Down and Out the Great Depression Letters From the Forgotten Man by Book Report/Review

Essays on Down and Out the Great Depression Letters From the Forgotten Man by McElvaine Book Report/Review The paper "Down and Out the Great Depression Letters From the Forgotten Man by McElvaine" is a wonderful example of a book review on history. In this extensive narrative, McElvaine introduces letters, pointing out their importance and some of the themes that come out of them. This is done by preserving their original grammar, spellings, capitalization, and syntax. The book is a great tale of how forgotten men, children, and women used letters to express their suffering in one of the greatest times of hard life in America (McElvaine, 58). Going through approximately 15, 000 letters from possible sources in both the public and private sectors, Robert McElvaine tries his best to show the thoughts, the social problems, and emotions experienced by a common citizen in the critical times of the Great Depression.   In a synopsis, the book captures the everyday anguish of citizens in the thirties. McElvaine introduces to the historians, the circumstances under which people lived during the great disaster. The main argument of the author can be rationally observed that the Great Depression was the greatest ever economic crisis; a major personal event in the lives of millions of American citizens. In his view, McElvaine depicts that as opposed to popular belief, most of the individuals who suffered the depression were not merely passive victims ever recorded in history, but they were actors, producers, directors, and playwrights of the same (McElvaine, 80). All this according to the author were for the objective of taking an active role in attempting to deal with light and most significantly, get a solution to their problems. In conclusion, the author argues that World War II was the single extremely vital event that shaped and directed subsequent developments in the entire 20th century. However, there is no comparable event that shaped the world in the 1930s or that which influenced occurrences that led to WWII than the global Great Depression.

New Ideas Into Extended Essay Economics Topics Never Before Revealed

New Ideas Into Extended Essay Economics Topics Never Before Revealed The cost of an essay is dependent upon the total amount of effort the writer has to exert. Make it uniquely instead to demonstrate you've a comprehensive comprehension of your topic and subject. In addition, a customer may ask the writer to submit part of the job for review and, if needed, ask them to make corrections. Start looking for the corresponding details on the world wide web to practice writing. Once you pick a topic and approve it, you'll need to begin working on your writing. The perfect way to discover the structure that works for your style of writing is to check through some exemplary extended essay examples. The language ought to be mostly your own. Don't use idiomatic language. What You Should Do to Find Out About Extended Essay Economics Topics Before You're Left Behind Inside my opinion, an essay with a very good variety of primary data that is checked against other secondary research is a superb approach. Whether there are only two books that have any connection to your topic, it could be too narrow. While the conventional research involves using the scholarly editions, there's a range of different materials that could promote an excellent extended essay. The actual individuals highly praise our essay help site. Thousands of students trust in our capacity to supply top notch economics extended essays on a broad selection of topics. Get ready to manage th e exam! Don't hesitate placing your order having the most advanced and dependable IB economics essay help service online. It's also wise to state (in clear terms), the principal objective of your writing, in addition to the reach of the study. Now you're ready to make your research question. If your instructor or professor would like you to stick to a particular style and tackle a specific subject in your paper, then you cannot ignore to achieve that. Taking economics extended course requires you to have a deeper comprehension of economics. Up in Arms About Extended Essay Economics Topics? Therefore, if there's any reason why you cannot have your extended essay written on time yourself, all you have to do is place your order on our site, and leave the rest to us! As it's limited to 4,000 words, you should narrow the range of your research to a specific part of history, covering a brief time. There are only a few moments in your writing process that may make a huge difference. If you are experiencing a rough time deciding on the best topic for your essay, then you should think about these ideas. Extended Essay Economics Topics Explained Failure to obey the set IB economics essay standards may lead to a fail or an extremely bad grade. Thinking up an acceptable question is all about 25% of the entire battle. Students often feel frustrated by the several characteristics of the Extended Essay but there are several helpful resources they could check. They need to work through the list to ensure they have completed the essential parts of the Extended Essay. Choosing Good Extended Essay Economics Topics You should come up with your question in accordance with your subject and the chief theme. You ought to be asking one relatively straightforward question. Before you become carried away your topic you must carefully consider how you might collect information to respond to your question. If you're really stuck trying to discover a not too broad or narrow topic, I would advise attempting to brainstorm a topic that employs a comparison. The One Thing to Do for Extended Essa y Economics Topics Based on the sort of the paper, the lengthy essay is going to have a particular structure, so there's no universal form to it. You should remember a protracted essay format demands an article of 4000 words. In this way, you're going to learn how much words to include in every paragraph, and you'll avoid writing an excessive amount of text. Use standard few paragraphs for this sort of essay. There is an extensive array of definition essay ideas a student could utilize to compose an essay about. Whether you are searching for IB economics extended essay sample or elongated essay economics topics to have you started, you've come to the correct website. Draw lines between the subject and subtopics. Be that as it could, the topic for your essay is a crucial thing that has to be chosen carefully and with higher precision. The essay has to be investigating something. Finally, it will be submitted to IBO, where it will be checked and assessed. You won't be able to crank out a 4,000-word essay in a week and receive an A. Some schools will provide you with a timeline of when you have to think of a topic, when you want to meet up with your advisor and when certain drafts are due. It makes an IB extended essay stick out from the remainder of the academic assignments. Although some students have zero idea how to compose an IB extended essay, everyone is able to learn how to do it. High school students who complete the programme receive a chance to produce their college application appear more attractive for the committee, and obtain some distinctive interdisciplinary understanding. Extended Essay Economics Topics - Overview The maximum level in a few of these categories are l ess difficult to attain than others. There may be areas where it is possible to observe behaviour and look to responses that are irrational. For example every student should attain the maximum level in each one of the subsequent. The subsequent 4 tests will allow you to make certain your RQ is top notch.

Yizhou Feng free essay sample

The case is about Porsche using cash-settled options to obtain control of Volkswagen silently and TCI and 3G using TRS to get control over ownership of CSX to initiate a meeting of changing the board members of CSX. In this report, I will detailed analysis how they processed their strategy using equity derivatives and what was the result. I will further discuss whether it is good thing to have CEO involved in equity derivative trading and whether the disclosure requirement should be mandatory for equity derivatives. Porsche and Volkswagen Case Background The main players in this case are Porsche and Volkswagen, which had a very long and interwoven history back in 1931. The famous VW Beetle was created by Ferdinand Porsche in 1931, who was also the founder of the luxury car manufacturer Porsche and the grandfather to the board chairmen of both Porsche and Volkswagen. Around 2000, the political environment for foreign investors, who had held more than 5000 German firms, changed a lot due to German politicians vilifying them and clamouring for more domestic ownership. Following this political pursuit, in 2005, to support a German Solution to the takeover dilemma and to match the 20% ownership held by the state of Lower Saxony, Wendelin Wiedeking, the CEO of Porsche, announced the intention of the company to purchase 20 percent of Volkswagen stock. In 2007, the company increased the holding to 30 percent, which gave a positive signal to German legislators to put pressure on Porsche to continue the buying action. Porsche said no in response surprisingly. However, in a less than a year, the board backed its CEOs decision to increase its position in ownership of Volkswagen to 50%, and soon after this the company again denied rumours saying it will buy up to 75% of shares. This happened between March and October, and finished the prologue of this story, when the closed price for Volksawagen was â‚ ¬211. The main chapter begun exactly on October 26, Porsches board disclosed that it held 42. 6 percent of Volkswagen shares along with cash-settled options accounting for 31. 5 percent of the company. This was really bombshell in the market, since only 5. 9 percent of shares can be used as offset by those short-sellers. As a result, Volkswagens share price increased as five times as it was in two days and this costed billions of loss to those who betted against Volkswagens stock. (See Exhibit 3 in Appendix) Analysis and Conclusion Cash-settled options are option contracts in which settlement is completed by paying cash equal to the difference between the market value and the strike price of the underlying asset at the maturity or expiration. Comparing to physically settled options, the actual physical delivery of underlying assets is not required. In this case, Porsche entered into a call spread option, which gave Porsche the right to receive a payment of cash for the difference between the lower strike price and the actual market value on the earlier of the date of exercise or maturity if the stock price increased. However, this cash payment is limited by a predetermined higher strike price and therefore, the higher the cap, the more this option costs. Moreover, Porsche can alternatively requested its investment banking counterparty deliver the shares of Volkswagen based on the value of payment Porsche could received. (See Exhibit 5 and 6 in Appendix) The increase of Volkswagens share was due to the fact that there were few shares remained in the market available for short-sellers to hedge their short position. This situation is called short squeeze, which implies when a heavily shorted stocks price will increase rapidly or has few remained in the market. In this situation, short-sellers must buy the underlying stock to close their short position and thus give upward pressure to the underlying stock. According to the case, it is obvious that Volkswagens equity was heavily shorted since many hedge funds including Greenlight Capital, SAC Capital, Glenview Capital, Tiger Asia, and Perry Capital betted against Volkswagens equity prior to the release of the option news. The way those hedge funds used to bet was pairing trading, which was a portfolio of long position in preferred shares of Volkswagen and short position in ordinary shares of Volkswagen, or alternatively, a portfolio of long  position in Porsche common stock and short position in Volkswagens common stock. Whatever approaches they used, the mind behind this kind of hedging was that they did not believe Volkswagens equity will appreciate, in contrast, they strongly thought a bearish market was await for Volkswagens shares. In this case ,the demand of Volkswagens share far exc eeded the supply of its shares (only 5. 9%), forcing investors in short position to buy Volkswagens share even when they knew that the purchase would increase the price ulteriorly. The cash-settled option Porsche purchased played a most important role in the fivefold increase of Volkswagens share. Back in early 2005, Porsche had already started buying cash-settled options on Volkswagens stock at a market value of â‚ ¬100. Along with the fact that German law did not require an investor to disclose ownership of any size holding of cash-settled options, Porsche was able to hold a large stake of shares of Volkswagen without making any noise to the rest of the market. When the share price of Volkswagen reached â‚ ¬211, Porsche already held options accounting for 31. 5% of the companys share silently. With the sudden release of this news, the short-sellers were dropped in situation called short squeeze, thus the announcement provoked a sour of Volkswagens share price. The success Porsches board made of obtaining control of Volkswagen was undeniable and legendary. But whether the involvement of CEO in trading derivatives made sense worth to be discussed. Even though the success can not be denied, the potential risk of this strategy was not small. Apparently, Porsche never bothered to stop taking control over Volkswagen since 2005. It already began to purchase cash-settled options since 2005 and despite of whether they were going to accounting those options to shares, they at least had the alternative to do so. However, the option was used to bet the market for Volkswagens share was going to be bullish and once the market was going bearish, millions of Eurodollars could be swiped out. Moreover, the information that they bough those options may be whistled out by counterparties and alerted the rest of market including Volkswagen. After all, the risk they took finally paid off by taking control over Volkswagen. The involvement of CEO in this case, in my opinion, was not unreasonable. Taking over control of a firm can be considered a company strategy and thus the leadership and scope guideline provided by CEO would be very important. Also, using derivative to obtain ownership is not like using it off-set risk: once it failed, it would mean a failure of strategy, which could lead to resign of CEO. Finally, the CEO can understand better if he led the operation of this strategy and could provide flexibility to the implementation of this take over strategy. However, normally, derivatives, especially equity derivatives, are not used for the purpose of silently taking control, while they normally used for risk set-off, which is really a responsibility should be undertaken by CFO, instead of CEO. So, commonly, CEO involvement in derivative trading was not a good idea. CSX, TCI and 3G case Background CSX was the result of Chessies 1980 merger with seaboard Coast Line Industries and it delivered about 1. 9 million carloads of coal, coke, and iron ore to electric utilities and manufacturers in 2007. It owned approximately 21000 route-mile rail network. The CEO of CSX was Michael Ward who was widely admitted as an innovator and leader in the transport industry. He delivered returns far exceeding the SP during the five years prior to the GFC. Christopher Hohn, was the founder of TCI hedge fund with $1 billion initially under management. The strategy TIC undertook was to take pubic stances against management at companies. This strategy went success in German in 2005 but failed in 2007 in Japan and lost $127. 3 million. In 2006, TCI s returns reached 40 percent and won itself a top award form EuroHedge, when the SP Hedge Fund Index rose just 3. 9 percent. 3G Capital was founded in 2004 with a firm-wide objective: to invest in good business, run by good management, and available at a good price. TCI and 3G actively called for change at CSX, pushing for the railroad to improve performance by changing senior management, including separating the cahirman and CEO, both held by Michael in the end of 2007. In 2008, CSX wrote to TIC said the change they wanted was not for the good of railroad industry but for their own good of taking control of the company and only after a written request from shareholders representing more than 15 percent of its voting power was received by the company, a special meeting can be held. After this letter, a series of lawsuits was initiated (see Exhibit 1 in Appendix) before TCI and 3G using TRS to gain control power and finally a court ruled that TIC and 3G had been illegally plotting a bid for control of CSX without disclosing their intentions. However, eventually, a federal appeals judge ultimately granted TCI and 3G a total of four seats in the board, since it was prohibited from denying shareholders the right to vote for a new board of directors. Analysis and conclusion A TRS is a kind of equity derivatives named total return swaps. TRS are agreements in which one party makes interest payments based on a set rate-fixed or variable-while the other party makes payments based on the return of an underlying asset, which includes both the income it generates and any capital gains or losses. In this case TCI and 3G received total return on CSXs shares and paid an interest at LIBOR plus a spread on $2. 8 billion.( See Exhibit 2 in Appendix) With the use of TRS, what TCI and 3G received gave them a synthetic long position in the market risk of the reference asset, which gave the right to them claiming they got about 14 percent of ownership in CSX. The key benefit of TRS for TCI and 3G was that they gained equity exposure to CSX without actually owning the shares underlined TRS. The use of TRS to gain control power silently, however, violated Regulation 13D which requires stock ownership of greater than 5 percent must be disclosed. Al so, it was risky. If the payments of return on CSXs shares were too small, TCI and 3G would go to illiquidity with paying a lump of cash , since the return on CSXs shares was mainly from dividend and capital gains, both of which CSX could partially control. In both case, I do think the disclosure of synthetic shares should be absolute. Just like the court said, it only matters whether it is about ownership not whether it is a kind of equity derivatives. As long as the use of equity derivatives is for obtaining control over a company, the  disclosure should always be mandatory. However, if the derivatives are used for diversifying or off-setting risk, then the rules for derivatives can be applied. Moreover, I do think there should be more regulations on using equity derivatives to get control. Because we can see in the CSX case, even though TCI and 3G were ruled to illegally getting control, they grabbed four seats on the board eventually. It can not denied that both TIC and 3G and Porsche did a very good calculation, assuming the costs were far outweighed by benefit of their strategy. Appendix

The Apostle Paul Had Four Missionary Journeys. These Journeys Are Resp

The Apostle Paul had four missionary journeys. These journeys are responsible for the spread of Christianity and created many churches throughout countries of the Mediterranean. On his first journey, Barnabas, Saul, and Mark, church leaders, accompanied Paul travel to the island of Cyprus and parts of Asia Minor. Paul would preach the gospel and start many churches. His journey started in the city of Seleucia and concluded in Antioch of Syria. The first missionary journey was around the year of 46-48 AD. After separating with Barnabas from a disagreement they had, Paul chose Silas, a Christianity follower, to accompany him on his second missionary journey. They traveled north to Asia Minor. Their goal for this journey was not to start churches, but to encourage the existing churches to have strong faith in Christ. The young Timothy, another Christianity follower, joined Paul and Silas in Lystra. The Apostles journeyed to Macedonia, and in the city of Philippi, Paul and Silas were imprisoned. On Paul's third missionary journey, the apostle traveled to Ephesus and holds a revival at the church. In Ephesus, Paul preached to the people about the Holy Spirit. He also went to Macedonia to visit the troubled church in Corinth. This church had a problem about turning away from God. He stayed there for three months preaching and teaching the gospel. Paul's fourth voyage was to Rome and this voyage was about to fulfill God's plan. Since he was jailed in Jerusalem and Caesarea, the apostle appealed to Caesar and was sent to Rome. When he arrived at Rome, he would preach to the Roman guards from his imprisoned room and would also write several letters to the churches in Asia Minor. As years went by, he was set free and still preached the gospel to people, but didnt travel as much.

Free Essays on Boston Globe

The Boston Globe was founded in 1872 by a group of six Boston businessmen led by Eden Jordan Marsh, founder of Jordan Marsh retail stores. Together, the six men invested $150,000 to buy the paper. On March 4, 1872, the first issue of the Boston Globe was published and sold for four cents per paper. In 1873, the Boston Globe found itself in some financial difficulties, and Jordan brought in Charles H. Taylor as a temporary business manger to improve the paper’s financial health and stability. At only 27 years of age, Taylor was a Civil War veteran, staff member and printer of the Boston Traveler, and stringer for The New York Tribune. As a reward for Taylor’s success and loyalty for improving the once struggling newspaper, Jordan, who was the only remaining investor, gave Taylor the title of partner. Soon after being named as a partner, Charles H. Taylor was named president of the Boston Globe. When Taylor passed away in 1921, his son William O. Taylor took over h is father’s role as president. The current president of the Boston Globe is Benjamin B. Taylor, who is a cousin of William O. and great-grandson of Charles H. Taylor. For the last 125 years, the president of the newspaper has been a member of the Taylor family. After being solely a daily, morning paper, in 1877 the Boston Globe started a Sunday publication. Only one year later in 1878, the Boston Globe started distributing an afternoon paper called The Boston Evening Globe, which lasted 100 years and ended its publication in 1979. The Globe’s main hub of operations is located in Dorchester, a section of Boston. Dorchester has been its home since 1958, when it moved from â€Å"Newspaper Row† on Washington Street, which at the time was the street address of many of Boston’s Newspapers. After being a private company for its entire existence, The Boston Globe became a subsidiary of Affiliated Publications in 1973. On October 1, 1993, The Boston Globe and A... Free Essays on Boston Globe Free Essays on Boston Globe The Boston Globe was founded in 1872 by a group of six Boston businessmen led by Eden Jordan Marsh, founder of Jordan Marsh retail stores. Together, the six men invested $150,000 to buy the paper. On March 4, 1872, the first issue of the Boston Globe was published and sold for four cents per paper. In 1873, the Boston Globe found itself in some financial difficulties, and Jordan brought in Charles H. Taylor as a temporary business manger to improve the paper’s financial health and stability. At only 27 years of age, Taylor was a Civil War veteran, staff member and printer of the Boston Traveler, and stringer for The New York Tribune. As a reward for Taylor’s success and loyalty for improving the once struggling newspaper, Jordan, who was the only remaining investor, gave Taylor the title of partner. Soon after being named as a partner, Charles H. Taylor was named president of the Boston Globe. When Taylor passed away in 1921, his son William O. Taylor took over h is father’s role as president. The current president of the Boston Globe is Benjamin B. Taylor, who is a cousin of William O. and great-grandson of Charles H. Taylor. For the last 125 years, the president of the newspaper has been a member of the Taylor family. After being solely a daily, morning paper, in 1877 the Boston Globe started a Sunday publication. Only one year later in 1878, the Boston Globe started distributing an afternoon paper called The Boston Evening Globe, which lasted 100 years and ended its publication in 1979. The Globe’s main hub of operations is located in Dorchester, a section of Boston. Dorchester has been its home since 1958, when it moved from â€Å"Newspaper Row† on Washington Street, which at the time was the street address of many of Boston’s Newspapers. After being a private company for its entire existence, The Boston Globe became a subsidiary of Affiliated Publications in 1973. On October 1, 1993, The Boston Globe and A...

Top 9 Job Market Trends Youll See in 2017- TheJobNetwork

Top 9 Job Market Trends Youll See in 2017- TheJobNetwork There are a lot of variables going into any given year that might affect the job market or economic climate in general. In 2017, with new administrations, this is even more true. Fortunately, there are a few trends we already know we can expect for this year. 1. Candidate/Employee SatisfactionAfter facing a lot of bad press for subpar candidate experience and employee dissatisfaction, companies are now trying to boost their PR by proving that they have a constructive and better experience for applicants. Companies are also paying attention to employee loyalty and retention and how to boost those things. Data scientists are starting to pay attention to the HR process in general. This means it’s going to be a better environment for new hires and job seekers if these trends keep up.2. AutomationThis has been a worry for years, but it seems only to be trending more and more. Blue collar jobs in manual labor and manufacturing have long been impacted, and that impact will only grow. But tech jobs and other white collar opportunities are likely to shrink, as analytic tools are becoming more automated as computers get smarter. If you’re in a job likely to be replaced by automation, start figuring out how to tweak or transition now while you’re not up against any walls.3. Awareness of Gendered PayCompanies are finally starting to pay attention to the fact that women are paid consistently less for doing the same work. Employers will hopefully start taking action in 2017 to correct this pay gap.4. Goodbye GigsThe so-called gig economy isn’t going to be so dominant. (And, in fact, only about 4.3% of the population makes money from platforms like Uber, Airbnb, etc.) Jobs are prizing creativity, judgment, personal skills, and critical thinking- all things that require working as a team and don’t allow for as much location or schedule flexibility.5. A Decrease in  BenefitsFewer and fewer companies are offering benefits- let alone the flash y packages of Cadillac perks. Say goodbye to free food, gym passes, game pods, on-site acupuncture, even paid leave. If you can get a pension and health care, you’ll be doing really well.6. The Rise of FreelanceMore and more, the â€Å"blended† workforce will become a dominant thing, with teams being built of long-term and freelance employees. Offices will hire on-demand to get out of offering benefits or to handle short-term projects on a case by case basis. As much as 40% of the workforce might be freelance in the coming year.7. Constant ReviewThe concept of the â€Å"annual review† is on the wane. Expect to be evaluated more casually, more often, and without the usual warning/on-boarding.8. Emphasis on â€Å"The Team†The concept of the team will reign supreme, and might even be more important than individual performance. Companies will start to restructure, making teams a huge priority, and focusing on â€Å"organizational design.†9. Casual Cult ureCasual Fridays attire might become the norm. Fewer and fewer jobs are requiring employees to show up in suits and ties these days. Company cultures are becoming a bit more open, with shared workspace and lax dress codes. Don’t let this affect your performance though; that should never be casual!

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Essay

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - Essay Example The patient is then asked to identify a desired positive thought, such as "I am a worthwhile person," this positive thought is rated against the negative thought on a scale of 1-7, with 1 being "Completely false" and 7 being "Completely true." This method helps create a goal for treatment. The patient then combines the visual image of the trauma with the negative belief, generally evoking strong feelings, which are then rated on the Subjective Unit of Disturbance (SUD) scale. While focusing on the combination of the traumatic image and negative thought, the patient watches the therapist move his hand in a particular pattern causing the patient's eyes to move involuntarily. Blinking lights are sometimes substituted for hand movements, likewise hand tapping and auditory tones may be used instead of eye movements. After each set of eye movements the patient is asked to clear their mind and relax. This may be repeated several times during a session. Step No. 4: This step of treatment involves desensitization to the negative thoughts and images. The patient is instructed to focus on the visual image of the trauma, the negative belief he/she has of self, and the bodily sensations caused by the anxiety, while at the same time following the therapist's moving finger with their eyes.

The Historical Developments in the United States that Presented New Essay

The Historical Developments in the United States that Presented New Opportunities for Women in Society - Essay Example The industrial revolution One of the most significant contributions of the industrial revolution at the end of the nineteenth century is the rise of the status of women. Women during this period were preferred by factory owners because they could be easily employed, they could be underpaid and could be required to work longer hours. This situation divided the home and workplace. Often times, women were found to be competing with jobs in the factories which were originally male dominated. The way of life of women began to change with the introduction of technologies and the coming of the consumer society. According to, Butler Chris,(2007) women found plenty of time to stay home and be associated with â€Å"housewife role†. Women used their extra time to be related in social and political issues. At first they started participating with church activities who also discussed same issues. A middle class society eventually emerged wherein women spent more time at home and did more s pending. In time they were considered as an important aspect of the emerging society during the half of the nineteenth century (Butler, Chris). Thus, at this time the rise of women’s status began and then the isolation of women ends. The rising status of women in education The rising status of women led to other opportunities. More women were seen in the workplaces, and were encouraged to pursue secondary and college course. By the end of the 19th century, the number of women students greatly increased. According to Women’s International Center (WIC), in 1870, an estimated one fifth of resident college and university students were women and by 1900, this proportion had increased to more than one third. The figure obtained in WIC states that at the beginning of the 20th century women had: obtained l9 percent of all undergraduate college degrees, and by 1984, this figure increased to 49 percent. Women also increased their numbers in graduate study, by mid l980, women wer e earning 49 percent of all masters degrees and about 33percent of all doctoral degrees. In l985, about 53 percent of all college students were women. (WIC) As such, many courses became female dominated like nurses, teachers and secretaries. As women began to be accepted in society, many of them took casual dancing and sports. Their rising status allowed them to participate in sports like crocheting, biking and horseback riding. Even the clothing of women at the twentieth century was less confining. (Butler, Chris). In recent events, women became more daring, as they take part in swimming, tennis and other athletic fields. We even see women boxers and other extreme sports. Important women in history The end of women’s isolation allowed them to become more visible in the society. It had encouraged women to participate in politics, and to organize reforms movements. In the 18th and 19th century, the way women were treated gradually changed. For instance, the achievements of Eli zabeth of England in the 18th century, Catherine the Great of Russia in 18th century and Queen Victoria of England in the 19th century have been properly noted and recognized, WIC said. From

The Causes of the War of 1812 Essay Example for Free

The Causes of the War of 1812 Essay What is thought to be a main cause of a war? Territory and religion are big causes of the wars today. The war of 1812 was when war broke out again between the United States and Britain. There are three main causes that led to the war of 1812, Impressment, the British Incitement with the Indians, and the war hawks. Although there may be other factors that one may say caused the war, these topics are the major causes, and are what impacted America. In this essay I will explain the causes in detail and provide you with a greater understanding of the causes of the war of 1812. The issue of impressment and the interference of trade are both what caused the war of 1812.One of the main issues between the United States and Britain was because of blockades that were used to seal up Britain’s ports and prevent ships from entering or leaving. Because of the blockade Britain seized more than 1,000 American ships and confiscated their cargo. Also the embargo act affected the trade between the two countries, because it put a ban on exporting products to other countries. The US thought this act would make the British honor American neutrality, but it actually backfired and hurt the US more than it did to Britain. The ban was lifted on foreign trade in 1809, except with Britain and France. Impressment was the practice of seizing US ships and drafting them into the British navy. America focused their anger on the British because of impressment. The British viewed impressment as a gain for their navy, they needed more man power to fight in war. America was angry the practice of impressment, and they feared if they lost they would lose independence. The irony of the issue of impressment as a cause for the war was, that two days before we went to Britain, they lifted the British policy of impressment but it was no longer an issue. Another cause of the war of 1812 was the British incitement with the Indians. Tecumseh was the Shawnee chief who formed a confederacy and began negotiations with Britain for assistance in defeating America, and continuing to press Hamilton and his white settler to withdraw from the Native American land that Tecumseh wanted all to himself. The British were providing the Indians with weapons because they had an alliance and they both wanted to create a war with America because of the trade issues that went on beforehand. The Indians were taking the weapons from the British because they needed an additional support in order to gain the land they wanted. Because the British were supplying Indians with weapons the Americans felt under attack. The last cause of the war of 1812 was the group known as the war hawks. The war hawks were a group of young congress men from the south and the west of the united states. They called for war against Britain, because they found out that the Native Americans were being supplied with weapons from the British. They thought it was unfair because they were being pushed to withdraw from their land and to hand it over to the natives, but the natives were allied with Britain and had a larger army and more weapons, and it gave them a greater advantage. The US military was unprepared before the war began; they were not as strong and equipped as the British were. In conclusion the main causes of the war of 1812 were impressment, the British incitement with the Indians, and the war hawks. The British policy of impressment caused anger to arise in America, because of the seizing of their ships. As in letter from the commander of the U.S.S. Chesapeake stated â€Å"at 150 yards range they fired their first broadside. It came without warning†¦ nor were we prepared to fight†, the British took advantage of the US because they were unprepared, and the British were confident and well equipped. The British incitement of the Indians also caused great tension in America. The Indians were being armed with British guns, and they used them to attack the US and gain land. The war hawks caused the war of 1812 because they were infuriated that the native Americans were using weapons from Britain, and they were aided with help.

Juvenile Crime Rates :: essays research papers

Juvenile delinquency is a complex social problem that significantly impacts all members and processes of a social structure. Delinquency refers to a set of behaviors that are not in line with the collective practices and/or ethics of the dominant social group. Essentially, these behaviors deviate from societal norms and more specifically they violate established criminal codes and laws. Juvenile delinquency incorporates not only general criminal activity but conduct that is only unlawful for youths such as running away from home and skipping school. Current research into this difficult and pressing issue reflects a vast range of theories about, and predictors of delinquency as well as a multitude of strategies to control and reduce overall delinquency. The consensus among practitioners and researchers however maintains that juvenile delinquency is a dynamic, multifaceted problem with numerous potentially causal factors. Subsequently, investigators and professionals suggest that treatment procedures must focus on not only the immediate issue of the offender’s deviant behavior but on every element within the context of that behavior as well, including for example, family relations and social support services/networks. Conventional practice has long associated early preventive measures with positive delinquency reduction results. In particular, timely recognition of at-risk youth and correction of ineffective or minimally effective parenting techniques are critical to the prevention of future delinquency (Lundman, 1993). Numerous risk factors have been identified as indicators or predictors of juvenile delinquency and those factors represent dysfunction at several levels, specifically within the structure of the offender’s family. Some of these factors include conflict within the family, a lack of adequate supervision and/or rules, a distinct lack of parent-child attachment, instability, poor home life quality, parental expectations, out-of-home placements and inconsistent discipline (Shumaker, 1997). Social service professionals who frequently come into contact with children must be especially vigilant in order to detect the presence of any of the possibly contributory conditions mentioned above and to refer families to appropriate sources of assistance as early as possible. Generally speaking, the relationship between family conflict and delinquency is significant. There are many types of family conflict but the absence of communication and the inability to solve problems are two of the most fundamental forms relative to future delinquency. The nature of these conflicts is cyclical in that communication and problem-solving breakdowns increase the incidences of delinquency which in turn increase the stress and conflict levels within the family leading to more instances of deviant behavior (Smith & Stern, 1997).

Art & Literature Have No Place in the Modern World Essay

Creating and expressing ones’ self through various media, such as art and literature, has been a desire of mankind since the beginning of time. Art form and literature has been used to express mankind’s deepest observations, most profound thinking and firmest beliefs; it encompasses many genres such as paintings,drama, poetry and novels. While both the physical arts and literature are a form of self-expression, each also represents a profession. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become. This adage is perhaps the most appropriate description of the importance of literature in our lives. As Amy Lowell quotes, ’Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in. ’ When we look around us, we see a lot of things that relate to art.. , contain art.. , are art.. and shows art.. Art is everywhere because people need to use it for daily uses. Art can come in the form of many things, including posters, murals, portraits, covers, paintings and more. This is enough to show how art and literature are blended into our lives. Music, paintings, sculptures, epics, fictions, movies, stories†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. and so on and so forth are all a part of us. Is there a home in this modern world without a painting on the wall or a deck which doesn’t hum their favourite tune or a rack with Fredrick Forsyth or James Hadley Chase novels? Even a child of this generation has his ears plugged all the time either listening to a soulful raga or a foot tapping Michael Jackson and reading either a religious book or a comic or an encyclopedia†¦. this is the common usage of art and literature. Art can also be used to liven up things in this world. It may not have a specific idea or meaning but it can be used to make things look better and more complete. When you write a project, it looks dull just with words, but when you add a picture or two to it, it looks much better because now there is visual aid. Art is found everywhere, including parks, school, malls,homes†¦ and is used just to make the place more comfortable and appealing to the eye. It can sometimes act as filler because it looks better than to just leave something on its own. It is through reading great literary and poetic works, that one understands life. They help a person take a closer look at the different facets of life. In many ways, it can change one’s perspective towards life. Lives of brilliant achievers and individuals who have made a valuable contribution to society, are sketched in their biographies. These works give the readers an insight into the lives of these eminent people and sometimes help people change for the good. Friends, don’t you agree that Art and literature are great tools for learning. They can be found almost everywhere where there is a school. They are important because of what they can be used for. It is fun and acts as an interactive tool for learners who learn to appreciate art and literature for what it can do for them. In the process, people can learn a lot. Sometimes, art and writing go hand in hand. Art and literature serves as an enormous information base. Many people depend on art and literature. People who draw and write are not the only people who use and make money out of it. People who are book publishers, magazine editors, newspaper people, painters, actors all need to use art to supplement their work. Art and literature are used by some people directly andsome indirectly. People can choose to make a profession out of this because it is fun for them; it is something that they like to do, and more. Hence I strongly believe that we had art and literature in our blood since ages and is still used and appreciated by us in different forms in the modern world. There is not even a single person in this room who doesn’t love music or reading!

Motorcycle and Honda

TUTORIAL PREPARATION INTERNATIONAL MARKETING (MKT 343) 1. How can companies learn from Honda’s investment in the Indian market? Honda had showed a great way to invest in the Indian market as in they choose to generate a new model in vehicle aspect. During that time, Honda arrived at the right time because the country is under low vehicle-penetration rate and the country expects vehicle production will increase by 9% annually to 2011. Before Honda starts its business over the country, they choose Hero as their business partner because Honda realised the potential by finding synergies between the two firms which is Honda and Hero.Both combine as a partnership and invented a motorcycle. Other than that, Honda utilise the experience and market knowledge to understand the country needs and produce according to their demand because selling motorcycle in India is extremely profitable business. After succeed two-wheeler motor vehicle manufacturer in the world, Honda continue to take o pportunity to establish another Honda giant, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd (HSCL). Then they enrich Indian users lifestyle by forming Honda R&D (India) (HRID) Pty Ltd. Thus, Honda had adapted the country’s lifestyle which helps them to achieve the demand of people in India. . Honda and Hero – what made them such a great partnership? Honda had chosen Hero which creates a great partnership between them. Hero was built in the network of independent bicycle dealers which had already established one of India’s leading bicycle brands meanwhile Honda had been waiting for years to sell motorcycles I India because the country’s motorcycle business is extremely profitable. Then Honda realised the potential between this two firm where they had shared a similar operating disciplines and the potential of converting Hero’s large network of bicycle dealers to motorcycle dealers.Hero Honda successful show as the largest two-wheeler motor vehicle manufacturer in the wo rld and in India its annual sales volume is over three million motorcycles. 3. Imagine yourself as CEO of Honda in the Asia Pacific region. Would you choose India or China to establish a new manufacturing plant for producing cars and two-wheelers? I would choose India to establish a new manufacturing plant for producing cars and two-wheelers. The reason I choose India is because of few factors.First, the production cost in India is low compare to production cost in China because India is not a large country and less manufacturer around but China got higher potential to increase their production. Next, there is less competitors in India during the year 1980s due to the reason where many had failed before to enter a new market in that country. The reason why I don’t choose China is because the citizens in China are united. They would rather support local product more than foreign product because the government wanted to protect their country’s domestic.In the 1980s, fore ign automakers were allow to form joint ventures in China but the foreign ownership limited to 50% only meanwhile another 50% must own by Chinese. Other than that, China government wanted to develop a car industry quickly thus they learn from the foreign companies how to make cars while maintaining control of the car industry. In this point, it shows clearly that China wants most of the ownership by themselves and foreigner instead of earning more profit; their techniques have to be taught to others which will cause their own production to decrease after years.

The British Colonies essays

The British Colonies essays The British Colonies to America Today In 1588, the British victory over Spain Armada gave them the craving to colonize lands in the New World. Many failures led to the success of the British colonies. An example of a failed colony was the first settlement. Roanoke Island founded by Sir Walter Raleigh disappeared into the wilderness and left the British as disappointed failures at colonizing the new lands. Finally on May 24, 1607 Jamestown was discovered and became the first successful settlement. After this historical discovery, the years of 1607 to 1733 shaped America to what it is today. Plantation crops of the early colonies were very important to the motherland of England. Tobacco plantations were in North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. And the rice plantations were in the swampy hot land of South Carolina. These plantations brought a high income to the European economy. The plantations of the southern colonies brought aristocratic atmospheres. The aristocrats supported the large lands of plantations to be the agricultural environment. Discovering the soil of the colonies saved them from the cold winters and from starvation. Some of the Europeans came from Europe to the colonies in the New World for religious freedom. Lord Baltimore founded Maryland to provide a home for his fellow worshipers of the Roman Catholic Religion. Lord Baltimore came from Protestant England to escape the persecution of the Roman Catholics. This led to the Act of Tolerance in 1649. This gave tolerance to both the Catholics and Protestants of the Maryland Colony. This act of tolerance excluded the religions that did not believe in Jesus. The meaning of the plantations and religious freedom has a great meaning to America today. The crops that were grown in the big plantations are still grown today. Rice and tobacco help the economy in the world trade in our society. Now there are more crops grown, but the soil would be...

10 Ways to Impress a Science Fair Judge

10 Ways to Impress a Science Fair Judge How do you know if your science fair project has what it takes to win an award at the science fair? Here are 10 ways you can impress the science fair judge and take the prize. Make a genuine scientific breakthrough or invent something new. Judges admire creativity and genuine innovation. You dont need to cure cancer, but you should try to look at something in a novel way or devise a new procedure or product.Draw valid conclusions from your data. The best project idea will fail if you dont interpret your data correctly.Find a real-world application for your project. Pure research is commendable, but there is almost always a potential use for the knowledge.Clearly explain your purpose, how the science fair project was conducted, your results, and your conclusions. Make sure you understand your science fair project and that you can explain it clearly to the science fair judge. Practice describing your project to friends, family, or in front of the mirror.Understand the background material related to the project. This can be through interviews, library research, or any other method that allows you to gather information not already known to you. Science fair ju dges want you to learn from your project, so go looking for facts and studies relating to your idea. Design a clever or elegant apparatus for your project. The paperclip isnt complex, which is part of why it is such a great invention.Use analytical methods to process your data (such as a statistical analysis).Repeat your experiment to verify your results. In some cases, this can take the form of multiple trials.Have a poster that is neat, clear, and free of errors. Its fine to seek help with this part of the project.Use the scientific method. Combine background research with experimentation and analysis.

Topic 7-1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Topic 7-1 - Essay Example Individuals are given an exercise in which they complete self-assessment forms and provide information on skills, competencies, attitudes, and interests. Career planning workshops form the next component of career development programs. These allow individual to share their self-assessment results with supervisors and colleagues hence get feedback from others and evaluate if their own plans are realistic. Individual counselling is the other crucial component. This element of the programs help individual employees in understanding their personal objectives, making changes where necessary and working to improve important skills and competencies. A very important component in career development programs involves organisational assessment programs. These are important in evaluating the potential of employees to grow in the organisation. Developmental programs on the other hand help organisations in developing their employees to hold future positions that may arise within. Job rotation, organisational trainings, seminars, mentorship and tuition refunds are some of the techniques used in developmental

Harmful Effects of Anti-Shia Discrimination Assignment

Harmful Effects of Anti-Shia Discrimination - Assignment Example The most agreed upon cause for the prejudice can be traced to the dispute that arose after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, which led to a split among the Muslim community into two fundamental sects: the Shi’a and the Sunnis. The Sunnis also referred to as the followers of the way, decided on following the caliphate maintaining that any Muslim, who is devout in the eyes of his peers, has the potential of being a successor of the Prophet. However, the Shi’a believe that only a person who is elected by Allah can succeed the Prophet after the Prophet has declared him his successor, deciding on Imam Ali as their religious authority. Following this split, the Sunni Muslims have over the centuries perceived their rival sect as a threat to their religious authority, and politically as well. Sunni leaders, especially under the Umayyad, began a systematic marginalization of the Shi’a, who formed a minority of the Muslim community, while the Abbasids also turned on the S hi’a, killing, persecuting, and imprisoning them (Walker 18). The Shi’a community to this day remains marginalized and persecuted sect in the majority of Muslim states. This discrimination has harmed the Shi’a by ensuring that they are less educated than Sunnis, cannot practice their religion, and cannot get work in their countries. Discrimination against the Shi’a has led to their inability to practice their religion, which has caused resentment towards their Sunni counterparts, as they are denied their right to worship. For example, Chehab in Sunni vs. Shia: All You Need to Know claims that â€Å"Jordanian tribes have banned Shi’as from paying homage at the historical grave site of a prominent Shi’a imam† (13).  This led to protests in which over fifty Shi’a members either were killed or went missing. The Shi’a Muslims are also disallowed to access religious centers such as mosques, forcing them to perform their pray ers on Friday in their houses (Chehab 13). This means that Shi’a Muslims, despite being part of the broader Islam family, are second-class religious citizens in most Muslim dominated countries. They are treated no differently than Christians, who are discriminated against in the same way and might as well be without religion. This has all the hallmarks of an irreversible religious war if unchecked. In addition, all able-bodied Muslims are required to visit Mecca at least once in their lifetime, which is one of Islam’s five pillars, to perform the Hajj. Although this event is supposed to count as one of the most intense religious times in the Muslim calendar, a group of Shi’as who were on a pilgrimage was arrested in 2009 by the Saudi religious police. This was part of Sunni Muslims,’ particularly the Wahhabi sect’s, aim to â€Å"purify Islam of any innovations or practices that deviate from the seventh-century teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions† (Giritlioglu 1). The incident resulted in one of the pilgrims, a fifteen-year-old boy, being shot in the head and chest, while a Shi’a sheik was knifed by an unknown person in the back for being what he termed as a rejectionist. Allowed to continue, such actions can only lead to reprisal attacks in Shi’a majority countries, resulting in a never-ending cycle of violence.

Philosophy of Social Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy of Social Science - Essay Example (Gordon, 3) The considering of this second aspect engendered by social science, connects it to ethics, to the study of values. Dealing with the concept of "philosophy of social science", the same author defines it as "the study of how we are able to know whether our notions or theories about empirical phenomena are true or false." (3) Another definition is that the philosophy of social science is the study of the logic and the methods of social sciences. This second definition appears in the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. According to the same source the problems it deals with are those connected to answering questions like: "What are the criteria of a good social explanation", "How are the social sciences distinct from the natural sciences", "Is there a distinct method for social research", "Through what sorts of empirical procedures are social science assertions to be evaluated", "Are there irreducible social laws", "Are there causal relations among social phenomena", "Do social facts and regularities require some form of reduction to facts and regularities involving only the properties and actions o f individuals" One of the problems the philosophy of social science is concerned with is that regarding methodology... dividuals having to conform to a model or pattern offered by society, nowadays conceptions emphasize on the importance of respecting one's individuality, conception based on the idea that all human beings are free to choose their own and personal way of life. As a consequence of individualization, a new method of social science research appeared: the biographical method.Extensively discussed in The Turn to Biographical Methods in Social Science: Comparative Issues and Examples, the biographical method is new to the field of the social science methodology. The explanation the authors give in regard to the fact that social science researchers rejected this method until recently, lies in the fact that "modeling themselves on the natural scientists", they "set out to construct models of body and mind which described uniformities and regularities, and which enabled human behavior to be understood "objectively", that is in terms of its abstracted common attributes" (Chamberlayne, Bornat an d Wengraf, 36). The authors mention the fact that, although biography is commonly regarded today as a written work, it is, in fact, a production of face to face oral communication. The definition provided by the same researchers connects it to the social integration aspect: "The work of orienting the temporal process of the individual's life and of social change." (115) Through biography, meaning by telling their life, people integrate themselves in a context and realize that they belong to a structure, they reconstruct themselves. The biographical method was attacked, researchers warning about its inadequacy and supporting their position by two main reasons: the possibility of having to do with what was called "a neurotic narrator", or a person who invents the facts presented as

Components and Features of Central Locking System

Components and Features of Central Locking System Central locking The main function of the central locking system is controlling access authorization at all times but it also must cover the following areas: actuation of opening handles or lifting, braking and locking the doors during closing operation. The central locking system includes following components: -locking bars on the body pillars, -doors, door lock mechanism and dedicated mechanical and electrical parts, -electrical components required to access authorization facility and radio remote control. Depending on their location further dividing being made: -side door assembly, -trunk assembly, -hood assembly, Illustration 1: Central locking system schematic Door assembly consists of catch, pawl and latch. The door lock striker is attached to the body pillar. Under closing operation the door lock striker gets caught by the latch and hold in the closed position and centres the door. The pawl positively locks the catch in position. This lock condition is automatically aborted when opening procedures begin. For this process the forces acting on inner or outer door handle are transferred to the pawl and cause the catch release to open the door. The door lock striker stays in the position while the catch swivels go into an open position. In a case of operation methods central locking system consists of two types of actuators: electromagnetic and pneumatic. Electromagnetic actuators rely on solenoids which lock or unlock doors using current going in both directions (open/closed) through an electric module. On this kind of system two types of arrangements are in use. First one uses separate relays for each of action taking by the system. One dedicated to open and another one to close the door. Both of them are controlled by a transistor switching the circuit operated by the capacitor (storage for energy necessary to operate system) which is releasing current necessary to activate the locks. Another type uses two capacitors and two relays working as a tandem. One pair is responsible for locking and another for unlocking. When the circuit is closed a current is discharged from the capacitor and the lock is either opened or closed. IMAGE Pneumatic actuators are driven by a pneumatic central unit which controls vacuum/pressure pump. When vacuum is applied actuators acting on mechanism lock or unlock the door. The vacuum pump is driven by electric motor which is working in both directions. Forward rotation creates a compressor action (doors open), while backwards rotation creates vacuum (doors close). Polarity on the electric motor is changed by a change-over control switch. IMAGE In most modern cars electrical locking system replaced mechanical unit due to a demand for quality and reliability. The main advantages of electrical locking system are: -symmetrical design, -smaller and lighter in comparison to a mechanical unit -only one lock version per vehicle -individually encoding at the end of the production line -door handles no longer move Other supplementary functions, like an interior light or status indicator, can be easily introduced in electrical locking system because the lock is equipped with electronics, which can carry out these functions. Communications with the locks, power supply and security system take place via data can bus system. Engine immobilisers An immobiliser is an electronic anti-theft security device which prevents engine start by an unauthorised person unless the correct key or fob is placed in the ignition barrel. If the correct key is used, transponder inside the key sends a signal to the reader which transfer signal to the receiver (ECU). If the signal is recognised by the ECU, the system allows user to start engine. If not the immobiliser disables few car systems necessary to start the engine: usually it is fuel injection, fuel pump and ignition components. The immobiliser is strongly connected to the car security system, so any unauthorised access to the car that is detected by the security system (movement detectors, infra-red sensor, sonic sensor and many others, depending on the security system) automatically trigger the immobiliser and any other alarm aims such a horn and flashing headlights. Car alarm can be activated by infra-red signal generated by the fob or a key ring and received by optical sensing unit placed somewhere in the car. Another type is a radio control system. Radio wave is created by the fob or the key and received by car antenna quite often a car heated rear window.   In both examples the signal is unique for each car and only this one signal is recognised by the ECU. Alarm system uses few different types of sensors to protect the car: -shock sensor: detecting any vehicle moment -ultrasonic: car interior is covered by an ultrasonic signal; any change in the strength on the signal pattern activates the alarm -voltage drop or current drain: any drop of voltage (disconnecting the battery) or current drain (by switching on interior light) -infra-red: detecting any disruption of the beam transmitted between two points inside of the car -direct earth contact: detected by the bonnet, boot and door switches when an earth contact happens Diagnosis and repair defect. Make: Vauxhall Model: Vectra B Year: 1999 After connecting central locking rig to the battery I noticed that the locking system does not work properly. Firstly, I checked voltage on the battery, unfortunately it was too low: -12v. To rectify this I connected the battery to the charger. Since then the central locking system starts to perform quickly and properly. After a short while the system stopped working completely. It didnt react to the car key fob. First, I checked the battery voltage inside the key. Multimeter showed the voltage of 3v (battery type-CR2032), which is absolutely perfect. I was looking closely into the key fob for any damage on the electronic circuit or battery holders, but everything was in a proper working order. After that I measured the resistance of each door and readings on multimeter were as follow: Nsf-1 ohm, Osf-1 ohm, Nsr-1 ohm, Osr-1 ohm, According to the Autodata all readings matched the factory range. To be sure about my findings I checked continuity on each of the door and this confirmed my thought that wiring between the doors and the central unit is in a good working order. Last part of my diagnostics was checking the condition of the central unit itself. Firstly, I connected the multimeter to the port No2 and No8 to check voltage transferred from the battery to the central locking unit. Unfortunately the voltage was 0v. Then I checked continuity on the wiring between the central locking unit and the battery. There was no continuity at all. My diagnosis: The wiring between the battery and the central locking unit is faulty.   To rectify this the faulty wiring needs to be replaced. Electrical circuit diagram

Energy Consumption Essay -- Renewable Energy Essays Papers

Energy Consumption Continuing expansion of the world population results in increasing demands for energy to support human existence. I will concentrate on countries that use a lot of energy from fossil fuels, as well as examine countries that are increasingly becoming dependent on alternative forms of energy, such as nuclear energy and hydroelectricity, and others including geothermal and solar energy. The fossil fuels I am going to examine are coal, natural gas, and oil. Within the sector of oil, I will specifically show the demand for petroleum imports. I will also concentrate on renewable energies, such as nuclear energy, hydroelectricity, geothermal, and solar energy consumption. Some forms of energy are rapidly depleting, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, and if countries do not increasingly diversify their reliance upon fossil fuels, there will be economic tragedies in the near future. Recognizing this problem, countries around the world are relying more and more on renewable energies, not only for the economic benefits, but also for the environmental benefits which resul t in healthier living conditions for all human beings. Coal is a fossil fuel that poses serious threats to our environment, including greenhouse gases, acid rain, and air pollutants. It has the lowest consumption rate among all fossil fuels. Among all countries, Japan had the highest consumption rate of over 150 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mt’s). This country accounts for one forth of the world’s total coal imports, which reached 659 Mt’s (Key World Energy). Countries need to focus on alternative renewable sources of energy so they can become more self reliant. This is important because economies are so susceptible to price fluctuations, an... ...asteful way most of us use energy. So, if you want to do something personally to save the planet, think about what kind of car you own and how you use it. Works Cited 1. Academic. OFFSTATS. 22 January 2004. Key World Energy Statistics 2003. 2. Academic. OFFSTATS. 31 January 2004. International Renewables Information. 3. Academic. OFFSTATS. 31 January 2004. Statistical Review of World Energy 2003. 4. â€Å"Million Tonnes of Oil Equivalent.† 1 February 2004. 5. â€Å"Petroleum Products.† 1 Frebraury 2004. 6. Renewables in Global Energy Supply. 22 January 2004.

Effective HRM and its impact on an organisation Essay

Effective human resource is instrumental for ensuring the sustainable success of the organisation as a whole. Human resource is the most important resource in any investment. This is because it is the force behind the conversion of other resource into profitable products of services to the company. The roles of human resource management are to recruit, training, engaging, and retaining a strong workforce for the organisation (Jackson & Mathis 2008, p. 56). As an important role of an effective human resource management, it must seek to ensure that it attracts and recruit the best candidates to suit the requirements of the organisation. This gives the organisation a competitive advantage of sustainable realisation of its strategic plan. The other function of effective HRM is to train workforce. A trained workforce serves the ultimate purpose of providing quality services to the organisation. It is due to this that the function of effective human resource management to train the workforce remains of great importance to the organisation (Bates 2002). In addition, training should entail instilling a strong respect and uphold of the company’s corporate culture to new employees. This promotes accountability and reduces conflicts of interest. Effective HRM should invest much resource in developing and executing an efficient employee engagement policy. Employee engagement functions to encourage employee commitment towards the execution of the mission and objectives of the organisation (Bates 2002). This has the implication engaging employees as a function of effective HRM is a crucial factor in enhancing the competitive profitability of the organisation. The last important function of effective HRM is retention of the best employees in the organisation. With a strong workforce, a company is assured of meeting the demands of its customers as well as the dictates of its strategic business plan (Sempere, Lillo, & Lajara 2002, p. 13). This is because such a workforce enjoys the competitive advantage of innovatively resolving company problems. On the other hand, retention of employees save the organisation the huge costs involved in employee recruitment and training process. Thus effective HRM plays a pivotal role in the success of a company. Strengths and weaknesses of online recruitment Online recruitment practices are increasing becoming common in the modern business world. The practice enjoys the advantage of convenience. Online recruitment involves the access of potential employees from an online database, evaluating their qualification, and choosing the most suited candidate (Starcke 1996). This has the implication that online recruitment saves the organisation time. Just to be appreciated is the fact that the process of traditional recruiting entails conducting physical interviews with the candidates, an act which no doubt wastes time. Moreover, time is one of the most valuable resources in an organisation (Wuttke 2008, p. 34). This makes online recruitment to be of importance in saving time while getting the required talent. Other strength of online recruitments is cost effective and has provisions of variety of talents from across the globe. Online recruitment is entails the practice of candidate access at the click of the button, making less costly. On the other hand, the practice promotes diversity in an organisation as it provides the employer with a cross-cultural workforce from across the globe (Johannasen 2009). Such are instrumental in promoting innovation in the organisation. Nevertheless, online recruitment has a number of weaknesses. First, it opens a loophole for potential employment of unqualified candidates. Faking of certificates is not a new thing across the globe. Although the employer might realise of the certification problem, the costs and time incurred in facilitating the employment deal remains a major loss to the organisation (Younger 2007). Therefore, the practice fails to protect the authenticity of the information given by the candidates. Another weakness of online recruitment is that it involves too many candidates, an element that makes it demanding to make the right choice. Online job applications are quite many. Despite the specifications of qualification given by the employer many irrelevant applicants post their application. This means that the employer will be faced with the problem of sorting out numerous inappropriate and irrelevant candidates, an action that is no doubt time consuming (Jahannasen 2009). However, this can be easily resolved if clear description of job is made and the employers uses the candidate screening tools of the online job site board to limit candidate spam. Advantages of training and development to both organisation and individual Training and career development in an organisation is of great important to both the organisation and the individual. The organisation seeks to ensure the availability of reliable workforce to aid in the realisation of its strategic business plans. To achieve this goal, the company should train and development career (Wilson 2005). It is worth noting that different companies have different approaches to their businesses. Further, education seems to be the same for students of the same profession. This has the indication that the ultimate skill and experience enjoyed by employees reflect their training in a particular organisation (Wilson 2005, p. 102). Therefore, training and development will promote the effectiveness of the workforce in executing their duties. Another advantage of training and development is that it promotes employee commitment to the company mission and objective. Employee engagement practices are instrumental in promoting employee commitment to the mission and objectives of an organisation. According to the principles of effective human resource management, training of employees is one of the reliable tools of ensuring their satisfaction at the workplace (Bureau of Labour Statistics 2009). This is due to the fact that training eliminates the demoralisation aspects brought by failure to efficiently realise one’s expectations at the workplace. In addition, training gives employees an opportunity to achieve their professional career goals while earning a living. All these are important are important in meeting the social and economic responsibilities of both the individual and the organisation. Training and career development serves the important role of strengthening the reputation of an organisation. Reputation remains the best marketing tool for the products and services of any business. On the other side, the reputation of a company is defined by the effectiveness and reliability of its services to the customers (Aidele 2009, p. 76). This means that an organisation should have in place a strong workforce to meet its market demands. This calls for engaging in employee training and career development since such is vital tools in promoting innovative solving of problems. Still, providing training and development gives the organisation the competitive advantage of identifying the best talent for its workforce as it eliminates certification qualifications to engage in seeking actual capabilities of its employees. Why poor performance occurs and the strategies that can be used to overcome it Poor performance in an organisation is to be blamed to poor human resource management. This can be evident from failure of the HRM in its four main functions. Hiring discrimination practices which lead to recruitment of unqualified candidates compromises the reliability of the company workforce in providing quality services to the organisation. Another cause of poor performance is lack of training and engagement to employees (Booth 1993, p. 81). An informed and satisfied workforce gives reliable services to the company with a high degree of commitment. As an HRM function, employee engagement does not only promote commitment but also accountability of the employees in their duties. Therefore, poor performance can occur due to failure by the HRM in one or more of its functions namely; recruiting, training, engaging and retaining the best employees for the organisation. To overcome this problem, organisations should in formulating and implementing strong positive corporate culture to govern its human resource (Booth 1993, p. 89). This culture should dictate for giving employment opportunities on merit to mitigating incidence of recruiting unqualified and thus unreliable employees into the organisation. In addition, employee training must be given priority as it serves to equip the workforce with adequate knowledge on the operations and expectations of the organisation from them. This is important in mitigating operational mistakes of failures. Another strategy is employee engagement which seeks to enhance the commitment by employees to the mission and objectives of the organisation (Werner, Shuler, & Jackson 2008, p. 66). Most employees perform poorly due to failure by the company to care for their personal needs. However, the practice of employee engagement seeks to appreciate and address the social and economic concerns of individual employees as a way of ensuring their sustainable job satisfaction. The last strategy is striving to retain the best employees in an organisation. Most organisations lose reliable employees due to poor conflict resolution policies. This negates their sustainable development objectives, a problem that calls for implementation of an effective conflict resolution policies to eliminate resignations or conflict at workplace which compromises performance.

Family Members Making Care Decisions Health And Social Care Essay

Every twelvemonth the United States spends more than $ 100 billion supplying attention for 1000000s of persons affected by signifiers of dementedness and for their informal caregivers.1 Assuming no alteration in the incidence of dementedness and its attention bringing, between 11 and 19 million people in the U.S. will hold dementia by the twelvemonth 2050 with projected one-year Medicare costs transcending one trillion dollars ( Family Caregiver Alliance, 2005 ) . It is estimated that 13 million to 15 million grownups in the United States have chronic conditions that impair mental map, such as Alzheimer ‘s disease, shot, Parkinson ‘s disease, and traumatic encephalon hurt. Despite the big figure of people necessitating hands-on aid, we know small about how households make determinations about in-home attention and nursing place attention. See the illustration of make up one's minding whether to put a relation in a long-run attention installation ( Family Caregiver Alliance, 2000 ) . Dementia causes a high load of enduring for patients and their households. For patients, in add-on to cognitive and functional impairment, dementedness leads to behavioural and psychological complications, increased usage of ague and long-run wellness attention services, complicated clinical direction of other comorbid conditions, and increased hazard for medical complications such as craze, falls, motor vehicle clangs, incontinency, breaks, and infections. For household health professionals, dementedness can take to higher degrees of anxiousness, depression, usage of psychotropic medicines, and chronic weariness ( Boustani, 2007, p. 631 ) . Family members attention for about 75 % of these patients at place ( Dunkin & A ; Anderson-Hanley ( 1998 ) . Given the patterned advance of this enfeebling status and engagement in attention, it is frequently the grownups household members who must do the complex determinations about attention for a mentally impaired parent as the parent progresses through the class of the dementedness. Making attention determinations for a mentally impaired older household member can ensue in emotional, physical, and fiscal hurt, which in bend create tenseness and struggle in the household ( Donelan, 2002 ) . In a qualitative survey of the experience of health professionals actively involved in puting an older grownup in a long-run attention installation upon discharge from ague attention, noted that health professionals normally described internal struggle before, during, and after doing a determination about arrangement ( Walsh, 2002 ) . Dementia is predicted to be one of the greatest world-wide disease burdens in the twenty-first century with one new instance happening every 7 seconds. Alzheimer disease ( AD ) , the commonest cause of dementedness is a progressive, degenerative disease of the encephalon is the most common signifier of mental damage ( Whitlatch, 2006 ) . Symptoms of Alzheimer ‘s disease by and large advancement in phases. Functional troubles worsen in badness and frequence over a class of eight to ten old ages, ensuing eventually in complete loss of memory, judgement, abstract idea and ability to command behaviour. At the terminal of this flight, the single becomes deaf-and-dumb person and bedridden and dies of the disease ( Sloan, 2008 ) . As the affected individual experiences a gradual loss of rational maps, judgement becomes impaired and the individual focuses on irrelevant concerns, as all ability for abstract logical thinking is lost. Recent memory is impaired, and there is a gradual loss of distant memory. The individual ‘s emotions become labile and frequently inappropriate, jumping between agitation and apathy. Speech forms are thin and insistent, and finally the individual loses the ability to hide mental jobs from household and others in their lives ( The Alzheimer ‘s Association, 2004 ) . Much of the research to day of the month about household decision-making sing attention has been dominated by premature classifications that fit ill with today ‘s complex intergenerational relationships and wellness attention environment. Since anterior research has excessively narrowed the model in which to analyze attention determinations for mentally impaired parents, it is clip to analyze the research paradigm in which we study this phenomenon. The comparative dearth of interpretative surveies in the country of determination devising for mentally impaired parents limit our apprehension of grownup offspring and their experience of doing attention determinations for this vulnerable population ( Nease, 1995 ) . The proposed research is intended to research and understand the experience of household members doing attention determinations for aged parents that have mental conditions. The information aggregation scheme is designed to be from the sources ‘ point of position and sensitive to the emerging concerns of the sources themselves. To carry through this, open-ended inquiries will be asked and carefully screened out any preconceived impressions of what the experience might be like for the participants. This enabled the research worker to understand the sources experience during the under survey. The deepness of understanding gained from this attack leads to effectual appraisal tools, comprehensive course of study for wellness attention suppliers, direct patient intercessions, and reconsideration of wellness attention policy, all of which are aimed at bettering household results. The research worker will come to grok the demands, feelings, values, beliefs the household members who ar e doing these complex determinations. The direction and analysis of informations was enhanced by usage of the package plan EZ-TEXT 3.06C which offered rapid hunt, retrieval and browse of all informations sections. Significant text phrases were coded and labeled ; transitions with similar labels were categorized and grouped into subjects. Demographic information ( age scope, instruction, work scene, figure of siblings, presence of a mentally integral parent, subject of dementedness of the receiver of the attention determination, length of clip since doing the attention determination ) was investigated to see if it informed the aims. The purposeful sample will dwell of household members who had made determinations about attention of a mentally impaired parent within the past twelvemonth. Approximately 20 sources will be recruited for this survey through Sacred Heart Home. Adults over 21 who identified themselves as holding primary duty for doing determinations about the attention of a cognitively impaired parent aged 65 or older, who could talk English, and who consented to take part were included in the survey. Since a bulk of health professionals are adult females, it is anticipated that the sample will dwell chiefly of adult females. Sacred Heart Home installation is a immense installation it is comprised of over 100 beds, caring for more than 200 aged patients yearly. Respondents were solicited on-site at the nursing centre with aid from don by personally passing out the paper petitions for engagement in the survey. An abstract of the survey and transcripts of consent signifiers will be made available to possible respondents who are willing to depict the experience of doing attention determinations for mentally impaired parents by the decision maker. The rights of participants will be assured in the account of the survey, a written consent signifier and confidentiality of single informations. Once respondents have been identified and has given permission to take part in the survey, each individual will be contacted by phone and explained the survey in a little more item. The interviews will dwell of open-ended inquiries designed to arouse specific histories of events and feelings produces informations that are closer to populate experience. Each respondent will be interviewed for about one hr at the installation site or by phone, whichever is more convenient for each single respondent. During this interview, the first inquiry will be: â€Å" I know you made a determination about attention for y our parent a short piece ago. State me about when you decided. † The 2nd inquiry will be designed to arouse an opposite emotional response from the tone of the answer to the first inquiry. For illustration, if the informat relates how disconcerting the determination was for them, so the inquiry will be asked what has reassured or comforted the respondent since doing a major determination about attention a mentally impaired parents. The 3rd inquiry will inquire about a typical twenty-four hours in the life of the respondent when some contact with or about the parent has been made. Active hearing and usage of non-directive techniques such as contemplation and restatement will advance treatment during the interviews. Since the end of this survey is to obtain a description that exactly captures the significance of the experience, this analysis is coincident with informations aggregation. Data aggregation will happen in two stages. During the first stage, the research worker will place cardinal features of the interaction while retaining informant individualism. The 2nd stage will include a thematic analysis during which the research worker underlines text phrases that stand entirely in intending. Questions asked when construing subjects will include the possible being of an implicit in procedure that household members go through when doing attention determinations for a mentally impaired parent. All important phrases will be labeled with probationary labels. These labels inform the behavior of the following interview by assisting the interviewer to research probationary togss during the following interview. This procedure is reiterative and consequences in greater specificity as more informations are collected. Data will be examined for factors that potentially affect the experience of doing the critical determinations for a parent. The direction and analysis informations will be enhanced by usage of the package plan EZ-TEXT 3.06C. This plan offers a powerful and intuitive environment for get bying with built-in complexness of undertakings and informations. Interviews, field notes, memos and determination will be collected and organized, EZ-TEXT 3.06C offers rapid hunt, retrieval and browse of all informations sections. One of import inquiry that has been studied by research workers is the impact of caregiving for dementedness sick persons versus non-dementia individuals. In a survey, which drew from more than 1500 household health professionals in the 1996 National Caregiver Study, it was found that household health professionals of relations who suffered dementedness were more likely to endure from health professional strain and mental and physical jobs than those who cared for a non-demented relation. Leisure clip and clip with other household members was reduced possibility lending to more household struggle. In addtion, dementedness health professionals experienced more complications with employment than nondementia health professionals ( Ory, Hoffman, Yee, Tennustedt & A ; Schultz, 1999 ) . In contrast, another survey of differences in caregiving effects between dementedness health professionals and nondementia â€Å" non-caregivers † , found that when taken as whole, the sample of 52 health professionals and 66 non-caregivers did non differ in health professional strain. However, when within gender differences were compared, female health professionals suffered the most strain, which resulted in wellness jobs, household struggle, and strained relationships. Both female and male dementedness health professionals had less positive mentalities and more demand for societal support than their gender specific nondementia noncaregivers ( Ekwall, 2007 ) . Although this survey was conducted in Sweden, which means the consequences must be interpreted with cautiousness for generalisation to American health professionals, the sample came from a larger survey whose population was drawn from a representative sample of health professionals and noncaregivers. This is a distingu ishable advantage in a field where there are troubles obtaining representative samples. These apparently arbitrary results for dementedness health professionals are once more demonstrated in two surveies. In a annual longitudinal survey of 188 dementedness health professionals, nonsubjective and subjective primary emphasis predicted health professionals ‘ hazard of a depressive upset from those who remained at low hazard. Objective primary emphasis consisted of behavior jobs of the dementia household member ; subjective primary emphasis was defined as function imprisonment and overload. In another survey, 43 health professionals kept diaries for 14 yearss, noticing on their caregiving activities, daily temper, and riotous behaviours of the household member. Independent raters and bunch analysis showed that there are variable degrees of hurt among dementia health professionals ( Schubert, 2008 ) . The consequences of this survey, nevertheless, appear to be complicated by methodological jobs since the writers frequently intertwine both qualitative and quantitative n omenclature. Emotional rousing appears to be an of import contextual stimulation in health professionals ‘s ability to rate their ain wellness. One hundred and sixty eight grownup offspring were studied to find how a sense of self-coherence impacts hurt in health professionals of encephalon impaired parents. Interviews utilizing mensurable graduated tables of self-coherence, emotional rousing, perceived wellness and crisis were done at the beginning and terminal of six months. Consequences showed that crisis was positively correlated with emotional rousing and negatively correlated with self-coherence and perceived wellness. Perceived wellness was reciprocally related to emotional rousing despite the presence or absence of crisis ( Dunkin & A ; Anderson-Haley, 1998 ) . The latter determination is of import since recent surveies seem to bespeak that the wellness of the health professional is a major variable in dementia patient arrangement Most standards proposed for doing determinations about degrees of attention are care receiver related symptoms such as impaired IADLs and ADLs. Caregiver features and health professional well-being, nevertheless, are stronger forecasters of arrangement determinations than attention receiving system attributes. These properties include perceived relationships with parents. Contrary to the myth of seniors in isolation, there is strong grounds that middle aged offspring and their aged parents remain close, and more than half talk by phone or in individual at least one time a hebdomad ( Deimling, 1992 ) . Womans frequently assume the function of kinkeeper and study more contact with parents than work forces do. The bulk of household health professionals are girls or daughters-in-law lovingness for an aged female parent. When divorce is taken into the equation, nevertheless, the bond between grownup offspring and parents seems to weaken. Weaker ties between kids and divorced parents raising concerns about future coevalss of aged parents. Disabled or frail divorced parents may non be able to number on personal and fiscal support from their kids ( Smerglia & A ; Deimling, 1997 ) . Making determinations with and for an older individual is seldom a straightforward procedure. Unlike single, chiseled job work outing in a inactive environment, existent life jobs are frequently equivocal, high interest mystery, which are played out by many people in unsure, dynamic environments. Family deliberations about an older member ‘s attention, although by and large on-going, are frequently influenced by an emotionally charged heath attention crisis, which may take to determinations with negative effects. Research workers who began analyzing how people made determinations in their natural environment found that rational criterions and theoretical accounts of determination devising did non take into history the context in which the determination is made or the adaptative features of the determination shaper ( Gaugler, 2003 ) . Additionally, determinations become influenced by viing, altering ends and impacted by the effects of old actions and clip stressors Given the huge array of services now available for mentally impaired older grownups, determinations about attention are less structured than taking between two options, subjected to viing single and social ends, and made in unsure, dynamic environments. These surveies might non be turn toing the issues that are being experienced by this coevals of health professionals. When grownups make these complex attention determinations for their mentally impaired parents, their worldviews and stock of cognition complicate the environment. It seems appropriate, hence, to re-examine the procedure of doing determinations about the attention of a mentally impaired parent with peculiar accent on context and household discourse. The information collected in this survey is aimed toward understand what constitutes doing a attention determination for a mental impaired parents and bettering the opportunities that an effectual determination is made that will diminish emotional and fiscal costs to househo lds and society. Potential benefits could besides include the development of experimental educational and wellness policy intercessions that improve determinations and attention for mentally impaired parents.

ENL 1103 FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGLISH Essays - Nonverbal Communication

ENL 1103 FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGLISH Essays - Nonverbal Communication ENL 1103 FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGLISH Name: ID: Course: Title: GROUP PRESENTATION RUBRIC Exemplary (4)Good (3)Satisfactory (2)Need Improvement (1) Content / KnowledgePresenters possess excellent understanding on the topic.Presenters possess adequate understanding on the topic.Presenters possess general understanding on the topic.Presenters do not understand the topic at all. Non verbal elements (Intonations, eye contact, gestures, etc.) Facial expressions and body language generate a strong interest on the topic presented. Demonstrate a good effort in attracting audience.Facial expressions and body language generate some interest on the topic presented. Demonstrate an acceptable effort in attracting audienceFacial expressions and body language are rarely presented. Demonstrate a fair effort in attracting audienceFacial expressions and body language were not used. Do not demonstrate any effort in attracting audience. Language Excellent command in language used. No grammar error produced.Good command in language used. Minor grammar error produced. Fair command in language used. Poor command in language used. Too many grammar error produced. Voice Projection Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members throughout the presentation. Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 90% of the time. Volume is loud enough to be heard by all audience members at least 80% of the time. Volume often too soft to be heard by all audience members. Audio Visual Aids (AVA) Use good AVA. The AVA used helps in presentation.Use acceptable AVA. The AVA used helps in some parts of presentation Use AVA. The AVA used does not really help the presentation. No audio visual aids used. TOTAL MARKS: Comments: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name: 1)3)5) 2)4)6)

TRAVELCOMFORT BUSINESS PLAN

TRAVELCOMFORT BUSINESS PLAN Executive Summary TravelComfort UK, Incorporated is a start-up travel agency that specializes in small and escorted luxury touring packages for its selective clients.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Travelcomfort business plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The agency is strategically located in Hill Gate Notting, London- to better serve its customers across the UK. This location has of late experienced rapid growth in the number of discriminating or selective luxury tour clients. TravelComfort is a partnership between 4 experienced travel scholars named as Josh Foster, Rochelle Night, Mike Manning and Joshua Awozele. The first 2, other than sitting on the board are also the company’s Chief Executive and Operations Manager respectively. The last 2 do not have additional managerial roles. The first 2 have had extensive training in travel business, especially in sales and marketing to oversee the operations of this new venture. Their knowledge will thus be useful in this starting period. Other than the 2 managerial staff, and the additional 2 board members, the company intends to use an independent sales force of 6 individuals to keep its overhead expenses low hence increasing its sales returns. The owners feel that this will be the surest way of maintaining profitability and its subsequent expansion in this highly competitive travel service industry.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the company will make use of the 4 marketing mix to market itself to its customers as well as establishing best relationships with agent travel firms. More so, to ensure that it achieves its profitability and expansion outcomes, the management intends to source for a long-term loan of UK pounds 60,000 from Standard Chartered Bank to finance its required start-up capital of appro ximately  £120,000. The company is characterized by a strong commitment to customer value, service and specialized luxury tour needs; characteristics that set it apart from other UK travel agencies thus constituting its best attractions and unique selling points. Market Research of the UK travel industry A research article by Tassiopoulos highlighted that though there had been a major trend towards responsible and ethical consumptions across UK’s consumer markets, the demand for services in the UK travel industry had risen to match those in other sectors, with tourism given as an example.1 This increase has also coincided with increases in consumer expectations across the country. To expound on this, this plan went ahead to stress that in each holiday, a significant and a growing number of travellers in the UK were looking for better and high quality products. As such, the experiences provided by tour and travel firms should be able to enable the traveller’s access à ¢â‚¬Ëœreal’ living cultures within or without their nations. Nonetheless, previous researches highlighted that though UK travellers had accustomed themselves to taking shorter trips in most cases, at the same time, they expected to derive more value from such short trips.2Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Travelcomfort business plan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A scholarly study by Pfister and Tierney summarized the above notions by arguing that nowadays, holidays spender’s across the UK preferred ‘real’ holidays that were characterized with a lot of authenticity.3 These expectations contradicted the scenarios dating 10 years back in this same country. Supporting the above frameworks, Page and Connell combined their findings to assert that in the UK, there has emerged a growing interest in the pursuit of more adventurous forms of travel agencies.4 For instance, the demand for the market has of lately shifted to those agencies that offer specialized travel and tour services such as land based expeditions of the nature of the Graham Land as well as skiing activities. On the other hand, drawing inferences from the Independent on Sundays, the authors of this plan established that the recent economic recession has been a blessing to the UK tour travel industry. This is for the reason that the ever increasing economic recession has increased costs of overseas holidays by a high of 10%- 7% more than domestic holidays.5 This in return has meant that more Britons have preferred to spend their holidays in their country as a budgetary precaution. TravelComfort will strategically position itself to maximise on this great opportunity. To add, Hogson went ahead to review statistics that also revealed that the travel and tourism industries across the UK had for years pursued profits within flexible, unrestricted and fast-moving environments.6 This, according to Robinson had led to most travel agencies failing to establish monitoring systems and formal objectives. They instead chose to seize each opportunity as it came their way without considering its long term effect.7Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To address this, TravelComfort has established and stated its mission statements. This will in turn assist it to achieve its outcomes since the mission statements will be used as statements of guidance and reference. Specific Target Market The stiff competition in the UK tour and travel industry has created the impetus to clearly understand the specific and the ever changing needs of the differentiated customer groups.8 TravelComfort has studied the market and identified UK citizens especially the retired or working couples who would like to go for adventure as constituting its key target market. Other than those, the company will emphasis on corporate travellers (business conference travellers) and any other travellers from any part of the world. Unique Selling Points These were comprised by the following brief features, concepts and benefits that our clients were happy to associate with our branding. In line with the above, TravelComfort has positioned itself to cater for speciali zed clientele group in the UK. As such, the company will offer small-group, budgetary and luxury modes of adventure travel. These will mainly target UK clients with a small global market presence also targeted in the plan. TravelComfort seeks to have a competitive advantage over its rivals by small but more exclusive packaged tours. These will enable our few clients to receive immediate personal or special attention from our travel hosts. As we expand, we intend to cultivate this niche of one-on-one contact to catch and retain on all our potential clients. The company will also provide accurate, first-hand and instant information concerning all its services to its customers. This can be achieved through mass-messaging or emailing service to registered clients. Market size/growth trends According to the statistics by the UK Office for National Statistics, the financial year ending February 2011 saw a total of 84.6 million travellers visit or depart from UK (visitors to UK were 29.6 m illion while visits abroad by the region’s citizens was 55.0 million).9 This number of travellers a combined drop of 6% compared to the previous year. The reason cited for the drop in the number of visitors was the bad weather. Table 1 showing the number of visitors entering or leaving the UK (Souce: UK Office for National Statistics, 2011). Despite the reduction in the number of travellers, the projected market growth for the UK travel industry stands at 10%. Of the total market size, TravelComfort aims to garner at least 5% of the market by the end of second year of operation. Competitive Environment At present, competition has been intense in the retail travel agency industry in Europe.10 As such TravelComfort will face stiff competition from both external and internal travel agencies. In the case of internal competitors, the company will compete with Thomson Travel Group-UK’s largest tour operator and Going Places-UK’s second largest travel agency.11 Other than the two, internal competitors will also include online travel agencies such as eDreams, Ebookers, Expedia, Iglue, LastMinute and Key2Holidays amongst others. External competitors will comprise of CN Travel Touristic Group- Germany’s largest travel agency and TravelPlanners from USA amongst others. Of late, the UK travel industry has been characterised by constant fluctuations both in service quality and sum of service providers.12 We intend to capitalize on this and broaden our market share. The competitive edge of our company will see us attract and retain customers through provision of up-to-date and accurate information. The company will also offer competitive discounted prices to win on repetitive customers. More so, the company will make use of IT and avail online tickets to its clients. To achieve on the above, the company will rely on the efforts of its experienced founders and personnel. These have great experience in luxury retailing, offering travel, achieving high-net-worth and offering and providing personalized services. Company Description TravelComfort is a full-service travel agency offering full-line travel planning for all its customers. The agency links all business, recreational and adventure travellers with travelling and accommodation firms. As was earlier highlighted, this agency is a partnership between Josh Foster, Rochelle Night, Mike Manning, and Joshua Awozele-who cofounded the agency in January of 2012. The company is located at Office Complex, Nottingham Hill Gate- London. The objectives of the company are as follows: To achieve a profitable status within the first year To garner a 5% market share within the first 2 years To increase its workforce to 20 by the second year (January 2012) and appoint a full-time Business Manager to enhance sales operations Expand the company’s corporate sales by  £ 85,000 each month. This is to happen by the 6 month of the agency’s operation. Services provided The compa ny will provide primary travel services that include, but unlimited to, hotel arrangements, bus and airline ticketing, car rental arrangements, conference planning, charter and tour services, student or employee-tour services and vacation packages. If these services are sold online, the agency will attain a sales margin of 10%. However, this is expected to rise to 15% if they are sold through agents. Marketing Plans/Strategies The company will make use of the four aspects of marketing mix to sell its services to its customers. These are: Pricing strategies The company will offer competitive rates to make its services affordable to all classes of people. In addition, the company will offer a 10% discount to the second ticket purchased by the same consumer. This will attract repetitive consumers to the agency thus increasing its market share. Promotion/Advertising strategies These will focus on the following: Buying ‘space’ in the UK daily newspapers for promotional adve rts on the agency’s services Creating a website where clients will be able search and review their services. The site will then allow them to make online reservations. This site will also be hyper-linked to social networking sites and other travel sites Distributing brochures or posters to strategic places to sell company services Product/ Service strategies The company has already achieved this strategy by incorporating a variety of services within service line. Distribution strategies The company intends to distribute some of its operations for instance, by using agents to market its services. Operational plans TravelComfort will ‘purchase’ its services from the above listed service companies using the following procedure: The company’s Operation’s Manager (Mr Night) will be tasked with negotiating with service industries on the awarding of service agency contacts. In this case, the agency will target to be awarded a commission of 10% on each tic ket (in this case service) sold. The company will then strive to sell more to improve on its profitability. The company intends to sell its services by using its other six sales-representative employees. These employees will improve service efforts by delivering tickets and making telephone follow-ups on their return. These will garner repeat sales and businesses. Besides their coordination, the 2 partners will perform initial sales management until the hiring of the Business Development Manager. Sales forecast The company targets to have sold services worth  £2,516,430 by end of 2012 and  £4, 50,100 by end of 2013 and 8,000,000 in the third year of 2014. This plan is based on the service arrangements to be increased between the agency and its partners. The following table 2 summarises the sales, gross and net profit’s highlights. The values are all in ‘0000 TravelComforts Projected Highlights Sales G/P margin Net Profit Margin Yr 1  £250  £80  £15 Y ear2  £450  £125  £45 Yr 3  £800  £225  £12 To achieve the forecasted sales above, the following sales programs are to be implemented: Issuing sales awards to those sales representatives who will be the top four in terms of highest grossing sales Issuing awards to employees who excel in delivering exemplary tour services to Travel comfort clients. This will create a scenario of retaining and attracting clients hence increasing the sales. The firm intends to implement e-commerce by allowing on-site ticket sales and registration through its Computerised Reservation System. This will ease the process of acquiring or accessing the firm’s services hence increasing the number of discriminative clients. Related to the above, the management intends to position customer care agents in its London office to carry out the role of selling tickets through the phone mode. The firm’s marketing and ticketing services are also to be re-distributed across key attraction points (a scenario commonly called sales retailing) across London to win on the potential passers-by who can top up as its customers. For instance, off-site sales are to be carried out at hired sites. For instance, the management plans to engage stadium managers across the UK to catch on the increased spectator audience. This is so because the management carried an earlier research that proved that spectators in the VIP ticketing category were likely to form a special group for the specialized tour services across London. Break-even analysis The levels of sales need to service all personal requirements and costs will be calculated as follows: Sales (required to break even) =  £ (Business Survival Budget/Drawings + Overheads/Operating Expenses) Sales=  £300,000 +  £400,000=  £700,000 TravelComfort’s Monthly Break-even points Figure1 depicting the break-even analysis From the above figure, it is projected the company will break even half-way through the third month. At this time, the company will have required to have sold an estimated â‚ ¬ 700,000 meet its personal requirements (drawings) and all its costs comfortably. Key Personnel Mr. Josh Foster- Company’s Chief Executive Mr. Foster is one of the co-founders of the agency. Having graduated with a distinction in Business Management, Sales and Marketing, he will spearhead the company’s growth. His strength to multi-task across dynamic environments will see him represent the agency at key stakeholder conferences. He will also spearhead the agency’s expansion module. Mr. Rochelle Night-Operations Manager Mr. Night will coordinate all agency operations. His leadership skills will ensure that a link exists between the sales representatives and the customers. He intends to maximise on his supervisory role at Easyjet Travel Agency to implement his new duties. Other than the two above, the following also topped up as Travel Comfort’s board members: Critical risks of the venture The following risks were identified as potential risks associated with this venture. Emerging travel agency businesses that were likely to cause stiff competition. The financial crisis that was likely to cause shifts in consumer demands (consumers were likely to reduce on their leisure expenditures). The company was likely to lose contact with some of foreign customers. Contingency planning The following measures will be implemented to safeguard the performance of the venture if sales reduce by more than 5% as projected. The management will carry out reviews to determine if the forecasts were realistic. If they were not, new estimates will be forecasted based on the sales statistics at hand. In this case, the last trading period’s actual results will be projected for achievable targets to be determined. If the forecasts were real, the management will review its budget to obtain a realistic one. In this case, the management will determine the expenses to be r educed and the margins to e improved. In this case the pro-forma revenues will be decreased by a realistic percentage based on the conditions facing the company. Having implemented the above, the company will carry out the following actions to improve on its performance: Carry out an aggressive promotion to increase its service awareness. Establish reward schemes for its sales team to motivate them in reaching more consumers. For instance, by rewarding employees who surpass a weekly target of  £ 20,000 with a 15% commission Likewise, the company willl try to re-negotiate its contracts with its partners. In this case, the management will point out the difficulties facing the travel agency and request a re-view of the engagements on mutual basis. Offering/ Funding The following table summarized the company’s start-up summary Item(s) Description Total amount Expenses Office supplies, rent, consultant’s fees, utilities, insurance, internet charges, website creation charges, communication bill etc  £80,000 Assets Furniture, cash, computers etc  £ 120,000 Owners’ Contributions Primarily cash  £ 150,000 Loans/ Borrowing From Standard Chartered Bank  £ 200,000 Total start-up funding  £ 550,000 Financial Plan Profit Loss Account The following is the profit and Loss account (projected for the first three years). Note: All figures are in  £. Year1 Year 2 Year 3 Sales (Direct and Indirect) 2,516,430 4,110, 345 5, 815,100 Less cost of sales 1, 910, 000 3, 515, 650 4, 910, 000 Gross profit 606,430 594,695 905, 100 Less Expenses 450,130 480,520 520,000 Pre-tax net income 156, 300 114,175 385, 100 Taxes Paid 18,900 11, 600 41, 200 Net income 137,400 102,575 343,900 Pro-forma Balance Sheet The following balance sheet has also been projected for the first three years. Balance Sheet (projected for the 1st three years) Note: All figures are in  £. Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Current Assets 450,000 4 20, 500 455, 100 Total Long-term Assets 150,000 214,000 139, 900 Total Assets 600,000 634,100 595,000 Current liabilities 250,000 242, 100 245,000 Long-term liabilities 200,000 112,000 0 Total Liabilities 450,000 354, 100 245,000 Total Capital 150,000 280,000 350,000 Total Capital and Liabilities 600,000 634,100 595,000 Reference List Doganis, R, Flying off course: the economics of international airlines, 3rd edition, Routledge, Newyork, 2002. Hogson, A, The travel and tourism industry: strategies for the future, CABI Publisher, Oxford, 1987. Horne, S J, Swarbrooke, Leisure marketing: a global perspective, Butterworth-Heinemann, UK, 2005. Independent on Sundays, Recession ‘is good news for UK travel industry’, 2008. Web. Needham, A, Business for higher awards, Heinemann, UK, 1999. Evans, N, Strategic management for travel and tourism, Butterworth-Heinemann, UK. Page, S Connell, J, Tourism: A modern synthesis, 2nd edn., PublisherCengage Learning EMEA, Stamford, 2006. Pfister, R Tierney, P, Recreation, event, and tourism businesses: start-up and sustainable operations, Human Kinetics, Leeds, UK, 2008. Plunkett, J W, Plunketts airline, hotel travel industry Almanac 2007: Airline, hotel travel industry market research, statistics, trends leading companies, Plunkett Research, Ltd., Texas, 2006. Robinson, P, Operations Management in the Travel Industry, CABI, Oxford, 2009. Tassiopoulos, D, New tourism ventures: an entrepreneurial and managerial approach, Juta and Company Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa, 2009. UK Office for National Statistics, Travel and tourism: Overseas visits still subdued, 2011, retrieved https://www.ons.gov.uk/. Footnotes 1 D Tassiopoulos, New tourism ventures: an entrepreneurial and managerial approach, Juta and Company Ltd, Cape Town, South Africa, 2009, p.309. 2 J W Plunkett, Plunketts airline, hotel travel industry Almanac 2007: Airline, hotel travel industry market research, statistics, trends leading co mpanies, Plunkett Research, Ltd., Texas, 2006, p.62. 3 R Pfister, P Tierney, Recreation, event, and tourism businesses: start-up and sustainable operations, Human Kinetics, Leeds, UK, 2008. 4 S Page J Connell, Tourism: A modern synthesis, 2nd edn., Cengage Learning EMEA, Stamford, 2006, p.81. 5 Independent on Sundays, Recession ‘is good news for UK travel industry’, 2008. 6 A Hogson, The travel and tourism industry: strategies for the future, CABI Publisher, Oxford, 1987. 7 P Robinson, Operations management in the travel Industry, CABI, Oxford, 2009, p. 254. 8 A Needham, Business for higher awards, Heinemann, UK, 1999, p.19. 9 UK Office for National Statistics, Travel and tourism: Overseas visits still subdued, 2011. 10 S, Horne J, Swarbrooke, Leisure marketing: a global perspective, Butterworth-Heinemann, UK, 2005, p. 233. 11 R Doganis, Flying off course: the economics of international airlines, 3rd edition, Routledge, Newyork, 2002, p.159. 12 N Evans, Strategic man agement for travel and tourism, Butterworth-Heinemann, UK, pp. 172-177.