The Philosophic Solution for Self-realisation Essay

The Philosophic Solution for Self-realisation - Essay Example Substance abuse like alcoholism although is an associated outcome of depression, Peter our subject was in the clutches of alcoholism well early in his adolescence. The behavioral problems and emotional problems encountered by Peter reveals that the treatment for his depression received from the GP did not include any treatment with antidepressant drugs, as detection of depressive disorders did not found associated with long-term outcome. (Anderson I.M., D.J.Nutt, J.F.W.Deakin, 2000). The case study of Peter is difficult to be discussed in the absence of any information about his mental status, Conversation styles, and intelligence. However, a history of cross-gendered behavior in adolescence is doubted to have caused the homosexual trait in him. The family background of Peter especially of his parents is of much importance to fix the location of his homosexuality, which unfortunately is absent in our study. It is not clear if Peter was forced to be a misogynist in his youth or not. Hence his homosexuality could only be ascertained theoretically with the help of literature available. 1) This theory accounts for the higher incidence of alcoholism in gays than heterosexuals. This theory explains that gay bars are the one and only place where gays are able to meet their fraternal mates. This ‘fraternity syndrome’ spreads a compulsive drinking habit among the gays. 2) These theories hold that internalized homophobia, self-hatred, shame and so on, the external oppression of a homophobic society and hiding one's identity are as important as gay bars in understanding the etiology and incidence of their alcoholism. 3) This theory comprises three stages. In stage I a gay man accepts his gayness as appositive one. In stage II, while seeing the self in negative state tries to rid the self of homophobia by learning more about the gay world.  

Before the night falls. Comparison of the book and film Essay

Before the night falls. Comparison of the book and film - Essay Example Julian Schnabel made a movie based on this memoir. The movie with the same name as the book, like the book, recounts Arenas’ life. It details his birth in rural Cuba, his youth and his growth as a writer. It shows how he struggled to get published his works considered counterrevolutionary by the Cuban government, his imprisonment and his eventual release from Cuba. It shows him migrating to the U.S. achieving some recognition and success there, before dying of AIDS. Schnabel inevitably has not been able to put the whole content of the book into the movie. However the essence and most of the themes of the book have been incorporated into the movie. Adapted films may be able to bring a book to life. However it is not possible to make a movie from a book with as much detail or depth as a book. In Schnabel’s case adaptation of Before Night Falls, became even more difficult because the book was not only the story of the life of one man but the book also portrayed political history that was quite complicated in nature. A faithful and total adaptation of the memoir would need more than six hours of viewing. Schnabel while missing out on many portions of the book however remains faithful to some of the important actual events in the life of Arenas. Schnabel handles the movie with a light touch with none of the weighty sequences found in the book. He does no go into the details of the brutality and torment Arenas experiences in prison. The descri ption of life in the Cuban prison had made the book unique. Arena’s sexual explorations portrayed in the book are portrayed quite timidly in the film. Schnabel does explore the pleasure, freedom and promiscuity of beach culture, but he does this only peripherally. In the book, according to Arenas he has had about 5000 sexual partners by the age of 25. However in the film, he is shown as having no more than what he can

Child Care Principles in Social Work

Child Care Principles in Social Work Professional child care in the field of social work, have come under intense scrutiny recently. Much of this scrutiny, concerns the way in which partnership and interagency work contributes to best practice in the assessment of children, young people and families. This paper seeks to explore the principles of collaborative work and highlight why it is necessary that inter-agency work is successful and efficient in the field of social work. In doing so, will provide examples and discuss current guidelines for partnership work and strategies of new assessment practices to ensure its effectiveness. The essay will also address common problems of interagency and partnership work and identify policies to guard against these potential issues. The Department of Health (1998) in encouraging the use of partnership, stressed that â€Å"joined up services† should be the hallmark of good service delivery. The Audit Commission (1998) declares that for services to be efficient and effective, there must be â€Å"mandatory partnership working†. At a basic level, inter-agency and partnership are formal institutional terms attributed to the practice of and need for different agencies and sectors to â€Å"work together†. According to Whittington (2003), â€Å"partnership is a state of relationship at organizational, group, professional or inter-personal level, to be achieved, maintained and reviewed†, while â€Å"collaboration is an active process of partnership in action.† It is within the umbrella term of partnership, that terms such as ‘inter-agency’ and ‘multi-agency’ arise to pin down the policies and concretise the practice of ‘joined-up’ work between agen cies. The principles of collaborative working stipulate that there should be seamless interaction between agencies to facilitate best practice and ultimately improving care services. In a research of 30 multiagency organizations in health and education and over 140 staff, Atkinson et al (2002) found the following necessary principles for inter-agency work: Common aims and objectives Organizational commitment to the aims and objectives Thorough understanding of the various roles and responsibilities of other involved professionals and agencies Solid leadership Ensuring task delegation and referrals are to the correct personnel Access to resources In addition, Whittington and Bell (2001) established that the ability to work together effectively require many skills which are essential for social workers, such as: the ability to challenge discrimination by other agencies and professions, the ability to conduct multi-disciplinary meetings, the ability to respect and manage issues of confidentiality, and being able to handle conflicts and manage systems and human resource that will need to adapt to change. There are many policy directives which mandate partnership work within services relating to child care and assessment, and one of these is the 2003 government green paper, Every Child Matters policy document which stipulates the development of Children’s Trusts, to ensure that agencies work effectively together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Children’s Trusts emerged after the death of eight year-old Victoria Climbià © who even after repeated visits to hospitals and visits by social workers, her abuse was not identified and she subsequently died. The Laming Report of 2003, an inquiry into Victoria’s death concluded that the young girl’s death could have been avoided if individual social workers, police officers, doctors and nurses who came into contact with the girl, had effectively responded to Victorias needs. He emphatically declared that Victoria’s death represented a â€Å"gross failure of the system†, wherein, not on e of the agencies or individuals â€Å"had the presence of mind to follow what are relatively straightforward procedures on how to respond to a child about whom there is concern of deliberate harm†. The Children’s Act of 2004 in Section 10, mandated the â€Å"duty to co-operate† on agencies involved in child care protection and assessment. On November 18, 2008, the Children’s Trust outlined in a release which identified the partners with a duty to co-operate as: district councils, the police, the probation board, the youth offending team, the Strategic Health Authority and Primary Care Trusts, Connexions partnerships, and the Learning and Skills Council. Moreover, in 2004, the government rolled out the National Service Framework for Children and Young People (NSF), a ten year strategy document which aims to improve the support and services that young people, children, parents and carers receive. It stipulates ten different standards which will largely depend on efficient partnership and inter-agency work to be successful. To assist in the efficient assessment of children and young people across services, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) ensures that frontline delivery of integrated services to children and young people are streamlined for maximum efficiency. It is a standardised assessment methodology across service sectors, which aims to ensure that any inadequacies in service delivery to children are picked up quickly. The CAF looks into the child’s social and health environment to assess the role of the parents or carers, as well as the child’s own strengths and weaknesses, in order to make a reasoned and informed judgment about the child’s present and future well-being. This CAF method of assessment provides much more room and space for preventative action. The Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) is another policy guideline for frontline managers and social workers to improve inter-agency work in order to safeguard the welfare of children. It asserts that all persons with responsibility for children must display full commitment and that there should be clear lines of accountability. The job of safeguarding children and young people, falls under the authority of the Local Authority (LA) whose main objective is to ensure that young people are protected from harm, They ensure this by vigourously pursuing exacting partnership standards â€Å"with other public organisations, the voluntary sector, children and young people, parents and carers, and the wider community† (Working Together to Safeguard Children: 2006). A tripartite system which incorporating the police, the Local Authority and other agencies help to improve the quality of service and ensure the seamless interaction between agencies in safeguarding children. Socia l Workers who are directly involved in the assessment of children and young people, must be knowledgeable to these inter-agency links and all up to date protocols of inter-agency work to ensure best practice. Behan (2005) at the National Conference for Integrated Children’s Framework, stated that â€Å"services must improve outcomes for children, and organise themselves round the child rather than expect the child to move from one service to another. To be successful services have to work in partnership.† As was demonstrated in the Victoria Climbià © case, and more recently the case of â€Å"Baby P†, who died after being tortured by his mothers and two others and whose suffering was missed by the many individuals and agencies who came into contact with him, inter-agency does not always work, despite many policy guidelines and duty of care responsibilities. This essay will now examine some of the challenges to effective collaborative working. One of the most prominent challenges to effective and efficient inter-agency and partnership work to safeguard children from harm, is the existence of power struggles between various agencies. As stated earlier, Atkinson et al (2002) asserted that a commitment to the ideal and practice of partnership must be bought into by all agencies to avoid power struggles. There are many instances, whereby social workers sometimes outline that their child care reports are not heeded by health care professionals who come into contact with children deemed at risk. Leiba and Weinstein (2003) argues that while many social workers have to work closely with nurses and doctors in the UK to safeguard children, there were significant ideological and cultural differences with how they approached their work. Mathers and Gask (1995) suggests that GP’s become frustrated with the long assessment process that social workers require for best practice. Leiba and Weinstein (2003) lament that such differences can cause power struggles between health professionals who may thin that â€Å"medical-know-how† should trump seemingly long-winded assessment models. They further state that power struggles can be exacerbated by the nature of professional education which normalise professionals into different, values, jargon and culture and the â€Å"fear of dilution and associated professional protectionism† ( Leiba and Weinstein: 2003). The language of health has been said to be very alienating and does not usually give space to social work theories and assessments (Peck and Norman: 1999). Leiba (2003) maintains that even though the Health Act of 1983 and the National Service Framework stipulates greater co-operation between health and social care services, in practice this has been very hard to achieve. He cites the example of requirements for a single assessment strategy across services, but highlights how each agency continue s to compile its own data. because accommodate the Douek (2003) further argues that parents and carers can become very frustrated when the collaboration process is not a seamless one and a lack of co-operation from a parent or carer can be extremely detrimental to the child assessment process. Conclusively, it can be stated that the cases of Victoria Climbià © and more recently â€Å"Baby P†, demonstrate that in order to safeguard and protect children and young people from harm, it is absolutely essential that inter-agency and partnership guidelines are executed. The many policy directives such as the NSF, the CAF, and the 2006 Working to Safeguard Children document should be zealously advocated across agencies and total organizational commitment to the principles around partnership should be elucidated from top to bottom in institutional structures, in order to eliminate power struggles. Social workers, with responsibility for child assessment, should vehemently pursue best practice by following Whittington’s (2003) earlier advice, and report negligence and discriminatory practices which could lead to the harm of children. Such practices ultimately benefit the children and young people and their families, when total commitment to partnership is shown and in ter-agency policies do work. References Atkinson, M., Wilkin, A., Stott, A., Doherty, P. and Kinder, K. (2002) Multi-Agency Working: A Detailed Study. LGA Research Report 26. Slough, Berkshire: National Foundation for Educational Research. Behan, D. (2005) Inspecting Children’s Services in Partnership. Paper presented at the National Conference for Integrated Framework. Accessed on December 7, 2008 at: http://www.csci.org.uk/Docs/inspecting_in_partnership.doc. Children’s Workforce Development Council. (2006) Common Assessment Framework. http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice/IG00063/ Department of Health. (1999) The Challenge of Partnership in Child Protection: Practice Guide. Department of Health. (Spetember 2004) National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. The Stationery Office. Accessed on December 7, 2008 at: www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/ ChildrenServices/ChildrenServicesInformation/fs/en Department for Education and Skills (2006) Working Together to Safeguard Children. Accessed on December 7, 2008 at: http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/_files/AE53C8F9D7AEB1B23E403514A6C1B17D.pdf. Douek, S. (2003) Collaboration or Confusion: The Carers’ Perspective. In, Jenny Weinstein, Colin Whittington, Tony Leiba, Collaboration in Social Work Practice. London: Jessica Kingsley. Laming WH. (2003) The Victoria Climbià © Report. London: Stationery Office. Accessed on December 7, 2008 at: www.victoria-climbie-inquiry.org.uk/finreport/finreport.htm. Leiba, T. and Weinstein, J. (2003) Who are the Participants in the Collaborative Process and What Makes Collaboration Succeed or Fail? In, Jenny Weinstein, Colin Whittington, Tony Leiba, Collaboration in Social Work Practice. London: Jessica Kingsley. Mathers, N.J. and Gask, L. (1995) Surviving the â€Å"Heartsink† Experience. Journal of Family Practice, Vol. 2 (17), pp. 6-183. Peck, E. and Norman, L.J. (1999) Working Together in Adult Community Mental Health Services: Exploring Inter-professional Role Relations. Journal of Mental Health, Vol. 8 (3), pp. 231-242. Whittington, C. (2003) Collaboration and Partnership in Context. In, Jenny Weinstein, Colin Whittington, Tony Leiba, Collaboration in Social Work Practice. London: Jessica Kingsley. Whittington, C. and Bell, L. (2001) Learning for Interprofessional and Inter-agency Practice in the New Social Work Curriculum: Evidence from an Earlier Research Study. Journal of Interprofessional Care, Vol 15 (2), pp. 153-169.

Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies :: comparison compare contrast essays

Heart of Darkness and Lord of the Flies    Seldom are works as brilliantly written as Conrad's Heart of Darkness or Golding's Lord of the Flies.   There are effective comparisons and contrasts between the two novels. The novels deal with many similar issues and contain many of the same themes.      Many of the themes present in Heart of Darkness and also present in Lord of the Flies.   Both novels deal with the theme of civilization versus savagery.   Also, both novels imply that every man has a heart of darkness or an evil that is usually drowned out by the light of civilization. However, when removed from civilized society, the raw evil of untamed lifestyles within his soul will be unleashed. For example,   in the Heart of Darkness the main character Marlow journeys up the Thames river and as he gets further away from civilization, the more he journey's into a heart of darkness.   A darkness where societal morals no longer exist and savagery has taken over.   In the Lord of the Flies the boys in the novel are stranded on an island and the longer they stay on the island and are absent from civilization the more savage like they become.         Another similarity between the two novels is that the parallels between the protagonists and the antagonists are quite similar.   Both the novels have a character who willingly gives into his heart of darkness, and a character who sees the savagery of those who are consumed and fights to return to civilization.   For example, in the Heart of Darkness Kurtz gave into his heart of darkness and let his evil tendencies take over.   He was a one point a man who values morals but gave into his evil side when removed from civilization.   Marlow on the other hand also journeys away from civilization but he does not let his values deteriorate such as Kurtz.   In Lord of the Flies Jack gave into his evil side and becomes savage like, and begins turning against the ones who were his friends.   Ralph on the other hand was not as easily consumed by his evil side.   Until his death, Ralph   realized the savagery of the others especially Jack.

Pluralistic and Elitist Matrix Essay

Introduction Power is an essentially contested concept. Power is an inherently political concept. Therefore, to define power, we should constitute components of political sociology. Power is the ability to share, exercise or delegate responsibilities and authority (Byme, 2010). There are various theories of power; the pluralists, elitists and Marxists. Pluralists explain the way power is distributed in the society. Elitists show how power is concentrated in the society. Marxists show how class conflict with economic power (Connolly, 2006). However, this paper will create a matrix of difference between the pluralist and elitist. Under pluralists, political power is split and detached. The presence of social classes, status groups, political parties, interest groups and pressure groups are evidence of power distribution. It is agreeable that groups provide more efficient and effective means of representation than the electoral process (Patron et al.., 2006). Pluralists provide that no one group will dominate because every group has equal and opposite changes. It postulates that the larger the group, the more influencing power it has. Policies prove as the outcomes of their bargaining; therefore, compromises tend to be moderate, fair to all and conductive to social balance. The state is so impartial in the contending groups and behaves like an orientation between them. Pluralists are divided into two groups: insider and outsider groups. Insider groups are those that are more powerful as they form part of establishments. Insider groups can work intimately with the voted and selected Provo in both central and local authorities. However, the group is not so beneficial because it is conferred upon those with principally attuned opinions to the ruling regime. On the other hand, outside groups are less powerful and do not have easy access to politicians and civil servants since its outside status is a sign of weakness. Groups can choose to remain outside because perhaps to avoid  being compromised (Hill, 2005). An example of this system is the National Union Party (NUP). NUP from the pluralistic view is an independent party group formed and given power during an electoral process to represent and fight for the rights and interests of citizens. The roles and representing interests are put in the manifesto. Elitists, on the other hand, include the ruling over by small elite groups that make decisions or rules over a large group which is submissive and marginalized in political powers (rothkopf, 2008). Elitists have colossal sources of power got either through wealth possessions, religious authority or traditional authority in the society. Modern democracy contains democratic elitism opportunities for the ordinary passive masses to vote in various elites to rule over them (Patron et al.., 2006). Distribution of power in society reflects the inequities in wealth. Some groups have few resources, and others have many. Some interests are unorganized; some rely on others to protect them, for instance, the poor, mentally ill, children, homeless, and women among others. Groups always fight their battles in a pattern that is systematically loaded in favor of middle and upper-class interests or the interests of economic groups (Richardson et al.., 2011). For example, Public oversight Authority (POA) from an elitist viewpoint is a politically organized committee with the purpose of raising and spending resources so as to withdraw and choose a political candidate. POA represents youth, employments, business projects and youths with special interests.POA can raise up to $20000 to promote a committee in the national political party. In conclusion, the difference in sources, nature, analysis and verdict of power between the Pluralists and Elitists is stated by the following matrix. Pluralists Elitists Sources of power Interests of the society Elite group formation Nature of power Detached intense Analysis of power Positive neutral Ultimate verdict The system of power is engaged. The system of ruling is accepted. References Byrne, R. (2010). The power. New York: Atria Books. Connolly, W. E. (2006). Political science and ideology. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. Hill, M. (2005). The public policy process (4. Ed.). New York: Pearson Longman. Patron, S., & Phelan, M. (2006). The higher power of Lucky. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Richardson, I., Kakabadse, A., & Kakabadse, N. (2011). Bilderberg people: elite power and consensus in world affairs. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Rothkopf, D. J. (2008). Superclass: the global power elite and the world they are making. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Philippine Quality Awards Essay

â€Å" We recognize Lyceum of the Philippines University Batangas- educational institution that has proven the old adage,† The more you know, the more you don’t know†- that success only opens our eyes to the many things that we can do better. And without doubt, it has continued to better itself†, Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III said in his speech, during the 15th Philippine Quality Awards, Malacaňan Palace, Dec 12. LPU is awarded with recognition for commitment to quality management along with other three companies, Don Bosco Technical College, Optev, Inc., Thomson Reuters Corporation Pte. Ltd. Philippine Branch. â€Å" This is the time when we are reminded just how important it is to improve our capacities. Whether there’s an emergency or not, it is always vital to recognize those who have not wavered on the path to self improvement, and that is precisely why we are here today. Given the week we’ve just had, this event is a welcome step back- awarding companies in our country who have performed exceptionally well†, Aquino cited. Patterned after Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, PQA (Philippine Quality Award) was institutionalized through Republic Act 9013, 2001. PQA grants recognition to public and private organizations and other stakeholders who strive to attain performance excellence. â€Å"Companies like you have done a lot for our people. You have invested in them; you have given them the platform on which they can impress the whole world with their talents†, he further quoted. President Aquino emphasized in his speech that â€Å" Made in the Philippines† are not inferior and urged that more Filipino companies should join in the battle against that backwards attitude that used to say, â€Å"Pwede na†. â€Å"I am certain that we will get to the point where our products and services, and most importantly, our people will truly shine in the world stage continuously.†, President Aquino concluded. Mr. Peter p. Laurel, LPU-B President received the PQA trophy. Also present in the conferment ceremonies were Dr. Flora V. Javier ( Consultant for Special Projects and Planning/ Dean, Institute of Advanced Studies), Dr. Fe R. Medina ( VP for Institutional Affairs), Dr. Dexter R. Buted ( VP for LIMA Campus) and academic and non-academic heads.

All the Transition Words Youll Ever Need for Academic Writing

All the Transition Words Youll Ever Need for Academic Writing In academic writing, transitions are the glue that holds your ideas together. Without them, your writing would be illogical and lack flow, making it difficult for your audience to understand or replicate your research.In this article, we will discuss the types of transitions based on their purpose. Familiarizing yourself with these most-used and best transition terms for academic writing will help bring clarity to your essays and make the writing process much easier on you.Like the links on a chain, transition words hold an academic paper together and make ideas flow logically. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash.Types of transitionsThere are four types of transitions: Causal, Sequential, Adversative and Additive. Below, weve listed the most commonly used transitions in each of these categories, as well as examples of how they might be used to begin a paragraph or sentence.CausalWhen you use causal transitions, you are letting your reader know that there is a cause-and-effect relation ship between ideas or paragraphs or consequences.Accordingly (Accordingly, the author states†¦)All else being equal (All else being equal, these ideas correlate†¦)As a consequence (As a consequence, all data were aggregated†¦)As a result (of this) (As a result of this finding, scholars now agree†¦)Because (of the fact that) (Because of the fact that these numbers show signs of declining,†¦)Because (of this) (Because of this, scholars determined†¦)Consequently (Consequently, the research was stalled†¦)Due to (the fact that) (Due to the fact that all prior studies showed similar results,†¦)For the purpose(s) of (For the purposes of our argument, we will†¦)For this reason (For this reason, the researchers†¦)Granted (that) (Granted that the numbers were significantly higher, the study†¦)Granting (that) (Granting that the data was collected incorrectly, the researchers felt†¦)If†¦then (If this data is significant, then it i s obvious that†¦)If so (If so, the data is not useable†¦)In the event (In the event that it is not significant, we should consider that†¦)Inasmuch as (Insomuch as the authors attempt to refute these findings, research suggests that†¦)In the hope that (In the hope that new data will encourage more in-depth research, the author found that†¦.)In that case (In that case, weve found that†¦)Only if (Only if data is insubstantial should findings be ignored, thus†¦)Otherwise (Otherwise, the research would continue†¦)Owing to (the fact) (Owing to the fact that the gathered data is incorrect, †¦)Provided (that) (Provided that the same results occur, we can assume that†¦)Since (Since it would seem futile to continue to study this topic, we posit that†¦)So as to (So as to clarify past remarks, we initiated further research†¦)So long as (So long as there is established credibility, this journal seeks†¦.)So much (so) that (The data is manipulated so much so that it cant be used to clarify†¦)Therefore (Therefore, this result compromises the exploration into†¦)That being the case (That being the case, we should look into alternatives†¦)Thus (Thus, it would see that further research†¦)Unless (Unless this calls to question the original hypothesis, the exploration of this topic would be†¦)With (this fact) in mind (With this fact in mind, lets consider another alternative†¦)Under those circumstances (Under those circumstances, fewer participants†¦)SequentialSequential transitions show a numerical sequence or the continuation of a thought or action. They are used to establish an order to your main points in an academic essay, and help create a logical outline for your writing.(Once) again (Once again, this is not a reason for lack of rigor†¦)After (this) (After this, it would seem most prudent to†¦)Afterwards (Afterwards, it seemed a moot point to determine†¦)Altogeth er (Altogether, these data suggest that†¦)Anyway (Anyway, such loss would prove to be damaging..)As (was) mentioned earlier/above (As was mentioned above, the lack of attention given to†¦)As (was) stated before (As was stated before, there is little evidence show†¦)As a final point (As a final point, consider the connection between†¦)At any rate (At any rate, loss of significance was vital to†¦)By the way (By the way, one cant assume that†¦)Coincidentally (Coincidentally, this affected the nature of†¦)Consequently (Consequently, Smith found that†¦)Eventually (Eventually, more was needed to sustain†¦)Finally (Finally, we now know that†¦First (First, it seems that even with the additional data†¦)First of all (First of all, none of the respondents felt that†¦)Given these points (Given these points, its easy to see that†¦)Hence (Hence, we see that the above details†¦)In conclusion (In conclusion, since the data shows significant growth...)In summary (In summary, there are not enough studies to show the correlation†¦)In the (first/second/third) place (In the first place, we found that†¦)Incidentally (Incidentally, no findings showed a positive outlook†¦)Initially (Initially, we noticed that the authors†¦.)Last (Last, the most significant growth appeared to happen when†¦)Next (Next, its important to note that†¦)Overall (Overall, we found that†¦.)Previously (Previously, it was shown that†¦)Returning to the subject (Returning to the subject, careful observation of trends†¦)Second (Second, it was impossible to know the†¦)Secondly (Secondly, in looking at variable related to†¦)Subsequently (Subsequently, we found that†¦)Summarizing (this) (Summarizing this, the authors noted that†¦)Therefore (Therefore, the connection is unknown between†¦)Third (Third, when data were collected†¦)Thirdly (Thirdly, we noticed that†¦)Thus (Th us, there was no evidence that†¦)To conclude (To conclude, the findings suggest that†¦)To repeat (To repeat, no studies found evidence that†¦)To resume (To resume the conversation, we began discussing†¦)To start with (To start with, there is no evidence that†¦)To sum up (To sum up, significant correlation was found†¦)Ultimately (Ultimately, no studies found evidence of†¦)Adversative TransitionsAdversative transitions show contrast, counter arguments or an alternative suggestion.Above all (Above all, we found that†¦Admittedly (Admittedly, the findings suggest that†¦)All the same (All the same, without knowing which direction the study would take†¦)Although (Although much is to be learned from†¦)At any rate (At any rate, we concluded that...)At least (At least, with these results, we can†¦)Be that as it may (Be that as it may, there was no significant correlation between†¦)Besides (Besides, it is obvious that†¦)But (But, the causal relationship between†¦)By way of contrast (By the way of contrast, we note that†¦)Conversely (Conversely, there was no correlation between†¦)Despite (this) (Despite this, the findings are clear in that†¦)Either way (Either way, studies fail to approach the topic from†¦)Even more (Even more, we can conclude that†¦)Even so (Even so, there is a lack of evidence showing†¦)Even though (Even though the participants were unaware of which †¦.)However (However, it becomes clear that†¦)In any case (In any case, there were enough reponses†¦)In any event (In any event, we noted that†¦)In contrast (In contrast, the new data suggests that†¦)In fact (In fact, there is a loss of†¦)In spite of (this) (In spite of this, we note that†¦)Indeed (Indeed, it becomes clear that†¦)Instead (of) (Instead of publishing our findings early, we chose to)More/Most importantly (More importantly, there have not been any†¦)Nevertheless (Nevertheless, it becomes clear that†¦)Nonetheless (Nonetheless, we failed to note how†¦)Notwithstanding (this) (Notwithstanding this, there was little evidence†¦)On the contrary (On the contrary, no active users were†¦)On the other hand (On the other hand, we cannot avoid†¦)Primarily (Primarily, it becomes significant as†¦)Rather (Rather, none of this is relevant†¦)Regardless (of) (Regardless of previous results, the authors†¦)Significantly (Significantly, there was little correlation between†¦)Still (Still, nothing was noted in the diary†¦)Whereas (Whereas little evidence has been given to†¦)While (While causality is lacking†¦)Yet (Yet, it becomes clear that†¦)Additive TransitionsYoull use an additive transition to relate when new information is being added or highlighted to something that was just mentioned.Additionally (Additionally, it can be noted that†¦)Also (Also, there was no evidence thatà ¢â‚¬ ¦.)As a matter of fact (As a matter of fact, the evidence fails to show†¦)As for (this) (As for this, we can posit that†¦)By the same token (By the same token, no studies have concluded†¦)Concerning (this) (Concerning this, there is little evidence to†¦)Considering (this) (Considering this, we must then return to†¦)Equally (Equally, there was no correlation†¦)Especially (Especially, the study reveals that†¦)For example (For example, a loss of ones†¦.)For instance (For instance, there was little evidence showing†¦)Furthermore (Furthermore, a lack of knowledge on†¦)In a similar way (In a similar way, new findings show that†¦)In addition to (In addition to this new evidence, we note that†¦)In fact (In fact, none of the prior studies showed†¦)In other words (In other words, there was a lack of†¦)In particular (In particular, no relationship was revealed†¦)In the same way (In the same way, new studies suggest that†¦)Likewise (Likewise, we noted that†¦)Looking at (this information) (Looking at this information, its clear to see how†¦)Moreover (Moreover, the loss of reputation of†¦)Namely (Namely, the authors noted that†¦)Not only†¦but also (Not only did the study reveal new findings, but also it demonstrated how†¦.)Notably (Notably, no other studies have been done†¦)On the subject of (this) (On the subject of awareness, participants agreed that†¦.)One example (of this is) (One example of this is how the new data†¦)Particularly (Particularly, there is little evidence showing†¦)Regarding (this) (Regarding this, there were concerns that†¦)Similarly (Similarly, we note that†¦)Specifically (Specifically, there were responses that†¦)That is (That is, little attention is given to†¦)The fact that (The fact that the participants felt misinformed†¦)This means (that) (This means that conclusive findings are†¦)To il lustrate (To illustrate, one participant wrote that†¦.)To put it another way (To put it another way, there is little reason to†¦)What this means is (What this means is the authors failed to†¦)With regards to (this) (With regards to this, we cannot assume that†¦)Making the choiceWhen deciding which transition would best fit in each instance, keep in mind a few of these tips:Avoid using the same transition too much, as it could make your writing repetitive.Check at the beginning of each paragraph to ensure that a) youve included a transition, if one was needed, and b) its the correct transition to accurately relate the type of logical connection youre forming between ideas.Be sure that if you are using sequential transitions, they match. For example, if you use first to highlight your first point, second should come next, then third, etc. You wouldnt want to use first, followed by secondly.

Key Determinants of Success during Global Project Team Implementation The WritePass Journal

Key Determinants of Success during Global Project Team Implementation Key Determinants of Success during Global Project Team Implementation CHAPTER ONERESEARCH PROPOSAL1.0 BACKGROUND1.1 Problem Statement1.2 Project Definition1.2.1 Aim1.2.2 ObjectivesTo suggest recommendations necessary to the findings of the study.1.2.3 Scope of Study1.2.4 Project/Research Conditions1.3 Justification / Rational1.3.1 Business1.3.2 Academic1.3.3 Personal2.0 METHODOLOGY2.1 Sources and Scope of Data2.2 Data Analysis2.3 Data Presentation3.0 PROJECT OUTLINE3.1 Project Approach3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organization of the study4.0 RESEARCH REQUIREMENT AND RESEARCH SCHEDULE4.1 Resource Requirement4.2 Schedule and Work Plan5.0 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS6.0 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONCHAPTER TWO   LITERATURE REVIEW2.0 Purpose of the Literature Review2.1 Global Project Teams2.2 Global Projects2.3 Significance of Global Project Team Implementation in the 21st EraREFERENCESBIBILOGRAPHYRelated CHAPTER ONE RESEARCH PROPOSAL 1.0 BACKGROUND The world has evolved into a place where employees of organisations are of different nationalities and work outside their countries of origin. With the increase in globalization and the expansion of matrix-based organisations, managers/project teams need to work in culturally diverse project environments. Every global company’s competitive advantage depends on its ability to coordinate critical resources and information that are spread across different geographical locations. Govindarajan and Gupta (2001) having explored numerous organisational mechanisms concluded that the most effective tool to integrate dispersed cross-border operations is global corporation teams. Global teams are comprised of individuals with different skills, nationalities and cultures. These individuals come together to coordinate and manage aspects of multinational operation on a global basis (Govindarajen and Gupta 2001). 1.1 Problem Statement International projects are mainly driven by global project teams which provide room for a wide pool of talent, potential cost reductions, enforcement of internal competition and possible quality improvements (Eberlein 2008). In line with contemporary globalization being manifested in all spheres of business including international projects, Tomlinson (1999) attests that globalisation is a central theme in every modern business society and consequently poses additional challenge for project managers. To curb this challenge, many critical success factors have been discussed in a broader spectrum covering a range of Project Management knowledge areas. In as much as globalization impacts project management approaches and provokes the need for project teams to cope with the challenges resulting from an ever more dynamic environment of international projects. The problem this project seeks to resolve is to evaluate structures required to facilitate success in global project team implementa tion whilst staying sensitive to the diversity of persons involved in the project. 1.2 Project Definition 1.2.1 Aim The overall aim is to identify key determinants for effective global project team success. 1.2.2 Objectives In order to achieve the above aim, the following objectives are necessary: To examine theories and definition of effective global teams to achieve successful project implementation. To evaluate key determinants of successful global team implementation. To assess the potential challenges that may affect successful global team project implementation. To suggest recommendations necessary to the findings of the study. 1.2.3 Scope of Study 1.2.4 Project/Research Conditions The research conditions in this report refer to the assumptions, constraints and considerations which are aligned to the research objectives outlined in section 1.2.2. Factors considered being true, that may impede project progress and any external validating factors of the project (Hill 2004; Carmichael 2003; Heldman and Mangano 2009) are further discussed in Table 1. Table 1: Assumptions, Constraints, Considerations ASSUMPTIONS CONSTRAINTS CONSIDERATIONS Key determinants of success during global project team implementation has become critical in every international project and when discounted may vehemently   nce thesis.examine data, it is necessary to_________________________________________________________________   affect organizational functioning. Project Scope: the magnitude of the project could also be a constraint due to the vast project deliverables which will require more planning and resources to accomplish. Scope and Requirement Specifications Materials will be available and sufficient to facilitate accuracy in compilation of facts and figures as well as successful completion and handover of research results. Project Time: project has a schedule and this could serve as a constraint as it is expected not to exceed its timeline. Organisation of the Study No one technique or model adequately accounts as the critical success factor to facilitate successful global project team implementation hence the adoption of various models of effective team. Project Budget: approved budget could restrict the project team since they are left with no other option than to work within this budget. The economic, social and environmental trends of the project 1.3 Justification / Rational The proposed research seeks to propound a theory by way of complementing existing studies thereby contributing to substantiate the existing theories. Upon completion, it is expected that the proposed research will address the reasons for certain global or international projects’ liability to failures including inevitable challenges that may be faced during and after the project. The research will also provide standard and acceptable success models worth considering in global projects. It is, however, expected that the proposed research will contribute to the existing body of literature on matters of effective global team work as well as potential challenges that may affect successful global project team implementation. 1.3.1 Business Goldberg (2008) examines that, â€Å"We live in a project world that is characterized by frequent changes, complexity and virtual expertise. In such a world knowledge identification and sharing is a necessity. In effect, projects that cross borders offer unique opportunities as well as embrace significant risks. To ensure successful cross-border collaboration, careful selection and alignment are however, not enough (Freedman and Katz 2007), rather, certain deliverables must be aimed at and achieved to consider the project successful. 1.3.2 Academic The research holds a global view which conceptualises the success factors as a multi-dimensional concept. As a result, this research contributes to the generic success factors literature in project management by discussing five key determinants to be considered in every global project implementation. 1.3.3 Personal As an emerging Project Manager who aspires to be identified within a global project team, this research will equip me to better appreciate certain determinants of success which when considered will have a significant impact on global projects. 2.0 METHODOLOGY A qualitative research approach via content analysis and critical discussions as well as analysis will be employed in order to achieve the set objectives of this proposal. Considering the time frame allocated for this exercise, a secondary research methodology is deemed appropriate and will be adopted to congregate information. Literature to be reviewed as secondary data will be sourced from text books, journals and relevant websites via extensive research. Much of the work will also involve brainstorming exercises in order to develop substantial research analysis. 2.1 Sources and Scope of Data The research will use a structured approach to evalu ­ate existing literature from  secondary data ranging from publications, research reports, and conference papers. Selection of articles in reviewed academic journals such as the Project Management Jour ­nal (PMJ) and the International Journal of Project Management (IJPM) will be mainly employed since these are considered the leading project management specific journals (Henrie and Sousa-Poza, 2005). Text books to be used for analysis will be sourced electronically and from libraries. Online databases such Science Direct, Emerald, and Business Source Premier will be used to source for other data that relates to the subject matter. 2.2 Data Analysis To appropriately address the objectives of this research proposal, literature will be reviewed to draw out the relative ideas and opinions to evaluate critical success factors in global team implementation. Pictorial representation as well as descriptive analysis in the form of theoretical analysis and critical evaluation will be employed to analyse information gathered. 2.3 Data Presentation Tables and Figures will be used in presenting data. If necessary, schematic diagrams will be employed to illustrate certain findings. 3.0 PROJECT OUTLINE 3.1 Project Approach The phases of the research have been aligned with the APM lifecycle model in Figure 1. 3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organization of the study The study will be organized into five chapters. Chapter One will entail the introduction, problem statement, aim, objectives, methodology, justification of the study, organization of the study in addition to operational definitions to facilitate precise implications of certain words and phrases. Chapter Two will review available literature on Global projects, Global teams and their associated significance in the 21st broad-based international projects era among others findings. Chapter Three will be in two parts. The first part will comprise of what project success factors are and the importance attached to their definition at the commencement of a project. Data gathered will be presented and discussed in the second part of this chapter on five key determinants of success with regards to Global team projects. Chapter Four will entail factors that may affect the swift implementation of projects within a Global setting as well as the role of the project manager to ensure proper implementation. Chapter Five will summarise the findings by drawing a coherent conclusion and propose strategic recommendations through lessons learnt. By examining literature from journals, articles and text books, recommendations will be suggested through a broadened horizon of lessons learnt. 4.0 RESEARCH REQUIREMENT AND RESEARCH SCHEDULE 4.1 Resource Requirement The resource requirements for the research are the articles, journals, text books and relevant literature on Global teams within international projects and critical project success factors to be considered in facilitating successful global project team implementation. All these data are assumed to be free and readily available. At this proposal stage, articles as well as journals on Global teams, Global projects as well as key determinants of global project success have been acquired from text books and other website materials. Also journals and articles have been downloaded from electronic search engines. 4.2 Schedule and Work Plan The research is expected to be completed in four months representing the third semester duration. The research is expected to be completed on 29th September 2011. Figure 2 below shows the proposed dissertation duration work plan. Figure 2: Proposed research duration 5.0 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS The data required for the proposed research are publicly available and easily accessible electronically and from libraries. No form of unethical practice is required to gain access to the data required for analysis. Furthermore, all data will be objectively presented and analysed and all literature used will be properly acknowledged. 6.0 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION      Key Determinants of success / Critical success factors: CHAPTER TWO    LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Purpose of the Literature Review Literature review is considered a significant part of the research, given that, the researcher will be given the opportunity to appraise reliable past and current materials put together by authors about key determinants of success in global project team implementation. Literature Review will provide evidence on the eligibility of the topic by way of: Demonstrating opinions and facts discovered through the research. Justifying the inclusion of definite works in the review in an attempt to make the literature useful. 2.1 Global Project Teams In a quest to strategically improve effectively by means of integrating resources to gain competitive advantage, organisations are meticulously embarking on international projects by developing alliances across the globe. Geographically dispersed multinational project activities have become a competitive tool in contemporary business environments of which Cleland and Gareis (2006) assesses features such as differences in skills and culture team members bring on board, timely and cost-effectiveness projects as well as technology transfers across borders. 2.2 Global Projects 2.3 Significance of Global Project Team Implementation in the 21st Era REFERENCES GOVINDARAJAN, G. V. and GUPTA, G.A.K., 2001. Building an Effective Global Business Team. MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 42, No. 4 HENRIE, M. and SOUSA-POZA, A. 2005. Project Management: A cultural literary review.   Project  Management Journal 36(2), 5 14. LARSON, W. and GRAY, F., 2011. Project Management: Managerial Process. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. CLELAND, D. I. and GAREIS, R., 2006. Global Project Management Handbook. Planning, Organising and Controlling International Projects. 2nd ed. USA: McGraw-Hill. TOMLINSON, J., 1999. Globalization and Culture. University of Chicago Press. HOLSTEIN, J., GUBRIUM, J.F., 2002. Qualitative Research. Encyclopaedia of Aging. [Online] Available from encyclopedia.com/topic/Qualitative_research.aspx (Accessed May 3 2011) CARMICHAEL, D.G., 2003. Project Management Framework, A.A. Balkema HELDMAN, K. and MANGANO, V., 2009. PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Review Guide. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing Ltd. GOLDBERG, R., 2008. The Growing Importance of Global Collaboration. [Online] Available from theicpm.com/blog/item/676-the-growing-importance-of-global-collaboration   (Accessed May 26 2011) FREEDMAN, S., and KATZ, L. 2007. Critical Success Factors for International Projects. PM World Today. Vol. IX, Issue IX. [Online] Available from pmforum.org/library/papers/2007/PDFs/Freedman_Katz-10-07.pdf (Accessed May 26 2011) BIBILOGRAPHY EBERLEIN, M., 2008. Culture as a critical success factor for successful Global project management in multi-national IT service projects. Journal of Information Technology Management Volume XIX, NO. 3.

Using and Conjugating the Spanish Verb Parecer

Using and Conjugating the Spanish Verb Parecer Parecer is a common verb that has as its basic meaning to seem or to seem like. It can also be used in a variety of ways to express opinions or make judgments. It is an etymological cousin of the English word appear, which can be used in a similar way, as in the phrase it appears that. Using Parecer  With  Descriptions In its most straightforward usage, parecer is used as a way of describing what something is or seems like: Un gobierno de unidad nacional parece difà ­cil de lograrse. (A national unity government seems difficult to accomplish.)Lo que parece ser la verdad para nosotros no necesariamente parecer ser la verdad para otros. (What seems to be the truth for us will not necessarily seem to be the truth for others.)Tengo una chupa que parece de cuero y es de plastiquete. (I have a jacket that is  like leather and is made of plastic material.)El agua tibia parece caliente si tocamos primero el agua frà ­a. (Lukewarm water seems hot if we feel cold water first.)Usted no parece saber mucho del trastorno.  (You dont seem to know much about the disorder.) Using Parecer Impersonally It is very common to use parecer as an impersonal verb followed by que. The verb that follows is typically in the indicative mood, although the subjunctive mood follows no parecer. The indicative mood is used with parecer in its positive form because it is used to indicate how something is perceived, not to express doubt as seem often does in English. An exception is  in a sentence such as Parece mentira que hayan pasado 15 aà ±os (It seems impossible that 15 years have gone by), because there doubt and/or an emotional reaction is expressed. Parece que este enlace est roto. (It looks like this link is broken.)No parece que vaya a llover. (It doesnt look like its going to rain.)De momento parece que no se sabe nada del lanzamiento del producto en Europa. (For now it appears that nothing is known about the products launch in Europe.)Parecà ­a que nada podà ­a mejorarse.  (It seemed like nothing could get better.)Katrina no parece que tenga frà ­o. (Katrina doesnt seem like shes cold.) Using Parecer With an Indirect Object It is very common for parecer to be accompanied by an indirect-object pronoun to indicate how a particular person or persons perceives something to be. This can be one way of conveying opinions, and in many such cases there are better ways of translating parecer other than seem. Me parece que el presidente es un fraude.  (I think the president is a fraud.)Me parece que algo no est bien. (I feel that something isnt right.) ¿Te parezco triste? (Do I look sad to you?) ¿Por quà © el metal nos parece frà ­o y la lana caliente? (Why does metal feel cold to us and wool warm?)Le parece que est aumentando la actividad sà ­smica.  (He thinks that seismic activity is increasing.) ¿Quà © os parece el nuevo iPhone? (What do you think of the new iPhone?)No nos parece que à ©ste sea el momento oportuno. (We dont think this is the opportune time.)Me parecà ­a que no era importante.  (I didnt think it was important.) Using Parecer Reflexively In the reflexive form, parecerse can be used to indicate that two or more persons or things are alike in some way: Algunas veces nos parecemos a nuestros padres. (Sometimes were like our parents.)Segà ºn los à ºltimos estudios, los animales se parecen a las personas mucho ms de lo que imaginamos. (According to the latest studies, animals are much more like people than we imagine.) Parecer as an Infinitive Noun As a noun, the infinitive  parecer usually means opinion: Es el mejor restaurante a mi parecer en Madrid.  (In my opinion its the best restaurant in Madrid.)Queremos que expreses tu opinion sobre el diseà ±o. (We want you to express your opinion on the design.) Conjugation of Parecer Keep in mind that parecer is irregularly conjugated, following the pattern of conocer. All irregular forms are shown below in boldface: Present indicative: parezco, pareces, parece, parecemos, parecà ©is, parecen (I seem, you seem, etc.) Present subjunctive: que parezca, que parezcas, que parezca, que parezcamos, que parezcis, que parezcan (that I seem, that you seem, etc.) Affirmative imperative: parece tà º,  parezca usted, parezcamos nosotro/as, pareced vosotros/as, parezcan ustedes (seem) Negative imperative: no  parezca  usted,  no parezcas  tà º,  no  parezcamos nosotros/as, no  parezcis  vosotros/as, que  parezcan  ustedes (dont seem)

Comparing two arguments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing two arguments - Essay Example The article Binge Drinking Must be Stopped by Wechsler (2002) discusses the extreme manner in which college student engage in binge drinking. Wechsler bases his arguments on increased frequency of drinking amongst students irrespective of the serious side effects of such habits. He feels that there is need for other parties to intervene in stopping binge drinking amongst students. Joel Epstein is a Director of Special Projects, Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug prevention. The article Parental Notification: Fact or Fiction (Epstein, 1998) assesses public response to a law that allows school to inform parents if their children are caught engaging in drug as well as alcohol abuse. The article discusses the move by the congress to enforce rules on how the administration should involve parent while dealing with students who are binge drinkers. The parent notification law was enacted in 1998. The law was enacted following the death of a student in an alcohol related car c lash. Epstein wonders if parents are capable of confronting their children who may engage in binge drinking. Epstein is opposed to binge drinking since it makes students oppose the school rules. He claims that the binge drinkers fail to respect the authorities and end up engaging in actions such as property damage. Wechsler’s main concern is the health effect of binge drinking amongst student. He feels that binge drinkers affect their lives and those of fellow students. Both Wechsler and Epstein agree that binge drinking alters the student’s behaviors. Additionally they both agree that it should be eliminated. They argue that students go to nearby bar and overindulge in alcohol drinking. Epstein claims that when go back to college, they are confronted by college police but are too drunk to engage in any meaningful conversation. He thus feels that it is crucial to involve the students’ parents. Wechsler and Epstein argue that student still overindulge in binge dr ink even though college rules prohibit this. Although Epstein and Wechsler agree that binge, drinking habit is rampant amongst college students and requires to be stopped. They suggest different measures. Epstein feels that parent notification would help curb the situation. He argues that parents and should take responsibility of ensuring that their children are accountable for their actions. One differing issue between Epstein and Wechsler’s article is on the role of other people in dealing with binge drinking. Wechsler feels that the administration has a greater role. However, he argues that other stakeholders such as students, community, college presidents, and alcohol outlets should take part in eradication binge drinking. Epstein feels that the administration is not taking their role efficiently and parents should thus be involved. Therefore, both agree that parents have a role to play. Conclusion Undeniably, Wechsler and Epstein agree on some of the primary effects of b inge drinking. For instance, the two discussed articles contend that binge drinking causes behavioral and other alcohol related problems. They also agree that there is need for intervention to stop students from binge drinking. However, Epstein claims that the best intervention is notification of parents on their parents drinking habits. He argues that parents are more capable of intervening in such situation as compared to college authorities. However, Wechsler feels th

English as Global Langauge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English as Global Langauge - Essay Example Before examining these pros and cons, it might be useful to examine how English came to be one of the most commonly used languages in the world. Historically, this language came into Britain from northern Europe during the fifth century and moved to the Asian, African and American continents with the expeditions and colonizations that followed in the last three centuries. English was left behind as a legacy in the colonized countries as they became independent nations, and was often made the official language of communication. With the rise of technology, especially the media in the form of the radio, television and the internet, the dissemination of English became reinforced. Not only the media but trade became truly globalized with the rise of off-shoring and outsourcing made possible with better technology . The rise of multinational companies and corporations and international organizations like UNESCO enhanced the need of a global language. English was there to readily fill in the gap, with its already existing spread and flexibility. Since English was already present in various places like India and Africa as a result of former colonization, it was easier for the language to spread further. English has been touted time and again as a language that could successfully eliminate the need for translation during communication in business, political, and cultural contexts. It has a huge vocabulary of more than 80,000 words which makes it very expressive, and the written script is similar to that of many European languages because of a common origin in Latin. But the increasing use of English in countries with different native languages has an effect of diminishing the status of these indigenous languages. This is even more significant given the history of the English language which was earlier seen as a symbol of colonial oppression in many countries, and is seen today in many countries as a demonstration of the superiority of the West. In some quarters it is felt that the use of English as an official language instead of a native tongue is detrimental to a country's national and cultural identity. Due to its global nature in an increasingly shrinking world, English is fast becoming the language of commercial and formal communications . This makes it an economically viable language to learn in many developing countries where knowing fluent English can actually lead to increased earning opportunities. This strong economic incentive behind learning English could lead to the relinquishment of native tongues, leading to entire languages dying out. Another factor that could cause a language to decline is a decline in its literature. There is a growing trend of non-native authors writing in English: Indian or African writers writing in English are becoming quite common. It is a well-documented fact that all authors with very few exceptions have their best literary output in one language alone. If most literature begins to be produced in English, even by authors who have a different mother tongue, it would be a great loss to their original languages. When languages decline, they take with them rare and precious cultural traditions. This raises fears of loss of cultural diversity which is so vital to the evolution of mankind. Experts think that a uniform world where all cultures and literatures would be similar could become a future scenario

Abstract for the paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Abstract for the paper - Essay Example There are healthy relationships between all levels of employees. They are characterized by respect and trust which promote innovation and responsibility. Apple’s leadership style and organization structure is also under scrutiny with special attention to the role of managers and their interaction with their subordinates and superiors. Apple Inc. adopts transformational leadership style while the organization structure is collaborative in nature. Each manager adopts a transformative style while also promoting centralized decision making that includes employees. The management of human resources at Apple Inc. is reviewed in this paper. The findings are that Apple Inc. is keen to hire and retain quality employees. It has recruitment strategies that focus on top students from different colleges as well as training and development programs to ensure that employees are equipped with contemporary practices in the industry. The training and development programs also aim at promoting t eamwork. This analysis of Apple Inc. will provide insightful information as on the management practices of Apple that are renowned for its success in the technology

Thomas Cook and the modern tourism industry. The Evolution of Essay

Thomas Cook and the modern tourism industry. The Evolution of International Tourism - Essay Example The specific industry has appeared rather early, around the 15th century; however, it was only in the 19th century that the first schemes of modern tourism appeared. Thomas Cook has been an entrepreneur who highly influenced modern tourism. The perceptions of the above entrepreneur on tourism had led to the transformation of the industry and the establishment of advanced forms of tourism, which affected not only the British but also the global economy. The impact of Thomas Cook on modern tourism is reviewed in this paper. Emphasis is given on the contributions of Thomas Cook that mostly affected the tourism industry; reference is made both in the short and the long-term effects of the intervention of Thomas Cook in the tourism industry. It is made clear that the role of Thomas Cook in the development of modern tourism has been decisive. However, the current form of modern tourism is the result of the rapid development of technology worldwide, which allowed the improvement of infrastr ucture for the needs of the tourism industry and the increase of destinations. Because of Thomas Cook the tourism industry was made accessible to people of all economic and social characteristics, a fact which is considered as the key contribution of Thomas Cook in the specific industry, along perhaps with the packaging tours, a scheme first introduced by Thomas Cook (Sayre and King 2009). In other words, Thomas Cook set the basis for modern tourism; the industry’s development through the decades has been strongly based on economic and technological development as promoted in countries worldwide. 2. Thomas Cook and the modern tourism industry 2.1. Origins and characteristics of the modern tourism industry The first forms of tourism can be identified in Britain of 15th century. In the 16th century also, the mansions used across England ‘became cultural centres’ (Page and Connell 2006, p.28). It was during the above periods that the origins of tourism can be identi fied. The ‘visiting friends and relatives scheme’ (Page and Connell 2006, p.28) was considered as the initial form of tourism in Britain. In the 17th century, the ‘polite tourism’ (Page and Connell 2006, p.28) was highly developed. In the context of this type of tourism, visits were made to important members of the society (Page and Connell 2006). The health tourism, i.e. the visit to areas that would benefit the health, also appeared in the 17th century, and has been further developed up today (Page and Connell 2006). In the centuries that followed, the characteristics of tourism were changed. Instead of a pleasure enjoyed by only the rich, tourism became an activity for the masses; the mass tourism, which was first developed by Thomas Cook, as, explained below. The most common view regarding the development of modern tourism is included in the study of Best (2010). In accordance with the above researcher, the transformation of travel to modern tourism too k place in 1841 through the ‘railway journey from Leicester to Loughborough in the context of a Temperance meeting’ (Best 2010, p.139). Thomas Cook arranged the above meeting considering that it would be a good chance for families to visit a place with a dry climate, like Loughborough. The relationship between modern tourism and the above event is highly emphasized in the literature, showing the contribution of Thomas Cook in the development of travel as a leisure activity. The transformation of tourism through the centuries reveals the following fact: tourism has passed a phase of

Construction contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Construction contracts - Essay Example s such, has requested to identify the strategies using which the pace of construction may be accelerated and has additionally asked to identify and describe all the potential pitfalls involved. The analysis of the current parameters associated with the project has outlined a number of parameters that are considered crucial if nay kind of progress is to be made with regards to completing the project within the specified schedule. In fact, a number of factors such as the quality, cost and safety standards will play a interdependent role in determining if the project can be completed within the schedule. A preliminary analysis of the project timeline has suggested that the design of the project took a longer time than was originally planned and this was attributed to the delay in fine tuning the design to all legal standards as also the latency induced in obtaining permissions from the requisite governmental agencies. Since the design phase was complete thereupon, the time lost due to the design phase cannot be recovered. Therefore, the need of the hour is to concentrate on accelerating the speed with which the construction phase has been progressing until now. The early analysis has also highlighted the fact that until now, the customer has been dealing directly with all the contractors and this has hampered the progress of the project. The reasons for this is simply due to the reason that there is a gap of communication between the client and the contractors in discussing the finer details of the project from time to time. As such, the client is preliminarily advised to appoint an intermediary who will be responsible for handling all the customer requirements with the client. This will also enable smoother communication as such an intermediary is supposed to function as a suitable interface between the two parties. The second major deficiency that was uncovered as part of the preliminary investigation was the simple fact that the client had not committed to a

Wireless technology security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wireless technology security - Research Paper Example It facilitates easy movement and the extension of common applications to several areas of a building, town or the world minus costly cable installations. Their implementation and administration is based on radio communication, which occurs at the physical layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) type of network structure (Rappaport, 2002). This paper will discuss various wireless network types and security protocols. Although with several variations, basically, there are three main types of wireless networks namely, Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) (Pahlavan & Levesque, 1995). Since setting up a wireless network must include means that ensure only authorized users can access and use it, the paper will also look at the security risks government and businesses run by using wireless networks with their associated security measures. WPAN These are low range networks used for linking devices that are ge nerally within a person’s reach in relatively small areas. As cable replacement for peripheral devices, WPANs are commonly used in interconnection of printers, personal assistants, headsets and scanners in the absence of hard wired connections (Pahlavan & Krishnamurthy, 2009). The key technologies in WPAN are Bluetooth and infrared. Bluetooth connectivity can have a 10 Mbps throughput in a range of up to 100 meters without using an amplifier. With the integration of WiFi in some electronic consumer devices and the highly efficient power consumption of Bluetooth technology, the popularity of WPAN is growing (Pahlavan & Krishnamurthy, 2009). Infrared technology can establish wireless connections speeds of a few Mbps over several meters. WLAN A WLAN connects devices over short distances such as in a library, coffee shop, and university campus or aboard an airplane or train, and eventually provides connection to the broader internet via an access point (Geier, 2002). Within the W LAN, all components connecting to a wireless medium are known as stations and are equipped with interface controllers. The stations are broadly categorized into two; clients and access points (APs). Wireless clients are made up of mobile devices like IP phones, personal digital assistants and laptops. They also include fixed devices like workstations and desktop computers fitted with interfaces for the wireless network. On the other hand, APs serve as the wireless network’s base stations and are normally routers. In their function, they receive and transmit radio frequencies from and to the wireless enabled devices, enabling them to communicate with each other. Within a WLAN, users who do not need internet access may create a temporary network among themselves without using the access points. Making use of spread spectrum technology, a WLAN lets users stay connected to the network even when they move around, so long as they are still within the local area of coverage (Geier, 2002). For networks or computers placed in two relatively distant points, the fixed wireless technology makes use of point to point links over a dedicated microwave connection in a line of sight path. An example of such fixed wireless technology occurs in the linking of networks located in several buildings across a city. WLANs offer benefits like reduced ownership costs (except the high initial acquisition cost), quick installation, scalability and flexibility. Its growth is aided by popularity and affordability of laptops and other handheld devices. With public APs, passwords or registrations are not often required to link to the network. WWAN Typically, WWANs offer coverage over wide areas like between bordering cities, towns or neighborhoods. They connect an organization’

Construction contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Construction contracts - Essay Example s such, has requested to identify the strategies using which the pace of construction may be accelerated and has additionally asked to identify and describe all the potential pitfalls involved. The analysis of the current parameters associated with the project has outlined a number of parameters that are considered crucial if nay kind of progress is to be made with regards to completing the project within the specified schedule. In fact, a number of factors such as the quality, cost and safety standards will play a interdependent role in determining if the project can be completed within the schedule. A preliminary analysis of the project timeline has suggested that the design of the project took a longer time than was originally planned and this was attributed to the delay in fine tuning the design to all legal standards as also the latency induced in obtaining permissions from the requisite governmental agencies. Since the design phase was complete thereupon, the time lost due to the design phase cannot be recovered. Therefore, the need of the hour is to concentrate on accelerating the speed with which the construction phase has been progressing until now. The early analysis has also highlighted the fact that until now, the customer has been dealing directly with all the contractors and this has hampered the progress of the project. The reasons for this is simply due to the reason that there is a gap of communication between the client and the contractors in discussing the finer details of the project from time to time. As such, the client is preliminarily advised to appoint an intermediary who will be responsible for handling all the customer requirements with the client. This will also enable smoother communication as such an intermediary is supposed to function as a suitable interface between the two parties. The second major deficiency that was uncovered as part of the preliminary investigation was the simple fact that the client had not committed to a

Human behavior in Late adulthood stage Essay Example for Free

Human behavior in Late adulthood stage Essay The paper will be focusing on the stages of psychosocial development specifically that of the Later Adulthood Stage. Though this stage of adulthood does not share the same significance to the other developmental stages in adulthood, especially to the earlier stages, at least in terms of how the individual sees his or her world in the context of one’s closing days of life and vice versa. Nevertheless, the Late Adulthood Stage remains of utmost significance for the reason that it holds one crucial aspect in the final development stage of an adult: the integrity of the ego. It must be noted at this point that the ego in the Late Adulthood Stage has already absorbed within the span of the individual’s life processes and life in general a considerable degree of experience. What remains in this stage are the radiations of past experiences that have not withered away with the forgetfulness of human memory, as well as the individual’s reformed perceptions of his or her world that have adapted to the series of changes in one’s environment and that have also shaped the very structure of the environment where one dwells in. A look into some of the significant details of this stage reveals the weight of this particular phase in contrast to the other stages in adulthood whereby the unique strands of psychosocial precepts that properly belong to this stage identifies it as more than just a culminating phase. Theoretical backgrounds In Erikson’s Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development, the Late Adult Stage summarizes its major tasks in the development of the adult in terms of introspection. This is primarily because this phase is essentially the stage wherein the individual is only able to perform fewer activities in contrast to the early years of one’s life where the person is actively participating, to a certain extent, in either leisure or work. Whereas younger people constantly interact with their surroundings and with other individuals, older people who belong to the last stage of human development are, in many cases, physically unable to meet the necessities required by leisure and work. For the most part, although the aged people can barely enjoin themselves in these physically challenging activities, the Later Adulthood stage in Erikson’s theory tells us that these individuals spend most of their time instead on recollecting in their memory the experiences they had in the early chapters of their lives. Thus, as one can observe among the elderly, their acts of relating stories of previous meddling with past events and persons reveal one aspect of human introspection. It manifests their attempt, at the very least, to cope with their physical inability or lacking in terms of mobility by contemplating on whatever is remaining in their memory. More importantly, the Later Adulthood stage highlights the inevitable fact in human life: death. As with the aged people, the wisdom they have acquired in their many endeavors during their younger days all point them to the inescapable fact of death thereby insinuating a sense of fear in their minds. As this fact is instilled in their thoughts, the elderly are eventually placed in a rather uncomfortable situation as their days are drawn closer to its closing chapters. This is the point wherein their views on both life and death are further defined by themselves, testing their maturity and emotional capability to accept such fact and to acquire the sufficient integrity and belief in their selves so as not to succumb to the fear of dying. Robert Havighurst, in his perception on the developmental tasks in the life of the individual, points our attention to his interpretation on the later maturity stage of the individual. He asserts that after the time of retirement from one’s occupation, the individual eventually undergoes several adjustments in the sense that the person begins to adapt a new lifestyle that fits the conditions that beset the individual. These conditions, especially after finally closing the window for a previous occupation, are reflected in many ways. A few of these conditions include relocating to a smaller house or the reduction in one’s income among many others. These circumstances ultimately brings changes, either drastic or gradual, to the living conditions in the life of the person that one is in turn prompted to realign one’s manner of living with new measures. In essence, Havighurst suggests that the elderly are more after the attempt at â€Å"holding on† to life rather than the actual seizing of the things that life has to offer. That is, the state of life of the elderly can be seen as one that is inclined to â€Å"maintain† life or the things that one already has in life rather than the expansion of it. To be taught of news ways of living entails not only the adoption of new approaches in dealing with the necessities brought about by age and one’s physical deterioration. It also entails the idea that these elderly people are bound to attempt at putting more effort in â€Å"holding on† to life, quite apart from the idea that they ought to broaden their perception of the world and their perception of both life and death. In the context of the theories that revolve around the analysis on the stages of human development in terms of the psychosocial perspective as well as the patterns of behavior exhibited by the elderly, we can fairly extract the idea as hypothesis that these patterns of behavior are the results of the developed perceptions of the elderly with the further realization of death or, at the very least, the deterioration of one’s health and living conditions. Methodology The participants in the interview are composed of 20 non-working elderly from the male and female genders with age 60 and above randomly chosen. All of the participants can understand and speak the English language, their primary language, and are residents of the United States of America. The religious orientation of the participants is Roman Catholicism as well as they are financially dependent on the insurance money they receive every month, apart from the medical assistance they are able to acquire from it. Moreover, the participants are now living on their own, with their families living in their respective homes separate from their elderly.

Comparison of Buying Behaviour: Own Brand and Label Food

Comparison of Buying Behaviour: Own Brand and Label Food CHAPTER ONE 1. INTRODUCTION In the UK, for nearly two thirds of consumers, own-label is an important reason to shop in a particular store. Value for money, availability and the breadth of products on offer are the key factors attracting customers to own label products. (Mintel Report, 2007). Own-label brands give consumers the opportunity to find something new at a supermarket, while branded is the same whichever store a consumer buys from. Consumers are increasingly careful about their grocery shop, using forward planning and budgeting to control the amount they spend. Shopping habits have become more price-focused with rising numbers of consumers looking for the lowest prices and special offers. Retail brands do not yet command the same degree of brand loyalty that the big brand names do, even though many consumers do agree that taste and quality are often on a par. (Mintel Report, 2008). According to Mintel report (2006) when it comes to choosing brands over own-label products, familiarity and trust are important criteria. Europe is the most developed region of the world for own label groceries and in Europe, own label is growing faster than manufacturers brands. Own-label brands and ranges can span all categories, something manufacturers brands cannot do. This presence builds trust and strengthens own-label branding. Retailers are able to suppress prices below competitors. The scale and flexibility of own-label production can also lead to a quick response to changing consumer needs and occasions. Consumer buying behaviour has remarkably influenced by the current credit crunch/recession. (Mintel Report, 2006) The UK is also experiencing a large increase in immigration. In October 2005, National Statistics reported that a record 582,000 people came to live in the UK from elsewhere in the world. It also predicted that the population might increase by up to 7.2 million over the next 25 years, with more than half the rise being attributed to immigration. This will boost overall demand for all retail goods. Own label or private brand can be hard to establish and costly to stock and promote. However, they also yield higher profit margins for the reseller. And they give resellers exclusive products that cannot be bought from competitors, resulting in greater store traffic and loyalty. (Mintel Report, 2006) The study is an investigation in to the current issues concerned with consumer buying behaviour for branded and own-label food. Consumer buying attitude has been greatly influenced by the current credit crunch and nine out of ten consumers thinking their financial situation has got worse over the last 12 months. (Mintel Report, 2008) This study will investigate the factors that influence buying behaviour of consumers shopping at an ALDI store. Factors such as price, quality of products, family size, culture, particular food product, financial background, gender and different age groups of consumers will be considered. Two thirds of consumers are looking out for deals/promotions, over half only buy what they need and just under a third go to discounters or cook from scratch more often. (Mintel Report, 2008). According to Foley (2008) ALDI is a rapidly grown discount supermarket and growing rapidly, pulling in thousands of new customers trying to save a few pounds on their weekly shop. ALDIs big boast is that it carries a limited range i.e. just over 1000 products (and only 15 brand names) compared with the 25,000 product lines in a supermarket such as Tesco, but buys in huge numbers and gets top quality. ALDI rigorously controls costs and their stores are all basic. There is no fancy flooring or fixtures. The lighting is definitely not designed to enhance the products. You dont take the shop home, only the food†. It is the same product but it doesnt cost more because of its decoration. In order to save money; over four in ten consumers buy more own-label value lines, buy own-label products more often or have switched to cheaper brands. (Foley, 2008). Individuals aged between 15-34 shows the greatest growth in the tendency to look for the lowest prices. Between 2006 and 2011, the number of people over 65 is projected to increase by 10.1%, increasing their proportion of the population as a whole from 21.6% to 23.4%. This obviously means that the proportion of the population who are retired, on fixed incomes, and, therefore, managing on tighter budgets will increase, this should maintain interest in lower-cost, own-brand goods. Furthermore this research will also focus on quality of branded and own-label food products from a consumer perspective. Assumptions that an own label is a cheap version of the manufacturer brand; is not evident. The gap in quality that was evident over a decade ago has been reduced in recent years. This is supported by Chaney, 2004 who concluded that every sale places the retailers highly valued name at risk and this has meant that there is increasingly little difference in the quality level of own brands compared to manufacturers brands. (Chaney, 2004). 1.1 Aims and Objectives 1.1.1 Aims The study aims to investigate consumer buying behaviour with regards to branded and own-label food products using ALDI as a case study. 1.1.2 Objectives 1. To carry out a literature review on consumer behaviour with regards to purchasing food and the current issues concerned with branded and own-label products. 2. By use of a case-study and questionnaire determine consumer behaviour with regards to branded and own label food products. 3. To compare and contrast the quality of own label and branded foods from a consumer perspective. 4. To analyze the primary data collected in the light of the secondary data in order to identify the key issues that influence consumer behaviour and the purchasing of own-label and branded food products. CHAPTER TWO 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The aim of the literature review is to evaluate critically current data from research relevant to the aims and objectives of the project and evaluate the findings. 2.2 Evaluate critically the UK food retail market Seth and Randall (1999) stated that supermarkets across the developed world have been a key feature of the second half of the twentieth century, and the UK supermarket in its own right has, and in a world context, has been both important and distinctive. The UK is today often seen as the worlds most innovative retail market. Presentation and range, 06 goods including adventurous new chilled food and meal solutions are product fields that the rest of the world is still discovering; this has lead to researches such as, suggesting that it is difficult to fault UK sourcing energies or innovative drive. Next there is own-label. This plays an increasingly important and developmental role in this respect. They also mentioned that supermarkets activities have affected our lives and changed them as substantially as probably any other single influence. Supermarkets are universal, their customers drawn from all elements in society, from richest to poorest. It has been calculated that today the average British citizen will spend two years of their life or 3 percent of a normal waking life inside the doors of a supermarket. According to Embargo (1996), the average UK household spends over  £50 per week on food. Between us this amounts to 43 billion spent throughout the year. This is about 12 percent of total consumer expenditure, and a massive 85 per cent of this is spent in supermarkets. Embargo (1996) also stated that the British supermarkets are a 20th-century invention, offering the shopper unprecedented variety and convenience. From humble beginnings as a stall in Leeds or as West End Dairy, they have grown to dominate food retailing. Over 80 per cent of consumers regularly shop in supermarkets for food and basic household goods. According to Embargo (1996), one of the most significant trends in supermarket retailing is the growth in own-label sales relative to branded products. Own-label lines, sold under the supermarkets name, have become an effective way for the big stores to increase profits and build customer loyalty. Own-brand options are available for the majority of foods, offering consumers a wider choice of goods than ever before. (Embargo, 1996) According to Verdict Research (UK Food Grocery Retailers 2009 (April, 2009), in 2008 food and grocery specialists defied wider retail market gloom, increasing their combined sales by 5.0% to  £124.1bn. Grocers performed especially well with sales ahead by 5.6% their strongest growth since 2001. Food price inflation has driven market growth. Higher energy costs, a series of crop failures and growing food demand from China pushed UK food grocery inflation up to 6.4%. Even price-keen grocers experienced their highest rate of inflation in 17 years at 4.7%. (Verdict Research, April 2009) According to verdict Research, April 2009) the credit crunch and subsequent recession, plus inflation have had a profound impact on consumer behaviour and the wider dynamics of grocery retailing. Price, or more specifically value, now sits firmly at the top of the consumer agenda. Customers are searching for the best prices and increasingly switching to own label or alternative brands. (Verdict Research, April 2009) According to Verdict research i.e. UK Retail Futures 2013 (April 2009), though food grocery will significantly outperform the wider retail market, the recession is resulting in an unprecedented change in consumer behaviour. The discounters are enjoying impressive growth, while the major grocers focus on enhancing value credentials, leading to what we believe will be long-lasting changes to the grocery market. Verdict believes two key drivers will inhibit growth in food grocery over the next five years. Firstly, with consumers more cautious and trading down, value growth will slow. Secondly, grocers will find it tougher to open new stores especially superstores, with space and volume growth easing as a consequence. (Verdict Research Retail futures, April 2009) Grocers are focusing more effort on developing their own-brand offers, either through lower prices or through the introduction of new ranges to build scale, increase choice, promote value credentials and boost margins. (Verdict Research Retail futures, April 2009) 2.3 Evaluate critically Factors that affect UK food retail market According to Kathawala (1989), quality may mean different things to different people, for instance, Juran defines quality as â€Å"fitness for use† while Crosby defines it as â€Å"conformance to requirements†. Their definitions imply a quality standard equated to that of satisfying the customers demand. Deming defines quality as â€Å"surpassing customers needs and expectations throughout the life of the product†. Feigenbaum indicated the ever-changing and elusive nature of quality when he defined it as â€Å"a moving target†. Kathawala (1989) mentioned, a comprehensive definition of quality would include all four aspects, â€Å"Conformance to requirements, surpassing customers needs and expectations throughout the life of the product, quality is a moving target, quality is fitness for use†. (Kathawala, 1989). Armstrong and Kotler (2007) stated that, quality has a direct impact on product or service performance; it is closely linked to customer value and satisfaction. He claimed, in the narrowest sense, quality can be defined as â€Å"freedom from defects†. But most customer-centered companies go beyond this narrow definition. Instead, they define quality in terms of creating customer value and satisfaction. According to Armstrong and kotler, (2007) The American Society for Quality defines quality as the characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied customer needs. Similarly, Siemens defines quality this way: â€Å"Quality is when our customer comes back and our products dont†. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). According to Solomon (1996), consumer satisfaction or dissatisfaction is determined by the overall feelings, or attitude, a person has about a product after it has been purchased. Solomon (1996) also mentioned that, product quality affects customer satisfaction, which in turn, results in increased profitability among firms who provide quality products. Consequently Quality is more than a marketing buzzword. Customers want quality and value. Especially because of foreign competition, claims of product quality have become strategically crucial to maintaining a competitive advantage. Consumers use a number of cues to infer quality, including brand name, price and even their own estimates of how much money has been put into a new products advertising campaign. Solomon (1996) mentioned that, one way to define quality is to establish uniform standards to which products from around the world must conform. This is the intent of the International Standards Organization. Seth and Randall (2000) stated that, the supermarkets know that they rely absolutely on their customers confidence in the safety of the food they buy. They work hard to deserve that confidence, and their record shows that they do. According to Smith (1997) â€Å"Quality is about listening to our customers and delivering more than they expect. Its about paying attention to the smallest details and getting it right first time, every time. Most important, quality is a continuous process that involves every employee. By making small improvements every day, we can make real progress and deliver increasingly higher levels of customer satisfaction. Quality allows us to measure and compare our performance against the best in class. It sets the standards for our support services and enables us to focus training and development on the most important areas†. According to Solomon (1996), â€Å"Perception is the process by which physical sensations, such as sights, sound, and smells, are selected, organized, and interpreted. The eventual interpretation of a stimulus allows it to be assigned meaning. A perceptual map is a widely used marketing tool that evaluates the relative standing of competing brands along relevant dimensions†. (Solomon, 1996) As a result consumers have a particular perception of a particular product, they expect and know what to expect from branded. Therefore the non-branded product must as far as possible meet these perceptions if it is to compete with the branded product. A cheaper product may compensate for some variation but the own brand product must be recognisable by the consumer. Almost every business has a trading name, from the smallest market trader to the largest multi-national corporation. Only a minority of those businesses however, have what could be classed as a ‘brand or a ‘brand name. Branding is a word commonly referred to by advertisers and marketing people. Armstrong and Kotler (2007) stated that, â€Å"a brand is a name or symbol that is commonly known to identify a company or its products and separate them from the competition†. They go on to say a well-known brand is generally regarded as one that people will recognise, often even if they do not know about the company or its products/services. These are usually the businesses name or the name of a product, although it can also include the name of a feature or style of a product. The overall ‘branding of a company or product can also stretch to a logo, symbol, or even design features (E.g.: Regularly used colours or layouts, such as red and white for Coca Cola.) that identify the company or its products/services. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). For example: The Nike brand name is known throughout the world, people can identify the name and logo even if they have never bought any of their products. However, not only is the company name a brand, but the logo (The ‘tick symbol) is also a strong piece of branding in its own right. The majority of people that are aware of the company can also identify it (or its products) from this symbol alone. The clothing and running shoe company Adidas is well known for using three stripes on its range of products. This design feature branding allows people to identify their products, even if the Adidas brand name and logo is not present. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). 2.4 Strengths and weaknesses of own-label food and drink. Table 1: Strengths and weaknesses of own-label food and drink, as stated by Mintel, (2006). According to Business Services (2009), the main benefit of branding is that customers are much more likely to remember a business. A strong brand name and logo/image helps to keep a company image in the mind of potential customers. If a business sells products that are often bought on impulse, a customer recognising a brand could mean the difference between no-sale and a sale. Even if the customer is not aware of selling of particular product, if they trust that brand, they are likely to trust unfamiliar products. If a customer is happy with your products or services, a brand helps to build customer loyalty across the business. For example Marks and Spencer is recognised by consumers as offering a specified standard of quality they therefore assume if they buy any food product from Marks and Spencer the product will be of the same quality standard. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand will project an image of a large and established business to potential customers. People usually associate branding with larger businesses that have the money to spend on advertising and promotion. The creation of effective branding can make business appear to be much bigger than it really is. An image of size and establishment can be especially important when a customer wants reassurance that particular brand will still be around in a few years time. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand projects an image of quality in the business; many people see the brand as a part of a product or service that helps to show its quality and value. According to Business Services (2009), if you show a person two identical products, only one of which is branded, they will almost always believe the branded item is higher quality. Over time the image of quality of an effective branding business will usually go up. Of course, branding cannot replace good quality, and bad publicity will damage a brand (and businesses image), especially if it continues over a long period of time. For example: The Sunny Delight drinks brand was one of the biggest in the UK just a year after its launch. However, constant bad publicity about the quality of the product has severely damaged the image of the brand, and sales have dropped for each of the past several years. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand creates an image of an established business that has been around for long enough to become well known. A branded business is more likely to be seen as experienced in their products or services, and will generally be seen as more reliable and trustworthy than an unbranded business. Most people will believe that a business would be hesitant to put their brand name on something that was of poor quality. (Business Services, 2009). If a business has a strong brand, it allows you to link together several different products or ranges. A brand name can be used on every product or service a company sell, meaning that customers for one product will be more likely to buy another product of same brand. For Example: Sony sells televisions, music equipment, consoles, camcorders, DVD players, video players, and etc all under the Sony brand name. Creation of separate brand names for product ranges allowing people to see brand name, and then use the range brand name to work out what they wish to buy. For Example: Cadburys makes a range of confectionary under many different sub-brand names such as Dairy Milk, Boost, Flake, and Time Out. All of these are sold under the product brand, but all feature the Cadburys brand name on the packaging. (Business Services, 2009). A strong brand is memorable, but people still need to be exposed to it, this often requires a lot of advertising and PR over a long period of time, which can be very costly. There are also costs involved with the creating of a brand image or logo (Paying for a designer, printing new letterheads/business cards etc.), and although most of these are only one off costs, they are still relatively large for most small businesses. The exposure of a brand can be left to word of mouth, this will save money, but will also greatly slow down the exposure that the brand receives. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). One of the main problems with many branded businesses is that they lose their personal image. The ability to deal on a personal basis with customers is one of the biggest advantages small business have, and poorly designed branding could give customers the impression that a business is losing its personal touch. (Business Services, 2009). Every brand has a certain image to potential customers, and part of that image is about what products or services a company sell. If a company is known for selling just one product and want to sell another product, will that company be able to do so effectively? If a company sell computers, would that brand name be suitable for selling vacuum cleaners? If a brand is focused too strongly on one product, it can limit the ability to sell other products. (Armstrong and Kotler, 2007). The process of creating a brand will usually take a long period of time. As well as creating a brand and updating your signs and equipment (e.g. stationary, vehicles etc), it need to expose to potential customers. It is commonly shown that people need to see an advert at least three times before they absorb it, which means that a company will need to advertise and promote the brand for a considerable amount of time before it will become well known. (Business Services, 2009). The continuing development of own-label brands can be largely attributed to ownership concentration in the retailing industry by multiples such as Tesco, Sainsburys and Asda. The two leading supermarkets, Tesco and Sainsburys have exploited this branding strategy to the extent that 50 percent of their sales are their own-label products. The supermarkets are committing considerable finances to their own-labels to increase their penetration. (Chaney, 2004). In marketing own-label brands the retailers have several advantages over manufacturer brands. Own-label brands can access the prime shelves as this space is controlled by the retailer. Manufacturer brands generally have to pay for the privilege of displaying and merchandising their goods. Furthermore, retailers, unlike the manufacturers, have knowledge of competitors sales figures and promotions. (Chaney, 2004). 2.5 Evaluate literature that relating to consumer behaviour According to Colla (2003), discount food retailing has experienced considerable expansion over the last ten years and currently occupies an important position in the European retail industry. According to Shine et al (1997), Consumers have become increasingly interested in nutritional issues over recent years. This interest in nutrition is fuelled by a number of factors including lifestyle, ageing population, dietary and safety concerns. The consumer is influenced by various sources of information such as the family/household, social network, â€Å"popular media†, and government dietary guidelines Shine et al (1997) also stated that majority of consumers consider diet to be a very important component of their lifestyles and regard nutrition as a positive attribute of food products. Increasing consumer interest in nutrition has led to an increased interest in nutrition labelling. Nutrition labelling was found to have an impact on consumer purchase decisions. Of those consumers who read nutritional labels, 81 per cent use them in their evaluation of food products. According to Baltas (2001), Nutrition labelling of food products has received considerable attention in the marketing literature due to increasing consumer interest in health and diet issues. He also stated, nutrition labelling of food products is intended to enable informed consumer choices and stimulate the consumption and production of healthful products. The effectiveness of nutrition labelling depends also on the organisation and presentation of the information, implying the importance of regulatory issues. Baltas (2001) stated that in the UK, more than 80 percent of surveyed individuals claim that they look at labels and that label information affects their purchase decision. Most consumers also use information on nutrition labels the first time they purchase a product and this then becomes a source of new knowledge they can draw on in subsequent purchases. Baltas (2001) also stated nutritional attributes are, of course, only a subset of objective and perceived characteristics such as price, taste and brand name determining consumer preferences. Their relative importance for the determination of consumption patterns may vary not only over people, but also across product categories and purchase occasions. According to Mintel, (Food Packaging UK, 2008) the most important consideration for consumers is that the packaging to compost is not always realistic. Mintel also stated, Four in five shoppers agreed that the food inside was not accurately depicted on the packaging. Nearly as many confirmed that it was sometimes hard to tell how much food was inside the packaging. (Mintel, Food Packaging UK, 2008). Shoppers at discounters; Morrisons and the Co-op found it harder to tell the quantity of food from the packaging it looks as though these supermarkets could be more accurate in their own-label packaging. Consumers should be able to take a good look at the food item they are buying to get an idea what it looks like and how much it contains. (Mintel, Food Packaging UK, 2008). According to Mintel (2006), significant differences are evident between the attitudes of men and women towards food packaging. Almost two thirds of women, compared to just over half of men, say that labelling is important when deciding what to buy. Womens role as the key grocery purchaser in many households has removed the need for men to study labels more carefully when choosing what to buy. However, growth of one-person households is expected to bring mens attitudes towards packaging more in line with those of women, as an increasing number of men take responsibility for doing their grocery shopping. According to Mintel Report (Food Packaging, 2006), â€Å"Consumer attention on the environmental impact of packaging is set to continue, with further debate anticipated on the sustainability of different packaging systems and the environmental impact of reuse, recycling and incineration. Biodegradable plastics are already emerging and a gradual wider acceptance of the concept is expected, while the pressure to engineer improved performance whilst utilising less material resources will continue to exercise packaging manufacturers†. According to Montgomery (2008), a study by the Co-operative Bank revealed that more than a third of people surveyed are making cuts in their weekly shopping spend. â€Å"Were typically spending  £68.33 per adult on the weekly supermarket shop, compared with an average of  £89.88 in 2007†. Montgomery stated that, its no surprise that the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Asda are feeling the pinch. (Montgomery, 2008). She also explain that the two key items to have dropped off our shopping lists are flowers and magazines, while next on the hit list is bottled water, expensive handwash and CDs, followed by wine, teeth whitening products, fabric conditioner, unsliced bread and nail polish. (Montgomery, 2008). Emma Thomas, from the Co-operative Bank, commented: People are being more conservative in their spending and are finding that cutting back on luxury items can help make a difference. Developing a household budget is essential to keep spending in check and to identify ways costs can be trimmed. (Montgomery, 2008). â€Å"Thanks to the credit crunch, the budget supermarket chains, such as Cost-cutter, Aldi and Lidl, have been transformed from the haunt of cash-strapped students to the savvy housewifes favourite†. (Montgomery, 2008). Montgomery (2008) stated that, sales at Cost-cutter (budget supermarket) have grown by 6.2% so far this year. Lidl came out as the cheapest supermarket after a recent survey carried out by â€Å"Which?† magazine. Montgomery (2008) explains that in a price comparison of a typical shopping basket, the publication found that Aldi was 3% more expensive, while Tesco was 21% more expens