for the program by enrolling new members. As membership increases so do sales and in turn profits. Price and Non-price Strategies Because the program is free, no price is placed upon the product. A non-price strategy is currently underway in which the benefits of membership are expressed by checkout operators during the customer checkout experience.The company has also set enrollment and usage goals for each location within the company as well. Through the increase in verbal communication with every customer the company will realize the goals set and will be able to increase the goals as they are met. Production Costs The production costs associated with this product are the production of plastic cards for consumers to carry for purposes of using the program and redeeming points. This has been reduced over the last year and a half of the programs existence by encouraging customers to use their mobile phone number to access the account.The company also has an internally produced website specific to the program that allows customers to update information and review purchases and current point amounts. This required only a small outlay in web design as the hardware and software was already in place to support the aerogram. The company also is reducing costs on receipts as part of the program is to allow customers to receive electronic receipts via e-mail instead of printed paper receipts. The costs of the program also include the po ints issued to customers. These costs are offset by the increases in purchases.The following is a hypothetical cost break started the program by mass producing credit card-sized plastic rewards cards along with multicolumn, trip-fold brochures. The company's initial investment was $1 million for the printing, distribution, and advertisement of this program. The initial program an for 12 months prior to the first cost reduction initiative. The program had recurring costs of $100,000 per month to continue production and distribution of materials. This initiative was to eliminate the plastic card and eliminate the need for informational brochures.This was accomplished through the use of customer phone numbers and email addresses as identifiers instead of physical cards. The next reduction was made through the implementation of a website where the information regarding the product could be accessed by customers. This resulted in a net reduction of costs by $75,000 per month. The costs a ssociated with points accumulated and spent by customers is variable and changes month to month, the amount has been steadily increasing since the program's inception and will continue to do so.To curb expenses associated with this part of the program the suggestion is to limit the number of points that can be redeemed in any transaction as well as place an expiration date on accumulated points. This will prevent customers from saving up a large number of points and eroding profit margin. Current Global Economic Conditions and the Local Macro Economy The current global economic conditions eave led to increases production costs of products sold by Smart and Sears as a result these increased costs have been passed on to consumers in the form of price increases on the products.The rewards program will offer consumers a way to offset these increased costs by earning rewards points that will allow them to reduce the total amount of their purchase. The program will also issue member-only coupons to these consumers which will further reduce his or her costs. By doing this the company will see an increase in brand loyalty and revenues. Recent economic trends in the United States include new growth in the housing market, as consumers arches homes and contractors build new homes the demand for products offered by both Smart and Sears will increase and as a result the demand for the rewards program will increase as well.The company is seeking a 75% penetration rate across all avenues of the business, including brick and mortar stores and online outlets. Local Economies Current Stage in the Business Cycle The local economy is currently in an expansion period as businesses are slowly starting to rebound from the recession. This is evident by the increase in home sales and the resulting increase in mortgage rates, along with the decrease in unemployment. As a result the demand for the product will increase as people begin to have more disposable income and seek out purchase s for both luxury items, such as televisions and necessity items such as food.The product uniquely will set Smart and Sears apart from the competition in fighting for this increase in disposable income by allowing customers to access a virtually limitless amount of products through Internet shopping sites and affiliate marketplaces set up on those sites. The current market conditions for Smart and Sears are still in a period of struggle as individuals are still recovering from the recession. As individuals recover the company must fight to regain market share from new competitors such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree.These three companies capitalized on the recession by offering low price products that undercut many big box retailers such as Smart, Target, and Wall-Mart. As the economy recovers it will be important for Smart and Sears to pursue actively the consumers lost to these competitors and a way to do that is with the rewards program. Conclusion The program p rovides a unique experience for customers as the points are redeemable on virtually any product carried either in tore or online.The program also generates sales and profit with a low amount of investment from the company. Customers will have generated roughly three to four times the amount of profit needed to cover the issuance of the points to each customer. Management should have a solid understanding of how effective and beneficial this program is and how the continued success of the program directly translates to the success of each business unit. Reference McConnell, C. R. , Bruce, S. L. , & Flynn, S. M. (2009). Economics. Unknown, NY: McGraw-Hill Company.