Executing Strategies in a Global Environment Essay

Federal Express, known today as FedEx was developed by Fred Smith in 1973. Mr. Smith saw need for customer to receive packages sooner than 1-3 business days; this was the norm for express mail 40 years ago (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express changed the structure of air cargo industry and improves on the overnight delivery service (Hill & Jones, 2013). In this paper, it will analyze value creation frontier of FedEx, determine which four building blocks will give competitive advantage to maintain profitability, its efficiency, and examine the overall competition the global industry (Hill & Jones, 2013). Analysis of Company’s Value Creation Frontier FedEx accomplished it value creation frontier with innovation. The founder saw that there was a need for faster and more reliable express delivery service. FedEx competitors offered 1-3 day deliveries shipments, but didn’t take into consideration residential customers or businesses that would need their shipments sooner. Mr. Smith saw this need, but it couldn’t be accomplished by sharing air space on commercial flights. On commercial flights passengers were first and the space that was left was divided amongst the competitors. For his vision to be achieved he needed his own fleet of cargo jets (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express founder started with the higher end of competitive advantage which is differentiation. Mr. Smith invested $91 million dollars of venture capital plus $4 million dollar of inheritance funds, which he used to purchase an aircraft company in Little Rock, Arkansas. He started using the aircraft to deliver envelopes and small packages overnight within the United States (Ecommerce, n.d.). Mr. Smith didn’t give the official name Federal Express until 1973. He brought the operation closer to home, which was Memphis, Tennessee. The business was operating out of Memphis International Airport. By this time the company owned 14 Dassault Falcon Airplanes and he employed 400 workers (Ecommerce, n.d.). The next step for Federal Express was innovation. Mr. Smith launched a direct mail advertising promotion to increase the exposure of the company. With the government loosening the airline regulations, it made it permissible for federal Express to use bigger aircrafts such as Boeing 727s and take advantage of more flexible flight schedules (Ecommerce, n.d.). In 1979 Federal Express started using a centralized computer system  to track packages, routes, weather, vehicles, and employees. A short time after, a digitally assisted dispatch system was put in place for clients to electronically request pickups (Ecommerce, n.d.). For quality and excellence Federal Express understood the client’s expectation and started tailoring their service to fit those needs. For example; the bigger clients, they started housing merchandise to make shipments upon request. Federal Express held 43 percent of the delivery transportation market, in contrast to its rival UPS in the 1990’s (Ecommerce, n.d.). In order for Federal Express to maintain above average profitability, they should concentrate on two phases; which are efficiency and quality. Federal Express has five pillars for increasing profitability which are; making personnel functions and processes more efficient, update their air fleet, convert U.S. domestic network, increase international profits, and enlarge service offerings (Annual report, 2013). The focus for Federal Express is the customer. The customers’ requests are very important to the company’s strategy to operate focused systems which function independently, compete collectively, and are managed collaboratively. Because Federal Express unique model allows them to fine tune networks without compromising service to customers, their solution continue to be superior and they can act in response to marketplace changes quickly and efficiently (Annual reports, 2013). Maintaining Edge Rivals Product Differentiation Product differentiation is the development of designing products or services to satisfy the needs of the customers. Companies maintain a competitive edge over their rivals when it creates, makes, and sell products in the same industry (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express has developed an express delivery service that is better than its rivals. Their service caters not only to big and small businesses, but also residential clients. Packages are getting to their destination faster, not just in the United States, but internationally. The ability to digitally track your package from first phase to the last phase of delivery give clients’ confidence that FedEx understand their needs and it builds trust (Hill & Jones, 2013). Capacity  Control Even though non-price competition helps established industries avoid cutthroat price cutting that reduces company and industry levels of profitability, price competition does occasionally occur when excess capacity exists in an industry (Hill & Jones, 2013). When a company like Federal Express cut prices rival companies will do the same thing out of fear the price cutter will be able to sell its complete inventory, while rivals will be left with surplus of goods. In so doing, this will lead to developing price wars (Hill & Jones, 2013). Federal Express would have to develop a strategy that would help them avoid this type of problem and stay ahead of its rivals. In most cases companies have two tactical choices; each can independently try to preempt its rivals and take hold of the initiative, or the companies must jointly find indirect means of coordinating with each other so that they are all aware of the shared effects of their actions (Hill & Jones, 2013). Business Model Efficiency Assessment Federal Express unique strategy works seamlessly and simultaneously on three levels. FedEx compete collectively by standing as one brand worldwide and speaking with one voice (http://www.about.van.fedex.com). The company operates independently by focusing on their independent networks to meet distinct customers’ needs and manage collaboratively by working together to sustain loyal relations with their employees, customers, and investors (http://www.about.van.fedex.com). Each division of FedEx has created its unique niche; yet work together as a whole. FedEx Corporation provides customers and businesses worldwide a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services. FedEx express invented express distribution and remains the industries global leader, providing rapid, reliable, and time-definite delivery to more than 220 countries and territories connecting markets that comprise more than 90 percent of the world’s gross domestic products within one to three business days (Investors, n.d.). There is still FedEx; ground, freight, and services. The different divisions have been established independently meeting the needs in today businesses, but work together in this vital industry to be  one voice (Investors, n.d.). FedEx also continues to stay ahead by quickly adapting to the changes in technology to provide better, faster service. This will cause clients to continually use their service and believe in their reliability. Impact of Global on New Business Strategy Federal Express is a well ran operation, which doesn’t need any change to the method of how it conducts business. The only suggestion that can be made is to improve on existing business strategy. FedEx is efficient on functions and processes of staff, having an efficient air fleet, and dominate in U.S. and international services. Just by strengthen of these strategies FedEx can be more profitable over a three year period (Investor, n.d.). Enacting numerous initiatives to improve their staffing efficiency and work processes, Federal Express would accomplish the streamlining of key processes to reduce the time and resources it would require (Investor, n.d.). Prioritizing important actions and remove or defer functions that have or become redundant due to technological, operational or market driven changes. Lately, generate greater efficiencies in the global sourcing program (Investor, n.d.). By FedEx up grading older aircraft with newer planes, there would be more cost-effective and fuel-efficient aircraft, the 757 and 767 programs will create a next-generation air fleet that to a large extent reduce their operating cost (Investors, n.d.). For example, based on a 750 nautical mile round trip, our trip costs will improve by: up to 20% for the B757 versus A310-200 and up to 30% for the B767 versus MD10-30 (Investors, n.d.). Applying new technology and processes will advance flight and crew scheduling. Adapting to pickup and delivery operations to maximize on road productivity will cause for quicker and reliable service (Investors, n.d.). Merging of facilities and stations will be more cost effective. Refining aircraft maintenance processes will improve fuel efficiency for their aircraft and vehicle fleet. Improvements like these can be done with no compromising the exceptional service quality their customers have come to expect (Investors, n.d.). With Federal Express expanding on their business; they capture growth from all parts of the global cargo market, including priority, economy, ocean and air forwarding, and critical inventory logistics focusing on (Investors, n.d.): Growing FedEx  International Priority and expanding FedEx international Transitioning FedEx International Economy shipments to third party line on certain lanes. Increasing freight forwarding and supply chain capabilities for new vertical like healthcare. Leveraging European expansion for greater densities and lower costs. With FedEx concentrating on delivering the solutions for the right customers at the right price, they will continue to strive for the right solutions in the market place. By so doing they may hold on to the majority of their annual rate increases, utilize the revenue management committee to optimize yield, market share, and profitability growth (Investors, n.d.). May have to drop less profitable accounts, and then develop on small to m edium customer base. Also leveraging residential revenue opportunities for their delivery managers, over time should allow for an even more dominate business (Investors, n.d.). Conclusion Federal Express has changed the face of the air cargo industry and overnight nights delivery service (Hill & Jones, 2013). The business model that FedEx put together for their company relied on the right strategy and the right people to implement the vision and the mission for the success of this company. When a business follows the strategy, makes adjustments as needed, is willing to take risk, and invest in technology; you have a formula for success.

Should Students Wear Uniforms

Are Uniforms A Good Way to Improve Students Discipline and Motivation? AED 200 Introduction Uniforms have been a big debate for years. Some educators and parents believe feel uniforms are a great addition to the school system while others feel it is not giving student’s freedom of speech by expressing themselves in what they wear. Should Students Wear Uniforms? Should students wear uniforms is the big debate across school districts across the united states today. According to Eduguide. rg, school uniforms are one step that may break the cycle of violence; truancy and disorder by helping young students understand what really counts. Some feel students benefit from uniforms because it boosts their self-esteem. Students also have feel like they are in a fashion show dressing in uniforms makes students realize what on the inside that counts. Uniforms decrease the influence of gangs and are known to make things difficult for weapons being brought in hidden inside of clothes. Unifor ms improve learning.Uniforms reduce distraction and shapes focus on school work and making the classroom a more serious environment. Uniforms improve behavior and increase school attendance. Uniforms save families time and money. Parents report uniforms are cheaper than buying designer clothes or keeping up with the latest trends. Uniforms helps the administrators quickly identify outsiders who could be a danger to the students. Some people believe uniforms shows neatness by requiring students to tuck in their shirts, wear belts and wear shoes similar in color.Students dressing the same decreases teasing about clothing and shoe appearance. Uniforms prepare children for following a dress code for the future when they reach adulthood and join the workforce. Some children form their own groups in school in which wearing a certain thing or color or style. Some children use fashion trends to differentiate the popular ones from the unpopular children according to what they wear. Uniforms make it less possible for kids to be judged based on clothing choices. Uniforms prevent the competition to have the most fashionable clothes.Competition in school causes students to lose focus on schoolwork instead of on who is wearing the latest fashion trends. Uniforms eliminate clothes competiveness. Another article from Proffessorshouse. com states that some people claim that requiring a uniform increase graduation rates and also has an impact on children’s educational experience. Students performed on the uniform debate claim that uniforms encourage discipline, helps prevent social groups from forming opinions based on fashion status, gets rid of economic barriers and makes easily to identify persons at the school who should not be there.The article also talks about how some form of dress codes enforced around 75% of all schools dress codes are in place to outlaws offensive clothing being worn to the school. After reviewing another article from Ezinearticles. com uniform s create a source of identity and provides a sense of belonging according to the article the article some children’s believe the school chosen for them is a sort of achievement and the school uniform is a mark of inclusion, something to brag about and they feel proud and empowered wearing it.It eliminates the child having to worry about what to wear each day. Uniforms also relieve the parent of having to spend money to helping the child to keep up with the latest trends every day. Uniforms allow a sense of unified purpose to develop particular rivalry with other establishments. Uniforms reinforce children’s since of belonging to reassuring communities. In a 1996 Long Beach, Calif. speech, former President Bill Clinton announced his support of that district's uniform initiative.It didn’t get far in the United States but it also helped start the debate. Uniforms also closes the debate on what children are allowed wear to school, then that makes mornings easier for parents and for children. Everyone knows exactly what the kids need to wear, their regulated school uniform. This leads to a decrease in morning arguments. Some experts believe that when the entire student body is dressed in uniforms, they develop a stronger team mentality. When they are all dressed alike, their all-for-one-and-one-for-all attitude is boosted.With parents saving by not having to buy day to day clothes, they can let their children buy a few nicer and more fashionable clothes for weekends and evenings. Wearing a uniform five days a week can make children appreciate their weekend fashions more. Why Students Should Not Wear Uniforms Parents on the opposing side feel uniforms violate the right to freedom of speech and expression; a uniform cost too much for families struggling financially, uniforms are a band aid on the problem of school violence and does not address the real issues behind it.Uniforms hide warning signs that point to problems that maybe going on with th e child. Some feel that uniforms have not been able to prove wither the decreased discipline or violence and uniforms fail to allow children the ability to learn and make good choices based on their own values. Most feel that uniform are not allowing children to be themselves. Some believe that children cannot be themselves clothes are an expression of who they are. Parents feel that uniforms can be more expensive than regular clothes.Some parents may feel they are a big waste of money wither the school paid for them or not. Some feel uniforms made children uncomfortable and made them focus on the uniform rather than focusing on school work. Also uniforms do not change a child’s behavior in school. Wearing uniforms stop children from getting in trouble and acting out in school. Self-expression is an important part of a child’s development and curbing it with uniforms can be determined to children. Some feel if students are not able to express themselves will in another way by excessive make-up or hairstyles or jewelry.Uniform wear delays transitions into adulthood. Some experts feel teenagers to wear uniforms limits their ability to express in their own way in which can delay their transition in adulthood. Studies show uniforms can be a difficult to enforce in public schools. Conclusion Uniforms have many pros and cons, most believe uniforms are a good option for kids while others feel they can compromise who kids are through expressing themselves through the clothes they wear uniforms cuts down on violence and is a solution to economic problems parents may be facing today.My own personal experience with uniforms causes me to look at uniforms in both sides of the issue. I feel uniforms should be forced in middle or high school but voluntary in elementary schools. I feel most kids in elementary school do not notice what each other wear. Middle and high school is the times where students notice what the other person is wearing or form groups based on who they think are popular or the other. Uniforms are a choice based on school officials and it is up to the child or school if uniforms work. References Website: EduGuide. com Website: Ezarticle. com Website: About. com

Alaska Airline & Corporate Culture Essay

A unique cultural characteristic of Alaska Airline would be the benefits they allot their employees. After 90 days of working with Alaska Airline, an employee earns benefits which allows him or her to fly anywhere at anytime with 1 other individual. In addition to this, the employee is given 6 â€Å"buddy passes† each year which allows the employee to give 6 roundtrip tickets to people other than himself or the 1 person he chooses to travel with. The best part about these benefits is that as long as the employee remains in good standing with the company, they are issued indefinitely, even after retirement. Companies can unknowingly cultivate negative culture among its employees and customers. This can happen in numerous ways. If a company were to institute a new policy which applied undue stress to its employees, adopt new prices that are greatly higher than what its customers are accustomed to paying, or allow a top representative to behave in a manner which sharply contradicts the values of the company, it would certainly be cultivating negative culture. While such behaviors may be immediately illusive to the company, some, if not many, employees and customers will notice it, and the company will suffer for it. In order to know specifically how a business’ corporate culture can be amended for the better, it would be necessary to know which business is being discussed or at the very least, the disposition of it’s corporate culture. While a grocery chain may need to focus on training employees to assist the elderly or the otherwise incapable individuals with carrying and loading groceries into cars, the corporate culture of an electronic store may benefit from having better-educated employees about the products in order that said employees may help customers make better-informed purchases. As far as developing a sense of corporate culture directed at the employees, a company may issue monthly kudos to employees who overachieved or plan celebrations after goals have been reached. Nevertheless, any and all amendments put into effect by a business for the purpose of improving corporate culture must result in an enhancement of customer or employee experience and or perception. There will certainly be a cultural shift in Microsoft as they reorganize to emphasize customer service. Before, the company was not so focused on customer service, and therefore had a corporate culture with its center of gravity more on product development. Now, however, the company must necessarily implement changes ubiquitously, effectively replanting its center of gravity, in order to meet is goal of honing in on customer service. Such a drastic make-over will involve a significant cultural shift. While Jet Blue has experienced much difficult as a result of bad weather which has in fact damaged their culture, it would be hasty to say their culture has been irreparably damaged. There can be work done through public relations and customer appreciative measures to repair its damaged culture. Work Cites 1. â€Å"Work-Life and Benefits- Alaska Airlines.† alaskaair.com. Alaskaair, n.d. Web. 20 April 2011. 2. March, Suzanne. â€Å"JetBlue Airways – Flight Change Fees Waived For Passengers Affected By Bad Weather .† starglobaltribune.com. Starglobaltribune, n.d. Web. 20 April 2011.

Racial Conflicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Racial Conflicts - Essay Example These racial conflicts have brought the societies to a different level, and seem to be rising day by day. With the existence of the racial conflicts, the history has shown how immensely they have affected the world economy and the standard of living. Although it is a global issue, it has been seen that each society has been adversely hit by the problem resulting in the impact on their quality of life. The world is one place which has to be protected and our species given the right to live freely. Unfortunately, due to the value of life, conflicts arise constantly crossing the ideas of religion, social class, and appearances. Although it can be assessed that most of us can live with at least one, but for most of us, it is a critical point (Levine 128). As an effect, the political leaders feel constantly pressurized as to the influence of these racial groups. And thus, while making necessary decisions, they might as well feel partial or biased. Their choices tend to reflect the whole world. This is because control of one country affects the surrounding countries as well and impacts the racial groups throughout the globe, if of the same kind. The other countries thus act as a chain of reactions that may be brought in one country. In many ways, it has been assessed that the racial conflicts are not the result of few, but of many. And it does not only affect one of the aspects but affects the whole globe collectively. These racial conflicts have been affecting the various factors of the globe. On one hand, it affects the psychological growth of the racial group as they have to suffer criticisms, unfairness, and inequality in the society at the hands of the majorities.  Ã‚  

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

Literary - Research Paper Example Chopin’s sotry tells the readers about a husband’s suffocating grip on a woman’s life. In the story, the husband has not been presented in a direct negative light; rather a husband’s care and kindness for a wife ironically prove to be harmful for a wife. The irony lies in the fact that in a patriarchal society, no matter how much a husband tries to be kind like Mrs. Mallard’s husband in â€Å"Story of an Hour†, they are â€Å"the patriarchal annihilators of the women’s freedom† (Cunningham 52). Chopin does not tell her readers anything clearly about why the heroine of the story cannot explain her complacence and ecstasy at her husband’s death. Rather the author simply presents a small fragment of a woman’s life that provokes a reader to read the story as a sequel to his or her own real life. Obviously Chopin’s story will be endowed with a greater meaning, if Mrs. Mallard’s forbidden joy of independenc e is perceived in a real life setting. In a real life setting, Mrs. Mallard is like most other common women who, having no economic independence, cannot but depend on their husbands. Therefore, they are compelled to obey their husbands while suppressing their own desires (Stein 31; Deneau 211). Indeed, it is the patriarchal society that keeps them away from any self-supporting activities; that wants them to be loyal to their husband, and that punishes them and also endows the male counterparts with a power to reprimand and punish their wives in cases of the violation of the behavior codes that women are expected to follow. Also it is the patriarchal society that can confine women within the four walls of their husbands’ house. Nicole Smith refers to Mrs. Mallard’s confinement as following: â€Å"The world outside of her own bedroom is only minimally described, but the world inside of her mind is lively and well described by the narrator. The window outside of her room is alive and vibrant like her mind, while everything about her physically is cloistered† (1). In such a patriarchal setting, Mrs. Mallard is really lucky enough to get a husband like Brently who is kind and loving to her. So Mrs. Mallard know that she should not feel the joy at her husband’s possible death. Yet she cannot but feel â€Å"the ecstasy since her joy at the death of husband as an imposer of restriction is far more higher than her sorrow at the death of husband as a sympathizer† (Stein 28-9). In her story, Chopin deals with the same story of a woman’s lack of freedom in a round-about way. In contradiction to others’ expectation Mrs. Mallard senses the gush of complacent freedom hearing the news of her husband’s death. She feels sad. But concurrently she also feels the complacence at her oncoming freedom, as the narrator describes Mrs. Mallard’s joy in the following manner: â€Å"There was something coming to her and she wa s waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name† (Chopin, â€Å"Story of an Hour†). At the news of Bentley’s death, she feels the prospect of living a life of enormous freedom and joy. But since in patriarchy a woman is not accustomed to express herself freely, she fears even to acknowledge the source of mirth and ecstasy. Though â€Å"she was striving to beat it back with her will† (Chopin, â€Å"the Story of an Hour†), she fails to do so. Indeed it is her self-realization and her acknowledgement that the death of her husband and the prospect of

Market Structures in Sony Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Market Structures in Sony Corporation - Essay Example The organization has gained recognition throughout the world following its high awareness of products to the customers. Electronics devices manufacturers such as Sony corporation offer unique quality of various television sets, music systems, and laptops and computers that appeal the customers; hence, with the effective update in technology, management style, the market plan strategies towards existing competition and the corporate goals ensures that the organization is successful and distinguish the company from other similar competitive companies. The process of determining a market structure comprises the research on the rival companies by efficiently exploring their differences and relationships. The features of the market structure affect the routine of the business in the specific market, which has to be appealing to the customer’s needs. There are different market structures used by various organizations, which are based on the number of business participants in the ind ustry and the extent of market control of the involved participants. The market structures include monopolistic competition, perfect competition, and oligopoly and monopoly market structures (O'Connor, 2004). The choice of the market structures in an organization depends on the different characteristics of each type as explained below. The products produced by each of the business are similar to each other; hence, this gives the sellers and buyers the full liberty of joining or leaving the organization options.... The products produced by each of the business are similar to each other; hence, this gives the sellers and buyers the full liberty of joining or leaving the organization. In addition, the buyers and sellers are aware of the prices and technology in use despite the product being produced by a number of companies. Practically, perfect competition does not exist but only forms a benchmark used in the analysis of the real world market structures. The equalization of price and marginal cost through the exchange of quantity goods contributes to efficient allocation of resources (O'Connor, 2004). Monopoly Market Structure Monopoly market structure has a single seller and competitor, who control the supply side of the market. The product sold is unique with no similar substitutes. The demand of the monopoly product translates directly to the market demand hence the need of government regulation because of the insufficiency on market selling side. Monopolistic Competition The feature that dis tinguishes monopolistic market structure from others is the fact that it has a large number of relatively small competitors with each having a modest degree to control the market on the supply side. The products in the market are close for each firm but are not identical in terms of the production technology involved. Consequently, this structure diversifies the needs of the consumer. Oligopoly Market Structure A small number of comparatively large competitors with each having a considerable market control characterize the oligopoly market structure. Sellers under oligopoly have interdependent decision-making leading to high competition, which necessities the cooperation through collusion and mergers. The

The US and European approaches to fighting terrorism Research Paper

The US and European approaches to fighting terrorism - Research Paper Example Terrorism can simply be defined as strategies to coerce or cause terror. The official Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) definition of terrorism takes apart domestic and international terrorism.The FBI (2002) explains, "Domestic terrorism refers to activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state; appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States." It further says, "International terrorism involves violent acts or acts of dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any state, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or any state." (White p4)The European believes that the security at home and overseas can be accomplished if there is stability and development in the Mediterranean. In France where there is a large population of Muslim and Jews, practically every significant domestic political issue from crimes, immigration, and anti-Semitism, has an imperative Mediterranean dimension. They perceive that the source of terrorism lie in the economic, social and political discriminations that are prevalent on the southern seaside of the Mediterranean and as such can only be addressed through a broad structure that hits at the deepest causes of terrorism. During the time that the Soviet Union crumbled, the members of the European Union no longer saw possible North-South conflicts or nuclear threats. Instead, they saw various south-south conflicts and series of new transnational risks such as illegal trafficking of arms, drugs and even persons; terrorism connected to numerous religious issues; immigration. EU further believes that European security should be less focused on military conditions instead to s ocial and political development of Mediterranean. In the United States, the FBI is a part of vast criminal justice machinery tasked to maintaining legal and political order. They deal with terrorism based on how they perceive acts related to it. According to the FBI, "Terrorist acts are intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping and occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum." However, other people are apprehensive about the way the US defines terrorism since some in the Muslim countries believe that the values of the Islam are threatened by the materialism of the West. The US focus to fighting terrorism is to strengthen its military cap acities. They are plagued by what had happened during the 9/11 that US became aggressive in terms of fighting terrorism. Even when countries are cooperating fully, there is no way to suppress or prohibit every conceivable terrorist movement or conspiracy. A more realistic situation would be to increase considerably the costs and risks that criminals and terrorists face when they choose to engage in conspiracies. Further than that, more measures can be taken. The United States can work more with European partners to strengthen states in

Effects of Technology on Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Effects of Technology on Advertising - Essay Example Advertisements are the main sources of revenue for the conventional or old media outlets. Old media refers to the basic media of mass communication which include television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. In radio and television, the cost of an advert is determined by the time the advert takes to run on air, the time of the day in which the advert is played, and more importantly, the coverage of the media. An international media outlet such as the BBC and the CNN charge higher especially for their prime time than local media, which would more often run adverts on local products. For newspapers and magazines, the price of the advert is determined by the paper space occupied by the advert. Full-page adverts are more expensive than mere columns of texts and graphics. Furthermore, newspapers charge on the importance of the page on which the advert is placed. The first pages are more costly than the inner hidden pages that not every reader would pay much attention to (Bogomolova, 2011) . Advertisements improve brand visibility thereby possibly improving sales of the product or dispensation of a service. Companies invest extensively in advertisements of their products and services. This is because advertisements form the basis of competition for companies operating in the manufacture or sales of similar products or provision of similar services. Before settling for the use of a particular media to run adverts, companies consider a number of factors which include costs and the effectiveness of advertising through the media. Not all companies would find essence in advertising in international media such as the BBC; smaller companies that produce and sell products in smaller geographical locations prefer the use of local media since they reach their target market unlike the CNN and the BBC. The region and scope of operation forms the greatest factor considered by most companies in search of advertisers. Cost affectivity is achieved when the amount invested in advertisem ents achieves the purpose by giving the brand the projected visibility in the market. Companies will always be willing to spend as much money as possible on advertisement provided the investment on advertisement resonates in improved visibility thereby improving the sale of their products (Frey, 1956). New Media New media is a phrase coined to refer to the use of the internet to gather, package, and distribute information to a large audience, which is synonymous to journalism. The advent of the internet literally transformed various aspects in reference to human life. Every industry got affected with the use of internet and the digital media. It introduced new concepts on the previously existing industries. In journalism and mass communication, the internet introduced the aspect of online journalism. Online journalism refers to the use of computer networks key among which is the internet in the gathering, packaging, or processing and the dissemination of information to an increasing ly computer literate audience. This new type of journalism influenced the previous old media by changing some of the rules of journalism that had determined news access and mass communication in general, which included advertisements as well. Among some of the key changes introduced by this new media include

'Sound business models are a necessary component in a healthy visual Essay

'Sound business models are a necessary component in a healthy visual arts ecology and essential for most publicly funded organ - Essay Example The focus would be on what can be changed as well as the aspects that have so far worked well in the same (Beder, 2006). In general perspectives, most of the business models that are being used in sector of visual arts are perceived as generally weak, and mostly subject to vulnerability conditions that have since hindered or even reduced to a great proportion the funding to the sector. This is a belief that is widely supported by research by various scholars who have once studied the same. For instance, most organizations in the visual arts sector are considered to have been under-capitalized, with their reserves being barely minimal to even support growth ideas and projects in the organizations. The effect of this is that the organizations can barely protect themselves from financial crisis moments in which case even the necessary reforms in the sector are thwarted. However, in real sense, such organizations if they can exploit their potentials have the capabilities to increase thei r activities hence, be able to convert some of the losses they have incurred into additional income. In this paper, I will seek to present the arguments that are against and those that are for the use of sound business models in visual arts ecology as a healthy component. The achievement of this will be made possible through the analysis of some of the obstacles that have hindered organizations from achieving their targets in ensuring that they have sound business models. The sector of visual arts is very lucrative and entails a lot of creativity hence, the need for firms that seek to invest into it to have updated and modern, sound business models that can enhance substantial growth in the same. However, like any other sector in the economic structure of a country, it is faced with challenges that have threatened to derail projects and stall development of business models intended for its use (Milne, Tregidga & Walton, 2009). Contemporary visual art world and arguments In the moder n world of visual arts, there exists a strong flavor of individualism in which the economic values for the development of such business models are enhanced. When this is considered from the perspective of a business growth concept, several problems may arise leading to its dispute. One such issue may be that by business being a collective issues, at times it may be extremely difficult for the organization to attain anything good if it does not consider or understand the value of the same. For a start, this has been the main argument against the establishment of sound business models by organizations (Ewing, 2010). The second argument against this development of business models is that while the business field warrants free entry and exit of firms and ideas, and as such just presents more challenges to businesses than solutions. For instance, it is viewed that such a free entry does not imply that the increased customer base will lead to translated high revenues by the firm (Bundy, 2 002, p.45). Consequently, even the overheads of the business and the surpluses may not necessarily imply that there will be increased business activities hence, high revenues. The opposite is always true with

CAD summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CAD summary - Essay Example When a person indulges more in physical activities, there is a recorded reduction in the danger of suffering from the coronary heart disease. Lack of exercise is currently considered to be the leading risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (WebMD, 2014). It is a powerful risk factor as compared to the other risk factors of this disease for example high blood pressure and smoking. Taking part in regular physical activities ensures that the arteries are frequently kept flexible (Krucik, 2012). This will be reflected in a normal blood pressure and a good flow of the blood to the heart. This therefore means that high blood pressure, which is one of the risk factors of the disease, is kept at bay and the development of the disease becomes difficult. At Lankenau Heart Institute, they carry out Angioscreen. Angioscreen is a heart and stroke screening program. Under this program a patient receives personal evaluation of their vascular and circulation health. In addition, the patients receive immediate and clear outcomes of Carotid Artery Ultrasound, Ankle Brachial Index, Blood Pressure, Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Peak Systolic Velocity, Body Mass Index, and also Heart Rhythm Electrocardiogram. From the above test results, the local screening program that is entirely tied to the heart and stroke disease is Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening. The program tests for the expansion of abdominal aorta. The abdominal aorta is a blood vessel that transports blood to the entire body. When the aneurysm widens and expands, it can easily burst and result to stroke or heart failure. On advance stages it can lead to death. The limitation of such illnesses is that they do not have symptoms, therefore, screening is very important. Research shows that an increase in the physical inactivity is closely connected to coronary artery disease as well as resulting death (Stahle & Cider, 2011).

Lessons of the Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lessons of the Cold War - Essay Example Notably, the leaders from both sides changed after a year of the war, but the war continued. Cold war led three main political blocks globally: the pro-America policies, the pro-Soviet Union policies, and the nations that never supported either side. In fighting the war, the first president of the United States into the war, President Harry Truman used a doctrine that was referred to the Truman Doctrine (Carafano, Cox, and Rosenzweig 64). In his doctrine, Truman supported communism effectively. This made him take control over Greece and Turkey. Additionally, the United States used the Marshall plan that strengthened the government and economies of the countries within Western Europe. The main reason why the nuclear war occurred despite the presence of nuclear weapons in Cuba was that the Soviet United agreed to remove them after the United States had detected their presence. Additionally, both sides agreed to end or ban their nuclear weapon tests above the ground, in space, and under water (Carafano, Cox, and Rosenzweig 231). There was further ban of deployment and testing of the long distance missiles. Despite the series of agreements, the United States was seen as the winner of the war since during the war it formed ally with numerous, powerful nations and supported numerous other nation that strengthened it support. Moreover, it international or foreign policies seemed to have worked well for it. Though it seems too difficult to achieve, the United States should aim at seeking allies with some Muslim world.  

Finding the Exception Essay Example for Free

Finding the Exception Essay â€Å"I remember riding my bike to school every day and seeing those two men working on their bicycles in their garage, little did I know that they would be the founders of the Trek Bicycle Corporation.† My mother told this to me a few months back when we were reminiscing on the good ol days. Waterloo, one of the smallest towns I have ever been too, is home to the success of French history. Its Trek bicycles are now the Tour de France winning frames that brought Lance Armstrong his victories and brought the midwest its spotlight on making the first American bike frames to win the worlds most prestigious bicycle race. By 1984, Trek was at its peak and sales were around $20,000 with approximately fifty thousand Treks being sold in the United States (Burke, 2012). However â€Å"Trek had grown arrogant, and the problems were starting to show† (Burke, 2012). Within business success lies problems and for this company the early years presented many because Trek did not like the bicycle retailers that they were dealing with, they had no brand strategy, and they had no money to advertise It seems that the most successful businesses start with the passion of at least one person. For Trek it was the vision of Richard Burke and Bevel Hogg. Burke was a former accountant that took interest in investments. Hogg was the owner of a Midwestern chain of bicycle stores. While Burke spent 15 years perfecting his business skills with Roth Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Hogg was growing tired of the retail business while keeping his heart with bicycles. Burke had a passion for outdoor recreation which drove him toward the bicycle market. During a meeting between the two men in 1975 when they sought to solve the issue of foreign made product. Their main competitor at the time was Schwinn bu this company dominated the specialty retail market but their bikes were Japanese made. Burke and Hogg wanted to sell American-made product for the same specialty. The company began as a five-person operation in a barn and is now a globally oriented company with distribution in 65 countries and over 1500 employees worldwide. What made the Trek bicycle so unique? Their mission was and still is simple, build the best bikes in the world. The frame sets were handmade from steel. The style was adopted from a European brazing style with its own American flavor. Tim Issac, an early frame engineer, said that a Trek bicycle could be identified without any paint on it. The company was blessed with the right designers and tolling infrastructure to use exactly the right materials to create such unique frame sets. The company had successfully found a way to distinguish itself. â€Å"In order to succeed, you cannot just sell any brand; you need to produce something special† (Burke, 2012, p. 4). Once this is established its time to settle on a distribution channel to ensure customers are being reached. At the time, Penn Cycle, outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota was Treks dealer. What attracted this dealer to Trek was that not only did this bicycle manufacturer provide lightweight, advanced bicycles, but they were also made in the United States. Market shares were quickly gaining from the Japanese and European competitors and the company was gaining dealers from Madison to San Francisco and sales had grown to over $1,000,000. After expanding the facility to allow for assembly lines and paint factories, reshaping the entire business, the company was able to hire its first true sales representatives and there in lies its customer service foundation. In 1981, sales doubles and again in 1982. In 1983, the company was already building additions to the factory. The business growth inspired a movements on the West Coast in corporations like Gary Fisher. Then in 1985, sales were over $20,000,000 But, as with any fast lane growth, Trek was facing a net loss for the second year straight. The totals sales in 1984 did not meet expectations and quality control was lacking which angered retailers. The assembly line was built but   it seemed as thought the company didnt know how to keep it moving forward. On top of that the turn over rate was lacking. John Burke, the son of Richard Burke, who worked for his fathers business remembers writing orders and them showing up at the customer two weeks later but yet having other orders written on prior sales call that still were not arriving to the customers (Burke, 2012, p. 10). The quality in the company was deteriorating. There were paint problems, frames were out of alignment, credits that were promised were not going through, etc. â€Å"I worked hard and sold a lot of product but the problems from the home office kept mounting† (Burke, 2012). Retailers were becoming more and more upset which pushed Trek even harder and the company was falling apart. Customer services makes or brakes a company in the retail world and Treks mission was to make every customer happy. It was up to their customer service department to bring this company back up and that is exactly what John Burke did. He knew that they needed to regain their focus, and that he needed to take a more active role in the companies day-to-day operations. A lot of options were being faced which included closing the operation and liquidating the business, sell the company, or turn it around. â€Å"We decided to roll up our sleeves and get it done (Burke, 2012). There is one method in business that seems to always prevail and that is the back-to-basics approach. Build a quality product, at a competitive value, that can be delivered on time while maintaining a positive work environment for customers and employees. Most importantly, deliver profit. The company first needed to start shipping orders on the same day. Cross training is always an excellent tool and this was a perfect opportunity for the business-suited employees to start putting their hand in on the factory work. The factory would get backed up and so the office workers would go into the warehouse and make sure that orders were fulfilled. Saturdays may seem like a day of rest for some but for Trek to succeed it had to require work on the weekends. Not only were deadlines met but lousy product needed to stop making it out the door. This truly shows the customer that their needs are  being met no matter what it takes. Organizational buying process is such an important business practice. With the many years of developed partnerships Trek has established, the company now has suppliers around the world that allow the fulfillment of demands of the product line. In the 1980s, when Trek was struggling, they were overlooking one very important aspect of their customer relationships-what is the actual value of their product? They were not going to their buyers and simply asking if they could help them find a vendor based on the value they were proposing. One a vendor is found there is some research that is to be done as well. Does this vendor have good history? Who has worked with them in the past? Is there opportunity to save some money in the mean time? Reliable quality product is what businesses thrive on. Any product that is overpriced needs to be discontinued and new products need to be developed that hit the right price points. â€Å"When potential suppliers are identified, theyre evaluated on four criteria: quality, delivery, capability, price, and environmental impact of their production process† (Kerin, 2005). In an industry such as bicycle production, the operational approach to management is essential. This approach is dedicated to improving efficiency, cutting waste, and improving quality (Kreitner Cassidy, 2011). By staying in line with business ethics, the manager of Trek would have put more energy into building better product so that it would support the challenges faced today such as limited mobility, issues with the environment, and now more than ever, issues with health. Essentially the bike must work well. If the name Trek is one it then there is quality behind it and this quality needs to be adhered to in the warehouse during production. At the time, Trek probably could not have seen that the bicycle would become the simple solution to all of these things but just as we embrace the availability of such innovation, managers of any business should be at least two steps ahead as to almost predict the future, therefore focusing on sustaining the reputable quality product that the c ompany originated from. In 1988, Trek introduced the Model 1200 aluminum road bike. This was the turning point for the company. This was true quality at a very competitive price. The original dollar amount was $500. Originally the company planned to sell 3,000 of these models but at the end of the year 12,000 were sold. This is when a business needs to reevaluate its retail margin. What goals are being made to improve the amount of retailers and what is the target date? Buyer centers then need to help the company find vendors to find the right place to sell new product. New strategic visions for new models and components builds a better business. Trek was learning, slowly but surely, that they needed to look at their own processes, understand how they make their product, how they source their product, and how they will continue to bring their product to the market and maybe at the end of the day, saving a dollar or two. How could Trek build bicycles that last longer, maybe even use recycles tires. Every business has room for improvement. Business owners should always be looking for ways to bring new technology and solutions into the marketplace. By 1996 Trek was now over $300 million in sales. At this point in the time the company was expanded in Europe to include Japan. However, when there is sunshine expect rain and when there is rain expect for sun. After Trek ramped up their budgets by 20 percent in 1996, 20% more product was to be produced. Sales forecasts were starting to get missed which left inventory levels shooting through the roof. The company was yet again out of balance. There were more bikes in inventory than sales. Every year bicycle products are expected to change, therefore this high inventory of product needed to be discounted heavily in order for sales to continue. This only hurts profit margins. Basically what happened was that Trek grew too big too fast. Just about an hour away form Waterloo is the Whitewater Trek manufacturing plant. When this plant was first opened in 1995, the goal seemed to still be manufacturing low-price point bikes. â€Å"We got out of 1996 making a profit, but the future was no longer bright, and storm clouds were on the horizon† (Burke, 2012). Then numbers continued to look worse and worse as the years went on. Finally in 1998, Tim Callahan was hired on to Trek to take over manufacturing. He turned over Trek manufacturing that essentially saved the business, yet another time. The concept of Kaizen, Japanese for â€Å"continuous improvement† was used first to turn the Trek factories around. â€Å"In the gift-that-keeps-on-giving department, we took Kaizen to our dealer network and it has continued to make an amazing difference to this day† (Burke, 2012). Businesses to do not There was one other thing that added to Treks new found momentum in success. Trek signed a sponsorship deal with the US Postal Service to sponsor a bike team. Thanks to Lance Armstrong, who had a good group of riders, Trek appeared in the 1999 Tour de France. Lances winnings gave Trek the opportunity to show up on the front of Sports Illustrated and The New York Times, as well as on the Letterman show (Burke, 2012). Business was great until the year 2006. Production needed a facelift. How do you keep a product backed for years by consumers by maintaining its quality and reputation? For consumers of Trek bicycles, there is customer loyalty. Just like with Apple computer or Smart phones. Why such dedication from the customer? Trek figure out that to continue this relationship they would not only have to continue to build quality bicycles-the best in the world but they would provide their customers with quality products at competitive value that would be delivered on time. Just as with Apple computers, the product continues to prove itself in quality, never leaving the customer unsatisfied. IF there is a problem for whatever reason, dedication to customer sanctification shines the most by fixing whatever issue there may be in a timely fashion. When Senior Burke fired the management team and asked John to move back to Wisconsin to run Treks customer service department, he learned the value of maintaining relationships with retailers and customers.

Sony Music Entertainment SWOT Analysis

Sony Music Entertainment SWOT Analysis Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment, also known as Sony Music is controlled by Sony Corporation of America. Sony Music is one of the biggest four record companies, ranked as the second biggest global record music companies. Sony has managed to reach at the level of being one the biggest music companies in the world and remain at this stage. Sony Music has collaborated with numerous of artists and others more to come. Sony Music Entertainment contains the music labels: Columbia, Columbia Nashville, Epic, Jive, RCA, Legacy Recordings, Victor Records, Masterworks, Arista, Arista Nashville, Bluebird Jazz, BNA Records Label, Burgundy Records, J Records, LaFace Records, Provident Label Group, U.S Latin, Verity Records and Windham Hill. Porters five forces Porters five forces are the rivalry among competitors, the threat of potential entry, the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining powers of buyers and the threat of substitutes. The most competitive force between Porters five forces is the rivalry between producers and sellers in the music industry. The music record industry constitutes 4 significant segments: * Major recording studios: Major companies are firms that have large numbers of artists under contracts with different types of music, such as hip-hop, rock, jazz, country, etc. Major companies may be EMI, Sony Music, Columbia and work internationally. * Independent labels: Independent labels are companies that have fewer artists under contracts, recording one or two music styles and mostly work regionally. * Micro labels: Micro labels have an amount of about 10 artists and focus on a particular music style. * Vanity labels: Vanity labels are companies that focus on independent artists. It is the last segment of the music industry that struggles to become one of the other segments. Rivalry among competitors Sony Music has 3 biggest competitors: EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group. The competition of these four companies depends on the popularity of the artist and their songs. On this case, if the artist is very popular and promises reassured sales, then the price doesnt play a significant role. On the other hand, if the artists are not known enough then the price is at the same stage of importance as the competition. Furthermore, the rivalry between the competitors is affected by the advertisement and promotion of the songs. There are a large number of competitors that are similar in size, consumer offerings, market and growth. Threat of potential entry The threat of is the weakest force. Even if a new music recording company enters the market, its very difficult to reach the levels of the existing company. In the music industry there are millions of music record firms globally but still the top four remain unbeatable. Bargaining power of suppliers The power of suppliers depends on the popularity of artists. Sony specializes on already famous artists, therefore is difficult to compete, except the other three big organizations. Bargaining power of Buyers * In August 2005 Sony Music was accounted as 32.8% out of 71.7% of retail music sales. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry) * Due to economic crisis, people have difficulties on buying CDs Threat of substitutes People prefer listening songs through Internet (YouTube), on radio, on TV channels and other rather than buying the CD. Internet has become a substitute of CD records, through piracy and downloads. This is very an important matter in music record industry, even if they try to fight it, there will always be this competition. SWOT Strengths The second biggest major music company Globally known and recognized A portfolio of successful artists An organized and clear website Channels of distribution: radio, TV, Internet, music record shops Weaknesses Global music piracy (its the biggest issue that worries all music record companies) Opportunities Future successful CD releases with existing artists Releasing MP3 songs Threats The music pirates will drive music record companies to a decrease of their sales Nowadays, music is fashion-obsessed. A wrong selection of an album release may result badly to the company Physical sales are decreasing due to digital music. People are more attracted to download a song rather than buy the whole album. The music record industry has lost  £180m last year in UK. The 95% of music on the Internet is downloaded illegally. (IFPI) Conclusion According to statistics, Sony Music Entertainment is one of the most successful companies in the music record industry. Despite the music piracy that arises in the present time, Sony Music strives to handle this matter legally and commercially by persuading the people especially young to stop and avoid piracy. This is a big threat to the music record industry and it has to be dealt with strategic manner. Companies such as iTunes (Apple) have reduced music piracy, since in order to download a song it has to be bought first. In order to stop this crime, so that the music record companies can function properly and get back on their feet with their sales increasing, some services (Kazaa, Limewire, Bearshare) has to be shut down. The 45% of users of such services has dropped after all US and international legal actions have taken place. References 1. Music Industry [online]. Wikipedia. Last accessed on 10 December 2009 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry 2. EMI SWOT, Music Piracy [online]. Bridgewell. Last accessed on 12 December 2009 at: http://miranda.hemscott.com/ir/sgp/pdf/INI_Music_downloading_September_6th_2004.pdf 3. Sony Music Entertainment [online]. Wikipedia. Last accessed on 12 December 2009 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Music_Entertainment 4. Facts and Figures [online]. Sony Music. Last accessed on 13 December 2009 at: http://www.sonymusic.com/ 5. CCM Music Recording Company [online]. Last accessed on 11 December 2009 at: http://www.personal-writer.com/sample/marketing-essay/ccm-music-recording-company-step-analysis-swot-analysis-five-forces 6. ITunes claims to be stopping teen music piracy [online]. Gadgetell. Last accessed on 12 December 2009 at: http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/itunes-claims-to-be-stopping-teen-music-piracy/ 7. Internet Piracy: The facts [online]. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Last accessed on 12 December 2009 at: http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/20050412c.html 8. Online Piracy [online] Guardian. Last accessed on 11 December 2009 at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jan/17/music-piracy

Economic thought from ancient societies

Economic thought from ancient societies INTRODUCTION The oriental school of economic thought basically deals with the study of the origin of economic thought from various ancient societies including the Hindu, Hebrew, Indian, Roman, Greek, and Islamic societies. It has been observed that the main area looked into by the Hebrews and Hindus was based on agricultural economics and all this information was drawn from the writing of the pious law givers who were present at the time. These ancient writings consisted of ideas on various economic aspects such as: division of labour, cottage industries, forest and mines, trade and trading practices, concept of wealth, transport, banking and loans, etc. Some of the writers who also played a role in the development of this economic thought include Roman writers such as Cicero, Pliny Gato, Varro and Columella. During this period, and until the industrial revolution, economics was not a separate discipline but part of philosophy. Its evolution into a distinct discipline of study in the social sciences can be attributed greatly to these early writers. Roman law also developed the contract recognizing that planning and commitments over time are necessary for efficient production and trade. This large body of law was unified as the Corpus Juris Civilis in the 530s AD by Justinian, who was Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. In Ancient India, Chulavamsa records that Parakramabahu of Sri Lanka had debased the currency of Ancient Sri Lanka in order to produce money to support this large scale infrastructure projects. Parakramabahu also pioneered free trade during his reign. Many of the topics discussed during these ancient times are still prevalent in modern economics, including discussions on the management of a solid and efficient economy and the ethics of economics. These ancient thoughts als o focused on issues of welfare, for instance, redistribution of wealth during a famine. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Ancient economic thought is very much wide and its study provides a broad basis for comparison of the ancient approach to economic issues as compared to issues arising in the modern world economies. The large number of ancient thinkers who contributed to this thought differed in beliefs and practices. Also, information on some of these ancient cultural-economic practices is very scanty and thus makes this enquiry into the oriental school of economic thought necessary so as to be able to get a better understanding of the underlying economic issues of both the past and present. JUSTIFICATION With the evolution of economics, many writers have come up with different theories about different areas in the subject. So as to be able to critically assess these different theories and understand the unity which connects us with the ancient times, knowledge on the origin of the early stages of economic thought is necessary for one to be able to take a well informed and unbiased stand on contentious economic issues arising today and hence the need for this study. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY To understand the principles and concepts of the oriental school of economic thought. To know the key contributors of ancient economic thought. To evaluate and criticize how the ancient societies carried out their economic activities. To find out the major contributions of the oriental school of thought to the body of knowledge that exists today. To get a clearer understanding of the position of economics as a distinct member of a group of social sciences. Ancient near East Economic organizations in the earliest civilizations of the Fertile Crescent were driven by the need to efficiently grow crops in the river basins. The Euphrates and Nile Valleys were homes to earliest examples of codified measurements written in base 60 and Egyptian fractions. Keepers of royal granaries and absentee Egyptian land owners reported in the Heganakht Papyri. Historians of this period note that the major tool of accounting for agrarian societies, the sales used to measure grain inventory, reflected dual religious and ethical symbolic meaning. The Erlenmeyer tablets give a picture of Sumerian production in the Euphrates valley around 2, 200 2, 100 B.C., and shows an understanding of the relationship between grain and labour inputs (valued in female labour days) and outputs and an emphasis on efficiency. Egyptians measured work output in man-days. The development of sophisticated economic administration continued in the Euphrates and Nile Valleys during the Babylonian Empi re and Egyptian Empires when trading units spread through the Near East within monetary systems. Egyptian fraction and base 60 monetary units were extended in use and diversity to Greek, early Islamic culture, and medieval cultures. By 1202 A.D, Leonardo Pisa Fibonacci use of zero and Vedic-Islamic numerals motivated Europeans to apply zero as an exponent, birthing modern decimals 350 years later. The city states of Sumer developed a trade market economy based originally on the commodity money of the shekel which was a certain weight measure of barley, while the Babylonians and their city state neighbours later developed the earliest system of economics using a metric of various commodities, which was fixed in a legal code. The early law codes from Sumer could be considered the first (written) economic formula, and had many attributes still in use in the current price system today, such as codified amounts of money for business deals (interest rates), fines in money for wrong doing, inheritance rules, laws concerning how private property is to be taxed or divided, etc. Ancient Greco-Roman world Some prominent classical scholars assert that relevant economic thought was based on metaphysical principles which are incommensurate with contemporary dominant economic theories such as neo-classical economics. However, several ancient Greek and Roman thinkers made various economic observations especially Aristotle and Xenophon. Many other Greek writings show understanding of sophisticated economic concepts. For instance, a form of Greshams law is presented in Aristophanes Frogs, and beyond Platos application of sophisticated mathematical advances influenced by the Pythagoreans in his appreciation of flat money in his Laws: (742 a-b) and in the pseudo-Platonic dialogue, Eryxlas. Bryson of Heraclea was a neo-platonic who is cited as having heavily influenced early Muslim economic scholarship. The influence of Babylonian and Persian thought on Greek administrative economics is present in the work of Greek historian Xenophon. Discussions of economic principles are especially present in his Oeconomicus, his biography of Cyrus the Great, Cyropaedia, Hiero and Ways and Means. Hiero is a minor work which includes discussion of leaders stimulating private production and technology through various means including public recognition and awarding of prizes. Ways and Means is a short treatise on economic development, and showed an understanding of the importance of taking advantage of economies of scale and advocated laws promoting foreign merchants. The Oeconomicus disc uses the administration of agricultural land. In the work, subjective personal value of goods is analyzed and compared with exchange value; Xenophon gives an example of a horse which may be of no use to a person who does not know how to handle it, but still has exchange value. In Cyropaedia, Xenophon presents what in hindsight can be seen as the foundation for a theory of fair exchange in the market which will result in the analysis of better fit or suitability to either party who wants to purchase the same item. Xenophon discusses the concept of division of labour, referencing specialized cooks and workers in a shoe making shop. Marx attributes to Cyropaedia the idea that the division of labour correlates to the size of a market. Roman law developed the contract recognizing that planning and commitments over time are necessary for efficient production and trade. Ancient India Chulavamsa records that Parakramabahu I of Sri Lanka had debased the currency of Ancient Sri Lanka in order to produce monies to support his large scale infrastructure projects. Parakramabahu I also pioneered free trade during his reign, a war was fought with Burma to defend free trade. Chanakya (c. 350 BC 275 BC) considered economic issues. He was a professor of Political Science at the Takshashila University of Ancient India, and later the Prime Minister of the Mauryan Emperor, Chandragupta Maurya. He wrote the Arthashastra (science of material gain). Many of the topics discussed in the Arthashastra are still prevalent in modern economics, including its discussions in the management of an efficient and solid economy. Chanakya also focuses on issues of welfare, for instance, redistribution of wealth during a famine and the collective ethics that hold a society together. The Arthashastra argues for an autocracy managing an efficient or solid economy. The qualities described are in effect that of a command economy. It discusses the ethics of economics and the duties and obligations of a king. Chanakya writes on the economic duties of a king: The king shall be ever active in the management of the economy. The root of wealth is economic activity and lack of it brings material distress. In the absence of fruitful economic activity, both current prosperity and future growth will be destroyed. A king can achieve the desired objectives and abundance of riches by undertaking productive economic activity. Ancient China Ideal and effective economic policy was long sort for in ancient China, one of the greatest early reformers being the Emperor Qin Shi Huang (r. 221 BC 210 BC), who standardized coin currency throughout the old warring states once he unified them under a strong central bureaucracy (which the Zhou dynasty had always lacked). However, one of the greatest reformists in China lived during the medieval Song dynasty (960 1279 AD), that being Chancellor Wang Anshi (1021 1086 AD). Wang Anshis political faction of the New Policies Group enacted a series of reforms that centered on military reform, bureaucratic reform and economic reform. The economic reforms included low cost loans for farmers who he considered the backbone of the Chinese economy in terms of production of goods and the greatest source of the land tax. Replacing the corvee labour service with a tax instead, he enacted government monopolies on crucial industries producing tea, salt, and wine, introduction of local militia to ease the budget spending on the official standing army of one million troops and the establishment of a Finance Planning Commission staffed largely by political loyalists so that his reforms could pass quickly with less time for conservatives to oppose it in court. Medieval Islamic World To some degree, the early Muslims based their economic analyses on the Quran (such as the opposition of riba, interest) and from Sunnah, the sayings and doings of Muhammad. Early Muslim thinkers, Al-Ghazali (1058 1111 A.D.) classified economics as one of the sciences connected with religion, along with metaphysics, ethics and psychology. Authors have noted, however, that this connection has not caused early Muslim economic thought to remain static. Persian philosopher Nasir al-Din-al-Tusi (1201 1274) presents an early definition of economics (what he calls Hekmat-e-madani, the science of city life) in discourse three of his ethics: the study of universal laws governing the public interest welfare: in so far as they are directed, through cooperation, toward the optimal (i.e. perfection). Many scholars trace the history of economic thought through the Muslim world, which was in a Golden Age from the 8th to 13th century and whose philosophy continued the work of the Greek Hellenistic thinkers and came to influence Aquinas when Europe rediscovered Greek philosophy through Arabic translation. A common theme among these scholars was the praise of economic activity and even self-interested accumulation of wealth. The influence of earlier Greek and Hellenistic thought on the Muslim world began largely when Abbasid Caliph al-Mamun, who sponsored the translation of Greek texts into Arabic in the 9th century by Syrian Christians in Baghdad. But already by that time numerous Muslim scholars had written on economic issues, and early Muslim leaders had shown sophisticated attempts to enforce fiscal and monetary financing, use of deficit financing, use of taxes to encourage production, use of credit instruments for banking, including rudimentary savings and checking of accounts, a nd contract law. The origins of capitalism and free markets can be traced back to Caliphate where the first market economy and earliest form of merchant capitalism took root between the 8th and 12th centuries, which some refer to as Islamic capitalism. A vigorous monetary economy was created on the basis of expanding levels of circulation of a stable high-value currency (the dinar) and the integration of monetary areas that were previously independent. Innovative new business techniques and forms of business organizations were introduced by economists, merchants and traders during this time. Such innovations included the earliest trading companies, credit cards, big businesses, contracts, bills of exchange, long distance, international trade, the first forms of partnerships and the earliest forms of credit, debt, profit, loss, capital (al-mal), capital accumulation (nama-al-mal), circulating capital, capital expenditure, revenue, cheques, promissory notes, trusts, startup companies, savings accounts, transactional accounts, pawning, loaning, exchange rates, bankers, money changers, ledgers, deposits, assignments, the double entry bookkeeping system, and lawsuits. MAIN FINDINGS After going through the history of the oriental school of thought in the previous section, the following economic aspects come out clearly as having been discovered and practiced by these early thinkers: The Concept of Production and Technology Ancient leaders stimulated private production and technology through various means including public recognition and awarding of prizes to successful inventors and producers. Economies of Scale Ways and Means was a short treatise on economic development written by Xenophon, which showed an understanding of the importance of taking advantage of economies of scale in production activity and advocated for laws promoting foreign merchants. Administration of Agricultural Land Agriculture was considered the most dignified occupation. In ancient India, the state took a leading part in developing agriculture and also demanded a fixed share of the gross produce. Price system The early law codes from Sumer were the first (written) economic formula, and had many attributes still in use in the current price system today, such as codified amounts of money for business deals (interest rates), fines in money for wrong doing, inheritance rules, laws concerning how private property is to be taxed or divided, etc. Grain and Labour Inputs Relationship The Erlenmeyer tablets gave a picture of Sumerian production in the Euphrates valley around 2, 200 2, 100 B.C., and showed an understanding of the relationship between grain and labour inputs (valued in female labour days) and outputs and an emphasis on efficiency in production. Output of Work The Egyptians measured work output in man-days. Monetary Units The Egyptian fraction and base 60 monetary units were extended in use and diversity to Greek, early Islamic culture, and medieval cultures. By 1202 A.D, Leonardo Pisa Fibonacci use of zero and Vedic-Islamic numerals motivated Europeans to apply zero as an exponent, birthing modern decimals 350 years later and hence the development of monetary units. Value Subjective personal value of goods was analyzed and compared with exchange value. Xenophon gave an example of a horse which may be of no use to a person who does not know how to handle it, but still has exchange value. Theory of Fair Exchange Xenophon presented what in hindsight could be seen as the foundation of a theory of fair exchange in the market which will result in the analysis of better fit or suitability to either party who wants to purchase the same item. Division of Labour Xenophon discussed the concept of division of labour, with reference to specialized cooks and workers in a shoe making shop who specialised in different tasks. Free Trade Parakramabahu I pioneered free trade during his reign, this is evident because a war was fought with Burma to defend free trade in ancient India. Welfare In India the leaders insisted on ensuring that the population as a whole has to be well looked after. For example, Chanakya focused on issues of welfare, for instance, redistribution of wealth during a famine and the collective ethics that held a society together. Standardized Coin Currency Emperor Qin Shi Huang of Ancient China, standardized coin currency throughout the old warring states after he unified them under a strong central bureaucracy. Low Cost Loans For Farmers In Ancient China Wang Anshis political faction of the New Policies Group enacted a series of reforms that centered on military reform, bureaucratic reform and economic reform. The economic reforms included low cost loans for farmers whom he considered to be the backbone of the Chinese economy in terms of production of goods and the greatest source of the land tax. Land Tax This was a source of revenue for the Ancient Chinese government from farmers, because during that period agriculture was the main driver of the economy. Fiscal and Monetary Financing The Muslim leaders enforced various policy measures including fiscal and monetary financing, use of deficit financing, use of taxes to encourage production and use of credit instruments for banking. Banking The early Muslim leaders had shown sophisticated attempts indlucing rudimentary savings and checking accounts, and contract law. Monetary Economy Between the 8th and 12th centuries, which some refer to as the period of Islamic capitalism, a vigorous monetary economy was created on the basis of expanding levels of circulation of a stable high-value currency (the dinar) and the integration of monetary areas that were previously independent of each other. SUGGESTIONS The social organization manifested by the ancient civilizations should be critically looked at and applied to solve some socioeconomic problems still present today, especially in the developing nations. The organization of government and formulation of policies during the ancient times leaves a lot to be admired. Governments of the modern economies should pick some of these values. The concept of politics being looked at separately from economics and policy formulation should be followed in todays modern economies for faster development and equality in the distribution of wealth. Welfare economics should be taken as seriously as it was taken in ancient times. For example, during periods of drought or famine, governments should not let particular groups of people suffer and instead they should distribute the available resources to the entire population. CONCLUSION Theres no question or doubt as to whether ancient economic philosophies are still in extensive use today. The modern economy has evolved over centuries to become what it is today. The study of the history of economic thought enables the student to appreciate the contributions various writers have made to development of economics as a discipline. Although ancient economic theories were sometimes unclear, contradictory, or presented in a rudimentary manner, they form the basis of economic analysis today. These theories are still being used today by the worlds largest and most complicated and sophisticated economies. BIBLIPGRAPHY Falgas, Matthew E.; Zarkadoulia, A. Effie, (2006). Arab Science in the Golden Age (750-1258) and Today. The FASEB Journal 20(10): 1581-1586. Hosseini, S. Hamid (2003). Contributions of Medieval Muslim Scholars to the History of Economic Thought and their Impact: A Refutation of the Schumpeterian Great Gap. S. Lowry (2003). Ancient Medieval Economics. In Biddle, Jeff E.; Davis, Jon B.; Samuels, Warren J.A Companion to the History of Economic Thought. Malden, MA: Blackwell pp. 11-27. Schumpeter, Joseph (1954). History of Economic Analysis. New York, Oxford University Press.

Oedipus Rex :: Oedipus Rex Poem Essays

Oedipus Rex Sophocles Awake ye men of earth; remove thy shackles from thy body and acquaint yourself with the mother as you pass through creation in the manner of a tragedian romance, embodying nature and spirit. And in your night crusade, you will perceive a revelation of the most superlative feelings that come not from words or form, but from light. Hope Saphos DeVenuto A vaporous energy passes before us as a wave which carries us through the categories of the mind of an ancient past in Aristotelian truth. Aristotle's cool objective eyewhich ascends from his deductive logic, introduces to the arts a canvas of inner landscapes that becomes an expedition of mans human instinct for imitation, harmony and rhythm. Aristotle's observation of the human experience becomes a psychological basis of modern learning by accumulating the facts and causes of an existing world. In his poetics, life is poetic. Everything written has its own style and rhythm which concludes that poetry arose from an inborn gift that developed into two directions. Comedy which is the pillory of the meaner actions of life and tragedy which stages a nobleman's vulnerabilities into full blown out drama from the simple and continuous fundamental questioning of his moment to moment solitary acts. What can be more wonderful than a man and woman who are painted as descendant characters from fables and myths of a culture and at the same time dissect their humanness, interweaving human idiosyncrasy with the power of fate? This depicts the poetic art form of Sophocle's Oedipus Rex ,which possesses an imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain immensity that expresses language with creative adornments and dramatic action. According to Aristotle, plot is the most crucial aspect of tragedy and to achieve this dimension of space, the plot must have a beginning, middle and an end. Just as a living organism has a biorhythm, so does the plot through the emotional, intellectual, and physical activity of the events from "calamity to good fortune or from good fortune to calamity." Complication, unraveling and surprise are the components of the best living tragedy, along with the noble individual who brings about his own downfall through his own debilities. Through Oedipus Rex there is a definite movement of the adult and child experience where the affair may or may not happen. As history deals with our particular past, poetry is more philosophical with a higher and more universal meaning. If one were to be the child of Oedipus and Jocasta, there would be no feelings of shame, only the feelings of suffering a great loss of both parents and a misunderstood sexuality.

Analysis Paper :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have read two particular articles that are about the topic I chose for my analysis. Both articles identify facts that support their beliefs. One true fact from one of the articles states â€Å"The basic is simple: Life begins not at birth, but at conception. It is a scientific and biological one†. Another fact about a different article states, â€Å"In order for it to be a human being it needs an internal organization, organs, and especially a human brain to be considered fully human†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As I read both articles to understand each perspective there were two opposites one pro one con. On the Pro side of the argument, I found that the person who wrote the article had a moralistic approach about the topic. The topic that I chose to analyze was Abortion. Abortion always has two sides of a story, which is a very interesting topic to discuss because as you discuss this topic with others you will find that everyone has a different approach to what their beliefs are. I for one am I believer of Pro-Life. The woman that wrote this article has a lot of pro side to her argument. She talked about how chromosomes and eggs come together to form an embryo. She talks about the risk factors when having an abortion that is voluntary. She believed that even though there may be life, or potential life, or however one wants to refer to the fetus, that by denying a woman the right to an abortion is denying her control of her body. Being a woman myself, I am obviously aga inst people trying to control women or their bodies. But the fetus is a completely separate life from the woman. She brought up great ideas to support her belief, which is why this particular topic is very, very intriguing. Now, the other side of the topic is Pro-choice. The ability to decide for yourself that you can have an abortion, the pro-choice philosophy maintains that the availability of good medical abortions protects the health and fertility of women and allows children to be born into homes where they can receive love, care, affection, and respect for their unique individuality, so that these children grow up to be joyful, loving, caring, responsible members of the community, able to enter into meaningful relationships with others. This article talks great opinions to support their debate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many unique tactics that each of the article uses to lure one into believing the way they do.

Essay --

Ambiguous Adventure Essay Ambiguous Adventure, written by Cheikh Hamidou Kane, compares traditional Islamic education with the new western education that was introduced through colonization. The novel follows the journey of Samba Diallo whose home of Diallobe was conquered by the French and was being colonized. Ambiguous Adventure demonstrates the traditional Islamic education in comparison to the new western education and ideals throughout Samba Diallo’s journey. Samba Diallo grew up in Diallobe in an elite family. Diallobe was recently colonized by the French and his town is having a hard time assimilating to the French ideal and education. Diallo describes this colonization that â€Å"we have nothing left - thanks to them - and it is thus that they hold us. He who wants to live, who wants to remain himself, must compromise† (pg. 9). Diallo spent most of his childhood in the Glowing Hearth, a koranic school, being taught by his koranic teacher Thierno. Thierno believed that Diallo has a divine gift, and is especially hard on Diallo in order to drive him to achieve greater things. Thierno believes that Diallo will become the next koranic teacher of Diallobe. Diallo becomes a religious disciple, however right before he is about to learn how to apply his knowledge of the Koran, he is pulled from the Glowing Hearth to be sent to the new western school. â€Å"I had interrupted my studies with the teacher of the Diallobe at the very momen t when he was about to initiate me at last into the rational understanding of what up to then I had done no more than recite† (pg. 143). The Most Royal Lady is Diallo’s older cousin, and sister to the chief of Diallobe. She calls a community meeting and decides that in order to fight back against the coloni... ...t rather learn how to fight back. On the flip side, the Modern education represents the Modernist point of view during colonization. They want to learn how to incorporate parts of French culture and philosophy into their traditional Islamic ways. Samba Diallo makes the transformation into a modernist throughout the book, however he was never fully able to show his new philosophical knowledge because he was killed. If Diallo had completed his koranic knowledge, then he might of been rooted stronger in it and wouldn’t of been so torn between his Islamic roots and the new western ideas. Ambiguous Adventure shows how the traditional Islamic education and the new western education played a big role during the process of colonization. By: Ashley Fleetwood Word Count: 1,416 Kane, Cheikh Hamidou. â€Å"Ambiguous Adventure†. Melville House Publishing. Brooklyn, New York. 2012

A critical analysis of “Charles V & Philip his Son” by Marino Cavalli, 1554

This is a critical analysis of a written piece by Marino Cavalli as he writes his thoughts about the comparisons between the current King; Charles V, and his son and heir Philip. Cavalli has documented the concerns he has about Philip's inability to adequately rule over ‘various peoples' when he comes to power. Cavalli was the Venetian Ambassador in France at the time, and had a vested interest in who succeeded Charles V to the throne. Cavalli begins by making basic observations about the physical similarities between father and son; their appearance, their habits and their demeanour. â€Å"His Highness is now in his twenty-fourth year, of very delicate complexion and medium stature. In both face and mind he resembles his father..† This is the first, and last positive evaluation he makes about Philip. It becomes clear very quickly that he harbours numerous doubts about Philip's ability to come to power and manage different countries, when he favours being advised by a solely Spanish council, who would clearly have preference for their own agenda. â€Å"He takes excessive pleasure in being revered, and he maintains with everyone, no matter who he may be, a greater haughtiness than his father,†. Cavalli obviously worries that Philip does not attempt to earn the respect of his subjects or nobility. He manages to infer a negative edge to the term ‘revere' cleverly using insinuation to make the reader consider this to be an unattractive quality, and demonstrates a preference for Charles V over Philip as he goes on to say; â€Å"They have good reason, being used to his father, who knows extremely well how to adjust himself by various ways to all kinds of people.† If Cavalli's dilemma was merely a loyalty preference for Charles V it could be argued that he was politicking. Especially considering his Venetian roots and French ties, and the fact that the European countries were constantly warring for power, land and control. But when taking into account his other reservations about Philip's eventual rise to power, (which were similar to a great many other opinions of the time), the historian; with the grace of hindsight, can see that his concerns were well founded. It was well known that Charles V (despite the many wars he fought) was hungrier for peace than to acquire land, and he made the best efforts to maintain civility with the neighbouring states, whether or not they had previously fought each other for the rite to rule. Charles V was also recognised as having a very tolerant nature regarding the religious preferences of the people he governed. He was aware of the protestant uprising, and did not make it a priority to come down on his subjects with the severity he could have. As his son Philip would do in later years. It would seem Philip was destined to live in his fathers shadow; â€Å"But owing to the greatness of his father, and the fact that he was born great and has not yet proved himself in any work, he will never appear in the last analysis as the equal of the emperor.† Cavalli felt that Philip had cut himself off from all but the Spanish. â€Å"One may judge that when this prince succeeds to the government of his states he will be served wholly by Spanish ministers, for he is inclined towards that people more than is fitting in a prince who wishes to rule over various peoples†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And he was quite right, Philip did move to Spain never returning to live in Holland, he refused to speak the language and did keep virtually a wholly Spanish council. His preference for Spain was widely known at the time, and widely documented in the historical years to follow. This piece of text is written in a personal, almost diary or journal entry style which allows Cavalli to articulate freely his concerns. It would seem that Cavalli's fears were realised once Philip came to power, although there would have been nothing Cavalli could have done to bring about change, as Philip was born into the time when Royalty were believed to be born with a divine rite to rule, and due to the sheer population numbers of the countries that he resided over, he was always able to gain favour somewhere, especially when his main goal was to crush the protestant reformation and gain land and title, no matter what the cost.

Reflective Practicee Essay

It is st come outgic to birth feedback on my devote as lots as possible to gibe I am improving and induceing at bottom the image. I odor it is fundamental to weaken feedback from the side by side(p) people T distri simplyivelyer I try my up most to intercourse to the instructor after(prenominal) the lesson to wrangle the gird of pupils whom Ive been feeding with. in that location atomic number 18 eras when I gather in explicit a concern on the position arrangement deep d bear the classroom and early(a) demeanoural matters that I gestate snarl quest to be addressed, the t individuallyer has practic all(prenominal)y condition nevertheless direction in where they want me to subscribe to in the room. Im ceaselessly authentically crafty to receive feedback from the t separatelyer nigh how they matte I lap uped with the pupils, how I could repair my government agency at bottom the lesson, roundwhat convictions I convey been embold force out t o give way with collections of pupils, in that locationfore I retain gone away and looked into incompatible shipway of throw ining genuine(a) childbeds and how certain pupils work better to rile believeher.Im non endlessly given the learnedness physical object ahead, which I determine is rattling classic to receive so I am prep atomic number 18d and tang as sured to argue the topic amongst the pupils, wherefore I practically try to dispute the next lesson with the t separatelyer in advance to hold I corroborate an overview. Line Manager I piddle been lucky to devour been spy inside lessons by my variant carriage to receive direct feedback on how I croupe rectify my practice inside my case. I take a shit received some constructive feedback and some very financial backing positivist praise. I own asked near several raising courses to develop my instinct in certain beas and started some of my receive independent chooseing in behaviour. My co ntestation wangler is always very subject and approachable she has given me ideas for specific course groups which have unfeignedly championed inwardly lessons. I am always asking to be involved in any extracurricular confederations and keen to learn from other(a)s whilst at work.What is meant be reflective practice?Reflective practice means when we think about what we be doing, how we ardoing it and whether we could change or improve it. A sequence to reflect on our knowledge education, evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and look into opportunities, ideas to foster further using and gain authority in our profession.What is meant by National occupational standards?These ar National standards that argon establish on the roles and responsibilities of declare module in aims. Together with the guidance, they enable rung to manage the diametric stages of support staff recruitment, ontogenesis and come onion often clock times effectively.Functions and dea lments of your role confide one example for each of the following res publicas of the muse role, of how personal materialization has force on your own practice. load-bearing(a) acquisition I have worked with a lowly group at bottom course of instruction 8, the lesson has a mixed of abilities, I aim to get round each pupil to attend thither is an correspondence on the business set. On disapproval I entangle their wasnt enough time given to each child end-to-end the lesson, it was with this reckon I spoke to the teacher and suggested groups of quartette at a dodge, so they would be able to converse the exercise as a group and then work independently. This would allow both the teacher and I to lambast to the groups at one time and pull ahead involvement from all through and throughout the lesson rather than departure round individually. This has worked really soundly, each table works really well unitedly and in reflection to the anterior set up it has in inte rchangeable manner developed the pupils social and dialogue skills.Promoting positive behaviourIn a yr 9 lesson I have been financial backing a learner with his numeracy the student is a dandy deal distracted by other things departure on in the classroom and struggles to pore. I felt I was continuously barter him to sit down or to retard talk of the town. In reflection to this reoccurring I persistent to challenge him in completing the task under a time limit, I bought in a stop pick up and overly did the task beside him to see who could end it prototypal. His reaction was incredible he complete all the work and expressed a really positivereaction to these gnomish challenges. In reception to this I asked the teacher if I could concord a ac association in his planner to record how well he had done, in addition to this flavour I made sure I gave the pupil lots of positive praise, he responded to these comments really well and have since proceed the small timed ch allenges.Developing incontrovertible kinshipsRecently a year 7 pupil had left their previous instruct due to bullying this was one of the first things she said to me on working with her in a lesson. I noniced she had a lack of self-assertion in talk to people, firstly existence new to the take days and secondly probably anxious from her previous check experience. In reflection to this at the end of the lesson I check offd the teacher was conscious and suggested pairing her up with some other pupil. In response to this each week we did spell tables so the person sat on the unspoilt would move one station back each week, so the pupils would always be sat with someone different. I also encouraged this pupil a farsightedside others to attend a new after cultivate sports club I have started running. The new student showed up for the club and has been attending since, she has made some prominent new friends and familiar with other year groups which has in turn outgrowt hd her authorisation and enjoyment at check.Contri savee to planning assessment and feedbackEvery morning I spend 15mins with a year 9 pupil who has cerebral palsy. I have worked with his phyiso and parents to assess his affects and put together an exercise plan that I abetance him with each day. I have a record sheet of what we do each day and how he did with each exercise, I regularly liaise with the physio on how he is getting on, sometimes the physio go forth give me additional exercises to complicate. There have been occasion where the pupil hasnt felt kindred doing it. In response to it I sometimes give him the fortune to challenge himself to manner of walking to different areas inwardly the school, he reacts really well to praise and involvements which is something I include in the feedback I give to his family and physio. I also remain my line autobus up to date with the pupils tuition to ensure other assistants are aware of his aim of independence in moveme nt so it can be encouraged indoors lesson to a fault.CommunicationCommunication is a major(ip) asset in my role at school, I am continuously public lecture to teachers, IT support, external companies and parents. I have late been reflecting a lot on my communication around the children out of lesson. I have a lunch period duty on our playing fields. I have a big deal found myself standing there with some other member of staff, listening to one anothers ideas on what works with certain year groups, even so in reflection this should be happening in a dedicated time not whilst I have a obligation as lunchtime. Therefore I have started to use up a bigger effort in communicating with the children, encouraging positive behaviour and social skills. Key skillsThere are variant key skills that I chance I could improve in, sometimes in a lesson I am deficient equipment due to handing it out regularly. Therefor I feel I need to encourage giving medication for the pupils to ens ure they bring their own equipment. I often reflect on my time checking, I feel there is a big rush between and end of a lesson and getting to my lunchtime duty forwards the students. Therefore this whitethorn be something I discuss with my line manager about leaving a couple of minutes earlier before lunchtime. I am always reflecting on my crinkle role description to ensure I am fulfing all my responsibilities.4. expose possible development opportunities addressable to you. record to consider formal and informal opportunities. conduct evidence from your own practice.I am often reflecting on my own development and always keen to progress in my own learning. I made the finis to absent this course (Level 2 Supporting teaching and learning in Schools) to increase my intimacy in the position of a Teaching Assistant. I feel I have really bring ined from this and it has inspired me to keep open on to take aim 3. I have a strong inte relaxation in working with families conse quently I whitethorn look into a course to a greater extent directed to this. I have leased out books from our local library to order into behaviour and social skills, this is an area which I have been allocated to at school, which I am really pleased about that I would the comparable to get a bigger concord so I can plan activities and feel reassured in delivering. I have recently been assisting a music intervention group with specific SEND students.This has been a great 6 week expulsion I have taken the time to bring out up a report each week of the activities set and the reactions of each pupil. I received some outstanding feedback from the fraternity and have recently been asked to represent the project in an open evening for them. I would like to look into these small projects more to help the development of childrens learning through creative subjects In school, I feel that it is a great opportunity to be able to talk to other members of staff about techniques/ styl es of delivery for specific year groups. Sometimes there are groups of students that I feel unfamiliar with, but since speaking to other members of staff, I feel reachd to enter the lesson with their experience in my mind.5. Why is CPD alpha?It is important to keep up to date with professional development to ensure to u are cocksure and familiar with the constant changes within education. There are often developments within schools and it is our role to be ready to adapt to these changes and encourage pupils with these variations. Some courses that are available to assist our role open up areas of backchat that you may not get the time for within school. There are areas of my job description that I have strengths and weaknesses in, indeed CPD is important to develop my own skills, knowledge and experience in all fields. first a self-review6. What aspects of your job/role see you the most?The biggest satisfaction for me is the rewarding feeling you get from assisting the develo pment of a students progress within a subject or to help improve their behaviour etc. I bob up my role very satisfying by promoting a positive amount of cost increase for the pupils to believe in themselves as individuals, to prepare them with flavor skills and gradually develop their self-esteem. I feel this is a huge stepping jewel to building a successful future. I enjoy having a variety of responsibility within my role I like working with different year groups and understanding the range of learning styles. I like to learn from others, I feel within the classroom environment there is so much to observe and learn. I mania being part of a aggroup up but also to work independently and put forward my own ideas to develop the childrens learning.7. What aspects of your job/role have not been successful as you anticipate? I sometimes feel there isnt enough time to discuss things with teachers before or after a lesson. I feel this is an important fall in to feedback on the pupi ls learning. I would like to focus on this area and seeing if I can build a stronger relationship with the teachers to ensure I get the pass to evaluate after the lesson I am supporting in and to gain a stronger understanding beforehand to ensure I am ready to assist pupils with confidence in the subject. Ive also been a little disappointed that I havent received an official estimation since I started my role. I have had opportunities to talk to my line manager about various things, but there has never been an allocated time to give me the change to discuss my development which is equally as important to me.8. be there any areas of you work you would like to improve? (2.3b) In reflection of my work so far I am really pleased with my development but always feel I could improve. firstly I feel that I would avail from a deeper knowledge in some subjects. For example I am oft in a Spanish lesson, however I never had the option at school to study this language therefore my Spanish skills are minimal I would like to look into learning Spanish to help my involvement within lessons. I am keen to re take my core subjects or study at a basic level to renovate my understanding of these subjects its been surprising how much Ive forgotten. I would also like to dedicate more time into talking to the subject teacher before the lesson to feel confident with the learning objective.At the end of the lesson I would also like to feedback on the pupils participation and understanding of the lesson and discuss how to go forward with any areas of concern. Sometimes I feel it is difficult to keep up with each lesson as my timetable frequently changes and therefore I have limited time to gather information of lessons that I am going to last minute. As a endpoint of the above I would like to improve in planning and organisation to help me progress with otherstaff and add to the success of the school at every angle.9. Describe the main aspects of appraisal (2.5/2.6) An appraisa l includes a self-assessment before the collision with your line manager, this is normally a questionnaire that you rate it on a scale of 1- 10 to analyse how strong you think you are in each section, then as a result these point are discussed in a face to face setting with the line manager. It is allocated time to discuss the progress of you work within the school and personal strengths and weaknesses. This is also an opportunity to discuss the prospect of professional development, short and long term goals. An appraisal is professional nonionized meeting to agree on actions for going forward in areas that could be improve.10. What should a school consider when agreeing development plans? In agreeing a development plan, a school of necessity to consider the amount of reinforcement available for their staff development. The school need to consider the cost of equipment, training and resources, which impart support staff to develop and read out their role to their full potentia l. As a result of development plans pitiable forward with staff, there may need to be an agreement in that the staff leave behind need to have their job role updated to reflect their responsibilities. If it was agreed that I was going to attend an external training programme during school hours, this would need to be considered in how the school can squeeze this absence. In turn the agreement would be looking at how my development could benefit the school in helping in other areas and using the skills learnt within school going forward.11. When setting and agreeing orders, what is meant by cleverness? S Specific Making sure that your maneuver states exactly what is needed. M- Measurable To make sure that you can measure whether the target has been reached A Achievable The target call for to be accessible and not too hard to achieve. R- Realistic It is important to make sure the relevant resources and equipment are available to reach the target set T- meter Bound There should always be a time set for arriver the target. This is to prevent putting it off to a later date12. Identify ways in which your own knowledge, understanding and skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT impact on practice. There are times within a lesson where students will ask me to read out a question or to explain a question they dont understand, it is important that I have the confidence to read it out and deliver an answer accurately. A lot of lessons involve using computers to keep up work on or to use specific programmes linked to the subject. I am often asked by the pupils for help in saving their work, spellings and understanding of certain programmes. Fortunately I have worked with computers in previous work therefore I am at a level where I can encourage their ICT knowledge which will be helpful for them in the future.During maths lessons, students are not always allowed to use a calculator and therefore they need to practice other methods. I have learnt several teach ing methods from being in these maths lessons to pass on to other year groups, but I am still refreshing my own mind with numeracy. Sometimes its a positive that I dont know the answer as I get the teacher to go through it with me and the pupil to highlight that they are not alone in not cunning it and it makes the teacher aware that pupils require further information on certain tasks.What opportunities are available to you to improve own knowledge, understanding and skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT (unit 210-6.2)Sometimes during inset days our department runs workshops that cover the core subjects to update us with the syllabus of work that the children will be aiming for. The levels are constantly ever-changing and each student is aiming for specific target grades. Therefore we receive a assume of the levels to understand what level the students are at. I have recently asked for a username to the maths programme the pupils use within school and for set homework this cover a ll areas of numeracy and is a great resource to keep on top of the work. 14. Table = To be completed?Understand the work of the police squad up15. Why is team up work important in schools?It is important to support others within school because as a result of developing good working relationships it makes our role more effective. Team work allows us to share and discuss your own ideas and listen to others. Its an opportunity to develop in all areas listening to others strengths and suggestions that could strengthen the team as a whole not just individually. Team work is also important in that within school it is important that the staffs are using the identical guidelines and rules to ensure that the children are receiving the alike response from all staff. Offering advice to the pupils should be the same as the next member of staff asked. Team work in schools is so important to keep the pupils feeling fail-safe and confident in their learning environment. substantiating work ing relationships will be witnessed by the pupils and therefore encourage them to mirror this within their lessons.What is the purpose and objective of the team in which you work? Our objective is to identify the unavoidably of students and works to the scoop of our ability to support them. Our team is in short letter to support individual students, groups of pupils and general support within class groups. Our team is in place to offer social, emotional, intellectual, physical support to every pupil. Some pupils have individual programmes and difficulties that require one to one support, however everyone is interact equally. Our purpose is to encourage the development of each pupil throughout this stage of their life within secondary school and to inspire them for a positive future.What is your role and responsibilities and those of others in the team? My role and for others in my team includes a variety of duties and responsibilities within the school. On a daily basis we are to ensure we are aware of the needs of the children we are directly supporting and other pupils within a lesson, break and lunchtimes within school. During a lesson we need to be confident in supporting the teacher with each task set and encourage good behaviour and positive learning within the room. It is my responsibility to keep the students on get over with their work and not to complete it for them. It is important at the beginning of the lesson to ensure the children have their equipment, books and planners out on the desk and bags under the table to be ready for the teacher to deliver the lesson. It our responsibility as a team to support the teacher in each exercise set for the pupils, liaising throughout the lesson with the progress or concernswithin the class.I also ensure I speak with the teacher about rewarding the students if they have responded well in completing the task or improved a skill that they have been attempt with. During break and lunch times each person w ithin our team has an allocated area to supervise. We are answerable for ensuring that the pupils are behaving and loving positively with others. If there is a problem within a break time we are linked up to the rest of our team and a support team to have immediate support in a situation. I am responsible for supporting individual programmes of physical stretch exercises which are in place by the statutory statement of Educational contract and consultation with parents and the physiotherapy team. I have a responsibility to complete an rating form each day which is a written up overview to record the support given in each lesson. I continuously liaise with the team and my vigilance to ensure I am move forward and progressing with the school in the right direction.Why is it important to respect the skills and expertise of other practitioners? It is important to respect the skills and expertise of other staff as different staff bring different skills to the team. I would alway s seek advice from others when needed in order that the students are getting the best that the school can offer them. This can also help me develop in my role. Other people may have different skills, training and experience thatmay be able to help me on matters I am unsure about