All that Jazz workshop Diary Essay

Introduction On the 3rd of November 2009, we were treated to a professional performance of Faustus. Faustus follows the life of Lucifer, who gives away his soul to the devil for 24 years where he is given omniscience and omnipotence. He is given a servant called Mephistopheles, who listens to all his wishes and grants these wishes. However some of his most wanted thoughts were not fulfilled by Mephistopheles as they were against the devils thoughts, and then we find out that he is also the devils servant. The piece was segmented up into 4 parts, and these were changed when the devil changed the number on Lucifer’s shirt to replicate the passing of 6 years. We see Lucifer flit away his life as he makes silly choices as to what to do with his omniscience and omnipotence, and we see the regrets he has in the latter stages of the production. Via the help of angels he then tries to get rid of the contract and buy back his soul, but unfortunately that proves to be a fruitless attempt and he eventually has his soul taken away by the devil. The performance of this piece was not only interesting and engaging to watch, but also allowed to pick up some tips for our own acting and learnt a little bit more about the Brechtian way to act. The Skills Used In the Performance As previously highlighted, the performance was of a Brechtian style. The Brecht approach was to make the audience feel like they were actually in the theatre, and therefore making sure that they used unbelievable characters and would even come out of character to make sure that the audience were part of the performance. The audience could gage what was happening because of the use of placards, and these helped to tell the audience what was going to happen in the scene so they did not have to work this out and followed the story more easily. The three things that I will focus on will commence with gesture. In Brechtian this is named â€Å"gestus†, which means an exaggerated gesture. In this particular helped to enhance the characters and show which characters were played as the actors were all involved in multi-rolling. Another element I would like to make comment on is the communication to the audience. The communication was strong between the audience and the actors and even got the audience involved with some bits of the performance. This helped to believe that the performance was in the theatre and did not look into the story any more as their thoughts were fully on the performer and what he was doing. Finally there use of special awareness was good because they all used a template constantly, for example, the person speaking would be in the centre and forward, an entering person would go through the curtain, and the less dominant character would be stood or making an action on the back right of the stage. I feel these skills have given us a good idea of what we need to do in future to enhance our own dramatic levels. Why did the performers use the elements you specified in the previous point? The performers will have used several devices to make the performance what it was. The reason why the performers used gesture was because it helped to enhance the characters even more as I previously stated, an example would be when the character came out of the curtain and made his body into a L shape whilst maintaining full contact with the audience visually. This created a focal point for the viewers and made them concentrate on the character rather than the storyline itself. They used several bits of gesture in their performance to illustrate what they were doing such as moving their hands vertically up and down to enhance the verisimilitude of the performance. The second thing I focussed on is the communication to the audience. This is important because the audience determine how successful the performance is, and by keeping in constant contact they maintained that relationship, a good example of this was when they got someone out of the audience to play one of the characters. This was particularly effective as it made sure the audience felt like they were in the room and not the story. The final thing I focussed on is special awareness, and they used special awareness in that way to signify the new character had been brought into the piece and this helped the audience understand this and ensured there was no confusion regarding characters. The particular use of the Brechtian technique was really good as it encapsulated all the basics and used them very well; the gestus and the coming out of character were particularly effective because it kept the audience viewpoint clear and direct at the stage and not the storyline. How effective did you feel that these skills/techniques were in communicating ideas to the audience? I believe that the communication between the performers and the audience was the key to success for Faustus. They used a varied style of performing rather than being totally bog standard to make sure that the play stood out and was memorable to the audience. I feel the strongest component of the performance were the strong gestures, as these are key in both the play but also the whole Brechtian technique. Because the gestures were so strange and imaginative, the audience needed to see these because it highlighted the character. A failure to see this gesture may have meant that they miss which character is being performed, and therefore they lose the plot and just become uninterested. Again with the mixture of oddness and the 3 second holding of this pose meant that the audience were focused on this action and kept hold of the plot throughout. I also feel that looking at the play helped me to gain more experience of the Brechtian elements that made the play so successful, and in future I will hope to add these in to certain performances (where applicable) to enhance my performance.

Analysing Salinity In The River Murray Environmental Sciences Essay

The Murray River is one of the biggest rivers in Australia and spans three provinces: Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. The entire length is 2756 kilometers and has 4 major dikes and 16 storage weirs and 15 navigable locks. The Murray River is a topographic point for a big scope sum of species such as birds, wetland birds, fishes and floras. Today, there are more menaces to the river particularly to the quality of the H2O in Murray River. The low quality of H2O will act upon many industries and human being that rely on the river Murray. One index of H2O quality is the salt degree in the H2O. The salt degree is really high in most portion of the river, particularly in the Coorong, Lower lakes and Murray Mouth. The lessening in H2O flows to these countries caused addition in salt degree which reduces the H2O quality of the river. Still, the salt degree fluctuates at a really short clip because it is being influenced by the flows from up watercourse and the tidal moving ridge. The Living Murray Program ( LMP ) is a response plan to the environmental jobs in the Murray River. It aims to presenting back the H2O into the river to accomplish an environmentally healthier river system that benefits all Australian. The plan was established in 2002 and the first plan was implemented in 2004 to delivered back 5000GL of H2O to the Murray River to profit workss, animate beings and Australian along the river. It was besides aims to better the environmental public presentation of six topographic points that designated as icon sites due to their high ecological and cultural values. The plan provides H2O to retaining, retrieving and bettering the ecosystems, home grounds and species of vegetations and zoologies in these sites. Among all icon sites, The Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth have the highest salt degree. The LMP and other related plans under the LMP attempt to work out the jobs. This essay critiques the LMP and related plans on their effort to cut down the salt degree in Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth countries. This essay besides describes the benefits, strengths and failings of the LMP regrading salt issues. The River Murray and the Murray-Darling Basin The Murray-Darling Basin ( MDB ) covers the country of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia. The rivers provide services for the 2.7 million people ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2007 ) . The MDB has a saline status and due to human activities in the last two decennaries through irrigation and dike, the salt degree has been increasing significantly. This status is non a good status for agribusiness, H2O supplies and environment ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2000 ) . The increasing degree of salt in the Murray River is caused by some alterations on the H2O direction system. Naturally, the Murray River is flown by high degree of salt and the natural barrier which came from the form of the Murray River H2O flows prevent the belowground flows to make the sea a create salty deposit bed beneath the upper current which create high degree of salt within the river of course. However, alterations like higher rate of irrigation and, clearance of new land of agricultural industry had accelerated the degree of salt in the river and increasing it significantly ( Quiggin, 1988 ) . Table 1. Salt degrees in the River Murray Murray-Darling Basin Salting. Metric tons of salt mobilised to come up in each State for selected old ages. State 1998 2020 2050 2100 SA 434,000 640,000 870,000 1,020,000 VIC 740,000 825,000 1,150,000 1,370,000 Naval special warfare 3,707,000 5,000,000 6,140,000 7,690,000 QLD 186,000 255,000 256,000 256,000 Murray-Darling Basin Salting. Annual entire salt mobilization in metric tons for selected old ages.A1998 2020 2050 2100 Sum 5,100,000 6,800,000 8,500,000 10,400,000 ( beginning: MDBMC, 1987 ) Due to increasing degree of salt in the Murray River H2O, species which of course live with Murray River as their natural home ground will bit by bit extinct since their organ could non accommodate with high degree of salt ( Nielsen et al. 2003 ) . While some types of plantation and carnal manage to set their variety meats to the increasing degree of salt, the impact is still important and even makes their lives shortened. In add-on, substructure nearby the salty river can be easy damaged and the quality of land, particularly for agricultural intents will dramatically diminish which caused the doomed of productive land. If authorities continues their undertaking to pull off the salt degree in the Murray River by pumping the river H2O and turn up it in an country where it so vaporize and infiltrate into the land will profit by making a healthy Murray flood-plain flora and promote 135 species of birds to populate in the country ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2003 ) . The Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth The H2O quality in Coorong country determine the H2O quality of its environing countries, particularly in four territory parts of chief channel of the lower Murray, the lower Lake Alexandria and Lake Albert, the Northern Lagoon of the Coorong and the Southern Lagoon of the Coorong. The high value of Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth have been doing these countries became iconic sites. Naturally, the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth have a high degree of salt because of the H2O flows to the country is already low both in quality and measure. These countries are located in the down watercourse at the very terminal of the Murray River system. There are 593 Gatess and 5 bombardments in the Coorong built in 1035 and 1940 to protect the Coorong from the Lower Lakes. The H2O flow from the upstream influence the H2O in the Coorong. The Murray Mouth, Coorong and Lower lakes is an country of 140.000 hectares. This country is of import because it is a native topographic point for several species of birds, fish and floras and one of the biggest wetland sites that provide an economic sciences value through its fish. Furthermore, Coorong that has 140 kilometer length is one of the icon sites for waterfowls. Environmental aims delivered in this country through EWMP were making a healthier Coorong and Lower Lakes countries ; pull offing the transition through Murray Mouth ; supplying best status for fish spawning and increasing wading birds home ground in Lower Lakes. The biggest aims in this country is to cut down the salt degree and manage H2O degree fluctuation in Murray Mouth, Coorong and Lower Lakes by constructing Gatess that installed on selected bombardments. The dredging plan in the Murray oral cavity besides one of the efforts to do the Murray Mouth environmentally healthier. Figure 1. Murray Mouth, Coorong and Lower Lakes ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2008 ) . The Living Murray Program The Living Murray Program ( TLMP ) is a Response plan to the environmental debasement in Murray River system. Established in mid 2002 by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council ( MDBMC ) , it aimed to pull off the H2O flow to run into the appropriate degree to keep the healthy status of the river. The plan was besides set to protect the agricultural concern, the communities, natural and cultural values along the Basin ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2004 ) . Furthermore, in 2003, The MDBMC decided to better environmental benefit in six countries include Murray Mouth, Coorong and Lower Lakes. The marks were: recovery of up to an estimated norm of 500GL/ twelvemonth of H2O ; bettering environmental benefits for all countries on the $ 150 million ; bettering the direction capacity ; constitution of autochthonal partnership and farther work to better the environmental benefit from the six designated countries. The countries were chosen because of their importance on national, regional and international ecological system ; the hazards they face and the economic sciences and cultural values they have ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2004 ) . The Environmental Works and Measure Program ( EWMP ) is a long term plan tallies from 2003 to 2011 as an built-in portion of the Living Murray Program. In October 2002, the EWMP had dredging plan in the Murray Mouth to keep and reconstruct the environmental wellness in Coorong and Lower Lakes. This plan was successful in keeping an gap in drouth in 2003 and 2004 ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2004 ) . There were several menaces to the wellness of Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth in footings of salt degree: terrible drouth cause low flows of H2O or no flow at all through the bombardments ; the average one-year flow is 27 % under natural status ; sudden passage between saline and fresh water at the bombardments and cut down interaction between sea and river, including that the Murray oral cavity is at hazard of closing on norm in one twelvemonth in three. The Actions of EWMP were: making of a new â€Å" River Murray estuary environmental allotment † of about 180GL in every twelvemonth ; Target flushing of oral cavity in accomplishing flows go throughing Barrages in summer and fall in dry old ages ; bettering greater control of the Barrages and triping many species to bread during wet old ages. Between 2003-2011, Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation in South Australia was running a plan to remotely operates the Barrages Gatess. The aims was to heightening the environmental wellness of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth by increasing the flexibleness of control of bombardments releases at selected locations and cut downing the salt fluctuation and H2O degree fluctuation and bettering connectivity between the sea and the Coorong. This undertaking is an built-in portion of the LMP since the results were reported to the Murray Management Plan. The Restoration and sweetening dredging in the Murray oral cavity was besides aimed to increase the environmental wellness of the Coorong and Lower Lakes. The plan is running from 2004 and estimated to be finished in 2011. The results are installing of 10 remotely operated Gatess at the Tauwitchere Barrage ; remotely operated Gatess will be installed on selected bombardments supplying improved operational flexibleness compared to the current manually operated Gatess ; A concern instance based on current monitoring, morphological modeling and probes of a figure of environmental wellness indexs to find whether dredging beyond the current dredging plan will profit the Coorong and Lower Lakes environment and If the concern instance is positive, execution of an enhanced dredging plan to reconstruct, enhance and prolong the environmental wellness of the Coorong and Lower Lakes ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2004 ) . The LMP allocated 15GL of H2O to be released in 2005 and 2006. The primary aims were to supply the best status for some of the native fishes to engender and to increase the estuarial country. Therefore, due to many betterments on LMP program, in July 2005 H2O was released through the bombardments and this status allowed some of the native fish to finish their life rhythm. This status showed that the Coorong was ecologically healthier. The dredging undertaking besides showed a important addition in the flora in the Murray Mouth. Furthermore, in 2006, some native fishes were found and release near the bombardments which means that the H2O quality in that country was suited for them. The MDBC claimed that these two aims were achieved. However, the absence of the control site made some of these groundss weak. LMP prosperity will go a weak grounds of ecological status betterment without any control site. Furthermore, there is no effort to warrant some of these betterments by comparing with the other impact on the other similar sites. The Living Murray Program and Salinity Issues Reducing the salt degree is of import and needs committedness from all histrions: persons, communities and authorities. Many research reported that the salt degree continue to increase along the river. Several betterments in irrigation system and direction, H2O distribution system and salt interception system seem fail to get by the salt issues. The addition Numberss of irrigation system along the river significantly increase the salt degree in the river ( Schrobback et al. 2008 ) . Human activity within 40 kilometers is believed to be the ground to this addition every bit good. The salt in the River Murray largely came from the shallow dirt. Deforestation and flora remotion from the shallow dirt land caused the salt entered into the river ( Quiggin. 1988 ) . The monitoring plan showed the informations that there was no consistent increasing in salt degree in the South Lagoon. The salt in the South Lagoon is 2 to 3 times of the saltwater and it was still in that scope. This is means that the LMP is non affected in cut downing salt in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth. Figure 2. The Five Barrages in Murray Mouth, Coorong, and Lower Lakes ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2007 ) Five bombardments were built in the Coorong, Murray Mouth, and Lower Lakes. Those are Goolwa, Mundoo, Boundary Creek, Ewe Island and Tauwitchere. The chief intent of the bombardments were to insulate the fresh H2O in the Lower lakes and the Murray River. Furthermore, these bombardments were meant to take downing down the salt degree in the lower River Murray and Lakes ; bracing the river degree ; concentrating the flow to the sea to a peculiar country during low flows and to keeping the pool H2O to be pumped for Adelaide ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2008 ) . Since the dredging undertaking in 2003, the best tidal scope has been making the Murray Mouth estuaries. However, the bombardments did non run into the mark since they merely had a low freshening impact on the country near the bombardments. There is no important grounds on salt degree after the 640GL of H2O released in 2005 and 2006. The deficiency of attending on monitoring and mensurating the salt degree worsen the grounds that the LMP merely had a minor affect on the H2O quality. The other aim in presenting back the H2O of the LMP in this icon site was supplying more frequent estuarine fish spawning. The MDBC claimed that this nonsubjective partly meets the mark since the figure of estuarial addition during the releases but in the South Lagoon the status was still saline. Furthermore, the last aim was heightening the bird home ground. The mark was achieved in winter but exceeded in summer. However, the salt in the Lakes was still high except during the releases. These groundss show that the bombardments system in influence the salt degree, even though the consequence was minor, their public presentation in commanding the releases is of import. There were failings and strengths in the bombardments releases method like addition in apprehension of the reaction of the Coorong and surround country to the low flow of H2O ; the grounds that show the accomplishable benefit from let go ofing H2O less than 750 GL ; addition in understanding on the sum of H2O needed to blush anoxic deposit and the importance of let go ofing the H2O from Gatess in different bombardments. In order to let go of fresh and oxygenated H2O to come in Coorong ; sand dredging method and bombardment release, method commanding the H2O degree in the lower lakes and at the same clip maintaining the Murray Mouth unfastened, are used to pull strings the lake degree. The benefit of such method is comparatively broad, non merely for the wading bird bird home ground but besides human activities such as irrigation and domestic usage. The bombardment method can besides be used for cut downing the salt degree of the H2O in other countries like in Lake Alexandria and Lake Albert. Manipulating the H2O degree in Lake Albert can do the saline H2O to flux outside the lake and cut down the salt degree. The bombardment theoretical account is proven to be able to cut down the salt degree in the Goolwa, Mundo and Coorong channels. Prior to the H2O release from the bombardment in September 2003, preliminary research had been indicated that non or minimum connectivity between Goolwa and Tauwitchere to the Murray river had increased the degree of salination, stagnancy and besides had increased the temperature degree of the H2O every bit good as lowered the degree of dissolved O. This event was conducted by joint cooperation of river operators, research workers from SARDI and besides the natural resource directors. The event occurred in 2003 has impacted positively to the environment since it outflows and freshened the Murray Mouth country by blending the H2O in North laguna. In add-on, the estuarial status had been established for a short clip together with the impermanent proviso of foods and phytoplankton in North Lagoon. Such event besides caused the Black Beam fish larvae being collected which suggested that the flow might haveA caused spawning. Figure 3. Barrages in Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2008 ) Even though the impact of such event was really short, it was a difficult grounds of how barrage method can be really successful. The similar event was so repeated in August 2004. The bombardment method shown that bombardment flows of at least 2,000 ML/day and may keep the Murray Mouth to be opened comparatively and besides prevent sand to ingress. It is besides shown that ‘scouring ‘ of sand from the oral cavity did non happen with big volumes. Finally, direction system of fluxing H2O through bombardment has to be focused on the attempt to forestall H2O from come ining the oral cavity alternatively of taking sand after its being formatted inside.A The Water Quality Monitoring Program ( WQMP ) The WQMP is a plan aims to bring forth study and appraisal on the River Murray H2O quality that can be used as ushers and recommendation in plan constitution in the river direction system. The WQMP started its activity in 1978 in roll uping bio chemicals informations from the river on 36 sites. Statistically, between 15 to 18 bio-chemicals parametric quantities are measured every hebdomad along the length of Boundary Creek, which located between Mundo Island and Eve Island, in six monitoring sites. The WQMP provides the information sing the salt in several periods of clip from 1978 to 2000. However, it did non supply the information of H2O quality after the LMP is delivered. However, in relation to the LMP plan, the WQMP information is utile as a comparing of the information before and after the LMP plan. It besides helps in supplying the recommendation on the current direction to better the wellness of the river particularly sing icon site. Figure 4: The Water Quality Monitoring Program ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2009 ) The consequence of H2O trying from six supervising sites indicates that the 24 hr freshening activity, which occurred between 25th of August and the 27th of October 2005, A had maintain the salt degree below saltwater salt. In add-on the salt readings had indicated that the 1 m tide did non perforate past the oral cavity of boundary brook on the first September. In 14th of October, high tide indicated that some estuarial H2O was able to force up Boundary brook despite the influence was merely less than 200 m ( Murray-Darling Basin Commission 2009 ) . Decision The LMP is a plan run by three provinces in Australia that aims to retrieve and better the River Murray status that will profit all Australian by maintaining the natural being of the river which has economic sciences, ecology and cultural values. Many species and native species rely on the river and a low H2O quality on the river will do important consequence on the life things includes human along the river. Salt is a immense job for the River Murray since the natural feature of this river is already saline. Human activities over two centuries increase the salt degree of the H2O and cut down its quality. In Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth, the salt jobs is significantly act uponing the ecology and environmental conditions since the country is the lowest terminal of the flow that influenced by the human activities in the upper watercourse. The LMP is non supplying the existent and specific informations on salt degree in this country. Furthermore, the aims of this icon site are largely to better the life status for the birds and fishes. The prosperity of the LMP can be seen from the salt degree as an of import indexs in WQMP. The before and after informations was provided by the WQMP ; nevertheless, the LMP did non go on supervising the salt degree, hence the prosperity of LMP is non evidently recorded by the clear informations. The absence of the control site is one of the failings of the LMP. Without comparing the alterations in the wedged site to the control citation, the alterations can non be seen as strong grounds on the prosperity of the LMP. As the whole plan, LMP give good alterations in bettering environmental conditions of the river in Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth. However, the grounds was non clear plenty in depicting LMP prosperity to cut down salt job of this icon site. Abbreviations and acronyms EWMP: Environmental Works and Measures Program GL: Gigalitre ( 1 billion liters ) ICM: Integrated Catchment Management MDBMC: Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council NAPSWQ: National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality TLMP: The Living Murray Program MDB: Murray-Darling Basin

Race and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Leadership In Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Liberal view of international relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Liberal view of international relations - Essay Example Thus, the liberal school of thought operates on certain core assumptions. The first and most fundamental premise of the liberal school of thought is the argument that the relationship that states have with other actors, state and non state, in the international community to a great extent shapes their behavior by influencing their preferences. To the liberalists, how states behave in the international arena has more to do with their preferences rather than their capabilities. Consequently, depending on such internal factors in states such as culture, the economic system or even the type of government therein, the preferences are likely to be different from state to   state. In liberalism, the relations that particular states have to the local domestic and even the global communal framework in which they are set in has a fundamental impact on their behavior as far as international politics is concerned. Thus, societal ideas, interests and the institutions in these states heavily inf luence their behaviors by shaping their preferences. The liberalists also distinguish between high and low politics as the determinants of interaction between states. That is to stay, to the liberalists, states do not only interact in the international relations as a result of high end political issues such as politics and security. State also interact on the basis of low political issues in the form of economics and culture. (Shared assumptions of realism and liberal institutionalism, n.d.)... To the liberalists, how states behave in the international arena has more to do with their preferences rather than their capabilities. Consequently, depending on such internal factors in states such as culture, the economic system or even the type of government therein, the preferences are likely to be different from state to state. In liberalism, the relations that particular states have to the local domestic and even the global communal framework in which they are set in has a fundamental impact on their behavior as far as international politics is concerned. Thus, societal ideas, interests and the institutions in these states heavily influence their behaviors by shaping their preferences. The liberalists also distinguish between high and low politics as the determinants of interaction between states. That is to stay, to the liberalists, states do not only interact in the international relations as a result of high end political issues such as politics and security. State also inte ract on the basis of low political issues in the form of economics and culture. (Shared assumptions of realism and liberal institutionalism, n.d.) Another assumption of the liberal school of though lies in the fact that rational individuals and private groups who organize and exchange to promote their interests as opposed to states are viewed as the primary actors in the international arena. Again, that states and other political institutions represent some division of domestic society. This then forms the basis of interests upon which state officials then define state preferences and therefore act with a purpose in the world politics. Lastly, that there is interdependence of

Tort Law Ph.D. Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tort Law Ph.D. - Case Study Example Prior to the regulations on electronic music equipment, which were introduced in 1990's the present music equipment was very sensitive to electro-magnetic interference. After 1990's it has to comply with specific standards that make it more immune to this sort of interference, that the problem experienced by Mr Morris would not be encountered with guitars produced according to these regulations. The interference is due to the sensitiveness of the recording equipment the foreseeing of nuisance by the Railways does not arise. It would arise if the interference were caused because of the sensitivity of the TI 21. "Railtrack could not reasonably have foreseen that these track circuits could have caused problems of electromagnetic interference at a distance of 60 to 70 meters." The court believed that playing the guitar with sensitive electric and electronic music instrument such as an amplifier is not an abnormal but an ordinary enjoyment of property, it is feature of modern life and it is material for many younger generation's pleasure and also a vital part of the modern music generation. The trial court believed the fact that electromagnetic interference was caused not only to the complaint alone but it caused to other users of such instrument also well before the track circuit was installed within that vicinity. And therefore concluded the second issue that nuisance of electromagnetic interference to the complainant was foreseeable. (Graham Sinclair (2005), Neighbors and the Law (Chapter 5.10) Findings of the Court of Appeal The court of appeal recognized the issue as a sensitive and since there is no settled law adjudicating the electromagnetic interference as nuisance. Therefore the court has elaborately discussed the issues taking the settled law nearest to issues in this case. The court has made the following findings: The court of appeal felt that only interference to the comforts of standard average man is actionable. Interference to abnormal and sensitive enjoyments of his property does not come within the ambit of the actionable nuisance. In this regard the court also felt that no

Motivation in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Motivation in the Workplace - Essay Example Motivation at the workplace changes depending on the atmosphere in the workplace. Employee motivation changes from time to time depending on the leadership structure, the changes in the workplace dynamics, the external environment, changes in culture and other similar aspects. As such, the focus of the essay is to evaluate some of the ways to induce and retain high motivation levels within various organizations.   Statement of the problem and sub problems   Motivation is modifiable from two primal aspects. One of the key ways through which the behavior can be modified is using intrinsic rewards, which appeal to human psychological needs. The use of intrinsic rewards is evident in appraisals, giving employees more challenging tasks, more responsibility, power, recognition and appreciation. Alternatively, extrinsic rewards can be used to achieve the same goal. For example, money, gifts, vacations and other similar rewards that are tangible or directly visible are effective ways to motivating employees.  Hypotheses   This study makes several unsupported truths that are require proof from the rest of the study. For instance, Motivation in the workplace is the driving force of the company that determines how industrious the company is in terms of the employees input. In addition that, the study builds in the confidence that motivation in the work place is initiated by the employer after understanding each employees potential and motivating in accordance to their uniqueness.

The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant - Essay Example He has successfully brought together all the elements of the story to reach the conclusion of the story, a lesson that his readers would find important as one journey through life. Wetherell’s symbolisms are very simple and uncomplicated and his readers won’t find it difficult to understand the mark he wanted to leave them. Ultimately, the bass, though a flat character, is central to the conflict of the story. The importance of the bass is apparent when he says, â€Å"†¦it seemed I would be torn apart by longings†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This signifies that the bass stands for the narrator’s values in life, his longing for accomplishment and capture something important for him. Fishing is an important part of the narrator’s life. Wetherell makes sure that the readers know this as the narrator prepares for his date with Sheila Mant. The first thing that links the narrator to the importance of fishing in his life is offering Sheila Mant a canoe ride instead of a car ride to go Dixford, where a band will be playing. As he is preparing his canoe, he is seen polishing it, and, â€Å"automatically, without thinking about it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he s tuck a fishing rod in the stern. This implies that fishing has always been part of his river trips, and as narrated, he â€Å"never went anywhere that summer without a fishing rod.† The narrator even takes the time to tell the readers what he is doing when not trying to impress Sheila. And that is all about fishing. Wetherell ensures that the readers truly feel that fishing is significant to his main character. This indicates that the bass is not just some fish that the narrator wants to catch. The description of how big it could have been indicates how big its importance is. This signifies that all of us have values that we want to protect and the accomplishments we’re working on to get. The conflict of the story does not begin when the bass gets caught in the narrator’s line. The conflict begins when Sheila Mant hears splashing sounds

Olde good thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Olde good thing - Essay Example However, the extreme contrast of the peaceful Emma’s voice and the third world neighborhood surroundings created melancholy emotion. Similar to the title of the song I was listening to, once upon a time, the town had its Renaissance period; Things like street lights and big buildings were old, but they didn’t look cheap. I could not find the antique shop I was looking for, so I made a couple of detours, and I finally found it. However, since there was no parking lot, I had to go to public parking across the street. Then, I had to walk a hundred yards to get to the shop. Walking a street like that was truly fearful in Detroit even in daytime, but there was something that told me it was okay to take a walk with an expensive camera on my neck. Anyway, my instinct made me keep looking at my back as an African meerkat. There were a few homeless people with grocery carts, but no hazardous elements. The building I was walking to was a simple rectangular shape with antique detailed ornaments around its windows. I guess it was once a fancy condominium. A fenced vacant lot in front of the building made the hood seem even more desolate. One corner of the building wall was filled with ugly graffiti. The building was combined with two different buildings connected together; the big one was white-painted brick building, and the smaller one was a red brick building. The red one had faded soot around its windows. I thought there had been a serious fire long ago. There were many traffic signs around the building with scribbled notes on some of them. Above the main entrance, it said, ‘Architectural Treasure’ in black paint on white background. Next to the main entrance, an eerie clown face about five feet tall was laughing at me. As tall as the scary face, a big yellow pencil that had red eraser on the other side diagonally stood next to the clown. The store was based on a foundation of

The pricing decision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The pricing decision - Essay Example These situations include new product promotion, test marketing, countering competition or predatory pricing, promotion of associated products and cost plus contracts. Fazlzadeh, Mohammadi & Sepehrfar (2011, p. 66) state â€Å"Setting optimal prices, however, is a complex problem in general and is particularly challenging in industrial or B2B market settings, where purchase prices of products and services typically vary from one customer account to another as prices are negotiated and modified from list prices in the course of the purchase process†. Based on the purpose, marginal, differential or total costing method would be adopted in pricing. The pricing strategies also vary according to the type of market such as monopoly, monopolistic or oligopoly. The strategy of skimming the market or the policy of ‘what the traffic will bear’ in the case of products backed up with IPRs are not uncommon in the market place. Also, pricing strategy for the same product by the same company varies based on the usage or purpose. For instance LPG cylinder used for commercial purposes could be costlier than the LPG used for domestic purposes. This paper seeks to discuss about various strategies adopted by businesses in pricing decisions. Why pricing decision is important? The strategic importance of pricing is many fold. Promotion Strategies (2010) states, â€Å"The  marketing promotion mix  is the use of the 4 P's. These are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.  This system first appeared in 1949 and was developed by Philip Kotler†. The pricing is an important area in the management decision making, because profitability of any business hinges on right price for the product for making the most out of the prevailing economic situation and developments in technology, internet and telecommunications in the context of the business. Bayati & Makui (2011, p. 371) observe â€Å"Making an appropriate pricing and marketing strategy is a crucial managem ent issue in E-commerce†. The appropriate pricing strategy is adopted after analyzing the factors related to various pricing situations. Evidence – Chevrolet’s Spark Chevrolet has introduced the model ‘Spark’ for marketing in the developing countries, in the small car segment, which is not very popular in US or other developed countries. The price of the car is fixed at INR. 279,000 in India which works out to just US$ 6200 approximately. In the case of new products, in spite of the extensive market research on potential demand for the product, adopting a right pricing strategy is important to be competitive in the market. As it is a question of creating demand for the new product, pricing is the key to success in influencing the consumers’ decisions. Price sensitivity of the consumers is an important variable in the decision making process, and the proper positioning of the product in the market place and its rational pricing would stimulate demand for the product from the target consumers. The strategy should also ensure that the competitors are not tempted to introduce similar products in view of the attractive margin. This philosophy aims at sustainable growth in the long run. Therefore, the prices are fixed with a reasonable margin and at the same time not tempting the competitors to rush into this segment to spoil the first mover advantage. Argument for fixing prices at a lower level The pricing decision in this case is taken in the backdrop of uncertainties about the

The Creolization of Old Calabar Essay Example for Free

The Creolization of Old Calabar Essay The business and social interactions of the African and English slave traders created a very different Old Calabar. As the slave trade grew the society quickly started to reflect not only the traditions and values of the Africans but of the English as well. Old Calabar became a New Creolized Calabar†. Was this the direct result of the slave trading? The evidence says yes? The creolization of the African Society of Calabar can clearly be associated with the slave trade by analyzing their language changes, life style changes and political changes as the slave trading became more competitive and economically beneficial. Creolization usually brings to mind the decedents in Louisiana born to the Spanish, French and Haitians before the Civil War. Randy Sparks introduces the idea of creolization as being a way to explain what happened in Old Calabar, but interestingly, he poses the thought that it had little to do with the origin or birth of those involved. Sparks instead introduces historian Ira Berlins idea of the Robin Johns being a kind of Atlantic Creole not because of blood lines but by experiences. Ira Berlins quote is as follows: Familiar with the commerce of the Atlantic, fluent in its new languages, and intimate with its trade and cultures, they were cosmopolitan in the fullest sense. (pg. 4) The Robin Johns were not only fluent in the English language but also in trade language alluded to by Ira Berlin. These various languages developed in areas from Gambia to Cameron and developed as a result of the constant exposure of slave traders to each others languages. The variations spread around the Atlantic Ocean to areas where slave trade was popular from Africa to the Americas to Europe. Sparks describes the languages as a combination of mostly English words having African Grammatical structures. The African leaders in Old Calabar were responsible for the cosmopolitan† like essence of the Robin Robins. The leaders knew that by being more European understanding the European customs and practicing the lifestyle. It gave them the competitive edge over the other African competitors who did not. Joining with the Europeans in the lucrative slave business was an economic gold mine. So, the smart African transformed himself into an image of what they believed made them more appealing to the Europeans. An example of this would be that they ordered and used extravagant products such as English razors, pewter piss pots and mirrors six feet tall. The degree of their creolization is very apparent on pages 11 and 12 of the first chapter. Sparks description of Grandy King George, who was originally known as Ephraim, is filled with the pageantry of both Royal English and African fused together. Sparks describes Grandy King George as he boards the Royal Canoe the day before The Massacre of 1767. Sparks indicates that Grandy King George wore a multicolored robe and red coat trimmed in gold lace, a silk sash thrown over his shoulders. He carried a gold skull headed cane in one hand and a fine ceremonial sword in the other. Under one arm he carried a gold trimmed cocked hat and the ensigns that, as Sparks describes them, blew in the wind, engraved with Grandy King Georges name written in English letters. The Kings name being written in English letters emphasizes the point that the African Slave traders not only spoke the English language, but also had the ability to read and write it. The unique combination of The Kings attire and accessories powerfully displayed his desire to indicate his appreciation for both cultures. The red coat trimmed in gold clearly reflected his admiration of the English Royals, while the skull headed cane, on the other hand, indicated his pride in his African heritage. Sparks seems to save his last description of the King and his surroundings that day as the most obvious fusion of the two cultures. He describes that behind the King, in the center of the canoe, there was a small house painted in bright colors, and on top of the house there were two men loudly playing the drums. There was a canon in the bow of the canoe, and in front of the canon was a man who shook a large bundle of reeds to symbolically ward off obstacles. Again, one could say that the mixing of cultures is self-evident. The canon would have been something purchased from the English, while the spirit man and the men beating the drums would have reflected his African faith. African Politics in the area of Efiks experienced significant change after the slave trade with the English escalated. The economy had been predominantly based on agricultural trade and there was no strong centralized government. Small groups of population approximately 1200 were divided up into Wards and Houses lead by town council Elders and House Elders. As the economy grew, the criteria for qualification as head of house changed from lineage to wealth. Houses became larger, Wards and Towns as well. A stronger governing system was created. The â€Å"Grand Council† was introduced to govern the â€Å"Council of Elders†. The â€Å"Ekpe Society† was created to set standards and create laws for the entire system. Entry into the system was open to all men even slaves as long as the entry fees were paid. The Society had many levels of membership determined by the wealth of the man. The Ekpe Society controlled all trading regulations both slave and agricultural. In addition they controlled the economy. They set prices for goods, enforced debt collection, payment submissions and kept track of inventory. The Ekpe Society even controlled who was responsible for sweeping the streets. The crealization is seen in the change of the African Society governing style from a lineage system to a system influenced more by wealth and requiring strong central government. In conclusion it is clear that the relationship with the English and the huge amounts of capital to be made created a creolized African Society. It changed how they thought about status. They wanted English clothes, razors, mirrors and pewter piss pots. The government became more about money than lineage and last but not least their language changed. An entire language was created around the slave trade.

Strategics for Strategic Decision Making

Strategics for Strategic Decision Making What key lessons may be learned from any comparison of these two quite different accounts of the same strategic decision? Strategic decision Chosen alternative that affects key factors which determine the success of an organizations strategy. In comparison, a tactical decision affects the day-to-day implementation of steps required to reach the goals of a strategy.  [1]   From these two accounts there are key lessons which can be learnt as far as strategic decision is concerned. Strategy flexibility. Since strategy is not written on stones, sometimes it has to undergo some changes so as to be able to match with the real market environment at particular entry moment. Sometimes one strategy only fails unless a combination of both i.e. emergent strategy as well as deliberate strategy.  [2]   Ability to turn-on customer loyalty and tastes toward a product whose image is totally spoiled. While most motorcyclists were no doubt decent people, groups of rowdies who went around on motorcycles and called themselves by such names as Hells Angels, Satans Slaves, gave motorcycling a bad image. Some steps Hondas took were re-designing of their product to match with the market needs i.e. from larger machines to smaller lightweight motorcycles. The inevitability of proper and efficient market scanning. Its possible to enter the market with a very wrong strategy due to many reasons including failure to effectively scan the market needs. At start Hondas failed to know what US market needed and unfortunately they brought a wrong product of bigger machines while Americans needed smaller ones. Difficulties in the first entry to the market are not the end of business .Difficulties can be used as crucial mirrors for re-defining the strategy to a successful one. References: CASE STUDY 2: LAURA ASHLEY Question 1: Map Laura Ashleys stakeholders using a power/interest matrix. Stakeholders are those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals and on whom, in turn, the organisation depends.  [3]  (Johnson et al, pp.132) Laura Ashley power-interest matrix is as follows: LOW POWER HIGH LOW INTERST HIGH Harmless stakeholders: THE 11 CEOs, Media Group Business Analysts Laura Ashley Customers Chief executive of Pearson Laura Ashley and the husband Bernard Ann Iverson a new CEO in 1995 Richard Pennycook a new FD in 1997 Shareholders like Malayan United Industries (MUI) LOW INTEREST LOW POWER: This is a harmless stakeholder group which requires less attention. This group is represented by the retired CEOs e.g. The 11 CEOs over the last 14 years. Id really rather focus on driving the business forward, he says. LOW INTEREST HIGH POWER: This group is not always bad but needs to be watched because when not satisfied it turns out to be harmful to the business. Laura Ashleys Customers; Customers have very high power to the business because without customers there is no business at all. HIGH INTEREST LOW POWER: This group is crucial to the business because it contains stakeholders with interest with what is done by the business including core customers of the business products and/or services. This group is represented by Media groups: likes to know about the operations but has got less power. Business Analysts: likes to get information for analysis although they have less power. HIGH INTEREST HIGH POWER: Here you can find all key business stakeholders whose expectations and interests are always in the higher side. This group is represented by Chief executive of Pearson Laura Ashley and the husband Bernard Ann Iverson a new CEO in 1995 Richard Pennycook a new FD in 1997 Shareholders like Malayan United Industries (MUI) its chairman Dr Khoo Kay Peng, David Cook, Lauras Finance director CASE STUDY 3: THE BALANCED SCORE CARD QESTION 1: Why do you think organizations often find the Balanced Scorecard difficult to implement in practice? Definition: The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization.  [4]   Among various methods for measuring business performance, scorecard seems to be superior due to its advantages over other traditional financial methods. Balanced Scorecard incorporates future variables as well as multiple measures of performance compared to other methods. There are about four perspectives under this method which are financial perspective, Customer Perspective, Internal perspective and innovation Learning perspective. The following are reasons for organizations difficulties toward implementation of a balanced score card; The main problem facing organizations on implementing a balanced scorecard is the architecture and assumptions applied especially on selecting appropriate measures and number of measures to incorporate toward improving corporate performance as can be seen in the Shell crisis concerning overstatement of its oil reserves. Research from the Hackett Group shows a very small percentage of companies with mature and good mix of financial and operational metrics in their scorecards. There are processes in setting and implementing the scorecards known as translating the vision, communication and linkage, setting targets through planning and finally getting the feedback. Failing to follow this process organization faces the difficulty of failing to translate the strategic objectives to fit with measurements incorporated in the balanced scorecard which causes confusion than serving the purpose. The persuasion I would use to convince the organization to adopt balanced scorecard is to talk about its advantages over other methods which are as follows: Multiple measures of performance: incorporates a range of variables that measure performance against a multiple set of goals. Forward Looking: incorporates variables that are indicators of future performance including profitability. References: CASE STUDY 4-FIAT Question: Post at least 4 factors, ie a Strength, a Weakness, an Opportunity and a Threat, from one or both of your SWOTs (2004 or 2008). Briefly explain your analysis. SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective.  [5]   The following is the analysis using SWOT tool of a FIAT Company showing its different milestones in business within two periods of 2004 and 2008. SWOT 2004 2008 STRENGTHS Strong management team, e.g. CEO Mr. Marchione. Young and energetic personnel with strong experience. The kids are truly devoted to the cause. They are the heart of the success. Having cars with relatively lower average emissions Product innovation Fiat is the market leader in Brazilian market. WEAKNESSES Unappealing models or Odd cars which Mr. Marchione refers it as an arrogance of thinking. Limited resources. Licensing innovation to other manufacturers. A truck-making joint venture between Iveco and SAIC in China, it is weak in China, India and Russia. OPPORTUNITIES New products -Alfas immediate future i.e. the new MiTo, which is based on the Punto and has been designed to match the driving dynamics of BMWs Mini, and the 149, successor to the compact 147 hatchback. Divorce from a 5-years GM partnership and becoming an independent player. Partnership with other strong manufacturers like TATA and SAIC. THREATS Immergence of new Innovative brands in the car market by new rivals. Its five-year partnership with GM. It had not worked, for several reasons. Sharing platforms, engines and purchasing had not produced the expected economies of scale and Fiats ability to act independently. When new European Union rules on carbon-dioxide emissions come into force At the time when Marchione chipped in Fiat witnessed a clear future as can be shown through re-shuffle of very old workforce. CASE STUDY 6: THE NOVOTEL VALUE CHAIN Question 1: What are Novotels competitive advantages? competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices.  [6]   Novotel Competitive advantages: Multi skilling: Multi-skilling is to develop staff as a team able to perform tasks and work as needed in a flexible manner, this would have many advantages for hotel management, especially in smoothing the need for certain types of staff at peak bottleneck periods of the day or evening. Standardized levels of its services: A system to monitor standard procedures was introduced in 1987 which became known as the 95 Bolts. This system was intended to be a template for learning whose standards was carried out by an internal team of inspectors who visited each hotel approximately twice each year. They worked as mystery shoppers in that they made reservations, arrived, stayed and departed unnoticed. Sophisticated marketing and distribution systems: Novotel operates within both the individual and corporate business and leisure markets. Novotel usually have special promotions and advertising themes done in different locations and in different countries with tailored promotions to local holidays and lifestyles. Partnership programs: Novotel linked programs strengthening relationship marketing; especially the supplier partnership programmes, linked with purchasing and learning efficiencies delivering both scale and scope economies. Staff exchanges: There was Exchange between countries, locations and type of customer mix which contributed to multi-culture is essential to getting customers. The exchange provides means for staff motivation especially in the industry whose labor turnover is critical. References: CASE STUDY 8: THE VIRGIN GROUP QUESTION 3: Does the Virgin Group, as a corporate parent, add value to its businesses? If so how? Corporate parent: Is a business which owns and controls the operations of other businesses by either possessing outright ownership or controlling a majority of the voting stock.  [7]   Virgin was founded in 1970 as a mail-order record business and developed as a private company in music publishing and retailing. However, by 2002, the group included over 200 businesses spanning three continents and including financial services, planes, trains, cinemas and music stores. The group succeeded on adding values to its businesses regardless of decentralization of decision making. How does Virgin group add values to its businesses? Standards: The group had standards which enabled the businesses to perform toward the same goals. There were performance reviews which made employees being held accountable for their performance as well as promotions from within. For example by using stock options, bonuses and profit sharing. Support services: This involves centralised support services. For example, providing HRM, marketing, financial, etc support services and human resource management systems were in place to keep people committed. Corporate development: Branson adopted his own personal style of management within units, boosting himself on effectively adding value to customers through employee involvement and taking their ideas. Managing linkages: In the early 1970s Branson spent his good time soliciting funds for the company to become solvent. References: CASE STUDY 11: RESTRUCTURING SONY Question 1: How many times did Sony restructure itself during the period covered by the case study? Restructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs.  [8]   Introduction: On 7 May 1946, Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita (4) co-founded a company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) with an initial capital of  ¥190, OOOin the city of Nagoya, Japan. By the 1960s, the company had established itself in Japan and changed its name to Sony Corporation. In its milestones Sony underwent several business restructuring aiming at improving the companys focus on high potential products and expediting the decision making process to make the company more responsive to changing market conditions. Restructuring of electronics business (1994): In this new structure, the regrouping of electronic businesses were adopted getting into eight divisional companies. These eight companies are the Consumer Audio Video Products Company, the Recording Media : Energy Company, the Broadcast Products Company, the Business Industrial Systems Company, the InfoCom Products Company, the Mobile Electronics Company, the Components Company, and the Semiconductor Company. Leadership by team of executives: Here the new framework required Sony to be led by a team of executives at the top management level. The Ten-Company Structure (1996): In January 1996, a new ten-company structure was announced, replacing the previous eight-company structure whereby the previous Consumer Audio Video (AV) company was split into three new companies the Display Company, the Home AV Company and the Personal AV Company. The Unified-Dispersed Management Model: In April 1999 another change was announced aiming at changes in its organizational structure. The new framework required the company to streamline its business operations to be able to exploit the internet technology opportunities. Restructuring Efforts in 2001: Once more in March 2001 Sony provided announcement about another round of organizational restructuring. This was about transforming itself into a Personal Broadband Network Solutions company by launching a wide range of broadband products and services for its customers across the world. References: CASE STUDY 12: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS Qustion 2 : How significant was Jong-Yong Yuns role in the change process? Change process It is an organizational process aimed at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment.  [9]   INTRODUCTION: Samsung is an Asian Electronic Company based in Suwon South Korea. The firm has experienced stiff competition from rivals such as Sony, Nokia, and Motorola on the basis of its revolutionary products. Jong-Yong Yuns role in the change process: Reorientation: This helped the firm to develop new capabilities. He recruited new capable employees such as managers and engineers, many of whom had developed considerable experience in the United States. Retrenchment: There was a layoff of a number of employees amounting 30,000, representing well over a third of its entire workforce. Reduction of number of factories. Discarding a Failing Strategy: Although the firm was making profits, Yun was concerned about the future prospects of a firm that was relying on a strategy of competing on price with products that were based .The success of this strategy was tied to the Samsungs ability to continually scout for locations that would allow it to keep its manufacturing costs down. Developing a Premium Brand: Having managed to cut down the losses, Yun planned to shift Samsung away from its strategy of competition which based mainly on the lower priced products. Consequently, he began to push the firm to develop its own products rather than to copy those that other firms had developed. Pushing for New Products: Through its new product development processes Yun struggled a lot to make it happen ensuring higher margins as compared to its rivals. Designing for the Digital Home: Yuns long term plan is to ensure Samsungs dominance in digital home technologies. He believes that his firm is in a better position to benefit from the day when all home appliances, from handheld computers to intelligent refrigerators, will be linked to each other and adapt to the personal needs of consumers. References: Case Study 10: Mantero Seta Spa: a strategy for China Question 1: Would you recommend Mantero Seta Spas entry into the Chinese market? Market growth An increase in the demand for a particular product or service over time. Market growth can be slow if consumers do not adopt a high demand or rapid if consumers find the product or service useful for the price level.  [10]   YES I would recommend Montero Seta Spas entry into the Chinese market due to the following scenarios: Market Growth: Chinese market promises for the stable growth of the fashion business as you can see In the mid 2000s, stable economic growth had brought substantial income to many groups of people, and with it a growing demand for the satisfaction of higher level needs. Also Upper-class and middle-class people became increasingly interested in their social life, and chose to spend money to better enjoy their spare time. There was a huge potential to sell luxury goods to these groups: 2 per cent of the 1.3 billion people living in China. Identifiable retail Distribution: The government of China had adopted a series of policies to propel the retail industry through a process of fundamental transformation. The move had sparked dramatic changes in Chinese retailing, with market growth reshaping purchasing habits. As a result in the mid 2000s there were many different types of retailing methods, based on different products and market strategy. Geographical Differences: The reasons for the differences were various. In northern China consumers made choices based on seasonal factors. Values and beliefs of people in north China were based on their imperial history and social traditions, with clear distinctions between different social groups and classes. The distinction was underlined in many ways, including clothing. People in the north were aware of their appearance, and wanted others to recognise their wealth and ability. In the south the climate was temperate; therefore consumers chose lighter, more comfortable and durable material for everyday wear. Marketing Communications: Communication processes in the fashion business focused on the brand image and the values embodied in the product, rather than on the product itself. Processes included photographs, shows, showrooms, models, displays, videos and sample collections. References: CASE STUDY 5: THE PROFITABILITY OF UK RETAILERS Question: Are British supermarkets more profitable than their European and US counterparts? Profitability is the ability to gain profit Profit is the positive gain from an investment or business operation after subtracting for all expenses.  [11]   Profitability = TR-TC ( TR = Total Revenue, TC = Total cost) Return on capital employed ( ROCE ) is the ratio that indicates the efficiency and profitability of company capital investments.  [12]   British supermarkets are profitable compared to US and other European countries because of the following reasons:- Cost of labor: Labor costs are lower in the UK due to lower social cost borne by employers. This reduces operation cost and makes the British firms to be more profitable. Technology: British companies have a lead in applying IT in their distributions systems with deliveries in small number of companies warehouses, the use of technology in distribution system reduce the cost of operation contributing to higher profits. Buying power: The British supermarkets have high buying power and tend to be more centralizing than some of the US and other European countries. This help them in reducing cost and also the British firm are more experienced and skillful in using their buying power to negotiate better terms or price from their supplier. Because they have dominated the market the British supermarkets impose the higher than a normal price to consumers (oligopoly power). Because the British supermarkets have high buying power and the use of oligopoly make them more profitable compared to the US and other European counterparts.

Features of a Financial Statement Analysis

Features of a Financial Statement Analysis TASK 1 Importance of Financial Statements All managers need to be able to interpret their company’s financial accounts as they hold valuable information about a wide range of factors that impact on the long term and short term profitability and stability of the company. By considering the various ratios below and, in particular, by drawing on trends between last year and the current position, it will be possible for the various division managers to identify where weaknesses lie and to determine what they can do in their own individual departments to improve the overall situation of the company (Fridson, 2002)[1]. Current Position of the Company In his statement, Robert assured management and staff that the company was in a â€Å"sound financial position†. A detailed review of the accounts has been undertaken, and all ratios are included in Appendix 1. Four key areas were looked at, across 2007 and 2008, as this is when the substantial changes occurred. These changes are profitability, efficiency, liquidity and stability, all of which are important to the company. Profitability has fallen dramatically between 2007 and 2008. The gross profit margin figure shows the company’s ability to control the costs of the goods that it produces. Although sales volumes could alter, it would be expected that the profit margins obtained would not alter dramatically. In 2008, gross profit margins were 36.33%, substantially less than the margins of 42.21% in 2007, which suggests that the cost of producing each item is increasing at an unacceptable level. The operating profit gives more information on how the company manages its overheads; these figures have also dropped significantly (from 20.57% to 10.56%). This is clearly partly down to the reducing gross profit margin, but also indicates that overheads are becoming increasingly problematic for the company, in terms of relative costs (Helfert, 2001)[2]. Efficiency ratios indicate how well the company is using its resources, both fixed and working capital. The ratio in relation to the efficiency of capital employed has dropped from 4.05 to 3.51, showing that the company has lost a considerable amount of efficiency in its operations and is not producing the same output with the capital employed as it was in 2007 (Friedlob, 2003)[3]. Liquidity ratios are incredibly important as these reveal the company’s ability to meet its current liabilities. Poor liquidity could cause immediate and massive problems for the company because it indicates that it will be unable to pay its debts as they fall due. The current ratio shows the ability of the company to meet all current liabilities with all current assets that it holds. In both 2007 and 2008, the figure was well in excess of the 1:1 cover, although it did drop from 2.00 to 1.70, which could be indicative of a downward trend in the company and should be looked at regularly in order to ensure that the figure does not drop further. More worrying is the quick ratio figure. This shows how readily the cash and easily available current assets could meet the current liabilities. A ratio of 1:1 is also desirable, yet the company had a ration of 0.38 in 2007, dropping to 0.12 in 2008. This suggests that much of its current asset inventory is held in non-readily convertibl e assets such as stock (Towsey, 1974)[4]. Stability ratios reveal the amount of long term debt a company is in and, where this company is concerned, the gearing has been consistently low, showing that there is not a great risk within the way the company is financing itself. Conclusions Robert was correct in stating that he felt the company was stable in the long term; however, there are considerable short term concerns, particularly in relation to liquidity, which need to be addressed urgently if the company is not to suffer short term issues. TASK 2 The Balanced Scorecard Kaplan and Norton (1993)[5] developed the concept of the balanced scorecard, which was initially created as a means of assisting management with their strategic planning. The model is two-fold, the first purpose being to improve the communications for the company (both internally and externally) and the second to assist managers in ensuring that their goals are reached. The balanced scorecard model forwarded by Kaplan and Norton works on assisting managers in having a clear strategic goal and in ensuring that the activity needed to achieve these goals is put into action, throughout the organisation. This process recognises that it is not possible simply to look at a company’s financial performance and from this to derive a set of actions that should be undertaken to improve performance, in future years. There is generally a time lag, when it comes to company performances, with inputs such as investment in machinery taking at least a few months to be seen in the financial returns. Kaplan and Norton encouraged companies to take a different approach and to look firstly at the inputs that management could make directly into the company. It is these factors that should be measured and, provided the correct strategic goal has been established, achieving these individual goals by management should ensure that the ultimate goals in terms of financial performance are met (Niven, 2006)[6]. Companies are encouraged to look at their businesses from four different perspectives when establishing their strategic goals: financial, customer, internal process and innovation and learning. The financial perspective is the one traditionally considered by organisations and includes factors such as profit growth and revenue. The management should, however, be encouraged to take a longer term view when setting strategic goals. The customer perspective is crucially important as it looks at the way the customer perceives the company and any possible changes to the customer perspective that would be needed for the company to achieve its ultimate strategic goals. Internal processes look at the way the company is run internally and how these can be adapted to help achieve the long term goals and are often related to the customer perspective, e.g. quicker lead times or more readily available stock. Finally, there is the innovation and learning aspect which directly leads into the long term growth by ensuring that the company is constantly looking for new ways of doing things, which either include efficiency savings or a better customer experience (Kaplan, 2004)[7]. The Development of Intangible Assets Introduction Intangible assets are those assets within the company that are often overlooked such as the knowledge base of the staff or the underlying strength of the information systems. When considering the intangible assets, this largely refers to the learning and innovation perspective within the balanced scorecard and can be broken down to look at jobs, i.e. the human capital and relevant expertise these individuals have, the systems capital which refers to the information systems within the company and the organisational capital which refers to the climate in which the company operates, i.e. the market place in which it is based (Wall, 2003)[8]. Intangible assets within the company Critically, the company mainly needs to consider both its human capital and its information systems. In relation to its human capital, the company has significant difficulties with its turnover, particularly within the packing division. With a high turnover of staff, it is difficult to maintain efficiency and quality in the products and makes innovation difficult as members of staff are unprepared to take a long term view. The technical department is clearly important when it comes to ensuring the maximum efficiency of the machines. Therefore, the turnover rate of 18% in relation to technicians and the seeming difficulty in recruiting new technicians is an issue that has to be looked at closely by management. Information systems are outdated within the company. Computer technology is not used adequately to ensure that information is shared between the sites. Failure to share information will result in wastage and unnecessary expenses as well as large overheads (a problem that the company has, as identified previously). Furthermore, no information is collected in relation to customer satisfaction which makes the task of improving and managing customer perceptions impossible. A fully integrated and operational information system is needed to improve both efficiency of production and customer satisfaction. How can these factors be developed? The first concern must be in relation to the employees. There is a substantial turnover of staff, averaging 12%. Direct operations have a turnover rate substantially below this, at just 5%. Critically, the direct operations and production teams have a structure of bonus payments which is generous and allows staff to receive extra payments as they become more efficient, thus encouraging staff to stay longer in their roles. Whilst the packing team recognises that it is generally less skilled, there is no incentive in relation to performance and there is clearly very little in the way of employee loyalty (evidenced by the way in which the staff shop is used). Consideration should be given to implementing a similar bonus scheme for the packers, as this would not only reduce staff turnover in the packing department but would also encourage better quality of work (Harvard Business School Press, 2005)[9]. Issues such as more flexible working patterns should be considered as the majority of the packers are female and, therefore, issues such as childcare are much more likely to be important to this section of the workforce. Benefits such as childcare vouchers may also be a good way of improving retention. Due to the skilled nature of the technicians’ role, advertisements should be placed further afield. Workers are often prepared to travel and by widening the search area the company may locate better skilled and more loyal staff for the important technical department. Investment is needed in the information technology systems. They are six years old and do not offer the necessary level of service. The systems, particularly in relation to sharing technical knowledge, must be integrated and additional automation would be beneficial to the ultimate efficiency of the company. There are also considerable uncertainties in relation to factors such as stock levels, work in progress, production costs, all of which are vital and need to be integrated into the information system (Kaplan, 2001)[10]. Conclusions In order to develop the intangible assets of the company, the focus must necessarily be on dealing with the issues in relation to employee retention and productivity as well as ensuring that the information systems adequately support the company moving forward. Both of these factors will require investment, but should amply pay for themselves, in the long run. TASK 3 Inventory Management Inventories refer to all goods and stocks held by the company, whether they are complete or not. As this is a manufacturing company, it would be anticipated that the level of inventory is rather high. However, even with this assumption, the total amount of stock being held by the company has risen dramatically to  £3,915,000 in 2008, from just  £2,765,000 in 2006 and is rightly a cause for concern by management (Mercado, 2007)[11]. Importance of Inventory This is not the only company to underestimate the importance and potential impact of inventory on the financial position of the company as a whole. A certain level of inventory is essential as the company relies on suppliers (of varying reliability) and, therefore, must build in a time lag between when the supplier delivers the material and when the goods actually leave the company. As well as the time lag, there are natural uncertainties which mean that a certain amount of stock must be held, particularly to deal with issues such as special offers from some of the larger retailers. There are also economies of scale to be had and it will be more profitable for the company to purchase material in bulk and to transport finished products in bulk (Koumanakos, 2008)[12]. Whilst all of these reasons for maintaining an inventory are valid, it is important to recognise that having too much in the way of inventory is potentially negative on the financial position of the company. The ratios suggesting problems with short term liquidity are indicative of this high level of inventory. Too much of the company’s cash is tied up in the stock, meaning that the company may not be able to meet its commitments to short term creditors. Working capital should also be of considerable interest to the company as it is another reflection of the short term liquidity of the company and is a way of looking at whether or not the company can meet its short term liabilities and operating expenses (Wild, 2002)[13]. Accounting for Inventory A vitally important way of managing and measuring working capital is to look at how many days it takes from the point at which money is paid out for the raw materials to the point when the company receives money in for the finished products. This length of time should, ideally, be as short as possible so at to ensure that the company gets a return on its products as quickly as possible. Reducing this time involves either extending the length of time it takes to pay suppliers, shortening the length of time it takes to collect money from customers or reducing the time it takes to manufacture the goods. This period of time is calculated by adding the inventory conversion period to the receivables conversion period and taking away the payables conversion period (each measured in days). The inventory conversion period is the inventory divided by the cost of goods sold multiplied by 365; the receivables conversion period is the receivables divided by sales multiplied by 365; and the payables conversion period is accounts payable divided by cost of goods sold multiplied by 365 (Toomey, 2000)[14]. By using the inventory figures for this calculation, it is easy to see whether or not the period of time is increasing and at which point there seems to be a blockage in the throughput. In the case of the company, it is clear to see that the amount of stock being kept is increasing; raw material inventory has only gone up a slight amount. However, the amount of bought-in finished goods that are being held has dramatically increased and should be an area that the management team concentrates on (Harrington, 1990)[15]. It is also worth bearing in mind that there are costs inherent with storing excess stock. It has already been recognised that overhead costs are in excess of what they should be for the company and are growing rapidly. These will almost certainly be related, at least partially, to the trend towards storing more stock. Conclusion Inventory management, despite being an issue for management teams to control, has a direct and substantial impact on the company’s financial accounts. Holding too much stock will be evident in terms of the current asset figures on the balance sheet, but also in the profit statement (Jones, 1985)[16]. Potential savings in reducing the amount of stock that is held can come not only from the availability of cash for other activities (such as meeting short term liabilities), but also in terms of ensuring that overhead costs such as storage are kept to a minimum. These factors must be considered by the management team as a matter of priority. TASK 4 Introduction Before introducing any new product, it is important that the management team consider all of the possible impacts of this introduction, both financially and practically. In this case, for example, it should also be considered that the HC007 is a new and improved version of the HC003 and the company wishes to develop a reputation for producing leading edge technology. Bringing in a new product such as this will naturally increase the company’s profile in the market and should not be disregarded as a benefit when analysing the raw figures in relation to the possible move (Rainey, 2005)[17]. The company should also consider the current level of inventory that is held in relation to HC003, both in terms of completed products and work in progress, as this may result in financial losses to the company, if these items cannot be sold on (Wilson, 2005)[18]. Theories of Product Appraisal A key way of determining the potential viability of the new product is to consider the breakeven point which will tell the company, based on the proposed sales value, how many products would have to be sold before the costs of production are covered. The breakeven point is established by taking the fixed costs and dividing them by the selling price, minus the variable costs. Therefore, in the case of the HC007, the fixed costs are thought to be 24,000 divided by 12 (18 – 6) making 2,000. On the assumption that the fixed and variable costs are the same for the HC003, the breakeven point for this would be 24,000 divided by 10 (16 – 6), making 2,400, which it is currently comfortably achieving (Daly, 2002)[19]. There are weaknesses in using this analysis. It assumes that the variable costs are constant for every unit of output and that there are no economies of scale involved. It also assumes that fixed costs are constant and would be incurred regardless of the level of production. Finally, there is the assumption that there is no wastage, i.e. all products produced are sold. This is unrealistic, as there is likely to be at least some degree of leakage. Analysis of the Hedge Clipper HC007 HC007, on the assumption that the full 4,000 prospective sales are made, would produce a total profit of 24,000. HC003, on the assumption that 3,500 units were sold, would achieve a total profit of 17,500. On the face of it, therefore, the new product HC007 would be a worthwhile addition to the product range. It should be noted that the nature of fixed costs means that they are going to be incurred, regardless of whether or not the HC007 is launched and should not, therefore, play any part in the decision making process. If this theory is followed, the profit margin on the HC007 would be 12, whereas working with the same numbers the gross profit margin for the current HC003 would be 11. This is the contribution available, through the production of these products to meet fixed costs. There is no substantial difference between the two and consideration should be given as to whether there could be a better use of the resources available within the company (Groth, 1996)[20]. An absorption or recovery rate of 300% seems incredibly high and consideration should be given as to whether the overheads in this particular area of production are viable. With such high overhead rates, there may be more productive ways to produce a profitable item, either through the use of automation or through better use of premises’ space (Kuczmarski, 1992) [21]. Careful consideration should also be given as to the prospective number of sales. The company is currently selling 3,500 hedge cutters and has predicted that the new model would generate sales of 4,000 hedge cutters. This suggests that 500 people would be expected to purchase the new product, purely because it is new and innovative. Conclusions Appraising a new product is not simply about seeing whether a company can sell the product for more than it costs to produce the product. Issues such as other opportunities that the company may be foregoing in order to produce this product need careful consideration. It is not about producing a profitable item; it is about producing the most profitable item (Constantineau, 1992)[22]. In this case, the company needs to ensure that the sales predictions are accurate and that there is no other potential new product line that would serve the company better. Appendix 1 Footnotes [1] Fridson, M.S. Alvarez, F., 2002. Financial Statement Analysis: A Practitioners Guide.  John Wiley and Sons. [2] Helfert, E.A., 2001. Financial Analysis: Tools and Techniques : a Guide for Managers. McGraw-Hill Professional. [3] Friedlob, G.T. Schleifer, L.L.F., 2003. Essentials of Financial Analysis. John Wiley and Sons. [4] Towsey, R.G., 1974. The use of operating ratios in retail management . International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, 2, 4. [5] Kaplan, R.S. Norton, D.P., 1993. Putting the Balanced Scorecard to Work. Harvard Business Review, Sep – Oct, pp. 2-16. [6] Niven, P.R., 2006. Balanced Scorecard. Step-by-step. Maximizing Performance and Maintaining Results. 2nd ed., John Wiley Sons. [7] Kaplan, R.S. Norton, D.P., 2004. Strategy maps: Converting intangible assets into tangible outcomes. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. [8] Wall, A., Kirk, R. Martin, G.,2003. Intellectual Capital: Measuring the Immeasurable?  Elsevier. [9] Harvard Business School Press, 2005. Retaining Your Best People. Harvard Business School Press. [10] Kaplan, R.S. Norton, D.P., 2001. The Strategy-focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Harvard Business Press. [11] Mercado, E.C., 2007. Hands-On Inventory Management. CRC Press. [12] Koumanakos, D.P., 2008. The effect of inventory management on firm performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 57, 5. [13] Wild, T., 2002. Best Practice in Inventory Management. Institute of Operations Management,  Butterworth-Heinemann. [14] Toomey, J.W., 2000. Inventory Management: Principles, Concepts and Techniques. Springer. [15] Harrington, T.C., Lambert, D.M. Vance, M.P., 1990. Implementing an Effective Inventory Management System. International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, 20, 9. [16] Jones, T.C., Riley, D.W., 1985. Using Inventory for Competitive Advantage through Supply Chain Management. International Journal of Physical Distribution Logistics Management, 15, 5. [17] Rainey, D.L., 2005. Product Innovation: Leading Change Through Integrated Product Development. Cambridge University Press. [18] Wilson, R.M.S. Gilligan, C., 2005. Strategic Marketing Management: Planning, Implementation and Control. Butterworth-Heinemann. [19] Daly, J.L., 2002. Pricing for Profitability: Activity-Based Pricing for Competitive Advantage. John Wiley and Sons. [20] Groth, J.C. Byers, S.S., 1996. Creating value: economics and accounting perspectives for managers. Management Decision, 34, 10. [21] Kuczmarski, T.D., 1992. Screening potential new products. Strategy Leadership, 20, 4. [22] Constantineau, L.A., 1992. The Twenty Toughest Questions for New Product Proposals. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 9, 2.

Communism Vs Democracy :: Communism Essays

Communism is an original system of society, quite different from Democracy in many ways. While total democracy is not widely spread, many forms of it are prosperous throughout the world today. One of the first and major differences between a Communist and Democratic government is their contrary economic systems. In a communist government, the community owns the major resources and means of production. The goal of such a system is to prevent any one person or group of people from becoming radically rich, while others are extremely poor. The system attempts to eliminate lower class by balancing the wealth between rich and poor, therefore giving everyone equal pay and ownership. Unfortunately, this results in an increased lower class. However, in a Democracy, free enterprising is permitted, and smiled upon. ? Here, free enterprising helps the economy to flourish. People can organize their own businesses and receive their own profits if it succeeds, or debts if it fails. In this system, the harder a person works, the more money they receive, allowing them to ‘make ends meet.’ The downside to democracy is that people can get a high paying job through education, but may work just as hard at a lower paying job and receive less money. As Winston Churchill once said, "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." Generally, Democracy’s seem be more successful economically. In a democracy, money is the most dominant incentive. On the contrary, in a communist government, a person can work a million times harder than the person sitting next to him, and receive equal pay. This results in no incentive on the part of the worker whatsoever. When there is nothing to achieve by working harder, people become slothful, which does little good for a country’s economy. In most attempts, past and present, communism has failed economically, whereas democracies have a commendable success rate. Communism is most widely taken up by Third World countries striving for national independence and sudden social change (Russia, Cuba, and Northern Korea). Forms of democracy however, are usually exercised by countries, which have a long-range goal to succeed, or improve economically (Britain, U.S.A.). Most widely first heard of through Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, communism hasn’t been around nearly as long as democracy, which is first known to have existed in the city-states of ancient Greece and Rome.

Amy Tans The Joy Luck Club Essay -- Essays Papers

Joy Luck Club The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, is a powerful portrayal of four Chinese women and the lives of their children in America. The book discusses the conflicting cultures between the United States and China, and how men treat women throughout their lives. People living in the United States usually take for granted their roles as a male or female. The culture of each country shapes the treatment one receives based on the sex of the individual. There are obvious differences within the different cultures. These differences show themselves in the work force, the distinct tasks performed in the home, and the privileges one receives in society. In the work force, the women of America hold many positions of importance. They are usually treated as equals with men and there are few jobs from which they are excluded. In China, women are expected to stay at home and are not permitted to be in a work force that is held exclusively for men. The women of America receive fair wages and have earned the right to work with men. In China, women are assigned the role of housewives and must stay at home to clean the house and raise the children. Women in America receive educations that will prepare them for the high paying jobs of a professional. The women in China are known for taking orders from their husbands. Another feature that is found to be different in China from America is the different roles women take in the home. The author explains that a Chinese woman is expecte...