Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The Difference Between Sissy and Bitzer - 1437 Words

Give me your definition of a horse, (Pg 3) says the eminently practical Mr. Thomas Gradgrind of Charles Dickens unforgettable novel, Hard Times. Can anybody really define a horse? Cecilia Jupe, also known as Sissy, was unable to answer this question because she was, well, normal. Bitzer, the boy brought up in Coketown, the city of facts, answered, Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely, twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth, and twelve incisive... (Pg. 4). Clearly the contrast between Sissy and Bitzer can be seen. The differences between Bitzer and Sissy are shown not only in their definitions of a horse, but also in their physical appearance, personality, background, and the different philosophies that they each represent: fact†¦show more content†¦An interesting contribution to Bitzers personality is where he was taught. Bitzers education was in the school of Mr. McChoakumchild, whose name has a disturbing connotation, as if his job was to choke the imagination out of the children. Bitzer had been raised and treated like a robot, and, as a result, he has the personality of a robot. Sissy and Bitzers personalities contribute to the two philosophies that Dickens is trying to point out. The main reason why Sissy and Bitzer act and think the way they do is because of how and where they were raised. Bitzer was raised in the labor-filled Coketown and had a utilitarian education, in which facts were stressed and nothing else in the world mattered except for ones self-interest. The children in the school where both Sissy and Bitzer attended was just a plane of little vessels then and there arranged in order, ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured into them until they were full to the brim (Pg. 2). Bitzers education consisted of facts, facts, and more facts. Nothing else was important and nothing else will ever be of any more importance than facts. This way of growing up instilled in Bitzer the unpleasantness that expresses when he grows older. Sissy, however, was brought up in a circus. Her father had been a horse trainer and doctored horses. The circus represents the one thing that the school of facts resents:Show MoreRelatedEssay on The Difference Between Sissy And Bitzer1417 Words   |  6 PagesTimes. Can anybody really define a horse? Cecilia Jupe, also known as Sissy, was unable to answer this question because she was, well, normal. Bitzer, the boy brought up in Coketown, the city of facts, answered, quot;Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely, twenty-four grinders, four eye-teeth, and twelve incisive...quot; (Pg. 4). Clearly the contrast between Sissy and Bitzer can be seen. The differences between Bitzer and Sissy are shown not only in their definitions of a horse, but also in theirRead MoreEssay on The Utilitarian Education System1306 Words   |  6 Pagesstudents- rather than calling Sissy Jupe by her name, he constantly refers to her as ‘girl number twenty’. Similarly, Mr. Mâ⠂¬â„¢Choakumchild’s name seems to be the words ‘choke’ and ‘child’ put together, suggesting that he chokes children with facts. In contrast, however, Mr. Kidderminster from the circus has a name that contains the word ‘kidder’. He provides children with happiness and a world fantasy rather than depriving them of one. This contrast highlights the difference between what Dickens sees in educatorsRead MoreDickens Attitude Toward Education in Hard Times Essay864 Words   |  4 Pageseducation and the opposition to Dickens views. There is an immediate tension between Dickens way of thinking and Gradgrinds and MChoakumchilds. Gradgrind and MChoakumchild call the children vessels and do not use names but numbers. The children are allowed no independent thought. While Bitzer is how he is supposed to be, Sissy Jupe is free spirited and rebellious and exposes the contrast between the two characters. Dickens wrote Hard Times when society was changingRead MoreDickens Attitudes to Education in Hard Times Essay1605 Words   |  7 Pagescomparisons with a boxer as an example to the reader of the kind of strictness and no-nonsense teaching of nothing but facts at that time, and gets his ideas and opinions across through this medium. Dickens uses the characters Sissy Jupe and Bitzer to illustrate what effects 1840s education could have on children, and uses them as motifs or symbols to represent these wider issues. He does this by presenting them in stark contrast to each through their response to the teacherRead More Hard Times - The Theme of Education Essay2699 Words   |  11 Pagesincapable of Gradgrind’s formalities. This is why he is so harsh with his teaching, as he expects the pupils to understand what is being taught just because he does. The children are seen as being polite and compliant towards their teachers. â€Å"Sissy Jupe, sir,† explained number twenty, blushing, standing up, and curtseying.† This shows how though the teaching is boring and the teachers as tiresome, the children still show the proper respect towards them as they know of the harsh punishmentsRead MoreRepresentation of Different Social and Cultural Forces in The Handmaids Tale by Atweeon and Hard Times by Dickens2490 Words   |  10 Pageshow it operated and how it deforms or shapes the people who are living within that kind of regime†. Defined as an act that prevents the natural or normal expression, activity or development; repression is undoubtedly a common theme between two similar yet very different novels. Louis Althusser, as a 20th.Century Professor of Philosophy considers the implementation of repression through two distinct methods; the ‘Repressive State Apparatuses’ (RSA’s), which are an implementationRead MoreSocial Network2525 Words   |  11 PagesDickens. type of work ; Novel. genre :Victorian novel; realist novel; satire; dystopia language : English. time and place written :1854, London date of first publication :Published in serial installments in Dickens’s magazine Household Words between April 1 and August 12, 1854 publisher :Charles Dickens setting (time) :The middle of the nineteenth century setting (place) :Coketown, a manufacturing town in the south of England. tense :The narrative is presented in the past tense; howeverRead MoreCoketown1972 Words   |  8 Pagesand philosophic theories such as Utilitarianism and the mercantile doctrine of Laissez-faire under which England s factory system had flourished (Allingham) have on the people. This situation is allegorized in the scene where Bitzer, the allegory of fact, chases Sissy, who represents imagination since she belongs to the circus, through Coketown. † COKETOWN, TO WHICH MESSRS. Bounderby and Gradgrind now walked, was a triumph of fact; it had no greater taint of fancy in it than Mrs. Gradgrind herself

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Amp of Canada Free Essays

Preface Other than on-the-job training, case studies and situations are perhaps the best way to learn project management. Case studies allow the students to apply the knowledge learned in lectures. Case studies require that the students investigate what went right in the case, what went wrong, and what recommendations should be made to prevent these problems from reoccurring in the future. We will write a custom essay sample on Amp of Canada or any similar topic only for you Order Now The use of cases studies is applicable both to undergraduate and graduate level project management courses, as well as to training programs in preparation to pass the exam to become a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP~a)d ministered by the Project Management Institute. Situations are smaller case studies and usually focus on one or two specific points that need to be addressed, whereas case studies focus on a multitude of problems. The table of contents identifies several broad categories for the casesand situations, but keep in mind that the larger case studies, such as Convin Corporation and The Blue Spider Project, could have been listed under several topics. Several of the cases and situations have â€Å"seed† questions provided to assist the reader in the analysis of the case. An instructor’s manual is available from John Wiley Sons, Inc. , to faculty members who adopt the book for classroom use. Almost all of the case studies are factual. In most circumstances, the cases and situations have been taken from the author’s consulting practice. Some educators prefer not to use case studies dated back to the 1970s and 1980s. It would be easy just to change the dates but inappropriate in the eyes of the author. The circumstances surrounding these cases and situations are the same today as they were twenty years ago. Unfortunately we seem to be repeating several of the mistakes made previously. Part 1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES As companies approach some degree of maturity in project management, it becomes readily apparent to all that some sort of standardization approach is necessary for the way that projects are managed. The ideal solution might be to have a singular methodology for all projects, whether they are for new product development, information systems, or client services. Some organizations may find it necessary to maintain more than one methodology, however, such as one methodology for information systems and a second methodology for new product development. The implementation and acceptance of a project management methodology can be difficult if the organization’s culture provides a great deal of resistance toward the change. Strong executive leadership may be necessary such that the barriers to change can be overcome quickly. These barriers can exist at all levels of’ management as well as at the worker level. The changes may require that workers give up their comfort zones and seek out new social groups. Part 2 IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT The first step in the implementation of project management is to recognize the true benefits that can be achieved from using project management. These benefits can be recognized at all levels of the organization. However, each part of the organization can focus on a different benefit and want the project management methodology to be designed for their particular benefit. Another critical issue is that the entire organization may not end up providing the same level of support for project management. This could delay the final implementation of project management. In addition, there may be some pockets within the organization that are primarily project-driven and will give immediate support to project management, whereas other pockets, which are primarily non-project-driven, may be slow in their acceptance. How to cite Amp of Canada, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Development of The Effective Strategy Of Philanthropy Expansion

Question: Discuss about the Development Of The Effective Strategy Of Philanthropy Expansion In The Usa? Answer: Introduction Philanthropy or frequently termed as humanitarianism refers to the development of the individuals and the institutions globally (Gautier Pachech, 2015). This humanitarianism has opted for addressing the global issues that everyone is facing nowadays. Earlier, this generosity was achieved by the donations, made by the wealthy beings; however, today it also includes the skills, technical knowledge, and will, to serve for the benefit of the society (Galaskiewicz, 2013). It does not only reside in the intellect of the retired people, but youngsters also participate in these activities at their will. There are enormous numbers of non-profit institutes all over the world in which the USA ranked 9th in the charitable activities (Allen Seaman, 2013). Every year the percentage of the donations in these activities are increasing. Taken as an example the good amount increases to 7.1% in the year 2014 compared to 2013 (Chatterjee Finger (2014) Thus focusing on the importance of the philanthropy, it helps in the enhancement of the moral consensus of every individual and for the prevention of the social complications. It is very much alike to charity. The aim of philanthropy is to curb the cause of the problem rather than solving the consequences caused due to that problem, which is the goal of charity (Muller et al., 2014). In this report, the researcher highlights the problem, purpose and some questions regarding global philanthropy. Furthermore, the analysis comprises the data collection strategies, ethical issues regarding the collection, selection of target groups and examining whether they have willingly allowed the researcher for the research or demanded any compensation. Minimizing the coercion and maintaining their privacy is the proceeded step mentioned in this paper. Research Aim The goal of this research is to perceive some strategies for successful philanthropy expansion globally and the benefits of adopting those policies. Primary Problem for Research The prime complication regarding report is to develop the situation of the needed person. Not every being in this world is gifted with a luxurious life. Even there are some counties where the minimum luxury materials are also not available to them. The prime reason behind this is they could not afford that affluence. Some volunteers targeted this circumstance hence by making some donations for these people to bring required enhancement to their livelihood. These volunteers are the employed persons, who earn an appropriate amount of salary. People serving for regular wages are not capable of donation; hence targeting person with an average wage can help the needed person after fulfilling their requirements. Research Purpose The primary objective of this study is to resolve the issues raised by the pitfalls of the weakened philanthropy strategies. Through this research assignment, the researcher enlightens not only the help seekers present in the society but also proposes a way to the importance of their general assistance to these groups for the betterment of their well-being in the future. Another objective to undertake the assignment was to provoke the motif of concern, regarding the advancement of the society so that in future they could live with prosperity. The intention behind that is to put forward the awareness for the selflessness of the common being. Research Questions Q1. What are the most effective strategies for the expansion of the global philanthropy? Q2. What is the advantage of the global philanthropic activities? Q3. What are the possible conditions for the improvement of these charitable activities? Significance of the research In this world where there are several problem evolving on the daily basis, to solve most of the problems effectively, it requires some volunteers to hold the hands of the needy persons. Consequently, the researcher brings out the significance of the survey by highlighting the aspects for the different target groups on how they suffer and how the philanthropist could help them out of their dilemma (Tilcsik Marquis 2013). The significance also relies on the importance of the ethical consideration while researching on them and analyzes their condition by gathering some data (Aguinis Vandenberg 2014). Not everyone is comfortable with the analyzing process, while the data collection process for designing a statistics as may think this is something, which hampers his or her privacy. So, to propose an approach for maintaining their confidentiality and to diminish their problematic situation, the researcher depicts a view regarding that. Research Review In this section, the researcher will analyze the different strategies adopted for collecting data that aligns with the undertaken problems and the various target groups on which the research can focus. The researcher focused the employed groups of the societies, who willingly donate some portion of their income for charitable tasks for the betterment of their society and the prosperity of the needy people. Data Collection Strategy Research project needs some data on which the research process is performed. It requires the positive aspect regarding the data and a suitable approach for collecting those data (Beukenhorst Kerssemakers 2012). Primary and secondary methods accomplish the collection of data. Primarily the data is gathered from the research field by hosting some questioners, by direct communications like conducting an interview to capture a scenario on how they are willingly participating in the donation programs. Another aspect is to collect the data by the secondary approach; that comprises the collection of statistics from published journals, governing websites or by communicating with the philanthropists themselves (Lewis, 2015). Data can further be classified in two ways- quantitative and qualitative. The data that can be measured or calculated in numbers are termed as quantitative data, and those data that cannot be achieved in numbers and judged on the characteristics are termed as qualitative data. For this research, the analyst collected the data by conducting the survey to the employed personals from different countries. Alignment of the problem of the target group with the development of the active global philanthropy The highlighted aspect of this research study is the contribution of the capital wages from their earning wage that the selected volunteers willfully donate for the betterment of the society (Andreoni Payne 2013). All over the world, many charitable organizations work to enhance the condition of the poor people. Charity work or the philanthropy not only helps to develop the countrys scenario by hiking the economic growth but it also flourishes more experience in the volunteers' nature that contributes to motivate their surrounding and neighborhoods. This procedure also comforted the volunteers by tax-reduction if they donated to the charities, which are IRS-approved. Another personal impact that can be considered by the volunteers is the advancement in their money management planning. They will not only learn to donate to needy person, but they will also get influenced for not wasting any money on unnecessary items (Winterich et al., 2013). Ethical issues regarding data collection Every research procedure follows some moral rules. These ethics should maintain to distinguish between what is correct and incorrect (Miller et al., (2012). These norms help to differentiate between the favorable and negative issues concerning the research process. Data Protection: According to the Data Protection Act 1998 it formulated a governing rule for not to disclose personal information of the respondents during any phase of the research process. It is the responsibility of the researcher to maintain accurate data lawfully. The data must be handled carefully and should not violate the data protection act. Honesty and integrity: The philanthropists must be honest regarding their work and to the groups they are working with. Having secure communication with then can add more values in their honesty (Richards (2014). Also, it is imperative to maintain the integrity by keeping their promises and preserve consistency in their actions (Murray Fairfield, (2014, May). Confidentiality: This is the most central section to follow. Volunteers should keep every detail and communication a secret. Another aspect to look into is whether the data that is stored in the system are protected by some unauthorized access or not. Adopting relevant system security applications can be chosen for an accomplishment of this ethic. Voluntary Consent: In research, voluntary consent means that the respondent's consent must collect all the relevant data. In this case, it is up to them whether they are consent or not consent to make any contribution regarding philanthropy. The researcher cannot force to make them offer their earnings. Biasness avoidance: To prevent false data regarding the research, it is very crucial to avoid biased thoughts of the researcher. To prevent the biasness, the researcher must follow some factors. These factors comprise of asking irreverent questions to the respondent. The researcher must avoid sentimental question to the defendant. Other target groups Apart from the employed groups, who contribute from their salaries, another target group can be the philanthropists themselves. Surveying them can clarify the concept of whether the money they received is enough for taking appropriate steps for making the lively hood of the needy persons. The volunteers themselves provide a clear view regarding the actual condition of the people for whom the philanthropy is aimed. Accessing their permission and the confliction regarding their interest Another matter to focus on is that whether the volunteers themselves are ready to disclose their findings for designing the exact statistics. If they provide unclear data, then it is impossible to make an exact scenario of how much help the needy community requires (O'Leary, 2013). Ethical issues concerning other target groups The ethical issues, in this case, are also the same concerning the previous section. Maintaining honesty and integrity with the openness of innovative ideas for the advancement are the main points to focus (Miller et al., (2012). However, the most crucial factor is to keep their data and the conversation a secret to other groups. As the local authorities are ultimately responsible for carrying out their need and will work for their betterment, it is the philanthropists responsibility to deliver accurate details of the statistics for the exact tracking of the development of the society. Data collection methodology used for research For this research, the data taken into consideration is the quantitative data. The researcher gathered those data by the primary approach. Hosting questionnaire sessions or interviews concerning their interest for donations are some fundamental approaches. It finally results in the economic growth of the country by helping other or minor communities. Conclusion From this whole research work about the development of the productive strategy of philanthropy expansion in the USA, the researcher concludes that the increasing rate of unemployment and poverty are two of the main reasons for the lower growth of the economy of the USA. Thus with the collaboration of the Government, the philanthropist bring the adverse circumstance of the target group into the light so that their condition can be improved. The respective process needs, not only their permission to collect the data regarding their experience so far but also needs some ethical issue for consideration. By fulfilling these questions, the whole process can be handled with efficiency. Lastly, the philanthropists can only hope for the better future for all of them- the unemployed youth, needy people and the country. References Aguinis, H., Vandenberg, R. J. (2014). An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Improving research quality before data collection.Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav.,1(1), 569-595. Allen, I. E., Seaman, J. (2013).Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States. Sloan Consortium. PO Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. Andreoni, J., Payne, A. A. (2013). Charitable giving.Handbook of public economics, Beukenhorst, D., Kerssemakers, F. (2012). Data collection strategy.Statistics Netherlands. Chatterjee, P., Finger, M. (2014).The earth brokers: power, politics and world development. Routledge. Galaskiewicz, J. (2013).Social organization of an urban grants economy: A study of business philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. Elsevier. Gautier, A., Pache, A. C. (2015). Research on corporate philanthropy: A review and assessment.Journal of Business Ethics,126(3), 343-369. Lewis, S. (2015). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches.Health promotion practice, 1524839915580941. Miller, T., Birch, M., Mauthner, M., Jessop, J. (Eds.). (2012).Ethics in qualitative research. Sage. Muller, A. R., Pfarrer, M. D., Little, L. M. (2014). A theory of collective empathy in corporate philanthropy decisions.Academy of Management Review,39(1), 1-21. Murray, J., Fairfield, J. A. (2014, May). Global ethics and virtual worlds: Ensuring functional integrity in transnational research studies. InEthics in Science, Technology and Engineering, 2014 IEEE International Symposium on(pp. 1-7). IEEE. O'Leary, Z. (2013).The essential guide to doing your research project. Sage. Richards, L. (2014).Handling qualitative data: A practical guide. Sage. Tilcsik, A., Marquis, C. (2013). Punctuated generosity how mega-events and natural disasters affect corporate philanthropy in US communities.Administrative Science Quarterly, 0001839213475800. Winterich, K. P., Mittal, V., Aquino, K. (2013). When does recognition increase charitable behavior? Toward a moral identity-based model.Journal of Marketing,77(3), 121-134.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

The U.S. Economy and the Future free essay sample

This paper discusses the U.S. economy and presents future predictions. This paper presents an overview of the U.S. Economy in 2002. The author feels that although many economists disagree on the state of the U.S. economics, the national economy will continue to be healthy. The nation seems to be making recovery from its large financial debt. Table of Contents Justin Foxs View of the Economics Credit and the Economy Debates of Economists Economists and Unemployment Effects of the Tragedy on September 11 Recovery? This economist is discouraging about the future economics of the U.S., but only a few Americans exist on credit? Would economist agree with this? Its true that most Americans live on credit cards and borrowed money. The whole of macroeconomics is that all will hurt when a few follow. Does our financial help come from Americans or foreign investors? Without help from some of the foreign investors, what will happen to the economy? Yet, the foreign investors will not continue to loan money to a country in debt. We will write a custom essay sample on The U.S. Economy and the Future or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The federal deficit worried many during the 1980s and 90s but the U.S. pulled out of the debt.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Role of Media in National Secu essays

Role of Media in National Secu essays The media serves a complicated role in national security. It can serve as a national comforter in times of war, assassination, and tragedy. In the case of September 11th horrors, a critic should stress the exhausting, often excellent work of individual reporters and news organizations. But most of us can agree that the media has some fundamental flaws and continuing problems with modern journalism were on display in the coverage of the tragedy and its aftermath. The biggest problem the public had with media, in regard to the war in Iraq, was the repeated printing and airing of potentially dangerous information that could conceivably be used by terrorist to plan further attacks. There is a fine line in this situation. News organizations have a responsibility to point out holes in protective cover in government plans, but it is difficult to justify some of what made I on the air and into print. A report by David Shaw from the Los Angeles Times made The Washington Post out to be one of the worst offenders when it published a map of Washington just five days after 9-11 that showed the correct path and wind direction for terrorist sorties on the nations capital. One of the best examples of the media at its worst was the coverage of the anthrax scare. Anthrax is dangerous, but easily treatable when antibiotics are given, yet the public scare produced by the massive coverage of anthrax was way out of proportion. As vicious as the crime was, the media portrayed anthrax was out of proportion to the actual threat faced by American. At the time, the public wanted and needed to know more about the truly serious terrorist threats at home and abroad. The anthrax scare and its follow-ups were not just unclear or just produce more central questions about terrorism, it also took away a lot of time that many other major stories could not be told to the degree they deserved on television. Many pieces of legislation passed or rejec ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Analysis of The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay -- Nathaniel Ha

Although â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne was written in the mid-1800s, its themes and ideas are still a part of society today. The 19th century was a time of change, just as this, the millennium, is a time of great change. Hawthorne’s ideas about science, beauty, and life still play a major part in our lives, despite many improvements. Even today, people try to play â€Å"God† and change things that nature has put in place. It’s human curiosity; how much can be changed, how many things can be perfected? The themes in this short story-- religion, gender, and science--were relevant in Hawthorne’s day, and still are many years later. The theme of religion is hidden in the desire to erase the birthmark. In trying to â€Å"perfect† Georgiana, Aylmer is testing God’s creation. He doesn’t believe that how God created Georgiana is perfect, and he is obsessive about making her his idea of perfection. Aminadab, Aylmer’s servant, tries to tell his master to leave the birthmark alone. He tells Aylmer that if Georgiana were his wife, he wouldn’t worry about something so trivial. However, the scientific ideas on Aylmer’s mind won’t let him forget the birthmark. He believes he can remove it with the help of science. Even so, science has no part in creation, according to Hawthorne, and Georgiana’s death after the removal of the birthmark signifies that theory. Her death is Hawthorne’s way of showing that judgment and perfection are God’s duti...

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Business - Project Management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business - Project Management - Dissertation Example Project management includes developing a project plan, which includes defining and confirming the project goals and objectives, identifying tasks and how goals will be achieved, quantifying the resources needed, and determining budgets and timelines for completion† (All about Project Management n.d.). 25 Research Design and Methodology: 27 2.6 Methodology: 27 2.7 Research Design: 27 2.7.1 Operations and Lean Strategies: 27 2.7.2 Developments and Project Management Principles: 28 2.8 Analysis Strategy: 29 2.9 Validity and Reliability 30 2.10 Summary 30 2.11 TBD 30 2.12 TBD 30 2.13 TBD 30 2.14 TBD 30 2.15 Results Model (TBD) 30 2.16 Summary 30 3 Discussion 30 3.1 TBD 30 3.2 TBD 31 3.3 Summary 31 4 Conclusions: 31 4.1 Summary of Conclusions: 31 4.2 Weaknesses of the Research: 31 4.3 Future Research 31 4.4 Summary and Concluding Remarks 31 Figure 1 - Toyota Production System (King 2009, p. 9). 13 Figure 2 - Project Management Triangle (Phillips 2007): 19 Figure 3 - Improvement Meth odology (Freire & Alarco'n 2002, p. 250). 29 1 Introduction: This dissertation is a case study of an exploration and production company in the Oil & Gas Industry that has operations in six Continents. The remainder of this document will refer to make reference to the subject of this Case Study as â€Å"The Company†. The Company has more than 50 years of history and aspires to be a leading Independent Global Exploration and Production Company (IOC). In this effort, it has grown its global production from 200,000 barrels per day in the year 2000 to more than 400,000 barrels of oil per day today. The ability for a company to grow its sales by six percent a year average over 12 years is stellar achievement, as changes in the industry make increases in production more difficult. Marathon Oil, according to Gelsi (2011), had a target growth of three to five percent for the same period and has only recently increased their target growth. This is a clear indication of the dedication t o performance of The Company during the period that allowed it to exceed the expectations of its peers during difficult times in the Oil Industry. The Oil Industry has changed over time and the number of large oil discoveries made in recent years continues to fall. Ibrahim (2007) explains that the percentage of large oil finds has fallen dramatically and most large findings are natural gas and are located in deep water or other high cost operating areas. IOC’s must adjust to the changing environment in which large discoveries are rare. A second issue that has a detrimental impact on IOC’s profitability is the Nationalization of the existing oil fields. The Nationalization of 65% of the World’s Oil fields (Fox, 2007) has dramatically changed the competitive environment for the Independent Oil Company (IOC). This reduces the number of opportunities for the Independent Oil Company and increases the level of competition between them. The increased competition caused by Nationalization has resulted in most IOC’

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

EPI7005 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

EPI7005 - Essay Example Several methods have been used in the correction of geometric distortions in MRI diffusion weighted normally resulting from static magnetic field inhomogeneities. Such inhomogeneties may be as a result of some imperfection within the magnet or magnetic susceptibility spatial variation of the object that is being imaged (Christ, 2000, p. 78). The spatial variation is normally referred to as susceptibility artifacts. EPI applied in most of protocols used in diffusion weighted acquisition uses a homogenous static field. Such afield does not normally hold for MRI head. The distortion that comes out of this is significant enough to even exceed ten millimeters. Such artifacts come in the way of accurate diffusion images alignment with structural MRI and are considered obstacles to the head MRI joint analysis of structure and connectivity. Some of the methods used for correction of magnetic susceptibility distortions include the use of a filed map. However, such methods of applying field ma ps are not reliable and accurate hence do not result in reliable EPI alignment with structural images that correspond to it. The T2-weighted structural image approach that relies on EPI baseline image and still gives account of the susceptibility artifacts is the recommended approach (Edelman and Schmitt, 1994, p. 610) Question 1A Several parameters have to be reduced in order to optimize EPI image and they include: A. Reducing the time of echo train length: The longer the length of the echo train, the more time is required by the spin to gather phase error and also the greater the distortion witnessed. One of the ways of minimizing the total time of train length is by minimizing the echo spacing. The less the time taken by the frequency gradient in sampling the signal, the less the distortion that will be witnessed as shown in figure 1. The period for sampling is normally during the flat readout gradient portion unless there is ramp sampling. In FSE, the less the ESP or the echo sp acing, the less the blurring of the image. In EPI, minimizing the echo spacing also results in a reduction in the blurring as well as a reduction in geometric distortion. Figure 1. The sampling time and the read encoding gradient during normal gradient performance (McMahon, 2012) As the segmentation degree increases, the echo number acquired per rf excitation decreases. This in turn minimizes the geometric distortion as the phase error time of accumulation is reduced. Figure 2 below demonstrates a reduction in effective inter-echo spacing (McMahon, 2012). Gradients are from two varying excitations, interleaved and offset with respect to each other. Figure 3 shows geometric distortion reduction as the shot number increases. In areas with low inherent homogeneity like the sinuses, the geometric distortion can appear with a larger shots number. As the shots number increases beyond a given point, the distortion reduction becomes unnoticeable. Figure 5; demonstration of the reduction of geometric distortion as the number of shots is increased (McMahon, 2012) B. Reducing echo spacing; methods used to shorten echo spacing include: Ramp sampling Increasing the receiver bandwidth through achieving a stronger gradient Resolution reduction hence a reduction in the echoes train number Phase encoding collection in multiple sessions (segmented or multiple shot EPI) By using increased amplitudes or

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Things They Carried Essay Example for Free

The Things They Carried Essay In the short essay â€Å"The Things They Carried† the setting takes place during the Vietnam War. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross and his troops are assigned different missions, one of which is to look for the enemies in tunnels. â€Å"After five minutes, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross moved to the tunnel, leaned down, and examined the darkness† (p. 597). Throughout the story the narrator gives a background on the war and describes the different things the troops have to carry with them, both physical and emotional baggage. The Vietnam War began in 1959. The United States declared a war against Vietnam to stop the spread of communism. Many young man were drafted most of them did not want to go to war. Once they were at war they did not want to leave the war; if they could not move, they stayed to fight the enemy. â€Å"It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor† (p. 598). Everyone in the war wanted to survive, so they had to carry everything they needed to stay alive. The story constantly lists the physical baggage the troops have to carry with them. â€Å"Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water† (p. 596). Some troops took things with them that they did not really need and made their baggage heavier. Along with physical baggage, the troops carried emotional baggage. After Ted Lavender died, Lieutenant Cross felt like it was his fault and he should have cared about his troops more than Martha. â€Å"He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war† (p. 599). The story does not describe much of what other troops’ emotional baggage was, but just like every other soldier in combat they all had something that troubled them. The story ends with the Lieutenant Cross hating Martha and becoming stricter with his troops. He did not want to lose another soldier because of some girl, and he understood that the troops might not favor him as much, but it was for their well-being. â€Å"Among men there would be grumbling, of course, and maybe worse; because their days would seem longer and their loads heavier, but Lieutenant Jimmy Cross reminded himself that his obligation was not to be loved but to lead† (p. 606).

Thursday, November 14, 2019

science of ozone :: essays research papers fc

THE SCIENCE OF OZONE Ozone, though similar to oxygen chemically, is composed of three molecules of oxygen and is usually blue in color with a very strong odor. The atmosphere contains less ozone than the common oxygen. While out of every ten million air molecules, there exist about two million molecules of normal oxygen and only three molecules of ozone. Most of these ozone molecules are typically concentrated in the Stratosphere, the atmospheric layer that runs roughly from ten kms to about fifty kms in altitude. Even though the amount of ozone in the atmosphere is small, it plays a vital role in the atmosphere. The ozone layer protects the Earth and everything on it by absorbing the sun’s UV radiation. When the ozone is not at an atmospheric level and is at ground level, ozone proves to have toxic effects. ‘Inhaling fairly low amounts of ozone can result in signs and symptoms such as coughing, congestion, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest pain in otherwise healthy people. People with already existing asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, and emphysema may find their conditions worsen while inhaling ozone. Breathing ozone may also increase the risk of getting certain lung diseases. People can recover from short-term exposure to low levels of ozone. However, breathing high levels of ozone or breathing low levels of ozone over a long period of time may have more damaging and longer-lasting effects.’ Ozone has also been found to have positive effects on people. It has proven to be a very purifying substance. Doctors are now aware that it has three powerful properties: 1. It stimulates the immune systems through production of natural cancer-killing proteins called cytokines. 2. It improves oxygenation (delivery of oxygen to starved tissues) and metabolism. 3. It is a powerful antibiotic when applied locally. Ozone is made naturally in the atmosphere or artificially by using high voltages or ultraviolet rays. Ozone and Oxygen work together efficiently to prevent the ultraviolet radiations reaching the earth’s surface. The ultraviolet radiations with shorter wavelengths, such as wavelengths less than 242 nm, have sufficient energy to break the O-O covalent bonds in the oxygen molecules and are thereby used up by the oxygen molecules. < 242 nm O2 (g) Â ® 2O (g) Similarly, ultraviolet radiations with higher wavelengths, for example more than 242 nm to 320 nm, are used up in breaking the bonds between the oxygen atoms in an Ozone molecule. 242-320 nm

Monday, November 11, 2019

Plan I For Paradise Essay

As we expand our business in Kava, we have to bear in mind that the major obstacle to business in this piece of paradise in the South Pacific is the number of disasters that take place on it. We may lose our business one fine day to a tsunami if nothing else. All the same, our new plan to expand our business in Kava is necessary, seeing that we could be of tremendous assistance to the government of Kava apart from the significant number of people who reside here – all of whom are expecting perfection in this tiny patch of paradise, which is the reason why they do not leave it for good despite the threats faced by Kava. Although there are various models provided by textbooks to understand and measure organizational effectiveness, the basic meaning of organizational effectiveness remains unchanged: It is for the organization to be doing everything that it knows how to do, and to be doing it well. The organization knows how to manage its employees, and to manufacture the products or provide the services that it originally set out to manufacture or provide. However, in order to be effective in its operations, the organization should be managing its employees well, and manufacturing good quality products or providing high quality services to its customers. What is more, in the organizational environment of today, the organization that is effective in its operations must be effectively using information technology. This is, in fact, one of the requirements of organizational effectiveness in our time (Helms). Besides, this is an essential element of clearing the mess for an ‘organization’ to come into existence. With the above definition of organizational effectiveness in view, we shall make the most technologically advanced shopping mall in the center of Kava. Given that our business culture could serve as a model for the rest of the businesses on this land, our organizational culture, which will be the personality of our company, would not only accommodate the latest advances in technology in all respects, but also an emphasis on ethics (McNamara, 1997). We will be supporting the economy of Kava by hiring a great number of people to work on our premises. In our organizational culture, we will value diversity, seeing that it is a highly effective strategy (Whitfield and Landeros, 2006). Diversity in the workplace is expected to facilitate the exchange of new ideas, making the organization more creative in its thinking; improve the problem solving ability of the organization through the invitation of diverse ideas; and establish a respectful as well as tolerant and accepting work environment (Reichenberg, 2001). The workplace that values diversity among its employees would have an organizational culture that stakeholders around the world would admire and respect. An organization that does not value diversity in the workplace, however, will reflect the negative attitude and discrimination toward diverse groups also in its organizational culture. More importantly, the workplace that reflects prejudice and discrimination in its organizational culture would not be able to convince its stakeholders of allowing it to remain in the marketplace, seeing as it is impossible to satisfy the needs of those that the organization despises. Organizational health programs, too, are essential for the survival of companies. Undoubtedly, a healthy workforce would work wonders for any business by reducing absenteeism and turnover, and increasing employee motivation, productivity and revenues. Lowe (2004) writes that hundreds of studies have already documented the direct as well as indirect advantages of â€Å"healthy work environments† to employees in addition to their organizations (p. 7). Indeed, healthy workplaces as well as jobs contribute to the well-being of employees. These benefits may be realized by the whole organization through lower absenteeism, lower turnover, higher job satisfaction, improved performance on the job, lower rates of accident, in addition to â€Å"reduced health benefit and worker compensation costs (Lowe, p. 7). † Moreover, research has revealed that the largest gains in productivity may be realized by the organization that changes the entire work environment to make it healthier for all employees (Lowe). Hence, we will treat the residents of Kava that work with us with utmost respect by not only offering them good salaries, but also by focusing on their health and safety on our premises. Research has revealed that the United States has occupational injury and illness rates that rival those of AIDS, Alzheimer’s Disease, and various kinds of cancers (â€Å"Dying for the Job,† 2002). We will undo the wrongs of the organizational processes in our homeland by making our business environment as safe and healthy as possible. The impact of this aspect of our organizational culture is expected to be great. As a matter of fact, the impact will be experienced even in the United States where businesses might cite our own organization as an example in health and safety management. Because of threats of terrorism, we will employ the most technologically advanced security system in our new shopping mall in the center of paradise. In addition, the environment that we create would reveal itself to be so healthy and safe that all consumers and employees would be able to virtually forget about the disasters in Kava while they remain on our premises. It is necessary to provide such a safe haven for the people of paradise. In point of fact, creating such an environment would yield long term benefits for our company. What is more, by interacting with our customers with their best interests in our view, our company would additionally be able to strengthen its relationships within the community. Finally, it must be clarified that all of our business transactions related to the new business venture would be fair and square. There shall be no dishonesty in any aspect of our business, and all instances of fraud as well as business misunderstandings will be treated with a sense of urgency and justice. By developing a strong and effective organizational culture that incorporates the values outlined above, we would not only be able to nurture our human resources in order to effectively utilize them, but we would also be serving as an exemplar for the rest of the businesses in the community. With good business practices, our company is definitely expected to function in the community for a long time. In order not to lose our focus on ‘best practices,’ as the business community nowadays refers to good business practices, we shall make the following definition of total quality management a part of our mission statement: â€Å"[E]verything in our company has to be done the best that is humanly possible. There’s no room for `good enough (Nelton, 1993). ’† Even in the event of a major disaster, the example we set shall remain as a model for others to follow for a long time to come.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Employment Law Essay

Early this year, there are reports that the number of employees calling in sick has risen to staggering levels. According to an absence management company, there are about 3. 6 million employees who called in sick the first week of January (Pitcher, 2008). The United Kingdom ranked as second as having the most number of employees with long term sickness in a survey conducted by the European Community (Tehrani and Rainbird, 2005). The level of absence for UK was 27. 2% as against an average of 16. % of the European Union (Tehrani and Rainbird, 2005). An approximate figure of 14. 1 million days ‘were lost to stress and anxiety in 2001† (Tehrani and Rainbird, 2005). Absences due to stress and mental problems significantly affect both the employer and the employees. This matter apparently has been taken for granted and unaddressed for sometime until the enactment of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), Employment Act 2002, Employment Rights Act 1996, and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. This paper shall show the manner by which the pertinent provisions of these pieces of legislation are applied to a hypothetical case and it shall also seek to identify and explain the remedies of an employee in case of violation of the provisions. Disability—Sickness Absence The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines disability as one having a ‘physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’ (Section 1(1), Part 1, DDA 1995). The Industrial Tribunal has applied the definition to the different cases brought before it. For instance, in the case of Greenwood v. United Tiles Limited; the employee concerned was suffering from diabetes and was held to be disabled by the Tribunal (Greenwood v. United Tiles Limited 1101067/97/C). In the case of O’Neil v Symm & Company Limited, the Tribunal considered ME or chronic fatigue syndrome as a disability (O’Neil v Symm & Company Limited, 2700054/97). Even abdominal pains which had no medical diagnosis with respect to its origin was declared as a disability by the Tribunal in the case of Howden v Capital Copiers (Edinburgh) Limited (400005/97) (Thompsons Solicitors web site, 2007). Anent mental disability, Walton v LI Group Limited case involved an employee who had learning difficulties. The Tribunal ruled that the employee is considered disabled under the DDA basing its conclusion on the testimonial evidence of the employee’s parents and the fact that the employee was receiving disability living allowance (Walton v LI Group Limited, 1600562/97). The increased awareness for mental health and issues associated with it has accelerated in time, clinical depression is in fact already considered as a disability. Clinical depression is a ‘common mood disorder in psychology and psychiatry in which a person’s enjoyment of life and ability to function socially and in day-to-day matters is disrupted by intense sadness, melancholia, numbness or despair’ (Farlex Free Dictionary web site, n. d. ). In the recent appealed case of O’Hanlon v Commissioners for HM Revenue & Customs, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that clinical depression is considered a disability and therefore falls within the coverage of the DDA 1995 [O’Hanlon v Commissioners for HM Revenue & Customs (2007) EWCA Civ 283]. Applying the above discussed legal principles to the given hypothetical case, Vangeer has been diagnosed to be suffering from clinical depression. This was brought about by the incident when she accidentally pricked herself with a needle which she picked up while cleaning a bus in the depot of her employer. This caused panic attacks and anxiety and for which she was given a year off from work. At this juncture, it is important to stress that the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires the employers to ensure the health and safety of its employees in the place of work. Towards its realization, the law imposes upon the employer the duty to make ‘the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health’ (Section 2 (2)(a), HSWA 1974). This means that Snail Pace Bus Company should have provided a system of work including protective gear for those who clean their buses (Health Safety Executive, 2006). In addition, the employer is also supposed to take measures to protect their employee who may return to work considering that there is more likelihood that the employee may be weak because of the injury or disability (Health Safety Executive, 2006). Vangeer went on sickness absence for about a year. Sickness absence may be short term or long term. A long term sickness absence connotes serious medical reasons such as in the case of Vangeer. Long-term absence is ‘usually defined as a period of absence in excess of two weeks’ (Corcoran, 2006). When she returned for work, a new team leader made discriminatory remarks about her race. In hindsight, this may be considered as a violation of the Race Relations Act 1976. It may be shown that there is direct discrimination of Vangeer because she is black such as when she is treated less favourably than another (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. ). Moreover, it may be shown that there is some form of harassment under the Race Relations Act 1976 as amended by the New Regulations of 2003 (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. ). Harassment is broad as to include ‘abusive language, excessive monitoring of work, excessive criticism of someone’s work etc. ’ (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. ). It may be claimed that Vangeer suffered by because she was degraded, intimidated and her dignity violated. The violation of her dignity is subjective and the Tribunal would need to rule using the ‘reasonableness’ standard (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. In this case, the effect of Bob’s conduct has caused Vangeer to go on sickness absence for three weeks more based on the recommendation of her psychiatrist. Her transfer to another team was also suggested. Even before the period of sickness absence has lapsed, Snail Pace Bus Company was bought by Slow Coach Ltd. and Vangeer was called to a meeting about her absence. Thereafter, she was dismissed from her employment with pay. Her dismissal is illegal. ‘In relation to long-term sickness absence, the employer who dismisses an employee faces three potential legal risks’ (Lemon & Co. 2008). Vangeer may file for a claim for unfair dismissal, for disability discrimination and for violation of her contract of employment. It is axiomatic that there exists between the employer and the employee, a contract of employment. It is an agreement whereby the rights and obligations of both the employee and the employer are specified (Direct. Gov web site, 2008). When the employee accepts employment, there is an automatic contract of employment that is created regardless of whether this has been reduced into writing (Direct. Gov web site, 2008). Generally, employment contracts contain the following clauses: ‘commencement, term, job title and duties, place of work, hours of work, pay, holiday entitlement, pension, sickness absence, intellectual property, confidentiality, termination disciplinary, dismissal and grievance procedures, and collective agreements’(Clickdocs web site, n. d. ). The terms of employment in respect of hours of work, pay, termination of employment and other benefits are provided by the statutes. This being the case, the employer is mandated to comply with the provisions of the statutes. For instance, dismissal procedures should be observed. In the instant case, Vangeer was invited to a meeting to discuss her absence and after a day she was dismissed from employment with pay. The Employment Act 2002, Part 3, Section 30 (1) provides that, ‘Every contract of employment shall have effect to require the employer and employee to comply, in relation to any matter to which a statutory procedure applies, with the requirements of the procedure’ (EA 2002). The law requires that the employer observe the procedure in cases of dismissal as provided for under section 29, Schedule 2 Statutory Dispute Resolution Procedures, Chapter 1 and 2. Substantially, the employer is required by law to put into writing the circumstances and acts of the employee which he led him to initiate disciplinary or dismissal steps and invite him to discuss it in a meeting. The employee must have notice and reasonable opportunity to be apprised of the same. After the meeting, the employer must inform the employee of his decision and inform him of his right to appeal. Should the employee opt for an appeal, another meeting should be scheduled before the dismissal or the disciplinary penalty shall have been effective (Section 29, Schedule 2, Chapter 1, EA 2002). In the instant case, Vangeer apparently may have been given an unfairly short notice and was not informed of her right of appeal if she was not satisfied with the decision. In retrospect, the jurisdiction over wrongful dismissal cases were lodged in courts until 1994 when jurisdiction was given to the Employment Tribunals which were authorised to grant only up to GBP25,000 (British Employment web site, 2007). A contrary rule is observed with respect to unfair dismissals and discrimination cases, where the courts can award greater amounts of monetary damages. Wrongful dismissal results when employer fails to give the employee notice in accordance with the employment contract and without appropriate pay (British Employment web site, 2007). It has been observed though that it is better for the ‘employee to sue if the contract provides a fairly long notice period’ (British Employment web site, 2007). Monetary damages in these cases are computed based on the amount of loss in terms of compensation and other benefits. Unfair dismissal occurs when the employee is terminated from employment and the employer in doing so had no valid and justifiable reason (Direct. gov web site, 2008). The Employment Rights Act 1996, specifically Part X sections 111 to 132 provide for the remedies in case of unfair dismissal. In a nutshell, there are three options: an order for reinstatement, an order for re-engagement or an order for compensation. Reinstatement is when the Tribunal orders the employer to put the employee back to work with the same position and assigned tasks. There is re-engagement when the employee is placed back to work with a new post and tasks but under the same employer ((British Employment web site, 2007). In cases where the Tribunal issues an order for reinstatement or re-engagement, it cannot also order compensation [Wilson (HM Inspector of Taxes) v Clayton (2003) EWCA Civ 1657]. In the instant case, Vangeer was unlawfully dismissed because of her long absence. The Employment Rights Act 1996 provide for the employer’s responsibilities in case sickness absence and dismissal are due to ill-health (Mace & Jones web site, 2007). Bad health may be considered a good basis for dismissal of an employee because it affects the ability and capacity of the employee to perform his assigned duties and tasks. The law mandates that in order for a dismissal based on ill-health can be considered as fair, the employer must observe and comply with the legal requirements (Mace & Jones web site, 2007). The employee must be given the reasonable opportunity to recover and return to work before they can be dismissed’ (Lemon & Co. web site, 2008). In the instant case, Snail Pace Bus Company gave Vangeer about a year to recover from her clinical depression. A return to work programme was drawn up for her. Her relapse was instigated by her new manager. She was given a three week off from work and before the lapse of that time she was dismissed after the discussion with Slow Coach Ltd. Vangeer apparently was not given a reasonable opportunity to even use her three week off when in fact, the relapse was caused by management. However, it should be pointed out that not in all cases shall the employer be liable even if he partly or wholly was responsible for the incapacity of the employee. In the case of McAdie v Royal Bank of Scotland [2007] EWCA Civ 806, the Employment Appeal Tribunal reversed the decision of the Employment Tribunal when it ruled that the dismissal was justified even if the employer, partly or wholly caused the employee’s incapacity because based on the medical evidence obtained ‘there was no prospect of the employee returning to work’ [McAdie v Royal Bank of Scotland (2007) EWCA Civ 806]. Another requirement would be is for the employer to seek evidence of the medical status of the illness of the employee. The employer must request for medical reports from the employee’s physician upon the authorisation of the former (Lemon & Co. web site, 2008). The employer may also request for the examination of the employee by the employer’s own physician. The meeting should be for purposes of assessing the current medical state, the existing medical advice and medical evidence. In the case of Vangeer, Slow Coach Ltd. ailed to request the medical reports from her physician. Moreover, the employee must be consulted through a series of meetings for purposes of exploring ways and issues for alternative options and reasonable adjustments (Lemon & Co. web site, 2008). Albeit, there is one meeting conducted with Vangeer, no exhaustive discussion seemed to have been made. Finally, ‘The employer must consider the possibility of making adjustments to the working environment in order to permit the employee to return to work’ (Lemon & Co. eb site, 2008). When Vangeer was ill the first time, the employer made a programme which allowed her to start work late and go home early. However in the case of relapse, the suggestion that she be re-assigned to a different team was not deliberated upon and carried out by Slow Coach Ltd. It is the responsibility of the employer to seek and accept suggestions from the employee on how she can work when she returns. In a complaint for unfair dismissal, the Employment Tribunal shall take the following factors into consideration: ‘nature of the employee’s illness, the likely duration of the illness, the nature of the job, the needs of the employer, the employee’s length of service, the type (and amount) of sick pay paid to the employee and alternative employment’ (Lemon & Co. web site, 2008). The most important factor that will be considered is whether the employer took measures in gathering information and ascertaining medical reports from which he would base a fair and reasonable conclusion and decision. There must be recent, comprehensive and competent medical findings (Direct. gov web site, 2008). He must also comply with the procedures in dismissing an employee in accordance with the Employment Act 2002 and the Dispute Regulations 2004 (Direct. gov web site, 2008). Failure to follow the â€Å"statutory minimum dismissal and disciplinary procedure† shall make him liable to ‘a minimum basic award of 4 weeks pay. Furthermore, any compensation awarded by an Employment Tribunal may increase by 10-50%’ (Direct. gov web site, 2008). There is no distinction between sickness absence and disability. In the case of Clark v Novacold (18901661/97) ‘the Industrial Tribunal concluded that there should be no distinction between the two, and dismissal for sickness absence does in fact relate to the disability and accordingly is prima facie unlawful’ (Thompsons Solicitors web site, 1997). According to Solicitor Michael Corcoran, if the disability is the cause of the long term sickness absence and the employee was in fact dismissed, such dismissal is tantamount to discrimination unless it is shown that dismissal is justifiable (Corcoran, 2006). The lack of knowledge of Slow Coach Ltd. may have on the disability would be irrelevant and immaterial to the issue of whether Vangeer was treated less favourably (Corcoran, 2006). Under Section 20 of the Discrimination Disability Act 1995, direct discrimination is committed when the employee is ‘treated less favourably’ than another not suffering from such disability and that such treatment is by reason of the employee’s disability (DDA 2005). Moreover, the employer shall also be liable if he failed to make reasonable adjustments so that the disabled employee can continue his or her employment (HSE, n. d. ). The law requires that the employer ‘go an extra mile’ for the disabled employee, albeit the law does not set parameters of its extent. However, case law has laid down legal principles based on each of the precedent-setting case (HSE, n. d. ).

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Enola Gay essays

Enola Gay essays Protests over the public display of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in WWII, serve as an important symbol of the public struggle between conservative and political ideologies in America. History is largely written by the victors, and it is the victor of this ideological struggle that will shape America's further interpretations of the war. As such, as the protesters urged a display of victim's names alongside the Enola Gay, they are symbolically asking for America to redefine its ideas about the root causes and ultimate costs of Human memory is notoriously fallible, and society's recollection of history is largely dependent on what is written in books, academic journals, and what is portrayed in the media. However, our records of history of are largely often determined by social and political concerns. It is commonly said, that history is written by the victors. As such, the current clash of ideologies over the Enola Gay is more than a simple debate over facts; it is a war between clashing ideologies for who will ultimately be able to write the history of America's use of the atomic bomb. Today, America is often torn between conservative and liberal political ideologies. This division can be seen in current political debates about abortion and health care, and even in campaigns for the Perhaps one of the most identifiable symbols of this ideological debate emerged in recent controversy over the Enola Gay. The Enola Gay is the airplane that dropped America's atomic bomb on Hiroshima (Thomas). As such, it is intimately tied up in America's memory of the war, and interpretations of the justification for dropping the bomb. In short, liberals see the Enola Gay as symbolic of America's destructive war-like tendencies and disregard for human suffering, while conservatives see the ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Module 5 Case Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 5 Case - Assignment Example (Drury, 2004) These divisions are obligated to transact amongst themselves, the costs are decided by using a transfer. Even though the transfer prices may not differ much from the market prices, one of the divisions or the company as a whole in such a transaction go at a loss The buying divisions may buy for more than the principal market price or the selling division can sell below the market price, hence affecting their performance. This can either result into a loss or gain in any or all of the divisions. The company can also make a profit or a loss (Tully, 2012) Table1 of Supply Division C Quantity Manufactured Quantity supplied Current supply Price per unit Total Cost Proposed supply Price per unit Total Cost Supplier C part 101 2,000 3,000 $900 $2,700,000 2,000 $900 $1,800,000 Supplier C part 201 500 1,000 $900 $900,000 500 $1,900 $950,000 From the table 1: Division C will experience a loss, since it, supply of Part 101 reduces from a volume of $2,700,000 to $1,800,000. The tra nsfer price is $2,000 while the market price for this part 101 is $900. Even though the total volume of supply of part 201 to Division B indicates a slight drop from the transfer price. The overall transaction for this division is a loss. Table2 for Buying Division A Quantity Bought Current purchase Price per unit Total Cost Proposed Purchases Price per unit Total Cost Supplier C part 101 3,000 $900 $2,700,000 2,000 $900 $1,800,000 External Supplier part 101 1,000 $900 $900,000 2,000 $900 $1,800,000 The buying division A will be in profit, because the price for the part A is $900. This price is less than the transfer price of $1,000. Even though the quantity supplied by Division C has reduced, they have increased their purchase volume from the external supply from 1,000 units to 2,000 units Table three for buying division B Quantity Bought Current Purchases Price per unit Total Cost Proposed Purchase Price per unit Total Cost Supplier C part 201 1,000 $900 $900,000 2,000 $900 $1,800 ,000 External Supplier part 201 1,000 $900 $900,000 1,500 $1,900 $2,850,000 Division B is a buying division will be in profit if the proposal is implemented. This is driven by two factors: they will have to buy more units both from division C and Externally at a price less than the transfer price. The transfer price is put at $2,000 while the market price for part 201 is $1,900. Profit will be $4,650,000-$1,800,000 =$3,250,000 Table 4 External Supplier Current supply Price per unit Total Cost Proposed supply Price per unit Total Cost Supplier part 101 to A 3,000 $900 $2,700,000 2,000 $900 $1,800,000 Supplier part 201 to B 1,000 $900 $900,000 1,500 $1,900 $2,850,000 From the above data, the company will make a loss since the overall increase in the external supply of both parts. The internal supplier namely the division C is disadvantaged in the new proposal. The total supply by this division will be a total 2,500 units, while external supplier will bring in 3,500 units. Division A: Buying division or downstream Part 101 Transfer cost = $1,000 Current Operation Units bought currently = (3,000 units from supplier C + 1,000 units from External supplier) = 4,000 units Unit cost = $ 900 Total cost = $ 900 X 4,000 = $36,000

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Bias and Diversity among healthcare services providers from an ethical Essay

Bias and Diversity among healthcare services providers from an ethical prospective - Essay Example n and medical trainees, to prevent unconscious stereotypes and cultural/racial attitudes from influencing the outcomes and course of clinical encounters. Such skills and strategies are designed to I. enhance internal motivation with an aim of reducing bias, while at the same time avoiding external pressure; II. Increase the understanding on the basis of psychological bias and III. Enhance the confidence of the providers in their ability to interact successfully with socially dissimilar patients. There is need for measures and programs that will offer an environment that is not threatening to practice new desirable skills and the need to avoid health providers ashamed of ethnic, cultural, or racial stereotypes. Studies on social cognitive psychology show that with sufficient cognitive resources, effort, and motivation, people are able to focus on the individuals’ unique qualities, and not on the groups they are from, in behaving and forming impression towards others. Even stereotypes and prejudice that are automatically activated can be inhibited when individuals are perceived more in relation to their particular qualities rather than as social categories members. Interventions to check on biases in health providers’ behavior, decision making, and judgment should therefore promote individuation cognitive strategy, where the health provider focuses on the personal attributes of a particular patient, and not on categorization (Baum 26). There is a direct relationship between health practices and culture. Different studies have shown that of the many factors that determine health behaviors and beliefs, culture is among the most influential. In an effort to meet the culturally diverse groups needs, health care providers have to be cultural competent. Dienemann (2007) defined cultural competence in his study as a set of congruent attitudes, policies, and behaviors that come together in an agency, a system, or amongst professionals and enable an agency, system or

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and First Gulf Bank Research Paper

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and First Gulf Bank - Research Paper Example The banks in UAE generally belong to two types and they are national and foreign. In the present situation there are around 46 operating banks in UAE among which 21 national banks. The banks are listed either on the Abu Dhabi Securities market or that of Dubai Financial market. Another important feature is rapid spread of Islamic banking with a range of sharia compliant product introduced in the market. The Islamic finance deals like Ijara transactions are highly common in property purchasing deals. Investment is huge with attractions of potential investors (UAE banking sector Report, 2007, p.1). The paper will deal with five common products of two banks operating in UAE. One is the First Gulf Bank (FGB) which is a conventional bank with its branches in some Asian countries and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) which centers on with the strict principles of Sharia law and operates nationally. Finally after discussion a comparative analysis will be made. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) set its journey on 20th May 1997 in the form of a Public Joint Stock Company following the Emri decree 9 of 1997. The commercial operations of the bank started on November 11,1988 with the formal inauguration by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on 18th April 1999.The banks holds a vision to be one of the top tier global Islamic financial services group (5% Cashback with ADIB Covered Cards this summer, 2012). ADIB in the year 2010 introduced a new brand identity as its symbol of new promise. The bank has executed extensive research in the identification of ways which would be suiting the personal needs of customers. The bank delivers unique solution guided by the timeless rule and principles of Sharia. The bank also resides on the principle of banking as it should be. The employees of the bank are working 24*7 in order to implement the rules but also the execution of the powerful promises and offerings which the bank provides. The financing process of the bank is simplified and equipped with the latest e-ADIB Internet Banking which is highly safer and convenient in its use. The bank caters a large number of financial products and also launched some new products and services which lead to the ultimate satisfaction of the clients. Now the focus will be on the products of the ADIB bank with their detailed information and their mechanism (Corporate Banking, 2012). Deposits One of the primary goals of the customers within a banking interaction is that of deposits as keeping cash aside for the future is highly essential in hedging the uncertainties of the future. The deposits option in the ADIB bank helps the customers in making their money work and channelize in the way they want. The 24 hours ATM network service also provides instant access to the funds of the customers (Business Banking, 2012). The corporate banking offers a huge range of Sharia compliant Islamic banking solutions includes a large range of Sharia complain t Banking solutions including Murabaha, Istisnaa, Ijara, Islamic covered drawings and other Shari’a compliant products. The corporate banking highly caters on the expansion as well as innovation of tailor made pure Islamic banking solutions to the clients. The Corporate Banking client profile is segmented into government and public sector entities, financial institutions and a diversified private sector base of Trading, Contracting, Real Estate, Energy, Transportation, Manufacturing and other industries within the bank’s target market. Specific screening criteria have been developed to ensure origination of risk in these segments is in accordance with

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

FDT 1 week 12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

FDT 1 week 12 - Essay Example Its increasing expansion in operation around the central and North America has put it on the organized crimes definitions. Membership is subject to taking an oath which is accompanied with a trademark numerous tattoos on their faces and bodies and letter M or sum of 13. Their increasing rate of influence and attack on law enforcers across the United States has earned them a fearsome tag. Their criminal activities are diverse and just to mention a few include drug smuggling, gun running, people smuggling, hits for hire, theft, drug sales among others (Rafael,2007).Their increasing popularity and elevated status has attracted the attention of security agencies who in the recent past has initiated wide-scale raids to nab known and suspected gang members. The outcome has led to netting hundreds of arrests across the United States. The prowess in criminal records comes from the stringent initiation process and emphasis on ruthlessness as the measure of a member’s efficiency and parameter of promotion. They have strong legal structures that regulate behavior of members. Joint legislative remedies and increasing security measures are currently underway to eliminate this

Friday, October 25, 2019

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses Essay -- Personal Essays

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses We as individuals have to realize the importance of our strengths and weaknesses in order to make a difference in relating personal growth. Having different goals, priorities and special qualities about ourselves is what gives us individually. The purpose of this paper is to clearly define each of my strengths and weaknesses and figure out a way to identify my personal strengths and weaknesses. Doing so in order to enhance my learning process. In order for me to improve myself and enhance my learning process. Realizing the need to understand which methods and techniques that will better help me to learn at an optimal level. I think this class has definitely helped me understand which methods and techniques that will better improve my learning process. I also believe realizing my strengths and weaknesses will help me to become more self-conscious and a well-rounded individual. My personal strengths are my punctuality, discipline, and my ability to stay focused among the distractions. Punctuality is very important to me. I make sure to never be late and most of the time I arrive early for my appointments and engagements. I feel punctuality gives employers the idea you are eager and ready to engage in work. Having discipline is the ability to gain control by obedience is another one of my strong strengths. Discipline means having the tools to succeed in life and is something we all work on through out our lifetime. Discipline has gi...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Report on Barista

A Report on ————————————————- â€Å"BARISTA CAFE† UNDER THE SUBJECT â€Å"CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (CB) Prepared by Vivek Jethva| 10MBA032| Jitendra Patel | 10MBA064| Hardik Khara| 10MBA039| Arvind Prajapati| 10MBA081| Sarman Goraniya| 10MBA025| Sandip Kanani| 10MBA036| Kapil Prajapati| 10MBA083| Nilay Khandalkar| 10MBA037| MBA 2010-12, Semester – iii Submitted to (Dr. Govind Dave) INDUKAKA IPCOWALA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (I2IM) CHAROTAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CHARUSAT) Table of ContentSr. No. | Particulars| Page no. | 1| About the coffee industry| 3| 2| Growth of the coffee industry in India| 5| 3| Present coffee production in india (2010)| 6| 4| About the espresso| 11| 5| About the barista| 12| 6| Case analysis| 20| 7| Learning from the case| 21| 8| Question & answer| 22| 9| Bibliography| 27| About Coffee Industry: It all began around 1000 A. D. w hen Arab traders began to cultivate coffee beans in large plantations. They began to boil the beans creating a drink they called ‘qahwa’ which translates to ‘that which prevents sleep’.The drink became widely popular, and the need for coffee beans grew. The brief timeline for the growth of coffee, cafes and everything related is given below: YEAR| Journey Of Coffee Industry| 850| First known discovery of coffee berries. Legend of goat herder Kaldi of Ethiopia, who notices goats are friskier after eating red barriers of a local shrub. Experiments with the berries himself and begins to feel happier. | 1100| The first coffee trees are cultivated on the Arabian Peninsula. Coffee is first roasted and boiled by Arabs making ‘qahwa’. 1475| The world’s first coffee shop opens in Constantinople. | 1554| The first establishment in Constantinople soon becomes widely popular, and two more cafes are opened. | 1600s| Coffee enters Europe through the p ort of Venice. The first coffee house opens in Italy in 1654. | 1652| The first coffee house opens in England. Coffee houses were called ‘penny universities’ (a penny is charged for admission and a cup of coffee) because a person could visit a cafe to discuss current affairs and social issues. | 1672| The first Persian coffee house opens. | 1683| The first coffee house opens in Vienna. 1688| Edward Lloyd’s coffee house opens. It eventually becomes Lloyd’s of London, the world’s best-known insurance company. | 1695| The first sign of the French Revolution had its roots in Parisian cafes where the people’s movement started gathering steam. | 1822| The prototype of the first espresso machine is created in France. | 1980s| Coffee is now the world’s most popular beverage, which leads to a boom in retail and hotel cafes. The American retail cafe Starbucks in born. | 1990s| With the growth of the Internet, cyber cafes are born, providing Inte rnet access and coffee to users. 2000s| With an increased penetration of PCs in homes, cyber cafe chains close, and re-immerge as retail coffee cafe chains. | The Coffee Cafe industry is currently one of the biggest and fastest growing sectors in business. The industry consists of a mix of individual cafes, hotel cafes and retail cafe chains. Individual Cafes: The main bulk of revenue is earned by small, individual cafes, run mostly by families and friends. It is a relatively unorganized sector. There are millions of such cafes around the world, and they provide customers with a homely, casual experience.The bulk of these cafes are mainly in Europe, where every little town or village has local cafes, where people gather together for a conversation over coffee, or just to be alone with their thoughts. These cafe’s have been the birthplace and sanctuary for various creative minds, revolutionaries and thinkers of our time. The most recent example is the author J. K. Rowling, who has written most of the Harry Potter series of books, sitting at her local cafe. These cafes set themselves apart from retail chain cafes and hotel cafes because they provide customers with a homely, classic appeal, which cannot be emulated.Hotel Cafes: Ever since the popularization of coffee, hotels all over the world started opening 24-hour coffee shops where visitors to the hotel could walk in for a cup of coffee and some food at any time. These coffeehouses are extremely important, because they provide international visitors to the hotel with a universal drink- coffee. Any customer can walk into any major hotel in the world, and enter the coffeehouse, and know what to expect. These cafes are not really major players in the coffee cafe industry, but rather provide supplementary services to the hotel industry.Retail Cafe Chains: The last, and the most organized sector in the coffee cafe industry, is the retail cafe chain. Off late, these chains have become extremely popular and a re growing at an ever-increasing pace. These retail chains have work with an organized structure of man, material and money. The work on developing a recognized brand consistent to all their outlets, which customers can easily relate to, wherever they go. They provide customers with a standardized level of service and quality at each of their outlets.The vast popularity of these retail chains is shown in the rapid international growth of brands like Starbucks. Customers can do to any Starbucks across the world and know exactly what to expect. Growth of the Cafe Industry in India: Hot beverages have always been a part of the tradition of India, especially South India. Coffee took the first seat in South India when the traditional Brahmin classes brought down the beverage from the ruling British around the 1930s. During the early years the drink was confined only to traditional rich Brahmin families who served filter coffee in a ‘davra- tumbler’.Coffee is no more confined to the rich Brahmin class now, though the tradition of serving filter coffee in the ‘davra- tumbler’ continues to this day. In order to spread the drink, coffee houses emerged at various places in the country, which also served as the opposite places for lawyers and the educated class to hold discussions ranging from politics to cinema. It is also believed that many scripts and ideas for films evolved here. One of the oldest coffee houses in South India is the Raayars mess, Chennai, which serves first class filter coffee even today.The mess was established in the 1940s and continues the tradition of coffee but supplements it with Tiffin also. The vintage location of the mess attracts huge crowds even today early in the mornings, Coffee however was not the only item on the menu. These places also served food and other drinks to their customers. The drink also became famous and as a result even five star hotels began cashing in on it. Several hotels all over the country started opening coffee- shops that catered to high- end customers. This showed the popularization of coffee cafes, to all sections of society.The drink has now become more of a concept than merely a drink itself. The last decade witnesses the growth of numerous coffee pubs in the country. A number of coffee cafe owners tried to westernize the taste in contrast to the filter coffee. Now, large retail chains like Qwikys, Barista, and Cafe Coffee Day have opened up around the country. The concept of a cafe today is not merely about selling coffee, but about developing a national brand. Retail cafes now form a multi- crore industry in the country, and have huge potential for growth locally, and internationally. Present Coffee production in India (2010):Production: The government’s Coffee Board now pegs MY 2009/10 coffee production at 289,600 tons (4. 83 million bags of 60 kg) tons, which included 94,600 tons Arabica and 195,600 Robusta, lower than the Post-Blossom estimate of 306 ,300 tons, due to adverse weather conditions during bean maturing and harvest stage. Furthermore, rains also reportedly caused some quality problems, particularly in the Arabica variety. Although trade sources initially contested the Coffee Board figure saying that the Board estimate of the crop loss was on the lower side, now they are in agreement with the Board estimate.Some even believe that production could be marginally higher than the Coffee Board estimate, given the current strong export trend. Outlook for the MY 2010/11 crop presents a mixed picture. Although several coffee growing regions have received good pre-blossom and back up showers, rainfall has been poor in some parts of Coorg and Tamil Nadu. High February/March temperatures could affect Robusta production to some extent, although heavy December 2009 rains left enough soil moisture, which may help compensate for the lack of pre-blossom showers.The Coffee Board is expected to release its Post Blossom forecast in late May or early June. Meanwhile, industry sources forecast MY 2010/11 coffee production marginally lower than the MY 2009/10 estimate at around 275,000 tons, which include 175,000 tons of Robusta and 100,000 tons of Arabica. Coffee pests such as white stem borer and berry borer, although not completely eradicated, are under control due to better agronomic practices. Higher coffee price realization during the past three to four years has prompted coffee growers to apply more farm inputs and follow better agronomic practices, supporting higher production.Labor costs, which accounts for almost 65 percent of the coffee cost of cultivation, continue to escalate. With off-farm employment opportunities increasing, coffee planters have started experiencing shortages of skilled labor, which could become a major problem in coming years. Higher price realization for coffee is now helping growers to some extent mitigate the higher labor cost. The Indian government’s National Rural Employme nt Guarantee program and a highly subsidized rice and wheat distribution program have further exacerbated the labor shortage in the plantation sector.Although limited mechanization is taking place in some coffee plantations, large-scale mechanization is difficult in India because of uneven plantings and small sized holdings. Although the coffee planting and bearing area in India has generally shown an upward trend, mostly due to some expansion of coffee cultivation in non-traditional states such as Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, coffee production, especially Arabica, has been declining due to diminishing yields (Fig 1a & 1b).Coffee productivity in the non-traditional areas, mostly Arabica coffee, is reported to be much lower than in the traditional belt, which pulls down overall yield. To contain the white stem borer menace, there was some uprooting of infected trees and replanting with new stock in the Arabica belt supported by the Coffee Board. These replanted trees are yet to reach b earing stage. According to industry sources, India’s coffee production will stabilize at around 300,000 tons once the replanted trees come into full bearing.A significant share of low quality domestic Robusta coffee and some imported low priced coffee (for re-exports) goes into the production of instant/soluble coffee. This segment is almost entirely branded and packaged, and is dominated by multinationals such as Nestle and Unilever, and the Indian conglomerate Tata Group. In recent years a few other Indian companies have made a foray into this segment with some success. Although instant coffee production capacity is increasing, actual production is estimated to be around 45,000 tons (120,000 tons on green coffee basis).Organic coffee production is miniscule at around 300 tons due to lower yields and the absence of a significant premium over non-organic coffee. Out of 220,000 coffee holdings in the country, 218,000 holdings belong to small farmers having less than 10 hectare s, which account for 70 percent of coffee production. Coffee cultivation is mainly confined to southern states of Karnataka (70%), Kerala (20%) and Tamil Nadu (7%). With a view to expand coffee cultivation, the Coffee Board has been implementing developmental programs for coffee development in the North Eastern Region and Non Traditional areas.During the 11th Five Year Plan, the Coffee Board had proposed to support a coffee expansion program taken up by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency on 24,000 ha in Andhra Pradesh and on 850 ha in the North Eastern Region. Indian Coffee Marketing System Indian coffee producers have three ways to market their coffee: (a) sell directly to exporters through an exporting agent, (b) hold it in a curing factory before selling it; (c) sell it at voluntary auctions. Smallholders, who dominate the Indian coffee scenario, mostly sell their parchment coffee (or dry cherry) to exporters through exporting agents.The agent takes the coffee beans to the curing factory, where they are checked for quality which must meet the exporters’ standards. The second method allows the coffee grower to store the coffee with the curer before selling it in order to speculate on price movements. Under the third method adopted mostly by large producers, coffee is sold at a voluntary auction, organized by the Indian Coffee Traders’ Association. In this case, the producer takes the coffee to the curing factory and stores the green beans in the auction warehouses, sending a sample for auction.Consumption: According to the Indian Coffee Board, domestic coffee consumption is increasing 5 to 6 percent annually, partly due to expansion of the coffee cafe culture and the spread of the coffee drinking habit throughout India, even into non-traditional coffee drinking regions in the north. The concerted efforts of the Coffee Board and coffee marketers in promoting the beverage as a lifestyle drink via coffee cafes and vending machines has added more visibility to coffee.According to a survey sponsored by the Indian Coffee Board, coffee consumption in 2008 is estimated at 94,400 tons, 73 percent in urban areas and 27 percent in rural areas (south India). Based on this, coffee consumption in 2009 is estimated by the Board at 97,000 tons and in 2010 at 100,000 tons. Trade sources are, however, skeptical about the Coffee Board’s high consumption figure. According to them, production, supply and distribution fundamentals do not support such high consumption figures.According to them, a significant quantity of chicory is blended with coffee, particularly in the soluble coffee segments, which tends to amplify the coffee consumption figures. According to some sources the amount of chicory going into the coffee blend is as high as 25,000 tons, which tends to over-estimate actual coffee consumption. The indicative Bangalore wholesale price of Arabica Plantation â€Å"A† averaged Rs. 203 per kg in 2009 ($2 per pound), a nd Robusta Cherry â€Å"AB† averaged Rs. 96 per kg (98 cents per pound), compared with the 2008 average price of Rs. 146 per kg for Arabica and Rs. 110 per kg for Robusta.The retail price of pure grind coffee (Arabica plantation) in major southern cities averaged around Rs. 270 per kilogram ($2. 75 per pound), a 17 percent increase over a year ago price. ($1= Rs. 44. 50). Farm gate price for Arabica parchment registered a 30 percent increase in CY 2009 but the increase was much lower or even negative in the case of Arabica cherry and Robusta parchment and cherry. India’s Growing Coffee Cafe’ Culture Although tea is the main drink of choice in India, now hundreds of trendy western-influenced coffee bars have emerged across India in Tier I and Tier II cities.The bean has become big business, so large that it now competes against the once dominant tea on menus everywhere. For coffee fans, India offers a few notable coffee bar chains. The significant growth in the n umber of coffee retail chains in India is due to the changing lifestyle patterns of Indian middle class families and an increase in their disposable income. Although the coffee bars’ contribution to India’s total coffee consumption may not be significant, these coffee cafes have added more visibility to coffee and opened up an outlet for various value added food items.Barista Lavazza :One of India's largest franchised chains of coffee bars, the Barista Lavazza coffee company operates around 205 outlets across India – 15 creme lounges and the rest espresso coffee bars. It plans to open 300 new stores over the next three years and has begun aggressively marketing its products outside Indian borders into neighboring countries. Considered the Starbucks of the East, Barista offers many of the same menu items like espresso, lattes, cappuccino and various pastries, in addition to basic coffee.Despite being Indian, Barista sticks closely to its Italian roots by serving Italian coffees exclusively. (www. barista. co. in), Cafe Coffee Day A later entrant than Barista, Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) offers nearly everything coffee-related, from take-home products and equipment to fully operational stores. Since the grand opening of the first store in Bangalore in 1996, Cafe Coffee Day has grown to become India's largest coffee retailer, with exports into Europe and the Middle East. Like Barista Lavazza, CCD tends to be in every major Indian metro area. Cafe Coffee Day currently has 810 outlets in over 100 cities.Costa Coffee The British influence isn't entirely missing from Indian cities, as the UK's largest coffee retailer has been setting up shops alongside other coffee competitors. The London-based Costa Coffee Company specializes in imported Italian coffees and made-to-order coffee concoctions like risteretto (a coffee stronger than espresso) and â€Å"Flat Whites† that feature custom barista designs in the froth. Qwiky’s Coffee Pub The coff ee house offers about 101 varieties of coffee, serving drinks such as espressos, lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, americanos and friazzos. It also offers grilled sandwiches, pastries and ice creams.Qwiky's clothing brand, greeting cards, magazines, books and coffee mugs are also available. | | Trade: Assuming a better than normal production this year, MY 2010/11 coffee exports are forecast at 200,000 tons, marginally lower than the MY 2009/10 estimate of 210,000 tons. Although export permits issued in MY 2009/10 through March 2010 were ahead of last year, the recent steep appreciation of the India rupee against the U. S. dollar is making exports less competitive. Coffee exports in MY 2008/09 were around 175,000 tons, 20 percent down from the MY 2007/08 exports of 220,000 tons because of reduced exportable surplus and igh domestic prices vis-a-vis global prices. On a calendar year basis, India’s coffee exports in CY 2009 were 189,000 tons compared with 213,000 tons in CY 2008. Ita ly, Russia, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Finland account for almost 55 percent of total exports. Exports to the U. S. in CY 2009 were around 3,300 tons up from 2,500 tons in CY 2008. India imports small quantities of low-priced coffee, mostly from Indonesia, Uganda, Vietnam, and Ivory Coast, for value addition and re-exports. Such imports in IFY 2007/08 were around 27,000 tons and 29,000 tons in IFY 2008/09.The Perfect Espresso 1. The taste of your coffee will be directly affected by the amount of coffee you dispense into the handle; Single handle: One complete pull 7g No more – no less Double handle: Two complete pulls 14g No more – no less 2. Tamp the coffee. Hold the handle in your left hand, tamp with your right hand. As you tamp give the handle a good hard twist left – to – right to ensure a solid pack. 3. Wipe the excess grounds from the rim of the handle. Note: This will ensure that you don’t have coffee grounds build up on the rubber seal i n the brewing head.Over time this build up will cause grounds to leak into the coffee drink you are preparing. 4. Brew the espresso into a demi tasse. The correct brewing time for an espresso is 20 – 25 seconds. About The Barista: Background, Market Entry ; Growth Barista coffee was established in 1999 with the aim of identifying growth opportunities in the coffee business. Increasing disposable incomes and global trends in coffee indicate immense growth potential in one particular segment. More significantly, they believe they have been quick to spot a latent need waiting to be trapped: Coffee lovers seek a complete experience.One that combines intelligent positioning with the right product mix and carefully designed cafes. In other words, customers seek an â€Å"experiential lifestyle brand†. As of today, Barista exists in over 22 cities, and operates over 140 outlets nationally. In the last 2 years, Barista has opened over 100 outlets in the country and with a new o utlet opening nationally every 14 dates; Barista is currently experiencing phenomenal growth. With outlets opening in Sri Lanka and Dubai, Barista is looking at potential growth opportunities in Asia, making it highly competitive international brand. Product SourcesBarista sources its coffee beans from around the world, but a major supplier is TATA Coffee, part of the TATA Group that owns a large stake- holding in Barista. These coffee beans are then sent to Venice, Italy where they are roasted into a blend exclusively for Barista. The food and desserts at Barista is exclusively catered to by the Taj, who ensures a high standard of quality with all its products. Barista also sells merchandise through its store, all of which is imported. The merchandise accounts for nearly 1/6th of Barista’s overall sales. Quality Sources Barista has a check on the quality of its products every 14 days.Barista also incorporates TQM at its headquarters in Delhi. Since Delhi is the base for all its distribution, quality control measures are adopted there to avoid any poor quality products being distributed. Serving Size The serving size of a product is a measure, not only of quantity, but also of value for money. The average serving size for Barista’s main product categories is detailed in Table given below: Product Serving Size Smoothies | 240 ml/ 300 ml| Cold Coffee | 340 ml| Hot Coffee (2 kinds) | 300 ml| Granitas | 340 ml| Pricing: Barista has a ‘Skim Pricing Policy’. They began with a higher price, and skimmed the cream for the market.With the sudden spurt of growth in number of outlets, came the benefits of economies of scale. Because of this, they have been able to gradually lower their prices, and appeal to different segments of their target market. Currently, their prices are the lowest they have ever been, and they can competitively match their prices against Cafe Coffee Day’s prices. The prices are constantly changing though, and the l ast 1-year has seen 3 changes (mostly reductions) in prices. This gradual price reduction meant that Barista could maintain its profit- maximization policy until it could earn large cost savings because of the benefits of high volume.The main factors that affect their pricing are their cost of goods sold. The costs are quite high because imports a majority of its products and product- sources. Process: The order and delivery process at Barista is based on self- service, where a customer goes up to the counter to place his order, and goes back to the counter to pick his delivery once it is prepared. Positioning: Consumer Profile: According to research, over 65% of Barista’s customers are in the 15- 30 age- group. The majority of these are students and young urban professionals. Brand Image:Barista positions itself as a brand for anyone who loves coffee. Their products, services and outlets are more like the traditional European cafes, where people would meet for the love of co ffee, and for an intellectual appealing time. They position their outlets as a place â€Å"where the world meets†, and they look to appeal to anyone in the 14- 60 age group that loves good coffee and looks for a nice quiet time. * Products: Barista’s product mix constitutes a wide range of products that appeal primarily to traditional coffee lovers. Their products themselves are traditional products with traditional names.Food items like croissant, pastas, and sandwiches are complimentary to their coffee, and project a very classic image of Barista. Their merchandising also consists of primarily coffee related products like coffee beans, coffee machines, etc. * Prices: Considering that Barista is trying to target a market whose age range is between 18 and 60 years, a pricing policy appealing to this segment is difficult. Extremely low prices act as a deterrent to some customers who might regard it as an indicator or quality, while very high prices cannot be afforded by most of the youth.But since Barista’s current consumer profile is quite young, their prices are mostly inexpensive, brand at par with their competitors. * People: The people at Barista are characteristically trained to be Pleasant, Polite and Positive. They ensure you have a quiet, uninterrupted visit and provide an escape from the daily pressures of life. Their uniforms are in sober shades of brown and orange, and contribute to the overall laid-back feeling of the cafe. * Logo, Colors, Images: Barista, since the beginning has looked to use colors in its cafe interiors, logos and images; to project a â€Å"warm, earth glow, synonymous with coffee†.Barista uses shades of Orange ; Brown to good effect to promote its â€Å"laid- back† atmosphere. The logo is a combination of Brown, Orange and Light Yellow; with the word â€Å"Barista† written in an upward curve, and the word â€Å"Coffee† underneath. A simple logo that perfectly expresses Baristaâ₠¬â„¢s brand image: A traditional cafe for coffee lovers. * Decor and Architecture: Barista’s internal decor and architecture expresses the simplicity you would normally associate with traditional cafes. The furniture is made of light shades of wood, and there are comfortable sofas in bigger cafes.The walls are shades of orange, with various photographs of the love for coffee spread around each outlet. * Literature: The literature provided by Barista is indicative of its brand image. The menus, posters, pamphlets are all traditionally designed, with a classic and simple look. One aspect of particular note is their magazine, which is privately circulated in the cafes. The magazine encourages customers write, draw, make etc anything creative; and this is then published in the magazine. The magazine not only provides an avenue for advertising, but also an opportunity for Barista to express its brand image. * Place:Barista looks to cater to their target market with strategically l ocated outlets. Their outlets are generally located at High Street/ Family Entertainment Centers. Considering their generic appeal, there are Barista outlets in and around Malls, Cinemas, Colleges, and Offices etc. this endorses their brand image of a cafe that appeals to coffee lovers of all ages. * Promotions: Barista currently carries out mass promotion campaigns. This is mainly in the form of promotions in the Press, TV and Radio Medias. At present, they do not rely heavily on advertising, but rely more on sponsorships and strategic alliances with other corporations.Barista also takes part in various sales promotion activities to help increase sales at their outlets. * Sponsorships: Barista sponsors various events and festivals, which provides them valuable promotion directed at strategic markets. The sponsorships are mainly in kind, although major events are sponsored in cash also. * Collaborations: Barista has entered into special collaborations and alliances with various part ners for co- marketing brands. For example, Barista entered into a deal with Leo Mattel toys to provide the popular board game Scrabble at every Barista outlet across the country.This is an ideal alliance for both the organizations, because it provides Leo Mattel with an important avenue for promoting their product, and it provides Barista’s customers an added attraction for spending more time at Barista outlets. Barista has also entered into partnerships with various movies, for promotions through Barista, and recently, they tied up with Star World for its â€Å"Absolutely Everybody† campaign. * Sales Promotion: Barista uses a special â€Å"Barista Coffee Card† for its sales promotion activities. The Barista Coffee Card entitles you to one complimentary hot beverage when you are done sipping seven.It is available to all Barista coffee regulars. No membership fees, no references required. Fill out the card and you are a member. As a Coffee Card holder, you earn one stamp on the card every time you purchase a beverage. Simply present the card to the cashier when you place your order at any of their outlets. Once you have collected seven stamps, you can hand over the card to receive your complimentary hot beverage. Barista hopes this card can help drive sales growth, and increase customer retention. * Distribution: Distribution of outlets Every Barista outlet is owned by the company, and not franchised out to anyone.Barista can thus control and make quick changes to its entire retail chain. Barista currently operates in over 120 outlets all over the country, and at their current rate, they are opening a new outlet approximately every 10 days. They have a market presence in over 20 cities. Mumbai alone has over 30 outlets, and the number of outlets in the city is increasing at a phenomenal pace. Barista has a thumb rule for selecting cities and locations for the distribution of outlets. Location: This is a prime factor in determining the succ ess of a retail chain.However, Barista Coffee has adopted a top down approach, wherein they first identify the cities and then decide on precise locations within its limits. Selecting a city: Barista has devoted substantial management time and effort in zeroing in on the cities where they are now situated. The selection of the cities was based on the following criteria. * Sizeable population of executives, students and families in SEC A ; Barista category; * High disposable income with people looking for new vistas in leisure and lifestyle oriented concepts; * High level or organized retail activity; Rapid socio- economic development; * Level of commercial importance (Industrial cities, state capitals etc. ) * Number of educational establishments and opportunities available for employment. On the basis of the above criteria, they had initially targeted cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. Chandigarh and Ludhiana were later added due to tie- ups with ‘Pl anet M’ and ‘Ebony’ to set up store-in- stores at their outlets. They are also pursuing an equally aggressive international business expansion strategy. They have over 50 overseas locations presently under their consideration.They have already done their groundwork in terms of getting brand and name registrations in over 30 of these locations. To facilitate their global expansion, they plan to work with strategic partners, who share the same vision of expanding and promoting the brand worldwide. Currently they have opened new outlets in Sri Lanka and Dubai as a part of their international strategy. Barista acquired by Lavazza: Lavazza Group signed an agreement with Sterling Infotech Group to acquire Barista Coffee Company Limited and Fresh ; Honest Cafe Limited.Barista is the second-largest Indian coffee shop chain in terms of outlets, with 150 coffee shops of which 132 in India mainly located in the capital city of New Delhi, in Mumbai and Bangalore. The transac tion was carried out based on a precise development strategy that will lead to the opening of 400 outlets by 2010. This target will be achieved leveraging on the excellent premium positioning and importance currently reached by Barista on the Indian market. Fresh ; Honest Cafe focuses on the vending business, specifically on office coffee service, and is the leading company in the bean-to-cup segment (high quality bean product).With an extensive footprint in over 22 Indian cities, Fresh ; Honest Cafe supplies an average of 300,000 cups of coffee per day, equal to about 800 tons of coffee per year. The company is expanding rapidly and has a production site in the southern region of India. Among its customers, it counts the most prestigious hotel chains in India. â€Å"The acquisition is part of our strategy aimed at expanding our operations in markets with a high development rate and a high growth potential, through a careful policy of acquisitions and alliances,† stated Alber to Lavazza, Vice President and CEO of the Group. This ambitious policy has a strong economic impact due to the importance of this transaction, but it also has a significant impact in terms of international expansion and development of our brand†. Through this transaction, signed by Lavazza, assisted by Lazard, Lavazza Group becomes one of the leading players in India in the premium coffee sector, thus strengthening also its position as a worldwide player. The total investment for the acquisition and commercial development of the two companies in India is estimated to be approximately â‚ ¬100 million over the next three years. We are delighted to enter the rapidly growing Indian market through Barista and FHCL. The Agreement fits in well with our strategy to grow in markets with high development potential. In this respect we are proud to enter India with such a significant acquisition, which allows us to take a leading position in coffee shops and in the away from home marke t in line with Lavazza culture, we will take forward our values; which are attention to consumer needs and a passion for high quality coffee. † added Alberto Lavazza.Besides investing in the very interesting Indian coffee market, Lavazza is also monitoring other emerging markets for potential future investments. Distribution of Stock The distribution of stock at Barista begins from the coffee beans being sent abroad for roasting. The roasting takes place in Venice, and the beans are then supplied to the main warehouse in Delhi. Stock is then distributed to the various Regional Warehouses, and then to the local Warehouses. The outlets get their stock from the Local Warehouses. Barista uses a Re-Order Level system for the distribution of their stock.Barista out sources its transportation needs from external organizations, and currently uses trucks as the preferred means of distribution. Case analysis of barista coffee: Swot analysis of the company: * Strength: * Good customer re lation * Faster delivery * HR are key assets * Wide choice for coffee * Weakness: * Expensive brand perception * Very few stores * Opportunity: * Can introduce cheaper coffee. * Can go to smaller town and cities. * Can diversify into tea segment * Threat: * Competition from the existing coffee chains and outlets. Effects of Govt. commodity price. * Identify problem(case analysis) 1) Strategy of company was not proper for that reason company making loss and 10 non-performing outlet was close in 2005. 2) Price of coffee was very lower as compare to providing their service and cost of product * Establish the problem 1) Barista wanted to tread cautiously this time. It had faced several problem later on as a fall out of it’s the earlier strategy that hinged on achieving rapid growth and driving first mover advantage by opening as many outlets as possible in key cities.It opened 75 outlets within the first two years of operation, where as its competitors, CCD acted much cautiously initially and had set only 18 cafes in its first five years. In 2005, barista was forced to close 10 non- performing outlets. This outlets was not able generate enough profit. Strategy for expansion of barista was not proper for that reason company was making loss and also faced many problem in this business like closing the outlets. 2) They are targeting upper middle class and upper class people and they are also providing best service and product but pricing policy was not good nough as per services and product quality. Upper class people also ready to pay higher price for coffee due to services and quality. Company need to increase price of coffee so, company can overcome from losses. * Generate alternative 1) Make proper strategy and avoid rapid growth. 2) Increase the price of product. * Evaluate the Alternative 1) For the rapid expansion of business they were not focusing on strategy and weaknesses of company. Company was opened many outlets in first two year but this outlet w as not able to generate enough profit. So, company need to make proper strategy and avoid rapid growth. ) Price of company is very lower as compare to services and product. So company wants to increase the price of coffee. * Priorities Alternatives 1) Make proper strategy and avoid rapid growth. 2) Increase the price of product. * Learning from the case * We learn from this case is how to expand business and how to run business. We are know somewhat about the company and we also learn about the company’s various strategy. Company had also know the consumer behavior for its product so we are atleast understand something about the consumer behavior.We are knew from the case that how consumer behavior affect to the company’s product. * We had also learn about various models for consumer behavior and how that affect to the consumer behavior. Barista Coffee case QUESTIONS – ANSWERS 1. Was the current pricing and product mix strategy right one? Ans-The pricing strateg y for Barista was somewhat different than others. The high pricing strategy was adopted by Barista by high product quality. The product price generally depends on the quality of the product. The eight steps followed in the procedure of making Barista Coffee by the brew masters.The people who involved in the procedure to make the coffee are known as brew masters. So the main aspect to see the pricing strategy is to compare the quality of products of Barista and the services provided by the company. So let we see some of the key factors which influence to the high prices of Barista Products. * The product of Barista i. e. coffee is passing through eight processes in which the customers get the extra- ordinary quality as well as services by the Barista outlets in each and every places. The customers which targeted by Barista was the high class people but the number of prospected customers was very less. Because of this reason we can say that the pricing of the product was the excellent due to which the customers remains same and price do not affect a lot. * Competition in the market was high but the services and the product quality was the uniqueness of the company. So they cannot give the franchise to the other owners of the places instead of putting the outlets. So, the pricing strategy of the Barista was right one according to segmentation adopted by them and services provided to the customers.Product mix strategy was the one of different strategy adopted by Barista to serve the customers by providing different kind of coffee making system and high pricing strategy. The products of the barista are as under: * El Salvador: A sweet tasting Rain Fores bean sourced from the Las Zerro Ranas plantation. We developed this brew at the request of a leading investment bank that was looking for the ultimate coffee, where it won out in a blind taste test over the â€Å"big name â€Å"brands. This may be our best coffee yet! Costa Rican Tarrazu: This coffee comes from th e Tarrazu region south of San Jose. It is prized for its high acidity, excellent body, and full complex flavor. * Guatemalan: Certified Organic: Grown at high altitudes without pesticides or manufactured fertilizers. If offers a distinctively sweet, smoky personality which distinguishes it from other prized coffees from Central America. Our CEO’s favorite! Sumatra Mandheling: Of the world’s finest coffees this is arguably the most admired. Gentle, with a long finish, its richness and complexity makes it the ideal coffee to take with cream.From the central part of northern Sumatra, one of the Indonesian islands, this wonderful, very intense coffee is highly desirable. In the cup this coffee possesses a heavy, full body, concentrated spicy, earthy and robust taste with an herbal aroma, all with little acidity. * Swiss Water Decaffeinated Colombian (X11) High grade â€Å"European prepped† Colombian coffees are put through a patented Swiss Water wash to remove 98% o f the caffeine, while leaving all the taste and aroma you expect from a fine cup of coffee. 42/2oz bags per case. * Mocha Java: A blend of Ethiopian and Indonesian Java coffees, often referred to as the Original Blend.Full bodied, with spicy overtones, roasted medium dark for a truly distinctive character. * Kenyan Blend: Known for their intense aroma of lush, ripe blackberries these larger than average beans produce a full bodied coffee; dry and winey, rich and lively. We blend them in a 2:1 ratio with fine Colombian Excelso to produce an excellent blend that is brightly acidic with no bitterness. 42/2oz bags per case. * Kenya AA: Probably Africa’s finest; has a full body, delicate acidity, smooth winey flavor and aroma with a dry winey aftertaste. Very popular with coffee aficionados. Kona Style: A distinctive blend of Arabica coffees that captures the light body, sweetness and balanced flavor that Hawaiian Kona is famous for. * French Roast: A fine blend of high grown Arab ica coffees brought to a high roast. its computer controlled roasting process is able to achieve a smooth bold taste without crossing the fine line to burnt. * Three Bean Reserve: The perfect balance of three distinctive estate grown coffees whose tastes complement each other when blended. The lush, winey Kenyan, spicy Guatemalan and the full bodied Colombian Supermom provide the ultimate cup of coffee.These are some of the examples of the coffee product of the company. The prices were charge almost double then the competitors and the services and the products also given with the high quality than others. So in that way we can say the pricing product mix strategy was quiet good and right one. 2. Should it go for premium prices or should it focus on affordability? The existing products provided by Barista to the customers and the pricing state that the people who are interested in this type of coffee product are the found of it.The eight step quality model also used by the company an d it has not given any franchise yet to focus on the service and products which was special for the customers. Moreover the profit of the company was in negative term i. e. it made loss so the by going affordable prices the company may occur more loss. The uniqueness of the company was the high service with high quality products with the experienced memory and for the customers. It may happen that in future the growth of the people with respect to standard of living increases so the no. of prospected customers will go up.In this way the company need to focus on go for premium prices instead of affordability prices. 3. What should be the best way to drive the expansion? Ans-Currently company is making loss as stated in the case itself. So the main area to focus on is the price and the targeted people of the products of Barista. Already barista has the second largest maximum number of outclasses across the globe. But the competitor like CCD and Starbucks entering in to the market and taking share of the market so the possibility of expansion is very less but it need to focus on existing one. The company need to focus on the following ways for expansion. The focus must be give the priority to the existing outlets * It need to focus on the coffee products rather than the service because 70% of the revenue generated by Barista coffee products. * So it not need to expand the outlets but it can expand the existing product portfolio in the uncovered region where the opportunity exist in the market. 4. Should it go for expansion through company owned outlets or should adopt the franchise rout? Ans-The total number of outlets are 106 which already owned by the company and the coffee preparation and the services provided by the company is arvelous. In the increasing completion and the quality, services and considering all other aspects like infrastructure, coffee makers, places and preferences of the customers it need not to expand through franchise instead of expansion by outlets. Thus focus on the existing and maintaining the quality with learning experience enjoying to having coffee by the customers are basic focus area of need to expand the markets. 5. Should Barista enter overseas markets? Ans-Barista need not go for overseas market because of some reasons as stated below: * Competition of foreign markets Rapid growth in the living standard of the Indian people. * Existence of the current outlets in India * Product mix and the pricing are difficult to maintain in going to the overseas markets is very difficult. Moreover if company wants to enter in to the overseas market then it is possible that the company need to give franchisee and decentralization. So it will lose the quality and service of experience learning of the customers. In this way the treat can be come up with the difficulty for to manage the outlets across the globe. 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