How does the woman consumer get affected by the fashion inner store Essay

How does the woman consumer get affected by the fashion inner store environment - Essay Example Women take pride in their ability to shop prudently and well. They are still the primary buyer in the American market place.(41) Unlike their male counterparts, women make purchasing decisions in a more complex, roundabout way. The fashion store’s stand is to help women consumers when they need help, and lay low when they don’t; to let their buying minds complete the sale by giving them space and information to match the beautiful design of the products in the store.(25) Given the above background, let us examine the various factors that affect women consumers in the fashion store’s inner environment. Atmospherics The fashion store’s layout is normally innovative. Victor Gruen is accredited with conceiving an ideal environment for shopping. (Rifkin, 1996, pg 263).(1) Rather than employing straight lines, as would seem the obvious choice, subtle gradients of angling veer women consumers down the pathways, especially in the fast selling items areas. Along with climate control, a lack of clocks, and centrally controlled lighting, the consumer loses all sense of direction, time of day and duration of her stay.

Qualitative Research Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Qualitative Research Critique - Essay Example I noticed that the problem statement was quite implicit, or not stated directly in this paper, which is why I used the verb "would" and put in parenthesis the word "elder" as this was not stated directly, too. But since this is an article in a journal publication, it is understood that non-detailed information that are established clearly are an accepted norm. The Purpose of the research was clearly defined in this paper. In fact, besides the already stated Problem Statement which I have supposed as the problem and the purpose in one, there is a presented secondary purpose which was "to sensitize health care professionals and other caregivers to the chronic wound experience." The Literature Review defined and detailed "phenomenological" research as well as presented at least 13 related studies on ulcer wounds, both qualitative and quantitative in approach. There is the 2000 study of Langemo, Melland, Hanson, Olson and Hunter on eight persons with pressure ulcer, Charles (1995) study of four subjects with chronic venous leg ulcers, Walshe's 1995 study of 13 participants with venous ulcers, Chase et al's 2000 study of 21 subjects with chronic venous leg ulcer, Pieper, Szczepaniak and Templin's 2000 investigation on psy-chosocial adjustment, coping, and quality of life in persons with venous ulcers from intravenous drug abuse of undisclosed number of participants or subjects, Flanagan, Rotchell, Fletcher, and Schofield's 2001 study on a focus group of health caregivers and professionals, Krasner's 1997-98 investigation on painful venous ulcers of eight participants, Chase et al's 1997 study of seven persons with venous leg ulcers, Neil's 2000 investigation using Stigma Scale, a 24-item instrument of 150 subjects with chronic wound or serious skin problem, Neil and Munja's 2000 interview of 10 participants with chronic wounds, Ribu and Wahl's 2004 study of persons with chronic wounds, Orsted, Campbell, Keast, Coutts, and Sterling's 2001 in-depth study of several people with chronic wounds, and Hodges, Keeley, and Grier's 2001 investigation on the experience of chronic illness in older adults. Most of the mentioned studies' previous findings were all present in the

Effects of Late Procurement for Specialist Subcontractors

Effects of Late Procurement for Specialist Subcontractors 1.1. Overview This dissertation sets out to explore the various reasons why there are delays in the subcontractor procurement process in UK Construction Industry. The dissertation will be focusing on purely the private sector of the industry and determining what effects the late procurement can have on the project, both in terms of the commercial and programme implications. The procurement process in construction begins with the client tendering the project to the main contractors. This dissertation will not focus on this element of the procurement process and will in turn focus purely on the procurement of the specialist subcontractor trades. A specialist subcontractor is defined as a contractor appointed to carry out activities in the development of a built asset that involve specialist construction knowledge and skills, (Specialist Sub-contractor, 2016) The reason for this topic is due to the working environment in which the author current works, the author is a project manager in the glazing facade industry working on major projects in the UK construction industry. The issues surrounding late procurement has been disused both on sites and in the academic environment for many years and links have been made between the number of claims for delay and variations, and the pre-construction process (Mosey, 2009). Benefits of early procurement can include the ability to value engineer solutions, correct design co-ordination, review more sustainable solutions and many more. 1.2. Hypothesis The research will demonstrate that late procurement can harm more than the programme on a project, it will show that late procurement can affect the design and quality of the project. The evidence will also show the negative effects that late procurement can have on the BREAM status of a building/ project and sustainability. 1.3. Null Hypothesis Late procurement has no effect on the project in any way. 1.4. Aims To explore the various types of procurement in the private UK Construction Industry To determine what classes as late procurement and understand the main and most common reasons for late procurements To evaluate what are the benefits to late and early procurement in terms of the key project requirements; Time Quality Cost. BREAM/Sustainability An additional aim to the dissertation, if sufficient time and resources are available. What can be done to improve the procurement processes 1.5. Objectives Read up on the various different procurement methods and strategies and understand which are relevant to the UK construction industry. Interview 4 to 5 individuals from different sectors of the UK construction industry. Speak to various levels of the construction industry project delivery team to understand the effects they believe early and late procurement can have on the industry. Questionnaires will be sent out to the following parties. Main Contractor Project Directors * Main Contractor Senior Procurement managers Main Contractor Senior Quantity Surveyors Main Contractor Project Managers / Package Managers * Main Contractor Site Managers Main Contractor Design Managers Architects * Specialist Sub-Contract Directors* Specialist Sub-Contract Project Managers* * Indicates the various project members which interviews will be completed with. 2.1. Introduction The initial literature review will explore the various documents which have been reviewed against each aim. This will highlight where there is a vast amount of literature available and where alternative options have had to be used, as set out in the objectives previously. A literature review (also called literature research study or literature survey) groups relevant ideas and evidence from secondary sources into a logical flow, addressing significance and understanding. (Laycock, Howarth, Watson, 2016) 2.2. The various stages of the procurement process Before the procurement process can be understood the term procurement needs to be understood. Dr Denise Bower stated that procurement is the term used to describe the overarching process of the identification, selection and acquisition of civil engineering services and materials, their transport, the execution or implementation; and subsequent project performance. (Bower, 2003). As in any project, there are various elements which need to be procured, in construction these different elements tend to be larger and require sub-contractors to be procured on various different contracts to manage the design, supply and installation of the various elements. The acquisition of the various trade will be linked to the programme, the type of procurement and contract which is being used. One of the first thing which must be created is the Project Execution Plan (PEP), the PEP sets out how the project which has been defined in the strategic brief will be procured (Morledge Smith, 2013). The PEP is directly linked to the procurement approach which can be dictated by the constraints of the project or by the client. As mentioned, the procurement process is directly linked to the programme, for both on and off site. The programme as a whole is linked to the construction process which is stipulated by British Standards BS 6079-1:2010, which is titled, Project management. Principles and guidelines for the management of projects. There are various different stages to the construction process and this is clearly depicted in Figure 1. Figure 1typical stages of a Construction Project (Harris McCaffer, 2013) The British Standard for procurement policies, strategies and procedures are under BS 8532:2011. This document provides the backbone for the procurement division in the UK construction industry. The document states that it gives recommendations and guidance on the development within a public or private sector organization of policies, strategies and procedures for the procurement of construction in the built environment. (British Standards Institution, 2011). Figure 2 portrays a decision structure for which forms of procurement should be used, the structure highlights the main frequently used forms of procurement in the construction sector. Figure 2 Identifying the Procurement process (British Standards Institution, 2011) 2.3. What classes as late procurement Late procurement in its simplest terms can be explained as when the procurement process chosen does not leave enough time to complete the programme to meet all three demands of the performance triangle as shown in Figure 3. Majority of specialist subcontractors packages are design and build. This means that if there is a delay in the procurement process it is the offsite period which is effected as the end date on a construction project rarely moves, unless the delay is due to the client. Figure 3 The Performance triangle Cost, Performance/Quality, time A Design and Build contract is a single source approach in the sense that, generally, the eventual contractor takes on single-point responsibility to develop the entire design and deliver the works according to the clients requirement (Bower, 2003). A reduced design period makes design coordination between the different trades, especially in the specialist works, where the original intent by the clients architect may not adhere to CDM and building regulation. Late procurement in complex projects could be classed as a lot earlier than in the more standard buildings. A complex project can be classed as a project where it is not a standard structure or a repeated building such a chain hotel etc. Banwells report from 1964 stated that specialist consultants, some of whom may infact also be specialist contractor, should be brought in at the earliest stage as full members of a design team (Banwell, 1964). Obviously the precise period when procurement can be classed as early and when it can be classed as late is debateable and will come down to a commercial decision from the main contractor. 2.4. The positive effects early procurement can have on a project The discussion over the benefits of early procurement / contractor involvement has been discussed for over 50 years, Banwell report 1964. In 1998 the Egan report was publish and this was the turning point for the construction industry as he recommended a radical rethink, it was this report which lead to the creation of the Construction Industry Council (CIC). The Construction Industry Council (CIC) is the representative forum for the professional bodies, research organisations and specialist business associations in the construction industry. (Construction Industry Council 2017, 2017) David Mosey looked into this subject in a great deal, he stated that, a procurement model which omits contactor and specialist design contributions can increase risk and can result in poor communications between team members, unnecessary delays to progress of the project and the creation of incorrect information that leads to claims and disputes. (Mosey, 2009). This outlook is in line with many other academics, the JCT CE guide also states that, It is important that contractors and any key specialists are engaged early, ideally at a stage when the proposed design is not complete so that it is possible for the contractor and key specialists to consider ways in which the design can be made easier to build and maintain (JCT CE Guide, 2006). Design consultants are also in favour of this approach, the CIRIA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association) interviewed John Hayward, director of Mott MacDonald in 1998. He was quoted as stating Our preferred approach, particularly on more complex projects, is to select the contractor who will construct the project at concept stage. The primary objective is optimise buildability and thus improve delivery against time and cost criteria, (CIRIA, 1998). By engaging contractors and specialist contractors at an early stage allows the creation of improved details which follow the build sequence as well as reduce build costs on site for re visits etc. The early involvement approach reduces the focus on the client. The design and built contract relies on the client expressing a clear performance brief at the outset and leaving the main contactor to determine its own means to complete the project in line with the required cost, time an quality parameters. (Mosey, 2009). The client would normally employ their own design team, architects etc, to generate this clear brief, by engaging a core team of specialist contractors this brief can be specifics and accurtate regarding specifications and details. This will reduce and remove some of the off-site time once a contractor is appointed as the brief should be transparent to both to contractor and the subcontractors tendering for the various packages. 3.1. Introduction This chapter will discuss and evaluate the proposed methods which will be undertaken in the research of the dissertation. The different research methods have been carefully chosen by the author based on the title and topic environment. 3.2. Research Paradigms A paradigm, in business, is a model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something (Cambridge Dictionary, 2017). Even though paradigms have increased through the raise in social media, there are still mainly two, Positivism and Anti-positivism. The third paradigm which will be considered in this research is critical theory. (Dr. Nirod K. Dash, June 2005) Positivism, in philosophy, adheres to the view that only factual knowledge gained through observation, including measurement, is trustworthy. (Dudovskiy, Positivism Research Philosophy, 2017) This is a very scientific approach and relies on fact and data rather than thoughts and opinions. Anti-Positivism can also be referred to as interpretive sociology or interpretivist. This is when the researcher interprets the elements of the study and uses their own thoughts, opinions and believes in order to arrive at a conclusion. This method of study usually focus on meaning and may employ multiple methods in order to reflect different aspects of the issue. (Dudovskiy, Interpretivism (interpretivist) Research Philosophy, 2017) Critical theory suggests action research methods to explore the current field knowledge. This is generally used to solve problems immediately. This form of research will form from the back of the interviews when interviewing site level members of the project team. Table 4 The three research paradigms and the various methods (Dr. Nirod K. Dash, June 2005) Research paradigms Research approach Research methods Examples Positivism Quantitative Surveys: Questionnaires longitudinal, cross-sectional, correlational; experimental, Survey of procurement managers into the percentage of late procured packages per major project. Anti-positivism Qualitative Biographical; Phenomenological; Ethnographical; case study Reviewing the literature which is already been written. Completing interviews with different sectors an interpreting their responses. Critical theory Critical and action-oriented Ideology critique; action research In field questionnaires and interviews 3.3. Data Collection Various different types of data will be collected from the different research methods that have been proposed above. These different methods where chosen in order to gain an increased understanding of the industry as a whole, not just from an academic or site level. The different methods will also allow a large amount of different data to be collected, analysed and reviewed. Positivism research will lead to primary data through the surveys and questionnaires. 3.4. Methods 3.4.1. Objective 1 In order to explore the various types of procurement in the private UK Construction Industry the author will complete an extensive literature review. This review will examine the data from research which has been complete by other academics, this will secondary data. Secondary data will be reviewed as this will provide an alternative opinion on the current and past industry. A wide range of opinions will be critical when reviewing the primary data which will be collected from interviews and questionnaires The emphasis of this objective is also to evaluate how much change has happened in the procurement practise to see if the role of a specialist subcontract has been considered when developing the process. In order to understand this the interview with the Main Contractor Procurement leaders will help explain from a practical level whether the theory mentioned in the literature review is completed in the field. The only issue with this method of research is that the academic literature may be one sided or based on past practice and not reflective of the current UK construction industry. 3.4.2. Objective 2 Determining what classes as late procurement and understanding the main and most common reasons for late procurements will be achieved through primary data, the data will be collected by different members of the UK construction industry completing interviews. In order to achieve a rounded and diverse set of responses the author will also aim to interview difference companies in the same sector. The interview questions will be created following an extensive literature review and a review of the questionnaires. The interview questions will contain the same core questions for each sector in order to achieve a broad understanding of the different opinions of late procurement. There will be different role specific questions which will be directed towards the environment that each interviewee works in. 3.4.3. Objective 3 Exploring the perception of late/early procurement and what effects it has on the construction industry will be the hardest objective to complete. The author will create various surveys aimed at different disciplines to understand the different effects and issues caused by the delay in procurement. The questionnaires for the procurement team will try to gain an understanding into the procurement procedure they follow and whether it is by personal choice, company procedure or effected by time critical requirements. The questionnaires will be sent to colleagues in the authors working environment which will then be passed on to their colleagues, this is referred to as snowball sampling. This method has many benefits including; Reaching members of the construction industry in high positions which would have been previously unachievable. Saving time, as other people are sending the questionnaire around the various other individuals No large scale pre planning required, the author will just have to speak to the various key members about the request. However, there are also some disadvantages to this technique; Lack of control over who takes part in the survey Sampling bias as the initial subjects will pass the questionnaire onto their close colleague who may be in similar positions or have the similar options. (Explorable, 2017) 3.5. Research model The model displayed below highlights the various stages which will be completed during the research stage of the project. The first 3 stages have already been completed, along with the definition of the aims. The next stage is to complete the objectives and then review and analyse the data collected. Figure 4 A flow chart depicting the dissertation process 3.6. Gantt chart displaying target project dates Table 6, Gantt chart displaying the target dissertation timeline In summary the author has shown that there has been previous research into the proposed topic, however this research has been into the various procurement strategies and the benefits of early contractor involvement. There has not been much research into the effects of late procurement or the reasons for late procurement. This is where data from the interviews and questionnaires will be harnessed. The methodology clearly portrays that the results from the questionnaire and literature review will be used to create the interview questions. This method will allow any gaps in information to be capture in the interviews, it will also allow some of the more challenging questions to be clearly answered by the interviewee. The main challenge that the author will face is participation with members of the industry for the questionnaires and interviews. The benefit of working in the industry and on major construction site is that the author will have personal links to various members on the industry, this should aid in the response rate. References Banwell. (1964). Banwell Report The Placing and Management of Contacts for building and Civil Engineering Work. London: HMSO. Bower, D. D. (2003). Management of Procurement. London: Thomas Yelford Publishing. British Standards Institution. (2011). BS 8534:2011 Construction procurement policies, strategies and procedures. BSI Standards Publications. Cambridge Dictionary. (2017, March 01). Paradigm. Retrieved from Cambridge Dictionary: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/paradigm CIRIA. (1998). Selecting Contractors by Value. London: Construction Industry Research and Information Association. Construction Industry Council 2017. (2017, March 7). Retrieved from Construction Industry Council: http://cic.org.uk/ Dr. Nirod K. Dash, I. (June 2005). Module: Selection of the Research Paradigm and Methodology. Manchester Meropolitan University. Dudovskiy, J. (2017, Feb 28). Interpretivism (interpretivist) Research Philosophy. Retrieved from Research Methodology: http://research-methodology.net/research-philosophy/interpretivism/ Dudovskiy, J. (2017, March 01). Positivism Research Philosophy. Retrieved from Research Methodology: http://research-methodology.net/research-philosophy/positivism/ Explorable. (2017, March 05). Snowball Sampling. Retrieved from Explorable: https://explorable.com/snowball-sampling Harris, F., McCaffer, R. (2013). Modern Construction Management. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. JCT CE Guide. (2006). JCT Constructing Excellence Contract Guide. London: Sweet Maxwell. Laycock, E., Howarth, T., Watson, P. (2016). The Journey to Dissertation Success. Oxon: Routledge. Morledge, R., Smith, A. (2013). Building Procurment. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Mosey, D. (2009). Early Contractor Involvement in Building Procurement- Contracts, Partnering and Project Managment. Wiley Blackwell. Specialist Sub-contractor. (2016, Jan 21). Retrieved from Designing Building Wiki: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Specialist_contractor Please find attached at the end of the report the following documents 6.1 Research Ethics Checklist for Students (Page 19 to 25) 6.2 Participant Information Document (Page 26 to 27) 6.3 Participant Consent Form (Page 28 to 29) RESEARCH ETHICS  CHECKLIST FOR STUDENTS (SHUREC7) This form is designed to help students and their supervisors to complete an ethical scrutiny of proposed research. The SHU ResearchEthicsPolicy should be consulted before completing the form. Answering the questions below will help you decide whether your proposed research requires ethical review by a Designated Research Ethics Working Group. The final responsibility for ensuring that ethical research practices are followed rests with the supervisor for student research. Note that students and staff are responsible for making suitable arrangements for keeping data secure and, if relevant, for keeping the identity of participants anonymous. They are also responsible for following SHU guidelines about data encryption and research data management. The form also enables the University and Faculty to keep a record confirming that research conducted has been subjected to ethical scrutiny. For student projects, the form may be completed by the student and the supervisor and/or module leader (as applicable). In all cases, it should be counter-signed by the supervisor and/or module leader, and kept as a record showing that ethical scrutiny has occurred. Students should retain a copy for inclusion in their research projects, and staff should keep a copy in the student file. Please note if it may be necessary to conduct a health and safety risk assessment for the proposed research. Further information can be obtained from the Faculty Safety Co-ordinator. General  Details Name of student Katherine Louise Walter Course or qualification (student) MSc Construction Project Managements Title of proposed research The effects of late procurement for specialist subcontractors in the Uk Construction Industry Proposed start date January 2017 Proposed end date October 2017 Brief outline of research to include, rationale aims (250-500 words). This dissertation sets out to explore the various reasons why there are delays in the subcontractor procurement process in UK Construction industry. The dissertation will be focusing on purely the private sector of the industry and determining what effects the late procurement can have on the project, both in terms of the commercial and program implications. The main aims of the dissertation are; 1.To explore the various types of procurement in the private UK Construction Industry 2.To determine what classes as late procurement and understand the main and most common reasons for late procurements 3.To evaluate what are the major effects on late procurement and do they aid or hamper the three key feature of a successful project a) Time b) Quality c) Cost. d) BREAM/Sustainability 4.What can be done to improve the procurement processes Where data is collected from individuals, outline the nature of data, details of anonymisation, storage and disposal procedures if required (250-500 words). Data will be collected from individuals in the construction sector via interviews and questionnaires. The nature of the data will be both opinions and facts. The opinions will be taken from various sectors of the construction industry in order to gain a wide range of data. The questionnaires will also be sent to various different employees for different companies. This approach will try to avoid results being effected by one companies practice. The data received from the questionnaires will then be used to generate questions for interviews. These interviews will try to focus down into some of the trends displayed in the questionnaires. The interview will also ask questions about the company procedures as well as the individuals thoughts and opinions on how the system could be improved. 1.  Health  Related Research Involving  the  NHS  or  Social Care/Community  Care  or  the  Criminal Justice  Service  or  with research  participants  unable  to  provide  informed  consent Questi

Kill the Wolves :: Wolved Wildlife Animals Essays

Kill the Wolves Bang! A shot rings out in the forest. â€Å"Another one down. That’s five this week.† In the early 1900s there were predator extermination teams that were paid for every wolf, mountain lion, and bear they brought dead to the ranger station. Why were these stopped? â€Å"It’s those damn tree-huggers again.† Reintroducing Wolves into the southwest is the biggest mistake the government has made in several years. Farmers and ranchers suffer some of the most losses from wolves out of anyone in our society. For one, the wolves eat cattle, which is some rancher’s only means of income. Yes, there are programs which reimburse ranchers for their losses, but the raising calves to cows, feeding them, and immunizing them is more money than one wants to put out for one animal if it isn’t your income. Farmers lose from wolves because their cows, sheep, goats, and dogs get eaten or killed by wolves. For farmers, the money situation is almost as bad as it is for ranchers. Either way wolves infringe on the rights of farmers and ranchers, so they should not be reintroduced into the southwest. Another reason wolves are bad for our society in the southwest, is a good piece of income and food is raised from hunters every year; with wolves being in the wild, hunters would feel afraid to go into the back country looking for a good deer or elk, the best animals would be eaten by wolves thus reducing the number of permits that are being given out, reducing the money generated by hunting permits. Every year hundreds of people purchase hunting licenses and tags for elk and deer. All of that money goes to the forest service’s fund for improving trails, roads, and safety systems in the national forests. With reduced tags being sold, that revenue is lost. In addition to that money being lost, the best animals will be taken down by wolves, leaving the hunters to go for small, sick, injured, or extremely old animals. The effect of releasing wolves into the wild would be detrimental to the southwest’s hunting community.

Of Morality and Spirituality Essay

The moral sacred Philippines started from a dream, and now that it continues to progress it can be one good evidence that as long as someone believes in an idea, it can be possible. As long as its aim is for the goodness of the citizens, it can be a reality. This concept does not want to create a world of perfection but rather a world of morality and spirituality. That world is where we can clearly distinguish the right ones from the bad. It is where we can not only think about ourselves but also the community, the government, and the nation. This dream can all be possible if we just go and believe that the land where we stand can be a better habitat of mankind. From Genesis 1:27, God created mankind in His own image. This verse proves that each of us is spiritual at heart. We just have to go and find the path through our hearts. We are created in His likeness which gives us the realization that all living things have something good in the inside. If we believe, make something to make this work, the moral sacred Philippines will make sense. A. WRITING AS A SOCIAL ACT The event connects with how writing can be a social act. In the said event, one does not only think about himself but also for the people around him. As for writing, a writer does not only write for him or for him to understand but also for his readers and audience. You write alone, but you always write for others. Readers matter. Once a writer sets his or her thoughts to any medium, whether paper, blog, status update, there is the potential for audience interaction. Ideas and creativity are created outside ourselves. Writers can never be more creative without the experiences and thoughts the people have. They continue to interact with people. Writing is a social act. Writers choose to see the beauty and brilliance of the world around them. Writing is nothing without the world and mind that surrounds them. B. WRITING AS A MORAL ACT Morality and spirituality is what the event focuses on. As for writing, writers do not only write everything that flows from their thinking, he must be careful. Something that anyone who writes words of any kind would do well to remember. Words have their moral consequences. The responsibility is particularly great for writers who deal with spiritual issues. Every word they write leaves its mark upon their soul and upon the souls of those who read their work. Their words may become sacraments, visible signs of an invisible grace, or they may turn to poison and ashes. It may signify the abyss or nothing at all. Writers must strive against mediocrity in one’s work, aiming always higher for lucidity of thought and beauty of expression with still being careful with the words they use. Every piece they make has an effect in this world. They are part of our moral conversation as a society. They weigh in. The creation of literature worthy not only its high artistic calling but of his stature as a creature created in the image and likeness of God.

Racism and Anti-Semitism

Racism and Anti-Semitism: Is it still A Problem in the United States? Melody D. Rahimi Logic Dr. Fail November 19, 2011 Racism and Anti-Semitism: Is it still A Problem in the United States? Racism and Anti-Semitism is an old debate. Although, most everyone thinks racism is objectionable, which ranges from cognitive, economic, or moral. Racism is the belief that human beings can be divided into races and that members of some races are inferior to members of other races. (Null, 2011). Anti-Semitism is prejudice against Jews. Racism and anti-Semitism is complex and still is a problem in the United States. Argument There are still racism and anti-Semitism crimes in the United States. In 2010, law enforcement agencies reported that 3,725 single-bias hate crime offenses were racially motivated. (Hate Crime, 2010). Of these offenses 69. 8 percent were motivated by anti-black bias. 18. 2 percent stemmed from anti-white bias. 5. 7 percent were a result of bias against groups of individuals consisting of more than one race (anti-multiple races, group. 5. 1 percent resulted from anti-Asian/Pacific Islander bias. 1. 2 percent were motivated by anti-American Indian/Alaskan Native bias. The Anti-Defamation League's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents recorded 1,239 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States in 2010, which represents a 2. 3% increase over 2009. These included 22 physical assaults on Jewish individuals (down from 29 in 2009). There were 900 cases of anti-Semitic harassment, threats and events (up from 760 in 2009). Lastly, there were 317 cases of anti-Semitic vandalism (down from 422 in 2009). (Anti-Semitism, 2010). These statics show a slight increase in incidents and that racism and anti-Semitism still exists in the United States. There is till problem in the United States with racism and anti-Semitism. Racism and Anti-Semitism has existed throughout history. Racism is defined as hatred towards another – the belief that the other person is less human – because of language, place of birth, skin color, or customs. Racism has influenced every aspect of culture from wars, slavery, and nations. The United States power towards non-Am ericans has had a significant impact on history than any other form of racism. The first example of America is slavery. Slavery happened because the racist believed that Black Americans were less human than whites. The anger toward the Jews dates to the beginning of Jewish history. Christianity increased the hatred of the Jew. While America is caught up in racial uproar, the Middle East is center for the most anti-Semitism. (Hate Crime, 2010). Most Jewish Americans are moderate to liberal in their political affiliations. They are strong supporters of civil liberties and support clear separation of church and state, perhaps recalling their ancestors’ persecutions at the hands of religious authorities. The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913 to combat anti-Semitism, continues to monitor and report anti-Semitic incidents in the United States. It also supports civil liberties and a pro-Israeli foreign policy. (Anti-Semitism, 2010). Knowing the history of racism and anti-Semitism allows us to see that the problem has not been resolved over time. There is still a problem in the United States. There is a deductive argument for racism. Racism is a problem (P is S). Problem is unresolved (S is I). Therefore, racism is unresolved. (P is I). Then the inductive argument for racism is n 2010, of the 6,624 single bias incidents. There were 47. 3 percent were motivated by a racial bias (P). In 2009, Of the 6,598 single-bias incidents, 48. percent were motivated by a racial bias (P). In 2008, of the 7,780 single-bias incidents revealed that 51. 3 percent were motivated by a racial bias, (P). In 2011, of the single bias incidents, at least forty five percent will be motivated by racial bias. There is a deductive argument for Anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is a problem. (P is S). Problem is unresolved (S is I). Therefore, Anti-Semitism is unresolved. (P is I). Then the inductive argument for anti-Semitism is in 2010, 1,239 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States (P). In 2009, there were 1,211 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States (P). In 2008, there were 1,352 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States (P). In 2011, of the anti-Semitic incidents across the United States, there will be 1,200. Of the agreements presented, there is still a problem with racism and anti-Semitism in the United States. Counter-Thesis and Counter-Argument However, there are other thoughts on racism and anti-Semitism. The counter thesis or argument would be that racism and anti-Semitism is not a problem in the United States today. One might say this is a moral argument. According to Mossler, â€Å"Moral arguments are different from other kinds of arguments. The main difference is this behind every conclusion about what â€Å"should† be done, ethically speaking, there is a value or values. Also, the values that underlie our moral arguments can typically be boiled down to three main kinds this problem would be considered values that relate to freedom (justice, respect, rights, equality, and so on). † (Mossler, 2010). Response to Counter-Thesis The response to the counter-thesis is although it is a moral argument, the deductive and inductive arguments premises and conclusions state that there is still a problem with racism and anti-Semitism in the United States. Therefore, there is still a problem in the United States. â€Å"Social theorists dispute whether, in its essence, racism is a belief or an ideology of racial inferiority, a system of social oppression on the basis of race, a form of discourse, discriminatory conduct, or an attitude of contempt or heartlessness (and its expression in individual or collective behavior). † (Racism, 1999). â€Å"Although virtually everyone thinks racism objectionable, people disagree over whether its central defect is cognitive (irrationality, prejudice), economic/prudential (inefficiency), or moral (unnecessary uffering, unequal treatment). † (Racism, 1999). Today one hears charges of unconscious, covert, institutional, paternalistic, benign, anti-racist, liberal, and even reverse racism. Racism is widely regarded as involving ignorance, irrationality, unreasonableness, injustice, and other intellectual and moral vices, to such an extent that today virtually no one is willing to accept the classification of oneself, one’s beliefs, and so on, as racist, except in contexts of self-reproach. As a result, classifying anything as racist, beyond the most egregious cases, is a serious charge and is often hotly disputed. † (Racism, 1999). In conclusion, people vary in their opinions about racism and anti-Semitism. These topics are an old debate. Although, most everyone thinks racism is objectionable, which ranges from cognitive, economic, or moral. Racism and anti-Semitism is complex and still is a problem in the United States. After reading the statics and history, we can believe that racism and anti-Semitism is still a problem in the United States. We can testify that we have witnessed or seen racism or anti-Semitism in our life. References The Anti-Defamation League. (1913). Retrieved from http://www. adl. org/main_Anti_Semitism_Domestic/default. htm Anti-Semitism. (2010). In Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com/entry/sharpecw/anti_semitism Hate Crime. FBI. http://www. fbi. ov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/resources/hate-crime-2010-about-hate-crime (adapted from the sixth edition of the APA Publication Manual,  © 2010) Mosser, K. (2011). An introduction to logic. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (https://content. ashford. edu) Nunn, Kenneth B. â€Å"Anti-Semitism. † World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. Nunn, Kenneth B. â€Å"Racism. † World Book Advanced. World Book, 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. Racism. (1999). In The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. com/entry/cupdphil/racism

Characters of a Seperate Peace Essays

Characters of a Seperate Peace Essays Characters of a Seperate Peace Paper Characters of a Seperate Peace Paper Finny are the two main characters of the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles. They are two very deferent people but manage to still be friends despite. During the course of the book, it becomes evident Genes envy for Finny. However given the nature of Gene and Fannys personalities It Is almost Impossible for Gene to not envy Finny. Gene Is an excellent academic student, but feels that he needs something more. When looking at his Myers-Briggs personality type he seems to fit into that category off JIFFS. These types of people are said to care for people and work endlessly on heir behalf. They have the need to please others and feel needed. This applies to Gene with his very co-dependent relationship with Finny. He wants to desperately to be what Finny is. And a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phonies. (77) I believe that Gene desperately wants to fit in and be liked and will please anyone to do so, but not without resentment being held. His desire to fit in and be something other then himself Is shown In how quickly he is willing to Join the army. Finny Is an excellent athlete, charming, and funny. He can get away with Just about anything, the rules Just dont seem to apply to him. When looking at the Myers-Briggs test I would classify him as an FEND. These types of people are said to be warm and enthusiastic people, and good at almost anything they put their mind to. Finny has a certain hold over people, especially Gene. Gene begins to realize this when he thinks What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me? (9) Finny doesnt mean to be manipulative or have a hold over people he is genuine in his desire to make things more fun for others. When looking at Gene and Finny as individuals you see two very different people. You see Gene as someone who feels the desire to please people but is not satisfied with himself, and Finny as someone who Is a fantastic athlete and possesses an undeniable charm. Because of Gene and Flybys close relationship, Finny Is the person Gene decides to want to be Instead of himself. This desire ultimately translates into envy. When Gene starts to become aware of this new he justifies it by eying its a mutual rivalry. Yes, I sensed it like the sweat of relief when nausea passes away; I felt better. We were even after all, even in enmity. The deadly rivalry was on both sides after all. (54) Gene believes that because he is Jealous of Fannys athletic capabilities, that Finny must in return be Jealous of Genes academic achievements. When Finny falls off the tree due to Gene shaking it, at first Gene feels a sense of liberation as opposed to guilt, because in a way he has defeated Finny. Once Finny can no longer be a great athlete the feeling of envy is temporarily lifted. Gene and Finny start to work together as a unit, helping the other where they are weak. When Finny dies, Gene is satisfied because he will finally live on to be Finny. In a Separate Peace the human nature of envy Is looked at. Gene feels an abnormally large resentment and envy towards Finny, whereas Finny seems to initially feel no envy at all towards Gene. When Finny dies Gene is finally able to be Tree, wanly poses ten quest In my mina want IT Gene Ana never met Hon.: w he have continued to live on feeling the need to be someone other then himself, or would he have reached self acceptance through a more healthy means?

Consequences of the First World War Essay Example

Consequences of the First World War Essay Example Consequences of the First World War Essay Consequences of the First World War Essay Consequences of the First World War A war unlike any to those that had preceded it, the First World War was fought on such a global scale that the sphere of influence of its consequences encompassed virtually the entire world. As a result of the war there were many political, cultural, and social changes across the world. New countries were born while old ones were abolished, new international organizations were established, and many new ideologies came to the fore. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles was perhaps the most important outcome of the First World War. Based on American President Woodrow Wilson’s ‘fourteen points’ the treaty was signed on June 28, 1919 after six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference. By the terms of the treaty, Germany was forced to pay war reparations of 6. 6 billion dollars to the Allies to compensate for the losses that they had suffered during the war. The treaty also imposed a number of military restrictions on Germany by which their army was limited to a force of 1,00,00 soldiers, their navy restricted to 15,000 men and 24 ships while their air force and submarines were banned. However the terms of the treaty that hurt Germany the most were those by which Germany was forced to cede some of its territories. Germany lost Alsace Lorrain to France, Eupen – et – Malmedy to Belgium and Schleswig to Denmark, while Danzig became a free port in Polish territory. Germany also lost all of her colonies in China and the Pacific, the control of which was given to Japan. To further compound Germany’s misery they were forced to cede the coalmines of Saar to France as well as demilitarize the area of the Rhineland which was to be occupied by the Allied troops, both for fifteen year periods. Another major peace treaty that was signed after the First World War was the Treaty of Sevres. The treaty was signed between Turkey and the Allies. The treaty solidified the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire by which the empire’s territories were divided into new states. The treaty also gave the Allies more or less complete control over the empire’s finances as they approved the national budget and supervised financial laws and regulations. Future developments of the tax system, the customs system, internal or external loans, or on concessions could not be arranged without the consent of the financial commission of the Allied powers. In terms of military restrictions, the Ottoman army was to be restricted to 50,700 men; the Ottoman navy could only preserve seven sloops and six torpedo boats; and the Ottoman state was prohibited from obtaining an air force. A war of such magnitude was always going to have an impact on the map of the world and as expected a number of dynasties were brought crumbling down with new independent states rising from their rubble. The war saw the end of the three ruling dynasties of the world – the Romanov in Russia, the Hohenzollern in Germany and the Hapsburg in Austria – Hungary. The partitioning of Austria – Hungary, a major belligerent, into Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia was done largely but not completely along ethnic lines. Also new independent nations such as Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland were carved from the Russian western frontier. Following the war, the Ottoman Empire was also partitioned according to the Treaty of Sevres. The war also led to a number of technological advancements as new weapons were discovered and soldiers developed new warring tactics. A major outcome of the war in terms of military tactics was that of trench warfare by which soldiers dug trenches from where they could easily defend themselves and launch attacks. Also new weapons such as machine guns and liquid fire were introduced and aircrafts were used for bombing civilian population for the first time. The British introduced the tank, which became extremely popular and is used even today, while Germany used submarines called U – boats on a large scale. The war also fueled Communism as an ideology and allowed it to flourish. Russia had suffered major setbacks during the war and the Russian monarchy had become extremely unpopular. Discontent led to a rise in popularity of the Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin who promised to pull Russia out of the war and was able to gain power. The Bolsheviks triumph in November was followed by an armistice and negotiations with Germany by which Russia could exit the war. It was also decided that an international peace keeping body was required to prevent the recurrence of a war of such magnitude and thus the League of Nations was created to preserve world peace and to guarantee the independence of all states. The League of Nations called for member nations not to maintain huge armies, warships and destructive armaments, and also laid down certain rules by which it prohibited any two countries from entering into secret treaties or alliances. However when the United States of America, who had played such a key role in setting up the League of Nations decided not to join it, the League suffered a major set back as all the other member nations were not whole heartedly committed to maintaining world peace. This was made evident when Japan left the League in order to occupy Manchuria. Last but not least, it must be noticed that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles indirectly sowed the seeds for the Second World War. The terms of the treaty were greatly resented by the Germans who felt that they had been done a great injustice and therefore looked for an opportunity to avenge the same. Hitler exploited these sentiments and openly encouraged the Germans to consign the Treaty of Versailles to the waste paper basket. This in turn increased his popularity amongst the general population and led to his rise in power. With Hitler at the helm, his aggressive foreign policies and ambitions of territorial expansions, made World War II an absolute certainty. Word Count 1005

An Analysis of Huntington’s disease

An Analysis of Huntington’s disease The disease that I have chosen for my research essay is most commonly known as ‘Huntington’s Disease or the scientific name for it which is ‘Huntingtons chorea’. Huntington’s disease is a Neurodegenerative disease that progresses over time, causing the death of brain cells usually in Your 30’s to 40’s. Huntington’s disease is hereditary and dominant, so if one parent has Huntington’s disease may inherit it. Huntington’s disease is named after George Huntington, who discovered it in East Hampton, Long Island in 1872. In those days, people that had Huntington’s disease were often thought of As devils due to the lack of understanding of the disease. In 1993, a group of investigators Discovered the gene that revealed the causes of Huntington’s disease. Huntington’s disease can start to show symptoms at any age, but usually later in life. It varies Greatly from person to person. Usually, the symptoms start out as very subtle changes, such as Changes in coordination, fidgety movements, trouble thinking through problems, and depression/irritability. It then progresses to move obvious and intense symptoms over time, only. To result in the inability to walk and speak, and intense fidgety movements People who are at most risk for this disease are people who have a parent or parents with Huntington’s disease. An offspring of an affected parent has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. There is no way to prevent Huntington’s when you inherit it, so only the potential parents can avoid passing it on to their future children. This can be done by doing genetic testing prior to conceiving, or doing vitro fertilization. Someone is diagnosed with Huntington’s disease is mainly diagnosed through basic medical questions and questions about your family history, and tests which will show your motor skills, like reflexes, muscle strength, muscle tone, and coordination. A neurologist will also test your sense of touch, hearing, mental status, memory, mental agility, and language function as so on. Huntington’s disease is mainly treated by simply controlling the symptoms using medications, speech or language therapy, nutritional support, exercise, and physical therapy. Using blood samples, genetic testing, and prenatal testing are technological tests involved with diagnosing Huntington’s. These are usually the best methods of discovering the disease.

Financial Planning Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Planning - Term Paper Example Under the traditional forecasting the fixed assets are increased as a percentage of sales. This cannot be entirely justified. It is possible that the fixed assets owned by the firm are sufficient in supporting the projected sales level i.e. if the company may have an excess capacity. In such cases the amount of fixed assets will not vary with the sales level rather it remains unchanged. The other expenses like cost of material, any other direct expense like wages etc are likely to increase as a proportion of sales only. Similarly, spontaneous liabilities like accrued expenses and accounts payable are a form of current liabilities that can be reasonably expected to vary as per the sales level. Therefore, for these items the forecast made on the basis of sales appears to be justified. The other types of liabilities like long term debt, notes payable, paid-in capital and common stock cannot be assumed to fluctuate with the sales level. The amount of retained earnings can be assumed to b e based on the net profit margin minus any planned dividend. Hence it can be said that all the items cannot be anticipated to vary with the level of sales. Even though some items of the financial statements like accounts payable can be reasonable assumed to vary with sales others like fixed assets cannot be anticipated to vary with sales as there is a possibility of a firm having unused capacity which can take care of the forecasted sales rise (Keown, p.108). 2) a. In case of rapidly rising sales the firm’s cash position may or may not increase. In case of most of the rise being in the form of cash sales then the cash position will increase, however, if the same is in the form of credit sales then the cash position may not immediately increase. b. A delay in payable payment will increase the cash position of the business. c. A more liberal credit policy will decrease the cash position as this would mean ‘extended credit period’ thereby blocking the fund in sales for long periods of time. d. Holding of large inventory is likely to reduce the cash position as the company may not be able to use entire amount of inventory in its production activities. Due to this the conversion of inventory into sales will take time with an immediate impact of reduced cash position. However an exception to this will be if the company is able to procure inventory on credit. e. A rise in the depreciation on fixed assets will not have any impact on the cash position. This is because depreciation does not involve any actual cash outflow for the business. f. Retention of higher percent of earnings would mean less cash dividend outflow. This is likely to increase the cash position of the business. 3) The recent financial crisis originated in USA and gradually spread across the worldwide financial markets. This squeezed the ‘credit’ as the financial institutions across the globe became wary of lending. The crisis had its roots in the ‘housing bubble ’ when the housing prices were booming in the domestic market in US. Induced by the increased demand for housing loans a number of derivative products like securitization, credit default swaps were issued. Buoyed by the low rate of interest and poor credit appraisal even the sub-prime borrowers were given loans. All was fine but once the rate of interest started rising these borrowers started defaulting. The market participants panicked with the fall of the financial giants

Argument in Support of Illegal Immigrants receiving Social Services Essay

Argument in Support of Illegal Immigrants receiving Social Services - Essay Example Increase in the illegal process of immigration mainly from Mexico to the United States, though has a long history, however, was witnessed most conspicuously since 1970s afterwards. Roots of the problem can be cited within execution of the Bracero Program during World War II (specifically in the year 1942) that allowed US employers to derive temporary workers from Mexico (Lemay 4). Now US being one of the strongest economic powers and having a politically stable democratic structure compared to Mexico, was regarded by majority of such workforce as a convenient shelter that would help them for economic and social prosperity. Thus, while a major part of the temporary workers never left the United States even after expiration of their temporary visas, on the other hand, America’s economic and social stability continued to attract immigrants from Mexico to such an extent that even after demise of the Bracero Program and consequent implementation of the â€Å"Immigration and Natura lization Act, 1965† much success could not be attained in controlling the process of illegal immigration.... The Act further states that applications for asylum or any other â€Å"Temporary Protected Status† will also be rejected by the state authorities (Colton-Sonnenberg 4). While considering the fact that the economic supremacy United States is enjoying owes a great deal to the illegal immigrants, actions taken by the nation against providing them with any kind of social service facilities clearly appear to be maliciously selfish and biased on humanitarian grounds. It has been clearly specified by several legal propositions (such as Proposition 187 of 1994) and Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act, 1996 that illegal immigrants are mainly responsible for economically burdening the nation as well as increased anti-social activism (Koven, and Gotzke 140-142). Illegal immigration, from legal perspective, is clearly an act of offense and a state has every right to take actions against those who are joining the act. However, actions taken by the United States to condemn the offense is offensive in itself as those are violating both legal principle of naturalism and norms of humanity. While evaluating the issue of American socio-economic prosperity, the immense contribution from immigrants and their successors in this scenario has been acknowledged by the former American President John F. Kennedy. He not only recognized the United States as a nation of immigrants but also emphasized on the importance of formulating immigration policy in such a manner so that social welfare of the immigrants is ensured (Colton-Sonnenberg 3). Getting to the roots of immigration problem it becomes clear the flaws in implementing the foreign policy has a major role to play to result in the influx of illegal immigration:

SUMMARY ON USING OUR GES TO PREDICT OLYMPIC MEDALS Speech or Presentation

SUMMARY ON USING OUR GES TO PREDICT OLYMPIC MEDALS - Speech or Presentation Example When there are more participants there is also high medal attainment. Basing on the medal determining factors mentioned we can generate an accuracy GES mathematical model to predict the medals. We choose to use a scale of ten to rate different countries in terms of political stability, incomes, economic development, technology and population. The country with high overall rating will attain highest medals. Example in table form is ; From the above explanation we can state the model as medals earned is directly proportional to overall development. Medal ratio = (political stability + incomes + economic development+ technology + population) / 5. China and Great Britain were highly missed and I think this is due to their huge population which gives a high expectation of participants. The pitfalls in this prediction GES is the technology which has little effect in the athletics

How to establish an Ethical culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to establish an Ethical culture - Essay Example In this regard, a good leader should not only address the issues of misconduct but also he or she must adopt comprehensive strategies in order to create ethical firm. This paper aims at discussing how to establish an ethical culture from leadership in an organization. Ethics entails standard of conduct that an organization should follow in its day to day activities. Based on the diversity that exists in the definition of ethical behavior, it is paramount for any firm to come up with a policy that clearly defines its ethical guidelines. In the current business arena, the importance of ethics in local and international companies cannot be overlooked (Ellis, 2007). To the employees, ethics in an organization ensure their security, respect and honest. On their part, leaders must hold ethics as a way of complying with the government regulations while at the same time creating a good opportunity for the development of the employees. Managers must come up with a compliance program that is i n line with the goals of their firms making it to be embraced by all the stakeholders. One of the benefits of such a program is that it will make the employees be aware of the ethical standards and what is expected from them by the managers (Wallace, 2007). Secondly, it allows managers to respond in a timely manner to deal with ethical issues once they arise. Thirdly, it makes the employees to make independence decisions and report any ethical issue that may jeopardize the operations of the company. Three key aspects that leaders should emulate before initiating an appropriate ethics program include integrity, trust and accountability. As mentioned earlier, an ethics program must be in line with the goals of a firm. Thus there is need for the leaders to emulate various components that ensures the needs of their firms are met by the ethics program they initiate. For example, the leaders should that their code of ethics is comprehensive (John, 2000). This means that the program should cover all the issues that may arise in a firm including hiring process, dismissal of employees and promotion of workers among other areas. Secondly, the program should include the training of the management and the employees. Thirdly, it should indicate the communication system and process adopted in the form. Fourthly, the program should clearly indicate the investigating procedure emulated by the company as well as the consequences that arise as the result of violation of the ethics by the employees and the managers (Singer, 2000). As the world economy improves after the recent economic downturn, unethical behaviors such as theft and fraud among the finance managers and employees may rise. In this regard, ethics program should essentially allow for extensive training of the managers in order to provide with skills that are vital in detecting a fraud. Additionally, the employees should be trained on how to report cases of wrong doings by their fellow workers. Use of 3 Cs to establ ish a culture of character In their efforts to ensure that the culture of ethics is established in an organization, managers can employ the concept of 3Cs (code, character and conversion) as advocated for by Turknett leadership group (Turknett leadership group, 2012). By use of the three aspects at each level in the organization, it becomes easier for the managers to keenly monitor the conduct of all the employees. Being the first step, managers must come up with

Methodology of systematic review in health care ( Nursing ) Essay

Methodology of systematic review in health care ( Nursing ) - Essay Example The effectiveness of quality care can be measured through patient satisfaction levels. Providing quality of care in nursing is important because it determines the satisfaction of, patients, nurses and their families and the health care organization (Sherman, Clark & Maloney, 2008). Quality of care has been studied extensively. Research shows that standards must be upheld through comprehensive objectives and specific goals Al-Yousuf, (2002). As a rule it is important that nurses aim to deliver quality care at all times. In so doing patients’ psycho-social and physical well-being are enhanced and they have prompt discharge home from hospital. r. Unfortunately, quality of care is not always in evidence. Consequently patients suffer and feel dissatisfied (Daly et al., 2004) A case in point in the health care field is Dammam Hospitals. Although the quality of care being delivered is good, there is observational evidence from nursing leaders that this could be improved. This is furt her evidence by patients feed back obtained through survey results received from patient satisfaction. In Saudi Arabia, nursing organizations operate in a top-down fashion according to levels of authority. The structure of nursing starts with higher authority system control from the ministry and extends downward to the nursing directors in the hospitals, nursing supervisors, nursing staff, and finally, nursing assistants (nursing leaders does not seem to feature here) (Al-Yousuf, 2002). Since macro-politics do impinge on care, it is critical for nursing leaders to have a good grasp of political issues and how this in turn can impact on care. Parallel with this, nursing leaders needs to possess other specific attributes in the following domains such as decision-making skills, technology skills, interpersonal skills, team-building skills, organizational skills, and effective communication skills. As a nursing Leader

Managerial Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managerial Accounting - Assignment Example he preparation of the Income statement were the exclusion of the previous costs regarding the raw material, work in process and finished goods which were in the opening stock of the company at the start of the year. Let’s start with the cost of goods manufactured statement. While preparation of the cost of goods manufactured statement, the opening stock of the raw material should be added to the current year purchases as it forms a part of the material that will be used during the year. However, the ending raw material should be subtracted because it the amount of inventory which was not used in the production process. This gives the raw material used. (Accounting for Management n.d.) The labour cost that was directly incurred with the raw material should be added to the raw material used cost along with all the expenses which were incurred in connection with the transformation of the raw material into work in process or finished goods. Rather than subtracting all the expenses directly from the sales, expenses should be bifurcated in proportion to the expenses incurred in connection with the factory such as the depreciation of the factory, insurance concerned with factory and the utilities paid for the factory building which were $31,000, $8,400 and $4800 respectively should form a part of the cost of goods manufactured statement. The work in process opening cost should be added to the cost of manufacturing and the ending work in process should be subtracted i.e. $14,000 and $16,000 respectively. After adding all the costs, the cost of goods manufactured stood at $572,200. The cost of goods manufactured obtained from the statement should be added to the opening finished goods stock which was ignored and the ending stock of finished goods should be subtracted from it which will produce the gross profit of the company that was $225,800. (Investopedia) The expenses of the company which were solely incurred with the selling and admin such as the 30% and 40%

Methodology of systematic review in health care ( Nursing ) Essay

Methodology of systematic review in health care ( Nursing ) - Essay Example The effectiveness of quality care can be measured through patient satisfaction levels. Providing quality of care in nursing is important because it determines the satisfaction of, patients, nurses and their families and the health care organization (Sherman, Clark & Maloney, 2008). Quality of care has been studied extensively. Research shows that standards must be upheld through comprehensive objectives and specific goals Al-Yousuf, (2002). As a rule it is important that nurses aim to deliver quality care at all times. In so doing patients’ psycho-social and physical well-being are enhanced and they have prompt discharge home from hospital. r. Unfortunately, quality of care is not always in evidence. Consequently patients suffer and feel dissatisfied (Daly et al., 2004) A case in point in the health care field is Dammam Hospitals. Although the quality of care being delivered is good, there is observational evidence from nursing leaders that this could be improved. This is furt her evidence by patients feed back obtained through survey results received from patient satisfaction. In Saudi Arabia, nursing organizations operate in a top-down fashion according to levels of authority. The structure of nursing starts with higher authority system control from the ministry and extends downward to the nursing directors in the hospitals, nursing supervisors, nursing staff, and finally, nursing assistants (nursing leaders does not seem to feature here) (Al-Yousuf, 2002). Since macro-politics do impinge on care, it is critical for nursing leaders to have a good grasp of political issues and how this in turn can impact on care. Parallel with this, nursing leaders needs to possess other specific attributes in the following domains such as decision-making skills, technology skills, interpersonal skills, team-building skills, organizational skills, and effective communication skills. As a nursing Leader

Later Adulthood Development Essay Example for Free

Later Adulthood Development Essay During our life time it is inevitable that we will grow older. People 65 an older are living longer lives. This age group has been increasing over the years with the help of new technology. During this stage in life we will go through many life transformations. First we will change not only physically, but mentally, and emotionally, and socially. Our roles in life will change drastically and if not prepared it will not be a smooth transition. If a person was once very independent in their younger years and now will need to be dependent on others for assistance it could become a big problem. They may need help with basic daily health needs such as bathing, cooking or may need help getting around town. There are many assistant living facilities that will assist them if needed. Another issue in aging is they may become victims of crimes. Elderly people have physical limitations that will make it harder for them to defend themselves. Discrimination will now become another issue that they will have to face. It may be hard for them to land a job at this age because many companies might be worried that they will constantly be out of work or can’t physically do the job. Compare living accommodations such as accessibility and the need for health care: There are numerous nursing facilities for the elderly to live in. In the past these facilities were ran like institutions and less like a home. The new facilities are well equipped with everything they would have in their own homes. Facilities provide entertainment, social gatherings, everything you would need to enjoy your elderly years. Many elderly people would prefer to live and maintain their own households with their spouses and not have to resort to facility living. Health care is important to the elderly generation because they are more apet to have health problems. Because of the increasing cost of health care Medicare and Medicaid programs were put in place to reduce the cost of health care for this age group. Another medical issue for the elderly is that Physicians are primarily  trained in treating young people and the elderly does not receive the quality care they need. In that age group medical care is crucial for their survival because they are more frail and sick than the younger generation. The transition from work to retirement is a major part in anyone’s life. Mandatory retirement was once created for people age 65 an older, it was meant to abolish the oversupply of available workers. Congress eventually stopped this law because it was discriminating towards the elderly. Retiring is a major adjustment in life for those who worked there whole lives. One of the many adjustments are living on a smaller income, and no interaction from fellow coworkers. Social Security benefits is a financial assistance program for retired people 65 and up but it was never intended to make a person financially independent. It is impossible to live comfortably just off of social security checks alone. About 95 percent of older adults receive Social Security; for 18 percent of them, Social Security is their only income. Americans who did not prepare themselves finically will need to work for the rest of their lives. Those who did not prepare themselves for retirement will have to worry about money and possible have to rely on government assistance. Those who did prepare themselves financially will not have to worry about money an can enjoy their leisure time and enjoy the many things that they weren’t able to do while working such as traveling, golfing, etc. Many people at this stage will get bored an unfulfilled without a job to go too. Volunteering their time and possible a part time job are a few ways an elderly couple can do to stay productive and be a contributing citizen. Older people volunteering their time can also lead to a higher feel of worth and self-esteem. Many changes go in in marriage, family, and peer relationships when we grow older. Older people are married they are happier than the non-married ones. When we age we will have to understand that one spouse will have to take care of their spouse. The caretaking spouse will get frustrated, angry, overwhelmed with caring for their spouse. When a spouse is ill this can drain the family savings and add more stress over finances. When a spouse dies it can be very emotional for the spouse that is left behind they will begin to experience loneliness’, depression and will have more things to take care of on their own. The surviving spouse will have to be emotionally ready to move on with life without their mate. Peer relationships will also change beca use  friends are sick and dying and reminds them that the end is near. This can lead to elderly people staying in the house and distancing themselves from other people and family. Some elderly begin to live with family and like the idea that they are around their loved ones. Others do not want to put a burden on to their family and decide to move into a nursing facility instead. Living with someone else can become a major shock because they are used to living on their own. The social policies that affect the older adults are Medicaid, Medicare, social security benefits, and the older Americans act of 1965. Medicare was created to assist older people with the cost of health care. Everyone 65 and older will be eligible for this service. Everyone in the United States is eligible for some sort of social security benefit after retirement age if they worked. This Money is paid into the social security system from taxes from employees and employers. It is a certain amount of money given every month to offset the cost of living. Some elderly people live off just social security alone because they did not plan correctly for the future. If a person does not have any pensions, savings and other income it will not be enough to live comfortable off of. . The Americans Act of 1965 is a law and its amendments and they are the basis for federal aid to states and local communities to meet the needs of the older generation. This law assists with an adequate income, physical and mental health, housing, employment opportunities. The final service made for the elderly is Medicaid. It provides services for low income families, and those who need public assistance. Each state is different with the Medicaid benefits. When we age we will all change mentally, physically, physically and socially it’s all a part of this life cycle. With proper planning and research growing older can be a smooth transition in life. Financial planning, family support, resources are all positive can contributions to everything an older adul t needs. References Dale, O., Smith, R., Norlin, J. M., Chess, W. A. (2009). Human behavior and the social environment: Social systems theory (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Investigation Of British Airways PLC Strategy

Investigation Of British Airways PLC Strategy Flying an extensive route network of more than 300 different destinations in more than 70 countries, with nearly 250 aircrafts in service, British Airways is today the largest airline in the UK and the leader in terms of transatlantic flights globally. They are a group mainly based in Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick and Manchester, where they operate international domestic scheduled air services for carriage of passengers, freight mail. In addition, British Airways is part of the oneworld alliance that together comprises 700 destinations. Founded in 1999, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Lan Airlines, Malà ©v, Qantas and Royal Jordanian are also members of this association. The establishment of this kind of business partnership benefits customers expanding their access to a much wider network of destinations. In terms of shareholding, for instance, the group has participation of 13.5% in the Spanish airline Iberia and 15% in Flybe. According to Key Note (2009), other British Airways ventures include a 10% stake in Eurostar (UK) Ltd as part of the InterCapital and Regional Rail alliance. BA also operates a number of subsidiaries and franchises organisations, for example, British Airways World Cargo, BA Cityflyer and OpenSkies. BAs financial overview defined by Key Note (2009) says that in the year ending in 31st March 2008, British Airways PLC increased its turnover to  £8.76bn from  £8.49bn in 2007. Pre-tax profit increased to  £922m in 2008 from  £611m in 2007. In the year ending 31st March 2009, turnover was up to  £8.99bn and there was pre-tax loss of  £401m. The companys annual report of 2009 describes in more details that 87.1% of this revenue is from passenger traffic, 7.5 % from cargo and 5.4 remains from other activities. The great financial results in the year that anticipated the credit crisis, a record of profitability in BAs history, left the company in a good position to a much harder period that should arrive in 2008/09. The airline industry Key Note (2009) considers Aviation an important sector of the economy, enabling people to visit countries it contributes to the development of other sectors and to warm the economy in general. It is a competitive field which has been recently affected by the low-cost companies, specially the scheduled flights market, where price pressure has being on emphasis influenced by short-term issues as, for instance, the economic recession, oil price fluctuation, government taxation and international environmental and health concerns. In accordance to Key Note, the number of companies on the air travel market significantly increased since 2004, the main reason to explain the expansion was the increasing operation of non-scheduled flights, which represented 48.7% of the overall total on that year and 63.9% in 2008. Even though the rising demand stopped in 2008, this period was a continuous growth for airline enterprises, companies were still able to operate revenues of  £18.25bn that year, which means an increase of 6% on 2007 figures. In summary, all the positive results are certainly a consequence of globalisation, the airline industry has an important role in this process as it stimulates tourism, global trade, foreign investments and therefore despite the recent economic recession it remains a large and growing industry. Environmental Influences Political and Legal There have been some major political issues since the start of the millennium, which have affected the airline industry and British Airways in particular. One specific event was the September 11th 2001 terrorist attack to the world trade centre in New York and the London attack on July 7th 2005, which have resulted in introducing new regulation and security procedures in European countries and the United States. The new regulations have come into effect in 2006 to try to combat the threat of terrorism and illegal immigration which have indirectly affected the buyers travelling confidence (BAs Annual Report). In addition, the 2003 war in Iraq and, the political situation in the same nation have contributed to drive oil prices high and therefore, higher cost of fuel for airline companies were experienced. In recent years, substantial deregulations like open skies agreement 2008, has given more opportunity to airlines and also had a great impact on the long-term business strategies in British Airways. In addition, there are some legal factors affecting BA which are as the results of trade unions power in the UK. British Airways has suffered significantly from the strikes over the last decades which are believed to be taken place under the implication of trade unions. The strikes are mainly concerned with the employee rights, environmental and ecological issues (Clarke, 2007). According to Key Note, from November 2009 the new Air Passenger Duty (APD) will be implemented increasing charges applied for every passenger flying from an UK airport. This measure is going to be based on distance and will make long flights significantly more expensive, which consequently might reduce overseas travellers demand. Moreover, increasing government taxation might affect competitiveness against other transports in the domestic market, as can be observed in the economic effects below. Economic With the economic downturn in 2008 the demand for air travel declined, this is due to the lower demand by business travellers as a cost reduction strategy of their organizations. Key Note defines the effects of the current recession as one of the worst experiences passed by the air travel trading market, specially occurred because of the incremental rising of oil price in the recent past years. Companies were vulnerable to surges in oil price, what could easily affect their trading and profitability. Even though it has fallen since the peak of nearly $150 a barrel during 2008, many companies were locked with fuel bills acquired through hedging into higher prices. Lastly, the financial impact caused by the global recession might persist until 2010/11. Apart from the economic downturn, according to features presented by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), in comparison to other forms of transport, the air travel industry had its prices increased by more than a third (34.3%) in 2008, against for instance, annual increases of 4.3% and 6.8% of road rail and sea, respectively (Key Note, 2009). Social As BA is a global organization operating in different countries it needs to consider different social and cultural factors. These factors are important as they can affect customer needs and the size of potential market. Nowadays, for example, the changes in demographics has changed the customers needs with new life styles, tastes and fashions, customers seek opportunities to go for long-haul destinations interested in new holidays places. Since 2001, after the terrorists attacks in the US, Great Britain did not suffer such decline in the percentage of adults travelling by air. In the year ending in March 2008 this percentage fell to a 3-year low of 47.3%, making it the first annual fall in 8 years (Key Note, 2009). Despite the fact that the domestic demand suffered a considerable decline, air travel is very popular among UK costumers and often the only way of transport to international destinations. International scheduled flights are mentioned by Key Note as the growth sector of the airline industry. In 2008, more than 83 million passengers represented 5.1% increase in demand for international travels, a considerable part of that can be attributed to the large volume of tourists visiting the UK even in a time of economic crisis. Following the same idea, although the industry expected a decline on the number of passengers uplifted until the end of 2009, this situation will be surely recovered from 2010. The UK is a leading tourist and business destination and a boost is forecast on 2012 when the London Olympics should provide a significant increasing on air travel, therefore the number of passengers uplifted is expected to jump from 123.5 million in 2009 to 134 million in 2013, according to Key Note. Finally, an issue that was recently observed in a global perspective was the spread of diseases such as the Swine Flu; such phenomenon might reduce travel and tourism, consequently affecting the airline performance. Technological BA is not different from any company of the 21st century. The aviation sector has grown together with the fast advances in high technology systems, and nowadays it is considerably dependent on its IT structure. At the same time IT is a defining agent in BAs strategic position contributing to various facilities that comprise customers high expectations and satisfaction; on the other hand BA is exposed to a great risk whether this system comes to a failure. Hence, it is extremely necessary that the organization prepares itself through prevention and recovery plans in order to minimize reputation impacts among customers in case of disruption. For example, different strategies (operational, commercial and social) mentioned in this report could not be possibly implemented if the technology was not available; actually this tool is essential for the company to follow the rise in customer needs as well as their competitors innovations. In the aviation industry, technology plays a significant role. Premium airlines want to serve the passenger a convenience journey, starting from the booking to the entertainment onboard, what can only be possible through incremental advances in IT solutions. In addition, efficient engines can consume less fuel and gives more mileage. It can reduce the cost and fulfil quality. BA is trying to minimize the average noise per flight it operates by 15% by 2015 with the use of new technology. Lastly, all the investments in technology helps air travel to remain as one of the safest modes of transport. Environmental Regarding environmental concerns, Key Note (2009) states that the EU is planning to include aviation as part of its emissions trading scheme, this can be considered a reaction to respond critics received for the reluctance of airlines in taking climate-change initiative. Cooperation between BA and Virgin proposes a carbon trading agreement; they are among other companies who volunteer to initiate a process to develop the emissions trading system to the airline industry. Because of the global warming, protection of environment has become a substantial issue for the organizations to consider. Today many of the airlines are trying to reduce CO2 emission and BA is one of them. BAs long term goal is to reduce the Carbon Dioxide by 50% by the year 2050. BA also aims at zero waste to the landfill by the end of 2010 in the UK and reuse or recycling of all the waste. To the airline industry, severe changes in weather conditions represent lost of revenue, things such as heavy snow might disrupt air schedule and lead to operations disruption. Industry Structure and Attractiveness Porters five forces model facilitates an analysis on the competitive environment as well as identifying the forces that affect the level of competition in the airline industry. Existing Competitive Rivalry in the Industry Air travel industry is a large industry with high speed of growth which results in creating more opportunity for competition. According to the annual report, BA faces fierce competition in most of its markets whereby different routs have different levels of competition. The high Competition in short-haul market comes from the free market for internal flights, where European airlines are allowed to choose any route within Europe and set its own fares. Additionally, the emergence of no frills companies like EasyJet and Ryan Air contributes further to the intense rivalry in the short-haul market. The longhaul market is significantly influenced by deregulation. Due to the EU-US Open Skies liberalisations, which allow any EU or US airline to operate flights to US from Heathrow, the competitive environment on transatlantic routes increased dramatically. However, there are few international routs with competition restricted to national airlines. Threat of Entry Most new comers to the airline industry would find it difficult to enter the market as it needs high investments to establish a competitive structure, for example, an aircraft fleet covering the airlines route network. Over the last decade, however, there were a number of newcomers within the low-cost niche; EasyJet and Ryan Air in the European market have dominated the segment. Established airlines, while dominating the market, would not allow new companies to easily compete with them. They would always defend themselves strategically through price reductions, special offers and most of the times a better service. Lastly, these days, it is even more costly to adopt new requirements regarding legal concerning over health and safety regulations that are in evidence in this industry worldwide. The power of Buyer Due to the high competition and an increase in the number of airlines in todays market the buyer has got a large number of airlines to choose from and therefore, has got high power. Therefore, the quality of service the customers receive has become even more important these days. The switching cost for the leisure travellers is very low and so they can easily switch from one airline to the other. As a result, airlines like British Airways would focus on keeping loyalty of business travellers who tend to travel more frequently by introducing incentives such as air miles, hotel reservations or car hire. Power of Supplier Bargaining supplier power will be high with the dominance of Boeing and Airbus as the suppliers of aircraft and there is not much of competition amongst suppliers, therefore, there is a low possibility of vertical integration. Threat of Substitutes As the product and services in the airline industry are similar in nature, therefore, the threat of substitute is considerably high. This can be presumably higher for the local airlines for example for UK or French local airlines. Euro star as train service operating between London and Paris can be considered a threat. However, for the international airlines operating in long distances, trains and sea craft cannot be considered as substitution. Travelling with airplane is no longer a luxury; therefore, some people prefer to travel with cheaper airlines which are sometimes even cheaper than travelling by car or train. These cheap airlines have made the threat of substitutes lower than before. However, there is still higher expectation from airlines, therefore, better service and higher frequency of flights would help lowering the threat of substitute. Capabilities and Core Competences Strengths British Airways PLC is the largest UK airline with  £8.75bn sales in the year ending 31st March 2008, it is nearly four times the second-largest carrier, easyJet with  £2.35bn. This difference can become even greater as according to Key Note, British Airways is allowed by the Government to merge with Iberia and maybe become a Spanish company. What makes BA successful is the companys capability to effectively deploy its resources through its activities and processes. Although financially the company goes through very difficult times, operationally however, BA is achieving levels of excellence never experienced before. BA has made remarkable operational progress during the last year. In accordance to its annual report last year, improvement of 20% in punctuality is achieved and, nearly 82.5% of the flights at Heathrow, Terminal 5 have delay less than 15 minutes of their scheduled time. In addition, 72% less mislaid or misdirected bags during the year compared with the previous one (British Airways Annual report 2009). Furthermore, according to the companys investor relations website, British Airways launched a 32-seat flight from London City airport to New York that for the first time ever will provide internet services on a transatlantic flight, an exclusive service to attend the business demand. This can be certainly an example that any strategic change that will be taken by BA is going to happen gradually, without leaving behind the nature and history that makes the company a synonym of high quality services. In addition, a unique resource that underpins BAs competitive advantage and represents their major strength is the companys long-established brand, which is synonym of high quality services and represents BA as a high-performing, customer orientated, and global premium airline. During 2008 the satisfaction level across BAs network has risen to 72 per cent. Furthermore, the opening of Terminal 5 at Heathrow and the way BA organises its operations and services at the new Terminal delivered a steady rise in customers satisfaction reaching 76 per cent at the end of 2008. During its first year of operation Terminal 5 has served 21 million passengers (British Airways Annual report 2009). Moreover, BAs participation in oneworld alliance builds unique relationships with other airlines and allows the company to offer its customers much wider network of destinations. This business relationship, along with the ability to manage effectively its resources represents a core competence, which helps BA to build its competitive advantage over other airlines. BAs strong fleet base allows the company to serve its robust rout network. At the end of 2008 the company possess 245 aircrafts. Although BA experiences difficult financial times, the company continuously invests in new aircraft, its lounges, a new in-flight entertainment system, cabin upgrades across their longhaul fleet and premium service training in order to further increase the customers satisfaction and sustain competitive advantage (British Airways Annual report 2009). Weaknesses Brand erosion The merge with Iberia and the joint ATI application could cause brand erosion, which will adversely impact relationship with customers and will result in decrease of revenues (British Air ways Annual report 2009).. Breakdown in the bargaining process (unionised workforce) BA planes to cut costs wherever it is possible in order to survive the difficult financial times. In this respect, the airline plans to cut 1,700 jobs and to freeze pay for current staff, in accordance to BBC News. This will increase the risk of workers strike actions, which will interrupt operations and adversely affect business performance (British Air ways Annual report 2009). Failure of a key supplier BAs sole source of in-flight meals at Heathrow was Gate Gourmet. In 2005 Gate Gourmet failed to supply BA with the necessary in-flight meals due to internal argument with its staff over working conditions, which led to a strike supported by BAs own workers. This caused major operational disruption in BA, which resulted in huge additional costs of 40 million  £ (Waters, 2007). This is one example for how a failure of a key supplier may cause disruption to the operations of the airline and adversely affect business performance. Another such example is BAs dependence on fuel supply. Any problem as contamination or breakdown in the infrastructure that provides jet fuel to Heathrow will cause a huge operational impact. Failure to prevent or respond to a major safety or security incident A major security failure could consequently damage the reputation of BA as a high secure airline (British Airways Annual report 2009). Failure to adopt an integrated environmental strategy BA markets itself as being a responsible airline. BA has set industry-leading targets for reducing its carbon emissions from 110 to 83 grammes per passenger kilometre between 2005 and 2025 and to halve its net CO2 emissions till 2005. Failure to implement this strategy could damage the reputation of BA as a responsible company (British Airways Annual report 2009). Substantial debt burden BAs net debt in 2009 is  £2,382 million, which represents an increase of  £1,072 million in comparison to the previous year. Accordingly, the companys net debt to total capital ratio is 27.6% higher than the previous year. The substantial increase in debt obligations means that considerable part of BAs operational cash flow will be spent on interest, principal and lease payments. This not only lowers the ability of the company to finance working capital and other general corporate requirements, but also limits its flexibility in planning and reacting to environmental changes (British Airways Annual report 2009). Overdependence on the European market According to Datamonitor 62.5% of BAs profit is made from serving the European Market. Taking into consideration the current unfavourable economic situation in European, the overdependence on this weak market will prevent the company from increasing its future profits. Organizational Structure and Processes There are major factors that influence an organizations strategic position, for instance, it might be its overall strategic purpose and corporate governance policy, expectations of stakeholders, social responsibility and ethics are also part of this list. The recent annual report 2008-2009 shows that BA places high importance on corporate governance. The Board is responsible for the leadership of the organization to the shareholders. Accordingly, The Board directs the Companys risk assessment, resource management, strategic planning and financial and operational management to ensure that obligations to shareholders and other stakeholders are understood and met (Annual report 2008-2009, p. 56). The principal-agent conflict might arise owing to the leadership of the business by managers, whereas they might put their interests first instead of meeting shareholders interests ladder (Johnson et al., 2009). The New Companies Act from 2006 aims to overcome this problem though. Authority and control responsibilities are determined by the clear organizational structure of BA. The companys personnel is highly qualified which is assured through the thorough recruitment process, the internal performance appraisal system and the appropriate training requirements. The performance of employees is evaluated according to action plans and targets established by the performance appraisal system to ensure that employees have all the skills necessary to complete their responsibilities. Clear and specific objectives are established for the staff in order to make their contribution to the overall performance of the company more transparent. This increases the motivation and the responsibilities awareness of the staff. Also the staff is trained to behave in a way that will create a warm and friendly atmosphere in the work place and that they are happy to work for BA. In order to measure its performance and to make its managers accountable for delivery of the set targets BA uses a comprehensive management accounting system. This system provides financial and operational performance measurement indicators which allow the company to regulate its expenses more accurately and make financial decisions more precisely. Customer recommendation carried out by an independent research company assessed the number of satisfied customers and is supposed to be a one of the most significant indicators due to the potential to affect the profitability in the future. Companys operations are evaluated via a broad scope of methods across a variety of levels; however, the most important is departure functionality. It consequently shows that the other processes are performed in a high standard and ultimately effects customer satisfaction. (British Airways Annual Report 2009). British Airways Current and Future Strategy Perspective Based on Porters generic strategies, British Airways strategic analysis is built under the importance of employing a plan through one of the three strategies, Differentiation, Overall Cost Leadership and Focus. Those three strategies are relevant factors on the process of outperforming competitors in the industry. Even though it is possible to pursue more than one strategy, this is rarely seen because of their own different characteristics as will be evident on this topic. After the initial analysis of British Airways current situation in the air travel industry, it is clear that during all its modern history as a passenger carrier, the company stayed committed to its principles and invested on what could enforce its plans to continue being very successful. As a leading airline company its brand was always associated with the best service and treat available to customers in the market. In this point of view, the company service differentiation strategies and development of new services appear to be the considerable competitive advantage to outperform its competitors. There are some authors that argue in favour that differentiation and overall cost leadership are not always mutually exclusive although it is very complicated to match both strategies in most industries. However, the market is showing a rising positive trend to companies with an overall cost leadership strategy and they are growing their market share considerably. It becomes obvious that BA could not ignore low-cost rivals if the company wants to sustain its market position. Therefore, BA established a low-cost company called Go, created in response to falling profits after 1998 due to the emerging no-frills companies. Go was later sold to easyJet in 2002 it was a proof that an opposite price-based strategy is difficult to be applied even creating a new company under the same governance. The cost leadership strategic failure pushed the company to focus on differentiating its services even more. Nevertheless, in some price sensitive segments the differentiation strategy might not be sufficient to compete successfully. Therefore, BA concentrates on long-haul flights where there are not no frills companies. Furthermore, the company operates slots on popular and convenient airports such as Heathrow, what further attracts some short-haul customers (Kumar, 2006). Additionally, BA has successfully segmented its markets by offering different ticket classes which allows them to attract price sensitive customers from no frills airlines as well as manage to cover costs and increase revenues. The airline also succeeded to reduce costs through the successful implementation and management of an online booking system. BA tries to increase the economies of scale by raising the frequency of flights to popular holiday destinations like Caribbean islands or seasonal increase in the frequency of flights to religious destinations like Mecca and Vatican (Kumar, 2006). All these strategies made BA very successful during the last few years (in 2007 BA achieved the highest profit in its history) and created competitive advantages over companys traditional and low cost competitors. Reducing cost activities are taking place since 2008 over the companys renewal strategies in order to fight against the short-term crisis effects. Job-cutting would increase profitability within the company in short term, but this could lead to decrease in the quality of customer service. Furthermore, job-cuttings would lead also to confrontations with unions and employee strikes, which will disrupt the companys operations. Hence, this change in the organisational structure could damage BAs image reputation as a premium service airline in the long run. Other problems are the companys  £2.7bn pension deficit and its high debt burden. On the other hand, in an innovation sense, after huge investments and improvements on operating activities, a proof of the continually effort to maintain its first quality standard is the new terminal in Heathrow airport, which brings lots of new facilities to customers and improvement of conditions at the working place to all its employees. Despite the impact of the recent recession, in comparison to easyJet, British Airways is focused on pursuing to offer its customers the best possible service that makes its brand a synonym of first class, the innovation appears into new customer needs, environmental forces and trends to reinforce its differentiation for which people are willing to pay more. To cope with future environment trends BA has started tuning its current strategy and differentiating itself from competitors according to new patterns of responsible attitude, especially within big companies. To adapt its structure to a green efficient standard is not an easy process and requires huge investments. The environmental concern is a topic highly discussed worldwide and has become a popular issue; BA is certainly paying attention to that and has the objective of becoming reference as the most responsible airline. Sustaining and developing its current strategy BA believes that is the right decision in order to achieve always the best possible satisfaction of its stakeholders. To illustrate British Airways future actions, for instance, Terminal 5 is a set of procedures already working that underpins BAs long-term goal of creating a world-leading global premium airline with a reputation for being the very best at meeting its customers needs, according to its website, for instance: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢ At T5, most of the rainwater will be collected and re-used for non-potable uses. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢ 85% of T5s heat will be supplied by excess heat produced from the Heathrow heat and power station. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢ 30,000 native woodland plants and 4,000 trees and shrubs are being planted around T5. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢ Smarter runway and airport design means aircraft engines idle less, reducing emissions. Aircraft will do less taxiing too. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢ T5 offers 96 Check-in Kiosks designed to eliminate queuing. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢ The rapid transit system connection between the two buildings making up T5 means youll move swiftly and smoothly to where you need to be. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢ The baggage system has been designed to move your baggage efficiently to the aircraft ready for departure and to minimise waiting time when you land. In addition to that, a new internal program developed in parallel with the 2012 Olympic Games spirit has definitely enforced the importance of BAs culture, which has the customer as its core. Compete 2012 aims to inspire the spirit of team work and competition in all corners of the company, and as a result establish a level of excellence that competitors aspire to. The strategy of being one of the UK sponsors and the official airline for the event matches BAs future vision and reinforce its credibility among its target customers. Above, they are examples of the evolution in British Airways culture that, when added to the companys capabilities and competences and the strengths earlier described, its value chain can be clearly understood. The evolution of BAs strategy easily refers to Porters conclusion that competitive advantage frequently comes from perceiving new ways to configure and manage the entire value system. In terms of suitability, BAs current strategy successfully exploits its core competences and unique resources and allows the company to respond appropriately to key environmental trends such as economic downturn, political and legal changes and changes in social perceptions. Also their strategy is aligned with their culture. However, the current differentiation strategy could prevent some of BAs weaknesses such as brand erosion. In terms of feasibility of the strategy, BA has the financial resources and competences to invest and differentiate furt