Literacy Education Essay

Education is provided for all, it is our federal government’s promise that education be accessible to everyone. But what if a student is not able to learn or has difficulty acquiring knowledge? They are then given the opportunity to attend a remedial class so that they can cope up with the lessons. But what if the student is not actually illiterate or in need of remedial classes but only needs a little help in adjusting to the current lesson plan? This is what Mike Rose realized as he worked his way through his own schooling and later on as an educator. During his early education, Mike Rose was not a straight A student nor did he stand out among his peers, his early school life was quite ordinary. In Lives on the Boundary, he recounted the difficulties he encountered as a middle class immigrant family but how education and his encounters with some of his teachers had freed him and enabled him to venture out into the world (Graff, 1994). He eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Loyal University and earned a graduate fellowship with UCLA. Rose argues that students stuck in remedial classes are not necessarily there secondary to lack in intelligence but because of lack of support from a social and economic standpoint. He goes on to question standards used in evaluating intelligence and calls for a change in the standards for a more equalized opportunities in education. He also talks of changes in the way literacy is taught to students who are underprepared. He seeks to develop a new curriculum that can adapt to the needs of the students in remedial classes and that is focus on meaningful composition and critical thinking rather than on grammar and usage. He also seeks changes in the philosophy of education that goes beyond the financial benefit and education gained as measured by the usual tests. Failed Education There are times when a student is not able to learn or fails in class and the usual notion is that the child is lacking in intelligence and is placed in a remedial class in order for them to grasp knowledge. But Rose (1989) argues that â€Å"more often than we admit, a failed education is social more than intellectual in origin† (p. 225). What can Rose mean by this? Essentially Rose talks of the educationally underprepared students, those who are often placed in remedial classes, which was labeled as the ‘sick section’ or ‘hospital section’ (p. 210) which is can already be termed a stigma to those who attend these types of classes. But in his book, Rose (1989) makes one realize that many of these students fail and fall into remedial classes not because of lack of intelligence or lack of skills but mainly because of the lack of understanding of their teachers and the lack of opportunity provided for them due to a variety of reasons not limited to the academic. He explores how these factors including their economic situation and social standings affect the performance and perception of these ‘remedial’ students. He notes that the problem of dwindling academic performance and the statistics that show such problems are misguided and should be reassessed to include a broader perspective. He also notes that the current technique used in measuring intelligence and learning from a student is restricted and misrepresented and should be reevaluated. He argues that the usual approaches used in teaching literacy to students who are underprepared is essentially useless, in terms that the student learns essentially nothing if focus is given to grammar and usage and that this way only ends up in fueling the thought that the student lacks intelligence. He seeks a change in the current curriculum to a more accurate and pervasive one. Learning to Read and Write Learning how to read and write correctly is critical to a student’s success in school and in later life. One of the most excellent forecaster of a child’s success in school is the level where a student progresses in reading and writing, but what if the learning process is inhibited by a variety of factors that includes economic and social ones that prevents a student from learning ‘normally’ as other students who don’t face the same circumstances as them. How can learning then be attained? In Crossing Boundaries, Mike Rose recounts his experiences with a number of remedial students who exhibited low test score results at the beginning but through his help was able to understand what was needed from them to be able pass the test (Rose 1989, p. 219). Looking at the various characters depicted in the book, one quickly realizes that a number of the characters embody the typical sample of youth in the US. These students, coming from a vast and multi-cultural society enveloping a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, ethnicity and culture also typifies the Great American Middle Class. Many of the remedial students share a common trait, which is the problem of not being able to communicate well and usually through no fault of their own. Many of our school’s youth are thrown into the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder even though they do not belong in such places or the very least be able to crawl out of this rung. Much of their talents and gifts wasted away simply because they weren’t able to commune through reading and writing or was not able to grasp the basics and thereby they are left to fend for themselves. Learning is a social process as Rose points out that there is a need for the teacher to connect with the student in order for learning to be achieved, which he has accounted for in many of his experiences in his own schooling and later on in his teaching of remedial students in inner city LA. Rose suggests that once a teacher learns more about his student, it paves the way for the teacher to fully comprehend writing preferences thereby allowing for a more meaningful exchange between the teacher and the student. As an educator Rose argued that test scores and the usual competencies used to gauge a student’s intelligence are obsolete in this day and age. He notes that problems of the dwindling scholastic performance of today’s youth may not be as bad as it is if reforms in teaching and education are put in place in order to adapt to the needs of the remedial class that dictates an eclectic approach that cultivates the inherent intelligence of this youth that focus on creative thinking rather than focus on the traditional approach that is set on the formalities of language. As an educator and proponent of literacy this author realizes that even as one seeks to impart knowledge and guide students towards being literate, one must also be flexible and adaptable to the environment and the student they promise to teach. One realizes that each individual is different in their own rights and the teacher as a proponent of literacy should learn to embrace that individuality adapting to the needs of the student so that learning can actually take place and that the student will be open to learning. The author through this reading also notes that a teacher as he seeks to impart knowledge to his students must also learn about his students in order to really teach them and enable his students to reach their fullest capacities and this might mean adapting a different set of techniques in teaching and learning to cope with the multifarious student body that encompasses today’s school setting. Conclusion Educating a student is generally academic in nature, you need to be able to teach the student the basics of the language in order for the student to be termed literate. Reading and writing concur with literacy. In a sense that when a student understands the lesson and is able to connect the words together and form a coherent and understandable statement then one can derive that the student is indeed literate. But one has to understand that simply because the student cannot comprehend the connection of various words means that they are illiterate. A variety of factors including poverty, responsibilities outside the school and lack of opportunity often leads a student to fail miserably at school. At the end of this reading the author comprehends the reality that there are a variety of students that encompass the school system and that in this sense the teacher is encouraged to develop creative ways of teaching and stimulate the significance of an educator’s vocation. And part of it is learning how to cope with the different situations of various students and even teachers that hinders learning (Preskill, 1998). This author realized the significance of education and what it means to be educated, also this author notes that as education must change in order to adapt to the gush of societal demands and strains. It can be concluded that there is a need for a guiding principle that encourages the system to embrace the rich mix of language, custom and legend that is America (Rose 1989, p. 238). The reading has prompted this author to be a more sensitive educator, someone who is responsive to the consequence of labeling and a teacher who understands the bond between teacher and student. Works Cited: Graff G (1994) Disliking books at an early age. In Falling into theory: Conflicting views on Reading Literature, ed. David Richter. Boston: Bedford Books Preskill, S (1998) Narratives of teaching and the quest for the second self. Journal of Teacher Education 49(5) pp. 344-357. Rose, M (1989) Chapter 8: Crossing Boundaries. In Lives on the Boundary pp. 205-238. New York: Penguin Books.

Treatments Of Frozen Shoulder Health And Social Care Essay

The term â€Å" Frozen Shoulder † was ab initio coined by Codman in the twelvemonth 1934. Before that Duplay in 1872, termed it as â€Å" Peri Arthritis † and the most recent Naviesar in 1945 labelled it as â€Å" Adhesive Capsulitis † ( Riyadh and Marwan 2007 ; Dias et Al. 2005 ) . It is defined as a upset in which the shoulder capsule and the connective tissue environing the glenohumeral articulation of the shoulder become inflamed and stiff. It grows together with unnatural sets of tissue called adhesions, greatly curtailing gesture and doing chronic hurting. Incidences of frozen shoulder are seen more in diabetic patients. Every twelvemonth 2 % instances of frozen shoulders are reported in US while 11 % happenings are found in single with diabetes every twelvemonth. About 40 % of patients developed frozen shoulder who were enduring from type – 1 diabetes ( Roy and Dahan 2009 ) . Most frequently there are no allied hurts or discernable cause. There are few patients who develop a frozen shoulder following a traumatic hurt to the shoulder but this is non the typical cause. Frozen shoulder is more common in people who are enduring from diabetes, thyroid jobs, bosom disease, shot, shoulder injury or surgery, station immobilisation etc. Frozen shoulder is rare under the age of 40 ; it typically strikes in the 5th and 6th decennary of life. The status occurs more normally in adult females than work forces F: M=1.4:1 ( Dias et al. 2005 ) . It may impact both shoulders either as at the same time or consecutive in every bit many as 16 % of patients ( Roy and Dahan 2009 ) . Harmonizing to Codman the three trademarks of frozen shoulder are insidious shoulder stiffness, terrible nocturnal hurting and near complete loss of inactive and active external rotary motion of the shoulder.The hurting is normally dull and hurting type. There are normally three phases of clinical presentation.Painful/Freezing phaseIt is badly painful phase in which the patient feels a perennial oncoming of chiefly nocturnal hurting. Patients do non comprehend any hurting during normal twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours activities but it may arouse with overhead activity or motion in utmost scope. This painful period stopping points for 2-9 months ( Walmsley et al 2009 ) .Frozen/Adhesive phasePatients feel same hurting as in stage 1 but it reduces a spot compare to stop deading phase. There is a celebrated capsular form progressive restriction in scope of gesture. Normal everyday activities are more badly affected. This phase lasts for 3 to 9 months ( Fitsialos et al. 1995 ) .Tha wing/Resolution phasePain in this phase bit by bit subsides, but restriction in scope of gesture increasingly increases over 1-2 old ages. Although around 40 % of patients have slight, unrelenting restriction in scope, merely 10 % may hold clinically singular long term functional restrictions ( Binder et al. 1984 ) . There are figure of intervention regimens established get downing from traditional interventions i.e. exercising therapy, galvanism, mobilisation to local infiltration of corticoids to surgical releases of the capsule, but the optimal direction of this status has been the topic of great argument, peculiarly because the status tends to decide spontaneously over months to old ages ( Carette et al. 2003 ; Dacre et Al. 1989 ) . So the focal point of this essay is on intervention modes of frozen shoulder i.e. either physical therapy or corticoids. Both are now widely used and besides researches related to its effectivity have been carried out in literature. So in the undermentioned subdivisions will be emphasizing on some of the plants done by research workers on the grade of effectivity of the two intercessions in handling frozen shoulder, along with the glance on future researches on the same. Before this will hold a brief mentality on the mechanism on which this therapy works.Mechanism of action – Corticosteroids and Exercise:Corticosteroids:From last 50 old ages steroids injections have been used for the intervention of a figure of musculoskeletal conditions. It has been proved that it is one of the cost effectual intervention besides ( Dacre et al. 1989 ) . Care should be taken while exposing persons for the steroids injection as the inauspicious effects is still an unsolved issue. Corticosteroids are fundamentally man-made parallels of the endocrine hydrocortisone. Cortisol in its physiological doses has a regulative consequence on glucose and protein metamorphosis and besides an anti-inflammatory consequence via action on polymorph and macrophage migration along with lymphocyte suppression. They prove to be an effectual anti- inflammatory drug by moving on cell atomic receptors in the control of mRNA synthesis on the production of proteins. This in bend has an consequence on the production of cytokines and other go-betweens of redness ( Saunders WB, 20 02 ) . It has been proposed that frozen shoulder or shoulder stiffness begins with an inflammatory stage, which is so followed by formation of cicatrix tissue. So the theoretical benefit of intra-articular steroid injection is that it inhibits this inflammatory stage and hence a pronounced lessening in the hurting ( Speed CA, 2003 ) . For this intent by and large in our pattern triamicinolone acetonide is used and it comes under class of medium authority drug, which carries a higher anti- inflammatory consequence along with a low degree of minerocorticoid consequence. Thus it helps in diminishing the hurting in the initial phases of frozen shoulder where hurting is the chief ailment and hence prevents farther stiffness from developing ( Saunders WB, 2002 ) . Its effectivity is mentioned and worked upon in literature. A survey conducted by Widiastuti and Sianturi ( 2004 ) compared the effectivity of unwritten vs. intra-articular triamicinolone injection and came to a decision that the subsequently provided faster betterment than the former path. Besides effectivity of steroids has been combined with exercising to accomplish a profound consequence on frozen shoulder and many other such conditions. Carette et Al. ( 2003 ) found that intra articular steroids injection in combination with exercising led to statistically notable betterment in compared to exert entirely. Ryans et Al. ( 2005 ) demonstrated in their survey that an intra-articular steroid injection was an effectual tool in bettering the shoulder related disablement which in combination with exercising plan led to an betterment in shoulder ranges 6 hebdomads following the intervention. These surveies will be discussed in item subsequently in this essay. So during the early stage of frozen shoulder where hurting is the chief concern and digesting physical therapy at this phase is about following to impossible, an intra- articular steroid injection might supply adequate alleviation for the patient to get down with an exercising plan.Exercises:Now, coming on to the effects of exercising so, physical therapy is by default the chief line of intervention for shoulder stiffness. As we know articulations require motion to remain healthy. A drawn-out period of inaction forces the joint to go stiffen and the next tissues to turn weaker. So an exercising plan that includes aerobic exercises, scope of gesture exercisings, power and strength preparation has benefits for the patients. Many patients who start an exercising plan, study less functional disablement and associated hurting ( Carette et al. 2003 ) A patient of frozen shoulder normally commences an exercising plan that includes chiefly active aided scope of gesture and soft inactive stretching exercisings ( Michlovitz et al. 2004 ) . There are a scope of combinations of exercising regimen used along with different signifiers of galvanism and massage techniques. Heat modes are by and large applied to the affected shoulder prior to the exercising and ice at the terminal of exercising. This regimen AIDSs in alleviating the uncomfortableness to an extent and hence improves the conformity with exercising. Prior to stretching it improves the musculotendinous tissue flexibleness ( Ruiz JO, 2009 ) . Now the reduced physical activity and shoulder immobilisation are of import factors of shoulder musculus wasting, reduced strength and endurance. The scope of gesture exercisings increases the sum of motion in a joint and musculus, beef uping exercisings helps in constructing the musculuss strength, while aerobic exercises helps in stabiliz ing and back uping the articulations ( Michlovitz et al. 2004, Ruiz JO, 2009 ) . Hakkinen et Al. ( 1998 ) in their survey proposed that betterment in shoulder musculus map might chiefly ensue from the nervous version taking topographic point due to the exercising preparation. It has besides been speculated that betterment in the intramuscular and intermuscular co-ordination, decreased shoulder hurting and shoulder musculus wasting along with an increased shoulder articulation mobility are all factors for betterment in shoulder musculus map in frozen shoulder patient after rehabilitation ( Jurgle et al. 2005 ) . It has besides been proved in a survey by Kibler et Al. ( 1998 ) that after an exercising plan, the shoulder muscles tends to go more free and elastic permitting chief motions in the shoulder girdle. Though it has been proved in certain surveies that rehabilitation entirely is non so effectual and in some instances it can really worsen the symptoms but physical therapy combined with other intervention regimens like steroids is decidedly a much better pick ( Jurgle et al. 2005 ; Carette et Al. 2003 )Effectiveness of Corticosteroid injections Vs. Physiotherapy intervention:Here will be foregrounding three surveies related to the above subject. Study one ( Van der Windt et Al. 1998 ) .The aim of this survey was to compare the efficaciousness of corticosteroid injection with physical therapy for the intervention of painful stiff shoulder. It was a randomised test carried out in a primary attention puting. They described painful stiff shoulder or capsular syndrome as a status that is characterized by a painful limitation of inactive scope of gesture, preponderantly of sidelong rotary motion and abduction. Based on the inclusion and exclusion standards there were 109 patients taking portion in the survey. Patients were indiscriminately allocated to 6 hebdomads of intervention. 53 took corticoid group while the remainder 56 were in the physical therapy group. Now intra-articular injections of 40mg Triamicinolone acetonide were given to the steroids group by trained general practicians utilizing the posterior path, three injections were given during the 6 hebdomads. Physiotherapy group received 12 Sessionss exercising of 30 proceedingss during which all patients received inactive joint mobilisation and exercising intervention. Besides ice, hot battalions and galvanism was used to pare down the hurting. The consequences were assessed at 3 and 7 hebdomads, with an extra follow up at 13, 26 and 52 hebdomads. The appraisal done at 13 and 52 hebdomads were by postal questionnaire and enclosed all primary result steps. Some of the appraisals were besides carried out by an perceiver blind to intervention allotment. The result steps were assessed in the signifier of Primary result steps where patients were asked to hit their advancement on a six point Likert graduated table, the hurting associated with their chief ailment and the badness of their hurting during twenty-four hours and dark on a 100mm ocular parallel graduated table and the functional disablement was evaluated with the shoulder disablement questionnaire, that consisted of 16 points on common state of affairs that may do shoulder hurting. The secondary result measured the limitation of mobility during inactive sidelong rotary motion and glenohumeral abduction with the aid of a digital inclinometer. The blind perceiver was aske d after each scrutiny to theorize which intercession the patient had been assigned to. The consequences were as follows, at the terminal of 7 hebdomads 40 ( 77 % ) out of 52patients exposed to injections were considered to be treated successfully as compared with 26 ( 46 % ) out of 56 treated with physical therapy ( difference between the groups were 31 % , 95 % assurance interval 14 % to 48 % ) . At appraisal at 26 and 52 hebdomads at that place was relatively little differentiation between the groups. So this randomized control test showed that corticoids injection were better compared to physiotherapy in footings of the success intervention, betterment in the scope of sidelong rotary motion, betterment in clinical badness and in alleviation of the major ailment, hurting and disablement. They proposed that the differences in the intercession group were chiefly due to the relatively faster alleviation of symptoms go oning in patients treated with injections. So injections may be preferred to physiotherapy in the initial intervention of painful stiff shoulder, but the physicians and patients should be cognizant of the mild but sometimes troubleshooting inauspicious reactions to corticoids that may happen. Similar to the above survey, Carette et Al. 2003 studied with an aim to mensurate the effectivity of a physical therapy intervention, intra-articular injection of corticoid, both the intervention combined and one group had merely placebo intervention of frozen shoulder. It was a placebo-controlled test. They recruited 93 patients and were randomized to one of the undermentioned 4 intervention groups: group-1 was applied steroid injection of Aristocort hexacetonide 40mg after 12 Sessionss of 1 hr supervised physical therapy which was performed under fluoroscopic counsel, given over a 4 hebdomad period ( combination group ) , group-2 had been given steroid injection entirely ( steroid group ) , group-3 had been given saline injection followed by supervised physical therapy ( physiotherapy group ) and group-4 had been used ( placebo group ) saline injection merely. All topics were asked to follow a simple place exercising plan. Two different Physiotherapy schemes were used for ague and chronic capsulitis. TENS, mobilisation, active ROM exercisings and ice application was used for the acute status while ultrasound, mobilisation, active and car assisted ROM exercisings, isometric strengthening exercisings and ice was used for the chronic 1. The patients were followed up at an interval of 6 hebdomads, 3 months, 6 months and 1 twelvemonth after randomisation. The primary result step was done by Shoulder Pain and Disability Index ( SPADI ) mark. The Short Form 36 ( SF-36 ) was used for general wellness measuring and the cosmopolitan goniometer was used to mensurate the active and inactive ROM. The response to intervention were: 6 hebdomads after the intervention the SPADI tonss had improved by ( average A ± SD ) 46.5 A ±- 5.0 in the combination group and 36.7 A ± 5.1 in the steroid group, which were significantly higher than the betterments of 22.2 A ± 4.8 observed in physical therapy group and 18.9 A ± 5.1 in the placebo group. In all the groups, scope of active and inactive gesture improved. There was a important risen in betterment of group-1 comparison to group-3. Group 1 and 2 had uninterrupted appreciably betterment in tonss of SPADI comparison to group 4 at 3 months. Group-3 and group-4 had non shown any i mportant difference at any of the follow up appraisal but it was found that at 3 months, gropu-3 had great sum of betterment in shoulder flexure scope of gesture. At 6 months following the intervention, there was no longer any important difference in SPADI tonss between the 4 groups. Active ROM was higher in steroid group than the placebo group. While at 12 months, the 4 group did non differ extensively in regard to any of the result steps. The consequences of this survey suggests that merely physical therapy intervention has limited consequence on joint scope of gesture and betterment is slow while combination of the steroid injection and physical therapy intervention improves shoulder scope of gesture at faster rate in frozen shoulder. The quality of this survey is good. The positive points of this survey are that it used valid inclusion and exclusion standards, injection disposal techniques, physical therapy intercessions all based on best grounds available. The restriction of this survey was that it had to be concluded early due to the troubles in enrolling patients who fitted the entry standards. Rest the concluding result perfectly mirrored the first survey with steroids holding a good consequence in the short term while physical therapy had limited consequence. Similar to the above survey, a recent survey was done by Ryans et Al. ( 2005 ) . They grouped the same patients as in above survey and gave triamicinolone ( 20mg ) and gave 8 Sessionss of standardised physical therapy and reviewed them at 6 and 16 hebdomads. Their outcome steps were based on Shoulder Disability Questionnaire ( SDQ ) mark, VAS for hurting appraisal, planetary disablement utilizing VAS and scope of inactive external rotary motion. They came up with the consequences that corticosteroid injection is effectual in bettering shoulder related disablement, and physical therapy is effectual in bettering the scope of motion in external rotary motion 6 hebdomads after intervention, but at the terminal of 16 hebdomads, the betterment was similar in every group with regard to all attendant steps. Though this survey used a really rigorous choice standards had used a placebo group and applied strict blinding, still they were merely able to track positive differences between interventions at 6 hebdomads compared to the old surveies. There were many losing informations in this survey by 16 hebdomads due to the deficiency of follow up of patients beyond 6 hebdomads. Besides there was no interaction noted between the two signifiers of intervention in any of the result step as was seen in the earlier surveies. So this survey is less likely a failure as compared to other surveies, it merely reinforced the grounds that corticosteroid injection is effectual for adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder in the short period of clip.Other Treatment Modalities:To handle the frozen shoulder many other progress intervention are used presents. Apart from physical therapy and intra-articular steroids the other proposed interventions are listed as follows: Traditionally unwritten and topical non-steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs are used, where necessary they are supplemented with different anodynes combination. This is chiefly prescribed in the painful freeze phases where hurting alleviation is the chief concern. However no randomised experiments that label the efficaciousness of NSAIDs in frozen shoulder are yet reported ( Dias et al. 2005 ) . Oral steroids is one of the proposed intervention for frozen shoulder in the initial phases, but as there were more inauspicious side effects, they should non be considered as everyday pattern for this status ( Buchbinder et al. 2004 ) . Suprascapular nervus blocks may turn out to be a powerful hurting stand-in, but non in motion Restoration and repeated joint dilatation may be so helpful in bettering the motion of the joint ( Dahan et al. 2000 ) . A different set of intervention is used in the adhesive stage, as the purpose here is non to alleviate merely hurting but stiffness is of more concern. Manipulation under anaesthesia is a intervention option in patients who are non able to bear the hurting and disablement connected with the status. This intervention is indicated merely if the functional disablement persists despite of proper conservative intervention for six months ( Hamdan and Al-Essa 2003 ) . Manipulation under anaesthesia helps to recover the scope of gesture and shoulder map within a period of 3 months. An arthroscopic release of the capsule is besides an advocated intervention. The plus point here in this intervention is it avoids the complication like break of the humerus as is common in use ( Dias et al. 2005 ) .Decision:In regard to the usage of this intervention option i.e. Physiotherapy and Corticosteroids farther high quality research is required, as there are still certain uncertainties which remains unreciprocated, like ; What dose precisely should be given ( 20 or 40mg ) for an effectual result? In which phase of frozen shoulder what intervention is best suited? How many injections should be administered for an optimal consequence? The path of administrating the injection, as in some surveies anterior path while in other buttocks or sidelong path has been preferred. How many hebdomads should the intervention be for an consequence to be prolonged? Therefore, a certain sum of information on these facets is still required. There is a literature on an on-going research by McDaid C ( 2010 ) , that is aimed at taking a broader position as compared to the old surveies that have focused on individual intervention and now they are happening out an overall effectual intervention regimen of the status. The undertaking will besides look into what intervention options are most cost-efficient. They will include all the patients of frozen shoulder undergoing steroid injection, physical therapies, arthrographic dilatation, use under anaesthesia and capsular release. The attack of alert waiting will besides be included and so they will seek to plot the patient attention tracts. So, to reason frozen shoulder is a most common musculoskeletal status, but no intervention has proved to be unequivocal. Though literature supports many signifiers of intervention, both operative and non operative, but this huge sum of information and conflicting nature of the grounds leads to confusion. All these interventions have possible advantages and disadvantages and as a wellness professional it becomes hard to follow grounds based thorough attack in the intervention of frozen shoulder. In the hereafter discoveries are anticipated that can take to the development of new intervention schemes and finally an improved result.

The Leaving Summary

This is a short story written by Budge Wilson name â€Å"The Leaving†. At the beginning of the story, the narrator of the story who is a 12 year old little girl named Sylvie is suddenly woken up in the early in the morning by her mom. On the other hand, her mom who is a housewife named Elizabeth asked her to get ready for a trip but she is too lazy to wake up since it's a Sunday morning. So her mother forces her to wake up and get some clothes together. Once she is ready they leave and begin walking towards town, Sylvie was very curious and began to ask questions about where they were going but her mother did not answer.They then hopped on a train and made their way to Halifax, but Sylvie had not known yet. On the train she was still asking questions and Elizabeth was still not answering. They finally arrived in Halifax and they first went to a cheap hotel room, Sylvie thought that the place was amazing just because of the simple things like running water. Elizabeth had alread y planned what they were going to do here in the big city, so they set off. They went around town, and wound up at the university Elizabeth told Sylvie all about it.They returned to a dirty house filled with dirty dishes, as soon as they walked in the door Lester Elizabeth’s husband demanded she do the dishes, not calling her Elizabeth but only calling her women. Once she was fed up with it she stood up for her self demanding that she be called her name and that the boys help with cleaning, and also to be respected. Sylvie saw all this and knew there is a better way to live your life so she went on to university, and is living a good life.

Service operations management- Discussion Question Assignment

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

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Bussiness Plan II - Essay Example eeds and demands of the clients, as opposed to general training, which is being offered by different organizations through seminars and other group programs. To ensure that it achieves its objective of providing a unique product, the company will divide its market into different segments in terms of age and geographical characteristics. The company recognizes the strength it has as it joins the market such as the experience of the founders, but it also recognizes the fact that it will face stiff competition from providers of the same service. In addition, lack of enough funds may make the company not to compete favorably with others due to lack of advertising and other promotional activities. At start-up, the company will operate from the premises of the founders so as to minimize the operation costs. Further, the company intends to break –even within the first two years of its operation. Once the company breaks-even and the sales thereof increase to a considerable level, the company will employ a number of growth strategies. These include online sales, acquisitions, decreasing operating costs, market research and reaching out to new client base among others. In cases of stiff competition, the company’s contingency plan includes sourcing of funds to be used for intense advertisement and building of co mpetitive advantage. The general core business of the company is to provide and present information for the postmodern youth worker by providing workshops, speaking engagements, consulting and seminars to disseminate relevant information pertaining to all kinds of issues of Christian adolescents and teens. This marketing plan aims at providing the business clientele with high quality services. A tailor made program will be organized for all customers with a view of meeting the diverse demands of different youth groups in the community. Presently, there are many youth workers, who are highly motivated and passionate with their work, who have been working with

One Work of Art from Michelangelo Buonarroti and One work of Art from Assignment

One Work of Art from Michelangelo Buonarroti and One work of Art from Leonardo da Vinci - Assignment Example Through the art we are able to see how they have dressed and also in the picture we see one person at the center representing the religious leaders also being involved (Meyer, 2011). It’s seen as the last judgment presented to people on the account of their evil deeds in church. In the Mona Lisa art Leonardo tried to put across the beauty by her curves on her long hair with the color on her face being toned bringing out her beauty. Her hands joined together showed her being calm or relaxed. The clothing can be seen as an ideal woman from her decency showing how mature she is. Her skin color is evenly distributed through da Vinci’s painting. Buonarroti picture symbolizes the kind of activities in the society. The nude picture represents the church followers back scenes which are not in line with Christianity. Michelangelo was a religious person and through his artistic talent he portrayed human anatomy and movements in most of his arts. He was able to blend the colors well the blue shade and the brown shade. The blue showing the sky and the white clouds with people around with actions like asking for a favor from someone (Meyer, 2011). Leonardo da Vinci used blurred and dark outlines contrast of light and dark bringing an ambiguous effect. It has been able to convey an ideal woman as she is conservative and the looks on her face cannot be really told as blank expression as you cannot really determine if she’s smiling or not. Leonardo da Vinci used the technique in framing, use of lighting and composition (Perry, 2009).He used observations and understanding in coming up with his art. Mona Lisa’s eyebrows and eyelashes are visible portraying her beauty. Through glazing technique to show realism achieved through variation in color and shading. He tried to portray her inner beauty by using the dull colors portraying calmness (Perry, 2009). He also used the oil layering on wooden palette. The brush strokes can be seen as

Philosophy of Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy of Science - Essay Example Secondly, his ideas on scientific imperialism are viewed as being important in the argument against science. There have been numerous studies showing that the use of science in the societal setting has not always been advantageous. In fact, there are some studies that show that scientific legitimacy was used to establish unnecessary and unpopular initiatives on populations. Thirdly, conflicts arise between well- established scientific theories leading to confusion in their interpretation and application. He states that Newtonian perspectives on the concept of gravity were rebellious as it went against Galileo’s beliefs. This shows that science is simply an ideology that society should be shielded from (Feyerabend 65). Historians support Feyeraband’s claims by stating that prominent scientists in the past including Galileo would probably oppose the modern day science. According to Feyerabend, science should be reformed and it should also be less authoritarian. Science is a treasured source of knowledge and should not be contaminated with ideologies of different kind. All ideologies should not be taken too seriously and if possible, it would be beneficial if it was read as fairytales. Science should be formally separated from the state just as the church is separated from the state. Science may be influential to the society but only within the limits in which the political and other pressure groups are permitted to exert influence on the society. Science is not a closed book but it is an intellectual discipline where examination and criticism of ideas can be done by anyone. The organs of state should therefore not hesitate to reject or criticize the scientific inventions when the need arises (Feyerabend 61). The consequence of the view, as I see it, would be that the government should not be allowed to fund scientific research. This is because, when allowed to interact with research, past examples have shown that governments are

Career Building Competencies Essay Example for Free

Career Building Competencies Essay After completing my career interests’ profiler and competencies assessments, it helped me gain a better understanding of my competencies and how I apply them to a business setting. With the career interests’ profiler, it pretty much already told me what I already knew but more of a deeper understanding. What I do appreciate after taking completing the career interests’ profiler is providing me with a list of the different careers that would be best suited for me. By completing the competencies assessment, it has helped me analyze my results such as, adapting to change, delivering results or innovating and how I can apply them to critical thinking. By understanding my personal competencies, what I can do to improve my skills can be using my results to help look outside the box. One result I found very intriguing was innovating. â€Å"To innovate† means to show something as if it was the first time or to alter something and I found that intriguing as one of my results. Applying innovation to critical thinking would mean to think outside the box, change my perception on how I see the problem so that the solution may present itself. Another way in applying my results can be in how I evaluate arguments. For example, adapting to change or coping with pressure are great competencies in which can help me evaluating arguments. With adapting to change, it can help me view the argument from a different point of view. It can open my eyes in seeing other possible solutions and coming to an agreement. Also with coping with pressure, it can help me by keeping me calm when in an argumentative position. Not only can it keep me calm but by staying calm, it can help me stay confident in what is argued. After taking this assessment, it has helped me understand my competencies when being applied to critical thinking and evaluating argument.

Year Round Production Of Oranges In Nigeria

Year Round Production Of Oranges In Nigeria Nigerians, like many other Africans, believe that certain fruits like orange only grow in particular seasons. This cannot be any further from the truth. In developed countries, most if not all the fruits are available for consumption all year-round. The secret behind this availability of fruits is not so far-fetched. This write-up is focused on year-round orange production in rural Nigeria. Growing oranges demands the maintenance of certain climatic conditions like temperature and wind intensity although there are other issues less related to the climate such as pest control, irrigation and fertilizer application. These conditions control the growth of orange. In other words, if they can be maintained at a certain level, production can be done year-round. The Communication and Information Management Technology branches of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have a crucial role to play here as they make it easy to reach majority of the rural farmers. Emphasis is placed on r adio as a result of the fact that it is readily available to most of them. Information on the basics of cultivating the fruit throughout the year is handed down to the farmers through radio. The postulation here is that as the farmers get enough of this information, their orientation begins to change and whatever funding or support they get from external sources can be put to good use. This raises the question of funding for this orange production, and this is where the benefits of year-round production such as job creation and increased revenue serve as incentive to potential supporters and lenders, like the government and microfinance banks. One of the most widely grown crops in the country today is orange. Its strong nutritional value and by-products such as orange juice are part of the reason for its popularity. Firstly, it is imperative to explain that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) may be subdivided into three main branches namely Computer Technology, Communication Technology and Information Management Technology. While Computer Technology is a vital component of ICT, Communication and Information Management Technologies are equally as important (Wikipedia, 2010). In fact, as far as agriculture goes in the rural areas of Nigeria, Computer Technology will play a less crucial role than any of the other two and the reason is not far-fetched. Although most of the farmers understand the conditions required for the crops to grow in practice, only a handful of them know this in theory. This theoretical knowledge is important if a farmer is going to maximize production. Methodology An advantage to the team is that the father of one of our team members is a large scale farmer. Thus a number of our questions were directed to him. Also, another team member made calls to his friend at the bank, a means by which we obtained information about loans and a few other financing questions. Some information was also obtained from books. Most of our sources though are from the internet, like articles and journals. Year-round Production One important aspect of year-round production is the culture of the orange tree. Recently, it has been discovered that close-spacing the plants in an orange grove might cause reduction in productivity, and there is also the argument that in close-planted groves, it is quite expensive to prune. On the contrary, the ease with which pruning, fertilizing and harvesting can be done influences farmers decision to engage in close-planting. Many groves in rural Nigeria have an average spacing of 20 X 15 ft (7.56 m), which in comparison to the former standard 25 x 25 ft (7.57.5 m) can be considered to be really close-spaced. Conversely, it has been discovered that by budding Pineapple orange onto the rootstock of rough lemon, close-planting can otherwise increase the total yield. A chart is given below to illustrate the behavior of this new type of orange in relation to spacing. This brings to light two new points of interest varieties of orange and budding. These two points are very crucial to year-round orange farming. The first secret in growing orange year-round is in its varieties. Different types of oranges react differently to different climatic conditions. For example, while Hamlin and Queen thrive well under extreme cold temperature, Valencia, on the other hand, does not do as well. In developing countries where orange is available to customers year-round, they simply grow the particular type of orange that will flourish in each season. It will not come as a surprise that many if not all of the varieties of orange can grow in many parts of Nigeria. In fact, Benue state in north central Nigeria alone accounts for the production of over ten varieties of orange. The implication of this is that with proper knowledge of these varieties and how they thrive under different conditions, oranges can be produced year-round in the country. Budding is another important tool that can ensure the production of the fruit during particularly harsh seasons of the year. Although there are many varieties of the fruit that survive in different seasons, there are some seasons that are uniquely harsh to plants. For these seasons, budding is a practice that can ensure the development of more vigorous and productive trees. The process ensures the quality of oranges produced. Budding involves grafting a part of a plant (called the scion) on another plant (called the rootstock) with an already active root system, thus enabling them to grow as one plant. Rootstocks are mostly used for fruiting trees and depending on the rootstock used, even with the same scion, properties such as large fruit size, vigor, and resistance to diseases, drought and root pests can be induced in the resulting tree (Wikipedia, 2010). For example, when certain orange trees are budded onto the rootstock of trifoliate orange, the result is a tree that can survive in extreme cold and even low wet soils. Irrigation plays a very important role in crop yield, especially during the dry season when wilting is an imminent problem. Many of the farmers in the rural areas know this, but there are still some limitations. One of them is the lack of water; another is the fact that many of the farmers do not know how much water is required for irrigation. To determine how much water is needed, information on the depth of the soil is vital. As with most trees, the depth of the soil affects the reach of the root system. Deep soils allow for better root systems, and consequently better resistance to drought. Furthermore, the deeper the soil, the more the amount of water that can be used in irrigation. For the problem of lack of water, it would be a good idea if farmers are encouraged to work together as the distribution of water is usually uneven in this period. That is, while some farmers wells have abundant water, others become dry. Cooperation between them would not only aid in irrigation but in many other useful areas as well. Also because of the benefits to be reaped from this year-round orange production (as explained further down), the government should also help with the supply of new irrigation technology and supply of water. Another hindrance to the year-round production of orange in the country is the problem of pests and diseases. Oranges, like many other fruits, are affected by a huge amount of pests. Some of the pests particular to orange include citrus rust mites, numerous scale insects, mealy bugs, aphids (plant lice) and fruit flies. These various pests affect different parts of the tree including the leaves, stem, root, and even the oranges. Additionally, diseases are also a big threat to the production of oranges. Some of the common diseases include blight, citrus canker, and some viral and fungal diseases. In some other cases, incompatibility between the scion and rootstock can also be a cause of reduced production. Scientists have come up with some effective treatments for many of these diseases, but without ICT, it is impossible to pass this information to farmers in rural areas. However, occasionally farmers mistake things like abnormal coloration of leaves caused by mineral deficiencies suc h as copper and zinc for diseases. Oranges can be preserved for as long as 5 months at relatively low temperatures (between 2.22oC and 3.89oC). This is another advantage of oranges that can be taken to ensure that it is available for year-round consumption. Farmers in rural Nigeria do not take advantage of this property because they do not have the required storage facility, which should be large enough to hold a substantial amount of oranges and keep the temperature low enough to ensure preservation. Most of them have no idea that the fruits can even be preserved that long. The Role of ICT The most powerful tool that can be handed down to these farmers is information empowerment; hence the earlier laid foundation on Communication and Information Management Technology. There is no point in purchasing technical equipment for farmers when they do not even know how the things work. The first step is to open their eyes to the details of the fruits they are producing. With proper understanding, the farmers will begin to ask for the right tools. Without instigation from any external factors, they will begin to ask for loans and additional infrastructure to facilitate year-round production. In other words, they need to be informed that it is possible and with todays technology, there are numerous ways to hand down this information. Radio would be an effective tool since most of these farmers have one. Agricultural programs should air on the radio stations available to them, and in their dialect. These programs, aimed at the farmers, would help them better understand irrigation , soil depth, and many other factors related to their crops. With time, they will start to ask questions, and then extension agents can be introduced to help answer them. Consistency is a key point in the use of radio. It takes time to change a persons beliefs. The idea is that the farmers hear the information well enough that it begins to transform their ideas about the growth of their fruit. In other words, unless these programs are kept on air long enough, making these rural farmers adopt the modern techniques introduced here would be an almost impossible task. Therefore, ICT forms the foundation for this revolutionary project in the nations agricultural sector. It is the most effective method for passing information to the farmers. Financing Agriculture gets it funds from federal and state government, private sectors, and international development partners. Some of the financial institutions like banks believe that lending to small scale farmers is not as risky as lending to big time farmers. This is as a result of the fact, as a number of banks have pointed out, that small scale farmers unlike their large scale counterparts tend to pay back their loans (Mommoh, 2008). However, some other financial institutions believe in funding large scale farmers rather than small scale farmers. Basically, funding agriculture is classified as macro or micro finance, depending on the source of the funds. One of the major problems facing agricultural financing, especially in rural areas, is poor handling of loans. The targeted farmers barely have access to loans due to barriers or conditions attached. Even when they have access to the loans, they are often given lower than what they applied for, because of insufficient funds. The very unfortunate thing is that the fake influential people who pose to be farmers meet up with the conditions thereby having access to the loans. Another problem is the fact that farmers do not really channel the funds to what it was originally intended for (agricultural production); instead they use it for personal purposes. For this, some blame can be placed on the policy that empowers them with money without the information what the money can and should be used for. Many farmers are already used to their old ways of doing things, and they can continue without the extra money. Thus, they need to be taught new agricultural techniques that will help them unde rstand where to channel the funds they receive, and this is where ICT comes into play. There are different ways to address problems of agricultural financing. First of all, government should encourage long term loans at low interest rates. Agricultural production involves long gestation period. With such policy (long term loans at lower interest rate) in place, there is tendency for an increase in agricultural production. Financial institutions should also relax their lending criteria in order to allow farmers to have easy access to loans. Small scale farmers do not have acceptable collateral (houses, moveable properties, stocks, shares and so on) required by these institutions. Thus the criteria should be user friendly for easy accessibility of loan. Government can also make land available to farmers for farming. Alongside the information on how to grow their fruit, the farmers should also be encouraged to utilize funds for the purpose for which they are meant and abide by the terms and conditions of the scheme. They should also make their project and records accessible to the lenders for inspection and verification. The lending body should ensure intermittent monitoring of the funded agricultural project under the scheme. On the part of the government, there should not only be provision of sufficient funds for agriculture, but also follow-up to ensure the proper disbursement of these funds. Marketing (especially the Off-Season Oranges) [Bitrus] With year-round production or orange comes the problem of acceptance. This is where marketing comes into play. Being Africans and Nigerians, especially fond of superstitious beliefs, we have made up our minds that the orange is greenish-yellow and any other thing is probably genetically manufactured and hence posing risks of cancer, toxins, poisons, and food allergies. As a result, any company that plans to market oranges of the highest quality all through the year in Nigeria and Africa as a whole must have a way to convince the general public that the oranges are perfectly normal. How do you assure the potential buyers that the oranges are not genetically altered since the company will be providing quality oranges all year round? The finished orange, although grown in the rural area but using state-of-the art technology should be made available all through the year, orange in color, juicy and large enough to meet international standards if it is to be exported. Since what most of us take in the country does not meet any of the above, then theres every possibility that potential customers will be skeptical about buying because they might feel it is not natural. The marketing campaign will have to convince the general public that the oranges are naturally grown all year round under the right conditions; stating that the fruits grow under proper irrigation all year round, that different varieties of orange are grown depending on the season; and pesticides and herbicides are used to regulate and control the pests and weeds respectively. The marketers should have radio talk shows and TV personalities educate the general public that people need to take their minds off the stereotypical way of thinking that fruits can be grown only in their seasons. By educating the general public that under the right conditions, a fruit can be grown year-round, the producer will be able to convince the buyer that there is nothing wrong with the fruit. After all, in developed countries fruits and vegetables are gotten all year round. Take note though that there are the genetically manufactured ones which are usually labeled GM and there are the naturally grown ones. The naturally grown ones are simply grown under monitored conditions and this is the same kind of thing that will be replicated by the rural farmers. Getting endorsements from NGOs and other prominent organizations such as the Food and Drug Agency (FDA) and the National Agency for Food and Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will convince people that the fruits are safe for consumption. Internet ads, billboards and commercials too will be instrumental in publicizing the naturally-grown oranges. The typical orange in Nigeria is not packaged. Proper packaging will attract customers to buy the produced orange. A decent price will further interest the customers and keep them, but this will be after the packaging must have served its purpose. Another important factor to be considered is the transportation of the oranges from the rural areas to the customers. The producer/supplier must consider how to transport the oranges from the grove in the rural area to the consumers. In theory the fruits will be transported in trucks with properly cleaned, disinfected and ventilated containers that contain temperature-controlled atmosphere for specifically prolonging the shelve life of the oranges and keeping them in their best shape. The trucks will be painted with the ad of the oranges showing the brand name and a colorful painting of the oranges which is a very good marketing strategy. The temperature-controlled trucks should preserve them until they are given to the buyers. Benefits of Year-round Production [] 1. Export: After a few years of production, there would be a need to start exporting the oranges since production is going to be done year-round. This will increase the countrys revenue and consequently, the Gross Domestic Product of the country. This would help the farmers to make the most profit by exploring opportunities in foreign countries that are not present in the domestic market (Tekle, 2007). By doing this, the farmers would eventually turn their small scale farm into international companies which will participate in todays fast growing global market and gain more knowledge from the highly diverse international market place. This could also go on to help strengthen the value of the Nigerian Naira which translates to an improvement in the Nigerian economy. 2. Job Creation: According to INDEX MUNDI, the rate of unemployment in Nigeria has reduced by 21.3% within the space of 2003 and 2010 as shown in the chart below (Barrientos, 2010). In this time, a huge reduction in crime rate has also been observed and this goes to show that people who are not among the labor force are the ones responsible for the crimes being committed. If farmers are successfully granted the opportunity to go into larger scale production of these oranges they would need to employee more workers to help with the cultivation and harvesting of the oranges. This would go a long way in abetting the decline in crime, unemployment rates, and poverty in the rural areas of Nigeria. Since these oranges are going to be the produced year-round, then the jobs would be full-time jobs instead of seasonal. 3. Joint Production: Farmers can also join their businesses together. This could become an additional source of capital and resources for all the parties involved. This would help facilitate and increase the growth of the business because they have more funds to facilitate the operation involved in the production your oranges which would result to an increase in their profit margin and revenue potential. It also helps this farmer because they have someone to share the responsibility with them which would also reduce the risk and effect of losing plenty money. 4. Environmental Benefits: In order to produce oranges, we need to plant trees. These trees protect the environmental biomes of organisms, giving way to the reduction of Enhanced Green House Effects also known as global warming by remove surplus amount of carbon dioxide and atmospheric air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, ozone and nitrogen oxide (iloveindia.com, 2010). They also provide us with more oxygen required for living life. These trees would also improve the quality of air and reduce its pollution. It would also improve the visual effect of landscapes in rural area which could also increase revenue gotten from tourism. Since most rural areas appear to be in Northern part of Nigeria it would help control the climate by moderating the effects of sun and can also act as windbreakers. It would also reduce erosion and flooding in these areas since they have no effective drainage system. 5. It will accelerate the growth of the agricultural sector: Since the discovery of crude oil in the country, Nigerians have neglected the agricultural sector. Producing these oranges would also encourage the year-round production of other agricultural goods and also transform it to industrial agriculture and these would ease of the stress that has been put on the oil and gas sector. It will generate more Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross National Product (GNP) and per capita income for Nigeria. 6. Investments: This will bring a large influx of foreign companies who deal in food production and pharmaceuticals. It would also increase the flow of cash into the country and encourage economic activity in Nigeria. It would also curb the problems of low job opportunities and reduced GDP. The remaining farmers and producers will have to develop their labor to keep up with the much improved competition therefore bringing about an increment in general efficiency level. And the Nigerian Government will be taken much more seriously in the worldwide conferences because the number of investors in the country has improved. 7. Infrastructural development: This will bring in new equipments for industries who patronize in agricultural products and the agricultural sector will have to provide modern equipments to produce more yields. 8. Globalization: It would generally breach the gap between countries through trade. It would also reduce the cultural barriers which would increase the global village effect. 9. World Trade Organization (WTO): With agricultural investments, there will be economic growth which will make Nigeria a valuable participant in the World Trade Organization. 10. Skill development: Over time, the rural areas will see an evolution of skilled workers, both in the agricultural and industrial sectors. 11. Population Distribution: Like many other countries, the urban regions in Nigeria are densely populated while the rural areas are sparsely populated, but with the new jobs created in rural areas, there would be a redistribution of population. Places like Lagos and Abuja would not be so densely populated. And this would help in the development of the rural areas in Nigeria. Recommendations Although there might be set-backs or even disadvantages to the year round production of orange in the country, the advantages far outweigh these disadvantages. With this many advantages, the government and many other sponsors should be more than willing to support the idea. Implementation of this would be revolutionary to food production in the country as it would open the door for year-round production of many other fruits. The implication is that these fruits will become much cheaper than when they can be purchased only in their season. There would be benefits to every sector in the country, but it is imperative that the government does not try to force these rural farmers into production as it might just result in another waste of limited resources. The farmers must properly understand the process and the necessary techniques so that when they get the resources they will use them judiciously. For proper understanding, the ICT tools must also be used efficiently, that is, the farme rs must constantly be getting this information and it should be consistent. They should be encouraged to work together and implement these new methods of farming as many of them will be initially resistant to them.

Organizational Structure of Starbucks

Organizational Structure of Starbucks Starbucks have built a global coffee empire on the basis of quality inexpensive drinks. In February 2009 the Seattle based Company announced that it will close more than 300 stores which would impact 6,000 people and result in 700 layoffs. Starbucks have stated that they will continue to expand its presence in Europe and staff that is laid off will be given the opportunity of alternate jobs in these stores. They are planning to open 150 new stores in 2009/10. At this moment in time Starbucks are represented in more than 15,000 locations worldwide. The Mission statement of Starbucks has been defined as Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. (Farfan, 2012). The vision of Starbucks is all about quality and people. They want to enrich the lives of people by making Starbucks the premier neighborhood coffee shop and be seen as a social influence of good in peoples daily lives. Starbucks have a number of value statements and this is illustrated on their Canadian web site  [1]  where they enumerate:- where they enumerate:- The Coffee its all about the passion for coffee and finding the best ingredients and roasting the beans. They believe passionately in concepts of fair trade and enriching the lives of the coffee growers Partners The firm considers all of its staff as partners and inclusive in the contribution and wellbeing of the business. This ethos extends to its entire international operation. Customers Its all about social interaction with our customers and ensuring that they have an enjoyable experience at all of the Starbucks retail outlets The Stores All of the stores should have a unique Starbucks quality providing a consistent image of quality and an enjoyable social atmosphere where people can meet and enjoy fine coffee Community Starbucks wants to be seen as an important part of the community and an important force for good. It wants to enrich the lives of the local community and be seen as a desirable meeting place. Shareholders Starbucks recognises the important contribution of its investors and wants to remain a business that the shareholders can be proud of and provide them with good returns on investment. SECTION 2 The Organizational Structure The Organization structure of Starbucks is similar to most large groups of its size. The organization is controlled by a Board of Directors who functions from the Group HQ based in Seattle, Washington. Around the country it is split into regional jurisdictions with district Managers who oversee a group of regional stores. A store manager acts as the local boss for supervising the staff at a particular store location. The company does not operate as a franchise system but it does license store fronts. These are owned and operated by the Starbucks Corporation under strict quality control guidelines. The entire Starbucks team work as partners and are geared towards quality customer service and client satisfaction. Starbucks emphasises a policy of inclusion amongst its entire staff and no matter where you fit in the hierarchy the firm attempts to recognize individual contribution. Most of the consumers who are fans of Starbucks will endorse the level of consistency found across the Starb ucks locations whether you are in Seattle, New York or London. The Company has been extremely successful in this regard. (Schreiner, 2012). SECTION 3 Starbucks in China Starbucks have been instrumental in helping to increase the popularity of Coffee in China. The CEO has said that it plans to start and grow coffee in Yunnan province of China. This essentially will make a strategic commitment to help strengthen and develop the Starbucks brand in China. Yunnan province coffee already has a well-developed reputation in China for the production of high quality coffee beans. Starbucks have indicated that they would like to export Yunnan coffee beans throughout its world-wide distribution of retail stores. Starbucks has now been in China for 12 years and has 400 stores on the mainland and 800 stores in greater China. The firm has stated that China will be the fastest and biggest growing market in North America (CNN, 2010). The provincial government in Chinas Yunnan Province has said that it will invest $450 million to help expand the green bean volume of production from the current 38,000 tonnes per annum to that of 200,000 tonnes by 2020. It will also help Starbucks to expand its hectares in Yunnan province from 26,700 to 100,000 acres in the same period. This will help to create employment in China and develop the educational system within the Universities in the province of Yunnan, thereby promoting the development of the coffee industry in China. Starbucks will offer Yunnan province their agricultural expertise gained in coffee plantations in Cost Rica and Rwanda. This will help promote local knowledge and expertise in Yunnan province. When entering Japan they looked for local partnerships that would help them to ease their way into the Japanese market place and the approach was more one of stealth and careful navigation than opposed to that of a blockbuster announcement. The approach followed the typical model shown to the right. External Factors consider such items as cultural implications, market potential, and the intensity of competition and market barriers. Whereas internal factors are more focused upon such items as the characteristics of the country and environment for successful operations, the local resources available, speed of entry, ability to gain local support and investment. Statistics show a strong performance in sales between 2005-2008 but in 2008 the net income showed a sharp decline. So despite a growth trend in Sales the Company was losing money. The decline in the US market is however less likely to impact the potential investment and growth in China as the market forces are very different in the Chinese provinces as opposed to the USA economic determinations. (Tung, 2010) Starbucks and Sustainability When considering the concept of sustainability, the first word that comes to mind is that of the environment. Paper cups, are one of the most common consumables in our daily life. The disposal of these has become a serious problem in latest fifty years. This has contributed to the effect of global warming. Every day in the U.S. Millions of people will consume six cups of coffee as part of their routine life and only a few of them will choose not to use paper cups. As coffee has become the most popular drink for the breakfast and afternoon tea, all over the world, the expending of paper cups will only increase. Owing to the impact that paper cups will cause to the environment; some of the coffee stores advocate some discount activity to decrease the damage caused by paper cups. This project considers how paper cups are contributing to the destruction of the environment and the need for future actions of sustainability to protect the environment. The Environmental impact on paper cup disposal A paper cup is made of paper and lined with plastic or wax to prevent any drink from leaking out through the paper. Paper cups as the most popular drink container in the world, however, most of them are not recycled paper and as such they bring many negative impacts to the environment. According to a study of paper cups, it illustrates that a single cup will produce 0.25 pounds of CO2 emissions. When one paper cup is made, 0.90 square meters of natural habitat will be lost. Another statistic shows that in 2006, in excess of half a million trees were felled to make paper cups used by U.S consumers, in addition 4 billion gallons of water were used to make coffee and tea but resulting in 253 million pounds of waste. The only result of using large amount of paper cups is heavy air pollution, which is related to the thesis in this paper: sustainability. Wasting too many paper contributes to the wastage factor in the felling of trees. In particular, the disposable paper cups. Basically, a tree needs ten to fifteen years to mature . During this period how many other trees will be destroyed purely for the use of paper cups? Since the paper cup is a vital component of our routine life, most people do not consider the serious impact it creates. Meanwhile, landfill is another problem that disposable paper cups bring to the environment. The world administration is simply not equipped to deal with all of the recycling required and we are left with a quantum anount of plastic cups and lids which are virtually indestructible Starbucks are taking the campaign seriously Fortunately, there are some of the institutions and coffee store already realized the serious impact of paper cups. In this project, I am going to look at the most famous coffee store around the worldStarbucks. Starbucks is one of the most popular coffee shop in everywhere in the world, especially in its original placeU.S. And before 2006, paper cups were banned for recycling because of healthy. According to the graph above, U.S paper consumption has decreased in recent years. Starbucks serves 2.3 billion coffee cups a year. Owing to the huge consumption of paper cups they have realised the importance of environment concerns. Starbucks was the first company in the U.S to recycle content coffee cups. Those cups included ten percent post-consumer recycled fiber (PCF), this activity saved tens of thousands of trees, a half million gallons of wastewater and million pounds of garbage from being trucked to landfills. (Fusso, 2011). Starbucks also recommend people bring their own coffee cup nowadays, while one customer bring their own cup, they could have a ten cent discount for their order. This campaign encourages customers to be more environmentally friendly. Sustainability usually reminds people about green products and protecting the environment. However, when confronted not many people will agree upon how to achieve these objectives . Governments usually are indifferent on the subject and the only effective way is making sustainability related to profit. Modern Corporate entities become more interested in the concept of wealth accumulation and making profits. As a multi-national company Starbucks sets a good example to achieve paper cups sustainability. Customer Service Starbucks are an excellent example of excellence in customer service. They have had a lot of time in terms of getting the model right but they have persevered and never been complacent regarding the needs of their customer base. It starts with the quality of the product itself. They provide a range of coffees that are custom designed in order to meet the needs of even the most demanding of customers. The staff pays attention to the detail and little points that make your experience enjoyable; there are no real throwaways at Starbucks. One example is the type of background music played in the stores. This is designed to provide a light convivial atmosphere. Very often a light smooth jazz or the mellow sounds of Sinatra. The music is designed to make you feel good in a relaxing atmosphere. Another point is that Starbucks have never tried to nickel and dime their customers; they dont mind how long you sit at the cafà © with a single coffee. They want you to enjoy yourself. The Cafes often provide very comfortable seating arrangements and lounge chairs. This helps in the creation of customer loyalty and is indicative of the fact that they care about their customers (Hanft, 2012) Ethical Practices Owing to the amount of an ethical and dishonest marketing practices, as carried out in the USA, the public are looking for improved codes of ethics and marketing practices. Standards of marketing are not strictly governed by codes of ethics, as compared to other more regulated professions like law, medicine, accountants etc. the American marketing Association. [AMA] is attempting to bridge the gap but can only make code binding upon some members. An underlying question is will any rigorous code of ethics improve marketing practices of business behaviour? The first consideration must be enforcement; only if you can make people obey the code of ethics does it become worthwhile. Starbucks have attempted to place ethics high on their value chain. This starts off with the coffee production and dealing with Fair Trade Coffee that ensures planters and their staff are treated in an equitable manner and receive proper financial rewards that are commensurate with their efforts. This has also seen a move towards organic coffee production. It is often difficult to keep a check on all that takes place in your supply chain but is is important to avoid scandals like that of Nike who found themselves at the centre of a human rights scandal on the exploitation of child labour. Information Technology Starbucks has always taken Information Technology very seriously in its business operations. In March of 2012 they announced the appointment of two new Executives to be responsible for the way Starbucks uses technology and innovation relative to servicing its customer base. Starbucks have embraced the digital revolution in supporting digital networks within its stores. Starbucks has made significant investments in point of sale management systems, sophisticated inventor control systems and provision of computer technology in its supply chain. Leadership Practice The leadership style in Starbucks is very focused towards that of the democratic leadership style. This form of leadership style promotes delegation amongst assigned staff and given them the authority in which to complete tasks by using their own methods but adhering to corporate standards and guidelines. This motivates the staff because it promotes initiative and makes them feel more inclusive in the decision making. Delegation of responsibility does not however make the Manager less accountable for achieving the end results. The Manager is accountable for the end result. There is a danger that staff does not carry their weight and rely upon others to carry them. The Situational Leadership Model by Blanchard and Hersey is an important contribution because it has created a relatively simple matrix in order to explain a complex subject. Managers in larger Corporations are able to examine their directive and supportive leadership styles and determine where they are portrayed on the Model. By adjusting, the dynamics of their leadership style that can fine-tune the behavioural stance of leadership to be more supportive or more directive as the occasion demands. Hersey pointed out that this is not a theoretical concept but that of a leadership model. This is because the model is more application oriented and may be modified or adapted to meeting various situations as opposed to theoretical considerations that are normally more fixed. The negative side of traditional leadership models is that it has been more inwardly focused upon personal leadership styles as opposed to taking a more holistic viewpoint in terms of looking who leadership serves and how best to gain the optimum outcomes for the organization i.e. managing customer relationships and ensuring the business objectives are driven and focused towards meeting these needs. Positive attributes are that it has promoted group dynamics within the organization and helped in business transformation and change management. Starbucks have also adopted more of a servant leadership style at the store level. This is a relatively new concept that is finding a lot of support where high customer centric support is required. Servant Leadership may be defined as a leadership style that influences, models and supports how people learn to serve others first. It encourages the concept of speed (efficiency) and integrity in the way people interact and negotiate in a business setting. The concept covers both an internal and external focus. The approach works on the basis that in meeting peoples legitimate needs one gains more influence as a leader. This builds trust within the organization and is seen as dedication and commitment by customers. The qualities of servant leadership can be seen in individuals that:- Have Empathy they are good listeners Empowered They encourage others to lead by active delegation Positive attitude They promote a positive outlook in the organization Desire They have honesty and integrity and work on building trust Problem Escalation They will resolve issues or problems in an expedient manner Serve Excellent provision of customer service Pros of Servant Leadership Seeks and encourages open and honest feedback from others Helps people to progress and develop to their optimum capability levels Meets the legitimate needs of other people and aspires to the highest levels of trust Prepares for the future by careful succession planning Above all provides excellence in customer service by open, honest and transparent communications with an emphasis on service and quality Cons of servant leadership Not applicable to all situations e.g. The Military Changing the leadership view from one style to that of servant leadership can prove difficult unless very carefully handled Leading is different from managing personal and organizational styles need to be carefully aligned Importance of servant leadership Servant leadership has become an extremely popular approach in modern business. In a difficult financial climate competition for business increases and a good customer, relationship management team becomes of paramount concern. Good servant leaders bring about a very positive approach in the development of internal resources by promoting them, coaching and encouraging them, whilst equally motivating them towards a sense of community building. People will follow such leaders because they portray a selfless and generous demeanour and concerned about the welfare of others. This style is very paternalistic and encourages others not to be selfish but consider what they can do to help others. It was John F Kennedy that immortalised the saying Ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country. The style treats employees more as business partners as opposed to helpless drones of a slavish and subordinate mentality. Equally, the customers will look at the positive internal dynamics that are being generated. Customers will see this as indicative of the manner they will be treated i.e. with equality, respect, personal concern and a willingness to achieve a high quality product or service. (M.McCrimmon, 2012) Social Responsibility An excellent video link illustrating the Social responsibilities of Starbuck can be viewed at this location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nly_OdvORQY . This is a very interesting video clip that illustrates both the ethical and social responsibility of Starbucks on a global basis. Essentially all business organisations have reward systems for their employees. Without these being in place the employees would not complete their job functions. Executives tend to regard this as compensation but in reality it extends far beyond the simple concept of pay. Modern organizations tend to view reward in terms of a strategic framework and this considers the overall vision and mission of the organization. For example, how will the business be successful and as such how the people that drive the business is both rewarded and incentivised. As such this rests upon a number of different perspectives i.e. Financial, Sociological, Psychological, Environmental, Hygiene etc. This falling within the general concept of Maslows Hierarchy of needs. (Bussing-Burks, 2009) SECTION 4 SWOT Analysis of Starbucks Strengths: There are a lot of very strong positive forces at play within Starbucks and this is what positions the firm as a Fortune 100 Company and a global player in this field. Large Market share capitalization They have the financial clout! Strong Brand Image The brand is recognized world wide Large store network Huge distribution of global stores Committed workforce A highly motivated workforce Highly profitable A highly profitable global business Global presence They continue to expand international presence Strong ethical values They have maintained a strong ethical stance Fortune 100 Company Recognition as an American Corporate giant High customer loyalty The customers are very loyal to the brand Quality products- Consistent quality over all their stores. Weaknesses: There are some issues with Starbucks but these are offset by the very strong profile the business projects. Premium company, as such can be undercut by low quality brands High dependency on coffee need for increased product diversification Very focused on US domestic market This is changing Could use more Free Trade Products This is being addressed and improving Seen as loyal American Global brand Despite this it is extremely well respected globally Fairly high costs to maintain standard of excellence You always pay for quality! Opportunities Starbucks have a very proactive marketing department and are always looking forwards to areas for improvement. . They are planning to open 150 new stores in 2009/10. At this moment in time Starbucks are represented in more than 15,000 locations worldwide. Emerging international markets like China Starbucks has now been in China for 12 years and has 400 stores on the mainland and 800 stores in greater China. The firm has stated that China Advancements in Technology Constant innovation spearheaded by two senior executives of the firm Product range diversity Constant ongoing improvements in this area Licensing its Name to open up market channels This will be done carefully in order tom protect quality standards and the brand image Improved marketing initiatives Constantly exploring new marketing opportunities Increased green initiatives Part of marketing initiatives . Starbucks also recommend people bring their own coffee cup nowadays, while one customer bring their own cup, they could own ten cent discount for their order. This campaign encourages customers to be more environmentally friendly. Threats: A saturated coffee market possibility of too many new market entrants Activists criticise Starbucks fair trade practices They are improving though Recession may mean less people purchase daily coffee- Temporary setback Increased costs of raw materials May need to be offset in pricing model Increased costs of operational overheads- May need to be offset in pricing model SECTION 5 Personal Reflection Starbucks is a hugely successful global American company and has a very loyal customer following, particularly in the USA and Canada where the coffee shops provide a focal meeting place for social meetings and connecting with the internet. There is no reason why the firm cannot continue its global expansion aims, particularly in China. Starbucks have been instrumental in helping to increase the popularity of Coffee in China. The CEO has said that it plans to start and grow coffee in Yunnan province of China. This essentially will make a strategic commitment to help strengthen and develop the Starbucks brand in China. Yunnan province coffee already has a well-developed reputation in China for the production of high quality coffee beans. Starbucks have indicated that they would like to export Yunnan coffee beans throughout its world-wide distribution of retail stores. (Gilbert, 2008) SECTION 6 Recommendation In todays difficult financial climate it appears that Starbucks are doing most things right. They have a customer centric approach, place quality control high on the agenda, they address the needs of a young discerning market place and have the right hygiene and environmental factors that support the business. Perhaps less reliance on coffee and increased diversification in their stores may help to consolidate their position further.

Using RFID Technology to Replace Bar Codes and Scanners in the Harley-D

Overview of the Case Study Harley-Davidson (H-D) and other companies that have many manufacturing plants or production units and various dealerships may consider implementing RFID technology as a means of increasing the efficiency of all parts of its supply chain. An abstract from Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia describes Radio-frequency identification (RFID), as a technology that uses radio waves to transmit data and uniquely identify an animal, person or thing. This case study looks at the potential use of RFID technology to replace bar codes and scanners in Harley-Davidson supply chain. It indentifies some pros and cons of its implementation and addresses the question – What are some of the issues Harley-Davidson will face in comparison with those experienced by other companies such as Wall-Mart when they tried to implement RFID in their supply chains. Finally it will present a timetable for the adoption of RFID technology by Harley-Davidson in its supply chain. Problem Statement â€Å"It was over a period of several years, Harley-Davidson reduced its number of suppliers from 4000 to fewer than 350† (Schneider, 2009), despite this reduction, it still has a significant spread of its operations. For a company incorporating such a supply chain in its sales of motorcycles and related product yearly, reducing or maintaining costs is very important. In such a situation the need to find more efficient ways to conduct the various aspects of the business in its supply chain is ongoing. â€Å"The part of an industry value chain that precedes a particular strategic business unit is often called a supply chain† (Schneider 2009), p. 230. Harley-Davidson supply chain will include all the companies involved in the design, production, ... ...and-Held-2D-Bar code-Scanner---Advantages-and-Disadvantages http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Field Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com Radio-frequency Identification (10/1/2009) Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition p1-1,1p Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com Database: Primary Search Roberti, M. (n.d.) New to RFID Journal, Welcome to RFID Journal http://www.rfidjournal.com/ Schneider, G. (2009). BUS 107 Electronic Commerce (8th edition) Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Strayer University Technologies: RFID/ What is RFID? http://www.aimglobal.org/technologies/RFID/what_is_rfid.asp TIBCO’s Solution for RFID implementation and integration http://www.hoffmanmarcom.com/docs/rfid_whitepaper-updated.pdf Works Cited `Schneider, G. (2009). BUS 107 Electronic Commerce (8th edition) Course Technology, Cengage Learning, Strayer University

How developed is Brazil? Essay -- Econimics

How developed is Brazil? BRAZIL Economic A Case Study of: - Developments in two contrasting regions of a country (South East / Amazonia / North). - Strategies used by a government to improve the economy (in a developing country). - Exploitation of new resources within a country. - Impact of economic / industrial development on the environment of a region or country. Setting the scene - How developed is Brazil ? Brazil, alongside Mexico is considered one of South America's newly industrialising countries. GRAPH Main exports Metallic ores, coffee, fruit, chemicals, machines, weapons In 1991 Brazil had a debt of $123 billion.This is owed to the USA, the EEC, Japan and the World Bank. It is claimed that Brazil is "the 10th largest economy in the world". However in some urban areas 50% of people live below the "Poverty Line". Recent changes (1970 - 1998): - More people employed in manufacturing industry. - Fewer people employed in farming but between 1982 - 1990 agircultural output increased by 38%. - Over 50% of population employed in Services. - Increase in land used for farming - large estate plantations and ranching. - Rapid growth in "informal sector" jobs - working without official records (partic. in cities) such as street sellers, repairers, decorators etc. - Rapid growth of cities - over 75% of population live in cities. Of these 30 - 50% live below "poverty line". In the 1970's five main pressures created the debts: 1. Oil prices rose(doubled then quadrupled by 1979) so Brazils import bill increased as it tried to fuel growing industry. 2. Oil rich countries had money to lend - Brazil borrowed from t... ...outh est region where all raw materials; iron, coal, limestone are found. Near market - car industry in Sao Paulo (Volkswagen, Fiat, General Motors and Ford all located there, 4 of 2,000 foreign companies in Sao Paulo). Aircraft / defence industry big steel use too. 9. New weapons industry in Sao Paulo / Rio de Janeiroarea (South East region) - major growth 1975 - 1995. Located near major steel works. Defence commitments are important to Brazil (military government in 1960's - 1970's) - drug trafficking & guerilla wars along its borders. Located on new motorway routes - near decision making and industrial centres. 80% of Brazil's weapons are produced here as well as nuclear research near Sao Paulo. Brazil now exports weapons. The RAF makes a Tuscano training aircraft in Belfast, made from parts manufactured in Brazil.