Homeless essay Essay

Most homeless people are responsible for their own problems. Do you agree? In this essay I will be pointed out facts about the homeless people in London and I will be analysing if it is there fault for being homeless or our fault. There are thousands of people who roam around the streets of London looking for a patch to sleep and somewhere to eat. Children and adults leave there houses because of family problems and many more scenarios. There are many people living around the streets of London and the world. They face problems that force them to leave there home and the majority of the time it is because of money problems and family problems. They leave houses to travel the streets and live in alleyways and face the whether which can turn bad in the winter. The question that I will investigate is it their fault that there homeless. The majority of homeless people are homeless because it has been their fault. Their problems that they have faced have pushed them to leave home and loose any luxuries they had. Any homeless people do not even try to gain a job to support them in any way. Many people think that they should get a job as many do have some qualifications that can help them. This is a sign of being lazy which cannot benefit them in any way and they deserve to be homeless if they act in this way. They clanger ways to get moneys from people by begging in crowded areas and doing an act to endure people to give money. This is the easy route out and if homeless people do this then no simperfy should be given. More than three hundred thousand was given to beggars over a period of two months n London and was spent on drugs and alcohol. This is a good example of why no money should be given to beggars, as they will only harm themselves and people around them. Many homeless people by the drugs because they fell that they have nothing and drugs might be a way to get a boost to survive day-to-day life on the streets. Many homeless people refuse shelter because they think that they can get by without them. This is a sign of being shellfish and people shouldn’t tolerate it. Many immigrants flee to the UK because they think that it is their escape route out of their country because of poverty or war. They come into this country and such onto our money that has been give. They stay homeless for a while and as soon as a chance comes they will take it. They should get out and get a job because it will help them and maybe their future family. Many homeless people who have no options available to them do drastic things to gain some money to support them for the day or week. Many professional all beggars get eighty pounds a day, which is tax-free. This is ridiculous as it is more than people get in a day for going out and doing work. This is a prime example as to why money shouldn’t be given to them. Some homeless people who want to get out of the situation cannot because they are too lazy to find out information about numbers to call for help such as childline and social services. There is an magazine that can help the homeless it is called the big issue and it aim to help the homeless by telling them what to do and numbers to call. It is a big help for people who want to get out of the situation. It is a free paper and could get homeless people back on a property. I think that some homeless people are to blame themselves, as they do not want help of any sort. In this part of the investigation I will be analysing the support side to this argument. There is another side to which I think that is to be announced about homeless people. The things that have happened to them are not their fault. This problem could of happened to anyone. This is why there are many charities open to help the homeless who will provide food and a shelter for them to sleep in. the big issue is a big help. Keith smith at thebig issue agrees that it is not fair to tell people that they mustn’t give money to beggars. The government has made a good contribution to this case, as ninety two per cent of families are now living in tempary accommodation in a good maintained house with a bath, bedrooms and living room. The government hopes to get as many homeless people into homes by 2010. This is a great achievement for the people who want to move home. There are many groups that go into the streets and provide food and shelter to the homeless. People should give money to charities because it will have more of an effect as if you give it to the homeless in person they could just by drugs or alcohol with it. I think in my judgement that homeless people are not to blame, as they cannot help was has happened to them. They need help, which is provided by different services. A small amount of money is all that is needed to support them. With a new priminister in power I think that he will tackle the problem in a quick way. He could bring the time from 2010 to now which could help the homeless even more.

Narration and Tone in The Tell Tale Heart, The Ghost in the Mill, and Cannibalism in the Cars Essay

If fear, quizzical characters, and death all have something in common, it is that they are all present in each of the following short stories: Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†, and Samuel Clemens’ â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars†. Each story has a unique and thrilling plot, with diverse characters, from the maniacs in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars† to the simple storyteller in â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†. Tones differ quite a bit in each; however narration is almost the same as each short story is being narrated by someone recalling the past. â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† is a very ominous short story presented to us by the narrator who describes how he murdered an old man and his reason behind it. The story begins with the narrator telling his audience he felt nervous and that his disease (presumably his madness) had given him keen senses. â€Å"The disease had sharpened my senses –not destroyed –not dulled them† (92). He then proceeds to enlighten readers by recounting the haunting idea that entered his mind—to murder the old man. He devises a very methodical plan to murder the old man—simply because of the old man’s blue eye which had a thin film over it. The â€Å"vulture eye† haunted the narrator, and thus he premeditated the ungodly murder which ultimately led to his own downfall. The way with which he kills the old man is very precise, allowing readers to feel a sense of disgust towards the narrator, yet at the same time his methodology is to be somewhat admired. Prior to the old man’s death, the narrator remains objective about the old man stating that he did have a liking for the old man; however, the thought of the â€Å"vulture eye† made him irrational. Cynically he says, â€Å"I loved the old man†¦.For his gold I had no desire. I think it w as his eye! yes, it was this†¦ I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever† (92). He graphically describes how each night for seven nights he would enter the old man’s bedroom and shine a lantern light into his eye—which he would always find closed, that is, until the eighth night. On the eighth night, the mad man found the old man awake and startled. Patiently, the mad man waits an hour for the old man to resume his sleep and when sure of his slumber shines the light precisely on the â€Å"vulture eye.† Upon discovery that the old man is indeed awake, he pounces on the old man and uses the bed to kill him shamelessly. Subsequently, he cuts the old man’s limbs off and puts them under the floorboard. The police then come after hearing a report that a neighbor had heard a shriek coming from the house. Fearlessly, the narrator brings the police inside telling them that the shriek was his own coming from a dream, and that the old man was not to be found as he has supposedly in the countryside. Readers start wondering whether he will get caught or flawlessly fool the police. He shows them around the house jubilantly then offers them a seat once they are convinced of his innocence. The seat is placed above the old man’s body. Quickly things change, as the narrator’s fearlessness turns into agonizing desperation as he hears the beating of a heart grow louder and louder. Adrenaline pumps as he tries to mask the sound by making noise; however, his guilt could not be held within, and he admits his deed to the police. The underlying question in this last scene is whose beating heart is it? Is it the narrator’s heart, the old man’s, or was it simply in the mind of the narrator? In Harriet Beecher Stowe’s â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† a story is being told by Sam Lawson; however, it is being seen through the viewpoint of a man who is recalling the story from his childhood. It begins with a comforting homeliness as everyone prepares to hear Sam Lawsons story in days where there were no â€Å"magazines and daily newspapers†¦no theatre, no opera† (98). Lawson begins telling the story in a confusing street dialogue which then becomes clearer once the reader refrains from overthinking the words, but instead begins relying on context. Lawson begins the story by talking about the disappearance of Jehial Lommedieu. Then he speaks of a strong snowstorm which led Captain Eb Sawin to Cack Sparrows house for the night instead of heading towards Boston. At Cack’s house, they share a few drinks and laugh until they hear a sudden knock on the door. Again, someone knocks at the door as if demanding to come in. Fearful, Cack opens the door to find Ketury—an old Indian woman who was feared in her town. There were notions that she did all sorts of immoral practices and was â€Å" ‘to the [service of] the Devil’ † (104). Ketury incited fear in Cack, â€Å" ‘Cap’n Eb says he never see a fellow seem scareder than Cack did when he see Ketury a-standin’ there’ † (104). There is a sense of spookiness when Lawson makes a reference to brown leaves flying through the wind referring to how Ketury came through the wind. An evil smile presents itself on Ketury’s face as she looks at the chimney and begins to call out â€Å" ‘Come down, come down! lets see who ye be’ †(106). Piece by piece, a man is formed from the chimney. It turns out to be Jehial Lommedieu. Cack becomes traumatized and admits how his father killed Jehial for his money and he helped hide the body in the chimney. Afterwards, Cack only lives for a few more days. â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† has strong references to church. Methuselah, the devil, and the effects of not going to church are present in the story. Sam Lawson criticizes Cack and says he is â€Å"an immortal crittur lyin’ loose all day Sunday, and not puttin’ on so much as a clean shirt†¦What can you ‘spect to come of it† (102). Then, Lawson tries to teach the story-goers a lesson by showing everyone the example of Cack. Additionally, in this story, a body is hidden in the chimney, while in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, the body is also hidden, but under a floorboard. â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars† is also like â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† in that a story is being told that occurred in the past. The similarity is even closer to â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill† because both of them are stories within stories told by someone other than the narrator. In this case, we see the story through the viewpoint of a train passenger hearing a congressman’s story. Also, like â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†, a snow storm causes an unfortunate incident as the congressman’s story recalls the time when he was stranded on a train, miles away from civilization. The congressman and the other professional men in the train were starving and so a proposal for cannibalism was brought up. The way they went about being cannibalistic can only be described as overtly political. By the time the congressman has to go—for he has reached his stop, he tells the passenger listening to the story â€Å"I like you, sir; I have conceived an affection for you. I could like you as well as I liked Harris himself† (117)—Harris being the first man he ate. The passenger gets alarmed at the thought of having Harris’ fate; however, he is later told that the congressman is a monomaniac, thus, the story was all made up. Men who were to be eaten were chosen in the most diplomatic way—by candidacy and vote. The men chosen were calm and simply accepted their fate, not once alarmed. The ease with which people were eaten is rather humorous as it seems that men were getting gulped down with no remorse from others—almost gluttonously. It is almost as if there is no fear in this story due to its entertaining humor, unlike the other two stories which were chilling. Unlike â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, this story doesn’t give any details about how the bodies were prepared, but simply jumps to who got eaten. The victims taste was given personal attributes such as â€Å"the next morning we had Morgan of Alabama for breakfast. He was one of the finest men I ever sat down to –handsome, educated, refined†¦a perfect gentleman, and singularly juicy† (116). Just like in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, this story is straight forward and quickly goes from mysterious to overt honesty. Unlike â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†, the description of what happens to victims is vague and practically nonexistent. Also, in â€Å"The Ghost in the Mill†, the characters lack the eruditeness present in characters from â€Å"Cannibalism in the Cars†.

Leadership in Context

The â€Å"Ah Hal† moment is distributed leadership actually did happened in my past appointment as the Course Commander in the Engineer Training Institute (ET). Being selected in the appointment and the most senior in rank, I naturally assumed the position of the leader with my subordinates taking Instructions from me. However, for certain events such as organizing of unit's Chinese New Year event, managing of officer cadets' cohesion activities, and specific training packages, I delegated the planning to my team.Through the process, it was encouraging to see some of my instructors took the initiative to emerge as the assume leader to organize and successfully completed the task with minimum supervision. Despite being successful, I had also observed that my instructors' Kim-Yin Chain et al. , Military Leadership in the 21st Century Science and Practice, 1st edition (Singapore: Coinage Learning Asia, 2011). Peg 148 2 Leonard Wong, Paul Bellies, and Dennis McGuire, â€Å"Milita ry Leadership: A Context Specific Review,† US Army Research, January 1, 2003, http://adolescents. Nil. Due/ chrysanthemum/1 6. Peg 657-692. Reiterative in organizing the event could have been limited by my supervision at some point of time. Hence, It Is of my view that It Is Indeed possible that distributed leadership can be Implemented quite successfully In certain areas In SAFE. My post-action review Len- relation to the concept of Orpheus are being summarized in three points. Firstly, application of distributed leadership can be applied in military context particularly for a small group who had attained a certain level of military competencies.It provides opportunities for a rotational leadership role, allowing any individual to merge as leader and to realize the rich potential as a group. Secondly, the empowerment given to the Individual must be respected and trusted to reduce their authority and leadership through a shared vision, mission and purpose. The concept will all ow the group to generate greater passion and motivation to reach the desired outcome. Lastly, distributed leadership need to be carefully calibrated in a traditionally hierarchical organization to prevent the wrong impression of a laissez- fairer or no leadership approach.By planning forward, distributed leadership can be seed to enhanced specific core competencies skills 3 such as creative thinking, communicating to influence, decision making, develop people and team, developing the individual for success. Task 2: State the appointment that you are likely to be posted to after SC. Being a Combat Engineer by vocation, my next possible appointment might be taking over command in one of the battalion of Singapore Combat Engineer (SEE).I shall 3 SAFE-OLD Doctrine Directive 2/2004. SAFE Leadership Framework. 26 July 04. Provide my assessment and direction in accordance to â€Å"Circle† of the SAFE Leadership 417 Frameworks; mission and purpose, operating environment and desired o utcome, to strive forward and achieve a collective vision for my unit. Mission and Purpose. From the theory of core ideology by Jim Collins and Jerry Operas, the core values and core purpose of great organization does not change. The unit's mission and purpose in line with SAFE, in peacetime, is to safeguard our nation's security, thereby ensuring Singapore survival ultimately. I will work to ensure that the unit perform the function of raise, train and sustain, and continues to be ready to play its role in arrangement Singapore security during my tour and for the foreseeable future. I would consider adopting the leadership in Battle and Garrisons that was taught in LLC lesson 8 in achieving the mission under differing situational requirements.Understanding the flexibility of the competing values and behaviors will first allow me to place emphasis in maintaining relevant in fulfilling the â€Å"swift and decisive victory' part of the MINDED/SAFE mission and renewed the focus on the unit's hotter capability, so as to set in place the building blocks for our evolving role in the future operating environment. 4 SAFE-OLD Doctrine Directive 2/2004. SAFE Leadership Framework. 26 July 04. Jim Collins and Jerry I. Operas, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies 6 Reuben Gal and A.David Manageresses, Handbook of Military Psychology, 1 edition (Chester ; New York: Wiley, 1991). Peg. 411-429. 5 Operating Environment From LLC lesson 7 that organizational culture is important to the influence of leadership and vice versa. Edgar H. Scheme said † group growth and culture formation can be seen as two sides of the same coin, and both are the result of leadership activities and shared experiences†. 7 The operating environment of the unit is not Just being ready to handle any contingency but also being operationally proficient to carry out our security operations on a daily basis.Thus the unit needs to be operationally ready to face the continuous co mplex VI-CA environment. The unit will need to train the men to attain an approved level of technical competence on operating combat engineers' equipments and honing the analytical functions of the commanders to operating in the various operating conditions. The unit culture will be â€Å"a pattern of hared, basic taken-for-granted assumptions, the culture will manifest itself at the level of observable artifacts and shared espoused beliefs and values†. To meet the demand and influencing the culture, I will take on the leadership by example to be the source of beliefs and values to gradually build a shared assumptions among the commanders and men in the unit. Desired Outcome My desired outcome is to develop an operational, cohesive and discipline unit, which is capable of maintaining safety and achieving mission success in a wide spectrum of operations. The unit should comprises of committed soldiers who are highly proficient in their tasks and proud of their identity as Comb at Engineer soldiers.A few key factors to focus on to maintain high level of performance and competency are: (1) To display 7 Edgar H. Scheme, Organizational Culture and Leadership, 3rd Edition edition (San Francisco: Josses Bass, 2004). Peg 87-88 8 Ibid. Leadership by example. Leaders who â€Å"walks the talk† will enable his men and commanders to sense and be inspired by the actions and commitment. (2) To build quality relationships. I am also a firm believer of the Core Theory of Success 9, where laity results. (3) To instill a sense of purpose.Never â€Å"go through motion† and make clear of the purpose in the tasking so as to enable strong sense of ownership and foster a stronger commitment to the unit. Task 3: Identify and explain the key leadership requirements for my appointment. Values Figure 1 . SAFE 24-7 Leadership Frameworks Based on the SAFE 24-7 Leadership Framework (refer to Figure 1), a SAFE leader will need the four factors provided within the triangul ar block for effective leadership. First key requirement is values which is the basic foundation of the triangle.A strong set of 9 John Steersman, Organizational Learning at Work: Embracing the Challenges of the New Work place (Waltham, Mass: Pegasus Communications, 1998). 10 Adapted from SAFE-OLD Doctrine Directive 2/2004, â€Å"SAFE Leadership Framework†, dated 26 July 2004. Peg values that SAFE leaders derive their moral strength for influencing their soldiers. 11. The importance of values cannot be overstated and hence my values need to be aligned with the SAFE core values to remain firm in my convictions and actions. Leadership is the process of influencing people. 2 1 will lead by example and exemplify the SAFE core values to positively influence my commanders and men. With the consistent inculcation of values, it will be a guide for everyone to do the right things regardless whether one is being watched or not. Full-Range Leadership – Balancing between Transacti onal and Transformational Figure 2: Relationship of ELM in the Military Context The next key requirement is leadership styles. There is no single leadership style good enough for all situations and picking up three particular styles of leadership (I. E. Situational Leadership, Path-goal theory and Full Range model) from LLC lesson 5, it 11SEA-OLD Doctrine Directive 2/2004, â€Å"SAFE Leadership Framework†, dated 26 July 2004. Peg 3 13 Adapted from APP Chain, K. Y. , LACE-02-Slides_Overview_Concepts_Appropriateness DARPA-22 – for STUDENTS APP. Slide 49. Was understood that the styles of leadership were often dependent of the leader, the follower and situations. I believe the full range leadership model is best suited for my next appointment and I need to balance the range of styles between transactional and transformational so that I can effectively communicate and lead as a Officer Commanding (CO) of a Battalion.Reaching for transformational leadership Tyler will likel y to yield a positive and longer-lasting effects. Leadership, Management and Command Figure 2: Relationship of ELM in the Military Context Other than SAFE 24-7 Leadership Framework, I will want to look at the concept of Leadership, Management and Command (ELM) (refer to Figure 2) from LLC lesson 2 to be one of the key requirement. ELM are three distinct concepts but inseparable and intertwined†1 5. Taking over a command appointment makes me dwell deeper into the LLC 14 Adapted from APP Chain, K. Y. , LOCO 15 Chain et al. Military Leadership in the 21st Century Science and Practice. Peg 8-14 concept. Looking beyond peacetime tasking and operations, although the application of all three concept are equally important, I will focus more on leadership role to influence soldiers by providing the purpose, direction and motivation that required to achieved mission success. 16 Task 4: My leadership strengths and weaknesses? According to my MYSELF report and matching the result with the SAFE 24-7 Leadership Framework, I had clearly exhibited a value-based leadership and my strength in the core competency were mission, social and developmental.The results resonated well urine my appointment as Course Commander, with extremely tight training the end-of-course survey, highlighting areas like our instructors' role modeling, value inculcation, individual development and mission focus. The positive feedbacks were good indications that my instructors understood their roles well and they were given opportunities to develop and lead with my guidance. Socially, I had displayed good interpersonal effectiveness and able to communicate to influence my team well. With strengths, there is also weakness. One of my weakest factor reported was inflexibility of my leadership style.Previously as Course Commander, I was not deeply exposed to the various leadership styles as compared to now in GAS SC. Then, I adopted a more consistent leadership style towards my trainees and my team th inking that a more homogeneous outcome in the inculcation of the SAFE core values was better. 16 Ibid However, I realized this might not be the most effective method to motivate and lead the team. An effective leaders are those who can shift between transactional and transformational leadership styles as required by circumstances and the characteristics of followers†17.

Women in Reservation

On Women’s Day (March 8), India witnessed the high voltage drama over much talked Women’ Reservation Bill in the Parliament. The Women’s Reservation Bill is the most essential bill to empower women in Indian politics. According to the bill, women will enjoy 33 per cent of the reservations in the Lower House of the Parliament and Assemblies. Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Parliament has passed the Women’s Reservation Bill on 9 March 2010, this day in India can be termed as one of the historic days in Indian politics.Major political parties were in favor of the bill. The debate in the Upper House was interesting amidst the chaos and drama of the opposing Member of Parliaments. Stand of Political Parties: Thanks to Sonia Gandhi the Chairperson of Congress Party for the introduction of the bill on the eve of Women’s Day. And the support from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was accolade by the supporter of the bill.The stand of the BJP over the bil l is clear and the former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in favor of the bill. The other parties were in against of the Bill and the supporters of UPA government have threatened to withdraw their support. While talking to NDTV the soon after the bill was passed in Parliament, the Congress Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi was more confident about the bill. She also urged the need of the bill in India politics. Why the Women’s Reservation Bill?The need of the hour is women empowerment. The fact can’t be denied that still after 50 years of getting independence and self governance of Indian democracy, there is need to protect the interest of women in India. The bill will give 33 per cent of compulsory presence of women representing various parties in the Upper House of the Parliament and Assemblies. There is fear of losing elections if the women candidates are allowed to contest from various constituencies, may the right think†¦ [continues]

Andrew Jackson Sectionalism

Sometimes when a ruling authority decide what they think is the â€Å"best† for their country, sectionalism evolves. Sectionalismisloyalty to the interests of one's own region or section of the country, rather than the nation as a whole. In simple words,it means one would only strive toimprove their town or area, rather than improving the country. An example of sectionalism would be during Andrew Jackson’s presidency. The decisions made during Jackson’s president caused sectionalism itself to manifest. Signs of sectionalism showed after Congress released the Tariff of 1828, the vetoing of the re-chartering of the Bank of the United States, and Jackson refusing to admit Texas as a state. The Tariff of 1828 was a major factor that contributed to the emerging sectional conflicts during Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Passed by Congress in 1828, it was aimed to protect the booming industries in the north and tax the south on imported goods such as wool, fur, liquor, etc. The South was angry at paying a high amount on imported goods, since it harmed their economy. As a result, South Carolina threatened secession from the Union. Congress, hoping to make things work better for the south, issued the Tariff of 1832, lowering the tariff down to 35% with a reduction of 10%, but the southerners still thought this was not enough. So it led to the Nullification Crisis of 1832; the South Carolinians said the Tariff of 1832 was unconstitutional, declaring it to be a void. Jackson, angry about this whole conflict, issued a proclamation against S. C. in which Governor Hayne from S. C. eleased a counter-proclamation, causing sectional tensions to be lurking around the corners. This whole conflicted ended when Henry Clay proposed a compromise bill that would reduce the Tariff of 1832 by about 10% over a period of eight years, so that by 1842 the rates would be down to 20% to 25%. Andrew Jackson vetoing the re-chartering of the Bank of the United States proved sectionalism to be emerging. Jackson and the westerners saw the BUS as a tool of the rich to get ric her, but to the easterners, it was a great institution that reduced bank failures secured their funds. The vetoing of the re-chartering of the Bank of the United States started when Henry Clay deployed a strategy hoping to bring Jackson’s popularity down so then he can hopefully win the next presidential election. He presented Jackson a bill for the re-chartering of the BUS that was four years early. The point of this was if Jackson signed it, he would lose supporters from the west and south, and if he vetoed it, he would lose the support from the elite and wealthy people of the East. However, the people from the east were now a minority and they fearedJackson. Jackson vetoed the re-charter bill, scorning the BUS to be unconstitutional, which aligned the west against the East. Sectionalism emerged between the north and the south when Jackson refused to admit Texas as a state. After Texas gained its independence from Santa Anna in 1836, many of the Texans wanted to become part of the Union, but the slavery issue wouldn’t allow this. If Texas was to be admitted to the Union, then that means there would be 13 slave states and 12 free states, breaking the whole point of the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise called for all states above the 36 degree 30 line to be free, and the states under that line would be slave states, bringing a fair balance between slave states and free states. The Northerners were uneasy with Texas since they didn’t want Texas to be admitted to the Union, otherwise there would be more slave states than free. During Andrew Jackson’s presidency, tensions between the south, west, and north emerged causing sectionalism. Sectionalism emerged after Congress released the Tariff of 1828, the re-chartering of the Bank of the United States was vetoed, and Jackson refusing to admit Texas as a state.

Retail Market Analysis - Mobile Phone Retailing in the UK for the last Essay

Retail Market Analysis - Mobile Phone Retailing in the UK for the last quarter of 2011 (October December) - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the mobile phone industry of UK; the country’s mobile retail market is analysed emphasizing on the last quarter of 2011. Reference is also made to the industry’s performance in the past, especially during 2011, since it is considered as a valid indicator of the industry’s performance not only in the last quarter of 2011 but also in the future. A problem has appeared when reviewing the performance of the sector’s major competitors for the last quarter of 2011: not all of these firms publish their financial accounts and it was not possible to retrieve these figures through the organizations’ websites. However, where such information was not available, other websites, providing information on this issue, have been used as alternatives for identifying the financial performance of mobile retailing firms in UK for the 4th Quarter of 2011. Also, where figures are not available for the particular period of time, such as for example in the case of Hutchison, reference is made to the performance of the firm for the entire 2011 so that the comparison of the performance of the firm with its rivals to be feasible. Mobile phone sector in the UK - overview Mobile phone industry is quite valuable for the UK economy. Currently, the mobile connections in UK are estimated to 81 million (Mobile Operators Association 2012). In fact, the sector’s operators have managed to gain about a 71% of the telecommunications sector in UK (Mobile Operators Association 2012).... Five are the sector’s competitors, as highlighted in Figure 1 below. Customers of these firms seem to be quite satisfied with the services provided to them; in a survey conducted in 2010 it was revealed that a percentage of 93% of the industry’s customers are quite satisfied with the quality of customer services within the particular industry (Mobile Operators Association 2012). The key point for the transformation of the UK mobile retailing industry has been the merger of Orange UK with T Mobile UK in July, the 1st of 2010 (Everything Everywhere 2010). Since then, the distribution of power among the industry’s competitors has been significantly changed, as analysed below. 3. Mobile phone sector in the UK for the last quarter of 2011 (October – December) – industry analysis 3.1 Competition As already noted above, five are the major competitors in the UK mobile phone industry (Figure 1); through the years, these firms have tried to keep their share i ntact, despite the high industry’s competition (Figure 2). The graph in Figure 1 reveals that new entrants or substitute products do not threaten the performance of the industry’s major competitors, as this issue is taken into consideration when evaluating a firm’s performance using the Porter’s five forces model on industry competition. In fact, the market share of these firms seems to be standardized, being kept at same levels from 2008 up to 2010 (Figure 1). A similar trend, in terms of performance, would be expected for 2011, as also verified by the graph in Figure 2. Figure 1 – Five major competitors in the UK mobile phone industry, performance for the period 4thQ of 2008 up to the 1stQ of 2010 (Source: Telecoms Market Research 2011) On the other hand, the graph in Figure 2 below reveals a

Contsrains, Risks, and Ways Mitigating Them Essay

Contsrains, Risks, and Ways Mitigating Them - Essay Example Adoption of the I.T structures will lead to another setback due to the need to train the present employees on ways to handle the new technology. Notably, there will be the loss of time and funds. However, the setback can be relieved by adopting in-shift training sessions that will ensure that employees do not miss their allocated roles. Additionally, the strategy will also reduce the finances incurred in the procedure. Another constraint will include the employee response to the training sessions. Workers have different behavioral perceptions; hence, creating a difference in the rate of adoption of the training sessions. Nevertheless, the hinder can be reduced by having strategic approach styles in the training sessions. Risks include having less output despite inputs in training. Employees may not increase their output even after the training sessions. However, the risk can be mitigated by first employing a positive employee culture and increase the rate of employee satisfaction. Recruiting 50 new graduates for Autokinto. The process may face constraints such as costs in the hiring process due to salaries and other motivating approaches. The constraint can be reduced by ensuring the recruiting of producing graduates that will ensure more maximization of profits to cater for the salary costs. Additionally, establishing graduates with relevant qualities may also be a pending risk. The chance that the risk can be reduced by ensuring a vibrant recruiting panel that will identify specific qualities.

Frames paper incorporating Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal's four Term

Frames incorporating Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal's four frameworks - Term Paper Example Production factors are vital to the manager, since the company cannot enter the market without a product to offer. Labor, premises, raw materials, and machinery are the major factors. Similarly, the company considers its market segments and determines the number of competitors and customers and the relationship between the two groups. The company further researches to establish all the relevant stakeholders in the micro and macro environments (Bolman & Deal, 2008). The following cites a comprehensive framework of the above-mentioned factors in relation to that of Bolman and Deal. Our most important tool of management is labor. Labor comprises of all employees that help in effecting the product manufacturing process. Employees show different behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes relative to their different cultures and societies. This brings forth a state of confusion on how to coerce their differences for the company’s benefit. As the manager, I maintain a distinct culture that me ntors all employees’ characteristics to target towards achieving organizational goals and objectives. I ensure that employees abide by the code of conduct at the result targets to mutual benefits. Conflicts among employees are a common lyric in every organization thus; the management intervenes and rules out in accordance to the code stipulated by the organization. When these conflicts involve employees and the organization, the management has to find a solution before operations come into halt. As the manager, I practice the spirit of motivation, that is, in influencing a person to perform a given task either by use of a positive measure or a negative one. To the company, motivation plays the most pivotal role as it affects performance of the set goals. Giving employees more than just monetary incentives, will similarly improve their performance and the outcome is that the company will achieve its objectives. Therefore, the importance of motivation is to enable workers sense that they are part of the organization. I believe in motivation as it eases unnecessary fears amongst the employees. The company’s statistics reveal that workers perform poorly under oppression as compared to when motivated. This is because; they have the duty to carry out all tasks, irrespective of whether machinery or manual operations. The essence is that, no matter the employees competence to a task, shortcomings may arise due to monotony, frustration, and oppression. As a manager, I should engage in motivation, and must try to curb behaviors that tend to mislead the company, and practice behaviors that will gear up progression and prosperity. Bearing in mind that, every set of human beings does exhibit distinct cultures, the management should observe and tame that culture which favors the company. Culture comprises of personal beliefs, attributes, needs, and behaviors. On addressing these issues properly, the company pursues its objectives and strategically beats compet ition. I believe in addressing issues in a friendly way and welcome views from the employees. I believe in avoiding ideologies of drawing attention from the employees that they should recognize me by my position. Every company has a mission and vision in its business field. Therefore, to come up with the best results of production, I consider the goals and objectives of the company. For example, the company’s mission is to enhance economic growth and customer satisfaction, the products entice consumers to feel

Global Civilization Formal Essay on So Called Primitive Accumulation Research Paper

Marx's Explanation for the Capitalist Transformation and Jared Diamonds Argument of European Domination of the World - Research Paper Example The private property of the laborer is his means of production that he could use to form a petty industry important in the development of social production and independence. These kinds of modes were in practice in serfdom and slavery and have since transformed into classical forms especially where the laborer owns the means of production. The new form excludes the concentration of production on the forces of nature or the development of social productive measures. The transitional process has decomposed the whole society and further expropriated private proprietors. Today, labor is turned into capital and expropriation is accomplished through laws that centralize on capitalism. These results in the expropriation of many capitalists by a few connected capitalists who transform the instruments of labor into a system economizing the means of production and that entangle all people in the world market bringing the capitalistic regime to the international realm. The owners of capital usu rp and manipulate the advantages accrued from the transformation process creating exploitation, oppression, and degradation, which evokes revolt from the working class. The working class consists of the majority of people organized and united by the capitalistic system. The monopoly of capital becomes a mode of production and the socialization of labor and centralization of the means of production become an unmatchable creating conflict. The expropriator has become the expropriated. Marx traces back the expropriation to different instances in history claiming that it took different forms in different countries and went through different phases in different historical epochs (Marx 876).

Use of Motion Pictures in the Painful Deception Essay

Use of Motion Pictures in the Painful Deception - Essay Example A compelling example is Bus 174 done in 2002 by Jose Padilha and Felipe Lacerda. The documentary Bus 174 was prepared from television footages that were taken on live event of a hijacked bus. The documentary aimed at demonstrating the social, legal, and economic injustices experienced by the less fortunate in Brazil. This paper focuses on use of motion pictures in documentaries to depict reality using the documentary Painful Deception by Eric Hufschmid. A compelling documentary is made using a collection of facts about a certain event that is important to the society. A good example of such a documentary is Painful Deception. The United States government asserted that the destruction of Twin Towers, the Pentagon, Building 7, World Trade Centre and other surrounding buildings was a terrorist attack carried out using hijacked planes. However, the motion pictures displayed in Painful Deception documentary completely refute the explanations given by the U.S government. The documentary tries to explain the audience that the happenings of September 11 were a government plan, since the manner of collapse of the buildings completely disagrees with the laws of science as well as those of structural engineering. A Californian engineer called Eric Hufschmid prepared the documentary. He uses his expertise in engineering, laws of science, principles about structures, the views of those who witnessed the collapse and motion pictures to demonstrate the fictitiousness of the collapse. He exposes the controversies behind the occurrence which make a person watching the film realize that indeed, the whole attack was government instigated and not a terrorist attack as the government claimed. The documentary posits that the collapse was carried out using planned demolitions as opposed to what the United States government made the world believe. According to the documentary, all the buildings collapsed as if they were brought down through controlled demolition. The video includes several motion pictures showing the manner in which the buildings collapsed and compares it to that of images of buildings demolished using explosives. Eric disputes the claims that the impact of the planes initiated the collapse of the buildings. He argues that the intensity of the fire was not enough to melt down the heavy steel beams used in the construction of the Twin Towers and Building 7. He affirms that the only possibility was presence of explosives implanted within the building fitted with radio receivers, which could be controlled using a remote gadget. To exe mplify this, he uses motion pictures from actual controlled demolitions done using explosives. He says that the terrorist could not have been responsible of planting the explosives since the process requires time and the buildings were some of the most secure in the world. Another fact exposed was the move to insure the Building 7 just a month before the September 11 attack. The documentary claims that the owner claimed twice the amount of the insurance claiming that the building experienced two separate attacks. Another controversy the documentary tries to enlighten people on is the aircrafts used in the attack. Eric uses motion pictures to demonstrate that it was impossible that Flight 77 hit the Pentagon but instead suggests that a Global Hawk was used in the atta

Mythology Essay No. 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mythology No. 2 - Essay Example Based on his genealogy, Theseus may be classified as a demigod. Aegeus, the King of Athens, unable to bear any children was later secretly married to Aethra and of this marriage, Theseus was born. Theseus was however raised by her mother and would later claim his birthright after going through various challenges and battles. Based on his actions, he may however be considered an epic or a journeying hero (Myths Encyclopedia â€Å"Go-Hi†). Epic or journeying heroes are heroes who are on quests and who go through various heroic battles and journeys. In fact, Greek mythology is riddled with heroes of this type, and Theseus is certainly one of them. He was on his way to claim his birthright when along the way he fought many battles; many of those he battled were actually considered ‘bad’ guys in the contemporary sense. He killed Sinis, the Pine Bender who tore his victims apart by tying them between two pine trees; he killed Sciron who had a habit of kicking his guests to sea while they were washing his feet; he also killed Cercyon, who was known for wrestling with strangers; and he battled many other foes on his way to Athens and these enemies were often known for their foul deeds towards other people (Britannica Encyclopedia â€Å"History and Society†). Theseus possessed many good points in his favor. First and foremost, in order to be a worthy king, or at the very least, a worthy heir to a kingdom, he knew that he had to prove himself worthy. He could have taken a safer route to Athens as advised by his grandfather Pittheus, however, he chose to use the more dangerous road (Godwin, p. 255). In the process, he left his mother’s and grandfather’s kingdom a boy, and he arrived in Athens a man. He gave himself enough battle experience and enough physical and mental cunning in order to claim his rightful place amidst the various threats and claims to his father’s throne. Upon

Financial Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Financial Decision Making - Essay Example From this, financial ratios could be compared with competitors and be able to understand its strength and weaknesses. Using the financial statements of Abel Athletics, the interpretations of ratios are arrived at and described after each table. 3. Net profit margin. NPM measures how much out in every dollar of sales in a company is kept for earnings. A higher profit margin shows the company is profitable and is in better control of its costs as compared to its competitors.(Answers.com) Again here, Abel keeps 26.4% of its sales for earnings, again higher ratio than the industry. 4. Gross profit margin. The table shows that after deducting the goods sold, Abel has enough funds to support other expenses, such as 58.2% is left for operating costs and profit. Abel also has higher GPM than the industry index. * In terms of profitability based on ROA, ROE, NPM and GPM, Abel Athletics show better performance than the industry index. It is a good indication of growing company for the first year of operation. 1. Quick ratio: This is a measure to find out how Abel will be able to pay its maturing obligations without necessarily selling inventory and a higher ratio is considered better. If this ratio declines over time, or it falls below the benchmark index of the industry, this means the company may be investing too much capital on inventory, or it has taken up too much short term debt. (Investorwords) Abel shows a low quick ratio which is below 1, but still way above benchmark index. 2. Current ratio. This is also similar to quick ratio which consider current assets divided by current liabilities. A ratio of above 1 shows strength, and in this case Abel has more assets to cover obligations and is more liquid than the industry. 3. Net working capital ratio is a measure to find out if company is being able to pay off its short term liabilities. Abel shows a positive working capital which is much higher than the industry bench

The marketing communications plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The marketing communications plan - Essay Example The second stage of the plan spells out the strategies that will be used in the segmentation, targeting, and positioning processes. According to Malone (2007), the technology industry is busting with innovations in an un-choreographed time schedule, which means that failure to innovate timely product is likely a recipe for failure by the technological companies. The competition is high such that manufacturers in the industry have to continually research and create new products that are more suited to customers’ needs and expectations. Hewlett-Packard Company is a perfect example of a successful company in the global technological industry. The company specializes in the providing technologies, products, software services and solutions for consumers, small and medium term enterprises, and large enterprises. The major products lines that the company deals in include a wide range of printers and their associated by-products, personal computers, networking products, industry and enterprise servers, storage devices, and software products. In the past year, the company was ranked as the world’s largest PC vendor in terms of units that were sold; this is according to Fetterman (2012). ULTIME HP TV is a digital media receiver that has network appliances, which are designed to play digital content from varying sources such as Movie-TV programs, video calling , social networking apps. Twitter, Skype, face book, Video , YouTube , bbc I player movie streaming , 3D , free view , Hd , Memory Hard- 7506b, Multimedia , audio playback. Input devices Wireless WIFI , Bluetooth 40Hs , Ports 3 HDMI 2Usb , SCART Input, HP Wireless audio system , Â   From a wider perspective, it can be stated that the marketing communication plan is mainly intended to competitively position Hewlett-Packard Company within the in-home entertainment systems sector. The plan aims to ensure that the new ULTiME HP TV generates high sales revenues and is a favorite among the

Educational Issues and Special Educational Needs Essay - 1

Educational Issues and Special Educational Needs - Essay Example the Act key intent was to help the all the children including those with special educational needs to achieve five outcomes which matter most to them, their parents as well as their carers (The Children Act 2004) These outcomes were; staying safe, being healthy, achieving and enjoying, making positive contributions to the society and also the economic and social wellbeing of the children. The Every Child Matters Children Act 2004 has had a great impact in the lives of the children especially those children who have various special educational needs. This Act has led to the promotion of the equality and the opportunities for the children who have special needs in education. This has enabled majority of these children with special needs to be treated equally as the other normal children and they are not alienated by the educational system because of their disabilities. (The Children Act 2004) Similarly these children receive equal treatment as the rest of the children who do not have any learning disabilities. On the other hand the Act has led to the creation of a lot of changes locally as well as internationally and also various programs have been instigated and this has led to the improvement of the of the outcomes for the disabled children. The Act has had major policy priorities which are very relevant to the children with special educational needs and this enables them to receive fair and equal treatment in all their educational learning processes. (The Children Act 2004) The legislation has further led to the bridging of the gap of the children with special needs who do not attend school regularly and this has further led to the improvement of their school attendance. Similarly through this act the government has initiated a strategy for meeting the needs of the children with special educational needs. This has also led to the removal of various barriers that hinder the progress of these children with the special needs and it has led to the improvement of

Knowing Imagination, Fantasy and Faith in Essay

Knowing Imagination, Fantasy and Faith in - Essay Example When tight spots emerge, they have nothing to say. Chances are high, that young ladies and young men, will need to know how imagination, fantasy, and faith are being explored and exploited, or put into action as apparently realistic, at times grotesque in some symbolic works of fiction which may serve them well when opportunities surface. In story books, tales often compel the readers to picture things that came to pass and may come about using representations, similar to what authors' do. For example, "Bontshe Shvayg" (146-151), is purely a product of the author's imagination in addition to borrowed ideas from the authors of the scriptures. In 'The Story of a Young Man', "What is the soul' (93), the author projected his mind's thoughts in terms of a boy at the tender age when it comes to the question of what happened to the soul after death. Most readers also who would examine the story are set and framed to view things the way a child would also be able to picture death, soul, and ascension having been given the symbols of water, cloth, 'The Story of a Young Man' (94), "Souls are flying, souls are flying!", flight, and akin to some small birds ways where they can be seen in still pictures portrayed to be seeping some water, wipe its bill on some dry grasses, and then fly and soar high until when it is beyond one's sight. The symbolism may be low key to some, but, it shows how allegories are by themselves effective whether one is young or old to communicate the message that authors want to deliver whether they are appreciated or not. One high-quality approach to discover how imagination, fantasy, and faith are being explored and exploited in a written piece is primarily to learn to characterize the underlying principle behind the script. For example, some readers may not really understand and appreciate White Challah (1-8). When the satirical narrative was written, the author might have been too affected by the idea of not only what is one gist in "White Challah" (1), bigotry, and also "White Challah" (2), hostilities because of differences in faith. Yet, within the congregating community of believers, "White Challah" (2), there also was hierarchies of prominence depicting a group of people, subservient to mere human yearnings. The satire to some extent, "White Challah" (3-8) exposes men's folly when the intellectual abilities are not fully honed to adhere to reason and logic. But, how will the reader know that the narrative used differences in faith and symbolism to expose human weakness For the Jews, "White Ch allah" (8), challah or braided bread is very important table offering during Sabbath as an entwined food, symbolizing mirror images that were once upon a time created by God on earth. Conversely, the Christians believe in God, but, consider, "White Challah" (1), Christ as the manna from heaven. After reading the full text of the story, "White Challah" (1-8), the reader may find that the purpose of the author was to showcase the disparity between the Christian faith and the Jewish faith dwelling in the same nation, and apparently to motivate readers to make decisions on which group would one like to be identified and join given the opportunity. In other words, the author expressed his feelings about the Christians and the Jews while providing information of their activities, persuading the readers

Social Influences in Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social Influences in Marketing - Essay Example Lastly, if one is involved in school activities , the social influence that goes along with the notion of trying to fit in oftentimes result in a gamut of items being purchased. Be it from college jackets to the cool cell phone your dorm mate has, the social interaction in a school setting often results in a situation where a purchase would be made purely from social influence. What are the products that are usually purchased through social influence Oftentimes these are leisure and aesthetic goods which cut into the consumer's disposable income. For car buffs, these include add-ons such as mag wheels, body kits, and engine upgrades. These are often unnecessary and costly expenses, but because of the social influence exerted by being in that said organization they would accede to these costly expenditures to merely "fit in". For instance, if everyone in the club would be buying fancy mag wheels to augment their cars, more often than not the member would be prevailed upon to do likewise, if only to "be one of the boys". On the same vein, students going to the big sporting events would be subliminally prodded to purchase university paraphernalia, without which they would seem lacking and out of place.

Problem based exercises on Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Problem based exercises on Law - Case Study Example The letter stated that the offer was "exclusively" being made to the "members" of the yatch club against payment of $80,000. The letter also states that the first member to accept the offer will receive the yatch, hence according to the Sales of Goods Act 1979 Section 18 (3), in case of sales on approval, property passes when the buyer signifies his acceptance to the seller. 3. At 8 pm, Dandy, a club "visitor" rang Gemstone, Mrs Gemstone answered in the absence of her husband and Dandy proposed $90,000 for the yatch. Not being a "member" of the yatch club, Dandy does not fulfill the contract according to the Contract Law, since he has not been offered a deal to accept. However, it can be considered that Dandy is now making an offer for Gemstone to accept, but since Mrs Gemstone did not clearly state that she is accepting the offer (she only replied "My husband will be pleased. He asked me to receive any acceptances as he is away tonight. I suggestto arrange delivery") See Gibson v Manchester City Council 1979 1 AER 972, where using the word "suggest" merely illustrates final arrangements, but does not show that any stage the offer has been accepted. 4. Chuck posted his acceptance letter at 9 pm. ... I suggestto arrange delivery") See Gibson v Manchester City Council 1979 1 AER 972, where using the word "suggest" merely illustrates final arrangements, but does not show that any stage the offer has been accepted. 4. Chuck posted his acceptance letter at 9 pm. According to the Contract Law, an offer is acceptance at the time the letter is posted, irrespective of the time the letter reaches destination or even if it does not reach destination. see Byrne v Van Tienhoven (1880) 5 CPD 344 in which it is stated that an offer is accepted once it leaves the hands of the person. Since Chuck is a member of the club, and he is the first to accept Gemstone's offer, legally according to point 2 above, he is the righteous person to claim the yatch. 5. Slick, also being a club member sent his acceptance by mail at 9.30 pm, hence 30 minutes after Chuck. Thus the contract having already been formed being Chuck and Gemstone, Gemstone having clearly stated that the first member to accept will receive the yatch, Slick has no legal right to claim for the yatch. As we can see, Gemstone wants to deliver the yatch to Dandy. Considering all the above points, Chuck is now the righteous owner of the yatch legally. Slick cannot make any legal claim since he was not the first member to accept Gemstone's offer. So, legally, the yatch should be delivered to Chuck. However if Gemstone persists and delivers the yatch to Dandy, he will be making a major breach in the contact with Chuck, who can sue Gemstone immediately for damages. Question Two This case discusses about an "Oral" Contract, that is, one which is not a drafted formal contract between the two parties and where there exists neither evidence nor proof in writing and signed documents. Generally an oral

Human Health and The Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Health and The Environment - Essay Example prove that in warmer temperatures, humans will live longer and avoid certain sicknesses .He further discusses the possible risks and benefits of warm temperature to the Americans, and analyses various factors that are in favor of his argument. The foremost positive effect of warm weather is that it results in the production of less ice and problems related to cold conditions. During winter, people have to work hard to remove ice from the roads, streets and subways. During cold weather, the American families face the problem of investment on winter suits, caps, and other items. They like moderately warmer climate because it reduces the amount of investment on winter items, room heating etc. Another benefit of the moderate warm weather is that it does not affect the economic activities like trade and commerce. The transportation sector prospers in this climate; but.on the other hand, cold weather affects it adversely. â€Å"Most economic activities would be unaffected by climate change. Manufacturing, banking, insurance, retailing, wholesaling, medicine, education, mining, financial, and most other services are unrelated to weather.† (Moore, 1998). Moreover, the laborers who are working in warmer climates are willing to accept low wages because they enjoy the benefits of the moderate warm weather. Both harmful and harmless insects flourish in relatively low temperature. On the contrary, moderate warm temperature keeps them away because they are not adapted to live in such conditions. One of the ideal situations that the insects can flourish is the depleted ecosystem. Only strict laws can control the encroachments upon the ecosystem and environment. â€Å"Despite the enormous growth in environmental law and regulation since the 1970s, much of the scientific information needed to ensure environmental protection is still missing.† (Wagner, 2004). The aspect of environmental protection must gain global attention and the implementation of laws must be monitored by an

Creative Piece for as Level English Literature Coursework Comparing Two Film Adaptations of Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Creative Piece for as Level English Literature Coursework Comparing Two Film Adaptations of Hamlet Essay Kenneth Branagh takes Hamlet from play to screen in an intense, full-length adaptation and he got it right! Gregory Doran also takes a whack at bringing Hamlet from the stage to the screen but with a more modern-day interpretation. Branagh restores Hamlet’s greatest scenes and brings out the most in Shakespeare’s awe-inspiring revenge-tragedy plot; in both performance and direction, Branagh displays energy and cogency. The language has the upmost clarity and makes the film feel accessible and comprehensible for a range of viewers. Branagh’s pragmatic approach, which includes short illustrative ‘flashbacks’, work as a perfectly credible cinematic device that helps the audience to understand the complex scenarios. Branagh tends to rant on and shout throughout the film, especially in his soliloquys, but to the audience it could feel commanding and passionate and so it creates quite an impressive effect. The musical scores are generally helpful, although on occasions they don’t quite fit in with the mood, for example in Act 4, Scene 4, during Hamlet’s speech, the music just made it more humorous rather than serious and dramatic, honestly it sounded more like a cheesy American speech with a flag in the background! At the start of the film, the setting is a bit weak, with the shaking of the earth and the appearance of the ghost proving to be a poor attempt at special effects! However the film then gets flooded with colour and majestically inviting grand halls and rooms which are truly beautiful. The BBC’s adaptation of Hamlet (2009), takes a modern-day approach; from the start it is clear that this adaptation is modern dress, Hamlet wears jeans and a T-shirt and he kills Polonius with a handgun, as well as there being Helicopters and women in military roles. Some dialogue and scenes were ‘trimmed’ and adapted to suit viewers of the modern day and unlike the exuberant, bravura styling of Branagh’s version, Doran has favoured a more refined minimalist dramatization. Whilst the production design is theatrical, Doran directs the camera in a manner that is more typical of television; he uses a few cinematic flourishes and can reach angles that would be impossible on the stage. The use of modern CCTV may enforce the element of surveillance but their clumsy, intrusive functioning is more distractive rather than innovative. It is interesting however how Doran puts a camera in Hamlet’s hands to highlight that character’s observations of others. Onstage, Tennant made eye-contact with the audience, bringing  viewers into the plot and the tense impression of the play; this quality was also apparent in the film where Tennant looks directly into the camera, enhancing the meaning behind the text whilst recreating the theatrical intimacy. Branagh doesn’t stray from the original text in his exciting adaptation of Hamlet and the cast, acting, set and overall production was brilliant and can really captivate viewers. However despite the fact the former Doctor Who star tackled his role with an excellent fierceness, Doran’s modern-day approach was nowhere near as dynamic as Branagh’s performance.

Assess the dramatic and thematic effectiveness Essay Example for Free

Assess the dramatic and thematic effectiveness Essay The opening act of The Duchess of Malfi is important in terms of the themes that John Webster is presenting. He uses the characters to explore such themes, and subsequently the audience are given detailed descriptions of most of the main characters. Moreover, Webster uses the characters to describe each other not only giving the audience an insight into their personal attributes, but also how each character perceives the other. Although not entirely apparent in the initial acts of the play, the fact that the audience only know about the characters from the other characters descriptions, implies the ideas of secrecy, deception, and spying, and the general theme that there are things that the characters think they know, when in fact they dont. Antonio is the first character to be introduced, and he is initially presented as an outsider returning home from the French court, which he admires. He has a brief conversation with Delio about the French court, and how although it was orderly, it could easily be distorted.  Pure silver drops in general; but if t chance  Some cursed example poisoned t near the head,  Death and diseases through the whole land spread. The rhyming couplet makes it almost seem like a curse, and exerts a sense of doom. This already gives the impression that the court of Malfi is it self distorted, as Antonio describes the goodness of the French court, and then quickly goes onto describe how easily any court could be corrupted, as if pointing a finger at the court of Malfi. Webster uses this contrast quite effectively to convince the audience from the beginning that there is more to the Court of Malfi than it may primarily seem.  Interrupting the conversation, Bosola arrives, and before he even speaks, Antonio speaks of him to Delio, and creating a distinct impression of Bosola. Would be as lecherous, covetous, or proud,  Bloody, or envious, as any man,  If he had the means to be so.  This unpleasant impression of Bosola given to the audience is further supported, as Delio reveals that he was a fellow seven years in the galleys for a notorious murder, making him appear as an evil character who is capable of murder.  Aside from the information the audience receive from Antonio and Delio, the way in which Bosola speaks makes him appear to be very negative. He and his brother are like plum trees that grow crooked over standing pools; they are rich and oerladen with fruit, but none but crows, pies, and caterpillars feed on them.  The constant use of dark and distasteful imagery attributes him to be quite bitter, and so completes the overall impression that he is indeed an unpleasant character. However, as Bosola leaves, Antonio says he has heard good things about Bosola, but his railing at those things which he wants overcomes these positive aspects. Tis great pity  He should be thus neglected; I have heard  Hes very valiant. This foul melancholy  Will poison all his goodness.  This indicates to the audience that Bosola may have a good side which he may or may not reveal later. Either way, this is another way in which Webster explores the theme of first impressions not being all that they seem.

Understanding Perovskite Film Characterization Routes

Understanding Perovskite Film Characterization Routes Introduction: A perovskite sun illicit chamber is a sort out of daylight based cubicle which consolidates a perovskite cool, calm and collected compound, a good number flask halide-based material, to the same extent the light-social result dynamic layer. Perovskite materials, in favor of instance, methylammonium lead halides are modest in the direction of progress to as a consequence undemanding headed for make. Sun based cubicle efficiencies of strategy with these supplies say unlimited since 3.8% participating in 2009 on the way to 22.1% popular median 2016. The last name perovskite daylight based cell is gotten starting the ABX3 expensive gemstone constitute of the care for materials, because perovskite of structure. Generally, on average careful perovskite safeguard is methylammonium principal trihalide (CH3NH3PbX3, somewhere X is a halogen molecule, used for instance, iodine, bromine before chlorine), plus an optical bandgap inside the constituency of 1.5 plus 2.3 eV depending leading halide content. Formamidinum indication trihalide (H2NCHNH2PbX3) has moreover exhibited ensure, by means of bandgaps in the sphere of the district of 1.5 along with 2.2 eV. The dishonorable bandgap is earlier toward the tighten up used for a separate than methylammonium lead trihalide, therefore it be supposed to transpire all set instead of upper efficiencies. The basic waste going on perovskite daylight based device was popular a shading file sect via CsSnI3.. A dull worry is the fuse of direct such as a bit of the perovskite materials; sun based cells during tin-based perovskite shields, on behalf of instance, CH3NH3SnI3 experience moreover been represented in the company of hand down restriction adjust efficiencies . Diagrams demonstrates the energy exchange efficiencies of the perovskite-primarily based devices over late years apparently with emanant photovoltaic research improvement and besides traditional thin film photovoltaics. Figure 1: Perovskite sunlight hours primarily based cells have extended in strength alternate adequacy at a remarkable rate diverged from various sorts of photovoltaics Perovskites are a group of resources with the purpose of stake a nearly like structure, which operate a crowd of brisk properties in the manner of superconductivity, magnetoresistance with the sky is the ultimate beginning so as to point. These adequately together supplies are seen equally the luck of daylight based cells, since their explicit put together makes them refine on behalf of engaging insignificant exertion, profitable photovoltaics. Figure 2: Pervoskite. a making slight film PV class is being enclosed, in like path named third period PVs, which proposes PVs utilizing advances that can conquer current ampleness and execution limits or depend on upon novel materials. This third moment of PVs wires DSSC, ordinary photovoltaic (OPV), quantum bit (QD) PV and perovskite PV. A perovskite sun situated cell is some sort of daylight based cell which fuses a perovskite sorted out compound, most for probably the most part a cross regular inorganic lead or tin halide-based material, as the light-gathering dynamic layer. Perovskite materials, for example, methylammonium lead halides are humble to produce and large an easy task to manufacture. Perovskites have inalienable properties like wide maintenance territory, brisk charge parcel, long transport detachment of electrons and openings, long transporter division lifetime, which make them to a good degree empowering materials for solid state sun situated cells. Perovskite sun based totally cells desire to construct the performance and lower the value of solar based essentialness. Perovskite PVs for beyond any doubt keep ensure for excessive efficiencies,.A noteworthy favored point of view perovskite PVs has over preferred solar located advancement is they can react to various precise wavelengths of mild, which allows them to exchange over a more outstanding measure of the light that receives in touch with them into power. Likewise, they offer flexibility, semi-straightforwardness, specifically fitted part elements, light-weight and that is currently the start. Regularly, gadget originators and researchers are positive that such residences will open up numerous extra packages for sun arranged cells. One difficulty is their preferred price , and every other is that much less expensive perovskite sunlight hours based cells have a quick future. Perovskite PVs furthermore smash down rapidly internal seeing wetness and the ruin matters strike steel anodes. Overpowering exemplification to assure perovskite can upload to the cellphone price and weight. Scaling up is every other problem high performance opinions were proficient the use of little cells, that is great for lab trying out, but too little to possibly be used as a bit of a real sun based board. An vital problem is dangerous fine a substance known as PbI is one of the breakdown after effects of perovskite. This is thought to be poisonous and there are stresses that it can be disease bringing on .In like manner, numerous perovskite cells use lead, an significant tainting. Examiners are consistently attempting to find substitutions, and feature officially made working cells the use of tin. Perovskite Fabrication: The structure beneath addresses a wellknown (non-adjusted) perovskite sun arranged cell primarily based upon a preferred glass/ITO substrates with metallic again contact. All this is required to shape a operating device from the perovskite are two rate-specific. An significant range of the usual interface layers from the universe of normal photovoltaics work for the most part nicely. For example, PEDOT:PSS and the PTAA-class of polymers ability wonderfully as starting interface layers, while PCBM, C60, ZnO and TiO2 makes convincing electron interfaces. Regardless, the sector is new to the point that there is a boundless record of possible interface substances to be researched. Figure 3: structure of perovskite sunlight based cell. 2. Characterization of Perovskite: Material characterization settle for a basic half in power phenomenon (PV) analyze and is essential understand the extensiveness of latest improvements . Several systems from particles to teams ar beginning at currently accessible to decide on the structure and properties of PV materials, structures and devices. To understand remuneration by native flaws or probably accidental wrecking influences, and in the instance of crystalline materials, grain limit imperfections and prompts comprehension of real cell efficiencies. The final characterization are often achieved simply with a blend of new portrayal ways to incorporate the basic method of characterization. There are several characterization of perovskite solar cell such as XRD, SEM ,AFM ,KPFM ,Photo Celiv, impedance ,XPS/UPS and UV -VIS . 2.1. X-RAY DIFFRACTION (XRD) Beginning at currently high ability skinny film electrical happening sun organized cells tools square measure being created in assortment of crystallographic outlines: epitaxial, crystalline, transparent or imprecise. Essential and microstructural parameters of those devices square check notably linked to the execution of the sunshine burning cell. Considering the broad extent of materials and structures used as somewhat of creating the sun care managed cells there rectangular measure a broad group of x-shaft optical trend and dispersing methodology and geometries which will be used for depiction of sun handled cell device. XRD is associate degree in a situation non-perilous examination mechanical assemblage that offers quantitative data on the crystalline periods in thin-film structures. Which has a smart alternative of X-bar supply and optical real mathematics, XRD examination can be related to a diverse assortment of crystalline and crystalline materials used for PV. precisely once used as a chunk of conjunction with compound assessments, a separated depiction of thin-film structures will be delivered. XRD strategies count on after the dispersing of X-pillars by the particles in an exceedingly discontinuous bunch, i. e., the cross-punch phase. wise diffusive happens once the stage separate between the scattered surf from particles within the cross-space planes is actually a varied of 2, an ailment thats geometrically met when the method length qualification of the scattered waves is surely an elementary number of wavelengths. The lure is finding the illustration and discoverer at positions in house w ith reference to the scene column so optic phenomenon maxima will be distinguished. totally different agreements, for example, the turning valuable stone system, the Laue procedure and then the powder methodology block measure comprehensively used for crystallographic analysis. assortments of the powder system square measure utilized, having a powder or film illustration lying digressively to a concentrating drift represented by the partition between the X-pillar supply emanant difference and therefore the circumstance during this procedure, an control most outrageous within the diffracted surface is found when the affiliation between the picture . The example is lighted with a lightweight emission x-beams on the variable goal extend. Association within the specimen brings regarding diffracted x-beams once the Bragg condition is consummated. occurring spectra area unit traditional for man-made piece and stage. The procedure terribly provides level ID (e. g. co2 ), on-board stage measuring, the troubles crystallinity, crystal size and building block estimate. To get superimposed materials, Grazing Occurrence XRD (GIXRD) permits integrative profundity identification of phases within the structure. Non-damaging examination with characteristic proof of stage e. g. quartz/cristobalite/tridymite for silicon dioxide Stage analysis, the troubles crystallinity and estimation of crystal and building wedge live Profundity identification of integrative and stage changes within superimposed materials by Grazing Incidence XRD Estimation of layer thickness on the nm scale for really clean materials utilizing Ray x Reflectivity (XRR) The cause for this review is to look at impact of grouping doping at variable molar proportion of I, Cl, and Br in inorganic-herbal sun based basically cells utilising CH3NH3PbI3xyBrxCly perovskite mixes. The impact of incredibly stay of grouping doping of I, Cl and Br mixes in the perovskite shape on the electrical phenomenon conduct are going to be tested for boosting the electronic transporting conduct. By using XRD, perovskite layer are going to be Affirmed for finding an sincere situation and development in the gem structure. Electrical phenomenon cells of fluorine-doped tin-oxide (FTO) FTO/TiO2/CH3NH3 PbI3xyBrxCly/HTL/Au. Figure demonstrates XRDs of the perovskite solar bound cells doped with I, Cl and Br. The optical phenomenon styles of CH3NH3PbI3, PbI2 and TiO2 have been outstanding as comments. Beneath customary states of institution doping of I, a solid optical phenomenon high in 2ÃŽÂ ¸ changed into nonheritable to be fourteen.07Ë  , evaluation to be around half of-dozen.29 Ã… in d-dividing. The setting apart changed into apportioned to the (one hundred) floor of perovskite gem shape. Energies 2016, 9, 376 five of ten halogen doping of I, a strong optical phenomenon prime in 2ÃŽÂ ¸Ã‚  became nonheritable to be fourteen.07 °, contrast to be around 6.29 Ã… in dà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ spacing. The dividing turned into relegated to the (100) floor of perovskite gem structure. Incidence gauge boson to current amendment efficiencies (IPCEs). FIG: Table records the optical phenomenon parameters of a hundred of the perovskite gem shape doped through I, Cl whats extra, Br. The go phase consistent changed into quite diminished by means of a mixture of grouping doping of I, Cl and Br. The dividing became faded via enlargement of Cl and Br mixes as contrasted and i. The crystal measure swollen from 387 Ã… to 486 Ã… by means of enlargement of the grouping doping using I, Cl and Br. The pricey stone improvement, size and gem dispersing within the perovskite shape became changed by using expansion of a trifle overall of grouping doping. Fuse of I and Cl as dopants into the perovskite crystalline shape considerably multiplied the electrical phenomenon execution, electronic structure, optical assimilation, band hole and therefore the shipping conduct within the perovskite layer. Control of atomic wide variety 17 and bromide as dopant is essential to increase the country of the photo generation, transporter transporting conduct mor eover, the electric phenomenon execution of Jsc and PCE.

Linear Sequential Model

Linear Sequential Model Introduction Software process (Jean, Badara David 1999) defines the way in which software development is organized, managed, measured, supported and improved. Although they may show different levels of sophistication in mastering their processes, all organizations involved in software-development follow a process of some kind, implicit or explicit, reproducible, instrumented, adaptable or otherwise. Software Development Organization in general has come to realize that the key to successful delivery (on time, on budget, with the expected quality) lies in the effective management of their software process. Generic phase Pressman (2001) mentions that software engineering can be categorized into three phases, regardless of application area, project size or complexity. The definition phase focuses on what. That is during definition, the software engineer attempts to identify what information or data is to processed, what function and performance are required, what system behavior can be expected, what interfaces are to be established, what design constraints exist and what validation criteria are required to define a successful and working system. The development phase focuses on how. That is, during development a software engineer attempts to define how data are to be structured, how function is to be implemented within a software architecture, how procedural details are to be implemented, how interfaces are to be characterized, how the design will be translated into a programming language, and how testing will be performed. The methods applied during the development phase will different, but three specific technical tasks should always occur: software design, code generation, and software testing. The support phase focuses on change associated with error correction, adaptations required as the softwares environment evolves, and changes due to enhancements brought about by changing customer requirements. The support phase reapplies the steps of the definition and development phases but does so in the context of existing software. Four types of change are encountered during the support phase: Correction: Even with the best quality assurance activities, it is likely that the customer will uncover defects or bugs in the software. Corrective maintenance changes the software to correct defects. Adaptation: Over time, the original environment (e.g., CPU, operating system, business rules, external product characteristics) for which the software was developed is likely to change. Adaptive maintenance results in modification to the software to accommodate changes to its external environment. Enhancement: As software is used, the customer/user will recognize additional functions that will provide benefit. Perfective maintenance extends the software beyond its original functional requirements. Prevention: Computer software deteriorates due to change, and because of this, preventive maintenance, often called software reengineering, and must be conducted to enable the software to serve the needs of its end users. In essence, preventive maintenance makes changes to computer programs so that they can be more easily corrected, adapted, and enhanced. Linear Sequential Model / Waterfall Model Linear sequential model or be known as waterfall model is one of the approaches in Software Development Process Models that software engineer used to defined and design which are used during the development process of software. Parekh (n.d.) clearly stated that all these phases are cascaded to each other so that second phase is started as and when defined set of goals are achieved for first phase and it is signed off. Phases of Linear Sequential Model (Startvbdotnet Contributor, n.d.) Feasibility The feasibility study is used to determine if the project should get the go ahead. If the project is to proceed, the feasibility study will produce a project plan and budget estimates for the future stages of development. Requirement Analysis and Design Analysis gathers the requirements for the system. This stage includes a detailed study of the business needs of the organization. Options for changing the business process may be considered. Design focuses on high level design like, what programs are needed and how are they going to interact, low-level design, interface design and data design. During these phases, the softwares overall structure is defined. Analysis and Design are very crucial in the whole development cycle. Any mistakes in the design phase could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development. Much care is taken during this phase. The logical system of the product is developed in this phase. Implementation In this phase the designs are translated into code. Computer programs are written using a conventional programming language or an application generator. Programming tools like Compilers, Interpreters and Debuggers are used to generate the code. Different high level programming languages like C, C++, Pascal and Java are used for coding. With respect to the type of application, the right programming language is chosen. Testing In this phase the system is tested. Normally programs are written as a series of individual modules, these subjects to separate and detailed test. The system is then tested as a whole. The separate modules are brought together and tested as a complete system. The system is tested to ensure that interfaces between modules work, the system works on the intended platform and with the expected volume of data and that the system does what the user requires. Maintenance It is cannot be avoided fact that a system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for the change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. In addition, the changes in the system could directly affect the software operations. The software should be developed to keep or save detail of changes that could happen during the post implementation period. Project Output in a Waterfall Model As Freetutes.com Contributors (n.d.) has seen, the output of a project employing the waterfall model is not just the final program along with documentation to use it. There are a number of intermediate outputs, which must be produced in order to produce a successful product. The set of documents that should be produced in each project are: Requirement document Project plan System design document Detailed design document Test plan and test report Final code Software manuals (user manual, installation manual etc.) In order to certify an output product of a phase before the next phase begins, reviews are often held. Reviews are necessary especially for the requirements and design phases, since other certification means are frequently not available. Reviews are formal meeting to uncover deficiencies in a product. The review reports are the outcome of these reviews. Based on the information given by The Software Tester Contributor (n.d.), below are the advantages and disadvantages for Linear Sequential Model. Advantages of Linear Sequential Model Emphasizes requirements before design. Single system design phase emphasizes planning and design of the system architecture and technology before coding begins. Milestone reviews encourage close scrutiny of phase exit and entry criteria. Sequential progression through phases readily maps to configuration control points and the establishment of baselines. Model structure is readily understood and communicable to all stakeholders. Disadvantages of Linear Sequential Model Testing does not receive focus until after the system has been specified, designed and coded. Many different units and sub-systems could be developed within the one project and the Waterfall Model implies that these are all specified and designed in one clump which does not reflect the reality Customer involvement is not throughout so issues with requirements are not always realized until later in the lifecycle. Linear progression through the phases can result in issue identification being pushed downstream resulting in many cycles of rework causing delays. The customer does not get to see the software until the very end. Project managers cannot always get a true picture of project health and progress, especially in the earlier phases. Rapid Application Development (RAD) Pressman (2001) describes rapid application development (RAD) as an incremental software development process model that emphasizes an extremely short development cycle. The RAD model is a high-speed adaptation of the linear sequential model in which rapid development is achieved by using component-based construction. If requirements are well understood and project scope is constrained, the RAD process enables a development team to create a fully functional system within very short time periods. Normally it takes about 60 to 90 days. RAD Models Phases Stages of Rapid Application Model (RAD) Pressman (2001) Business modeling: The information flow among business functions is modeled in a way that answers the following questions: What information drives the business process? What information is generated? Who generates it? Where does the information go? Who processes it? Data modeling: The information flow defined as part of the business modeling phase is refined into a set of data objects that are needed to support the business. The characteristics or can be called as attributes. Each object is identified and the relationships between these are objects defined. Process modeling: The data objects defined in the data modeling phase are transformed to achieve the information flow necessary to implement a business function. Processing descriptions are created for adding, modifying, deleting, or retrieving a data object. Application generation: Rather than creating software using conventional third generation programming languages, the RAD process works to reuse existing program components when possible or create reusable components when necessary. In all cases, automated tools are used to facilitate construction of the software. Testing and turnover: Since the RAD process emphasizes reuse, many of the program components have already been tested. This reduces overall testing time. However, new components must be tested and all interfaces must be fully exercised. Advantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) The time required to develop the software is drastically reduced due to a reduced requirement analysis business requirements documentation and software requirement specification and planning stage. All the software prototypes produced can be kept in a repository for future use. The reusability of the components also fastens the phase of the process of software development. It is much easier for a project manager to be accurate in estimating project costs which of course means that project cost controls are easier to implement and manage as well. It is a big cost saver in terms of project budget as well as project time and cost due to reusability of the prototypes. If a component is being picked for the repository, it is already tested and hence need not be tested again. This helps in saving time required for testing. The project management requirements are collected in a dynamic manner. Every time there is a prototype ready, requirements are studied and matched. If there are any additional requirements, these are then included in the next prototype built. Disadvantages of Rapid Application Development (RAD) My Project Management Expert Contributor (n.d.) This method may not be useful for large, unique or highly complex projects This method cannot be a success if the team is not sufficiently motivated and nor is unable to work cohesively together. Success depends on the extremely high technical skills of the developers. There are times when the team ignores necessary quality parameters such as consistency, reliability and standardization. Hence this can make project quality management hard to implement during the project management life cycle Comparison between Linear Sequential Model and Rapid Application Model Below are the comparison for linear sequential model and rapid application model that are clearly stated by e2x limited Contributor (2005) Linear Sequential Model Development Linear Sequential Model development demands that all the requirements are identified and detailed at the start of the project. The system architecture is then defined, and detailed design of the system carried out before programming starts. The system is usually delivered in modules that, once finished are then integrated and tested. The big problem with linear sequential model development is that it assumes all the requirements, the architecture and the design can be identified, fixed and signed off up front. If this is done correctly, development and delivery of the system should be little more than the correct translation of the design into code. Experience has shown that it is incredibly difficult to produce requirements of such detail and completeness that the system delivered is exactly what the customer wanted. We have also seen that the transition from design to programming, from programming to integration, and from integration to testing can be fraught with problems; usually caused by misunderstandings, incorrect assumptions and discrepancies not identified during the requirements, architecture and design phases. Linear sequential model development can, and does work, but doing it right is typically very expensive. However, even when waterfall is practiced well, it is not very good at dealing with change. Every change in the requirements requires a change request, often submitted to a change control board. Linear Sequential Model works best when change is restricted. RAD (Rapid Application Development) In a RAD project, the customer is involved early on in working with technologists to quickly produce prototypes that embody the requirements. This gives the customer and users a chance to play with the technology early on to firm up their requirements and identify any gaps or incorrect assumptions. RAD projects then typically head in one of two directions. Some will become linear sequential model development projects, with the prototypes being formalized as requirements. Others will seek to develop the prototypes into proper implementations. The later approach often leads to a number of poorly engineered and poorly integrated solutions as fleshing out a prototype is not the same as developing a proper solution from the ground up. As with linear sequential model development, RAD can and does work. However, successful RAD projects tend to be those where the final solution is actually relatively close to the prototype in terms of implementation. Front-office solutions for exotic financial markets built around spreadsheets, and one-off, limited scope, database-and-forms applications are good examples. Conclusion As a conclusion, if I am a project manager for a specific software project, I would choose rapid application development (RAD) as one of my method to develop software. By using RAD, I can roughly know what end-user want with their software, I can get clear view what the software can do, how the software behave and what type of performance that I can predict out. On top of that, RAD also enabled the team to work quicker and we can produce high quality software that can meet end-users need.

Work Life Balance Programs Cost Or An Investment Management Essay

Work Life Balance Programs Cost Or An Investment Management Essay Work-life balance programs are fast gaining popularity in developed countries, even though they are viewed as novelties in Malaysia. Work-life balance programs can be defined as any benefits, policies or programs that help employees find ways to manage the demands of the workplace and life outside work (Ortega, 2006) or strategies, policies, programs and practices initiated and maintained in workplaces to address flexibility, quality of work and life, and work-family conflict (Bardoel et al, 2008). In other words, work-life balance programs are designed as a two pronged approaches to achieve meaningful achievement and enjoyment in everyday life (Joshi et al, 2002). There are many forms of work-life balance programs such as flex-time, child-care facilities at work, gyms and concierge services and paid vacations. Many reasons are cited for the introduction of work-life balance programs at the workplace, the most common being that it increases productivity as well as employee loyalty. While these are all valid justifications, the costs of having work-life balance programs should not be ignored. Therefore, do the benefits of work-life balance programs outweigh the costs? Going further, should these programs be considered a cost or an investment to the firm? While it may be easier to estimate the returns on investment of a project, it is difficult to financially quantify the impact of work-life balance programs. Thus, companies have to resort to a series of performance measurement tools that are indirectly related to financial return. The best performance indicators are in terms of human resource management. One of the benefits of work-life balance programs can be seen through recruitment. Successful work-life balance programs are powerful marketing tools for attracting new employees who are drawn to the company not just for good remuneration, but other perks too. Work-life balance programs also help to create a better relationship between employer and employee that can be mutually beneficial. One of the main sources of workplace stress is unreasonable demands made on employees time. Thus, programs that assist employees to better manage their time lead to greater job satisfaction. This is evident in the healthcare industry where employees have to work alternative hours in a very stressful and emotionally draining environment. Work-life balance programs in the healthcare industry like wellness programs and child care facilities bring balance and perspective to the lives of employees (Ortego, 2006). This leads to greater productivity, lower job turnover and absenteeism, greater esprit-de-corps and more loyalty towards the employer. In terms of operating costs, retaining employees reduces the cost of training new employees and the time it takes to train new staff to be competent. In fact, there is some evidence to support the argument that compan ies that offered work-life balance programs outperformed those that did not (Joshi et al, 2002). To evaluate if such programs are good investment, we need to examine them from three metrics, which are efficiency, effectiveness and impact (Bardoel et al, 2009). Efficiency metrics are those that measure the cost of work-life balance programs to ascertain the return on investment (ROI). Effectiveness measures are those that indicate how work-life balance programs affect the capacity and actions of employees in targeted talent pools. The third type of measure concentrates on the real impact of work-life balance programs on organizational performance by measuring the value added to an organization by a work-life balance program. Interestingly, research has found that managers often collect data on efficiency, but not on effectiveness and impact factors. This is a major limitation because efficiency measures do not reveal the value added to such programs. The second group of metrics termed effectiveness metrics, assess the outcomes related to the intended effects on individuals of work-life balance programs, for example through employee satisfaction surveys. Again, surveys are useful but they do not gauge whether such programs have positively impacted performance. Though financial ratios such as ROI are typically used to assess core competency, it should be remembered that ROI focuses on financial indicators whereas work-life balance programs use non-financial indicators. Impact metrics measure the ability of work-life balance programs to improve the quality or availability of a particular talent pool, for example to achieve competitive advantage by lowering absenteeism and turnover. To illustrate this cost versus investment dilemma, let us examine three types of work-life balance programs childcare, office gymnasium and flexible work hours. Childcare facilities are provided to entice workers from dual-income households where both parents work. There are many forms of childcare facilities such as in-house child care facilities, after school programs, subsidized child care, and referral services. The main benefit of having such a facility is to help employees cope with the demands of caring for their young children and their jobs and reduce stress among employees as they are assured about the safety of their children (Ortego, 2006). When employees are happy and well-adjusted, it is believed that they become more productive and can contribute more to the company. Other fringe benefits include tax reliefs and exemptions to employers (Deery, 2008), though this is only available in a few countries. On the other hand, the costs of maintaining such childcare facilities are numerous. They include the cost of setting up the facility, the cost of employing qualified staff to care for the children and other operating costs. Also, there is no empirical evidence to support the argument that such facilities promote productivity (Michel et al, 2009). In some cases, the employee might spend more time at the childcare facility instead of at work. In addition, it is almost impossible to quantify the ROI of a childcare facility. Another popular form of work-life balance program is the office gym. A gym is provided because it is believed that exercise promotes good health and reduces job stress. In turn, healthy employees are more productive and there are fewer cases of absenteeism due to poor health (Stimpson, 2008). However, running a gym is potentially expensive. Equipment must be bought, a special room must be prepared and in some cases, physical trainers must be employed. Setting up an office gym must also be done with caution as not all employees would enjoy working out to keep fit. Some may prefer other forms of exercise like swimming, jogging or playing tennis or some may not bother to exercise at all. Hence, it would be a waste of resources to set up a gym when few employees utilize it. There must be proper rules as to when the gym can be used to avoid abuse. In addition, if the gym is open beyond office hours, the cost of operation must also be considered. Finally, the cause and effect relationship of setting up an office gym and increased productivity are largely conjectural. The third type of work-life balance program mentioned earlier is flex-time. This is a form of work schedule that allows employees to select the hours they will work, for example a condensed work week or a shift (Deery, 2008). Flex-time is particularly attractive to those who have to juggle work with other demands like caring for aged parents or looking after young children if childcare facilities are not provided at the workplace. Flex-time is also beneficial for the company in terms of decreasing overhead costs. If employees work different schedules that do not overlap, equipment such as computers and desks can be shared. Companies that do business with firms in different time zones will also benefit as they are able to operate for longer hours and do not have to pay overtime Bourne et al, 2009). Nevertheless, there are some problems associated with flex-time including difficulty of communicating with employees who work outside regular office hours. There are also concerns about sta ff abusing flex-time. If the flex-time schedule is not structured properly, it could lead to the office being staffed sparsely during peak hours (Burke, 2005) and this is unacceptable. In conclusion, from a purely financial perspective, it would appear that work-life balance programs are more of a cost than an investment to the firm. These programs rely on qualitative measures to estimate their success whereas investments rely on quantitative indicators and attempting to reconcile both is problematic to say the least. However, it would be unfair to dismiss work-life balance programs as facile and unprofitable. Just because something cannot be measured with crude financial instruments does not mean it does not exist. The benefits of work-life balance programs on the happiness and well being of employees are well documented. When employees are happy, they become more productive and this ultimately benefits the organization. Therefore, companies should adopt work-life balance programs as long as they are not a severe financial burden. Question 2 Do you think work-life programs can increase retention? Why or why not? How could you assess whether such a program were a good investment? One of the key reasons cited for the proliferation of work-life balance programs is that they contribute to increased retention of employees. Before we answer how work-life balance programs do so, we first need to examine some of the key reasons for employee turnover. It is widely acknowledged that conditions at the workplace affect job turnover. There are many reasons why employees quit because of conditions at the workplace such as long hours, conflict with colleagues and superiors, lack of appreciation shown by employers and unclear job descriptions. For example, long hours at work and increased work intensity both contribute to adverse physical and psychological conditions and lead to negative family functioning (Burke, 2005). Workplace stress can be caused by long working hours, excessive workloads, weekend duties, inadequate physical activity and an unhealthy lifestyle. All these lead to a reduction in the quality of health. When employees are severely overworked and excessively strained, they experience symptoms of fatigue, depression, musculo-skeletal pains, sleeping disorders and an increase in chronic diseases (Tsui, 2008). When the situation becomes too stressful, employees leave their jobs, even opting for those that pay far less but involve less stress. If workplace stress is prolonged, it leads to burnout. Lee and Shin (2005, cited in Deery, 2008) examined the psychological dimensions of job burnout and concluded that it consisted of three components namely emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and diminished personal accomplishment. Burnout is potentially fatal as it increases the risk of coronary diseases, stroke and suicidal tendencies. Employees who lack time to spend with their family or maintain a social life are more likely to be emotionally exhausted, which impact negatively on their job satisfaction and eventually cause them to leave their organizations (Karatepe and Uludag, 2007 cited in Deery, 2008). The following diagram illustrates the relationship between stress and how retention can be improved by work-life balance programs: (Source: Deery, 2008) Also, employees quit their jobs because of dissatisfaction. The top reason why Americans leave their jobs is because they do not feel appreciated (Ortega, 2006). This dissatisfaction may stem from having inadequate job descriptions and unreasonable demands made by employers. Some may be insufficiently trained to perform their jobs or lack sufficient re-training when their job description changes. To compound the matter, there is no assistance for employees when they encounter technical problems when their jobs change and management is indifferent to their plight. All these contribute to stress and increased dissatisfaction with work. Obviously, remuneration is another factor that leads to job dissatisfaction. Employees become unhappy with their jobs when they feel they are inadequately compensated for their efforts based on comparisons of the remuneration of their peers within the organization or within the industry. In the absence of other benefits that work-life balance programs of fer, there is little incentive for employees to remain within a company if they can earn more elsewhere. Female employees are faced with additional problems that their male counterparts do not experience. Despite advances in promoting equal rights for women at the workplace and the gradual acceptance that the traditional roles of both men and women have and need to evolve to reflect the changing times, female employees still feel they have to shoulder the traditional burden of being the perfect housewife and mother, in addition to proving that they are as capable as men at the workplace. Therefore, women are more vulnerable than men to suffer from stress caused by the conflict of managing the roles of employee, wife and mother (Michel et al, 2009). Often, it is because the workplace is inattentive or even hostile to the problems faced by female employees that compel them to leave the workplace when they start a family or when the demands of their family changes. These are some of the primary causes of employee turnover. High turnover is unacceptable, particularly amongst skilled or knowledge-based workers. Particularly in western countries which have declining birth rates and a tendency for job-hopping, the need to retain key staff is essential. Retaining existing internal resources such as good staff, is crucial to maintain an organizations success (Bourne et al, 2009). High employee turnover breaks the continuity of operations and this will adversely affect efficiency. For instance, when an employee leaves, there is bound to be a break in service until a qualified replacement is found and trained. High staff turnover can foster a culture low in morale and loyalty. From a financial viewpoint, there are two major costs associated with turnover which are replacement costs and preventative costs. Replacement costs are the costs of recruiting, selecting and training replacements; loss of output or efficiency during this process; possible wastag e; spoilage and efficiency due to inexperienced staff (Burke, 2005). On the other hand, preventative costs are the costs of retaining staff through pay, benefits and work-life balance programs. Hence, there is greater pressure for employers to strike a balance between eliminating unproductive employees and formulating new and innovative ways to attract and retain talent. There is some evidence to support the postulation that work-life programs can increase retention, provided that the main cause of workplace stress is juggling work-life balance (Osif, 2009 and Joshi et al, 2002). One, work-life balance programs like wellness and physical fitness programs help reduce the symptoms of stress and promote greater physical health. On the other hand, counseling and support groups help employees to manage their stress. While it is impossible and perhaps not desirable to eliminate all forms of stress at the workplace, such programs can contribute a great deal in managing negative stress. When employees are better able to cope with the demands of the workplace, they are less likely to suffer from burnout and less likely to leave. Secondly, work-life balance programs like flex-time are much welcome by working mothers and employees who may want to further their studies and work at the same time. Additional flexibility in terms of working hours will ensure that employees are not compelled to leave because they cannot work the traditional office hours. This will lead to greater retention. Thirdly, in a bid to retain the best and brightest, companies have to resort to novel ways such as work-life balance programs. Assuming that remuneration is similar between two companies, additional perks will go a long way to making a company the desired place to work. Even if a company offers slightly less salary than its competitors, some employees will be enticed to remain there because of the programs and fringe benefits others do not offer. Finally, companies need to show that they value their employees who often have to sacrifice so much for work. While the traditional viewpoint is to provide financial incentives, very often it is the non-financial gestures that make employees feel valued. For example, having office parties or company vacations may be more personal and sincere gestures to show appreciation when the company performs exceptionally well rather than just provide generous bonuses. In that sense, work-life balance programs can be viewed as the minor intangibles that collectively show whether the employee is valued or not. On the other hand, having work-life balance programs does not alleviate an employees woes if they are caused by other stress factors. For instance, if unhappiness at work is because of lack of sufficient training, then overcoming it would be to provide the necessary training. Findings suggest that training quality is positively related to training satisfaction, job satisfaction and the intention to stay in the company. Thus, this type of training is important as a means of retaining employees. In addition, there is no guarantee that such work-life balance programs will increase retention. No substantial longitudinal study has been conducted to ascertain the effectiveness of such programs in leading to long-term retention of staff, and the costs may outstrip the advantages in the long-run, particularly when the economy is bad and the company needs to cut expenses. In conclusion, there is some evidence that supports the notion that work-life balance programs can increase retention (Turner et al, 2009). Introducing flexible working hours and arrangements, providing better training, breaks from work and better work support all enhance employee retention by resolving some of the work-life conflicts faced by employees. Nevertheless, these programs can only be regarded as good investments if they are proven to improve retention of quality staff in the long term and contribute to the overall profitability of the firm. Question 3 Besides flextime arrangements, wellness programs, child-care options and fitness centers, describe three other common mechanisms to improve employees motivation and retention. Present steps to implement such mechanisms in a typical organization. A company can motivate employees through work-life balance programs. Apart from the ones described earlier, other programs like sabbatical leave, paternal leave and work naps are some of the other mechanisms that can improve employees motivation and retention. While sabbatical leave is normally associated with academic institutions, the scope of sabbatical programs is quite extensive, but basically they provide unrestricted time away from work so that the employee can do what he or she wants. For example, the employee can opt to take sabbatical leave to learn how to paint, travel extensively abroad or for further education. Sabbaticals are viewed as a means to allow critical talent time to recharge and people generally return supercharged and more productive than before (Pagano and Pagano, 2009). Basically, there are three defining characteristics of sabbatical leave. One, the time away is planned. Two, it is extended generally for at least four weeks with some firms offering up to three months and three, the employee is expected to return after the break. There is some psychological basis for providing sabbatical leave. Such a work-life balance program is viewed as a form of work motivation. Specifically, it fulfils Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory. According to Maslow, needs are arranged in a hierarchy from the most basic to the highest level (Baron, 1998). There are five hierarchies of needs which are (in ascending order) physiological needs (the need for food, water and sleep), safety needs (need for security), social needs (need to belong), esteem needs (the need to develop self-respect) and self-actualization needs (the need for self-fulfilment). Therefore taken in this context, taking a sabbatical leave to fulfil a longstanding desire is a form of self-fulfilment that will ultimately benefit the individual. However, employers generally tend to negatively view sabbatical leave of this nature as an indulgent form of fantasy and a waste of both time and money to the company. Yet, harbouring unfulfilled desires will adversely affec t productivity as the employee will feel frustrated. In addition, even the best job can seem monotonous after a while and sabbatical leave should be viewed as a way of gaining fresh perspective and overcoming work fatigue. There are some problems when instituting sabbatical programs which is why companies tend to avoid them. The first problem is lack of top management support. Top management must see the merits of such a program to implement it successfully. Secondly, there is a problem of scheduling. Too many employees taking sabbatical leave at the same time is a serious threat to business, especially during busy seasons. From the employees viewpoint, sabbatical leave can be problematic in two main respects. One, the employee may be worried that if he or she is away for too long, the company may decide that it can do without them. Two, returning to work after a lengthy sabbatical can be very stressful and intense since there will be a lot of unfinished work to attend to (Turner et al, 2009). However, sabbatical programs can be successful if well implemented. First, the company should determine the objectives of such a program, be it to re-energize employees, attract new employees or improve work culture. Two, the company should study the market to see what other companies are offering to come up with better programs. Three, employees should be involved in the decision making process to gain their input and insights. Four, the program should be developed by preparing a sabbatical leave policy. This should include support documents like departure checklists, timelines and scheduling requirements. Five, the program should be piloted to ascertain its effectiveness and adjusted if necessary (Pagano and Pagano, 2009). Frederick Herzberg developed a theory of motivation called the Two-factor theory that is similar to Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. According to Herzberg, job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction acted independently of each other (Baron, 1998). Hence, there are factors at the workplace that cause job satisfaction, whilst there are other factors that cause dissatisfaction. The positive satisfaction factors are collectively termed motivators. These include recognition of a job well done, a sense of achievement and personal growth. Hence, they reflect Maslows hierarchy of needs. However, Herzberg describes another set of factors called hygiene factors. Hygiene factors do not provide positive satisfaction such as company policy, and working conditions, but their absence could cause dissatisfaction. Therefore, work-life programs can be regarded as hygiene factors, the absence of which causes job dissatisfaction. While it is common for most companies to provide paid maternity for their female employees, few in Malaysia extend paternity leave to male employees, though it is common practice in Scandinavian countries. This is a fringe benefit that is being increasingly sought after by more and more employees. As the traditional roles of men and women evolve, more fathers now want to have a more hands-on approach to parenting. This means being with their wives during childbirth and tending to the needs of mother and child during the crucial period following birth. The Family and Medical Leave Act in America allows for a minimum of 12 weeks paid paternity leave while those in Scandinavian countries allow leave to be extended for up to three years (Joshi et al, 2002). While it is unlikely that Malaysian fathers will want to take such a long time off from work, more would like to spend a week or two with their recuperating wives and new infants. Therefore, providing paternity leave acts as a form of motivator to encourage male employees to remain with the company (Robbins and Judge, 2007). Implementing paternal leave at the workplace should not be too difficult as the procedure is similar to maternity leave. Hence the same documents for record keeping can be used. Taking a nap at work would seem extremely unprofessional and unproductive. Yet, some researchers conclude that taking short naps at work, termed power naps may actually increase alertness and productivity. The scientific argument in support of power naps is that it is designed to replenish down time during out circadian rhythm which normally occurs during the afternoon. Some of the benefits of power naps include increased memory, response time and cognitive skills. Taking power naps may be linked to the drive theory which is a theory of motivation that suggests that behavior is pushed from within by drives stemming from basic biological needs like sleep (Baron, 1998). The problems associated with permitting power naps at the workplace include the duration of the nap, scheduling and top management support. It is generally believed that a power nap of fifteen to twenty minutes is sufficient to yield the abovementioned benefits (Robbins and Judge, 2007). Anything longer than that will result in the employee falling into deep sleep which would result in sleeping difficulty at night. However, the company must decide when it is permissible for employees to nap. Some allow employees to nap during their lunch break while others prepare a schedule. While it is not necessary to prepare special sleeping areas since employees are perfectly capable of sleeping at their desks, it is important to ensure that such naps do not interrupt the flow of work. Customers must also not see employees napping as it would create a negative perception of the company. However, if implemented correctly, power naps may be amongst the cheapest and most beneficial forms of work-life balance programs. In conclusions, these are but a few examples of the many work-life balance programs that can be designed to provide motivation and improve retention of employees. Deciding on which to choose will depend on the size and nature of the organization, its work culture and the target benefits of such programs. Top management should keep an open mind about these initiatives for if conducted in the correct manner, the desired results can be obtained.