Inclusive Learning Essay

XXXXXX XXXXXX is a registered charity offering work based learning programmes to young adults. Within my role as Advanced Teaching Practitioner, I am responsible for curriculum design, monitoring teaching, staff training and mentoring, quality assurance and learner achievement in addition to my role as a Basic Skills Tutor. Before analysing current practices, I have gained the consent from those directly involved. In order to assess current inclusive learning principles and practices of the organisation, I need to increase my understanding of inclusive learning for my own Continued Professional Development (CPD). I need to reflect of my own practices and the practices of others and evaluate the service provided. Findings What is Inclusive Learning? Inclusive learning can be defined as ‘the greatest degree of match or fit between the individual learners’ requirements and the provision that is made for them’ (FEFC, 1996, p2). Inclusive teaching means recognising, accommodating and meeting the learning needs of all students and being aware of their individual needs. It is about identifying the reasonable adjustment that can be made without it having a negative impact of the teaching and learning of others. Open University Press (2006) defines inclusive learning as ‘acknowledging your students have a range of individual needs and are members of diverse communities. Inclusive teaching avoids pigeonholing students into specific groups with predictable and fixed approaches to learning’. It is important to consider the need to be proactive as opposed to being reactive. To practice inclusive learning, actions need to be taken prior to students commencing the process. The Tomlinson report 1996 states: ‘Re-designing learning, assessment and organisations to fit objectives and learning styles may mean introducing new content to courses, adapting access or both. This approach is quite different from offering courses and then giving students with difficulties some additional human or physical aids to participate. ’ Under the Special Education Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001, all educational establishments must not treat students less favourably than others and make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their learners are not substantially disadvantaged. Learning Environment An accessible and safe learning environment is vital for inclusive learning to take place. The premises that XXXXXX XXXXXX occupy are located on the second and third floor of a listed building. There are no lifts and there is a staircase leading up to the main reception. Under the Disability Discrimination Act, there is a requirement to make reasonable adjustment to be able to ensure those students with a mobility disability are not excluded. XXXXXXhave made contingency plans whereby they use the premises within a local college as and when required. SENDA 2001 states that students should be able to access all services provided for other students. In this case, the local college offers all the facilities and services we offer our students. Taking this into consideration, reasonable adjustments have been made. Access for all In order to give strategic direction to inclusive learning, Smith and Armstrong (2005, p1) state ‘providers need to adopt a co-ordinated approach to inclusive learning, working with different groups, genders and levels of learners’. These is achieved ongoing within XXXXXX XXXXX. There is no discrimination on the grounds of gender or sexual orientation within XXXXXX XXXXXX and therefore XXXXXXcomply with all aspects of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. Our learners come from mixed race, religion and in order to ensure that we accommodate these learners, all staff receive multifaith calendars to ensure that they can manage their learning over religious or cultural holidays. As we are funded for a 14-19 age provision, we cannot offer learning to anyone outside this age range. This is a limitation by DCELLS. Should anyone outside this age range require the same type of education and training, there are other training providers where they can be signposted. McGivney (2003) guidelines suggest that people with disabilities, ex-offenders, low paid unqualified workers, male manual workers, unemployed groups, rural residents, women with young children, homeless and those from ethnic minority groups may have problems in participating in organised learning activities. (DCSF, 2008) states ‘9% of young people aged 16-19 are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET). As part of the ‘Every Child Matters Agenda’ their aim is to break down the barriers to achievement and provide opportunities for those disengaged from learning. This agenda intends to ensure that programmes have been set up to identify children and young adults at risk and promote early intervention. According to the 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper ‘those with learning difficulties are twice as likely to become NEET’. XXXXXX XXXXXX have recently established street based youth work teams; across communities in south Wales, working with partner organisations to engage some of the hardest to reach young people; And to progress them onto positive development opportunities in their own communities. The current teams are a pilot and are hoping to expand the project into other geographic and sector communities. XXXXXX XXXXXX are also establishing links to deliver full and part time extended curriculum services in schools for 14-18 year olds across Wales, providing support for young people in the youth justice system; establishing a youth drop in facilities at many centres and expanding the street based youth work. XXXXXXare also in community cohesion work particularly in areas with a large European migrant youth communities and those with a migrant non-welsh speaking community within Welsh speaking indigenous communities. XXXXXXis piloting development of youth volunteering in under-represented groups. Taking all this into consideration, it shows the effort that is being made in order to provide inclusive learning to those students who are at risk of becoming NEET. Inclusive Learning in Initial Assessment According to Green and Bartram 1998, p7) ‘Early and effective assessment of students’ requirements is critical to the concept of inclusive learning. There are three stages to the initial assessment process within the organisation. Prior to a learner joining they go through an initial assessment process. This begins with an informal interview following an endorsement from Careers Wales. In this interview, it allows the organisation time to carry out an informal assessment and identify individual learning needs. On entry, basic skills initial assessments and a VARK learning styles questionnaire are completed. From this process, an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) is written that is specific to the needs of the learner which will identify individual goals. Green and Bartram (1998. p10) outline that in order to achieve best practice; there should be ‘a common and shared understanding of the purpose of initial assessment’. Through discussion with staff and observations of the initial assessment process, it is evident that this there is a thorough initial assessment process which allows many opportunities to identify any individual needs and preferences. Following this process, if a learner is identified as having a literacy or numeracy need, diagnostic assessment is carried out. Learners have the opportunity to do these either by paper based methods or using Information Technology (IT). The results of this assessment then produce an Individual Learning Plan that is specific to the learners literacy and/or numeracy needs and takes into consideration any special arrangements that may be required. Inclusive learning in the classroom If there has been an individual need identified through initial assessment, it is at this point XXXXXX XXXXXX are reactive as appose to being proactive. For those with physical disabilities, arrangements are made to support them. As previously discussed there is a lack of facilities within the centres to support learners with a disability affecting mobility and this is taken into consideration when careers signpost learners. Apart from this, Rooms are bright, well ventilated and are small enough to be able to accommodate those with minor hearing or visual impairments. When considering students who are deaf and hard of hearing, XXXXXXdo not have a strategy in place for dealing with those who require specialist support including lip speakers, sign language interpreters and speech to text reporters. Although many learners who require this support often plan their own support requirements. To ensure inclusion in the classroom, it should be considered when planning lessons. Once the aims and objectives have been decided, it is then important to consider the needs and previous experiences of the learners’. At this stage, you can consider if there are any adjustments that can be made to ensure that the lesson is inclusive Open University Press (2006). This could be large print handouts, varied teaching strategies, practical tasks as appose to written, aural or visual methods and where possible, taking into account multi sensory learning. When carrying out questioning in the classroom, there was very good use of reinforcement techniques to consolidate learning. Although tutors encouraged all members of the group to participate, this was done in such a way that no learners felt uncomfortable. When this was necessary (e. g. a speaking and listening task) it was managed in a positive way to recognise individual needs. If learners need support with basic skills, subject specific tutors (NVQ, Key Skills) liaise with the Basic Skills Tutor to organise extra support in addition to their literacy and/or numeracy classes. If the learner has a learning difficulty that affects concentration, extra comfort breaks can be given and short activities should also be planned that vary in teaching strategy to keep learners engaged. At present, DCELLS are working towards converged basic and key skills. This initiative should have encourage a more standard approach as qualifications will be delivered in a different training and staff will be required to update their CPD. Practices vary depending on the experience of individual tutors within XXXXXX XXXXXX. When observing a key skills session, a tutor suggested to her group that it would be advantage to take notes whilst completing practical activities. On her lesson plan, she had shown inclusive practices by suggesting a Basic Skills Tutor could offer support with both reading and note taking if required. In terms of the use of classroom assistants or support workers, this is the only instance that in class support is offered due to staffing levels within the organisation. The majority of tutors promote equal opportunities practices by having notes available at the end of the lesson for all learners. Others show inclusive learning techniques by issuing gapped handouts at the beginning of the lesson to support those with individual needs. This later method allows those learners who have lack of confidence in groups, those with hearing difficulties or partial sight a greater chance of achieving the objectives set from the lesson. Experienced staff uses assistive technology in the classroom such as coloured acetate, worksheets on coloured paper or magnifying equipment to support learners when reading books, but once again staff training is needed to ensure consistency throughout the organisation. Smith and Armstrong (2005) suggest providers should make sure that CPD and staff training supports structures and systems implemented to deliver the inclusive learning agenda. Through discussion with staff, it is evident that staff members have little knowledge of how to support learners with Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and other learning and behavioural needs. Therefore staff CPD needs to be updated and staff training offered. Having observed a selection of basic skills sessions, I have seen differentiation being managed very well within the classroom. There are isolated cases where worksheets have been the main teaching strategy due to the diverse nature of the group but the main reason for this is the need for staff development and training. Within sessions, individuals show good inclusive learning techniques when giving feedback. They are constructive and give praise for what has been done well and avoid being negative to learners. For those who have physical disabilities, there is IT equipment available such as specialist mouse and the ability to increase the font size on the majority of programmes used. If there is a need for out of class support, this is also available from the training assessors responsible for the individual learners. Individual training assessors are encouraged to spend time with all learners to build a rapport and encourage them to discuss any individual learning needs. These persons are trained to signpost for guidance and counselling if required. Assessment Once learning has taken place, there are various methods of assessment that are used. Within basic skills, learners are given a choice of completing assignments which are paper based or tests that can be taken using IT. For those who have to submit a portfolio, they are given the option of using IT to produce their work. There are also dictaphones available to record case studies, professional discussions or oral questioning as appose to written questions. These strategies in place show differentiation for individual needs are being considered. As well as the usual methods of assessment, learners also get a review which is carried out every four weeks. In this review, their progress is monitored and feedback is given on their performance. The Tomlinson Report (1996) shows us that monitoring progress and providing effective feedback contributes to effective inclusive teaching. Within their basic skills support sessions, further feedback is also given as part of their literacy/numeracy ILP. All learners at the end of their visits are given a Training And Support Log (TASL) which gives them feedback on any work produced. Conclusion Following this investigation, I have reached the conclusion that the organisation is reactive as appose to proactive with regard to inclusive learning. As a training provider, XXXXXX XXXXXX are genuinely non-selective about the learners who complete a programme. Many of the learners face a number of obstacles to engaging in learning including low educational attainment, a lack of basic and/or personal skills, caring obligations, homelessness, lack of self belief, confidence and self worth. Despite this, over 70% of the young people that are supported leave with a positive outcome. The 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper state that 12. 5% of the NEET group have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. If XXXXXXtraining wishes to continue aiming to offer inclusive learning and reduce this NEET cohort, there is a need to train staff by offering CPD in inclusive learning and ways of developing an inclusive learning strategy within the learner process. There are different teaching approaches within the organisation. (Tilstone et al. ,1998, p. 6) states ‘a key issue in promoting inclusive practice must be a reappraisal of the training provided to teachers and other professionals’ From my observations, I feel that this is an accurate assumption to make. I have been able to observe many sessions over a period of time and have seen that tutors need training on how to incorporate inclusive learning strategies within their lesson plan. Smith and Armstrong (2005) also discuss how providers should establish a strategy for sharing best practice within an organisation. XXXXXXhave meetings for every subject route on a quarterly basis. Although this is an excellent way of sharing best practice, inclusive learning should be listed as an agenda item to ensure that it gets the attention it requires. Although everything is done during the learner process to ensure that equal opportunities and diversity are managed, XXXXXXhave a bullying and harassment procedure in place and also a grievance procedure that prospective, current and past learners can instigate if they wish. From carrying out research into inclusive learning within XXXXXX XXXXXX, it has been shown that on the whole, a lot of work goes in to meeting the individual needs of the learner and offering a positive learner experience. Having now completed this research, it has made me aware of the financial restraints of the organisation. I feel that I will carry out my role as ATP differently when training staff and mentoring. When working towards curriculum design, I will also ask myself the question â€Å" How can I make it more inclusive? † and from this, I feel that this has played a big part in my CPD. Bibliography †¢ACCESS UNIT. (2006, December 18). Access Unit – Making Information Accessible to Disabled Students. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from University of Bristol: http://www.bristol. ac. uk/accessunit/disabilityinfo/accessible33. html †¢ADAMS, M. , & BROWN, S. (2006). Towards Inclusive Learning in Higher Education. London: Routledge . †¢BLOOMER, M. , & HODKINSON, P. (1997). Moving into FE: The voice of the learner. London: Further Education Development Agency (FEDA). †¢CLOUGH, P. (1998). Managing Inclusive Education. From Policy to Experience. London: Sage. †¢CSIE. (2008, April 30). About Inclusion. Retrieved December 15, 2008, from Centre For Studies On Inclusive Education: http://inclusion. uwe. ac. uk/csie/csiefaqs. htm †¢DCSF . (2008, July 02). Education, Training, Employment. Retrieved December 10, 2008, from Department for Children, Schools and Families. http://www. dcsf. gov. uk/14-19/index. cfm? go=home&sid=26 †¢Every Child Matters: (2008, July 02) Change for children: Retrieved December 15, 2008, from Every Child Matters http://www. everychildmatters. gov. uk/ete/ †¢FEFC. (1996). Inclusive FE: Report of the Further Education Funding Council Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities Committee CSIE Summary. Bristol: Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE). †¢GREEN, M.a. (1998). Initial Assessment To Identify Learning Needs. London: Further Education Development Agency (FEDA). †¢LEARNING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY. (2002). Access For All. London: DFES. †¢MCGIVNEY, V. (2003). Working With Excluded Groups. Leicester: National Institute of Adult Continuing Education. †¢OPEN UNIVERSITY PRESS . (2006, December 30). Inclusive Teaching. Retrieved December 12, 2008, from Open University Press: http://www. open. ac. uk/inclusiveteaching †¢SMITH, V. , & ARMSTRONG, A. (2005). Beyond Prejudice; Inclusive Learning in Practice. London: Learning and Skills Development Agency. †¢TILSTONE, C. , FLORIAN, L. , & ROSE, R. (1998). Promoting Inclusive Practice. London: Routledge Falmer. †¢WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT. (2008, September 29). Delivering Skills that Work for Wales: A new approach to adult community learning. Consultation Document 057/2008 . Caerphilly: Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills. †¢What is SENDA 2001? (2007, January 22). Retrieved December 13, 2008, from Hobo: http://www. hobo-web. co. uk/tips/12. htm.

Starbucks Going Global Fast

Cataracts is known worldwide as one of the largest and most successful coffee shops. The green circle and mermaid symbol, that has become so well known, it can be seen in nearly every US city, and the company has ambitious plans to expand rapidly off-shore. Howard Schultz started the company in 1987 when he bought out his bosses and began expanding. Cataracts expansion, so far, seems to be rather successful as they have opened over 16,000 coffee shops in 44 countries and have no plans of slowing down.Although the company has experienced exponential growth and unprecedented success It Is not without Its problems. For one, there Is an Increasing level Is dissatisfaction with employees which seems to stem from Cataracts aggressive expansion. With so many employees and stores nation and worldwide employees are becoming increasingly jaded and out of sync with the original mission statement of Cataracts, which was to focus on superior customer service, and service with a smile. Workers are also complaining about being over worked and under compensated. Still bigger problems present themselves.The baby boomers, Cataracts bread and butter consumer, are slowly disappearing, giving way to the more thrifty, down-to- earth generation X, who have become increasingly weary of powerful and rich corporations and whose focus seems to have shifted from the mainstream to the local in most consumer categories. Generation Seer's are feeling out of place In expensive coffee shops and seem to prefer cheaper alternatives, or prefer to simply make their own coffee. Generation Seer's are also wearier because of some shady practices that Cataracts engages In, such as predatory real estate, which lends toSeer's already heightened alert for corporations. Cataracts also does a lot of things right. They cater new products to new markets, such as a green tea Production that was first developed for and introduced in Japan. It has since been a hit and released in the USA. They seem to grasp the fundamental concept that not all markets are the same and understand that existing products might need to be tweaked for them to succeed abroad. They have a sound business model, which lends them ownership to all stores, meaning that stores are not franchised and the corporate hand can interfere with each store as they see fit.The company is expanding rapidly, but the US market Is quickly becoming saturated. To fuel continued expansion and maintain a 20% annual growth the company must go overseas, and this presents problems all on their own, because as we know every cultures tastes and values differ, which Is a pivotal lesson of International marketing. I think that Cataracts business model is sound. As we know the goal of any Dustless Is to maximize senatorial Investment r sucks NAS done Tanat. I nee nave recorded insane sales figures and have grown from 17 coffee shops in Seattle 15 years ago to over 16,000 outlets in 44 countries.Sales have climbed an average of 20 percent annua lly since the company went public, hitting 673 million last year. They are clearly doing something right, but in my opinion the success will be short lived. Society is shifting gears and the world is changing directions from a world of tangibles to a world of services, from a world of waste to a world of saving. While Cataracts makes a quality product there are also many viable, cheaper, even better substitutes that you can make yourself, and I think that you will see the decline of sales will coincide with a decline in the population of boomers.

Low-Cost School Programme

It is well known that juvenile delinquency has been shown to inequitable affect youths from various segments of the population based on their socioeconomic status. Brensilber, Bergin, Krasco and Phillips (2000) explain the correlation between low socioeconomic status and juvenile delinquency by pointing out that the communities from which these youths come are faced with severe economic and social difficulties which further put them at risk for other dangers. Similarly there also seem to be factors in the school and home that further increase the risks of delinquency among these students. Considering that juveniles in low-income areas have limited access to resources, a low-cost school program is an effective strategy to deal with juvenile delinquency. The purpose of such a program would be first and foremost to impact the youth’s educational environment in which they may spend a significant proportion of their time daily. Such programs would also have a greater reach in terms of numbers of youths that would be affected. Feature Article  Country School  Allen Curnow Such a program also aims to tackle early and persistent antisocial behavior (Forster & Rehner, 2003, p. 109) before they become too problematic to counter at the school level and before these youths end up at the wrong end of the juvenile justice system. Such a program would also seek to reduce the impact that youths with troubling behavior have in their community by empowering youths to make safe choices and instilling in them the moral austerity to follow good role modes. The program would also seek to promote social justice and equality within the community. This involves teaching youths about their social responsibility and the consequences of their behavior choices. It would also help them to aspire for upward mobility despite the prospects that their community environment would present. References Forster, M. & Rehner, T. (2003). Delinquency prevention as empowerment practice: A community-based social work approach. Race, Gender & Class, 10(2), 109-120. Brensilber, D., Bergin, P., Krasco, K., & Phillips, S. (2000, June). Title V Delinquency Prevention: Program Years 1997-1999. Massachussetts: Massachusetts Statistical Analysis Center.

Analysis of Small Molecule Analogues of the helminth immunomodulator Dissertation

Analysis of Small Molecule Analogues of the helminth immunomodulator ES-62 for inhibitory effects on mast cell function - Dissertation Example However, particularly in countries where helminth infections are endemic, these diseases remain comparatively rare. There is increasing evidence indicating that helminth infections and inflammatory diseases share an inverse relationship. Therefore, helminths have been the focus of recent studies. William Harnett and his team discovered an immunomodulator ES-62 secreted by a parasitic worm that is known to hold a strong cure for allergic and autoimmune diseases, such as asthma and arthritis. However, there are some practical implications associated with a high level of ES-62 production that renders it unable to be used as a drug. Hence, it is hypothesized that synthesis of ES-62 derived SMAs based around its Phosphorylcholine moiety can mimic the effect of the parent molecule and have a potential to be used as a drug for clinical trials. This project investigated the effect of SMAs on mast cells by implementing the Rat Basophilic leukaemia degranulation assay in which SMA 53 and SMA S 3 were found to inhibit Fc?RI-mediated mast cell proliferation. Also, a substantial decrease was observed in IL-6 and TNF-? cytokines production. The data presented here established that some SMAs certainly have potential to induce the same effects as ES-62 and thus to be used as a therapeutic agent. Introduction Tropical parasites disease affects millions of people throughout the developing world. These infectious diseases cause long term suffering which leads to significant economical damage. For this reason, The World Health Organization has committed to fight and extirpate many of the most costly diseases (W.H.O, 1990). 1.1 Filarial nematode Filarial nematodes are thread like worms that infect up to 1/3 of the human population and cause diseases such as river blindness and elephantiasis (Harnett and Harnett, 2010). People infected by these worms appear to be comparatively asymptomatic, even when they are carrying a noticeable parasite burden (Harnett et al., 2010). According to a number of reviews, infected individuals can harbour more than one type of parasite, but major tissue habitants of humans are the filarial nematodes which usually live in the lymphatic system or the subcutaneous tissue (Harnett and Harnett, 2008a; Schmidt and Roberts, 1989). Infection with such worms is transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects that act as an intermediate host; they do this by transferring L3 stage larvae to humans (Harnett and Harnett, 2008a). Fig. 1: This diagram illustrates the life cycle of filarial nematode and how the worm is transmitted into the human body [6]. The duration of these infections are very long as an individual worm can survive for up to 10 years, which indicates the importance of this parasitic worm in the medical field (Harnett et al., 2010; Harnett and Harnett, 2008a; W.H.O, 2000). Over the past decade it has been hypothesised that filarial nematodes may protect against autoimmune and allergic inflammations. For this reason, parasitic ne matodes have been involved in many recent studies and there is now enough evidence to prove that nematode-derived immunomodulators play a fundamental role in preventing inflammatory diseases in the human populat

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 31

Business law - Essay Example Sufficient Minimum Contacts means that the defendant must have taken actions purposefully directed towards a resident or organization within the Forum State. Therefore, bearing in mind the Della and Berry did business with an Indiana client, Sufficient Minimum Contacts were established. The Indiana court can exercise jurisdiction over the defendant party. In Rem Jurisdiction refers to exercise of power by court over property or status against a defendant with whom the court does not have In Personam Jurisdiction. It applies in this case because the complainant aims at suing an out-of-state business. Moreover in 1(c), the Indiana client cannot file a federal suit. According to Concurrent Federal Jurisdiction the federal courts can hear cases in instances of diversity of citizenship (the parties involved are citizens of different States or Non-citizens of the United States) whereby the claim amounts to value of money exceeding $75, 000. The case filed by the Indiana client would be too minor to be heard in a federal court. In 2 (a), the defendant can apply several written responses that include; General Denial response to say that there is nothing in the complaint is true, a Demurrer response telling the court that the complaint is insufficient, or a Motion to Strike response that requests the court to remove something out of the complaint. In 2 (b), there are several discovery forms that can be used including; deposition (asking a witness or party to respond to questions orally under oath in presence of a court reporter), interrogatives (written questions sent to a party to answer in writing under oath), and a request for admission (a request sent to a party to admit to certain facts). In 2 (c), the final pretrial conference is held to outline the issues of the case and set timeframes procedural matters and the legal process. In scenario 3 (a), the Common Pleas Court has the jurisdiction to hear the case because it involves parties

Analysis of Articles about Warm Bodies Movie Annotated Bibliography

Analysis of Articles about Warm Bodies Movie - Annotated Bibliography Example The author recognizes the uniqueness of the zombie in warm waters movie compared to other zombies seen in movies or read in books. The author tries to analyze the contribution of â€Å"R† as the main character. The article will be fundamental in understanding zombies, the role of â€Å"R,† and how the movie grabbed teens attention. As such, the article is current and relevant to reviewing the movie, Warm waters. Hamilton, Mary. â€Å"Warm Bodies: what our love affair with zombies says about us.† The Guardian, 8 February 2013. Web. 16 March 2015. < http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/08/warm-bodies-film-zombie-love-affair> The article by Mary Hamilton shows how our relationships with zombies say about our culture. The author reckons that Warm Bodies is a zombie romantic comedy that invades popular consciousness. The article asserts that zombie movies have been attracting immense attention in the recent past. The author presents the cultural significance of zombies and notes that zombies depict human loneliness and ability to deal with the disaster. According to the author, the cultural significance of zombies has changed over time and recognizes the epidemic of zombie culture seen in books, films, games, and zombie experiences. The article claims that the movie, Warm Bodies is just another zombie story where zombies are human but act like monsters. The audience can use the article to understand the impact of zombies on our culture where humanizing monsters relates to the acceptance of our dark cultures. The journal article by Kevin Johnson shows how the main character â€Å"R† is special than the other zombies seen in movies or read about in books. The article depicts R as a hero who survived a plague. Unlike other zombies, the author shows that R (Nicholas Hoult) depicts a high thinking capacity while he was wandering through an airport.     Ã‚  

The catcher in the rye Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The catcher in the rye - Research Paper Example After an emotive nosedive emphasized by Pencey Prep expulsion, Caulfield checks the Edmont Hotel and meanders the vicinities of Manhattan for 3 days. However, as Caulfield’s adventure progresses, he gradually begins bridging the gap between childhood innocence and the adulthood onset. The second last chapter of the novel follows Caulfield as a few significant occasions add to his advantage of personal closure concerning the loss of virtuousness between childhood and adulthood, a universal theme of the book. Caulfield’s walk on 5th Avenue at the beginning of the chapter signifies his many struggles related to his journey to adulthood throughout the book (Gohn 44). Caulfield literally aims at "catching" the children as they fall into adulthood. Caulfield, like any other teenager, stays scared of growing up. He understands that no one stands at the bottom of this metaphorical face with open arms to hold him as he tumbles, and that frightens him more than anything in his li fe. This fear of the cliff edge pushes Caulfield to walk on the streak between adulthood and childhood without committing to either flank, paralleling his sprints from one block to another (Sanford Pinsker 112). Additionally, Holden adheres to one of his only thoughts that he will ever find consoling for strength - his brother’s, (Allie) memory. As he runs, he "make[s] believes that he talks to his brother" (Salinger 257), and appreciates him when he crosses by the street securely. In a logic, Caulfield views Allie as his catcher on the bottom end of the cliff. He holds Allie's catcher's hand with him at every time, and it is apparent that Allie's death affected and infected him in an irreversible way that made it extremely hard for him to progress in his life. While he reflects to the past, Caulfield’s course of growing up turns out to be stunted. He calls out for Allie's memory to protect him from harms not only as he strolls along the streets in New York but when he rambles through his life. Without guides and uncertain, Caulfield never takes his time to cement precisely what he wants in life and consequently becomes trapped in the midpoint of adolescence. Convoying the discovery of smudged atrocities on his sister Phoebe's school, Caulfield begins to understand that individual’s loss of innocence remains` irresistible. He contemplates of how every child at the school could see the graffiti and, owing that he is young and innocent, he do not know what it implied. The thought drives him "near crazy" (Salinger 260). Caulfield discovers the fact that the communications written in school for children disturbing, wishing it could be possible that Phoebe with her friends could exist unpolluted by such rudimentary messages. In Caulfield’s views, young children like Phoebe signify everything that is pure and real about life, finding consolation in visiting Phoebe within earlier chapters. He despises the thought that their blamelessness w ill inevitably disappear one time. After seeing some more items of graffiti, Caulfield comments that "if you could get a million years of doing it in, you could not rub out even a half the "dirty" cryptograms in the world. It is practically impossible" (Salinger 262). Caulfield finally has his own epiphany - he understands that loss of innocence in children is unstoppable. Society is so corrupt for there to occur a utopian,

Institutional investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Institutional investment - Essay Example This development has shifted the attention to the role and importance of institutional investors to financial markets. What this means is that these entities came to dominate and dictate the trajectory and the pattern of investment choices, affecting the dynamics of financial markets in the process. This paper will explore this theme. This objective will be undertaken in the context of financial markets with high institutional investors. Institutional Investors: A Background There is no standard definition or precise concept explaining the dynamics of institutional investors. But Lumpkin (2000) offered a general view, which will effectively serve the purpose of this paper. He explained that institutional investors are those financial institutions that invest savings of individuals and non-financial companies in the financial market (pp.195). The breadth and diversity of this definition can be tempered by a key requirement: That, money is being managed by institutions as distinguished by those administered by retail investors. Based on this definition seven principal categories of institutional investors exist: private pension funds; state and local retirement funds; mutual funds; life insurance companies; property and casualty insurance companies; non-pension fund money managed by banks; and foundation and endowment funds (Baums and Buxbaum, 1994, pp.667). This classification highlights a diversity which means that institutional investors are driven and influenced by different factors. There are however commonalities. For example the sector operates on the basis of well-defined risk-return criteria and employs sophisticated investment strategies and methods (Blommestein and Funke, 1998, pp.69). Furthermore, the OECD identified the common factors that drive the growth of this sector: There is a rising demand for retirement â€Å"products† such as mutual funds and guaranteed-equity plans, among others, due to the increase of ageing population in developed economies; The technological development especially in communications, computing and information fields lead to the enhanced capabilities of institutional investors to provide intermediation and services that entail minimal risks, with all these transpiring at very high speed but at a cheaper cost; There is the deregulation of the banking and securities industries since 1980s, which intensified competition among financial institutions, further encouraged by easing of restrictions on cross-border capital flows (Lumpkin, pp.198). All in all, the theoretical underpinning for institutional investment is intermediation. Wealth is not directly funneled to the market. Instead, money is delegated by investors to managers who will manage it in turn. This is fundamentally different from investments by individual agents or by the manner by which corporate entities own and manage their stocks. The business model works because the operational landscape is conducive and the outlook is very favora ble as demonstrated by current statistics, trends as well as projections by experts and agencies like the OECD. The Role of Institutional Investment There is the claim that institutional investment is critical in the modernization of financial markets. To put it another way, its emergence has supposedly brought about reforms that led to the efficiency in financial market. This argument appears to be valid because institutional inv

An analysis of the impact of organizational innovation on the Dissertation

An analysis of the impact of organizational innovation on the organizational effectiveness-The case of Dell computer - Dissertation Example I would also like to thank my English teacher, ----------, who has supported me through the entire phase of the study. He has provided significant assistance towards improving my critical thinking ability, English speaking and writing skills as well as research skills. I am grateful to my parents, who have always assisted me and enhanced my motivation level. This dissertation was only possible due to their faith and positive aspect on me. Lastly, I would like to thank you all for believing in me and permitting me to chase my dreams. Executive Summary Innovation is often referred to as the driver of business or a way by which new ideas sees the light of the day in the form of different products or services. Hence, the definition makes it clear that innovation is a vital component of business. Moreover, this is the fundamental basis of value creation in organizations and is a vital enabler of competitive advantage. The importance of innovation increases to a large extent when the marke t is saturated. Similarly for Dell Computers, innovation can act as a key factor driving the business. The computer Hardware industry is being leaded by Hewlett Packard and Lenovo, but companies such as Dell have fallen behind due to the lack of innovation the system. This study therefore tried to analyze the impact of organizational innovation on the organizational effectiveness, identify the business strategy of Dell and simultaneously recommend the most fitting or appropriate strategy by which Dell can overtake Hewlett Packard as the global leader in personal computer. The study revealed that innovation is a critical element of business and companies around the world are trying to integrate it with their products, services and process delivery. It has been also identified that Dell is pursuing â€Å"broad differentiation strategy†. Although, this is allowing the company to cater to various market segments, but they were recommended to pursue best cost provider strategy. Ta ble of Contents CHAPTER I - INTRODUCTION 8 1.1 Background of the Study 8 1.2 Dell Computers: A Brief Overview 8 1.3 Rationale behind Choosing Dell 9 1.4 Economic Relevance and Scope of the Study 9 1.5 Problem Statement 10 1.6 Aims and Objectives of the Study 10 1.7 Research Questions 10 1.8 Overview of the Academic Literature 10 1.9 Methods of Study 11 1.10 Functions of Sections 11 CHAPTER II – GENERAL LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 Defining Terms 11 2.2 Organizational Innovation: A Theoretical Framework 13 2.3 Significance of Innovation in Business 15 2.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Innovation in Organizations 16 2.5 Innovation as a Driver of Competitiveness 18 2.6 Impact of Product Line Extension and Diversification on Companies 18 2.7 Business Strategy & its Elements 20 2.8 Summary 21 CHAAPTER III - RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 22 3.1 Research Philosophy 22 3.1.1 Positivism 22 3.1.2 Interpretivism 23 3.1.3 Activist Philosophy 23 3.2 Research Approach 23 3.2.1 Deductive Approach 24 3 .3 Time Horizon 25 3.3.1 Cross Sectional Time Horizon 25 3.3.2 Longitudinal Time Horizon 25 3.4 Data Collection Method and Sampling 26 3.5.1 Questionnaire Survey 26 3.5.2 Focus Group Interview 27 3.5.3 Sampling 27 3.6 Data Validity and Reliability 29 3.7 Ethical Considerations 29 3.8 Limitations of the Study 30 CHAPTER 4 – DATA FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 31 4.1 Findings from the Secondary Survey 31 4.1.1 Innovation in Dell 31 4.1.2 Dell Business Competitors 32 4.3 Business Strategy of Dell 32 4.2Findings from the

Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in Texas Dissertation

Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in Texas - Dissertation Example The paper tells that the adoption of the Texas Safe Schools Act in 1995, stipulated that all public district schools in Texas provide Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs). The main idea behind the introduction of the DAEPs was to provide an alternative education program for the students who had been temporarily removed from the normal educational setting for disciplinary reasons as explained by. The agency further points that Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs offer different environment for the students who commit criminal offenses outlined in Chapter 37 of the Texas Educational Code (TEC) or almost any disciplinary violation. These are in line with recommendations of Federal Gun Free School Act of 1994 which required all states in the country to implement zero tolerance policies to contain the perceived increased violence in schools across the country. Introduction of DAEPs in Texas as explained by was aimed at providing an alternative to suspension or expul sion of students involved in indiscipline cases at school. Suspension as asserted by (Levin, 2006 p. 5) is highly disruptive of the learning of students. DAEPs provide a temporary stay for student to help in behaviour change through mandatory or discretionary referral. Although mandatory placement is in line with the provisions of Chapter 37 of TEC, discretionary placement as argued by is usually a violation of the school districts’ code of conduct. ... Discretionary placement records the highest number of students in the program with (Reyes, 2007) reporting that in 2004, 82 percent of the referrals into the program was discretionary while 18 % were mandatory placement. Currently, the student population in Texas has risen to 4.8 million students which have also been reflected in changed number of students in DAEPs. This has created constrains in the effectiveness of the program since the student to teacher ratio is not favourable. To effectively discharge the envisioned mandate, DAEPs needs to implement some best practices and observe some standards as explained by (Texas Education Agency, 2007). The agency argued that a relevant curriculum should be adopted to guarantee the educational and social needs of the students. Moreover, (Texas Education Agency, 2007) recommends that these programs must have adequate and dedicated teachers coupled with parent involvement. In addition, the program offers counselling to entrants and their fam ilies. This paper will basically set to answer the question of how the population of DAEPs changed between 1999 and 2000 and evaluate whether these changes reflect changes in the broader student population. It will also review literature on the advent of DAEPs and the policy framework governing DAEPs in Texas. The paper will also explore the best practices for DAEPs and the impact of the program on the referrals. It will then propose changes that could be implemented to the program to make it a success in transforming the lives of the entrants. Definition of Disciplinary Alternative Education Program As early as 1970s, district schools in United States started offering alterative education programs for students perceived to be at a high risk

Cost Concepts and Their Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cost Concepts and Their Application - Essay Example Examples are number of units of output and direct labour hours (Datar, Horngren, & Foster 1999, p. 27 - 58). Costs are classified so that data obtained from them will be useful to management. Costs can be classified (1) by the nature of the cost items, (2) with respect to the accounting period, (3) by their tendency to vary with the level of activity, (4) by their relation to the product (product costing), and (5) for analysis or decision making (Datar, Horngren, & Foster 1999, p. 27 - 58; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 2000). In a manufacturing concern, the two main types of cost items are manufacturing costs or factory costs and commercial expenses. Examples of manufacturing costs include direct material costs, direct labour costs, and factory overheads. Examples of commercial expenses include selling and distribution costs, administration costs, and financial costs. With respect to the accounting period, costs could be capital expenditure or revenue expenditure. Capital expenditure is intended to benefit future periods and classified as an asset. For example, the pur chase of fixed asset is a capital expenditure. Revenue expenditure benefits the current period and is classified as an expense. The distinction between capital expenditure and revenue expenditure is essential for proper matching of costs and revenues to accurately determine periodic profits. By their tendency to vary with the level of activity, costs could be classified as variable costs, fixed costs, semi-fixed costs or step costs, and semi-variable costs. Variable costs are costs that vary directly in proportion to change in activity or volume of a chosen cost object. Fixed costs are costs that do not change with changes in level of activity or output over a certain time period or relevant range. Relevant range is defined as the range of activity over which the amount of fixed expenses and rate of variability remain unchanged. This applies to all expenses, whether they are fixed, variable, or semi-variable. Semi-fixed costs or step costs are costs fixed over a certain range of out put but jump to a new level when the range is exceeded. Semi-variable costs show characteristics of both fixed and variable costs. A minimum of some expenses has to be maintained in order to maintain operational readiness. At this level of maintenance costs are fixed. Beyond this level costs become variable. By their relation to the product (product costing), costs can be divided into direct costs and indirect costs. Direct costs are costs that can be easily traced to the cost objects. Indirect costs are costs that cannot be easily traced to the cost objects. For the purpose of analysis and decision making, costs are classified into incremental costs, differential costs, sunk costs, avoidable costs, unavoidable costs, marginal, and opportunity costs. Incremental costs is the difference in totals between two alternatives or the addition cost of making a change, such as increasing the activity level or adding a new product line. Differential costs are costs that change in response to an action. Sunk costs are costs that have been incurred in the past and that cannot be changed. It is therefore irrelevant for decision making. Avoidable costs are costs that may be avoided if an activity is discontinued or if another alternative is adopted. Unavoidable costs are

World War 2 Essay Example for Free

World War 2 Essay There are many important events in history. Through 1914-1918 there were great conflicts that made World War I. There have been many different causes of WWI, and tremendous effects, as a result of the first modern war. There were many different causes of this war. The first cause was militarism. Militarism is when a country wants to have a better military better than the others. Germany was one of those countries. They tried building up their military. It then became a completion with the other countries which were Russia and France. The second cause was Imperialism. Imperialism is when all countries competed for colonies. Some imperialist countries were: Germany, Britain, Russia and France. Britain feared Germany would take away it’s colonies in Africa. The third cause of World War I was the formation of alliances. Alliances are political friendships between countries. Two alliances were the Triple Entente and the Central Powers. Alliances occur when there’s an agreement between countries to have peace, if one is attacked, the other has to help. The Alliances were the triple Entente who were France, Russia and Britain. The other allies were Germany, Austrian/Hungary and Ottoman Empire who made up the Central Powers. One of the major causes of World War I was that when one country was attacked, its friends (allies) would jump into the war effort and this resulted in total war. In conclusion, militarism, imperialism and alliances all resulted in starting World War I. The new technology developed at this time in the war field, made this a modern war. Many new technologies were used. Trench warfare was one them. Trench warfare was a type of fighting developed on the ground where soldiers built trenches into the dirt for protection; unfortunately, dirty conditions resulted in diseases and infections toward soldiers who died from this exposure. Another example of modern technology used during World War I was the machine gun. Machine guns were weapons developed to fire bullets rapidly, in a continuous motion. Machine guns were deadly because they could execute deadly bullets quickly and had more accurate aim. Yet another example of modern technology was the development of submarines. Submarines are water vehicles that were used in the sea. The Germans used it to attack the U. S ships when the U. S was sending over supplies to Britain. By doing this that led the U. S to join the war in 1917. Lastly, another technology used in World War 1 is aircraft. Aircrafts are two seat propeller planes with built in machine guns. They were used to shoot from the sky. Trench Warfare, machine guns, submarines and aircrafts are what made World War 1 a modern war. As well there were many causes of World War 1; there were also many different major effects. Thus, World War 1 had many causes they’re also were many effects as a result of the modern technology that were used. Modern technology and alliance led to one of the greatest conflicts in history. As a result of effects of World War 1 would eventually be one of the causes or World War 2.

Malaysia Household Income And Expenditure Trends Economics Essay

Malaysia Household Income And Expenditure Trends Economics Essay This section will discuss the background of the study, which explained the economic activities and economic growth by sector and by employment share, Malaysia household income and expenditure trends. This study also mentioned the concept of sustainable development and growth. This study chooses energy consumption in order to identify the factor of environment. From energy consumption, this study will observe the effect of energy consumption on environment. Next, the problem statement will cover the issues and objective, significant, scope and limitation of the study. Background of the study Malaysia is the third wealthiest country in Southeast Asia after Singapore and Brunei Darussalam based on GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita are shown in Table 1.1. It had a population of around 26 million people in 2007. According to the United Nations Development Programme, the population of Malaysia is estimated to grow to 29.8 millions by the year 2020. Most Malaysian is active economically and independently. The start of a sustainable recovery cycle was seen in 2002 but the activity slackened in 2005: GDP growth rate was 7.2% in 2004 and 5.2% in 2005 as shown in Table 1.2. Domestic demand and export dynamism are two major growth factors. Malaysia is characterized by its economys large openness and favourable behaviour towards foreign investments. During the New Economic Policy 1971 1990, a number of policies could be identified to explain the pattern of income. The promotion of export-oriented industrialisation driven primarily by foreign direct investment has seen a need for labour, thus lowering unemployment and raising household incomes. The most dynamic activity sector is electronics, given that the country is one of the worlds major exporters of semi-conductors and electronic components in the 1990s. Table 1.1: Countries of Southeast Asia sorted by their gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita in US$ Southeast Asia Country Rank International Monetary Fund (2009)[+] World Bank (2008)[++] CIA World Factbook[+++] Singapore 1 50,523 49,321 50,300 Â  Brunei 2 49,110 50,100 Â  Malaysia 3 13,769 14,215 14,800 Â  Thailand 4 8,060 8,086 8,100 Â  Indonesia 5 4,157 3,994 4,000 Â  Philippines 6 3,521 3,513 3,300 Â  Vietnam 7 2,942 2,787 2,900 Â  Cambodia 8 2,015 1,951 1,900 Source: +Data refer to the year 2009. World Economic Outlook Database-April 2010, International Monetary Fund. ++Data refer to the year 2008. World Development Indicators database, World Bank.Note: Per capita values were obtained by dividing the PPP GDP data by the Population data. +++GDP per capita (PPP), The World Factbook 2010, Central Intelligence Agency. The economic activity has been much reliant on electrical and electronic sector and the country must find new growth-generating activities, especially in the face of the soaring competition between countries of this region. Besides, Malaysia is classified among the worlds largest producers in the agriculture sector, particularly of palm oil, cocoa and rubber. Table 1.2: Malaysias Economic Growth from 2006 to 2009 Economic Indicator 2006 2007 2008 2009(f) GDP $million 125,051 132,988 139,159 139,174 Growth of GDP % 6.0 6.0 5.0 -3.1 Inflation (CPI) % 4.0 2.0 5.0 1.1 Unemployment % 3.0 3.0 3.7 4.5 Foreign direct investment % of GDP 4.0 5.0 3.0 4 Export growth % 7.0 4.0 1.5 (16.6) Import growth % 9.0 5.0 2.2 (14.9) Current account balance $million 26,200 29,243 38,914 21,053 Sources: The World Bank, World Development Indicators 2010 for 2006-2008, Economic Planning Units Forecasting for 2009. The country is also the leading exporter of tropical woods. The United States, Singapore and Japan are Malaysias major trade partners. The country imports mainly manufactured products, machine tools and vehicles. Nevertheless the economic growth of Malaysia has wide implications for structural change in the economy (from agriculture sector to industrialisation), growth of employment opportunities increase in personal income and change in consumption pattern. It has also effected the environment through a variety of techniques such as pollution; natural resources overexpolitation; degradation and wildlife habitat disappeared, and changes in weather. The result of the larger consumption levels in the environmental problem as proven in the declining in the fisheries haul, increasing in threatehned and endangered flora and founa, destroyed of wilflife natural resources, polution and purposely exotic killing, (Khalid, 2007) Environmental policies usually take into consideration the value of natural resources in contributing to processes of biological particularly in controlling flood levels, climate change rules, production of oxygen and absorption of carbon dioxide in the open areas as well as protection of flora and fauna. Environmental degradation is not accurately measured by GDP because the economic growth of the nation depend on natural resources but the strength of the economy must include the condition and sustainability of natural resources. This situation is not happening in Malaysia but those concerned about the protection of wildlife believe good treatment needs to be given to the erosion impact of economic growth on wildlife. Recently, environmental concerns have grown among the community and society, policy maker and government through the sustainable development, despite environmental problem never won against the mega development project, for instance Bakun dam project. The main objectiv e among the developing countries is economic growth through the natural resources exploitation. 1.3 Overview of Malaysia economy Malaysia is the one of the developing countries have transformed itself from 1970s to 1990s from raw materials producer to the multi-sector economy particularly manufacturing and services sector. This transformation was induced by positive economy growth which almost exclusively driven by export of electrical and electronics components. Consequently, global economic crisis and the slump in the information technology (IT) sector in 2001 and 2002 have affected Malaysia economy. However, Malaysia economy grew 5.7 percent in 2003 despite at first half very difficult to sustain due to external pressures such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Iraq war to be concerned among business society. In 2004, growth peaked 7 percent and 5 percent in 2005-2006 and 4.6 percent in 2009. The economic growth thereafter was not as remarkable as before, though some recovery took place in 1987. This was the time when the manufacturing sector for intermediate goods started to expand, which subsequently drove the Malaysian economy forward. This established a new structural change from merely producing primary commodities to process manufacturing and advanced manufacturing, including electronic semiconductors and components of electrical products. In the middle of 1997, the economy faced another economic disaster, the Asian financial crisis that began in Thailand and later spread to all over the ASEAN countries including Malaysia. In fact the exchange rate badly affected most of the ASEAN countries. ASEAN countries had no other choice but to liquidate their current assets in order to offset their losses resulting from the currency devaluation. Slightly more than one year later, the Malaysian economy recovered. All these events have changed the structure of the Malaysian eco nomy to what it is today. It has become a tradition at the dawn of each decade to predict the path or direction and magnitude of economic growth within the context of the challenges and prospects for the next 10 years or more. The 1980s were an enormously difficult and turbulent decade for the global economy. In fact in the 1990s, though expected by some to be somewhat less turbulent and difficult, the struggle should be quite different for Malaysia in its quest to become a newly-industrialised economy. Given the diverse structures of the economy, it has its own internal problems, with its strengths and weaknesses. Malaysia has benefited from higher world energy prices although at the time the cost of domestic gasoline and diesel rising and it has forced the government to reduce the subsidies as well as contributed the higher inflation. Malaysia has reduces the risk of financial crisis throughout the strong foreign exchanges reverse and a small external debt. However, Malaysia economy is still depend on continued growth in the US, China and Japan as a top exporting countries and main sources of foreign investment. All these plans are stated in Ninth Malaysia Plan for its five years national development agenda. The plans targets the development of higher value added manufacturing and an expansion of the service sector stated in Tenth Malaysia Plan. 1.3.1 Economic growth by sector and employment share Malaysias gross domestic product (GDP) grew from RM10 billion in 1970 to about RM37 billion in 1980. It increased further to RM119 billion in 1990 and RM222 billion in 1995. In 2005 and 2009, it increased from RM449 billion to RM528 billion. These figures represent a GDP growth rate of 11% between 1970 and 2009 as shown in Table 1.3. The manufacturing sector expanded from 15% of GDP the in 1970 to 19, 24, 26, 33 and 27 % in 1980, 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2009, respectively and declined to 31% in 2005, while the share of agriculture in the GDP declined from 28 % in 1970 to 25, 15, 13 and 10 % in 1980, 1990, 1995 and 2005 respectively. The services sector declined from 42 % in 1970 to 39 in 1980. This sector increases to 46 % and 51 % in 1990 and 1995 respectively but declined to 47 % in 2005, indicating the growing government role and common enhancement in the services condition. All the sectors also changed during the last two decades, particularly in agriculture and mining sectors. In t he mining sector, tin production has declined subsequently crude petroleum became the majot contributor to the Malaysia economy growth. The manufacturing sector transformed from agriculture based products to the manufactured of electrical and electronic components, petroleum products and palm oil products. the export was significant contributor to growth particularly on manufactured goods which has contributed 74.8 percent of total export in 2007. (sources:MITI, Vol.18, date 30 Otc.2008). the electrical and electronic products became the major export of manufactured product, followed by chemical products, machinery, metal, wood products and scientific equipment. Table 1.3: Malaysian gross domestic products by industry, 1970-2005 (RM million in 2000 prices) Source: Economic Report, various issues, Ministry of Finance, Kuala Lumpur The unemployment rate has been relatively decline with a increase in the employment situation for manufacturing and services sector but decrease in agriculture and mining sectors. The services sector has absorbed 52 percent in 2009 compared to 32 percent in 1970. Figure 1.1 shows the contribution to the GDP by the main sectors in Malaysia for year 2009. The services sector became the largest contributor to the GDP compared with the manufacturing sector. This sector includes electricity, water, transportation, wholesale, health, education, hotel and restaurant. Source: Economic Planning Unit, 2009 Figure 1.1: Contribution to the GDP by sector, Malaysia, 2009 In 1970, employment share of the primary sector (agriculture and mining) accounted for 53 % of the total employment. In 1980 and 1990, it declined to 41.4 and 26.6 % respectively as shown in Table 1.4. Employment in the primary sector declined further to 15.2 % and 12 % in 2000 and 2009, respectively. On the other hand, the secondary (manufacturing and construction) sector absorbed about 35.0 % of the workforce in 2009, compared with 26.2, 21.3 and 11.4 % in 1990, 1980 and 1970 respectively. Table 1.4: Gross domestic product and employment share by industry (In 2000 prices) GDP Share (Employment Share) 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2009 Primary Sector Agriculture, forestry, livestock and fishing 28 (53.5) 25 (39.7) 15 (26.0) 9 (15.2) 10 (12) 7 (12) Mining and quarrying 7 (2.6) 10 (1.7) 12 (0.6) 11 (0.4) 13 (0.4) 8 (0.4) Secondary sector Manufacturing 15 (8.7) 19 (15.7) 24 (19.9) 33 (27.6) 31 (28.6) 26 (28.4) Construction 4 (2.7) 4 (5.6) 4 (6.3) 4 (8.1) 3 (7.0) 3 (6.6) Services sector 42 (32.5) 39 (37.3) 46 (57.2) 48 (48.7) 47 (51.0) 56 (52.6) Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 (Unemployment):% 7.4 5.7 5.1 3.1 3.2 4.5 Per capita GDP (RM) 1,932 3,038 4,426 8,899 16,497 18,838 Source: Economic Report, various issues, Economic Planning Unit The GDP per capita increased from about RM1,932 in 1970 to about RM3,038, RM4,426 and RM18,838 in 1980, 1990 and 2009 respectively. The employment share in the primary sector decreased from 56.1% to 12% while that of the industrial and services sectors increased from 8.7 % and 32.5 to 28 % and 52.6 % respectively over the thirty-year period from 1970 to 2009 (shown in Table 1.4). With the rise in the employment opportunities, the unemployment rate contracted, except for the mid-1980s, from 7.4 % in 1970 to 3.2 % in 2005 but has since then risen slightly to 4.5% by 2009. The labour market became so tight in the 1990s that some sub-sectors had to resort to imported labour from abroad. (EADN, 2006). Since the 1970s, Malaysia has transformed itself from an economy dependent on raw materials production with a largely poor population to a multisector economy with a middle-income population. These changes have affected the Malaysian household through employment opportunities especially when the Malaysian economy has undergone major structural changes since 20 years ago consequence, the quality of life improved due to the strong growth in the manufacturing and services sector. The Malaysian household has benefited through on increase in its income as well as an improvement in its standard of living and change in expenditure pattern. 1.3.2 The Malaysian household income and expenditure trends Since Malaysia has experienced a remarkable change from an agriculture country to an industrialized country, its GDP has grown from RM37 billion in 1980 to RM528 billion in 2009. As Sanne (1998) pointed out that there is closely relationship between expenditure and income because expenditure patterns tend to change when incomes increase. However, expenditure or consumption plays an important role in generating GDP after export. Figure 1.2 shows a comparison of the GDP per capita between Malaysia, Asia and the world. During 1991 to 2006, Malaysias GDP per capita rapidly increased twice compared with Asia and World. Mean thats, the income of every Malaysian household has increased from time to time except for 1997 when Malaysia suffered from the economic crisis, but the Malaysian economy was still under control compared with other developing countries. Source: Earth Trends Country Profiles, Malaysia Figure 1.2: GDP per capita, 1991-2006 Figure 1.3 shows the Malaysian mean annual household income between 1985 and 2007. Households benefited from the continued increase in disposable incomes arising from high export earnings and positive economic growth which also generated full-employment and income-earning opportunities among the Malaysians. Moreover, the competitive credit provided further support to more household spending. The growth and structural transformation of the Malaysian economy has wide implication on the growth of employment opportunities as well as the distribution of labor force by sectors. Source: Economic Asian Development Network, Economic Reports (Various Issues) Table 1.3: Malaysian mean annually gross household income (RM) 1985-2007 As income level increased, the monthly consumption expenditure per household grew from RM731 in 1980 to RM1, 935 in 2005 (Department of Statistic, 1980-2005). With this quantitative rise in spending came a shift in the type of goods and services under demand. Income grew at an average rate 4 % during 1997 to 2007. According to the Economic Planning Unit, household income in 2004 was around RM38,988. This suggests that the average Malaysian household was quite capable of managing its finances and avoiding overspending. In 1980/82, the average household spending amounted to RM732 monthly, compared with RM412 in 1973. The rise in household expenditure during the period 1994 -1999 was not due to price increases only that households were consuming more, indicating an increase in their income and purchasing power, corresponding to the many years of healthy economic growth. After adjusting for inflation, households recorded a 3.4 % growth in expenditure, in real terms, during the period of 1994-1999. The higher household spending in 1999 was accompanied by the increase in the bundle of goods bought by households, not just because of higher prices. 1.4 Sustainable development and population The basic issue between economic development and environment is the concept of sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development is a broad view of human wellbeing, a long term perspective about the consequences of present activities and full participation of civil society to reach possible resolutions. There are many predecessors (see, for example, Barry, 1977; Page, 1977), the most popular formulation given by the World Commission on Environment and Development on the subject of the sustainable development basic concept: development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (WCED, 1987, p43). In terms of economic, the concept of sustainable development implies the important relationship between economic growth and environmental protection in conducting economic activities and utilizing natural resources to fulfill human needs. In Malaysia, sustainable development cannot be achieved if economic growth, social development and environmental protection work separately. Hence, the policy on the environmental has been developed to take into consideration the incorporation of these three actions. Through the sustainable development, Malaysian government plans at continued in enhancing the economic performance, social and quality of life of its people (National policy on environment, 2002). The issue of environmental is crucial for policy-makers in their effort to appear green, in terms of global warming, destruction of the ozone layer, deforestation and population pressure. A number of competing issues and possible solutions to threats ranging from air to water, ground, noise pollution, radioactivity, toxic wastes, pesticides, and endangered species have been implemented (Khalid, 2007). Most of the important goals of sustainable development such as providing a high quality of life for present and future generations were achieved but the economic and social problems are still exist. The economic and social problems faced by Malaysia were mostly from the lack of development and insufficient infrastructure in its early period of industrialization. The rapidly economic development through urbanization, industrialization and other land-use activities since 1980s later gave rise to water, air and land pollution, which have remained as serious environmental problems in Malaysia (Khalid,2007). This problems related to the lack of development in Malaysia gave rise to environment imparts due to inadequate hygienic facilities and lack of proper housing particularly in the rural area. This is the same arise to urban settlement where the unchecked sprawling growth resulted in crowded condition and pollution of rivers by human being. Figure 1.4 shows that quality of life index pe rformed better from 1992 to 2002, while environment index not performed well due to economic and social problem. Environment index grew at -4.3 percent from 1990 to 2007 and this sturcutre should be taken into consideration. In generally, human being is need the clean water and hygienic services because it is very important to ensure good health and proper living. Source: Malaysia Quality of Life, 2004, Economic Planning Unit (EPU),Malaysia Figure 1.4: Malaysia quality of life index and environment index, 1990-2000 Moreover, environmental problems are also closely related to industrialization activities directly and indirectly by households. Economists view on the purpose of production is to feed consumption or household demand. Evaluation of the environmental and social impacts of households need to account for both the direct impacts of the household, such as disposal of household wastes and the emission arising from fuel combustion in a household, and the indirect impacts which are caused during the production of the goods and the delivery of the services to the household. In Malaysia, three factors that influence the intensity of environmental pollution are population size, economic activities and production activities. From these factors, production activities are the most responsible for worsening industrial pollution in Malaysia (Khalid, 2007). Some studies suggest that population growth is one of the major factors causing CO2 emissions (York et al., 2003; Shi, 2003; Cole and Neumeyer, 2004), but the growth of population in Malaysia can also contributed to the worsening of natural resources or system of biological life support. As population increases, the symptom of ecological pressures and scarcity of natural resources will be occurred including deforestation, soil erosion, overfishing and overcrowding as well as economic stress is indicated through lower output, inflation and unemployment, and social problems. Due to the increasing population, pressure builds up for increased production from land use, hence the results from these activities will raise the soil erosion and degradation. These activities are not limited to the destroyed of land but also a declined in the flow of rivers, increased flood levels and silting of reservoir and dam. (Khalid, 2007). A growing population also leads to increase in energy consumption especially electricity, to meet the increased demand and to service the new development areas. Motor vehicle ownership is also increased with a growing population that becomes more affluent, and consequently contributing to greater pollution, particularly in generating CO2 emissions. Sources: United Nation Statistic Division, IMF/2005 Figure 1.5: The total number of newly registered motor vehicles and energy consumption per capita, 1980-2004 From 1980 to 2004, a general increase in CO2 emission was experienced by Malaysia. Only in 1998/1999 was a decline to about 17.6 % seen Figure 1.5. At this time, there was also a drop in the number newly registered private motor vehicles and energy consumption as shown in Figure 1.5. This indicates that a reduction in the use or ownership of motor vehicles will reduce energy consumption (of petroleum) and thereby the generation of CO2. Figure 1.6 shows the total of CO2 emissions in Malaysia. Therefore, household expenditure continues to shift away from food towards transports particularly in fuel consumption even though spending on motor vehicles fall. Fuels consumption continues to rise with worsening in public transport system have declined from 11 % to 6 % and it grew at -4.1 % between 1999 and 2005 (DOS). Sources: United Nation Statistic Division, IMF Figure 1.6: The Carbon dioxide emissions (CO2), Malaysia In order to reduce the CO2 emissions, many policy-makers have implemented various pollution control policies, for example by improving the public transportation system and increasing the oil price. However, the best way to reduce CO2 emission is to reduce energy consumption by household direct and indirectly. 1.5 Total primary energy supply and final consumption in Malaysia The rapid economic growth in Malaysia has largely impact the energy supply and consumption. The annual growth rate of GDP and total households energy primary use are 5.7 and 7.4 respectively in the 1990s as shown in Table 1.5. However, the economic growth slowed down from 1996 to 2000 due to economic crisis of 1997 in Asian region. The annual average total primary energy supply (TPES) growth increases much from 1991 to 2000 due to major investments particularly in the transportation and industrial sectors, 41.8% and 37.7% respectively. The trends in energy use of Malaysia are relatively same to the trends found in many developing countries such as study done by Park (2007) for Korea and Pachauri (2002) for India. The total primary energy supply (TPES) in Malaysia increased from 5-10 Mtoe between 1991 and 2006. Table 1.5: Income and energy supply and consumption in Malaysia Annual growth rates in % 1991 2000 2008 1991-2000 2000-2008 1991-2008 GDP in Ringgit Malaysia at 2000 constant prices (Million) 205,312 356,401 476,182 5.7 2.94 8.78 Total primary energy supply (Ktoe) 26,335 50,710 69,846 6.8 3.25 10.25 (Per capita TPES in Ktoe) 1.39 2.17 2.59 4.6 1.77 6.41 Total household primary energy use (Ktoe) 13,961 28,705 42,901 7.5 4.10 11.88 (Per capita total household energy in Ktoe) 0.74 1.23 1.59 5.2 2.59 7.94 Direct household primary energy use (Ktoe) 843 1,650 2,565 6.9 4.51 11.77 (Per capita direct household energy in Ktoe) 0.04 0.07 0.10 4.7 3.10 9.04 Sources: Department of Statistic Malaysia and own calculation The enormous growth rates of Asian economy give a large impact to the energy consumption. In the 1990s, the petroleum production and consumption increased tremendously as well as an increase of hydroelectric and coal in generating the electricity for the nation. The demand and consumption of energy increased tremendously from 1991-1997 as shown in figure 1.7. A large amount of investment on electrical infrastructure and automobile has caused primary energy consumption reached at approximately 27.23 million tones and electricity generation almost 6 Mtoe in 2000 and will continue to rise. Source: Malaysia Energy Centre, 2000 Figure 1.7: The total energy consumption and GDP in Malaysia from 1991 to 2006. The future economic growth for any country is hard to forecast but to generate an exactly estimation, firstly must account for the physical and economic growth of the nation. Malaysia projected to grow at 5.7% % annually and will continue at this rate for many years. With increasing rate of urbanization, total primary energy demand is set to increase by nearly 7 % annually. Moreover, political stability and development will continue to drive the economy forward. The Malaysian Ministry of Energy suggest that to provide for its citizens energy demands, RM 4.86 billion dollars will be required over the next 10-15 years: 60% allotted to energy generation and the remainder to transmission and distribution of energy. Such enormous economic growth and increasing infrastructure and demand will likely send the total energy use to well over 100 Mtoe in the year 2020. The growth rate of urbanization shows that the industrial sector of the economy, the sector remains unchanged to require large portions of the total amount of energy used in the nation. The industrial sector could increase to upwards of 50% of the nations economy in continuing competition. The switch towards public transportation in urban areas will potentially cause a decline in the percentage of the economy occupied by the transportation sector. The energy use of residential and commercial sector remains relatively constant occupying only 13%-14% of the total energy use. Vision 2020 sets goals and standards for the nations future as a whole. Malaysia is become a totally developed and united country by the year 2020. In line with to this, Malaysia targets to raise the living standard of rural and urban peoples as well as reducing poverty, finally leading to an increase in the total household primary energy consumption all over the nation. The annual growth rate of total household primary energy consumption is 7.5% and direct household primary energy consumption about 6.9% from 1996 to 2000. Since households income and consumption expenditure increased, the household energy requirement increased too as shown in Figure 1.6. The total primary energy supply of 50,710 Ktoe in 2000 was for an income of RM 356,401million economy very high compared to 1991. 1.6 The effect of energy consumption on the environment Energy use contributes to a range of environmental pressures and is a major source of greenhouse and acid gases. The most polluting fuel, in terms of CO2, SO2, NOx and particulate emissions, is coal, followed by oil. Natural gas burns much more cleanly, can be used more efficiently in domestic boilers, and produces as much CO2 per unit of energy. Disposal of electronic waste such as dry batteries presents serious risks associated with carcinogenic substances, which can be leached to soil and groundwater over the medium and long term. Uncontrolled land filling also releases contaminants, with a time lag. Incineration or co-incineration of electronic equipment waste with neithe

Leadership Style Of Richard Branson And Steve Jobs Commerce Essay

Leadership Style Of Richard Branson And Steve Jobs Commerce Essay This essay is required to conduct a better understanding of leadership styles (transactional and transformational leadership styles) from researching on Richard Branson and Steve Jobs success, and discuss about different types of changes (incremental and radical changes) may occur in an organisation in order to learn change management methods can be applied to a real case (Virgin Group). Although both of the excellent leaders exhibit characteristics of both transactional and transformational leadership styles, this essay will identify Steve Jobs as a transactional leader and Richard Branson as a transformational leader with three reasons for each statement. Changes are inevitable for all kinds of organizations and business. This essay will share and identify six examples (incremental and radical) of changes for each leader (three examples each type). At last, this essay will discuss the concepts of change management and explain Kotters 8-Step Change Model by applying to a real case (Virgin Group). Transactional Leadership VS Transformational Leadership Good leadership is the key to the success of an organization. Transactional leadership is performance-oriented and transformational leadership is people-oriented. To be more specific, transactional leadership involves contingent reinforcement to monitor and justify followers performances by using reward and punishment, while transformational leadership tends to inspire and motivate the followers loyalty and concentration by leaders charisma. Steve Jobs as Transactional Leader Transactional leaders characteristic behaviours are: (Barbuto, 2005) Contingent Reward Contingent reward is actually a usual way that most of the managers use to motivate teams, create positive competition and improve effectiveness. Steve Jobs had the impressive ability to notice talent and active employees and allocate them to the right place within the company. Each year, Jobs took his top 100 people on a retreat. It is not only a reward as a vacation, but also an acknowledgement from STEVE JOBS! In my opinion, acknowledgements from successful genius would be the best reward for my hard working. Management by exception Transactional leaders take actions based on the exceptions (performance) of the employees. Steve Jobs categorised his followers as either geniuses or bozos, and quickly firing those who fall in the latter camp (Greene-Blose, 2012). Another characteristic of transactional leadership would be the desire for control which is typical Steve Jobs style. His favourite presentation tools were a whiteboard and a Magic Marker, which gives him fully control in the conference. After his reinventing Apple, Jobs had several weeks of product review sessions. Finally he run out of patience and shouted the team to stop, grabbed a Magic Marker to the white board and wrote down four words: Consumer, Pro., Desktop and Portable. Then he said:Here is what we need! (Isaacson, 2012) This is Steve Jobs, full of power and passion, who gave clear incentives and strategies to his followers with his wisdom and visions. Richard Branson as Transformational Leader Transformational leaders characteristic behaviours are: (Barbuto, 2005) Idealized influence Richard Branson has become a role model for his followers inside or outside of his Virgin Empire by his own passionate and fearless life style. With his own words, You want to create something you are proud ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ That has always been my philosophy of business (Branson), Richard Branson broke many world records such as the fastest recorded Atlantic crossing by boat, the first Atlantic crossing by hot-air balloon, etc. He proved that anything is possible to his followers and the rest of the world with real examples. (Ocker, 2008) Inspiration motivation Richard Branson is a visionary leader with dreams and relentless work attitude which make those dreams come true. At the early stage of Virgin Group business, he once said:I want Virgin to be as well-known around the world as Coca-Cola. (Branson) After decades of time, the brand of Virgin have become world well-known, and covers many different areas of business which Coca-Cola wound not dare to try. Those kinds of ambitions and courage ties his group together and close, and leads him to keep on improving Virgin Group services and productions. Individualized consideration Richard Branson business maxim is staff first, customers second and shareholders third (Locke, 2009). One of his most famous and interesting story would be the lawsuit against British Airways for its protracted libel actions and ended with a settlement of about  £600,000 total. After Richard Branson got the money, he divided it to all his employees for their hard working. On the other hand, the major reason of Richard Bransons business success is that he takes care of customers needs with innovations and consideration, such as placing a rubber ducky in each bathroom of Virgin-owned hotels in order to make guests feel ate home, putting Listening Posts in their record stores and allowing customers to listen to entire CDs before purchasing. (Richard Branson Virgin) In general, transformational leadership is considered more friendly and flexible way to organize a company, while transactional leadership is considered more tough and efficient. It is hard to say which one is better. All the good leaders all over the world (include the two above) have the characteristics of the both leadership styles., such as Steve Jobs charismatic characteristics and spiritual motivating speech skills (Transformational), and Richard Branson strict management ways on the lower level position in the organisation (Transactional). Transformational leadership does not replace transactional leadership but improves the effectiveness of transactional leadership from a different angle. (Bernard, Bass, Riggio, 2005) Incremental Changes VS Radical Changes Changes are inevitable in human lives as well as in business operations. Incremental change takes place over a long time period for development purposes, while radical change is more often triggered by a crisis or a business opportunity. There are several differences listed in the following table. Incremental Changes Radical Changes Reasons Business development Expansion Dealing with crisis Seizing a significant business opportunity Period Long period of time Short period of time Examples Improvement Such as TQM, new system implementation Revolutionary changes Such as restructuring, merger, take-over Approaches types May be small, slow, on-going May be onetime events, quick Respond and effect Hardly noticed by the management level Immediately adapt May cause resistance to changes Steve Jobs Incremental Changes Example1: Pixar In 1986, Steve Jobs bought The Graphics Group from Lucasfilm for $10 millions, changed the name to Pixar and started his career in animation manufacturing. With his visionary plans and technology support from his computer company NeXT, Pixar developed a software package called RenderMan (which has been widely accepted and used in filmmaking industry). RenderMan was implemented into the existing Pixar production line slowly. After ten years time, Pixar finally achieved an amazing success in the animation filming industry. It kept producing a series of animation films, beginning with Toy Story (1995), which led Pixars worth to over $1.5 billion. It took 10 years to implementing and perfecting the new software into production and transferring Steve Jobs leadership style into Pixars existing operation, and achieves a remarkable improvement at the end. This is an incremental change made by Steve Jobs. Example2: Digital hub strategy After Steve Jobs returning to Apple in 1997 as an interim CEO, he successfully brought Apple back to profitability with a amazing consumer desktop computer iMac. By facing negative predictions about proclaiming PCS would disappear within a couple of years, Steve Jobs continuously led Apple to keep on perfecting i products with the meaning of internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire as the same way Apple always do. (Steve Jobs introductory 1998 iMac slide show) In 2001, Steve Jobs unveiled the Digital Hub Strategy to the public and in the next 10 years time he kept on launching a series of new products which extremely changed and led the trade of the whole world. (Kurian, 2012) There was an interesting event that Steve Jobs called himself as the iCEO of Apple instead of interim CEO humorously which entertained the public very much (Macworld San Francisco 2000). It was also a smart way to promoting i products while teasing with the board of Apple for rehiring him with the temporary executive position. This huge successful change took 10 years to be accomplished followed by Steve Jobs leadership piece by piece. It was a long period on-going process of implementing Jobs wisdom into Apple Company. Example3: Retirement from Apple Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, but he kept on denying any serious problem. That is why everyone was surprised when Apple announced that Steve Jobs would not go on stage for the Macworld keynote in 2009, and he took six months off at the same year. Jobs finally resigned as CEO of Apple in 2011 but remained as the Chairman of the companys board, and he passed away after 6 weeks. (Kurian, 2012) There may be some radical changes involved fro restructuring purpose, but in general, Steve Jobs took care of his retirement carefully to avoid negative impact slowly for 3 years time. For instance, he distributed his responsibilities to other executives step by step, and before his final resign, he strongly recommended Tim Cook in written, that letter was released to the public lately. The whole process was carefully planned and implemented in a long time. In my opinion, it can be an incremental change. Steve Jobs Radical Changes Example1: Macintosh VS Lisa In the early 80s, Apple was creating a business-oriented computer named Lisa under Steve Jobs supervising, but later after that, Steve Jobs thrown out of the Lisa project because of his bad temper. He was so angry and decided to take revenge by developing a small project called Macintosh in order to destroy the sales of Lisa. (Kurian, 2012) It was a radical strategy. Macintosh had user-friendly interface (point-and -click) which inspired other computer manufactories and changed the direction of computer industry since then, but it was not welcome to the market then. At that time, IBMs PC was more compatible with its cheaper price. Because this action was taken rapidly without well planning and careful market researching, Macintosh project failed. Example2: Staging a Coup There was another revenge taken by Steve Jobs after his removal from Lisa project, he tried to stage a coup. As we all know, he failed again. (Kurian, 2012) It was a restructuring plan, and he took actions rapidly. But without endorsement from Apple board of directors and support from other colleagues, he got fired from his own company. Example3: Reinventing Apple By 1996, Apple rehired Steve Jobs as an informal adviser to the CEO. At that time, Apple was keeping on losing money and Steve Jobs staged another coup. He successes this time and became an interim CEO in 1997.The first thing he had done after his promotion is cutting off the production lines and focused on four products. This effective decision brought the lost confidence back to the Apple community (Kurian, 2012). In the meantime, Jobs took other actions such as announcing a new slogan Think Different and launched an amazing project which brought Apples resurgence lately, the iMac. (Edwards, 2008) Those actions and decisions above are radical changes (restructuring and redesigning the production processes). They were new strategies to the company for solving a financial crisis in a short time period. Richard Branson Incremental Changes Example1: Virgin Atlantic There are some unique features Virgin Atlantic has while other airways may not have can be considered as incremental changes. Such as, serving a cup of ice cream while passengers watching movies during travelling in order to provide a better service. Virgin Atlantic does not provide meals for short distance flight in order to reduce ticket price. This kind of services is provided for improving quality of service. Example2: Virgin Group Because Richard Branson received a lot of support from his family and friends during hi early period of business stage (borrowed money from his auntie and supported by John Lennon), the whole Virgin Group services can be considered as a long term process for implementing Richard Bransons plan of giving back to the society and helping those people who has ambitious but doesnt have opportunities. Such as, Virgin Money provides a set of formalised documentations help people who need loans. Example3: Eco-friendly efforts In 2007, Richard Branson launched Virgin Earth Challenge dedicating in to environmental issues. He made several decisions that supervised the whole world, such as a $25 millions prize for inventors who comes up with a viable solution for scrubbing carbon gases from atmosphere. He also pledged to reinvest all profits from Virgin transportation business over the decade into developing ecologically benign fuels. This kind of actions may not affect other Virgin companies, but it will improve Virgin Groups reputation, it is also a long time period project. Richard Branson Radical Changes Example1: Virgin Records Shop At the beginning, Richard Branson started his records business as mail ordering company in London, and it went well. After a postal strike, the mail order business was crippled. Richard Branson was forced to seek new outlets and he opened his first retail store in Oxford Street in 1971. This was a strategy for dealing with a crisis situation, and operated immediately. It changed Virgin Records business process and structure. Example2: Selling Virgin Music Group Selling Virgin Music probably would be the hardest decision Richard Branson has made in his whole lifetime. This decision was made in order to get money to take Virgin Atlantic back into private ownership. (Vinnedge, 2009) This change was forced by a financial crisis and included restructuring process. Example3: Closing Virgin Money U.S. Richard Branson launched a loan servicing company called Virgin Money U.S. in America in 2007, and began its withdrawal after 2 years (Lepro, 2010). Its social loans were transferred to Graystone Solutions. This time, Richard Branson misjudged the market and had to make the decision in order to limit the damage. Other reasons of this collapse might be the bad economy and different culture in America. This change included restructuring and take-over in a short time. Change Management in Virgin Group Story In 2007, Virgin Group announced the completion of its biggest challenge which brought over 10 million customers and 13,000 employees merger of NTL, Telewest and Virgin Mobile under the Virgin Media brand. It is known as the largest Virgin Company in the world. This operation took more than two years to complete the merger, and Virgin Group handled it carefully, especially on employees resistance. Reasons of employees resistance to this change Fear Mostly, employees fear comes from uncertainty about their career: whether they are going to loss their job, will they fit the new way or follow the new process probably? No faith in new process Comfort personal preference Lack of knowledge Lack of trust Strategies for overcoming barriers to changes Involving employees during the managing changes Establishing clear processes and procedures Establishing Clear Strategies Effective Communication with Employees Efficient Leadership Application Kotters Change Model Conclusion

My Trip To Wildwood, New Jersey :: essays research papers

One of the best vacation spots and most fun are down the shore in Wildwood, New Jersey. Wildwood consists of a boardwalk with tons of rides and fun, a beach with a beautiful ocean, and little summerhouses with ocean-side views. The best attractions though would probably be located on the boardwalk. There are so many things to see and do. Although it’s rather costly, it’s well worth it and it’s a great place for a family to share quality time together. The boardwalk is consisted of shops, arcades, and piers of rides. On the boardwalk, you will find adults, teenagers, kids, and even babies trying to have a good time. Also, there are shops located all over the place. Tattoo/piercing parlors, fast food places, curly fry’ booths, ice cream sellers, and even a mall filled with all types of shops. If you’re not into shopping, there are arcades located after every few shops. You can win prizes, spend your money, and get addicted real quickly. Although most people usually walk around, you can also ride the tramcar. The tramcar is a long yellow ride that takes people around the whole boardwalk (which by the way is two miles long!) for a few dollars. Usually, the tramcar can be heard by it’s famous saying, â€Å"Watch the tramcar please.† Other then shops and arcades; there are piers full of rides. On each pier their are rides basically for all ages and older people. There are roller coasters with and without loop s, log flumes, haunted houses, carousels, mini golf courses, and even bungee jumping. For each pier you can either buy tickets which are pretty expensive, or a bracelet that will let you ride any ride you want to unlimited times. Another place in Wildwood that is always packed on a hot, sticky day is the beach. There are people all over the place on towels, underneath umbrellas, and in the ocean. People laughing, complaining about the heat, and running into the ocean. You can also hear the ice cream man going up and down the beach screaming, â€Å" Get your Fudgy Wudgy Bars.† People usually spend hours at the beach sun bathing, swimming, having lunch, reading, and sometimes sleeping. The ocean is the best part of the beach though. Determining how far you go out, the waves get bigger and bigger. There are teenagers, kids, and even adults surfing and boogie boarding.