The Art of English - Everyday Creativity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Art of English - Everyday Creativity - Essay Example During an ordinary day, a person engages in activities which might appear mundane and petty but if looked into with an open mind and with a thorough eye, one is bound to stumble across the element of creativity in it at one point or another. People interact with texts in their own special ways and no two people can have identical views and perception of the same text. Many aspects of a man’s environment and his self can influence his texts and the nature of his interaction with them. According to Barton and Hamilton (2002), these literacy practices hold different meaning for different people. They tend to be personal and are influenced by every aspect of his life. A person’s culture, society, personality and his environment in general determine the manner in which the meaning of any text is comprehended. For that matter, it can be expected that two persons, dealing with the same scenario would indulge in textual interplay of the situation in manners entirely or partiall y varying from each other. This is also a slightly unorthodox form of creativity experienced by people. The influence of culture in texts of a person cannot be denied. There is a strong link between one’s culture and the way his writings or texts are formulated. This has also been ascertained by Maybin and Swann (2007). Moving onwards, Calo (2011) suggests that human beings are social entities and that there exists a strong correlation between social environment, creativity and texts of any person. In all aspects of daily life, one comes across incidences that are associated with textual practices such as keeping a diary, making a note, writing a receipt and others which do not follow a set guideline. It is in these instances that a human mind is allowed to roam free and create something on its own. It need not be a masterpiece to be deemed creative. A single sentence or a group of words is sufficient to justify that the text is specific for the person in question and that it is to be associated specifically with him, the creator of the text. The art and science of literacy practices begins even before a child begins school and continues throughout his life. These activities take many forms from writing, coloring, all the way to singing and others. In all these activities, it is important to visualize and find the concept of ubiquitous creativity as proposed by Banaji and Burn (2007). It is the same concept elucidated by Pahl (2007) and labels creativity as an inherent characteristic of every person. In order to detect the element of creativity in any text or literacy practice, it is worth noting that the aim is to look beyond the visible text that meets the eye of the observer. One has to look in depth at the idea behind a text or the way in which a person has perceived a text. This is done by first setting a definition of creativity in one’s mind. Anything that did not exist beforehand or something that was introduced for the very first time by a person can be labeled as creative because it is the person’s own genius in action. In the same context every single act of human literacy practice is a depiction of his genius and creative abilities. This can be elaborated by taking into

Financial market is important for Savers and Borrowers

Financial market is important for Savers and Borrowers What is financial markets and why it is important for savers and borrowers? Financial market is a system that includes an individuals and institutions, and procedures that together borrowers and savers and it is no matter where is the location between the savers and borrowers. The main role for financial market is to facilitate the funds from the individuals and business that have the majority fund to individuals, business, and governments to fulfill their needs of income. Financial institution is a process that used by organization which providing various types of financial services to their customers. The government authorities has controlled and supervised the institution according to the rules and regulations. Financial institution is giving different type of economic ideas for an organization to carry out their business. Financial institution is an establishment that gives as the financial services. Financial institution based on bank, credit unions, asset management firms and m ore. They are responsible for distributing of the financial resources in a planned way to the potential users. Financial institution can be categorized as Deposit Taking Institutions, Investment Institutions, Pension Providing Institution, Risk Management Institution and more. Financial markets have five type markets their money market, capital market, debt market, equity market and derivative market. Money market is the market that maturities less than one year and provide liquidity to the market place. Capital market is transfer income to the future year, for example home mortgages. Debt market is an financial market for give loans. Equity market is identifying the financial market in which corporate stock are traded. Derivative market is a market the right to sell in the future at a price set today. Their three different ways for transferring capital or fund from savers to borrowers in the financial market their direct transfer of, investment banking house and indirect transfer ( financial intermediaries). This three different way of transferring are taking a major part in the business environment know days for increase the capital of a business or governments to do their project and they will improve their economy of their country. Direct transfer is one of the ways of transferring capital from saver to borrower in the financial market. Direct transfer takes place when an organization sells their goods or bond directly to the savers without going through any other ways of financial institutions. The business gives their securities to the savers and the savers who getting the securities must give the money to the business when the business need. The diagram below is showing the direct transfers process. Direct transfer is giving the borrowers a direct way to get their saver to capital their money in to the borrowers business. In this direct transfer the savers dont have any interrogation from investment banking house or financial intermediaries when they investing their money in to the borrowers business. For an example an organization is willing to start up a new product in their productivity and they dont have much capital to start up the new productivity so the organization will ask the investors or savers to give some funds to start up their new productivity and after they produce their product and they will sail the product. After that they will give the amount that was given by the he savers with the dividend from the profit that the borrower earns according to how much the saver capital in the business. An advantage for direct transfer is the dialing and the transaction will be known by the borrower and the saver. They dont have any interrogation from investment banking house or financial intermediaries so the borrower can get more capital from the saver and for saver he will get more dividend after the borrower gain his profit. The disadvantage for direct transfer is if the borrower is get the money from the saver and the business was faller the saver wont get any money from the borrower because the business is in lost. Or other disadvantage is if the saver gives the money to the borrower and the borrower tack the money and he can cheat the saver. The saver cant get any help from other authorities because they do direct transfer. Investment Banking House is also another way of transferring capital or found from savers to borrower in the financial market. Investment Banking House is underwrite and distributing a new investment security and help the business obtain financial by an organization. The issuance of securities will middleman and facilitates by the underwriter saver. The organization will sells the stock or the bond that they have to the investment bank and the investment bank will sells the same securities to the savers. The diagram below is showing the investment banking house process. Investment banking house is giving the opportunity to the saver to identify which investment is better for them to gain benefits and for borrowers they dont need to worry about finding their saver because the investment banking house will give the investor or saver to the borrower to invest capital to do their business. After the business got the profit the borrower will give the money to the investment banking house and they will give the money to the savers by adding the dividend. And for the investment banking house they will get their income from the both borrower and saver because they are the medal person how identify and give the good borrower for saver and a good saver for the borrower. The advantage for investment banking house is they will identify a good borrower for the saver to invest and they also have more than one investment plane for the savers. For borrowers they dont need to worry about to find their saver because the investment banking house will get the saver for the borrower so the both party will have lesser work compare to direct transfer. The disadvantage is for the investment banking house is if the borrower didnt get the profit from the business so the borrower can give the amount that invest by the saver, so the investment bank house not responsible for that. They wont give any money to the saver. Financial intermediaries Financial intermediaries are the thread way to transferring capital in to financial market. Financial intermediaries specialized financial firm that facilitate the transfer of funds from saver to borrower for a capital for his business. Financial intermediary can identify as a bank. It will create a new financial product to simply transfer money and securities between the borrowers and the savers. The diagram below is showing the financial intermediaries process. The financial intermediaries will tack the capital or fund from the saver who invest to them and they will give their own capital to their borrowers. For example saver give 3milion to the financial intermediaries and the borrower want a capital of 2milion to do his business, so the financial intermediaries will give the lone to the borrower by adding his own inters rate to the borrower. After the business get the profit the borrower will give the money and inters to the financial intermediaries and then the intermediaries will give savers the capital by adding sum inters as a profit for the saver. So the financial intermediaries will get their profit from the inters that they set for the borrower and the give the sum of the inters to his saver. The advantage financial intermediaries are both the saver and the borrower are control by them. They will fix the lone for the borrower and they have the statement of savers ho invest their money to them. Also if the borrower cant give the amo unt that he borrows from them the saver will get his capital. The disadvantage of financial intermediaries it will tack a long term to get the profit for the saver because the intermediaries is using the savers money to give more than one borrower to do their business, so when the borrowers give the money to them then only they can give the hole amount to the saver. Conclusion Financial market is helping the saver and borrower gain more profit. It also helping our country to become stable and giving a good position in economic compare to other country because if savers give more capital to the financial market the can used as a capital for borrowers to do their business to gain more profit to all of them, with this the saver get his profit, the borrower gets is profit, financial market sector can get their profit and the government can improve the economics of the country in higher level. It also give more inters to other country to inverse sum capital or business to improve our standard of life style.

freeclo Moral freedom for All in Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange :: Clockwork Orange Essays

Anthony Burgess:   The importance of moral freedom for all in A Clockwork Orange   Moral freedom is one of the most if not the most important of any freedoms available for humans.   Moral freedom is the ability to either choose to perform good and bad deeds or both.   Totalitarian governments take away one’s individual choice and thus, suppresses and suffocates thee soul.   The setting in A Clockwork Orange, is a general parallax to a totalitarian and oppressive government.   Alex the main character is the representative of the common man, and his struggle in this type of government.   In the novel, A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess suggests that the importance of moral freedom be stressed even for criminals condemned by society.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim†¦.and we sat in the Korova milkbar making up our rassadooks what do with the evening,† this was a typical night of a â€Å"nadsat† or teenager.   A bunch of hoodlums, going around committing acts of violence and crime, for they have moral freedom; which they choose to do bad.   First they assault a young man in an alley, and then they go to this author’s house, and vandalize it and rape his wife.   But while at this house, they come across a book called A Clockwork Orange, and Alex reads about it:   â€Å"The attempt to impose upon man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness, to ooze juicily at the last round the bearded lips of God, to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation,†(26) at which he ironically laughs and tears up. After an eventful night like that, Alex goes home, â€Å"Where I lived was with my dadda and mum in the flats of Municipal Flatblock 18A, between Kingsley Avenue and Wilsonway.†(37)   There he goes to his room, and turns on his stereo and his good side comes alive.   His deep love for classical music like Mozart, Beethoven, and G.F. Handel, can be seen clearly.   In the morning he decides not to go to school, and he ends up violently raping two â€Å"devotchkas†, again displaying his moral freedom to be bad.   That same night, they try to rob and old â€Å"psitsa† that has a hundred cats living with her.   Alex ends up killing the old lady, but he gets caught by the â€Å"millicents† and will be tried as an adult.

Christian University Essay

This essay is a review of the book Shiloh- In Hell Before Night written by James Lee McDonough. James Lee McDonough was born on June 17, 1934 in Nashville, Tennessee. It is here that he spent his childhood. Regarding his education, the author attended Lipscomb High School. He received his higher education at David Lipscomb College where he attained a BA degree in 1956. He later went to M. A Abilene Christian University where he attained an M. A degree in 1961. The author received his PhD from the Florida State University in 1966. He was to be appointed as a Professor of History, a post he held in Lipscomb, Pepperdine and Auburn universities. Currently, he is a retired professor of history at Auburn University. The author was lauded by the Army for his role in furthering knowledge in military history and has received many accolades for his efforts in military history scholarship . Besides Shiloh- in Hell before Night, the author has written many other books. These include Chattanooga – Death Grip on the Confederacy, Five Tragic Hours; Stones River- Bloody Winter in Tennessee, Nashville; The Western Confederacy’s Final Gamble and War in Kentucky: from Shiloh to Perryville. His other books which are still in print include Sky Riders; History of the 327/401 Glider Infantry, ‘War so terrible’: Sherman and Atlanta and The Battle of Franklin. Moreover, he has written more than 30 articles, and reviewed close to seventy books . Shiloh- in Hell before Night was published by the University of Tennessee Press in 1977. At the time of writing the book, the author was a scholar at the David Lipscomb College in Nashville, Tennessee where he was a history professor. Having attained all the academic qualifications mentioned, he was well qualified to write the book. In this book, the author has used both primary and secondary sources. He makes great use of primary sources when he lets the participants in the war narrate their experiences. Among the primary sources which the author has utilized include recollections, letters and personal diaries of the combatants. For instance, the personal diaries of Thomas Lovemore, Samuel Watkins, Clarence Buell, William Tecumseh Sherman, R. F Learned and Braxton Bragg are utilized. Regarding secondary sources, the author cites writers who have made contributions on related subjects such as D. W. Reed, Shellby Footes, Lloyd Lewis and John Duke. He also cites magazine articles such as the Richmond enquirer, Chicago Times, and New Orleans Daily Picayune. Other secondary sources which the author has made use of include personal diaries, letters and official records. This book is an attempt by the author to provide an overview of the battle of Shiloh. This battle took place in 1862 at Shiloh near the border between Tennessee and Mississippi and was a defining moment in America’s Civil War. The action begun in February 1862 when the Union Army pushed the Confederate Army, which was led by General Albert Johnston at that time, compelling them to surrender most of Tennessee. Major General Ulysses Grant was the commander of the Union Army and come spring, he assembled a 40,000 strong force close to Pittsburg Landing just next to the Tennessee River. The intention of the Union Army was to attack the rail intersection of Corinth, Mississippi, which was an important infrastructural facility. Before they could attack however, they were ambushed by the Confederates who attacked them when they were close to the Shiloh Church. This event occurred on April 6th, 1862. The total number of Confederate troops who made the march were no less than 44, 000 and were led by Johnston and General P. G. T Beauregard. As the author writes, the element of surprise worked well for the Confederates as they were able to repulse the Union Army’s right flank by one and a half kilometer after battling for three hours. However, the Union Army withstood the assault and its left flank remained largely unmoved. The area of action where the Union forces withstood the confederate attack was called the ‘Hornet’s Nest’. By late evening, Johnston lay dead, having been injured on the leg. Beauregard assumed control of the Confederate Army upon the death of Johnston and called off the action later in the day. The Union Army got reinforcements later during the night. The reinforcements were led by Major General Don Carlos Buell and Lew Wallace. Beauregard turned down pleas by General Nathan Bedford Forrest that the Confederates attack when he saw the arrival of the reinforcement. With the reinforcements, the Union Army was able to repulse the Confederates and Beauregard surrendered before evening and retreated to Corinth. The battle of Shiloh was costly as it led to the deaths of more than 23,000 people. This book is important as it was the first scholarly attempt at describing the battle of Shiloh. It redefined the way people viewed the battle, what with its treatment of aspects deemed to be controversial. In a major departure from the prevailing thoughts, the author asserted that the death of Johnston did not in any way influence the outcomes of the battle. Additionally, he avers that there was no respite whatsoever following this death. Another major assertion which the author makes is that Beauregard’s decision to halt the attack was the right one and that, contrary to the dominant thought; the Confederates did not have any real opportunity on the evening of April 6th. What’s more, the author posits that the arrival of the reinforcements led by Buell did not have any noticeable impact on the outcome of battle on the first day. The author also asserts that the main activity of the entire battle was the conflict at Hornet’s Nest. He avers that Grant was able to erect the last line of defense at Pittsburg Landing primarily because the Sunken Road was able to withstand the Confederate offensive. The author does not stop there as he holds Braxton Bragg responsible for the Confederates’ inability to pry open the Hornet’s Nest. This, as he explains, was occasioned by Bragg’s inability to assemble the 18,000 troops required to mount the offensive. The purpose of the author is to provide an accurate, irrefutable and personalized rendition of the battle of Shiloh. Through this book, he hopes to give the reader an overview of the events preceding and occurring during, and immediately after the 48 hour battle. By and large, it can be said that the author achieved this purpose. He wades through the occurrences, giving reasonable explanations which rationalize such controversial questions as what made the Union Army to be ambushed in surprise. The author also provides judgment on whether Beauregard exercised judicial restraint when he halted the battle on the first day. He gives us sneak previews on what went into the preparations of both sides, discuses the personalities and experiences of the generals and shows us what was done wrong. The author also delves into the role of the Confederate and Union generals, assessing the various command decisions and returning judgment on the leadership ability. Through all these, he achieves his purpose as the reader is able to understand what happened, why it happened, when it happened, where it happened and most importantly, how it happened.

Natureview Farm

Table of Contents Introduction2 Main Issues3 Company Background3 Natureview’s Profile Products4 Market Trends Analysis for organic product4 Yogurt Market Trends5 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Packaging6 Yogurt Market Segmentation by region7 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Competitors8 Yogurt Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel10 SWOT Analysis10 Analysis of Strategic planning Options11 Recommendations14 References14 Introduction Fundamentally, this paper is about our findings of the Natureview Farm’s case study.In order to understand comprehensively about this company, we need to investigate further for the company’s past and current activities which is it will affect future growth of the company. All of this information is imperative to us in decision making process. Moreover, we could also make a decision what is the best strategy for the Natureview Farm. To understand thoroughly about the company, we need to: * Analyze the company's history, development, and growth. * Analyze the external environment. * Evaluate the SWOT analysis. Explain each option of the Natureview Farm based on qualitative and quantitative analysis. * Make recommendations. Main Issues Currently the company faced a new challenge situation – to identify the best marketing plan in order to grow revenues by over 50% before the end of 2001. The main focus of the company was whether to expand into the supermarket channel to achieve their expected revenue. A decision which would represent a major departure from the company’s established channel strategy and which would impact every aspect of Natureview’s business.Company Background Established in 1989, Natureview Farm is a small yogurt manufacturer which emphasizes the use of natural ingredients and a special process that gave the yogurt its unique smooth, creamy texture without the artificial thickeners which produces high quality yogurt. The yogurt was manufactured at the Natureview farm producti on facility in Cabot, Vermont started with 2 sizes of cup in two flavours- plain and vanilla. The sizes of cup are 8-ounce (Oz) and 32-ounce (Oz).Natureview Farm’s revenue had growth from less than $100,000 to 13Millions as reported in income statement 1999. Because of the emphasize of natural ingredients and it strong reputation for high quality and great taste help the company to grow up to national distribution went on to attain leadership in nature food. By the year 2000, the company producing 12 refrigerated yogurt flavours in 8-Oz and 4 flavours in 32-Oz. The company had also started exploring Multipack yogurt products for the child package in 4-Oz cup and yogurt package in tubes.Even though in 1997, Jim Wagner as Chief financial Officer has recommendation to arrange for an equity infusion from a venture capital firm to fund strategic investments are successful, the investor now needed cash out of its investment in Natureview. Now Natureview management has faced critica l problem and need to find another investor itself because their current goal is to increase revenues to $20 million before the end of 2001. * Natureview’s Profile Products Yogurt is a dairy product, the result of milk fermented in a carefully controlled environment.Special bacteria added to the milk change its texture and give yogurt its unique health properties – it is a good source of calcium and improves digestion. Below are the criteria of the nature’s product: 1. Natureview yogurt flavour and texture was the company’s founder’s family yogurt recipe, the recipe used natural ingredient and no artificial thickeners which produce great and high quality taste. 2. The company used milk from cows untreated with rGBH, an artificial growth hormone that increased milk production. 3.Because of their special process and ingredient, Natureview life span on the shelf was 50 days longer compared to other competition’s only 30 days. 4. Natureview has 12 refrigerated yogurt flavour in 8-Oz and four flavours in 32-Oz cups. Market Trends Analysis for organic product 1. The organic foods market, worth $6. 5 billion in 1999, was predicted to grow to $13. 3 billion in 2003. 2. Generally, organic product consumer tended to have higher incomes, have more education, and live in the Northeast and West. 3. 67 % of U. S. ouseholds specify that price was a barrier to their purchase of organic foods and 58% of consumer expressed that they would buy a more organic product if it were cheaper. 4. 44% of consumers want a wider selection of organic product in supermarkets. 5. Below are market trend findings : * Yogurt Market Trends A comprehensive analysis must be applied in order to understand and evaluate the market trends of yogurt product. It is important for the management to focus on the areas that are needed for improvement especially on customers’ satisfaction because it will yield greater profitability for the company.For instance, the management should know better on what are the current market trends and their customers’ wants from their product. In addition, some factors in purchasing decisions that are made by customers should be analyzed by the company. Several factors in purchasing decisions are such as packaging, flavour, price, freshness and ingredients of the yogurt. Such product measurements are imperative not only to maintain the quality of the product itself, but it also will retain and attract more customers for choosing Natureview Farm’s yogurt rather than competitors’ yogurt. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by PackagingBased on the market trends, the most popular sizes of yogurt cups were in 6-oz and 8-oz which contributed to 3% of the segment’s growth per year. In addition, these also were representing 74% of total category supermarkets sales in U. S. dollars. Women especially bought 8-oz yogurt cups because of their health consciousness. The second largest segment is multipacks size which represented 9% total category supermarkets sales with 12. 5% growth per year. This second largest segment customarily consumed by children because of their mothers concern about their health and fastest growth.The last segment which is 32-oz. cup size represented 8% of total category supermarkets sales and was growing at a modest of 2%. Normally, the buyers of 32-oz. were heavy yogurt consumers. They are either consumed the yogurt plain, added some ingredients or used it in recipes. Plain and vanilla were the most famous flavours. Buyers also put brand, expiration date and price as important purchase criteria for this size of yogurt. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Region Based on the market segmentation by region, it could be identified that the West and the Northeast possess high market shares.The West contributed to 27% whereas the Northeast contributed to 26% of national U. S. market. The main factors that contributed to these high percentages were the shop pers who live in the West and the Northeast have higher incomes and more education. In addition, the Southeast possesses 25% and the Midwest possesses 22% of market shares. Regardless of channel or distribution, the buyers’ habit of buying yogurt depended on their unique characteristics. Some of buyers were more concerned about the quality of the yogurt while some of them were concerned about the yogurt’s price or vice versa. * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Competitors We had identified four close competitors of Natureview Farm’s yogurt. These top four competitors are Dannon, Yoplait, Breyers and Columbo. Dannon and Yoplait are controlling over 50% of the yogurt market share. As indicated in the supermarket Channel’s pie chart, we could see that Dannon holds 33% of yogurt market share whereas Yoplait holds 24%. The sales of these yogurts are conducted through two dominant distributor channels which are supermarket and natural foods channel.As we could see in the natural foods channel, Natureview Farm was leading which holds 24% of yogurt market. Other than these, these yogurts revenues were also generated through warehouse clubs, conveniences stores, drug stores and mass merchandisers. * * * Yogurt Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel Based on yogurt market segmentation by distribution channel, we could conclude that the distribution channels were divided into supermarkets and natural foods store. 97 % of yogurts were sold in the supermarkets while 3% of yogurts were sold in the natural foods store.The sales and distribution process of Channels Supermarket Channels Process Supplier aka manufacturer usually sends their product to a large distribution centre, which in turn shipped directly to the supermarket chain’s warehouse. The distributors and retailers charged a mark-up price on product that flowed through their warehouses or store. In order to place the product in the supermarket, manufacturer will required to pay one-off time â€Å"slotting fee† for each SKU only in the first year it was introduced and then to participate in regular trade promotions.If the SKU failed to show any profit for the supermarket within the year, the supermarket would discontinue the product and would require a new slotting fee payment if the manufacturer sought reauthorization of the SKU. Some key points in the distribution of supermarket channel process are as below: 1. The typical distributor margin is 15% and the typical retailer margin is 27% 2. Supermarket would charge in average of $0. 74 for 8-oz cup of yogurt, $2. 70 for 32-o cup of yogurt, and $2. 85 for 4-oz cup of multipack. Natural Food Channels processFirstly, manufacturer shipped the product to the natural wholesalers and then wholesalers will ship the products to the distributors which responsible to delivered product to the retailers. Distributors would deliver products individually to the retailers, and in some cases even stock the shelves a nd track paperwork. Lastly customer gets the product from the retailers. Natural Food retailers will charge the manufacturer for one time allotment of one free case of product for every new SKU authorized for distribution in its first year. Some key points in the distribution of natural food channel process are as below: 1.The typical natural food wholesaler margin is 7%, the natural food distributor margin is 9% and the typical retailer margin is 35% 2. Retailers would charge in average of $0. 88 for 8-oz cup of yogurt, $3. 19 for 32-o cup of yogurt, and $3. 35 for 4-oz cup of multipack. Exhibit: 1 – Length of channel to market Channel Margin Analysis By using Margin analysis , we can identify the profitability of these channels and we can indicate which channel would provide the expected revenues of Natureview Farm. This analysis is based on the given point in the case study and each of the analysis is divided based on type of yogurt size.The results are as below. 1. Result of Natural Foods Channel | | Unit Cost for 8-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 31| 36%| 0. 48| 0. 17| 56%| Wholesaler| 0. 48| 7%| 0. 52| 0. 04| 8%| Distributor| 0. 52| 9%| 0. 57| 0. 05| 10%| Retailer| 0. 57| 35%| 0. 88| 0. 31| 54%| Customer| 0. 88|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 32-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 99| 44%| 1. 75| 0. 76| 77%| Wholesaler| 1. 75| 7%| 1. 89| 0. 13| 8%| Distributor| 1. 9| 9%| 2. 07| 0. 19| 10%| Retailer| 2. 07| 35%| 3. 19| 1. 12| 54%| Customer| 3. 19|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 4-oz multipack| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 1. 15| 69%| 1. 84| 0. 69| 60%| Wholesaler| 1. 84| 7%| 1. 98| 0. 14| 8%| Distributor| 1. 98| 9%| 2. 18| 0. 20| 10%| Retailer| 2. 18| 35%| 3. 35| 1. 17| 54%| Customer| 3. 35|   |   |   | à ‚  | 2. Result of Supermarket Channel | | Unit Cost for 8-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 31| 32%| 0. 6| 0. 15| 48%| Distributor| 0. 46| 15%| 0. 54| 0. 08| 18%| Retailer| 0. 54| 27%| 0. 74| 0. 20| 37%| Customer| 0. 74|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 32-oz cup| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 0. 99| 41%| 1. 68| 0. 69| 69%| Distributor| 1. 68| 15%| 1. 97| 0. 30| 18%| Retailer| 1. 97| 27%| 2. 7| 0. 73| 37%| Customer| 2. 7|   |   |   |   | | | | Unit Cost for 4-oz multipack| Contribution Margin Rate| Unit Selling Price| Contribution Margin Unit| % Mark up| Manufacturer| 1. 15| 35%| 1. 77| 0. 62| 54%| Distributor| 1. 77| 15%| 2. 8| 0. 31| 18%| Retailer| 2. 08| 27%| 2. 85| 0. 77| 37%| Customer| 2. 85|   |   |   |   | As you can see, % mark-up in Natural foods channel is higher compared to supermarket channel in all sizes of yogurt in the manufacturer phase which means higher profitability. Natural food channel is able to cost more to the customer compared supermarket channel due to lower price sensitivity among natural foods customers as well as % mark-up from the Natural foods wholesaler. SWOT Analysis The overall evaluation of a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is called SWOT analysis.It’s a way of monitoring the external and internal marketing environment. External Marketing (Opportunity and Threat) Analysis: Opportunities 1. Supermarket channel will provide the company's noteworthy potential of growth for getting higher revenues. 2. Yogurt sales through natural food stores had grown 20% per year. 3. Through the supermarket channel, the price of the product can be lower. Threats 1. The main competitors in the supermarket channel are getting stronger with the top four competitors which are Dannon, Yoplait, Breyers and Colombo. . Company may have to repositi on Internal Marketing (Strength and Weakness) Analysis: Strengths 1. Natureview is a major and trusted brand for the natural food channel and has developed strong relationships with leading natural food retailers 2. Natureview has a strong reputation for high quality and great taste. 3. Natureview’s yogurt has longer average shelf life compare other products. 4. The company has rapid growth revenue from $100,000 to $13 Million within 10 years. 5. Natureview is a leader distributor of natural food channel. 6.Strong operational efficiency because the company is using creative , low-cost â€Å"guerrilla marketing† Weaknesses 1. Natureview will heavily depend on its broker’s knowledge of promotional and merchandising requirement. 2. Inadequate operational capacity because unable to generate the volume requirements needed to meet consumer demand of other distribution channels. 3. Relatively small company compared with other potential competitors in supermarket channe l. 4. Natureview only invested 3% of total expenses in research & developments which cause discourage product innovation.Analysis of Strategic planning Options The company has three options needed to be analyzed and be identified which option will help the company to achieve their goal. Each of the options has their own importance and benefits however they also have some limitation attached on them. Option 1: The first option was strongly advocated by Vice president of sales Walter Bellini. The idea is to expand six SKUs of the 8-Oz. product line into one or two selected supermarket channel regions. Pros: 1. 8-Oz cups have the highest demand in the refrigerated yogurt market and will be able to provide the expected revenues. . Based on other natural food brands success in expanding their product in the supermarket channel has shown significant proves Natureview’s product will have a high chance of success. 3. Natureview is the leading natural’s foods brand of refrigera ted yogurt and have uniquely positioned to capitalize on the growing trend in natural and organic foods. 4. Natureview will have the advantage as the first brand to enter the channel due to supermarket channel will likely to give permission only to one natural yogurt manufacturer. Natureview will be the first mover in this channel 5.Some industry experts predicted unit volume growth of organic product at supermarket will be at 20% per year from 2001 to 2006. Cons: 1. The 8-Oz cups size received the highest level of competitive in trade promotions and marketing budget. 2. The management had estimated for comprehensive advertising plan will cost $1. 2 million per region per year and Natureview’s sales, general and administrative expenses (SG& A) would increase by $ 320,000 annually. 3. Due to Lack of experience in supermarket channel, their broker might take advantage of their relationship with top supermarkets retails chains in Northeast and West. . This option might create di rect competition with national yogurt manufacturer. 5. Might create conflict of channel between supermarket and natural food stores. Option 2: The second option was advocated by the vice president of operations Jack Gottlieb. The idea is to expand 4 SKUs of the 32-Oz. Based on the giving points; we can identify the pros and cons as below: Pros: 1. The gross profit margin for the 32-oz cups is higher at 43. 6 % compared to 8-oz cups at 36%. 2. This size of 32-oz cups was potentially become stronger competitive advantage like longer shelf life and lower marketing expenses. 3.This brand had achieved a 45% share of this size segment in the natural foods channel. 4. The management also assume that the company could sell 5. 5 million incremental units in the first years by expand more in supermarket retails across the united state. Cons 1. This option will have higher slotting fees due to national distribution. 2. There are no guaranteed customer acceptances towards the multi-use size of yogurt. 3. With the additions to sales headcount for the 32-oz,that will increase the SG& A cost to $160,000. 00 4. They also concerned on sales team’s ability to achieve full national distribution in 12 months. . Might create conflict of channel between supermarket and natural food stores. Option 3: The third option was advocated by Walker’s colleague’s Kelly Riley, the assistant marketing director, she supported the idea to introduce two SKUs of a children’s multi-pack into the natural food channel. Based on her arguments, we can identify the pros and cons as below: Pros 1. Natureview Farm is the established leader in the natural food channel and has a strong relationship with the leading food natural food channel retailers. 2. Sales and marketing expenses were the lowest compared to other options. 3.Choosing this option will allow the company to have more time to prepare before entering the supermarket channel. 4. The financial potential was very attra ctive with expected high margin of 37. 6%. 5. Natureview product positioning is ideal for the new Multi-pack product launch. Cons 1. Natureview Farm will miss the opportunity to enter the supermarket before competitors. Supermarket retailer would likely authorize only one organic yogurt brand. 2. Natureview‘s marketing department was unprepared to handle the demands on resources and staffing that will be needed once the company entered the supermarket channel.Option financial Overview Based on the case study, we have analyzed all three options that Natureview Farm tried to include in their future business plan. For the first option, Natureview Farm idea is to expand 6 SKU’s into supermarket channel with 8 – oz cups to get more profit. Refer to appendix 1; Natureview Farm total estimated for investment expenses is quite higher than another option. However, even though Natureview spend more for the investment; we can see that total expected profit is positively inc reased by annually.To get expected for this option need For option two, Natureview Farm next idea is to expend 4 SKU’s 32-oz into supermarket channel to their future business planning because their product is longer shelf life. Based on appendix 2, the investment plan is lower than option 1. The investment has divided to four regions for selling. Even through the management estimated that they can sell this brand with higher sold, the cost of the good sold also is quite higher and this is expenses will affect the profitability of goods sold. The last option is Natureview Farm plan to expand 2 SKU’S 4-oz multipack into natural food channel.Refer to appendix 3, we can see that the cost of goods sold is quite higher even through this idea not involved slotting fee, the estimated annual profit is not shown in positive way. Based on the calculation, the cost of goods sold and estimated annual profit is shown the selling product is lower profitability. Based on the financial analysis, we can identify some trends: The highest Profitability is option 1. Based on the graph, the higher of total investment expenses are option 1. The higher Investment ROI is option 3. RecommendationsAfter all analysis that we have done in this case study, our recommendation for Natureview Farm for their future planning are option 1. This is because based on our analysis; we can see option 1 is the best choice to get more profitability in 5 years onward as planning. This option is to expand 6 SKU’s of the 8-oz size into eastern and western supermarket regions. Even though the risk of going to supermarket channel is higher, Natureview Farm should expand into this channel because as we can see, two natural food companies expanded into this channel and increased their revenues by 200 %.To achieve their mission, they need to take the risks for get their estimated projected net profit. In addition, entry to this supermarket channel with 8 –oz size is more viable than option 2 where to expend into this channel with 32 –oz cup size. The 8 –oz size price initially attempt to negotiate retail price more than 32-oz size where the price of product will also affect the consumer choice. This option focuses on regional distribution instead of national, which should make it easier to implement this product information to region consumer.The level of education and higher income of consumer is also a reason for consumer to buy this natural food product. Natureview Farm can also market their product to this type of consumer with our product advantages such as the product has a longer shelf life, uses natural ingredients and uses only organic ingredients. The next recommendation strategy is, Natureview farms need to utilize more advanced in monitoring the technology and systematic management to keep track the trends so that they always be the consumer choice in natural food products.To become a successful natural food company in this channel, t hey need to be more systematic and always have good relationship with media, consumer and retailer. References 1. http://www. investopedia. com/terms/g/guerrilla-marketing. asp 2. http://Prezi. com/natureview – farms. 3. http:// www. slideshare. net/nature -view-case ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Based on investopedia. com, Margin analysis uses the percentage calculation to provide a comprehensive measure of a company's profitability on a historical basis (3-5 years) and in comparison to peer companies and industry benchmarks. 2 ]. Based on investopedia. com, Mark-up is the difference between an investment's lowest current offering price among dealers and the higher price a dealer charges a customer. [ 3 ]. Guerrilla Marketing is different than traditional marketing in that it often relies on personal interaction and has a smaller budget, and it focuses on smaller groups of promo ters that are responsible for getting the word out in a particular location rather than on wide-spread media campaigns.

COMPARRE AND CONTRAST Example

COMPARRE AND CONTRAST Example COMPARRE AND CONTRAST – Term Paper Example When trying to compare and contrast my story of the cheerleading experience and my mates academic experience, I see many similarities and differences between the two situations.Both groups were working on a specific and clear subject, were aiming to achieve something primarily, were hoping to succeed and accomplish their goal or mission, if you will. For the cheerleading team, it was (originally) attaining and maintaining a new cheerleading group in my high-school and making it a success. In the academic experience my classmate describes, he was working on a 35 page project with other students during his first semester as a graduate student.The forming stage in the two situations can be deemed as quite similar. Both my cheerleading group and his student group received an explanation as to what is expected of them and were explained the details they needed to know.Then, as both these situations evolve, their distinct differences are becoming apparent. While my classmates student group got along and continued the project well and their instructor was wonderful, gave them all the details and made sure no one had any questions, my cheerleading group was facing great difficulties due to the clash between the head-cheerleader and another one who were fighting over control of the group. Our storming stage was full of conflict and disarray whereas the other groups was quite peaceful. They cooperated in order to solve the problem they had and worked in order to achieve their mutual goal, and were successful of it. Our team also worked together in order to solve its problem but it was more difficult and prolonged.Eventually, both my classmate and myself have learned and gained a lot out of our group experience, and the things weve learned stay with us today and help us cope with our difficulties or challenges much better, in a more relaxed and efficient way.

Google Earth and Archaeology

Google Earth and Archaeology Google Earth, software that uses high resolution satellite images of the entire planet to allow the user to get an incredible moving aerial view of our world, has stimulated some serious applications in archaeologyand seriously good fun for fans of archaeology.One of the reasons I love flying in airplanes is the view you get from the window. Soaring over vast tracks of land and getting a glimpse of large archaeological sites (if you know what to look for, and the weather is right, and youre on the right side of the plane), is one of the great modern pleasures of the world today. Sadly, security issues and rising costs have sucked most of the fun out of airline trips these days. And, lets face it, even when all the climatological forces are right, there just arent any labels on the ground to tell you what youre looking at anyway. Google Earth Placemarks and Archaeology But, using Google Earth and capitalizing on the talent and time of people like JQ Jacobs, you can see high resolution satellite photographs of the world, and easily find and investigate archaeological wonders like Machu Picchu, slowly floating down the mountains or racing through the narrow valley of the Inca trail like a Jedi knight, all without leaving your computer.Essentially, Google Earth (or just GE) is an extremely detailed, high resolution map of the world. Its users add labels called placemarkers to the map, indicating cities and restaurants and sports arenas and geocaching sites, all using a fairly sophisticated Geographic Information System client. After theyve created the placemarkers, the users post a link to them on one of the bulletin boards at Google Earth. But dont let the GIS connection scare you off! After installation and a little fussing with the interface, you too can zoom along the narrow steep-sided Inca trail in Peru or poke around the landscape at Stonehenge or take a visual tour of castles in Europe. Or if youve got the time to study up, you too can add placemarkers of your own.JQ Jacobs has long been a contributor of quality content about archaeology on the Internet. With a wink, he warns would-be users, Im glimpsing a possible forthcoming chronic disorder, Google Earth Addiction. In February of 2006, Jacobs began posting placemark files on his website, marking several archaeological sites with a concentration on Hopewellian earthworks of the American northeast. Another user on Google Earth is simply known as H21, who has assembled placemarkers for castles in France, and Roman and Greek amphitheatres. Some of the site placemarkers on Google Earth are simple location points, but others have lots of information attachedso be careful, like anywhere else on the Internet, there be dragons, er, inaccuracies. Survey Techniques and Google Earth On a more serious but downright exciting note, GE has also been used successfully to survey for archaeological sites. Searching for crop marks on aerial photos is a time-tested way to identify possible archaeological sites, so it seems reasonable that high resolution satellite imagery would be a fruitful source of identification. Sure enough, researcher Scott Madry, who is leading one of the oldest large-scale remote sensing projects on the planet called GIS and Remote Sensing for Archaeology: Burgundy, France, has had great success identifying archaeological sites using Google Earth. Sitting in his office at Chapel Hill, Madry used Google Earth to identify over 100 possible sites in France; fully 25% of those were previously unrecorded. Find the Archaeology Game Find the Archaeology is a game on the Google Earth community bulletin board where people post an aerial photograph of an archaeological site and players must figure out where in the world it is or what in the world it is. The answerif its been discoveredwill be in postings at the bottom of the page; sometimes printed in white lettering so if you see the words in white click and drag your mouse over the area. There simply isnt yet a very good structure to the bulletin board, so Ive collected several of the game entries in Find the Archaeology.  Sign in to Google Earth to play; you dont need to have Google Earth installed to guess. There is a bit of a process to trying Google Earth; but its well worth the effort. First, make sure you have the recommended hardware to use Google Earth without driving you and your computer crazy. Then, download and install Google Earth to your computer. Once it has been installed, go to JQs site and click on one of the links where hes created placemarks, follow another link in my collection, or simply search the Illustrated History bulletin board at Google Earth.After youve clicked on a placemark link, Google Earth will open and a marvelous image of the planet will spin to find the site and zoom in. Before flying in Google Earth, turn on the GE Community and Terrain layers; youll find a series of layers in the left hand menu. Use your mouse wheel to zoom in closer or farther away. Click and drag to move the map east or west, north or south. Tilt the image or spin the globe by using the cross-compass in the upper right hand corner.Placemarkers added by Google Earth users are indica ted by an icon such as a yellow thumbtack. Click on an i icon for detailed information, ground-level photos or further links for information. A blue-and-white cross indicates a ground level photograph. Some of the links take you to part of a Wikipedia entry. Users can also integrate data and media with geographic location in GE. For some Eastern Woodlands mound groups, Jacobs utilized his own GPS readings, linking online photography in the appropriate placemarks, and adding overlay placemarks with old Squier and Davis survey maps to display mounds now destroyed in their place.If you really get ambitious, sign up for a Google Earth Community account and read their guidelines. Placemarks you contribute will appear on Google Earth when they update. There is a fairly steep learning curve to understanding how to add placemarks, but it can be done. More details on how to use Google Earth can be found at Google Earth on About, from Abouts guide to Google Marziah Karch, or JQs Ancient Placemarkers page, or Abouts Space guide Nick Gr eenes Google Earth page. Flying and Google Earth Flying may not be an option for many of us these days, but this latest option from Google allows us to get much of the joy of flying without the hassle of going through security. And what a great way to learn about archaeology!

The History of Ostrich Domestication

The History of Ostrich Domestication Ostriches (Struthio camelus) are the largest bird alive today, with adults weighing between 200–300 pounds (90-135 kilograms). Adult males attain a height of up to 7.8 feet (2.4 meters) tall; females are slightly smaller. Their immense body size and small wings make them incapable of flying. Ostriches have a remarkable tolerance to heat, withstanding temperatures up to 56 degrees C (132 degrees F) without much stress. Ostriches have been domesticated for only about 150 years, and are truly only partly domesticated, or, rather, are only domesticated for a short period of their lives. Key Takeaways: Ostrich Domestication Ostriches were domesticated (and only partly) in South Africa in the mid-19th century.  South African farmers and their British colonial overlords were responding to an enormous demand for fluffy ostrich feathers used in Victorian-era fashions.Although they are adorable as chicks, ostriches are not good pets, because they quickly grow into bad-tempered giants with sharp claws.   Ostriches as Pets? Keeping ostriches in zoos as exotic pets was practiced in Bronze Age Mesopotamia at least as early as the 18th century BCE. Assyrian annals mention ostrich hunts, and some royal kings and queens kept them in zoos and harvested them for eggs and feathers. Although some modern day people do attempt to keep ostriches as pets, no matter how gently you raise them, within a year, the cute fluffy juvenile ball grows to a 200-pound behemoth with sharp claws and the temperament to use them.​ Far more common and successful is ostrich farming, producing red meat similar to beef or venison, and leather goods from the hides. The ostrich market is variable, and as of the 2012 agricultural census, there are just a few hundred ostrich farms in the U.S. Ostrich Life Cycle There are a handful of recognized modern sub-species of ostrich, including four in Africa, one in Asia (Struthio camelus syriacus, which has been extinct since the 1960s) and one in Arabia (Struthio asiaticus Brodkorb). Wild species are known to have been present in North Africa and Central Asia, although today they are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa. South American ratite species are only distantly related, including Rhea americana and Rhea pennata. Wild ostriches are grass eaters, usually concentrating on a handful of annual grasses and forbs that yield essential protein, fiber, and calcium. When they dont have a choice, they will eat leaves, flowers, and fruits of non-grassy plants. Ostriches mature at between four and five years of age and have a lifespan in the wild of up to 40 years. They are known to travel in the Namib desert between 5 to 12 miles (8–20 kilometers) per day, with an average home range of about 50 mi (80 km). They can run up to 44 mi (70 km) per hour when necessary, with a single stride of up to 26 ft (8 m). It has been suggested that Upper Paleolithic Asian ostriches migrated seasonally, as an adaptation to climate change. Ancient Appearance: Ostrich as Megafauna Ostriches are of course an ancient prehistoric bird, but they show up in the human record as ostrich eggshell (often abbreviated OES) fragments and beads from archaeological sites beginning about 60,000 years ago. Ostriches, along with mammoth, were among the last Asian megafaunal species (defined as animals which weigh more than 100 kg) to become extinct. Radiocarbon dates on archaeological sites associated with OES begin near the end of the Pleistocene, late in Marine Isotope Stage 3 (ca. 60,000–25,000 years ago). Central Asian ostriches went extinct during the Holocene (what archaeologists call the last 12,000 years or so). The east Asian ostrich Struthio anderssoni, native to the Gobi Desert, was among the megafaunal species that went extinct during the Holocene: they survived the Last Glacial Maximum only to apparently be done in by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. That increase also increased the number of grasses, but it negatively impacted the forage availability in the Gobi. In addition, it is possible that human over-use during the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene might have occurred, as mobile hunter-gatherers moved into the region. Human Use and Domestication Beginning in the late Pleistocene, ostriches were hunted for their meat, their feathers, and their eggs. Ostrich shell eggs were likely hunted for the protein in their yolks but were also very useful as light, strong containers for water. Ostrich eggs measure up to 6 inches (16 centimeters) long and can carry up to one quart (about one liter ) of fluid. Ostriches were first kept in captivity during the Bronze Age, in a tamed and semi-domesticated state, in gardens of Babylon, Nineveh, and Egypt, as well as later in Greece and Rome. Tutankhamuns tomb included images of hunting the birds with a bow and arrow, as well as a very fancy ivory ostrich feather fan. There is documented evidence of ostrich riding since the first millennium BCE at the Sumerian site of Kish. European Trade and Domestication The full domestication of the ostrich was not attempted until the mid-19th century when South African farmers established farms solely for harvesting the plumage. At the time, and indeed for several centuries before that and since, ostrich feathers were in high demand by fashionistas from Henry VIII to Mae West. Feathers can be harvested from the ostrich every six to eight months without ill effects. During the first decade of the 20th century, ostrich feathers used in the fashion industry had driven the value per pound to that nearly equal to that of diamonds. Most of the feathers came from Little Karoo, in the Western Cape region of southern Africa. That was because, in the 1860s, the British colonial government had actively facilitated export-oriented ostrich raising. The Darker Side of Ostrich Farming According to historian Sarah Abrevaya Stein, in 1911 the Trans-Saharan Ostrich Expedition took place. That involved a British-government sponsored corporate espionage group who snuck into French Sudan (chased by American and French corporate spies) to steal 150 Barbary ostriches, famed for their double fluff plumes, and brought them back to Cape Town to be inbred with the stock there. By the end of World War II, though, the market for feathers crashed- by 1944, the only market for the fanciest of plumes was on cheap plastic Kewpie dolls. The industry managed to survive by broadening the market to meat and hides. Historian Aomar Boum and Michael Bonine have argued that the European capitalist passion for ostrich plumes decimated both wild animal stocks and African livelihoods based on wild ostriches. Sources Al-Talhi, Dhaifallah. Almulihiah: A Rock Art Site in the Hail Region, Saudi Arabia. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 23.1 (2012): 92–98. Print.Bonato, Maud, et al. Extensive Human Presence at an Early Age of Ostriches Improves the Docility of Birds at a Later Stage of Life. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 148.3–4 (2013): 232–39. Print.Boum, Aomar, and Michael Bonine. The Elegant Plume: Ostrich Feathers, African Commercial Networks, and European Capitalism. The Journal of North African Studies 20.1 (2015): 5–26. Print.Brysbaert, Ann. ‘The Chicken or the Egg?’ Interregional Contacts Viewed through a Technological Lens at Late Bronze Age Tiryns, Greece. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 32.3 (2013): 233–56. Print.dErrico, Francesco, et al. Early Evidence of San Material Culture Represented by Organic Artifacts from Border Cave, South Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109.33 (2012): 13214–19. Print.Gegner, Lance E. Ratite Production: Ostrich, Emu and Rhea. Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas: National Center for Appropriate Technology, 2001. 1–8. Print. Janz, Lisa, Robert G. Elston, and George S. Burr. Dating North Asian Surface Assemblages with Ostrich Eggshell: Implications for Palaeoecology and Extirpation. Journal of Archaeological Science 36.9 (2009): 1982–89. Print.Kurochkin, Evgeny N., et al. The Timing of Ostrich Existence in Central Asia: AMS 14c Age of Eggshells from Mongolia and Southern Siberia (a Pilot Study). Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 268.7–8 (2010): 1091–93. Print.Renault, Marion. Decades after It Crashed, Ostrich Industry Poised to Take Off as Demand Grows. Chicago Tribune September 25. 2016. Print.Shanawany, M. M. Recent Developments in Ostrich Farming. World Animal Review 83.2 (1995). Print.Stein, Sarah Abrevaya. Plumes: Ostrich Feathers, Jews, and a Lost World of Global Commerce. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. Print.

Love and Lust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Love and Lust - Essay Example During his life, He did all he could to deliver others from suffering. One day, He found an abandoned baby girl. He took her in and named her Love. Through the years living with her Father, she inherited traits of His personality, although less intensely. She eventually met a handsome lad named Pleasure and together they had twin boys: Affection and Desire. The twins were almost impossible to tell apart because they were so identical in form. However, their personalities were outrageously different. Affection inherited his mother’s and Grandfather’s inclination to care and forgive. Altruistic and selfless, Affection always put others before him even though he never wanted anything in return. Being near the ones he loved was what made him most happy. His best friend, Rationality was his loyal companion—he always gave Affection the best advice. A hopeless romantic, Affection never stopped looking for his significant other—someone he could care for until the end of his days. Desire was the opposite. A real daredevil, the boy grew up chasing adrenaline rushes. He didn’t care about the past or the future as long as he was having fun in the present. Completely selfish, he was oblivious to everyone else’s feelings. In his teenage years, he would flirt with all the beautiful girls, especially the ones who were already taken—Desire himself couldn’t understand why, but he liked them the most.

Sales Development and Merchandising Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sales Development and Merchandising - Case Study Example The secondary source of information was the brochures and promotional material that the hotel manager provided as well as various hotel guides, reviews on the internet and the corporate website. I also stayed at the hotel for a day to get a feel of its environment, ambience and service and to understand its positioning fully. All the information and observations were recorded and classified into various subtopics. These included general information, consumer insights, desired positioning and image for Holiday Inn and communication strategy. These were then analyzed and feedback was incorporated into the assignment to give it a logical finish. Even though access to the hotel was fairly easy, certain problems were encountered in doing the assignment. Often customers had highly skewed perspectives of the hotel. Most had a very good opinion of the hotel while few also hated the international chain. However, it was alarming that no one considered the hotel to be moderate or average. To eliminate this skew ness from the sample, customers were encouraged to present a balanced picture of the hotel, detailing both the pros and cons. Sometimes this required prompting on part of the interviewer. Secondly certain formats and samples ... Even though I stressed on the importance of the information, the management was highly unwilling to furnish me with the same. Therefore I asked them to erase the confidential information and just present me with format of documents such as the order form format etc. Hotel Summary Holiday Inn is a 5-star hotel with all the services that make it a pleasure to stay at. It offers facilities and features which are exclusive to holiday inn and are not offered anywhere else. These include indoor water parks which provide an opportunity for relaxation and enjoyment within the premises of the hotel. It is a highly unique feature. It has a feature of kids eating for free which exists for most hotel packages and offers a discounted rate for senior citizens. It also has a unique reward program for group meetings. The hotel comes across as a convenient refuge for people. Its sup is mainly convenience with a bit of relaxation thrown in. In all its offers such as advance booking and park, stay and go for hurried travelers. The hotel is offering packages in line with its current sup and positioning. All its communications focus on the convenience aspect with some depiction of the relaxation opportunities as well. This can be deduced from the website which has related links for traveler's right on the main page, so that customers do not have to look elsewhere. Also, the information on the website is highly organized. and well classified. There's a lot of focus on corporate customers which again endorses the convenience positioning. It also has an image associated with being economical and being good value for money. It does not target the elites or very rich people. It offers services of Wife, spacious guest rooms, full service

Cave Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cave - Essay Example The cave reveals that such people are trapped in the cave of confusion and misunderstanding. The Shadows symbolize the perceptions of people who believe that what we see in the world increases knowledge. When one believes that what he sees should be justified as truth then this happens to be the shadow of truth. The game illustrates how people believe that one individual can be a master. The escape prisoner symbolizes the philosopher who finds knowledge outside his senses and the cave. His intellectual journey revolves finding wisdom and truth. The return represents a different prisoner who desires to find philosophical truth. This essay seeks to discuss how we can use Plato’s allegory to understand what Ishmael Beah went through in his experiences in Sierra Leone’s war. In brief, the story of Ishmael Beah reveals a child’s journey through tribulations. At a tender age, Ishmael life was affected by the outbreak of the civil war. His parents and siblings died and left him in the world that was cruel and brutal. Soon after his family’s death, the young boy was recruited as a child soldier. In his assigned duties, Ishmael ensured that many people understood the devastating impacts of war on young children in his country Iran. Ishmael won a competition in his country for creating insights on the effects of war in Iran. In his life, the young boy spoke confidently about his experiences that eventually captivated many people’s attention on the aspect of child soldiering and the effect of war on children (Plato10). Ishmael spoke on different occasions on behalf of the Human Rights Watch and UNICEF. He created a strong ground for many people to promote children rights and end war since its effect cannot be underestimated. The story of Ishmael is of hope and redemption in that it revealed his passion in humanity. Now that we have discussed the meaning of the Allegory cave, let us now discuss how the Plato’s allegory helps us und erstand what Ishmael Beah went through in his experiences in Sierra Leone’s war. Ishmael Beah is like the prisoner described in the allegory in that he represents the dreamer who seeks knowledge outside of the senses and the cave (Beah 19). As previously mentioned, Ishmael’s journey represented a philosopher's journey of finding wisdom and truth. In a Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah narrates a riveting story that reveals his different realities before, during, and after his time as a soldier. Before being a soldier, the government army accused Ishmael of being capable of committing terrible acts. At this point, one would argue that the boy was in the cave of misunderstanding. The world around him was dark and filled with torments and pain. As argued by Plato (10), the people in the cave cannot air their thoughts since they can only see life as illusion. However, in the outer world there is light that makes an individual to identify everything that is happening around him. Based on this argument, one would argue that the young boy was inside the cave after the death of his parents and siblings. He could not comprehend why the world was so much cruel to the extent of killing his family members. During his time as a soldier, the young boy was in the outer world of the cave where everything was visible. He gradually began to identify everything that was happening around him and he realized that he was living in the real world. He

Marcus Garvey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marcus Garvey - Essay Example Marcus Garvey a Jamaican saw the predicament of his people and joined Jamaican Nationalist Organization (Haugen 3). He valued the rights of his people and sought for an approach that would liberate his people from the tyranny of racial discrimination. Garvey toured many nations i.e. London, Central America, Jamaica, and United States of America among others. He was motivated by the predicaments of his people to form a civil right movement that intended to deliver the blacks from psychological bondage of racism. This paper analyses choices, motivation, and strategy of non-violent campaign and the leadership style of Marcus Garvey. Garvey’s approach to racial discrimination and colonialism in Africa and the rest of the world relied on his love for the black race. History quotes that he believed that Africans were able to compete with the whites for the top jobs (Haugen 8). The most pressing need that inspired Garvey to rally against the independence of Africans was taking contro l of their own destiny. He believed that Africans would improve their lives when they took control of their own destiny by instituting their own leaders. Garvey used UNIA as a tool that would bring the blacks together under one umbrella to address their social, economic, and freedom issues. For instance, the UNIA Conference held on 1 August 1920 intended to equip the African leaders with the conscious they required in order to fight for their independence (Haugen 6). The deliberation in the conference as expressed through the opening speech of Garvey shows that Garvey sought to change the conditions of life of Africans through a united movement. Garvey’s uses his own life a model that would shape the lives of the blacks. It is evident from his speech that his personal life motivated him to leadership position. His wish was to mould similar mind, which emulate his ideologies throughout the world. â€Å"I came from an environment that is not better than you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hill & Garvey 45). The above is one of the quotes that he made during a gathering where he was addressing blacks. The nature of life in Jamaica and psychological inferiority of the blacks in the United States played a motivational role in influencing the writing, political and social life of Garvey. History documents that Garvey made unique choices in his political movement and social life. For instance, his letter to Theodore Roosevelt portrays an inclusive leadership approach that aim at promoting peace as well as quest for primary rights such democracy in the society. Garvey believed in freedom movements, which advocates for basic human rights through peaceful negotiation. He fought for black pride, which he believed, would come from education and self-realization. Another unique choice that he made during his leadership is to influence the opening of UNIA offices across the world where the blacks existed (Lawler & Davenport 85). This choice posed a great threat to his personal life as well as the governments that oppressed the blacks. The choice to meet the leaders of Ku Klux Kean is unique in the sense that the organization was against liberation of the black. Critical analysis into the leadership style of Garvey takes us to the transformational leadership style. In transformation leadership, four factors form the basis of transformational leadership. These factors are inspiration leadership, charismatic leadership, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation. Garvey intention was to rally intellectualism in creating leadership for Africa and the Negroes. He addressed large audience and insisted on the need for education as the foundation for freedom for the blacks (Haugen 4). Another observation is the charisma in his approach to political issues of

Juvenile probation etc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Juvenile probation etc - Essay Example According to the chief components present in the IAP model, the program greatly aims at diminishing recidivism through intensive supervision and control measures, strengthening family and community relations with individualized case planning and reinforcing progress in the improvement of personal well-being by incentives and an enthusiastic case management utilizing resources within the community (Wiebush, McNulty, & Le, 2000). Failures however in meeting certain objectives of IAP result from implementation problems such as staffing vacancies, institutional crowding, and unstable program environments. Successful operation nevertheless takes into account the consistent adherence to the core characteristics of the model and that it is found to establish more strength for the institution in collaborating with the external support teams of aftercare and research. GROWTH, on the other hand, specifically provides intensive aftercare for high-risk female juvenile offenders. Managed by Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama, Inc. with the help of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this program makes use of Network Aftercare System (NAS), an IAP adaptation. Principal components are inclusive of female-specific life skills, adventure therapy, community service, academic education, and Functional Family Therapy. Female offenders are administered a one-year aftercare monitoring and supervision upon release from detention. GROWTH keeps up with the similar goal to reduce recidivism as well as pregnancy rates and to increase job placements for GROWTH participants and these are all part of the program's documented success. No significant failure has been evaluated to emerge during program implementation as GROWTH promotes additional services such as individual and group therapy, substance abuse treatment, and mentoring. Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) being another aid in a stage after probation, developed at the Oregon Social Learning Cent er, provides highly trained foster parents, intensive support from a clinical team, and a tightly structured program. Besides becoming less prone to slip back into old delinquent patterns of behavior, MTFC sets goal that ensures better peer associations and development of both academic and professional skills. The program gives sufficient focus on individualized treatment where behavior is monitored and recorded on a daily basis through contacting the foster parents via the telephone. No ample amount of data shows evidence of the program's shortcomings and as part of the program's success, MTFC participants experience fewer arrests, minimal involvement or interest in delinquent activities and lesser timeframe of incarceration. Facilitating males of ages 13 to 18 for whom the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services render committed obligations, Thomas O'Farrell Youth Center serves treatment concentrated on the development of positive social norms. Planning for aftercare begins at ad mission to residential treatment where youth spend an average of eight months. While in residential care, youths are assigned two caseworkers each and these persons are required to look

Whether bear hunt should be permitted in New Jersey Research Paper

Whether bear hunt should be permitted in New Jersey - Research Paper Example The hunters are driven by thirst for blood and the profit garnered as federal and state agencies implement programs such as wildlife management that is designed to boost the numbers of black bear species. These programs help ensure that there are plenty of animals to be killed by hunters and consequently plenty of revenue from the sale of hunting licenses. My take on this is that such programs by the government should be replaced with those of creating better facilities to cater for these bears. With the implementation of the zoos, nature should be allowed to take its course through delicate balance of ecosystems which ensures their own survival if they are uninterrupted. Nature helps maintain this balance by killing the sickest and weakest individuals. Unusual natural occurrences cause overpopulation as natural processes work towards stabilizing the group. Starvation and disease are tragic, but they are nature's ways of ensuring that strong, healthy animals overcome and healthy, str ong animals survive and uphold strength level of the rest of their herd or group. Shooting an animal because it might starve or become sick is arbitrary and also destructive thus ought to be stopped. This activity is disturbing to both the citizens and the bears themselves. On noticing they are being trailed, the bears can choose to be vicious Hunting accidents destroy property and can injure, cows, dogs, cats, hikers, and other hunters as well. Secondly the bears might choose to get into the residential attacking innocent people who are unaware resulting to havoc and deaths, destruction of property insecurity and tension. A way to keep black bear populations in balance in New Jersey would be to ensure that free-roaming, healthy wildlife are never artificially fed by the wild or tamed and these should be applicable to other wild animals. Animals that are artificially fed lose their fear of humans and begin to approach residents as well as hunters. Feeding also causes animals to bree d at an accelerated rate, resulting in more animals. The more animals you have in small areas, the more the likely hood they will be perceived as overpopulated or as a nuisance, especially when they start to eat fish, damage gardens, or defecate on sidewalks and many people

Juvenile probation etc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Juvenile probation etc - Essay Example According to the chief components present in the IAP model, the program greatly aims at diminishing recidivism through intensive supervision and control measures, strengthening family and community relations with individualized case planning and reinforcing progress in the improvement of personal well-being by incentives and an enthusiastic case management utilizing resources within the community (Wiebush, McNulty, & Le, 2000). Failures however in meeting certain objectives of IAP result from implementation problems such as staffing vacancies, institutional crowding, and unstable program environments. Successful operation nevertheless takes into account the consistent adherence to the core characteristics of the model and that it is found to establish more strength for the institution in collaborating with the external support teams of aftercare and research. GROWTH, on the other hand, specifically provides intensive aftercare for high-risk female juvenile offenders. Managed by Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama, Inc. with the help of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this program makes use of Network Aftercare System (NAS), an IAP adaptation. Principal components are inclusive of female-specific life skills, adventure therapy, community service, academic education, and Functional Family Therapy. Female offenders are administered a one-year aftercare monitoring and supervision upon release from detention. GROWTH keeps up with the similar goal to reduce recidivism as well as pregnancy rates and to increase job placements for GROWTH participants and these are all part of the program's documented success. No significant failure has been evaluated to emerge during program implementation as GROWTH promotes additional services such as individual and group therapy, substance abuse treatment, and mentoring. Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) being another aid in a stage after probation, developed at the Oregon Social Learning Cent er, provides highly trained foster parents, intensive support from a clinical team, and a tightly structured program. Besides becoming less prone to slip back into old delinquent patterns of behavior, MTFC sets goal that ensures better peer associations and development of both academic and professional skills. The program gives sufficient focus on individualized treatment where behavior is monitored and recorded on a daily basis through contacting the foster parents via the telephone. No ample amount of data shows evidence of the program's shortcomings and as part of the program's success, MTFC participants experience fewer arrests, minimal involvement or interest in delinquent activities and lesser timeframe of incarceration. Facilitating males of ages 13 to 18 for whom the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services render committed obligations, Thomas O'Farrell Youth Center serves treatment concentrated on the development of positive social norms. Planning for aftercare begins at ad mission to residential treatment where youth spend an average of eight months. While in residential care, youths are assigned two caseworkers each and these persons are required to look

Based on a Case Study - Management in Technological Change Essay

Based on a Case Study - Management in Technological Change - Essay Example Technological developments and innovation has paved a way for the emergence of new digital marketing channels such as mobile phones. Mobile phones are powerful channels that allow personalisation and interactivity of the content and context of the messages. (Kim, Han, & Schultz, 2004) The mobile channel is seen as an automated, reliable, personal, and customised channel that allows an efficient way to reach mobile phone users directly. It provides a direct call-to-action that would be almost impossible via other channels. (Barnes & Scornacava, 2004) This paper will focus on the feasibility of the application of mobile CRM on Evergreen Investment. The company is a leading asset management firm serving institutional investors through a broad range of investment products. The company has an existing CRM system developed by Onyx. However, the sales representatives find the system taxing on their job and not value-adding on their operations. Management has considered the system ineffective and inefficient. A proposed solution of the paper is the development and implementation of a mobile CRM. The mobile software is a commercially available application developed by Pyxis. It is run in the Blackberry platform using the handheld mobile phone. This paper introduces the CRM capabilities and features of the Blackberry device with the Pyxis-Onyx database link. It enumerates the different impacts of the new system on the organisation, operation, costs, and current process of the company. It also identifies the potential benefits of a mobile CRM to both the Evergreen company and its sales representatives. Evergreen Investment is a mutual fund company with over $247 billion in assets under management. The company concentrates on providing institutional investors with asset management and client service solutions instead of focusing and marketing on individual consumers. The people behind the

Organizational Dynamics And Human Resources Management Management Essay

Organizational Dynamics And Human Resources Management Management Essay The terms Human Resource Management and Human Resources have replaced what was known as Personnel Management when it comes to describing the processes involved in managing people in organisations. The current trend towards people-oriented activities can serve the modern business challenges more effectively than the traditional Personnel Management approach. Naturally in a rapidly and constantly changing business environment, there is a call for more human resources involvement and more focus on human resource strategies in conjunction with the business strategies. Meanwhile there is evidence of devolving traditional human resource activities to line managers instead of personnel specialists. Recently, much of the work traditionally done by the human resources department has been devolved to line managers, who are now expected to take charge of people management activities such as, recruitment, selection, appraisals and training needs. This trend is encouraged as it leads to a closer relationship between line managers and employees, and hence leading to better employee performance and increased managers effectiveness. Torrington and Hall (2009) suggest that sharing HR activities between line managers and HR specialists is the key for a strategic HRM future, where HR specialists focus on business performance rather than operational concerns. This report highlights the significant role that line managers in HR activities while emphasising the importance of an HR specialist role for long term performance benefits. The Concept of Human Resource Management: HRM is defined as an approach to the management of people, the most valued assets of an organisation with their individual and the collective contribution to the success and achievement of the business objectives. Furthermore, Alan Price identifies HRM in Human Resource Management in a Business Context (2004) as the qualitative improvement of human beings who are the most valuable assets of an organisation. Hence HRM is concerned with the effective management of an organisations employees to achieve the strategic objectives of the business. Dave Ulrich (1996) defined four fields for the HRM role Strategic business partner Change management Employee champion Administration However, HR professionals have struggled to prove their value as a strategic business partner and were mainly concerned with the reactive roles of administration and employee champion despite the modern approach to devolve HR activities to line management. The Role of Line Managers in HR: Line managers have a major role in influencing employee behaviours and attitudes which reflects on performance and motivation. The increased responsibilities are mainly focused on people management where line managers could transform HR policies into practices to be embraced by employees leading to commitment, quality, productivity and ultimately, business performance (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003). The CIPD highlighted the areas four areas where line managers can influence people management practices: Training, coaching and guiding Performance appraisal Dealing with discipline and grievances Recruitment and selection Moreover Hutchinson and Purcell (2007) explored the critical role of line managers in key HR areas including reward, training, learning and development, and identified that line managers do not only implement and bring HR policies into life, but also play a significant role in influencing employee attitudes and experiences. A case study at Selfridges indicates evidence that line managers in the retail store helped improve employees attitudes and behaviours. This change in the line management role mainly focussed on improvements to people management behaviours and skill sets. (Hutchinson and Purcell, 2003) However, a survey by Employment Review show HR practitioners disagree that line managers are applying these responsibilities effectively and training for line managers in people management should be compulsory. (Nadia Williams, 2008) In addition line managers agree with HR practitioners perception, as they struggle with the work overload and conflicting priorities to find time for people management activities. A research conducted by CIPD (2007) emphasise the extent of devolvement in the NHS, where ward managers effectively take responsibility for recruitment, selection, induction, appraisal and personal development plans, planning and delivering training, mentoring, communication, absence control and managing difficult people. The additional responsibilities are not welcomed by line managers who linked the lack of time and increased stress to the increased work load. Despite the trend to devolve HR activities to line managers, Phil Brown, in Why HR Must Empower the Line Manager (2008), believes that HR professionals are holding on to power and are unwilling to provide line managers with the tolls and information to perform HR duties effectively. Therefore CIPD stressed in their 2009 report that line managers need the following to fulfil their HR duties: Time to attempt management roles Carefully selected behaviour competencies Support by strong organisational values Sufficient people management skills training Career opportunity linked to training and development Involvement in decision making But above all, line managers need self-confidence, a strong sense of job security and development in the organisation. Support by HR professionals is welcomed by line managers as they take more accountability of implementing HR people management activities. This allows HR professionals to fulfil their own potential in defining policies and strategies that are adequately aligned with business strategies. Strategic HRM: The nature of Human Resource Management has changed from being reactive, prescriptive and administrative to being proactive, descriptive and executive (Boxall, 1994). Moreover, Guest (1997) highlighted the contribution of HRM in improving an organisations performance and overall success while Katou and Budhwar (2007) outlined three perspectives for HR practices. The Universalistic practice assumes the best of HR practices and implies business strategies and HR policies are independent in determining business performance. The Contingency practice implies a fit between business strategies and HR policies in determining business performance. The Configurational practice implies an interaction between business strategies and HR policies based on an internal and external fit of the organisational context in determining business performance. These perspectives highlight the growing contribution of HRM as an integral part of business strategy and success. Consequently, the term Strategic human resource management evolved which Guest (1987) outlined to be largely concerned with integration of HRM into the business strategy and adaptation of HRM at all levels of the organisation. In line with the emergence of SHRM, Budhwar and Sparrow (2002) proposed four generic HR strategies: Talent acquisition Resource allocation Talent improvement Cost reduction Strategic HRM is based on the integration of HRM and business strategies for the effective management of human resources. Barney (1991) suggests that organisations achieve competitive advantage by creating unique HRM systems that cannot be imitated. Recently, the pace of change in the global market has identified a significant number of contemporary issues emphasising the growing influence of strategic HRM and the importance of a human resources specialist to manage these challenges effectively. Contemporary Issues in Strategic HRM: HR professionals are struggling to catch up with the pace of transformation in global markets. Evidently, HRM faces an increasing challenge to use policies and strategies in the best interest of organisations and employees to maintain profitability and stability. The following are three basic examples of these challenges. Globalisation: The changes in international markets due to globalisation have a major effect on businesses in general and on how businesses manage human resources in particular. Although globalisation has many benefits, there are problems that have been attributed to the following factors: Reduction in job security because work can be moved from one country to another. Undercutting of one countrys wages by another, leading to erosion of wage rates. Increased working hours and exposure to health and safety risks to cut costs. HR professionals are struggling to ensure proper staffing and development with the required knowledge and skills for the changing business environment and according to Alan Price (2004), HR professionals are expected to be: Role models displaying appropriate company behaviours and values Fixers, adapting corporate values and mission statements to local circumstances Networkers, making connections between local managers and other parts of the business Coaches or mentors, transferring knowledge to local managers A major task for HR professionals is putting significant effort in the training and development of line managers to implement the relevant HR policies which can consistently be applied across different locations and cultures. Talent Management: One of the main challenges for HRM is to attract, develop and retain talented individuals though a recruitment, selection and development process. Nestlà © is a case in point as it uses a talent puddles initiative to overcome the shortage of skilled applicants. The process consists of small puddles each containing potential talents for each function rather than the whole company. (CIPD report 2007) The strategy managed to reduce the time and cost for filling vacancies and selecting suitable candidates. Other considerations include management of labour turnover and emphasizing employer branding in attracting the right candidates. Marks Spencer, the major high street retailer, conducted an analysis to understand and redefine its employer brand to keep ahead of the competition. This analysis explored the factors that increase job satisfaction and highlight the factors that make working at MS a unique experience. The analysis resulted in a better communication between the company and its employees that drove improvements across the business as well as increased levels of commitment and productivity. (CIPD report 2007) HR professionals invest considerable effort into finding new trends to attract and retain the right talents; however, their role is surpasses ensuring a faultless selection process. HR critical responsibilities include initial job design planning, defining the required qualifications and conducting accurate selection methods to ensure compliance with litigations and to avoid any legal case for discrimination or sexual harassment. Therefore HR professionals need to have the skills and knowledge that are required to handle these tasks effectively. Managing Diversity: For over thirty years the emphasis and progress on equality and diversity has been ongoing but slow. Globalisation and demographic change is putting further pressure on organisations to develop and manage equal opportunity and diversity strategies to improve performance and promote competitive position. (Torrington and Hall 2009) Furthermore the CIPD defines diversity as: valuing everyone as individuals as employees, customers and clients so diversity is a broader term of equality which aims to improve the opportunities of disadvantaged groups within an approach inclusive of all employees rather than focusing on the disadvantaged as in equality approach. Some of the main diversity issues may include: Age discrimination Bullying and harassment Disability Equal pay Race discrimination Religious discrimination Sex discrimination A recent case of bullying and harassment concerned British Gas, whose workers have been balloted for strike action over alleged bullying at the company. The GMB union sent ballot papers to 8,000 members at British Gas to vote over claims of bullying and plans for job cuts. It said the management culture was undermining employees terms and conditions. (PM online, 11/03/2010) It is worth noting that managing diversity is not solely an HR job but there is a great emphasis on the line managers role in promoting and achieving diversity in a workplace as well as handling conflicts before developing and becoming harder to resolve. Conclusion: Human resource management has evolved from the traditional personnel perspective and continues to evolve due to rapid change in the global business environment: in customer trends, competitors strategies and advancing technologies. Indeed factors such as globalisation, credit crunch and creation of multinational corporations have resulted in increased pressure to maintain the competitive edge while reducing operative costs. Clearly the daily HRM activities have become integrated in line operations; however, an investment is needed in time and effort to up skill managers to fulfil their HR responsibilities properly. HR needs to provide and integrate well designed policies and strategies in frameworks and systems to enable line managers to perform effectively. Despite an obvious trend to devolve more human resource activities into line management, clearly many of the new challenges require special skills and knowledge that line managers may not generally have. Therefore HR specialists and line managers must collaborate to achieve the business objectives within a frame of legislation and compliance. Hence the role of an HR specialist is moving towards a strategic partnership aligned with the business strategies while coordinating, advising and supporting line managers in performing the HR activities required. Obviously, line managers have a responsibility towards their staff, given the close relationship and direct daily connection and interaction. Line managers are expected to implement and deliver the policies and strategies that are devised by HR specialists. There are many areas of HRM like talent management where line managers need more responsibility to manage activities, such as attracting, retaining, developing and motivating. Moreover, line managers must have authority and responsibility to control and reward the staff which in turn will improve their people management and leadership skills. Finally it is evident that there is a correlation between HR professionals and line managers in certain HR activities that require further development. The report focussed on line managers as a front line management role, though HR knowledge and skills should be a requirement for middle management. Managers need be given adequate training and sufficient time to take on HR activities; these requirements should be included in HR strategies to achieve a high performance workforce objective.