Policy Topic Search and Summary Essay

POLICY TOPIC SEARCH AND SELECTION The topic I have chosen is Medicare. The affected stakeholders associated with this topic are the elderly. Those enrolled in Medicare are referred to as beneficiaries. More than 14 million beneficiaries are now enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans. This is a 30% increase since 2010. This is a great increase even with the payment changes associated with the Affordable Care Act (â€Å"Medicare†, 2014). Medicare is a federally funded program for people aged 65 and older, certain people with disabilities, and people with end stage renal disease. There are different parts of Medicare that cover specific services. Part A is hospital insurance; this covers hospital stays, skilled nursing facilities, hospice care, and some home health care. Part B is medical insurance; this covers certain doctor’s services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventative services. Part C is Medicare Advantage Plans. This is a Medicare health plan offered by a private company that is contracted with Medicare to provide all of the Part A and B’s benefits. This includes HMOs, PPOs, Private fee for service plans, special needs plans, Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans. If enrolled in Medicare Part C, services are not covered under original Medicare. The final part of Medicare is Part D, this adds prescription drug coverage to original Medicare (â€Å"What is Medicare?†, n.d.). The elderly are specifically affected by Medicare because for many this is their only option for having access to health care. Medicare’s future is at the forefront of a lot of people’s minds and is concerning for the elderly and those who are approaching the age of 65 and getting ready to retire. The  costs associated with keeping Medicare running are ever increasing, and many are worried that the funds and the program will not be available in the future. References Medicare. (2014). Retrieved from http://kff.org/medicare/. What is Medicare?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/decide-how-to-get-medicare/whats-medicare/what-is-medicare.html/.

The sights of leadership

Every leader must master three aspects of visionary sight – 1. Hindsight: The ability to reflect and learn from the past 2. Insight: The ability to interpret and respond to the present 3. Foresight: The ability to predict and prepare for the future But while every leader must operate in all three aspects of vision, which focus they rely on most will have far-reaching implications for their lives and organisations they build. Which focus do you favour? Hindsight Leadership: Tends to emphasise the value of experience and evidence. They look at the future through the eyes of the past. Like a lawyer they tend to look for a precedent for every decision. They’re hoping it’s true that â€Å"history repeats itself†. Although we absolutely must reflect on the past and learn the lessons it offers us, we cannot afford to become overly focused on the past in our leadership any more than we can afford to drive whilst staring in the rear vision mirror. Insight Leadership: Tends to emphasise the value of tactics and reality. They look at the future as an extrapolation of current events and trends. Finely tuned to what is happening around them, they hope that by responding correctly now they will experience success in the future. Although they’re not spending a lot of time looking backwards, they’re also not spending much time looking ahead. The focus becomes about where we are now and what step we could take next. For this leader the old adage not to â€Å"climb the ladder only to find it’s leaning across the wrong wall† contains an important warning. Foresight Leadership: Tends to emphasise possibilities and innovation. They look at the future as uncharted territory or a clean slate. Although they reflect on the past and respond to the present, they are much more concerned with preparing for the future. They drive their organisations with glances in the rear vision mirror and awareness of their surroundings but more than anything else they have clear focus on where they are going and what’s coming up on the road ahead. I often advocate insight which is the moment, that is the balancing or transformation point between hindsight and foresight. Insight is neither hindsight nor foresight. This point is also the birthplace of the two endpoints because what you do at this point of insight becomes your past and determines your future. The problem we so often experience is that we give our attention to the past or the future, at the expense of attending the all-important present moment. We worry about our past or fret about our future and in that process we give up our opportunity to exercise any influence we have in our lives, which can only happen in the here and now

Black or White

American society is portrayed in Michael Jackson’s song â€Å"Black or White. † Whereas the racism is defined as a superior behavior against other race-thus making it inferior, the singer refers to this term as â€Å"See, it’s not about races, just places, faces, where your blood comes from is where your space is. † Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists in the music industry, calls for equality in how people view and behave towards each other. The question, which this master thesis investigates, does it matter if you’re black or white, is clearly answered by the singer: â€Å"It don’t matter if you’re black or white. † Jackson was trying to influence his society to act in a similar way and he calls for them to live their lives by Dr. Luther’s dream â€Å"†¦. judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. † However, almost thirty years later, it still seemed only as a dream because he sang: â€Å"I’m tired of this Devil†, where the bad is being represented by the prejudice. At the same time, he clearly states: â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color† – this is where he makes his conclusion. This can imply that even though he doesn’t discriminate and would like to see color prejudice gone, he is still being discriminated against. While being the most prominent artist in the music industry, he still calls himself â€Å"a color† and he rebuts against it and wants to be seen for the person he is and not the pigmentation of his skin. It is widely known that Michael Jackson had many facial plastic surgeries and it is controversial whether or not he altered his skin color by chemical peels or was it the disease called vitiligio that changed his face color to white. Therefore, it can be speculated that he modified skin to appear white, which ultimately is his vision. It can be further questioned – since Michael Jackon can’t win his struggle for racial equality, did he give up and go white – just to end his inner battle? Will all his suffering come to closure since now he looks white? Is this the true answer? It may be deemed as so since the skin color is the guide of one’s position in the society where being white claims supremacy-control and power. It should be noted that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest musicians of all times, having sold over 750 million records worldwide. He has accomplished so much in his life, yet still feels inferior and calls for racial equality in the world. His vision for a better world to live in, free of racism, ends on a sad note: â€Å"It’s black, it’s white†. To summarize, through decades, the blacks have fought to be equal, as the American nation shall guarantee those rights, yet, the society is still divided into the superior, the whites, and inferior- the blacks (and other people of color). Blacks have always been portrayed as the dirty, the poor, the lesser-of-a human type whereas the whites are seen as the dominant, the good type. Again, Jackson does not agree with this stereotype in saying: â€Å"I ain’t second to none. †Moreover, he claims that he will no longer be scared and mentions historical symbol of a KKK group: â€Å"I ain’t scared of your brother, I ain’t scared of no sheets. With his passing in 2009, many of his inner struggles come to the end, but will the next generation start working on being color-free as the king of pop envisioned? America has always struggled with racial issues, especially those of black and white. Some them included racial segregation, education, workforce, banking and even seating on the bus. Black people continuously tried to â€Å"break thru† into community, but were always pushed aside as dirty, poor and unwelcome. We, in modern times, see the United States of America as a country that treats everyone equal. Americans should all be all equal, no matter what race, color, religion or any other characteristics they have. After all, we all remember year 2009, which is when Americans elected their first African American President. Question that comes to mind – why â€Å"first African American President,† not just simply their 44th President? So – the race and color of your skin does matter in modern times. My analyses of selected books, academic journals, films and music video will concentrate and argue if Americans indeed discriminate against race or if it is history and no longer exists in American life. First, I would like to take into consideration the iconic Michael Jackson, one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest singer and performer of the 21st century. Not only his songs deserve a closer look, but also his lifestyle – ideas, fears and the public opinion. â€Å"Black or White† by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell is a one of the greatest singles in Michael’s career. It was released on November 11, 1991. What inspired Michael to particularly select these two topics? Black or white – as implied in the song, he sings about skin color. Songs starts in Africa, possibly showing Jackson’s â€Å"beginning† – he is black. In one of the scenes, Michael sings â€Å"I ain’t scared of no sheets; I ain’t scared of nobody† while he is walking through fire images – which is being compared to KKK and its torch ceremonies. Here, he is portraying his painful vision of KKK and its vision. Later, the performers sing â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color. † What a great statement. Michael, throughout his whole life and his career, shows us his inner and constant fight for a non-racial America. Being black himself, he had struggled and finally came to the top, but still did not achieve the level of happiness – which is â€Å"no color† in his country. Later, Jackson sings on Statue of Liberty’s torch, again possibly reminding us about the KKK, and at the same time – the Statue symbolizes liberty, which for him will be color-free, no discrimination America. We shouldn’t forget about Michael’s actions in this video. In the original version, he is smashing the car, windows and the inn exploded. However, later he had to edit this version to minimize his violent behavior, however. He altered it by adding four racial graffiti messages onto the windows that he was smashing. As I suggested earlier, Michael Jackson is portrayed as an angry black man who simply hates the discrimination against black people and shows his feelings by destroyed his surroundings, as he was being destroyed himself –just for being of black color. In is interesting to observe, the Jackson, when asked to change his destructive aggressive music video, he indeed did change it, but didn’t forget about this hostility towards discrimination. He had just portrayed it differently (graffiti). First message reads: â€Å"Hitler Lives,† then â€Å"Nigger Go Home,† â€Å"No More Wetbacks,† and finally â€Å"KKK Rules. † It can be argued if Michael Jackson is simply smashing windows with those painful ideas – is destroying them – to make a better world? Finally, the song comes from the album â€Å"Dangerous. † What did the author have in mind? Are all of those issues, painful experiences and the fight for non-colored America dangerous? It can be argued that yes. Jackson showed us the dangerous side of being black, where he was always forced to fight and that causes different sorts of trouble. In â€Å"Black or White,† Michael brilliantly portrayed two core problems people were facing daily: black or white. As we look at his lifestyle and constant metamorphoses, Michael Jackson had numerous surgeries that altered the color of his skin and make him â€Å"white. † It is very controversial as many sources quote that Jackson had a condition where one looses a pigment of his skin, called vitiligo. However, Michael Jackson public image is seen as a person who constantly tried to be white, therefore, sought surgeries to help him attain this goal. Michael Jackson shows us that it could have probably been easier to make himself white and not struggle for color-free America, where everyone is equal, no matter of who there are or what they look like. It would also be important to analyze some of the lyrics from Jackson’s music video. He sings: â€Å"I had to tell them I ain’t second to none. † It can be understood that he no longer is accepting the fact that black is â€Å"second,† which is worse, just because of the color. He continues: â€Å"And I told about equality† – he tells us he wants to be considered equal, despite his skin color. Next verse, he has really had enough of being pushed around because he is black â€Å"I am tired of this devil, I am tired of this stuff, I am tired of this business. † Finally, he talks about racism in: â€Å"See, it’s not about races, Just places, Faces, Where your blood, Comes from, Is where your space is, I’ve seen the bright, Get duller, I’m not going to spend, My life being a color. † Here Michael Jackson compares himself to simply being a â€Å"color. † He is less than a human being only because he is not white. He is â€Å"black. Again, he accents his refusal of living his life being black. He wants to be equal, equal to white. It should be also noted that throughout video, Michael Jackson is wearing black and white clothing (white shirt, black blazer, white accents on his right arm and nails, black shoes, white socks). He seems to be a person caught in a black-and-white world and struggles to change it, showing his pain. However, at the very end, he turns into a black panther. This transformation may symbolize him as a black man who will fight for his rights, yet, still remain black. In book â€Å"The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology, and Fair-Lending Enforcement† Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger present racial issues and argue the importance of skin color in banking. It should be noted that this book was published in 2002, year where we all think that American people are equal, especially on racial basis. Therefore, why and how does the skin color come into play in banking? First, the American lenders take many factors into consideration when disbursing the mortgage. Such factors include many details such as the creditor’s ability to repay the loan – where the lender accesses the potential risk of losing the loan. There are many different lenders and they base their information on statistics, demographics and make final decision based on the risk factors. Research showed that mainly blacks would seek loans, which are not favorable to all lenders. Therefore such bank does take race into consideration when reviewing for application for credit. It is also shown that blacks will most likely work with subprime lenders (44%) with comparison to whites (only 4%). Blacks generally cannot use the prime mortgage market due to their poor qualifications, thus creating the black to white ratio of getting the mortgage with figures of 2. 28 denial for prime market and 1. 27 for subprime. At the same time, limited research shows that blacks-even though have some qualifications as white – would remain in the subprime market and thus be charged higher fees. Equal Credit Opportunity Act says: It shall be unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction— n the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract). (U. S. Code Title 15, Chapter 41, Section 1691) This would mean that all people should be treated equally in banks, when doing business in banks, no discrimination in credit transaction. However, authors argue that the bank may take a different look at the person and who they are in â₠¬Å"business necessity† can be proved. Therefore, even while it is regulated by law, certain discriminatory practices can and do exist. Later, it would be rather hard to prove that the lender discriminated based for example on race. All regulations are not very clear and courts find it hard to find such a connection of discrimination. It is implied that blacks, with poorer ability to repay, living in lower income communities, must face subprime, expensive mortgages – to possibly make as much money as possible in the shortest time-so if the black borrower defaults on his payments, the lender wouldn’t lose its investment. This is to compare with the white borrower who lives in the richer-type setting, is more likely to meet his payments, therefore, he is offered a prime mortgage rate, without the necessity to further secure the loan. It can be argued if blacks and whites are treated equally, despite many regulations. On one hand, the lender must adhere to all necessary regulations, but on the other hand, such institution can make necessary decisions to make that mortgage profitable – thus, taking all factors into consideration in the application process. We can further analyze that race and color of skin does matter when one is being evaluated for such an application. It is believed that whites pose a lower risk to a financial institution than blacks. This also means, as authors point out, that black are less likely to be approved for a higher-priced home than a white person, which causes the real estate agents to discriminate and not show the more expensive houses to blacks. Maybe they don’t discriminate, they just know that lender is not likely to approve a black person in comparison to the same application of a white person? It is particularly important to note that authors point out that ‘‘on average, black mortgage applications have higher loan-to value and debt-to-income ratios than do white applications. ’’ In closing, it should be noted that while many regulations exist, there is no proof that racial discrimination has gone away and some research suggests that blacks still have lower approval rate in comparison to the whites. It is said that race does play a key role when the lender looks at your mortgage application.

Vision statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Vision statement - Essay Example I shall get experience in writing, public speaking, and project management. To have a master’s degree will be the next step that will help become more competitive in the marketing field. Moreover, I will look for an internship or a young professional program to help the understanding of the marketing, sales, and public relation fields. Learning how to answer telephone calls, operate machines like shredder or photocopier, and get experience as possible is what I will take advantage on to get more skills. To become a Marketing Director, a person needs to begin from the entry level that is assistant brand manager. I will apply for the role of Assistant Brand manager that will eventually lead me to become a brand manager. This is possible if I work hard and learn all that entails the management of a particular brand. The next step is to plan on how to become a Marketing Manager. I will focus on leadership skills and teamwork to ensure that my team members work to achieve the organizational goals. Then finally, become a Marketing Director in a reputable

Is Racism and anti-Semitism still a problem in the United States Essay

Is Racism and anti-Semitism still a problem in the United States - Essay Example The country has literally shed blood of innocent civilians to fight for few basic rights that are God-given. Racism and anti-Semitism are prevalent in American society due to enactment of affirmative action, ethnic profiling post September 11, and the vague existence of the KKK. Racism and anti-Semitism still exist in American society due to the fact that affirmative action legislatures were enacted to give minorities an opportunity for employment. Affirmative action, are set public policies that are specifically designed to help diminish racism and prejudice based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, is under attack(Morris, 2011, p. 25). After the blood shed and citizen after the civil war, Congress passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery (Morris, 2011, p.30). In addition, the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law while the Fifteenth Amendment declines racial discrimination during elections. However one must wonder, even with all the legislations enacted, discrimination continues to be the focal point in society. Clearly, the 1866 Civil Rights Act guarantees every citizen "the same right to make and enforce contracts ... as is enjoyed by white citizens...† Thus, how is that African Americans and other minorities continue to struggle to find employment and are deterred from entering academic intuitions (Morris,2011, p.34)? Clearly, anti-affirmative action enables minorities to be embedded in the work and schools so society does not discriminate against them. Keeping everything in constant, the American society is designed in a way to protect White workers against job layoffs since majority of the executives in the American Society are dominated by male executives. Hence, racism becomes a â€Å"sparking fireball,† as many Americans feel as if they would be unemployed as minorities will continue to take their current posts. Evidently, the root cause of job displacement that W hite workers face with have to do with corporate decisions to downsize, and labor outsourcing internationally along with, computerization and automation. Downsizing. The small majority of minorities that do occupy an outstanding position often become key victims of hatred and discrimination. While substantial gains have been made to promote minorities, women and African America; the smaller groups continue to be harshly faced with discrimination and prejudice in the corporate world. Undoubtedly, the enactment of affirmative action legislature, companies confirms that racism and anti-Semitism are still prevalent in society. Another vital reason why racism and anti-Semitism no doubt continue to still exist in American society is due to the fact that ethnic profiling plagues society even in the modern 21st century. Prior to September 11, immigration laws were somewhat moderate as many immigrants from Asia and Middle East continue to migrate to America for jobs. As the World Trade Cente r fell, citizens of America were scared and horrified. Twenty-five days later, still reeling with shock, the government quickly took decisive action to make Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al-Qaeda to be responsible for the attacks. Bin Laden was part of an Islamic conservative group that believed in implying sharia. Thus, Muslims become the focal point of issue in society. After the September 11 attacks, many people became interested in Islam, yet the government discouraged the public from learning about different viewpoints (Friedman

Education leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Education leadership - Essay Example ?s model relies on the personal responsibility of the individual participants within the system to administer the policies that ensure a safe environment to all involved. The first and primary goal is to focus on the end that leads to the maximalization of utility for the learning process. As such, the ways in which strategic goals and plans are implemented are entirely concentric around this. Rather than getting caught up in the minutia that many other educational approaches are so oftentimes ensnared, Clark’s approach seeks to focus on the end goal as a means of attempting to gain both educator and student buy in for the strategic goals and changes that will be pursued. This model helps to keep both parties focused on the true goal rather than becoming distracted by minutia. What is unique about Clark’s approach is the fact that many of the positions that may be required at a traditional school such as substitute teachers are not a requirement for his model. Rather, it is beholden upon the other staff members to shift their schedules and classes so that the subject matter can be covered with the class regardless (Clark 2011). Again, this focuses on the personal responsibility framework and encourages educators to not miss a single day of class for any reason other than a legitimate one. What is unique about Ron Clark’s approach to education is that he fully embraces corporate sponsors in attempting to recruit the raw capital that is required to perform the educational experimentation and development that his model encompasses. Although many forms of education have actively sought to separate themselves from such â€Å"corporate† sponsorship, Clark has embraced this due to the fact that it is highly likely that many of the students that he serves to educate will at least at some point in their life be employed by such a sponsoring entity. In this way Clark does not see that such sponsorship dilutes the educational process; rather, it is a form of

Satellite Centers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Satellite Centers - Essay Example The initial paragraph of the agreement states, â€Å"This Satellite Center will be responsible for establishing a knowledge of and capacity for initiating and supporting accelerated schools for at-risk students in its local school district and to spread this capacity to schools in districts in surrounding areas. The Stanford staff will work with the Satellite Centers to build this capacity and all activities will be geared to that end† (Satellite Center Agreement, 1990). The Satellite Center approaches to Accelerated Schools for a number of reasons. Prominent among these was the desire to get leverage by establishing local capacity and advocacy that would be far more effective with school systems in a specific locality than would be a program operating out of a single national site, We also wanted to try to provide the conditions and incentives for teacher and administrator training programs to transform their activities in conjunction with the hands-on transformation of the schools they would be working with. The Satellite Center Project has a number of objectives (Satellite Center Agreement, 1990) which may be grouped together into three major goals. The first goal of the project is for the Satellite Centers to become the focus for Accelerated Schools training, evaluation and facilitation in their geographic area. They win serve as a vehicle for implementation for many different educational entities desiring to participate in the Accelerated Schools Project. They are expected to provide a forum for the promotion and understanding of accelerated schools through the sponsorship of and participation in conferences and the production of and contribution to publications. Accordingly, Satellite Centers are also expected to revise their teacher education programs to include the Accelerated Schools principles and processes in the curriculum in meaningful ways and to place student observers,

Research and Statistics Module assignment Essay

Research and Statistics Module assignment - Essay Example ve shareholders as to their decision to continue maintaining money in the stocks which they have already invested or for future investors, to invest in stocks of companies. The earnings per share will give the investor one of the major factors in stocks investment. Between two or more companies, the investor is advised to invest in the company with the higher, or even highest, earnings per share. For if we apply probability here, if the company has a very high earnings per share and the earnings per share thru the many years of operation is increasing or remains the same, income producing, for the many years of historical experience, then this company is a very wise investment alternative. Gearing.( www.bized.ac.uk/compfact/ratios/gearing1.htm) is generated by dividing long term liabilities (Stickney, C & Weil, R, Financial Accounting 8th ed. Page 10 Dryden Press, Florida 1997) by equity shareholders’ funds. We should also study Gearing because the definition of gearing mean the relationship between long term liabilities has and the capital investment employed. The gearing ratio gives us a tip on which investment to invest our money in. The ideal situation is that the capital investment balance should be more than the liabilities or loan balance. Liabilities refers to both short term (loans payable within one year after the end of the balance sheet[Spiceland, D & Sepe, J, Intermediate Accounting, Page 212, McGrawhill, 1998, USA] date) or long term liabilities ( loans payable for more than one year after the end of the balance sheet date.) The accounting equation ( this formula is the one presented in the balance sheet) is Total assets ( includes cash, receivables from customers, inventory, buildings, office equipment, factory equipment, land, other items that is owned by the corporation either bought thru cash or loan agreements) is equal to the sum of all liabilities ( already explaine d above) and total capital. Capital includes the investments

Identifying purchase perceptions that promote frequent e-commerce Research Paper

Identifying purchase perceptions that promote frequent e-commerce buying with special reference to UAE - Research Paper Example However, the perception of consumers on e-commerce purchasing process used to differ from an individual to an individual to another individual due to several positive and negative aspects of e-commerce. It is clear from both primary and secondary data analysis process that the demand for online marketing activities is increasing significantly, but some individuals are concerned about the account hacking threats during online payment process. Business environment in UAE is becoming highly competitive and saturated. It is true that B2C e-commerce purchasing activities is increasing significantly in UAE as several leading multinational or domestic organizations are trying to market their products through online. In addition to this demand for online buying and selling activities is significantly increasing among the people in UAE. Day-by-day, the number of internet and social media network users is increasing significantly around the globe. UAE is achieving significant economic growth as the business environment of this part in the world is improving constantly. UAE is enriched with natural oil and gas resources. In addition to this, the government has developed and implemented some effective policies in order to attract the leading multinational organizations to enter in this part of the world. Favourable economic environment of UAE is motivating several leading multinational organizations to enter in UAE. In addition to this, high purchasing power and high disposable income of people is motivating several domestic and multinational firms to start business operation activities in UAE. However, implementation e-commerce in the business operation activities has become one of the important upcoming trends for the business organizations in the industry. Adoption and implementation of e-commerce business operation activities can benefit both the organizations and customers. Organizations can reduce business operation cost through the adoption and implementation of

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Operations Management - Essay Example In opposite accord, British Airways is a full service airline model able to provide higher cost ticketing to consumers due to the strength of its brand under a premiumisation model in marketing. British Airways is able to maintain its competitive edge through operational structuring with emphasis on technology support, dependability, and high quality especially as it pertains to employee engagement with revenue-building consumers. Both airlines have significantly different operational strategies, giving each a unique competitive advantage stemming from operational strategy development and implementation. This report illustrates the unique strategic operational return on investments for both companies that continue to sustain these airline models. The operational strategies of Ryanair and BA For companies that maintain a broad and diverse supply chain network in order to provide products and services, such as British Airways, holding costs for warehousing and inventory management are significant. These costs include space, labour support, utilities, and even taxation (Heizer and Render 2004). For diverse procurement models, these costs are unavoidable as facility management requires expenditures for support labour and technology support on receivables and deliverables (Heizer and Render 2004). ... -fluctuating consumer demand in this industry that affect strategic planning and operational procurement (British Airways 2010; Anderson and Day 2009). Coupled with vendor-supplied materials needed to carry out its full-service model, it was no longer efficient for British Airways to maintain decentralised procurement strategies with products deliverable from over 80 different countries. The costs of procurement and warehousing were adding unavoidable, variable costs into the business model that continued to seize competitive cost advantages from British Airways. Low-cost, no-frills carriers were emerging in multiple consumer sectors that were able to negate high inventory holding costs and distribution costs associated with a diverse supply chain network. As it pertains to the costs of procurement, British Airways faced a trade-off situation: Continue to absorb costs by operating under a decentralised supply chain strategy to avoid change or to sustain and allocate capital resources to centralise supply chain strategies and eliminate redundancies. There were multitudes of opportunity costs associated with the existing supply network, therefore the business determined that implementation of appropriate procurement planning software (in this case SAP) were necessary to radically alter the supply network. The business changed its procurement strategy to include development of more strategic alliances with vendors, including involving suppliers during the early stages of product and service development, taking advantage of supplier expertise to assist in creating a mutually-rewarding procurement network. These are significantly important operational strategies for cost controls in supply chain strategies (Copacino 1996; Ragatz 1997). British Airways began to benchmark

Determination of Dissolved Oxygen in a Water Sample Essay Example for Free

Determination of Dissolved Oxygen in a Water Sample Essay To find out the oxygen content of a water sample by adding MnSO4 and alkaline KI into the solution. Mn2+ was oxidized into Mn3+. Then Mn3+ was reduced back into Mn2+ and I- was oxidized to I2. The solution was titrated against sodium thiosulphate solution and the oxygen content could be calculated. Result Trial 1 Trial 2 Final burette reading (cm3) 19.26 38.42 19.82 38.35 Initial burette reading (cm3 0.10 19.50 0.74 19.82 Volume of Na2S2O3 added (cm3) 19.16 18.92 19.08 18.53 Data being used for calculation Calculation No of moles of Na2S2O3 used = 2S2O32- + I2 S4O62- + 2I- No. of moles of I2 in 100 cm3 solution = = 1.1825 2Mn(OH)3 + 2I- + 6H+ I2 + 2Mn2+ + 6H2O No. of moles of Mn(OH)3 in 100 cm3 solution = 1.1825 X 2 = 2.365 4 Mn(OH)2 + O2 + 2 H2O 4 Mn(OH)3 No. of moles of O2 in 100 cm3 solution = 2.365 Oxygen content = 18.92 mg dm-3 Discussion Reason of filling the whole volumetric flask During the experiment, the water sample was allowed to fill with the whole volumetric flask, this is because we have to prevent oxygen from dissolving from the air into the water sample. Reason of using a magnetic stirrer When conducting the experiment, insoluble manganese (III) hydroxide was formed. It would dissolve in potassium iodide so we have to use a magnetic stirrer to speed up the reaction process. As a magnetic stirrer could stir the solution without spilling, it is very good to be used in this situation. Source of error As the manganese (II) sulphate and potassium iodide solution was added into the flask with over flowing. There will be loss of solution in this process. The chemicals added might be not enough and it will affect the experiment result. We cannot avoid oxygen in air from dissolving into the solution as the mouth of volumetric flask could still allow oxygen to diffuse in. Only one set of data could be used beside trials.

National Integration Essay Example for Free

National Integration Essay National integration is the awareness of a common identity amongst the citizens of a country. It means that though we belong to different castes, religions and regions and speak different languages we recognize the fact that we are all one. This kind of integration is very important in the building of a strong and prosperous nation. Unity in Diversity Unity in our country does not mean the kind of oneness that comes from racial and cultural similarity. It is unity in spite of great differences, in other words, unity in diversity. An important historical event in which this unity was displayed was the freedom movement when all the Indians united against the British rule. What is the common feature in all the religions? India is a very large country. We have the second largest population in the world and our land area is about the same size as Europe minus the former Soviet Union. About one thousand six hundred fifty-two languages and dialects are spoken in our country. From among these eighteen have been given special recognition by our Constitution as National languages of our country. A unique feature of our country is that all the major religions of the world are practiced here like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. There are also great varieties in costume, food habits, and social customs. Geographically our land is diverse and there are amazing differences in climate. Despite all these differences India is a political entity, every part of which is governed under the same Constitution. We have to co-exist with each other peacefully, respect the culture and religion of our fellow Indians.

Strategic Management at Sainsburys

Strategic Management at Sainsburys Introduction The word â€Å"strategy† is often over-used in a fuzzy manner. Therefore this simple and straight-forward definition of strategy given by William E Rothschild, the business leader and an ex-General Electric veteran is one of the best available. He defines strategy as â€Å"What do you want to achieve or avoid? The answers to this question are objectives. How will you go about achieving your desired results? The answer to this you can call strategy.† The highlight of this definition is that it clearly distinguishes strategy from â€Å"objectives.† This assignment examines strategic management at Sainsburys, during various booms and busts from the days of its launch till date. The analysis is done within the various conceptual frameworks of strategic management in general and Michael Porters five forces model, in particular. Strategic Management An articulate, well-laid out and well-executed strategy is the cornerstone of long term prosperity of any business. Strategy operates at various levels, starting with Business or Corporate strategy. Since the ultimate goal of a business is to gain leadership position in one or the other form, business strategy shapes marketing strategy, competitive strategy and growth strategy. Corporate Strategy This is an organisation wide strategy that directs and controls the composition of all business activity. It starts with a clear and quantified mission statement. This area is a preserve of top management. Decisions are taken on: How resources will be allocated across the organisation Portfolio of activities for the firm Clear definition of the objectives One of the key ingredients of good strategic management is organisational leadership and its ability to clarify strategic intent. Driven by vision, it is â€Å"an articulation of a simple criterion or characterisation of what a company must become to establish and sustain global leadership.† (Source: Pearce et al pp 340). Competitive Strategy In an ideal situation of a monopoly, competitive strategy has no significance. But in reality this is never the case. In near perfect competition, leadership position comes to a business only by gaining sustainable advantage over its competititors. At times this also determines the growth paths that a business should take. For instance, evaluating a move away from core competence into a completely unrelated business, or initiating take-over of another business that can offer synergies. The five forces model Michael E Porter proposed the five forces model in 1980 in his book â€Å"Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors.† In this widely respected and accepted framework he suggests that there are five generic forces that act upon a business irrespective of what industry it operates in. These forces are: Competitive rivalry within the industry between existing businesses: The significance of this force in a sector such as the UK grocery retail sector, with large number of players, is the erosion of loyalty because of perceived commoditisation. Threat of new entrants: If the barriers to entry are low because of low capital investment or lack of regulation, it can create further pressure with price cutting. Bargaining power of suppliers: Leads to lack of control over the supply chain Bargaining power of customers: Erodes loyalty and causes switching Availability of substitutes: Once again erodes customer loyalty and causes switching. This is a real pressure on UKs retail sector. To counter these forces and gain competitive advantage a firm can adopt either or a combination of two business strategies: Comparative advantage / cost leadership: This emerges from economies of scale. It is a firms ability to source and produce at cost which is lower than its competitors and therefore earn higher margins. It does not necessarily mean offering lower price in the marketplace. Differential advantage / differentiation: Is a firms ability to create a unique perception about itself vis-à  -vis its competitors in the marketplace. It allows a business to cultivate loyal segments of customers. Sainsburys Background Founded and launched in 1869, J Sainsburys PLC has as rich a history as modern London. John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury launched their first store named Sainsburys at Drury Lane and quickly expanded to a chain of four shops by 1882. â€Å"Throughout companys history, the Sainsbury brand has been synonymous with good-quality, well-presented products, with 50 and 60 per cent of the range being sold under the various versions of Sainsburys brand.† (Source: Varley). An average Sainsburys supermarket today stocks approximately 30,000 products 50% of which are its own label. The company not only wants to deliver high quality products but also wants to be seen as doing this by its customer. (Source: Thompson et al pp 192). The mission of revival: In the last decade, the company has lost its leadership position to Tesco and ASDA.. Currently it has between 16-17% market share, and is placed at third position. In 2004, there was a change at the top level. In 2005, its new chief executive clarified the companys strategic intent by launching an organisation wide revival programme â€Å"Making Sainsburys Great Again† and announced a mission of increasing sales by  £2.5bn by the end of 2007-08. As a result of this turnaround program, at the end of this financial year, Sainsburys â€Å"has reported sales growth ahead of expectations.† (Source: BBC New Website) Competitive strategy: If history of successful businesses is analysed, it will clearly emerge that winners are in the top slots because of the risks they have take. Businesses hungry for long-term success identify gaps and problem areas and attempt to provide solutions to their customers. Leaders at the helm do this with a combination of instinct backed by objective analysis of emerging trends. This is precisely what Sainsburys did in an extremely tough economic and social environment during and after the World War II when external forces were threatening its existence. In a pioneering move in the UK market, the grocery chain re-engineered its store operations by adopting the American format of food-retailing. Its first â€Å"selfservice† store launched in 1950 immediately after the World War II, when food and other resources required for subsistence were scarce, became a success because it solved a major problem faced by customers it busted shopping queues. (Source: Sainsbur ys website). Such moves are evident through out its existence and its march towards becoming one of the best known retailers in the history of British business. Sainsburys today: A move towards consolidation and growth The company plans to focus on three of its core areas: Sainsburys Supermarkets, Sainsburys Online and Sainburys Bank Steps taken since 2004 in the retailing business: Price reduction across a number of products. Improving availability. Introduction of over 3000 new items. Introduction of nutritional labelling branded â€Å"Wheel of health† on over 1500 products. Introduction of â€Å"Try cards† under the slogan ‘Try Something New Today built on healthy eating plank. The initiative aims to add value to the food shopping habits and changing food consumption habits. Its success measured by â€Å"over 7 million ‘Try cards picked up in stores.† Engaging its 3500 smaller scale suppliers by launching a campaign â€Å"Supply Something.† The initiative is aimed at making local supply chain robust. Increasing non-food product categories especially to generate a minimum of  £700m sales. Initiating community participation programs such as â€Å"Active Kids campaign† involving donations of equipment to schools. Attempting to become a responsible corporate citizen by setting targets of reducing carbon emissions and introducing re-cycling. The company has a sourcing office in Hong Kong â€Å"Sainsburys serves 16 million customers each week in 455 supermarkets and 301 convenience stores across the country. The company employs 148,000 colleagues commited to delivering ‘Great Food at Fair Prices.† maintains the companys official website. All the above activities are aimed towards gaining either diffrential or cost leadership or a combination of both. The future There is an increase in sales in the grocery business over the last financial year amounting to Pounds 324 million a growth of 458.6% over 2006. However financial services that accounts for just 1.7% of the total sales has seen a fall of 11.8% over 2006. The organisation states one of it values as â€Å"Getting better Every Day.† In the current tight economic scenario, Shareholders are expecting most of the retailers to use their real estate assets for generating additional liquidity. But in a move completely reverse of the expectation, Sainsburys has tied-up with their lessor British Land. â€Å"Sainsburys also announced it was teaming up with British Land to create a  £1.2bn joint venture to run 39 superstores across the UK. The supermarket says it will invest  £273m into the venture, in which it will have a 50% stake. The stores are currently owned by British Land and leased to Sainsbury for 20 years.† (Source: BBC News Website). Land is the fundamental element in a large scale retail business and store location, store design and merchandise are all important critical success factors. It can be safely concluded that this recent collaborative move by Sainsburys is a deliberate long term. By investing in developing its stores, it can further hope to get a differential advantage over its competitors.

WWE Stock Presentation :: essays research papers

World Wrestling Entertainment, INC Company Overview  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   World Wrestling Entertainment, INC. is an integrated media and entertainment company primarily engaged in the development, production and marketing of television programming, live events and the licensing and sale of consumer products featuring the WWE brand. WWE has been involved in the sports entertainment business for over twenty years and has developed wrestling into one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Economic drivers remain down from historical levels. In 2003, WWE created two separate major television programs, Raw and Smackdown!, each with it’s own story lines and talent. This was done to create two touring companies and increase the number of live events and provides the potential to increase to the contribution of the entertainment business. WWE just needs time to produce the intended marketplace results. The company consistently retains the merit of being the number one regularly scheduled program on cable TV with Raw on Monday nights on TNN, and Smackdown! Is the highest rated show on UPN. It airs on Thursdays. Revenues consist principally of attendance at live events, sale of television advertising time and sponsorships; domestic and international television rights fees, pay-per-view purchases and direct sale of merchandise. Stock for WWE can be purchased through any brokerage or online investing service. Minimums and fees will vary. Investors Choice Plan enables stockholders to purchase shares and reinvest the cash dividends paid on shares. For the past nine weeks stock prices for World Wrestling Entertainment, INC have fluctuated between a high of $14.40 at the end of April to a low of $11.52 towards the end of May. For the month of June stock prices fluctuated between $12.37 for a low and $13.45 for a high. Although stock prices are not as stable as the corporation had hoped, it expects operating profits to more than double from the prior year. WWE anticipates revenue of $375 million, compared with $374 million in the prior year. It expects operating income of $73 million, up from $27 million a year earlier. Net income should range between $44 million and $48 million, or 64 cents to 70 cents a share, compared with a net loss of $19 million, or 28 cents a share, a year earlier. I believe the corporation and management team of World Wrestling Entertainment, INC has done a lot for its fans. Not only does WWE provide live and televised entertainment, they also get involved in matters that are important in the lives of their fans.

freud Essay -- essays research papers

Freud: The Idea of â€Å"Repression† In the â€Å"Second Lecture† of Sigmund Freud he uses the concept of â€Å"repression† and he gives the explanation of it as the origin of a lot of mental illness such as hysteria. Freud associates the symptom to a will conflict. He defines it as a perversion of the will because involuntarily an inhibited intention emerges. It is the premise of the dissociation. Freud explains the hysteria through the repression mechanism with a comparative study. First the subject is susceptible to pretend to elude the fulfillment of an unpleasant obligation. The second, is referred a conception of the human being like whom cannot dominate everything by himself; the subject’s ethical and other standards were the repressing forces. In this essay, I disagree with Sigmund Freud theory of â€Å"repression†, He doesn’t give a detail information of the causes of the mental disorders, and he doesn’t gives enough examples to understand his theory. I think that Freud’s explanation is inadequate to explain why people have mental disorders. It is verified how the hypnosis is still used to obtain the revelation of the significant origin of the symptoms of mental disorders. That’s the origin of the repressed memory therapy that Freud discovered with his patients. Freud says â€Å" Staring out from the mechanism of cure, it now become possible to construct quite definite ideas of the origin of the illness†. Of course there are a lot of mental illnesses that are kn...

Diet for a Capitalist America :: Health Eating Food essays

"Diet for a Capitalist America" In the book "Diet for a New America" John Robbins, stresses the importance of a healthier, more environmentally conscious diet. "A revolutionary document of truth and exposure. John Robbins, in a selfless quest to discover the extensive reprocussions of our eating habits and choices, exposes and tenaciously documents hidden facts, this work single handedly convince even the most stubborn anti-vegetarians to take a serious look at the effects of their choices. A must have for anyone who seeks lasting commitment to a more kinder and healthier life." Lance Zimmer This book creates an utopian vision of how the people of the world could soundly sustain themselves by eating grains and vegetables and conscientiously drifting away from our more consumptive and carnivorous ways. The book provides us with a possible and tangible solution to the problems of hunger, diseases and environmental destruction. The "Diet for a New America" is a tool at work to fight against the realities of the modern world, a world that lives on a 'Diet for a Capitalist America'. The reality of the mocking 'Diet for a Capitalist America' is an industrial diet created by our industrial world. The diet that most Americans subsist on today is one that has been created out of capitalism. If we look at a society built by capitalism and industrialism than we will see a diet, which is clearly representative of these ways. Our diet, the food we consume is clearly a product of our lifestyles. In looking at who we are and what we eat, we can see a reflection of the world in which we live. Looking back in time at human civilization prior to urbanization the human animal lived off of the land eating small animals, seeds, roots, seafood and wild fruit. This natural diet the diet that we evolved eating, is the healthiest diet for the human animal and one that we have been eating for the two million years before urbanization. Since than in the last 100 years, 50 years, even in the last 20 years our diet has changed tremendously as has the world. Society has moved from a feudal agrarian regionally oriented society to an industrial technical world encompassing society. At the time of the industrial revolution in England, people were recognizing fried potato, fried fish, white bread, hamburgers, chicken, crisps and other stabilized and processed plant and animal products as being what food is.

Indian Writing Instrument Industry Essay

Indian writing Instrument industry moving towards Global Exposure The Indian writing instruments market today is still on the path of discovering new niches with ergonomic designed products, promotional marketing items and luxury items but in the coming years it is bound to grow tremendously not only domestically but also in it’s exports immerging as world leaders in Writing Instruments. The stationery sector is a cluster of many sectors out of which the most prominent and important probably is the writing instruments Industry. The two most important tools of it are pen and paper. Other materials like pencil, rulers, writing pads, erasers etc also play an active role which are relevant items useful for commercial and office use. Even with the advancement age and rule of technology the writing instrument industry still holds a large share of the market. Over a period this industry has seen growth in the domestic market and is now is all set to become an export oriented market. For long period China has said to be ruling the export market in Writing Instruments and as per the source China alone exports around Rs. 5000 – 6000 crore worth goods. India had not entered much in the export field uptil now because it’s domestic demand was very high, at present India’s current export share is barely Rs. 200 crore but now the industry is planning to expand further in it’s supply and infrastructure thus enabling them entry into the foreign markets. Foreign buyers of writing instrument also have been looking for an option. Uptil now they were buying their goods from china. Chinese pens are good looking and cheap but they lack long shell life and can’t provide a good writing experience. India will serve to be the best possible option for them as it is the only country whose manufacturing cost is almost same as China. If the Indian industries assure product life this is where the Indian manufacturers and exporters will have an edge over china. But the major hindrance of Indian writing industry to grow still remains i. e though it is among the Asian leaders for supplying stationery it’s international competition is threat to it’s Writing Instrument Industry and may stunt the growth of the market within. Chinese revolution in stationery was indeed a threat to the other nations and India is no exception to it. China even today spoils the global buyers with innovative and inexpensive creations and is said to capture a huge part of the market. Though slowly the writing instruments industry is achieving a well-developed and mature status and quality has also started playing an important role but still it may take few years more before the end of domination of Cheap quality Chinese product’s rule in writing instrument sector. Innovation and top quality goods at competitive prices are the major and only implementations through which the Chinese dominance can be put to an end. New ideas and technological advances in the writing instruments sector should be put into practice to survive in this competitive market. Though gradually and slowly the market is recovering from buying these cheap goods and it is turning out to be a brand loyal market than the old conventional market, which use to live on substitute or counterfeit goods. Also the government’s goal of reaching towards 100% literacy is bound to increase the demand. The Indian market today is still on the path of discovering new niches with ergonomic designed products, promotional marketing items and luxury items but in the coming years it is bound to grow tremendously not only domestically but also in it’s exports immerging as world leaders in Writing Instruments.

Effective Human Resource Planning Essay

The key to effective human resource management is human resource planning 1.0 Introduction Human Resources (HR) Management is a multifaceted function. This entity has an important place within companies in helping key personnel decide on the best staff for their needs, among other things. Sometimes, the employees chosen are full-time employees already working for the company or they could be contractors. Regardless, the goal of HR Management is to choose the most qualified person for the job. Again, HR Management is a group of professionals that wear many hats, some of which include employee benefits and compensation, hiring and terminating employees, and managing personnel policies and employee records. While smaller companies will often perform the tasks of HR Management on their own, most, larger corporations choose to hire professionals to oversee the entire HR department so we can say that the key to effective human resource management is human resource planning, as it is stated by Mark and Cynthia, it involves strategic plans, then devising ways to meet these objectives . In this essay I will try to focus on strategic planning which is a major factor of planning. 2.0 Aims of strategic plans The history of strategic planning begins in the military. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, strategy is â€Å"the science of planning and directing large-scale military operations, of maneuvering forces into the most advantageous position prior to actual engagement with the enemy† (Guralnic, 1986). In an address to the strategic planning workshop director-general of kwazulu-Netal RK Sizani said â€Å"employees must be able to advise, facilitate, support, consult, guide, monitor, resolve disputes and recommend strategic interventions to government and departments. They must be capable of producing rules, procedures, norms, frameworks, standards, draw common plans and goals which will enhance co-ordination. They require people who are experienced and somewhat capacitated and not junior entry  level officers.† As organizations vary in size, aims, functions, complexity, construction, the physical nature of their product, and appeal as employers, so do the contributions of human resource management. But, in most the ultimate aim of the function is to: â€Å"ensure that at all times the business is correctly staffed by the right number of people with the skills relevant to the business needs†, that is, neither overstaffed. The second area should be about identifying which of these plans and strategies are so fundamental that there must be clear plans to address them before the organisation can achieve on any of its goals. These are likely to include: * Workforce planning issues * Progression planning * Staff skills plans * Motivation and fair treatment issues * Pay levels designed to recruit, retain and motivate people * A grading and remuneration system which is fair * Employment issues which impact on staff recruitment, retention, motivation etc. * A performance management framework – which is designed to meet the needs of all sectors of the organisation. * Career development framework – which look at development within the organisation at equipping employees with â€Å"employability† so that they can cope with increasingly frequent changes in employer and employment patterns * Policies and framework- to ensure that people development issues are addressed systematically: competence frameworks, self-managed learning etc. The HR strategy will need to show that careful planning of the people issues will make it substantially easier for the organisation to achieve its wider strategic and operational goals. 3.0 Recruitment of staff Recruitment should be preceded by an analysis of the job to be done (i.e. an analytical study of the tasks to be performed to determine their essential factors) written into a job description so that the selectors know what physical and mental characteristics applicants must possess, what qualities and attitudes are desirable and what characteristics are a decided disadvantage; * In the case of replacement staff a critical questioning of the need to recruit at all (replacement should rarely be an automatic process). * Effectively, selection is ‘buying’ an employee (the price being the wage or salary multiplied by probable years of service) hence bad buys can be very expensive. For that reason some firms (and some firms for particular jobs) use external expert consultants for recruitment and selection. Equally some small organizations exist to ‘head hunt’, i.e. to attract staff with high reputations from existing employers to the recruiting employer. However, the ‘cost’ of poor selection is such that, even for the ordinary day-to-day jobs, those who recruit and select should be well trained to judge the suitability of applicants. 3.1 The main sources of recruitment are: * Internal promotion and internal introductions * University appointment boards; * Agencies for the unemployed; * Advertising (often via agents for specialist posts) or the use of other local media (e.g. commercial radio). The organization put its trade mark for rapid attraction and it must take care not to offend the sex, race, etc. antidiscrimination legislation either directly or indirectly. Interviewing can be carried out by individuals (e.g. supervisor or departmental manager), by panels of interviewers or in the form of sequential interviews by different personal skills techniques to aid judgment include selection testing for: * Aptitudes (particularly useful for school leavers); * Attainments; * General intelligence. (All of these need skilled testing and assessment.) In more senior posts other techniques are: * Leaderless groups; * Command exercises; * Group problem solving. (These are some common techniques – professional selection organizations often use other techniques to aid in selection.) Training in interviewing and in appraising candidates is clearly essential to good recruitment. Largely the former consists of teaching interviewers how  to draw out the interviewee and the latter how to rate the candidates. For consistency rating often consists of scoring candidates for experience, knowledge, physical/mental capabilities, intellectual levels, motivation, prospective potential, leadership abilities etc. 4.0 Analysis 4.1 Setting the strategic direction This process focuses on aligning human resource policies to support the accomplishment of the Company’s mission, vision, goals and strategies. The business’ goals sit at the heart of any HR plan and in order to align business and HR you need to answer one key question, â€Å"Can your organisation’s internal capability deliver the organisation’s business goals?† Many organisations cite their people as their primary source of competitive advantage. Successful companies continuously identify and adopt innovative human resource management policies and practices to sustain that advantage. More importantly, they structure work and design training, performance management, pay, and reward policies to help members of the organization succeed in achieving desired organizational outcomes. In other words, they integrate and align HRM policies and practices to reinforce employee behaviors that can best realize the leaders’ strategic intent. In the most successful companies, the set of policies and practices that collectively make up a company’s HRM system is the critical management tool for communicating and reinforcing the leaders’ strategic intent. 5.0 Conclusion While Human resource management strategies must be developed to support the achievement of the organisation’s objectives, it is a two-way process. These strategies can themselves be critical inputs in determining the strategic initiatives for the organisation. A fatal error, however, is to develop and implement Human resource management strategies without thinking of the  organisational strategic planning process. A common mistake is the development of workplace skills plans which are not linked to any strategic goals or objectives or which have no affirmative action components. So, Human resource planning is the key to effective human resource management. 6.0 References 1. http://www.searchbites.com/docs/HR_MANAGEMENT.asp (28th December 2004) 2. Mark Lengnick-Hall and Cynthia Lengnick-Hall. (22 December 2003) Human Resource Management in the Knowledge Economy: New Challenges, New Roles, New Capabilities, 3. Guralnik, D. (Ed.). (1986). Webster’s New World Dictionary (2nd ed.). Cleveland, OH: Prentice Hall Press. 4. R K Sizani, Workshop of the on implementation and action an address to the strategic planning, (02nd December 2001) 5. Behrman M, (2004), A guide to strategic human resource planning, Workinfor bulletin, south Africa 6. http://www.accel-team.com/human_resources/hrm_02.html, (31 December 2004) 7. A Strategic Human Resource Management System for the 21st Century. Naval Personnel Task Force, September 2000, Story Number: NNS040406-02, 04th June 2004 8. Human Resources, Pay & Trends Bulletin ,The employers’ organisation for local authorities in the south east,(June 2004),

New competition everywhere Essay

1) Discuss globalization. Identify & define any four major risks that you may perceive during globalization. Identify the challenges that MNC managers face in the 21st century. (1+2+2) 2) Draw the Open System Model for int’l management & briefly discuss the variables for the same. (5) 3) Discuss political risk. Define 7 typical political risk events around the world. Discuss how to asses & manage political risks. (1+2+2) 4) Distinguish between e-business & e-commerce. Discuss technological environment. Discuss the factors affecting the management in the int’l arena. (1+1+3) 1) Discuss CSV. Define human rights & MNC responsibilities. Identify & discuss some code of conducts for CSR. List & define some benefits of CSR in int’l arena. (1+1+1+2) 2) Draw the Moral Philosophy of Cross-cultural Societal Ethics flowchart. Discuss the Relation between ethics & technology. Discuss the characteristics of different types of questionable payments. (1+2+2) 3) Discuss how to manage Subsidiary-Host country interdependence. (5) Ch 03_Role of Culture 1) Define culture. Draw & briefly discuss the diagram for environmental variables that are affecting management functions.(1+4) 2) Discuss societal & organizational cultures. Identify & discuss the Affects of culture on management. (1+4) 3) Identify & discuss the variables that form the subsystems in a society. (5) Ch 04_Communicating across Cultures 1) Draw the communication process diagram & discuss the noise for the same. Define why trust-based relationship is necessary for the success of marketing communication. (2+3) 2) Identify & discuss some cultural variables that influence the perceptions of other nations.

The Effect of Divorce on Children

AN ESSAY The Effect of Divorce on Children Family values are highly praised. When the family is broken up it can lead to divorce and ultimately many negative implications. So what is effect of divorce on children? Is it always negative? Needless to say, in today’s society, divorce has become a norm in our lives. Married couples today split up due to many different reasons, either because of conflicts in the marriage, lost of romantic feelings, a spouse committing an affair or some other type of marriage problems. Most of these divorced couples have children that are very young and very often don't have an idea how to deal with an event like a divorce. These children will have to learn to deal with their parent’s divorce, sometimes at very young age, affecting them in a positive or negative way. To begin with, divorce hurts children more than parents realize. It is always a traumatic experience in a person's life, especially a child's. When parents divorce, children are not always understand it. This omission can lead to problems with the child's perception of daily life. The impact divorce has on a family is more prominent to the children of the family than the parents. First of all, children have many of their own daily struggles to cope with, such as peer pressure. Adults sometimes forget what it is like to be a child. Many parents do not realize how something like divorce could possibly affect their children as much as it does themselves. As the case may be, children are strongly affected by divorce as they experience some kind of emotional change. Children’s relationships with their friends and relatives may become damaged. Secondly, divorce can also create an unhappy, unfriendly environment for the children. They may not like the person that their mother or father has chosen to be with. This can cause conflicts between stepparents, parents, and children. Children would also have the mental problem of choosing which parent to live with. This can cause a child to be confused and stressed because of the love the child has for both parents. He or she may start to show favoritism towards one of the parents. What is more, kids may look towards other things or relationships to ensure the trust that they were deprived from. For example, children may start taking drugs to relieve them of the stress they have gone through with their parents divorce. Besides, divorce can also cause children to look at marriage as being negative rather than positive. Some children may have problems with future relationships due to the example they receive from their own parents. To my mind, divorce can have long lasting affects on children. Divorce will never be considered a positive solution, nor will children ever be not affected by it in a negative way. Before couples get divorce, they should consider their children first and how it will affect them. Divorce may be the way out for parents, but it always hurts children’s psychological and social health.

Whole Foods Market Expansion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 4

Whole Foods Market Expansion - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that Whole Foods Market Inc. is a natural food chain store founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas. Four local businesspersons namely, Renee Lawson Hardy and John Mackey owners of Safer Way Natural Foods, and Mark Skiles and Craig Weller, who were owners of Clarksville Natural Grocery came together to start the chain store. They were brought together by the idea that a supermarket that specialized in natural foods was necessary if they were to exploit the market fully. As it turns out, the group’s idea was right as the store gained success immediately after its opening. This has seen the company grow leaps and bounds from a single store to a multi-shop franchise with shops all over the United States. The growth stemmed from the fact that the success from the start saw the company gain strength that enabled its partaking in a series of acquisitions and mergers that were carefully chosen. The growth was so immense that the company took its op erations internationally just after the turn if the new millennium with expansion into Canada in 2002 and the United Kingdom in 2004. However, the exploitation of mainland Europe is yet to occur with the company planning to do this in its next phase of expansion. It is common knowledge that the values held by Americans and Europeans differ greatly. Even the English is spoken in the two countries differs. As such, the approach used to explore the mainland Europe market needs to take into account the nuances arising from the social-cultural differences outlined below. The first nuance has to do with language. The American English is filled with idioms and expressions as well as structures that are not common in the European scene. Although English is the most widely used spoken language in the business world, it has a standard known as â€Å"international English†. This means that the market exploitation needs to adopt a language that will need rephrasing to avoid misunderstand ings. Then there is the issue that not all European nations understand English. As such, depending on the nation that the company is seeking to expand into, it is necessary to have interpreters for the smooth running of operations.

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Sociology - Essay Example Sociology is often synonymous with culture. Sociologists generally study culture by interpreting collective meanings by tracing the moral textures and delicate emotional pathways that each individual or group of individuals being influenced. Sociology further concentrates on the answering why and what is the meaning of each culture in order to uncover the ideal structures of culture as influenced by the cultures of nearby groups that they are in contact with during their day to day activities (Alexander, 2003, p. 5). In terms of power, it is similar to the study of why the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Why the American People declared their independence from it native England, Why Hitler declared that all Jews must be eradicated from the face of the earth, Why Russia and China became Communist governments, Why Russia finally broke up into several independent states, and other similar examples(Fogel & Lee, 2002). In terms of gender, it is the study of why females act the way they do and why males often act this way or that way. Another researcher, Rorty, stated in a research that the arguments on feminism from the rather abstract meaning gender that focused on the self and a person’s enrichment. For, inequality can be glaringly abound in a societal group because each person in the group is magnetized to espoused to implement the group’s stand on gender which generally states that the Caucasian race is physically and mentally superior to the whites (Cruickshank, 2002, p. 59). In terms of ideology, sociology is the study of why the Japanese during World War II was well bent on conquering the world and why the Communist founders and the democratic countries often go head to head against each other believing that their system of government is the best in terms of giving their people a better way of life. George Eliot stated in his research that the study of Ideology is the

Formal Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Formal Analysis - Essay Example Nevertheless, he also paid attention to other living on the peripheral of the world. Of particular concerns were Allerinas seen in his dances, resting, or perhaps performing. From this group, Edgar learned much and was a impressed by the dancing. In this particular sculpture, it speaks volume about the Spanish Dance, at that time. The pose and line illustrate the moves of the dance. Edgar Degas’ sculpture stands out among the art mainstream of 19th century French sculpture. He did not have any intentions of making public monuments and it was until his death that most of his sculpture were casted and displayed in national museums. Most of his sculptures were modeled using wax to maintain an acute pose. One of his works that appeared in public limelight is â€Å"Little Dancer of14 years† though it was faced with criticism and never did he again publicly exhibit his work. The rest of his works remained private; similar to the sketches and drawings on small range of subjects that seemed to fascinate him (Guggenheim 2015). The sculpture on human figure often repeated the same subject with varying composition or change of muscular tension with the body. Edgar had a ready source of inspiration from ballet dancers of the Opera, from Paris. Others sculpture recorded images of women in nudity when washing and drying their body. Edgar Degas was born in 1843 from an affluent banking family and had his education in the classics including Greek, Latin and ancient history in Paris. His father realized his son artistic gift and helped him develop his career by often taking him to museums. Through many interactions, Edgar started to develop his artistic skills. He trained in Louis Lamothe studio who taught him on traditional academics style with a major concern in line and insistence on the draftsmanship. One of his trips in Italy, he was attracted to the frescoes he saw there and made sketches and drawing about them in his notebook. Upon Edgars’ death

Mathematical Cognition and Mathematical Learning Difficulties Essay

Mathematical Cognition and Mathematical Learning Difficulties - Essay Example Any difficulties in learning or understanding these skills may result in mathematical learning difficulties. It is imperative that we gather information about arithmetic skills in order to perpetuate our understanding of the root cause of dyscalculia. This can be done with the help of the two main neuropsychological models of numerical abilities which are outlined below. McCloskey, Caramazza, and Basili (1985) have divided arithmetic skills into three main groups: (1) comprehension of number concepts; (2) production of numbers; and (3) calculation. (from Shalev and Gross-Tsur) These skills call for the ability to process verbal and Arabic representations of numbers. Further it requires an understanding of the processed numbers coupled with the ability to transcode numbers from one representation to another. Calculation refers to arithmetic competency in terms of strategies used to solve problems, a keen grasp of the concepts involved and a decent knowledge of the counting principles. The "triple-code model" w... sychological as well as an anatomical basis and its premise is the three basic elements of verbal, visual, and magnitude representation in acquiring arithmetic skills. According to this model verbal processing is done in the left hemisphere of the brain whereas magnitude estimations and visual representations are bilaterally localized. Any deficit or failure in acquiring these skills is bound to manifest itself as a mathematical disability. Normal children use a particular or judicious mix of strategies in using these skills to solve arithmetic problems but studies have shown that "MD children tend to use immature problem-solving strategies" (Geary 1993, 348) MATHEMATICAL DISABILITIES FROM A COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE MD children presumably have difficulties in the retrieval of basic arithmetic facts from their memories and in the computation or procedures involved in arithmetic processes. According to Geary, "lower order deficits of MD children potentially reside in five component skills: procedural, memory retrieval, conceptual, working memory, and speed of processing." The first two are functional skills and they are important determinants of mathematical performance whereas the latter three skills are underlying components which may influence the output. Studies have shown that MD children are, "characterized by a high frequency of computational and memory-retrieval errors" (Geary 1993, 348) This indicates that these children are not fully cognizant of the tenets of mathematics (poor conception) which is further accentuated by a retrieval deficit memory. Moreover their counting speed is slow and this mars problem- solving ability as the working memory falters and finally decays. MD children ar e unaware of the errors they make and hence there is repetition of errors.

Using Borrowed Material Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Using Borrowed Material - Essay Example Copyright material provides some rights to the person acquiring the licence under copyright laws. The material that is authorized to the person who owns it has the authority to permit or stop others from using it. It is an intellectual property of the original owner and permission must be obtained before using that material for any purpose regardless of the issues relating to its use e.g. urgency, relevance or compulsion. The case in question relates to the use of copyrighted pictures without prior permission and provides an evaluation of alternative choice that was available and more appropriate. In the scenario in question, there are a few facts that are relevant to the act done by Sam Jones. The decision of Sam Jones to use copyrighted material was not an independent factor for using it. Time constraints also led him to use the material without ‘prior’ permission. Time limitation was the greatest fact that led to such a step. In addition, the scenario clearly explains the pressure and compulsion on him to do this unethical and undesirable activity of using copyrighted material without prior permission of the original owner of the photos. Copyrighted material is basically an intellectual property of the original owner of the material published. The copyright laws are connected to the copyrighted material and require every person to take permission before anyone uses the copyrighted material. ‘Prior’ permission to use the copyrighted material is mandatory or else the use of such material will be held liable for infringement (Zimberoff, 2002 p. 188-192). The problem in the above scenario is hence the credibility of the action done by Sam Jones. Was it reasonable and fair to use the material without obtaining permission beforehand? Was it a nice idea to contact the owner of the copyrighted material after using the material?

Anti-war comparing essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anti-war comparing - Essay Example â€Å"In the novels Vonnegut published leading up to Slaughterhouse Five, which also included such works as Mother Night, Cats Cradle and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, themes emerged that would find their full flowering with Slaughterhouse Five.† (Boomhower). It is important to understand that Vonnegut’s most famous work has been Slaughterhouse Five is which fictionally recreates his experience in Dresden. â€Å"Even though Slaughterhouse Five was Vonnegut’s only novel to re-create his experience in Dresden, a strong anti-war theme can be found in his earlier literature as well. A fine example of one of his works that fits this description is Mother Night.† (Kurt Vonneguts Mother Night). The theme of war and the expressed dislike for it can be evidently found in both the novels. However, it is obvious that the anti-war concern of the novelist becomes more focused and complete in the Slaughterhouse-Five which is the result of more improved thought than Moth er Night. It is through the working of the paradoxical concepts of war and love that the novelist expresses his preference for anti-war concerns in Slaughterhouse-Five. The foremost theme of the novel is war and its contrast with love, beauty, humanity, innocence etc and the novelist expresses his love for anti-war concerns. â€Å"Slaughterhouse-Five, like Vonneguts previous books, manages to tell us that war is bad for us and that it would be better for us to love one another. To find the war’s contrast with love is quite difficult†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Vit). The concern for anti-war has been evident in Mother Night though not completely rounded as in this novel. Slaughterhouse-Five is a novel clearly suggesting the author’s interest in anti-war campaigns and the autobiographical nature, the characterization, and the themes and structure of the novel confirms this claim. â€Å"Kurt Vonnegut was inspired by war to write Slaughterhouse-Five, which is a unique book referred to

What does it mean to speak of a United Kingdom Is there such a thing Essay

What does it mean to speak of a United Kingdom Is there such a thing as British nationalism - Essay Example In the contemporary period, United Kingdom is an example of the same idea, different countries including Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales united themselves on cultural and national grounds under a sovereign state, that is, the United Kingdom (Bowden 2007). United Kingdom is a symbol of a cultural union, whereas British nationalism is being discriminated among Welsh, Scottish, Irish and English on the basis of their national ideologies. After the nineteenth century, the concept of liberalism democracy overwhelmed nationalism. The ambiguity among these four countries under British nationalism is a major controversial issue that has been debated over period (Aughey, 2001). This paper briefs about United Kingdom and British Nationality. It further argues British Nationality with its relation to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales’s nationalist views. United Kingdom is a combination of four countries sharing similar language, culture, and legal system. It is located in the nor thwest of the European continent, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It comprises of regions of the northeastern part of Ireland, Island of Britain and other small islands. It mainly consists of four countries, that is, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (Nairm 2010). ... People belonging to the region share similar cultures, values and legal systems. The term United Kingdom is often used as a synonym for Great Britain, geographically England. United Kingdom is a sovereign state that includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, sharing British ethnicity, with respect to Ireland it has been controversial (Nairm 2010). These four countries share economical, political and cultural integrity on national grounds. These countries share political concordance on under the constitutional monarchy, headed by Queen Elizabeth II (McEwen 2012). While speaking of United Kingdom, It comes to our understanding that four independent countries unite themselves under a sovereign state to protect their national interests; therefore they shall share British Nationalism (Jenkin 2012). The transformation of democratic trends has created discrimination among these countries with respect to their national ideology. British Nationalism asserts a sense of unity among the nations and promotes their cultural unity. It defines that the ‘Britishness’ includes people from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland share similar cultural identity and are declared as British descendants (Jenkin 2012). The concept of British nationalism aims to closely associate and strength political links between British Isles (McEwen 2012). British nationalism is the political movement that was established after World War II, it aims to protect British Empire that has been suppressed during 1960s and 1970s (Bowden 2007). The main emphasis of the British nationalism is to protect and strength political interests that were suppressed in the past (McEwen 2012). British nationalism is influenced by historical experiences, the dark events

Organisational Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Organisational Change Management - Essay Example However, as a result of improved technology large number of employees has lost their jobs thus resulting to low household incomes and reduced purchasing power (Thompson and Strickland, 1987). It is important to note that while managers are focused at making changes that will improve the productivity of their firms, employees are not always supporting the changes. Thus, it is the duty of the managers to ensure that their employees are aware of the changes and that they are well informed of the implications of the changes in their organization. This paper critically evaluates the implications of changes that have occurred in D2. Definition D2 is a car manufacturing company based in France. In its effort to attain a high level of profitability, the company has embarked on product innovation, expanding its investment as well as improving the performance of its employees. Changes in economic environment that were as a result of recent economic downturn are major causes of adjustments in t he demand for the company products. Despite the competitive position that the company has achieved, it is struggling to survive. It is on this bases that the company executive board has embarked on an urgent change in its operations. Another notable aspect that makes the company to initiate change is to reduce costs of operations. According to Cooperrider and Dan (2001), high costs of production as well as increased marketing expenses are major causes of reduction in profit. In this regard, companies that are focused at minimizing their costs must make initiatives to change their mode of operations. The need for expanding the production capacity is another key issue that has influenced changes in D2. Despite efforts by managers to ensure that the top management team is aware of the changes, some senior managers have not been informed about the new developments. This may cause resistance since those managers have not been involved in the processes (Weiner, 2000). Taking into consider ation the changes in the Didcot branch, employee’s resistance may also be experienced once the plant is closed. As depicted by the executive board, the closure of Didcot will result to loss of employment for majority of the employees working in the plant. Similarly, there will be less chances of redeploying the employees to other branches in Spain and France. Considering their significant contribution to the company and their efforts to meet the corporate objectives, managers and other employees in the Didcot plant will trigger resistance that may jeopardize the operations of the company (Bramble, 1996). One of the key strategies that the company has adopted in order to attract and maintain customers is product development. Based on the need to relocate its production engineers from Didcot to Blois, the company will also experience a resistance from the engineers who will be reluctant to emulate the change. However, this will not be experienced for a long time since the compa ny has taken initiatives to employ its production engineers thus creating a feeling of job security among the workers. Discovery Changes within an organization such as D2 can be effected in the areas of technology, business location and management among others. My choice for resistance to change is based on the significant negative implications that it can bring to a firm if not effectively addressed by the management team. Based on

There Is a Fine Line Between Reality and Illusion Essay Example for Free

There Is a Fine Line Between Reality and Illusion Essay How can we distinguish between reality and illusion? Is reality an illusion, or is an illusion simply reality? Albert Einstein once stated that ‘reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one’. The statement suggests that what we interpret to be real may well be an illusion and this is evidenced mainly through dreams and aspirations. For example if someone has dreamt of one day being a doctor their reality, which is described as the state of things that actually exist, shifts or changes in order for that idea to become real. Reality is tangible while illusion is a faculty or activity of imagination. What may be reality for one person may be an illusion for another and this is clearly evidenced through many situations that we as individuals face. What is real is often clouded by the concept of illusion for example the idea of what is glamorous, the difference between what is beautiful and what is real is distort by the media and its false interpretations. However it is not only the media that can distort reality from illusion, the virtual world of computer games and Internet socializing has revolutionized the Nintendo 64 and the plain old phone call. We are now able to find solace inside the world of an Avatar or pet puppy that our parents never let us bring home, and instead of having real friends we can have as many as one thousand without even meeting them. Our emotions and mental state also contribute to the way in which we interpret our reality; it has proven to be a major impact of how we see things and importantly how we react to it. The reality of today is what Einstein most famously predicted, that we as individuals sometimes find it difficult to interpret the real world from illusion. It may often occur that an individual chooses to disregard what is real and accepts their illusions. This can be portrayed when we are faced with a really dismal time in our lives and in order to cope we convince ourselves that one-day it will change, as T. S Elliot suggested ‘humankind cannot bear too much reality’. Blanche DuBois from ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ has a similar reaction to her reality. Her reality is that she has lost the love of her life to suicide, no longer remains a teacher and does not own any assets as she has lost the property known as Belle Reve. In order to endure her life Blanche rejects her reality and manipulates it with lies, makeup and lighting in order to hide from the truth. ‘I don’t want realism I want magic’, Blanche desires for a life of pure happiness and excitement, however her imagination is indistinguishable from her reality and the series of lies and dimmed lights soon begin to fade as she is met with Stanley Kowalski. Stanley Kowalski, a brutish and arrogant realist finds it difficult to understand Blanche’s reality. Unlike Blanche, Stanley needs reassurance that what he knows is perfectly real and reliable. In the play the two characters continuously disagree with each other and eventually Stanley’s animalistic behavior threatens Blanche’s safety. Blanche and Stanley are a great example of how one individual’s reality is different to another’s, these conflicting ideas and perceptions of life occur often between people and have been proven to cause disagreement. People around us have great influence of how we perceive things although there are other major influences that contribute to our perceptions for instance the media. The media has brought forward many deceiving images of models and famous Hollywood stars. These images of super skinny models with perfectly shaped bodies and teeth are portrayed to convince the audience that what we see is not only real, but also normal. We are lead to believe that if we wear special stockings that our fat will magically disappear, but who said that fat was ever ugly? No one just decided one day that a little cellulite was atrocious; it is the media that guides and influences our perception over what is socially acceptable. The Hollywood stars of today seem almost out of this world if you like, for example Lindsay Lohan who appears to have a ‘perfect’ and glamorous life is forced to steal a necklace, so how perfect is her life? Each time a magazine reports Charley Sean drunk and causing a public nuisance the world is captivated by his actions. Why is it that we find other peoples realities so fascinating? And why is it that we enjoy the escapism of entering the life of another? The twenty-first century has allowed Internet gaming to create fictional characters such as an Avatar to represent the virtual life of an individual gamer. Amy Taylor, 28, whose online avatar alter ego is named Laura Skye, divorced her husband because of his betrayal to her in the online game known as Second Life. She claims ‘it may have started online, but it existed entirely in the real world and it hurts just as much’, the online virtual world of gaming caused such an influence over Amy Taylor and her husband’s life that real life and the game were clouded. Reality and illusion in this case seems bewildered. Our emotions are a major influence over the way we interpret life, when one is in a state of depression, your reality is surrounded by negative energy and therefore it is influenced by our state of mind at that present time. In my personal experience I have witnessed the life of depression through a family member and often their reality is surrounded by the boundaries of fear and anxiety, and nothing can develop beyond those walls, happiness seems a mile away. Similarly Stella Kowalski’s love for Stanley has a major influence over her life and what she perceives to be real. It appears that she is blinded by their lustful relationship and can see no faults in his brutish behavior. Stella undoubtedly chooses Stanley’s reality over Blanche’s and this is evidenced in the ending scene of the play where she allows her sister to be taken away even after the suspicion of Stanley abusing her. Behavior like this is also conveyed in everyday situations where woman who have been viciously abused and beaten remain with their partners because of fear that they will be alone. Stella finds Stanley to be a safe haven; she ran away from her life in the South to a life in a one-bedroom apartment in New Orleans and despite the diversity between the different lifestyles, she much prefers her life with Stanley. It is clear that her love for Stanley is great, and that regardless of his behavior she finds solace within his presence. The difference between reality and illusion can sometimes be unclear due to factors such as the media, our emotions and also our state of mind. Reality is not a fixed idea and in the end is controlled by the individual; there are aspects that manipulate reality however it is solely in the individuals view to separate the conflicting worlds of reality and illusion.