Personal Story

Daniel Roomer PDP. 7 â€Å"Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive and if he or she does not do it, It will never be done. † Benjamin E Mays. This is the essence of this whole story. The understanding of such a philosophy eluded me as did it many people of my age at the time; some are not introduced to this concept until they are far into their adulthood. I had been born and raised Into a Christian household with no real father figure for most of my life, although I saw him frequently he was never around enough to really raise me maybe a few bits and pieces of advice and teachings.The real parenting came from my sister mother and grandmother. My mother had a lot of work to do considering she was a lone parent of two and had my Grandmother come live with us from Nicaragua (Central America) a few years prior to my birth and could barely pronounce â€Å"hello†. Because of my mother's long work hours I didn't see her much and the Job of a nurturing loving mother really fell upon my Grandma. Now this doesn't mean my mom didn't love me or TLD show It she Just wasn't as present as my grandmother was because my grandma didn't work and took care of me all day.For thirteen years f my life I was shown love and care by this Incredible woman. Like I said before I grew up in a Christian house hold and my grandmother, mother and sister all had a pretty good understanding and very inclined spirituality so they took it upon themselves to teach me who God was and why he was important and so Important to our everyday lives. I had never questioned what they taught me I just received and didn't think much of It. I was a typical church boy, going to church listening to what the teachers In Sunday school had to say, waking up every morning at eight to get ready, try to live by hat was taught to me etc. Etc. It was never really hard Just do as you were told and keep your mouth shut so it can all be over quicker. Granted I never consciously thought this way but as a child you know you Just want to live In the moment. As you start to reach the age where life starts to show it's struggles and now it's not mommy and daddy making the decisions as much for you, you begin to put forth the things you have learned over the course of you relatively short existence so far.For me that began at about 11 or 12 years old. I began to be a little preacher showing there kids who God was and why he was important just like my family had shown me and considering that I read the bible on my own I had a level of wisdom about the bible, life, history and in general Just overall that most kids didn't possess at my age. In my seventh grade year when I was 12 my grandmother had become very weak. She wasn't the once strong, fun, larger than life grandmother that I was used to having around.Although I knew so much I still wanted to preserve the innocence of a child and expected this to be like all the cartoons I had grown up watching; where nothing ever bad truly happened to the good guys and those around him. I visited my grandmother in the hospital on a regular basis and I began to see how real this situation had become in my life. My grandmother showed misery and sadness in her eyes whenever she had to be seen in her pitiful state, she was skinnier than she had ever been in her life, and was completely drained of the energy she once had.The visits continued for a few months and she had undergone two surgeries. I had now learned what cancer was and what this evil was doing to my grandmother. I was 13 now and one morning during school it hit me that my ornamented wasn't going to make it I had flashbacks of some of the happiest memories I could think of with her. That same day when walking home I saw my sisters, moms, and dads car in the front yard and I thought nothing of it. As I walked into the house I noticed solemn, saddened faces. My father sat me down on my mother's bed and looked me directly in my eyes and told me that my grandmother didn't make it.It didn't take long for the tears to stream down my face and then began wailing frantically as if one of my appendages had been ripped from my body. The news didn't bode well and my grades slipped drastically. I was a vessel of grief wearing fake smiles and laughs Just to avoid anyone asking me what was wrong and the images of my grandmother would rush back to fill my mind. It was at this point where I came to question everything I was ever taught about this God my family, friends, and teachers were so fond of. , the product of my families teachings was now shattered left to rebuild myself how I saw fit. I had always known what the people around me wanted me to follow or what they wanted me to be and in return I blindly followed what they said. Predestined by birth to fulfill what they anted me to do. I wondered, was everything they told me Just crap? Is there really a God who sent his son to die for me so the inhabitants on thi s earth could be saved? Do I really want to do what I'm doing now? If there is such a God why would he take away my source of love?All these questions and more filled my head and now I would search what I would truly follow and what I would do with myself. I started to do my research on religion and other belief systems. I researched many western eastern belief systems, their history, stories, purposes, etc. Etc. Hopefully ending something that would explain why my grandmother died, what happened to her and why did it have to happen to me now. Nothing was helping if anything it made me angrier and resentful toward these principles god's or god these people impossible to actually fulfill as a human being.My impatience grew and months and months of studying brought no results. My grandma died and there was no positive showing itself from it. After a while it Just seemed as if there was no hope, that crap like this Just happens for no reason and no benefit comes from living life with t he fear of this God. Religion throughout history only seemed to result in the demise of man and was a tool of destruction used by those in power. After a few more weeks passed by I recalled the many times I would see my grandmother writing notes in her bible and notebooks, watching preaching's on T.V. And always seeming to enjoy her time this way. To me it seemed strange that it brought so much Joy to my Grandmother to do these things I wondered if it was because she never found out she was being lied to or that she had seen something I had failed to find. I continued my studies but this time on Christianity. I had taken the time to study it through the historical aspect and the perspectives of many and had concluded that it was a broken philosophy but now I would try a different approach.I took my grandmother's bilingual bible and began to read it and study it this time and use her example of what she did with it. During this time my identity began to take form and the pieces were reassembling to make something new. I learned from the stories and teachings of this book combined with the historical knowledge I had of this bible, I could see how a lot of it made sense. It still didn't get e exactly what I needed but it was a start. I still wondered, why a God who did such wonderful things would allow for me to lose someone so essential in my life.I continued onward and started catching onto a very important theme, the relief from suffering. Soon combined with other themes I had learned in the bible it finally hit me. I was a selfish Jerk who failed to realize what was going on cause I was too busy worrying for myself. This God truly loved my grandmother more than I ever did. She had been suffering for so long with so much pain and I still wanted her to be around. I had never Hough that she had gone to heaven to rest and to leave the pain of humanity behind.I found how religion was a manmade tool and that my grandmother had never followed a religion but she foll owed a God willing to die for her on the cross. Man and God can never mix and the guy who can tell me what's going on in the world 2000 + years before my existence is the guy I should be following. I had come to grips with why my grandma died when she did. I was old enough to make my own decisions and wise enough to execute to decisions. With all the knowledge I had learned I finally could have a better understanding of those around me and What God wants me to do with those around me.Although my grandma died her love for me did not and it would guide me and show me how to share the love she demonstrated to me with other people. God never left me, he had his own way to In the end I had made my own identity and now could fulfill my own unique purpose in the world the only thing left was for me to decide to do it. I have chosen to do so and my something unique I was born to do is now coming to fruition. The struggles that come in life always serve a purpose no matter how painful. The c hoice is yours to allow it to hinder or you or push you forward.

The Nice Guy

Case Analysis: The Nice Guy Introduction This case study begins with Paul Kennedy on a slow morning commute in Cleveland. During his drive, he’s worried about his wife and family, his boss, his associate, a stranger in a nearby vehicle, and even about the state of the Cleveland Browns. He is also excited about his plans to expand Daner Associates into the European market and his impending promotion to CEO. But when Paul meets with his boss, Larry, that afternoon, he discovers that he has been misreading signals. Larry is actually considering Paul for the number two role in the company and considering promoting another Daner executive, George, into the CEO position. Background Paul has been with Daner Associates for ten years. He believes that he is being groomed for to take over the CEO position when Larry retires. Thus, Paul is understandably shocked when he discovers that Larry thinks of him as the number two guy, and is considering promoting George to CEO instead. Paul thinks that George lacks the polish and experience to be effective in the CEO position. Problem Statement Paul needs to demonstrate to Larry that he has what it takes to be the next CEO: A strong leader with effective communication, people relationship and management skills. Analysis and Issues Paul does not have to become a complete jerk, like George, to get the CEO position. He does, however, need to do a thorough self-assessment to identify his strengths and weaknesses, chose a path that is in his own best interest, then clearly and consistently state his personal and managerial views. Paul has clear advantages over his rival, George, in terms of experience and length of time with the company. His employees like him and trust him to lead them. He possesses most of the elements of an effective CEO, but Larry thinks that Paul is too nice to be effective as CEO. Paul needs to exploit the advantages he has and stop letting his niceness get in the way of his own business success. If Paul wants the top job, he needs to prove that he can be effective in managing his relationships with others, including his relationship with Larry, where he has allowed communications to break down to where he and Larry were on completely different wavelengths on his promotion to CEO. In his interactions with Larry, it seems that Paul has been hearing only what he wants to hear. Paul has apparently misread Larry’s intentions, resulting in misaligned expectations. Paul and Larry have very different leadership styles and attitudes on people management. This disparity in their styles is a core part of their communications issues. Paul’s self-referent criteria have prevented him from effectively listening to what Larry has been telling him about his leadership skills and potential to be promoted to CEO. It seems that George has an advantage over Paul in being able to relate easily to Larry. Larry and George have a similar philosophy on people management, which gives George an advantage on effective communications with Larry. Larry immediately empathizes with George’s perspective, because it is similar to his own. This puts the onus on Paul to get outside of his own frame of reference to examine himself from Larry’s perspective. The nice-guy disorder is having a negative effect on Paul’s ability to make choices. His decision-making ability is impaired when he gives away his power to others, including George and Larry, denying his own goals and desires. When he feels strongly about an issue, as he does in the case of breaking into the biotech industry, he needs to build his case, avoid the analysis paralysis that comes with over-analyzing the data, and present his case with confidence and the good judgment that has come with ten years of experience. It is that type of conviction in his ideas and opinions that will earn respect from both Larry and George. Paul prefers to hold back his opinions rather than speaking his mind in many situations to avoid confrontations. Overly nice guys, like Paul, tend to avoid situations where they disagree with someone or need to confront someone about poor job performance. Paul chooses to remain silent on issues in order to avoid judgment or spare the feelings of others. Paul allows his concern for others to lead him to prioritize their needs over his own work responsibilities and career. He also has a tendency to look the other way when managerial issues arise, as they have with his associate, Lisa. Because he wants to be a nice guy, and he feels bad about Lisa’s personal situation, Paul has been excessively lenient with her and continues to avoid confronting her about the decline in her work performance. Speaking his mind consistently and effectively will be one of the most challenging skills Paul will have to master. Recommendations In order to be an effective leader and CEO, Paul needs to become much more self-aware. Like many â€Å"nice guys,† Paul does not have a high level of self-awareness, which thwarts his ability to reach higher levels of effectiveness. He must become aware of how his choices are holding him back. He needs to develop an honest self-awareness that will enable him to deal constructively with his weaknesses and fully benefit from his strengths. Since Larry has been Paul’s boss for ten years, he probably knows Paul’s strengths and weaknesses better than Paul knows himself. Paul needs to muster up the confidence to ask Larry for his constructive criticism. In this way, Paul will tap into Larry’s insight to help identify and minimize his weaknesses and identify and employ his strengths in order to maximize his effectiveness as a leader. Paul needs to drop his defensive attitude in order to hear and really listen to Larry’s advice, understand it as he never has before, and then take immediate action on that on that advice. Paul needs to start thinking of confrontation as an effective communication tool that will enable him to solve problems as quickly as possible. He must realize that his leniency with Lisa has reached a point where it compromises his ability to deliver on his business commitments. His reticence to speak frankly with her to resolve the work issues is ultimately harming both of them. Paul needs to address the issues in an honest and open conversation with Lisa; otherwise her work may continue to suffer, leaving him with only unpleasant options for dealing with it. Conclusion/Summary Paul has become overly focused on trying to be helpful and nice to others, resulting in an imbalance that has diminished his effectiveness as a leader. When Larry told him that he was not the first choice for CEO, presenting Paul with the evidence that things were not going as he thought, Paul continued to look externally to blame George for the misunderstanding. Paul needs to take a good, hard look inward to grasp an understanding of the connection between his nice-guy behavior and its negative consequences, and then accept that he must alter those behaviors in order to achieve his business success targets. As he becomes aware of his shortcomings, he will be able to find ways to eliminate them through training, mentoring, and by surrounding himself with people who have complementary skills. While identifying and minimizing his weaknesses through self discovery, Paul also needs to identify and emphasize his strengths. He cannot allow his nice-guy, self-sacrificing tendencies to lead him down the path to a job that is not in alignment with his talents and goals. Essentially, Paul needs to find a balance between his natural tendency toward niceness and an appropriate level of assertiveness. References Edelman, R. C. , Hiltabiddle, T. R. , & Manz, C. C. (2008). Nice Guys Can Get the Corner Office: Eight Strategies for Winning in Business Without Being a JERK. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The Curse of her Beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Curse of her Beauty - Essay Example The woman's contradictory appearance is conveyed through a series of similes. She is old as ocean yet young as mornings. In spite of the woman's contradictory appearance (which seems to foreshadow ambiguity), the observer takes great delight in her. Roach personifies the beauty of the land through the woman's characteristics (That saw beauty walk on the wind and the sea). He speaks of nothing more about the woman other than her physical beauty. Much like the poet, tourist know of nothing more than what meets their eyes (the land's physical beauty), which is equivalent to the woman's physical appearance. The Caribbean is known to attract tourists with its lush vegetation and mild climate. However, Roach points out the land's deceptive seduction of the land's beauty. In fact, the land's beauty taints its true image. Rather than seeing the land for what it truly is (a place enduring the abusive lashing of the sea spray), the poet is tantalized and intoxicated by kisses that cause him to envision a beautiful goddess (Love tinted that shore). As he realizes the goddess's true repulsive side, the poet finds out that there is more than what meets the eye. Reality sobers the poet. He is no longer intoxicated by the beauty of the land. ... In The Odyssey by Homer, Sirens lured sailors with their sweet hypnotic songs. Their songs detracted sailors from their careful journeys and caused them to crash their ships into the rocks. In its efforts to lure and trap unwary observers, the land produces an attractive woman who is similar to the sirens. In essence, the woman is the land. Normally, Roach uses the land as a metaphor for the struggle between Eurocentric hegemony (dominance) and Caribbean independence (Jennings 25). The evidence of dominance is shown in the first stanza. The trees are symbolic of the Caribbean people who endured much abuse from the Europeans (lashing sea spray) but remained strong. As an islander who was forced to conform to European studies (Breiner 113), Roach uses examples from his studies (the siren coast; deceptive Sirens from Homer's Odyssey). In addition, Roach struggles with the identity of the land (shown in the ambivalent view of the woman or land). In doing so, he denounces the history of the land while acknowledging its undeniable beauty and his love for it. In the end, the poem makes a full circle (back to the beginning) where the he reflects on the devastatingly true image of the shore. The only difference now is that remnants of his love accompany the brutalities of the lashing sea spray. Works Cited Breiner, Laurence A. An Introduction to West Indian Poetry. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Jennings, Lisa Gay. "Renaissance Models for Caribbean Poets: Identity, Authencity and the Early Modern Lyric Revisited." MS Thesis. Florida State University, 2005.

Contemporary problem with ( Sales Ethics ) Literature review

Contemporary problem with ( Sales Ethics ) - Literature review Example Ferrell, Fraedrich, & L. Ferrell, 2012, p.5). Ethical issues related to sales are one area which has been neglected in most of the organizations. However it is discernible that a major percentage of the employees in an organization are involved in sales activities of the organizations. Sales people are the direct contact point with the customers of the company. Hence the ethical issues related to sales are to be dealt with correctly by the company management people. The importance of ethics in sales, various ethical issues related to sales and its consequences on the organization have all been discussed in this study. Finally some recommendations have been discussed which could solve these problems and issues related to sales ethics. Ethics can be defined as the code of conduct followed by any individual according to the activities by him in the organization he is working for. It helps in deciding upon what is wrong or right in a particular situation (Ingram, et al., 2007, p.45). Salespeople are indulged in various ethical issues in an organization. It is the sales team who are significantly exposed to ethical pressures compared to any other professionals (Spiro, 2007, p.469). A salesperson might be involved in selling certain product to its customer which he may not satisfy its requirement. In order to sale a product successfully a salesperson might be indulged in activities of exaggerating the benefits offered by a product or service (Ingram, et al., 2012, p.38). The function of sales in an organization is considered to perform under a typical ethical culture or subculture within the companys ethical culture as a whole. It thus results in influencing managers and its associates in a company. Consequently it he lps in the creation of conditions or situations that either permits or limits misconduct. There may be

Corrections Module 6 Online Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corrections Module 6 Online - Essay Example Before the adoption of the health policies, this article indicates that US court system was reluctant to challenge jail conditions that touched on the health of the prisoners. However, after the case of Estelle v Gamble, courts have taken the initiative to support institutional policies that were challenged by prisoners. Some of the policies that US courts advocated for included segregation of HIV-seropositive individuals in addition to no segregation policies (Harrison and Beck 39). According to the state of Nevada, prisoners were supposed to undergo a mandatory HIV testing. However, in 1990 the Ninth Circuit Court overturned the mandatory policy put in place by the Nevada authority. This article indicates Blucker v Washington, 95c50110, U.S. District Court [ND Ill]) as one of the major case that depicts the way prisoners rights were affected in 1990s. According to this case, an inmate it Illinois prison sued the staff on the ground that as a result of the sexual abuse by the prison gangs he was infected with HIV. However, after 2 trials his case was rejected. Major strategies emulated by the government to punish prisoners involved in infecting other with HIV include incarceration and creation of criminal sanctions. This article is related with the text book in that it depicts the extent to which prisoners and victims were denied their rights. However, the reforms in the US judicial system have significantly addressed their plights. According to this article, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other religious organisations stipulate that governors of the various US states should reject the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) proposal to buy and manage all the prisons that are under states authority (Abramsky 18). ACLU argues that by privatizing the US prisons, CCA would only increase it profits while the criminal justice reforms would be compromised. In addition, the article indicates the views of Office of Public Witness that depicts

Happiness in the Main Pursuit of Humans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Happiness in the Main Pursuit of Humans - Essay Example The protagonists in both stories go through their life searching for their true happiness. Gatsby in Great Gatsby tries to gain happiness in searching for his lost love. Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God tries to gain happiness in searching for a true love. Gatsby’s love for Daisy is very evident in his musings about her. He says that â€Å"once in awhile I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time (Fitzgerald, 251). But he begins to get entangled in his occasional sprees leading him to find temporary happiness in wealth and fame. When he felt that good feeling in being rich and famous, he began to veer away from his real pursuit. He begins to justify his clamor for wealth as a means to impress Daisy and to win her back. He starts to believe that his wealth is the key to get her love back and away from Tom, her husband. Yes, he succeeds in winning back the affection of Daisy, but it became a hollowed succe ss as Daisy realizes that Gatsby became strongly attached to his wealth. The luster of money and power blinds him and he begins to lose his grip of his true goal: to win back Daisy. Gatsby’s search for Daisy is analogous to anyone’s search for the American dream. ... The American dream is set on principles of success and possession of wealth. Daisy is the American dream. Gatsby’s migration from his birthplace to the town is actually an allusion to the mass migration to the United States, the land of opportunities, or so they say. But the American dream is not an easy thing to achieve as Gatsby finds it difficult to win back Daisy. He needed to work hard to achieve material success, which he wrongly believed would be the way to win back Daisy. Daisy was still a green light, â€Å"minute and far away†¦(like) the end of the dock† (Fitzgerald, 152). While Gatsby knew who his true love is, Janie in Their Eyes Were Watching God searches for the one. She begins her conquest of true love when she witnessed a bee pollinating a flower in her backyard pear tree. Her three marriages signify the different life lessons that made her conclude what true love really is. Her first marriage is pre-arranged by her grandmother. Her grandmother stro ngly believed that the marriage will ensure the Janie’s well-being and future. Unfortunately, Janie has a totally different perspective about love and marriage. She feels unhappy and trapped and so she breaks away from the first marriage only to find herself in yet another disappointing married life. This further proves that wealth and power can never guarantee one’s happiness. With Joe, she is the unappreciated wife, only the wife. Although she is at the peak of a great life, with great wealth, power and fame, it is only an illusion because it is not hers. It is her husband’s and she is not very keen on that. She wants to speak up but she is silenced. She strives to become an individual apart from just being the wife of Joe to no avail. Joe is always there to limit her and her

Depression Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Depression Paper - Essay Example In the United States of America alone, 60% of suicide cases sprang out of clinical depression. Alarmingly, statistics show that 3.4% of people suffering from unipolar disorder do commit suicide. A person suffering from unipolar disorder loses appetite and subsequently weight; takes no interest in anything whatsoever; feelings of worthlessness and regret are prevalent; insomnia develops; and the person may display poor memory, lack of focus and introverted behavior. Unipolar order is diagnosed by the patient’s own experiences as well as behavioral changes and disorders observed and reported by family. There are no tests as such but behavioral analysis techniques are employed in diagnosis. If not treated at an early age, it may worsen the condition subsequently affecting the patient’s physical and mental health. Bipolar disorder is also known by its common name as manic-depressive disorder or in short as manic depression. Sufferers of manic disorder experience weird burst s of energy resulting in hyper moods. On the other hand, they may also experience bouts of depression. In rare cases, an individual may be the target of both types of symptoms. These moods may be buffered by what is termed normal behavior. However, in some individuals, one type of mood is followed by the opposite resulting in continuous ups and downs. This is clinically termed rapid cycling, the alternating between two â€Å"poles†, hence the name. In extreme cases, bouts of manic depression may cause delusional behavior as well as hallucinatory experiences. There are further categories of this disorder to better help diagnose cases. The diagnosis for bipolar disorder is similar to the former kind: self-reported symptoms or symptoms and behavioral abnormalities reported by friends or family are analyzed. Clinical analysis entails sessions with a psychologist. The difference between the two is thus obvious: unipolar disorder causes patients to lose all taste for life; and bipo lar disorder causes its patients to have mood swings, sometimes causing unpleasant experiences. There are two main theories concerning what causes unipolar disorder. The first theory, the biopsychsocial model, states that clinical depression may be caused by biological, psychological and social causes, as the name hints. The other theory, diathesis stress model argues that a pre-existing anomaly (or diathesis) is triggered by distressing stimulus resulting in unipolar disorder. This anomaly can be either hereditary or generic, or acquired through experience. Very similarly, the roots of bipolar disorder in a patient may be genetic though outside stimulus is also a major cause. A patient’s environment plays a large part in the ailment taking hold. A person’s environment or repetitive exposure to disturbing situations may act as catalyst in the ailment fully taking hold. Physiological abnormalities or deficiencies, particularly the size and shape of the brain may also ca use bipolar disorder. Medication is largely used for treating both types of disorder. For unipolar disorder, antidepressants are prescribed to patients as well as psychotherapy. In some cases, electric shocks (electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) as also administered under a general anesthetic. The type of psychotherapy also varies depending upon the severity of the case as well as the age bracket of the patient. Children and young people are normally given CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. According to

Assembly of God Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assembly of God - Essay Example atement of Fundamental Truths (SFT) defines the 16 basic components for AG ritual, which mostly include the two biblical ordinances of baptism and Holy Communion (Poloma, 2013). However, they do not baptize infants and regard baptism by water as public declaration of ones commitment to Christ. Notably, the AG believes in the Holy Trinity, which relates to only One True God revealed in three persons that include the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Believers give their tithes and offerings that pay church bills (The General Council of the Assemblies of God, 2014). The doctrine of salvation in AG follows the teachings of Jacob Arminius that reckons that believers can fall from grace if they fail to repent their sins. The AG has unique Pentecostal beliefs where it follows a fundamentalist approach to the Bible. Notably, the AG concentrates on evangelism and missions, and faith healing crusades in practicing their religion. Worship in the AG adopts music as a major component practiced before, during and even after the service (The General Council of the Assemblies of God, 2014). The music has different accompaniments that inspire singing during the service. The music may include traditional hymns, hand-clapping gospel songs, contemporary compositions, or reverent worshipful choruses for congregational and special ministries (The General Council of the Assemblies of God, 2014). Subject to the congregational nature of the Assemblies of God, there is no formal liturgy, and most church bulletins do not include details about the order of service (Pol oma, 2013). However, most Sunday services follow a familiar routine that starts with a congregational hymn followed by worship session, prayer session, and the sermon (Poloma, 2013). The history of the Assemblies of God dates back to 1914 when a group of Evangelicals from the Pentecostal movement started the denomination (Gotquestions.org, 2014). The initial purpose of forming the AG was to foster unity and doctrinal

Coral Reef and Australia Essay Example for Free

Coral Reef and Australia Essay The great outback! Hey mate! Ever wanted to take an adventurous trip somewhere, but you’re not sure where? Well Australia would be the perfect place to start! Three reasons why Australia should be the first place you visit are for starters, the amazing scenery and beauty of the country, Secondly the exquisite variety of food, and lastly, the unique culture. Australia has one of the most breath taking sceneries in the world, all the way from the Great Barrier Reef to the city of Melbourne. The Great Barrier Reef is known for being the largest coral reef in the world; it is so incredibly vast that it can even be seen all the way from outer space. It is also unbelievably beautiful. Other beautiful places to visit in Australia are the Sydney harbor, which was the first settlement in Australia and you can also find the iconic Sydney opera house there, the beautiful island of Tasmania which is the most mountainous region of Australia and is dotted with beautiful flowing rivers and waterfalls, and also another iconic symbol of Australia the Uluru rock, this rock is famed for its amazing color changes as the sun sets and rises. Australia has so many beautiful sights to visit, which is one fantastic reason to visit Australia. Australian cuisine can vary from your common everyday food that we have here in America, to all kinds of interesting and exotic foods native to Australia. The term â€Å"bush tucker† is used to describe a certain type of cuisine in Australia, that is made up of the native foods in Australia, such as kangaroo, emu, or even crocodile. A lot of foods in Australia contain seafood, as Australia is the third largest fishing zone in the world. Some iconic foods of Australia are, for one, the Chiko roll, a deep-fried savory roll that is also similar to a spring roll. Other iconic foods are vegemite, macadamia nuts, violet crumble, cherry ripe Jaffa’s, and many other different foods. The food in Australia is often described as exotic and delicious. This stimulating food variety is just another great reason why Australia should be at the top on your list of places to visit. The culture in Australia is very interesting and fun, especially if you’re into surfing and water sports, which are very big in Australia, along with other sports such as rugby, cricket, and soccer. Australia is also big into country music, which may come as a surprise to some people, but some great country singers have come from Australia such as Keith Urban. The common apparel in Australia is called surf wear or bush wear, and is very popular among many of the Australian people. As far as religion goes, Australia has no official one, but according to the Australian census, most people are either Christian or irreligious. Most of the Christian are either Roman Catholic, Anglican, or apart of the uniting church. As you now know, Australia has a very interesting and diverse culture, which is the last reason why you should make visiting Australia a priority. In conclusion, Australia is stunningly gorgeous and has many captivating sights and historical scenery to visit while you’re there. It also has a very unique and beloved cuisine that is unlike any other in the world and accordingly very great tasting. Lastly, the variety of culture is just amazing and so fascinating. These are the three main reasons why your next vacation should be a trip to the great outback! See you ther!

Compare the way a news story is presented in three different newspaper extracts Essay Example for Free

Compare the way a news story is presented in three different newspaper extracts Essay In this essay I will compare the way a news story is presented in three different newspaper extracts. Extract A is from The Times on Tuesday 4th September, extract B is also from The Times on Tuesday 4th September extract b is an editorial, extract c is from The Guardian G-2 on Friday 7th September extract c is a front page graphic. All three extracts cover the event that happened on Monday 3rd September between the Catholics and the Protestants. The incidents occurred when Catholics school children from Holy Cross Primary school began there new school year. The children had to walk in between barriers of armoured police, just to get to school. The incident started when republicans was accused of knocking over two men on ladders who were putting loyalists flags on lampposts out side Holy Cross Primary School before the marching season in June. In all three extracts there is a powerful opening statement to catch the readers attention, extract A uses a pun the young girls of the Holy Cross Primary School in Belfast began their new school year yesterday with a horrifying lesson in sectarian hatred. This is trying to say that in schools children are learning about hatred instead of being taught other lessons such as getting along with everyone regardless of whether they are Protestant or Catholic. Extract B also uses a powerful opening statement Northern Ireland has yet again shown its Gorgon-face of bigotry. This states that once again Northern Ireland has shown its monstrous side, whereas extract C states Why it takes the image of a child to wake the world this makes the reader to feel sorry for the children and is an rhetorical question. Extract A has a big, bold headline it states Children walk a gauntlet of Belfast hatred which makes the reader to want to read on. Extract B states Children in the middle this is also trying to get the attention of the reader, whereas extract C doesnt have a headline because it is a front-page graphic. Extract A uses a certain amount of emotive language to make the audience feel certain emotions. Extract A states screamed at not shouted at but screamed at, spat at use of abuse on children, sobbing uncontrollably this states that the children werent crying they were uncontrollably sobbing due to the riots. The emotive language in extract A has a certain effect on the audience, it makes the reader feel sympathetic towards the children. Extract B also uses a certain amount of emotive language using words such as Gorgon-face of bigotry and hideous spectacle. These words are usually associated with beasts, therefore this statement is trying to show that what is happening, should be considered as monstrous and that the victims of this monstrosity are innocent children. Surrounded and overwhelming are adjectives meaning that there is no way out for the victims, showing that the whole situation cannot be resolved. Extract B is an editorial and is the editors point of view not the facts. Extract C doesnt use a lot of emotive language mainly because it is a front-page graphic from a supplement.

Young Parenthood And Teen Fathers Social Work Essay

Young Parenthood And Teen Fathers Social Work Essay Much of the researches available on young parenthood have focused on the experiences of teenage mothers and mainly those separated from the young fathers. Subsequently, efforts have been made to ascertain the proportional involvement of fathers in various aspects of parenting and the distinctive contributions of fathers (knight et. Al, 2006). There are significant gaps in the provision of service for teenage fathers (Cater et al 2006). Practitioners wishing to offer support for the young fathers face a number of barriers such as the difficultly in finding young fathers, the lack of adequate support for young fathers when they are identified, complicated family issues, educational difficulties and the negative attitudes of individual professionals. Despite the growing research on young fathers, there remains a dearth of research that recognises the wide diversity of young fatherhood and the different needs young fathers may have (e.g. young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers, young fathers from ethnic minority groups). Young fathers are invisible as a group, yet they are more likely to require support services and be affected by unemployment, poor housing, and a lack of education (Speak et al., 1997). It is therefore not surprising that little is known about the expectations and experiences of young fathers in accessing support and the barriers they face. The study arose from the observation that there is limited information available in current research on the views and experiences of young fathers in Outer London Borough. Much of the research that is available on young parents focuses on the experiences of young mothers. This study sought to establish, from the perspective of young fathers and the organisations that worked with them their expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support available. Research questions How accessible and effective are the support available to young fathers in meeting their socio-economic needs in Outer London Borough? Aims The aims of my research are: to identify which organisations are offering support to young fathers and how they worked with them; to explore young fathers view of support available to them and the obstacles they face in accessing it; to establish, from the view point of young fathers and the organisations that worked with them the effectiveness of the support. Research methodology The qualitative paradigm aims to understand the social world from the viewpoint of respondents, through detailed descriptions of their cognitive and symbolic actions, and through the richness of meaning associated with observable behavior (Wildemuth, 1993). The research would be undertaken using the following qualitative research techniques: Desk scoping. Structured interviews with young fathers and service providers. Case study review of projects and initiatives that provide practical support to young fathers. Desk Scoping Desk Scoping focused on investigating into the existing evidence. This included searching the following sources: An extensive search was made of all relevant databases, libraries and journals for literature sources pertaining to the project issue. In addition a comprehensive review of internet based literature and resources were made. Using the London South Bank University library online resources via http://library.lsbu.ac.uk, ASSIA (Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts), an electronic resource, was searched, 51 results were found using the term young parenthood (search was from 2001 to current), 33 results were found using the term teenage father (search was from 2002 to current to reduce the search result to a manageable number) and 9 results were found using the terms young father and support. ASSIA covers English language journals in applied social sciences and includes health, economics, social issues social policy, organisational behaviour and communication. Relevant governmental organisations websites were searched for information gathering. As relevant reports were identified through these avenues, the references within these reports were followed as a way of further identifying relevant research reports. Interviews The most common forms of collecting qualitative data are participant observation and in-depth interviewing (Kenworth, Snowley Gilling 2004). Cohen Manion (1993) interviews are initiated by the reviewer for the specific purpose of obtaining research-relevant information and focused by (her or) him on content specified by research objectives of systematic description, prediction or explanation. 7 semi-structured interviews will be conducted with service delivery personnel from those organisations offering specialist support to young fathers (social services, connexions, parenting support, parentingUK, first housing, health agency, and employment support). These interviews would be conducted by telephone to identify common/different support practices and to evaluate their perceived effectiveness. In addition to the interviews, local service providers would take part in informal meetings. Some would be interviewed at the start of the study and provide information on the local context. Others would provide ongoing dialogue during the time of the study, particularly those from maternity services in the study localities. A roundtable dissemination event would be held towards the end of the study to discuss findings and their relevance for local practice and policy. A minimum of 10 semi-structured interviews would be held with young fathers (young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers and young fathers from ethnic minority groups) who have either received or not received support. Due to the delicate nature of these interviews and the potential vulnerability of the participants, an appropriate qualified researcher, following the strictest ethical guidelines, will sensitively conduct interview. Prior to any interviews, the researcher will update their Child Protection Training to ensure that s/he is fully aware of current relevant issues. The core themes to be explored through the structured interviews are: identifying the support needs of young fathers; local services available to young fathers, both practical and emotional; partnership working among agencies that provide young fathers with support; opportunities and challenges to providing practical support to young fathers. Interview will be conducted in the participants homes and supported by adult family member or friend. Parental/guardian consent will be confirmed prior to the interview and all interviews will be recorded digitally. Data will be held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Their names and other identifying information would be anonymised in the presentation of finding. The young people taking part would be assured in writing and verbally that the narratives they shared would be treated in confidence and that confidentiality would be breached only in the event of disclosure or child protection concerns being revealed regarding issues not already known to the relevant agencies. A semi-structured interview will be used by the same researcher to ensure consistency; all interviews will be digitally recorded with consent and lasted between 20 and 60 minutes. Digital recording the interviews would enhance the reliability of the interview. Using semi-structured interviews in this study enables the interviewer to be guided by the participant who should be encouraged to talk freely, even though the interviewer may have certain points to cover. Participant will be recruited in the following way: Young fathers who have used organisations offering specialist (social services, connexions, parenting support, parentingUK, first housing, health agency, and employment support) support will be contacted via a list to be provided by the agencies and invited to join the study only after securing the young persons agreement and parental/guardian consent. For others who have not used specialist services, would be recruited through their childrens mothers or via local contacts and word of mouth. Young fathers will be encouraged to participate in the study, through awarding a  £10 ASDA voucher to all participants. Should sufficient participants be identified, selection through criteria including age, gender and ethnicity type will be made to ensure a broad representation of demographic groups. Case Study To explore in more depth the experiences of young fathers and to understand more fully the practice of those organisations offering activities to young fathers, three case studies were reviewed. These case studies are examples of projects or initiatives that provide practical support to young fathers. The aim of the review was to explore the range of approaches that have been developed to support the practical needs of young fathers, highlighting successes, challenges faced and lessons learned. The findings reported here centre mainly on the experiences of becoming and being a father from the viewpoints of the young men involved in the case studies. Additionally the report includes some young womens perspectives on the young men as fathers. Research design It is anticipated that in order to complement existing longitudinal survey data, the current study will employ primarily qualitative methods to explore the young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support they receive. The aim of a qualitative researcher is to explore peoples experiences, feelings and beliefs so that statements about how people interpret and structure their lives can be made (Holloway Wheeler 1996). The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach would be used for this study and will provide an insight and understanding of young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support. IPA was chosen over the Grounded Theory approach (Glaser Strauss 1967), as we do not want to develop a theory but to understand and explore how the participants understood their personal and social environment and what experiences and events meant for them. It is envisage that a retrospective, life-history approach, including a range of groups (e.g. young fathers in care, young fathers in prison, non-resident fathers, young fathers from ethnic minority groups and practitioners) will give insights into young fathers expectations and experiences in accessing support and the effectiveness of the support they receive. I expect the sample to reflect a sufficient range of potentially significant variables such as gender, age, ethnicity and social background. The ethical committee within the London South Bank University (LSBU) would consider the study for approval. All participants would be given information sheets explaining the procedure. Before giving signed consent, participants would be advised that they were free to leave at any time. Pilot studies would be done of the questions being asked to check the clarity of the language. Beck Hungler (2001) suggest that four ethical principles must be considered when participating in research: (1) the right not to be harmed, (2) the right to be fully informed on all aspects of the study, (3) the right to decide to take part or not (and the right to withdraw at any time) and (4) the right to privacy, anonymity and confidentiality. Qualitative research commences during the process of data collection. While the researcher processes the information patterns are then looked for during the interview and then select a theme to follow. The data analysis continues throughout the interviews and also once data is collected. Two researchers will independently undertake the analysis and checked and re-checked with each other for emergent themes. Diversity within the sample would allow for the exploration of young fathers experiences across a range of circumstances relating to their age, locality, education and employment, living arrangements, relationships with their partner, support from family and friends, contact with formal services, etc. Social work and qualitative research share the mutual goals of dealing with subjectivity, describing the complexity of lived experience, and appreciating realities where intuition is valued. Qualitative methodology is, therefore, in my view a suitable method to be employed in researching the expectations and experiences of young fathers in accessing support. Researchers would take necessary steps not to introduce bias by accidentally reporting their interpretation of participants feelings. At the beginning of the study researchers would declare and record their feelings. The researchers would also ensure that the level of subjectivity remains at a relatively neutral level. Ethical issues are important and would be considered at every step of the research process. This is not just about obtaining ethical approval for a study but also ensuring the rights of participants are not violated. When reporting the findings of the research, participants anonymity and confidentiality would not be breached. The role of the interviewer is to encourage participants to discuss their experiences of the phenomenon. It is possible that in the cause of the interview participants could inadvertently discuss personal information that they had not planned to reveal, or that may rekindle tragic or uncomfortable experiences related to this study. Researchers would continue to negotiate with participants to ascertain whether they wish to continue with the interview or not. Psychological support would be in place to manage any emotional distress that may result from the interview. Everything would be done in the course of the study to protect the rights of vulnerable respondents. The researchers would not make any exaggerated claims as to the significance of the research and implications for practice, and further research would be located in the studys findings. Moreover, the researcher would relate the findings of the study back to the original research purpose, and illustrate whether or not it has been adequately addressed (Thorne et al., 2005). The researchers would conclude by placing the findings in a context that indicates how this new information is of interest, and its implications for social work. These conclusions would reflect the studys findings and ideally would offer recommendations as to how they may be developed. The most common criteria used to evaluate qualitative research studies are credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability (Lincoln et al., 1985). It is therefore important that the readers are able to identify the criteria used and are able to clearly follow each step of the research process. To ensure the credibility of the study process, the study would address the issue of whether there is consistency between the participants views and the researchers representation of them. The participants would be consulted at every stage of the study and they would be allowed to read and discuss the study findings. The researcher would also describe and interpret his experience as a researcher. The study would provide evidence of a decision trail at each stage of the research process. Future researchers would clearly be able to follow the trail used by the researchers and potentially arrive at the same or comparable conclusions. The researchers would demonstrate how conclusions and interpretations have been derived from the data. Its hoped that the findings would be transferable to other context outside the study situation and people who were not involved in the research study would find the results meaningful. One of the shortcomings of a qualitative research based study of this nature is their lack of objectivity and generalisation of their findings. The study has been designed to seek answers to how persons or groups make sense of their experiences. In my view small qualitative studies can gain a more personal understanding of the phenomenon and the results can potentially contribute valuable knowledge to the community. Hamilton (1980) asserts that the value of a study is established by reference to the phenomena it seeks to comprehend and the understandings it aspires to develop. Stake (1980) suggests that using qualitative methodology in this type of study may be in conceptual harmony with the service users experience and thus be a natural basis for generalization. Liiicolii Y, Cuba E (1985) Nainrnlisik /nijiiir). Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA Koch T (2l)06 Establishing rigour in qualitative research: the decision trail. J Adv Nurs 53(1): 91-100 Tobin G, Begley C (2004) Methodological rigour within a qualitative Framework J Adv Nurs 48(4): 388-96 Thorne S, Darbyshire P (2005) Land mines in the field: a modest proposal for improving the craft of qualitative health research. Quality Health Research 15(8): 1105-13 Myers, M. (2000). Qualitative research and the generalizability question: Standing firm with Proteus. The Qualitative Report, 4(3/4).   http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR4-3/myers.html

Capital Punishment Essay -- essays research papers fc

Capital Punishment Murder, a common occurrence in American society, is thought of as a horrible, reprehensible atrocity. Why then, is it thought of differently when the state government arranges and executes a human being, the very definition of premeditated murder? Capital punishment has been reviewed and studied for many years, exposing several inequities and weaknesses, showing the need for the death penalty to be abolished. Upon examination, one finds capital punishment to be economically weak and deficient. A common misconception of the death penalty is that the cost to execute a convicted criminal is cheaper than to place a convict in prison for life without parole. Due to the United States judicial system, the process of appeals, which is inevitable with cases involving death as the sentence, incurs an extreme cost and is very time consuming. The cost of a capital trial and execution can be two to six times greater than the amount of money needed to house and feed a prisoner for life. "Studies show incarceration costs roughly $20,000 per inmate per year ($800,000 if a person lives 40 years in prison). Research also shows a death-penalty ease costs roughly $2 million per execution," (Kaplan 2). Capital punishment is extremely expensive and depletes state governments of money that could be used for a wide range of programs that are beneficial. As Belolyn Wiliams-Harold, an author for the jour nal Black Enterprise, writes that county governments are typically responsible for the costs of prosecution and the costs of the criminal trial, including attorney's fees, and salaries for the members of the courtroom. All this money is spent at the expense of the corrections department and crime prevention programs, which are already is strapped for cash (Williams-Harlod 1). These "financial constraints," such as capital punishment, do not promote a healthy, commercial society, but actually cost and harm the public. As well as being economically unsound, the death penalty is socially biased. A class system appears to be present in the United States of America this day in age, and the lower classes seem to almost be discriminated against by the higher classes. This is also true of capital punishment. Ed Bishop of the St. Louis Journalism Review , writes on how these members of a lower class can not escape the death penalty. At the height of the... ...l punishment as a just and morally sound method of justice. After all, "An eye for an eye" seemed to be a rationale that many embraced as fair. Now there is an era of closer examination of what is truly just and morally ethical, as well as economically sound. A consequence needs to be fair, humane, and effective. Does capital punishment meet these criteria? There are compelling reasons to change the system we have blindly acclaimed. Hopefully we are in the process of implementing a new way of dealing with an age-old dilemma. Works Cited Bishop, Ed. St. Louis Journalism Review, "Anti-death Penalty Stance." V29, March 1999. http://source.unco.edu/. Cummings, Ryan. The Economist, "Most Advanced Countries Have Abolished Capital Punishment." V351, May 15, 1999. http://source.unco.edu/. Kaplan, David A. Newsweek, "Capital Punishment." V129, June 16, 1997. http://source.unco.edu/. Kile, David. The Christian Century, "Death Penalty Doubts." V116, Feb. 24, 1999. http://source.unco.edu/. Williams-Harold, Belolyn. Black Enterprise, "Facts and Figures: a costly matter of life or death." V29, Sept. 1998. http://source.unco.edu/.

Present Day Detention Camps: North Korea Vs. The United States Essay

Present Day Detention Camps: North Korea Vs. The United States Abstract The purpose of this research was to determine how similar detention facilities run by the U.S. government are to the gulags of North Korea. The research spanned many different media sources from online news articles to reports in scholarly journals to an anthology of memoirs and articles concerning the treatment of prisoners in U.S. detention facilities. Although some of the specific details of the camps were inconsistent across sources, this can be attributed to the secret nature of the prison system. However, despite those inconsistencies, an overall theme present in all the sources was the secret nature of the camps as well as U.S. lack of cooperation with human rights standards presented by the United Nations. The research also showed that the U.S. in fact had imprisoned innocent persons. Because of the similarities to North Korea camps in terms of secrecy, the incarceration of innocent people and the deliberate avoidance of compliance with human rights laws, it is possible to compare the U.S. â€Å"democratic† government with North Korea’s communist regime. Review of the Literature Kang Chol-Hwan’s The Aquariums of Pyongyang, a memoir of life in a North Korean gulag, presents the stark reality that concentration camps do still exist to this day. However, the existence of these camps alone is not the only harsh reality. Not only do these detention camps exist under the communist regime of North Korea, but such camps are also present under the supervision of the democratic United States government. Therefore I wonder: how do the U.S. detention camps compare to North Korean gulags? The research of information on U.S. camps included a variety... ...s Disappeared: Secret Imprisonment, Detainees, and the â€Å"War on Terror.† New York: Seven Stories Press, 2005. Priest, Dana. â€Å"CIA Holds Terror Suspects in Secret Prisons.† Washington Post 2 November 2005. 5 October 2006 R2005110101644.html>. Reuters. â€Å"US has secret prisons: rights groups.† ABC News Online 18 June 2004. 6 October 2006 . Thorne, Kym, Alexander Kouzmin. â€Å"Borders in an (In)Visible World: Revisiting Communities, Recognizing Gulags.† Administrative Theory & Praxis 26.3 (2004): 408-429. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts. 6 October 2006 18&sid=eabd6560-ec4b-458e-b598-c2bc9c9ee450%40sessionmgr101>.

Facilitate the Counselling Process Essay

DECLARATION I declare that this assessment is my own work, based on my own personal research/study . I also declare that this assessment, nor parts of it, has not been previously submitted for any other unit/module or course, and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of another student and/or persons. I have read the ACAP Student Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy and understand its implications. I also declare, if this is a practical skills assessment, that a Client/Interviewee Consent Form has been read and signed by both parties, and where applicable parental consent has been obtained. Part 1. 1. Briefly describe how you could support Vara to work with her uncertainty and difficulties about making the right choices for her future. As Vara’s counsellor I think I could support Vara by helping her find a bit more clarity in her life. She seems to be at a point in her life when she wants to implement some changes, but she is still somewhat unsure of what she wants. I would start with open and respectful questions, giving Vara an opportunity to think further afield than her current situation. As Vara is still somewhat unsure of her goals, I would use a broad approach to explore some of Vara’s resistances and past experiences. So that she could identify what her strengths are, and the resources that she may have available to her. Once Vara has identified what some of her goals may be, I could use the SMART technique with Vara. I believe that this technique would be beneficial to Vara’s counselling, as she could then identify if the goals she has chosen are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. 2. Briefly describe three interventions you could use to support Vara to gain clarity and understanding and make the appropriate changes in her life. Three interventions I could use to support Vara in gaining some understanding and clarity, to make the appropriate changes in her life are. Behavioural interventions, cognitive interventions, and interactional (systemic) interventions. I believe behavioural interventions would be beneficial for Vara. She has stated that over the years she has acted ‘the dutiful wife’ to placate her husband. Using a behavioural intervention can help Vara develop new behaviours in regards to her relationship with her husband Alec. She could role play new behaviours in counselling to gain some confidence. Cognitive interventions, deal more with the thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that Vara has towards herself and her husband Alec. Using this intervention can help Vara think differently about her current situation. Vara has stated that she is ‘fed up and wants to end the marriage’ but she is afraid to voice this to her husband, as she is worried about what his reaction may be. Vara is also experiencing feelings of anxiety in regards to how she will cope on her own. In counselling I think it would be helpful for Vara to identify her strengths, so that she can feel more confident.  Interactional (systemic) interventions deal with relationship patterns with other people, tasks or situations. Using this intervention will help Vara identify that her relationship with Alec has formed a pattern. Her role in the relationship is to placate Alec and act ‘the dutiful wife’. While Alec’s role is to be in control, he is the ‘traditional’ male and expects Vara to tend to his every need. Vara could use role play in counselling to try a different pattern of behaviour. 3. Identify and briefly describe how you could help Vara identify and use her unknown strengths. I could help Vara identify her unknown strengths, buy asking open respectful questions. During Vara’s counselling I could help her identify her past achievements. Before she married Alec and came to Australia, she worked as a teacher. This type of profession is suited to someone who has strength of character. Vara has also gone out and found herself a part time job, and is saving her money, so she is more than capable of supporting herself financially. Vara has raised three children who all seem to be doing well in their lives. Vara has the support of her two close friends, Julie and Maria. I would ask Vara to identify, when in her past she has overcome adversity, what were some of the strategies she used, that were successful in making changes. 4. Briefly describe two micro-skills you could use to clarify Vara’s feelings about her situations. Two micro-skills I would use to help Vara clarify her feelings about her situation are Reflection of feelings and reflection of content and feelings. Reflection of feelings will ensure that Vara knows, I have understood how she is feeling about her situation and that I can empathise with her. This micro-skill is useful for helping Vara gain some clarity about her feelings. For example, when Vara describes how she is feeling about ending her marriage, I could say something like this, ‘you’re feeling fed up’. Another example would be when she talks about whether she should leave her husband is, ‘you’re feeling anxious’ and ‘you’re feeling conflicted’. Reflection of content and feelings is another micro-skill I would find useful for Vara. Reflection of content and feelings is different to reflection of feelings,  as it combines paraphrasing and reflection of feelings. Again the aim of this skill is for Vara to have some clarity concerning her feelings about her situation. For example when Vara describes how she is feeling about ending her marriage, I could say something like this, ‘you’re feeling fed up with your relationship’. When Vara talks about whether she should leave her husband, I could say, ‘you’re feeling anxious about whether you will manage on your own’ and ‘you’re feeling conflicted about ending the relationship with Alec as you still love him’. Part 2. 5. Explain how will you monitor and review Vara’s and your own perceptions of the counselling process to ensure it remains of value. In regards to Vara’s resistance to take any of the steps she had decided on in earlier sessions. I would ask some open questions to determine why Vara is resistant to taking the steps she decided on. I could ask her ‘what stopped you from taking these steps’. It is more than likely that the steps Vara decided on taking may have been too ambitious for her at this time. As Vara has only had six counselling sessions, she may need to take a step back, and explore her issues a bit more. I would try to help Vara recognise that she is in control of her life and ultimately she is the best judge of her readiness to change. In regards to monitoring myself during the counselling process, I would be having regular sessions with my supervisor. This will help me identify any blind spots I may have in the counselling sessions with Vara. If I felt stuck with Vara, having a supervisor will ensure that I have access to advice from an experienced counsellor. Supervision is essential for my own wellbeing and for Vara’s as well. 6. Briefly describe how you would respond to this disruption in the counselling process. I would respond to Vara’s concerns by saying something like this, ‘although you have been seeing me for six weeks now, I am hearing that you are experiencing feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty, in regards to the effectiveness of counselling. It might be worthwhile to explore the option of seeking some other type of help’. I would not want to pressure Vara into  continuing with counselling, if she really felt that it was not helping her. I would let her know that if she ever decides to resume counselling with me, I would be more than happy to see her again.

Brain control

The brain controls all aspects of our functioning, from the moment we were conceived until the last of our breath. Much of what we do is not a result of just one action or function of the brain but a series of simultaneous processes that all work at the same time to be able to accomplish a task. In this particular scenario wherein an individual, like myself for example, is in the middle of a room and has a table and two different colored balls, red on the left side and green on the right, is asked by another person to pick up the ball placed on the left side with my left hand.After which the instructor, which is behind the table asks what color is the ball that I picked. In accomplishing the aforementioned tasks, my brain will go through several processes that might seem insignificant when looked at in real time due to the immediate and rapidly firing neurons happening in an instant that we are not even aware that these minute details are happening. I am in the middle of the room; I know where my position is. Being aware of one’s position also requires that the brain recognize where I am. The parietal lobe of the cerebrum is responsible for orientation and movement (Serendip).This part of the brain will be able to tell me that I am in the middle because one of its functions is to construct a spatial coordinate system to represent the area where I am to be found. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain that is thought to control higher brain function like that of thought and action (Serendip). This information will reach our brain through an ascending pathway. The afferent fibers will travel through the posterior column, like other functions such as sterognosis, graphesthesia, among many others (University of Idaho).The stimulus will travel through the spinal cord and will find itself interpreted in the somatosensory cortex of the parietal lobe (University of Idaho). After interpretation, I will now know my position and where I am. In addition to th at, I see where I am. Without seeing my surroundings, I may not be able to actually predict my spatial location, which is the middle of the room. I know that I am in the middle of the room because I see the room and I was able to calculate that my position is in the middle of this big box of a room.This stimulus, particularly the visual one, wherein I was able to see the room and all of its contents, including the table in front of me with the two balls and another person behind the table will be perceived by the visual area of the brain, which is the occipital lobe (Serendip). I can see where the objects are because there are light rays being reflected off them and these rays enter my eyes and pass through my lens. The image that will be projected through my lens will be an inverted version of what I see and this information will be sent to my retina (Montgomery).Inside the retina there are rod and cone cells that will produce signals to be relayed onto the optic nerve and reach th e lateral geniculate nucleus (Montgomery). The details of the objects and the person I see in front of my will travel to selected areas of the primary visual cortex and then to other areas of the cortex that would process the global aspects of the objects and the person in front of me like their shape, color, or movement (Montgomery). The person behind the table will ask me to pick up the left ball with my left hand. I will hear his instructions.The temporal lobe of the cerebrum is the one to process the auditory stimuli that I receive as he said in his command. My ears will catch the sound and the auditory nerve will receive the stimuli and bring this to auditory nucleus of thalamus, which is the medial geniculate nucleus (Washington University School of Medicine). This will project to the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobes. After hearing and processing his command, I will now move my left hand to pick up the left ball. I already know which ball I am to pick up with my l eft hand as I saw the balls and the table and I interpreted its position relative to mine earlier.Now all I have to do is move my hands and pick it up. The primary motor cortex found in the precentral gyrus, is the area of the cerebrum that will process this movement (Dubuc). First off, I have already signaled my parietal and frontal lobes to alert my attentiveness in processing his command. Once I know that it is my left hand, which should pick the ball and not my right hand, I can tell my left hand to move already and this involves activation of the supplementary and premotor cortical areas and the application of these information from subcortical structures to the primary motor complex (Dubuc).A closer look at how this happens is through the passing of the stimulus to the corticospinal tract. The corticospinal tract is responsible for stimulating motor neurons located in the spinal cord that are responsible for movement of the axial muscles of body in addition to the arms and leg s (Dubuc). The lateral system pathway is followed to produce this movement and the pathway involves passing through the fibers of the lateral corticospinal tract continuing onto the spinal cord before reaching the motor neurons (Dubuc). However, a unique process is occurring in the junction between the medulla and the spinal cord.Fibers coming from the lateral corticospinal tract cross the midline before continuing their way onto the opposite side of the spinal cord, and is called decussation (Dubuc). The cerebellum also plays a role in movement. The learned movement sequences are stored in the cerebellum, in addition to the coordination of movements and its fine-tuning, avoiding clumsy and large movements (Dubuc). This will help me know how to actually move my left hand and to avoid unnecessary movements. As I am now moving my left hand to reach the left ball, I know from my long-term memory what a ball is and what it looks like.I also know from memory which is left and which is ri ght. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is known to store our long-term memory. After knowing what a ball is and which is left and which is right, these information will be transferred from our short-term memory to our long-term memory. Information that we need to summon up every time is considered to be categorized as a long-term memory such as names, dates, colors, among many others. Long-term memory is of three types and color is categorized under semantic memory, that contains facts which we do not need an effort to recall (Aetna, Inc. ).The acquisition of memory happens when we learn the different colors and we learn to distinguish which is the left side from the right. Consolidation of this information will make us remember the colors and directions more. Then when needed, we will be able to easily recall this information. Since I have already identified which is the ball on my left and I have been able to move my left arm now to pick up the left ball, I can answer what color the ball is. According to the information given, the left ball is colored red. I know from my stored long-term memory and from what I see that the ball on the left side is red.Works Cited: Aetna, Inc, â€Å"Memory Loss. † InteliHealth. 2004. InteliHealth. 22 Feb 2009 . Dubuc, Bruno. â€Å"The Motor Cortex. † The brain. 2001. Canadian Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and addiction. 22 Feb 2009 . Montgomery, Geoffrey. â€Å"The Visual pathway. † Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 2000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute. 22 Feb 2009 . Serendip, â€Å"Brain Structures and their Functions. † Brain and behavior. 2005. Serendip. 22 Feb 2009 . University of Idaho, â€Å"Ascending Pathways. † A self-study module to be used for Med Sci 532. 2004. University of Idaho. 22 Feb 2009 . Washington University School of Medicine, â€Å"AUDITORY AND VESTIBULAR PATHWAYS. † Neuroscience Tutorial. 1997. Washington University School of Medicine. 2 2 Feb 2009 .

Supply reading

After reading this chapter, you will be able to: I. Identify the major drivers of supply chain performance. 2. Discuss the role of each driver in creating strategic fit between the supply chain strategy and the competitive strategy. 3. Detine the key metrics that track the performance of the supply chain in terms of each driver. In this chapter, we introduce the three logistical drivers-facilities, inventory, and transportation-and the three cross-functional drivers-information, sourcing, and pricing-that determine the performance of any supply chain.We discuss how these drivers are used in the design, planning, and operation of the supply chain. We define several metrics that can be used to gauge the performance of each driver. The strategic fit discussed in Chapter 2 requires that a company's supply chain achieve the balance between responsiveness and efficiency that best supports the company's competitive strategy. https://donemyessay.com/numbers-101-900-spanish-1-lopez/To understand how a compa- ny can improve supply chain performance in terms of responsiveness and efficiency, we must examine the logisti- cal and cross-functional drivers of supply chain performance: facilities, inventory, transportation, information, sourcing, and pricing. These drivers interact with each other to determine the supply chain's performance in terms of responsiveness and efficiency. The goal is to structure the drivers to achieve the desired level of responsiveness at the lowest possible cost. First we define each driver and discuss its impact on the performance of the supply chain. . Facilities are the actual physical locations in the supply chain network where product is stored, assembled, or fabricated. The two major types of facilities are production sites and storage sites. Decisions regarding the role, location, capacity, and flexibility of facilities have a significant impact on the supply chain's performa nce. For instance, an auto parts distributor striving for responsiveness could have many warehousing facilities located close to customers even though this practice reduces efficiency.Alternatively, a high-efficiency distributor would have fewer warehouses to increase efficiency despite the fact that this practice will reduce responsiveness. 2. Inventory encompasses all raw materials, work in process, and finished goods within a supply chain. Changing inventory policies can dramatically alter the supply chain's efficiency and responsiveness. For example, 41 42 Part I †¢ Building a Strategic Framework to Analyze Supply Chains a clothing retailer can make itself more responsive by stocking large amounts of inventory and satisfying customer demand from stock.A large inventory, however, increases the retailer's cost, thereby making it less efficient. Spanish apparel retailer Zara has worked hard to shorten new product and replenishment lead times. As a result, the company is very r esponsive but carries low levels of inventory. Zara thus provides responsiveness at low cost. 3. Transportation entails moving inventory from point to point in the supply chain. Transportation can take the form of many combinations of modes and routes, each with its own performance characteristics. Transportation choices have a large impact on supply chain respon- siveness and efficiency.For example, a mail-order catalog company can use a faster mode of . ‘ transportation such as FedEx to ship products, thus making its supply chain more responsive, but also less efficient given the high costs associated with using FedEx. McMaster-Carr and W. W. Grainger, however, have structured their supply chain to provide next-day service to most of their customers using ground transportation. They are providing a high level of responsiveness at lower cost. 4. Information consists of data and analysis concerning facilities, inventory, transportation, costs, prices, and customers tthroughout the supply chain.Information is potentially the biggest driver of performance in the supply chain because it directly affects each of the other drivers. Information presents management with the oopportunity to make supply chains more responsive and more efficient. For example, with information on. customer demand patterns, a pharmaceuti- cal company can produce and stock drugs in anticipation of customer demand, which makes the supply chain very responsive because customers will find the drugs they need when they need them.This demand information can also make the supply chain more efticient because the phar- maceutical firm is better able to forecast demand and produce only the required amount. Seven- Eleven Japan has used information to increase the responsiveness it provides while also lowering cost. 5. Sourcing is the choice of who will perform a particular supply chain aactivity such as pro- duction, storage, transportation, or the management of information. At the strategic l evel, these decisions determine what functions a firm performs and what functions the firm outsources.Sourcing decisions affect both the responsiveness and efficiency of a supply chain. After Motorola outsourced much of its production to contract manufacturers in China, it saw its effi- ciency improve but its responsiveness suffer because of the long distances. To make up for the drop in responsiveness, Motorola started flying in some of its cell phones from China even though this choice increased transportation cost. Flextronics, an electronics contract manufactur- er, is hoping to offer both responsive and efficient sourcing options to its customers.It is trying to make its production facilities in the United States very responsive while keeping its facilities in low-cost countries efficient. Flextronics hopes to become an effective source for all customers using this combination of facilities. 6. Pricing determines how much a firm will charge for goods and services that it makes available in the supply chain. Pricing affects the behavior of the buyer of the good or service, thus affecting supply chain performance.For example, if a transportation company varies its charges based on the lead time provided by the customers, it is very likely that customers who value effi- ciency will order early and customers who value responsiveness will be willing to wait and order just before they need a product transported. Differential pricing provides reoponsiveness to customers that value it and low cost to customers that do nor value responsiveness as much. Our definition of these drivers attempts to delineate logistics and supply chain manage- ment.Supply chain management includes the use of logistical and cross-functional drivers to increase the supply chain surplus. Cross-functional drivers have become increasingly important in raising the supply chain surplus in recent years. While logistics remains a major part, supply chain management is increasingly becoming foc used on the three cross-functional drivers. It is important to realize that these drivers do not act independently but interact with each other to determine the overall supply chain performance. Good supply chain design and operation Chapter 3 †¢ Supply Chain Drivers and Metrics 43 ecognizes this interaction and makes the appropriate trade-offs to deliver the desired level of responsiveness. Consider, for example, the furniture industry in the United States. Low-cost furni- ture sourced from Asia is available at many discount retailers. The primary goal of this supply chain is to deliver a low price and acceptable quality. Vvariety is typically low and retailers such as Wal-Mart stock inventory of finished goods. The low vvariety and stable replenishment orders allow furniture manufacturers in Asia to focus on efficiency. Given the available inventory, low- cost modes of transportation from Asia are used.In this instance, relatively low-cost inventory at the retailer allows the supply chain to become efficient by lowering transportation and production costs. In contrast, some U. S. furniture makers have chosen to focus on providing vvariety. Given the high vvariety and high prices, keeping inventory of all variants at a retailer would be very expensive. In this case the supply chain has been designed so the retailer carries very little inven- tory. Customers place their orders with the retailer by seeing one variant of the furniture and selecting among the various options.The supply chain is made responsive by using information technology to convey order information effectively, structuring very flexible manufacturing facil- ities to be able to produce in small lots, and using responsive transportation to deliver the furniture to the customer. In this instance, responsive facilities, transportation, and information are used to lower inventory costs. As the rest of this chapter will illustrate, the key to achieving strategic fit across the supply chain is to structure the supply chain drivers appropriately to provide the desired level of responsiveness.

Marketing Planning Process of H&M

Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Methodology {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Appendix Acknowledgements I would like to Thank Frances Smith and all the ladies at Invest Northern Ireland for all of their help and support throughout the process of this assignment. Their contribution has been truly appreciated. Introduction In order to understand the Marketing Planning Process it is important to first know what the term, Marketing Planning Process means. Market planning is â€Å"the process by which businesses analyse the environment and their capabilities, decide upon courses of marketing action and implement those decisions. (Jobber, 2006) It is also important to acknowledge the different stages and types of the process and which is best for the company. Methodology Information has been gathered from a wide range of sound and non-biased secondary resources. Statistical information, information on profitability of the company’s marketing environment has been sourced and analysed from sites such as Datamoniter, Mintel Oxygen, key Note and Lexis Nexus. Further Data and information has been sourced from electronic journals such as Emerald, business websites, respected newspapers and The H&M company website, from which this Marketing Planning Process will be based. Business and Marketing theories have been gathered from marketing gurus and scholars such as Jobber, Kotler and Porter. Primary research will also be gathered in the form of studying the local H&M stores. The Marketing Planning Process. Business Mission Marketing Audit SWOT Analysis Marketing Objectives Strategic Thrust Core Strategy Target Markets Marketing Mix Decisions Organisation and Implementation Control (Jobber, 2006) 1. 1- The Importance of the Marketing Planning Process. With business operating in an increasingly competitive environment, â€Å"Having a plan gives managers a focal point for decisions and actions. (Jobber, 2006) The planning process gives the company the capability to run successfully and achieve profitable sales, â€Å"It makes sense to try to bring some order to this chaos by understanding the commercial environment and bringing some strategic sense to the process of marketing products and services. † (Tutor2u, 2009) This is why the marketing planning process is very important to a business; it helps to structure tasks and processes by answering all the relevant ques tions of such as; where are we now? , how did we get there? , and where are we heading? in order to achieve the desired goal. In order to fulfill these appropriately using a method of SOSTAC will help to give a structured analysis as each element relates to an important stage within the planning process. SOSTAC is an Acronym for the 6 basic elements of the Marketing Plan: Situation Where are we now? Objectives Where do we want to get to? Strategy How are we going to get there? – The Big Picture Tactics How are we going to get there? – The Detail Actions Who is going to do what and when? Control How can we control, measure and develop the process? . 2- The Advantages of the Marketing Planning Process. The Marketing Planning Process is a great way â€Å"to provide a well defined path from generating a business mission to implementing and controlling the resultant plans. † (Jobber, 2006) The advantage of a good marketing plan is that is means that the company can h ave a clear picture of what they have achieved and what they need to achieve in order to determine if a process was successful or if a new addition will be. The planning process means no time is wasted and everyone is on the same path. 1. 3- Strategic Planning Strategic planning involves managing the direction of the business in order to maintain â€Å"a fit between the organisations objectives and resources and the evolving market opportunities. † (Mc Daniel et al, 2008) this concerns the overall direction of the company and not only the marketing sector in order to ensure the products and services provide by the company are meeting the overall objectives. This can be characterized by the Strategic triangle as shown below: Figure 1- Strategic Triangle. {draw:frame} (New-paradigm, 2000) 1. 4 Conclusion The marketing planning process puts the company’s marketing strategies into action. There are many factors concerning the process as noted. These will now be evaluated in order to ensure the most appropriate methods of the process are being use when completing the marketing plan which will be based on the company of H&M. Market Research. *2. 1- *Types of Market Research. Secondary research is divided between internal and external sources. Internal sources look at records and statistics, such as accounting records, within the whole company while external sources focus on reports and information from outside the company, such as census reports and periodicals. This gives a good indication of not only how well a product may do within the company but also helps the business to understand the market for this product and give them a competitive edge. Primary information involves getting original data directly about the product and focus groups, and online surveys. This helps to ensure that the information is directly specific to the needs to the business as it is personal to them. 2. 2- Contribution of Market Research to the Marketing Planning Process. 2. 3- Conclusion. It is now evident that market research is imperative to a good marketing plan as it collects the data that businesses need in order to succeed. It is now vital to look at the marketing audit for H&M in order to evaluate the strengths and weakness of the company for a good SWOT analysis. 3. 0- H&M background. Hennes & Mauritz is one of the largest fashion retailers to hit the high street with around 18000 stores worldwide, employing around The 73’000 people. H&M was first established in Vasteras, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Person. The company has grown strong ad now offers a team of 100 in house designers to create their lines of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and made a turnover of SEK 104,041 million in 2008. They also sell their own brand of footwear, accessories and cosmetics. H&M do not own their own factories however; they do buy goods from over 800 independent suppliers round the world, mostly from Asia and Europe. They are also a worldwide store through their online sales and also offer a catalogue of their ranges. H&M’s concept is to offer ‘fashion and quality at the best price. (H&M, 2009) – See appendix 1 For H&M’s Mission Statement. 3. 1- Marketing Audit. The marketing audit considers both internal and external influences within the market when making the decisions arisen. There many marketing tools that a company can use when completing marketing audit such as PESTEL analysis and Porters Five Forces which deal solely on the external environme nt and SWOT analysis which looks at both the internal and external. (Marketing Teacher,2009) H&M are a company whose success is wide spread because of the company’s abilities to perform full research before they make any key decisions. H&M believe â€Å"A strong brand is increasingly important competitive advantage,† (Hennes & Mauritz, 2009). H&M aim to use their methods of communication in order to build the brand both within a long and short term bases. They hope that this enables each customer to have a full understanding of what H&M stands for and to know their way around their H&M store. However there is no mention of their concept of ‘Fashion and quality at the best price’ anywhere within their marketing campaigns. Figure2- The Marketing Environment 3. 2- Macro- Environment. Economic Environment*- The economic environment looks at the PESTEL analysis which consists of: *Figure 3*- *PESTEL* Analysis. â€Å"Before H&M decides to move into a new market, an assessment is made of the markets potential. Factors such as demographic structure, purchasing power, economic growth, infrastructure and political risk are analysed. † (H&M, 2009) Political Companies need to be informed on the polit ical structure of the countries in which they are in distribution with. These include any government policies, taxes, trading tariffs, any war or conflict as well as internal politics of the country. H&M are concerned with political restrictions and therefore analyse the infrastructure and political risks before expanding. They need to be aware of the countries laws and regulations so as not to break them or discriminate in any way, especially with their marketing tools. Things that may need consider would be the VAT reductions, recycling terms, any new laws brought into power, distribution laws and regulation hours of opening, i. e. within Ireland there is set opening hours on a Sunday from 1-6. Economic Before H&M decide on a move into a market they always do a structured analysis to assess the markets potential. Many factors must be researched here in order to determine the correct decision. Factors to consider include the economic growth of the city. They must establish the city’s interest rates as high levels may deter the investment because of costs and analyse inflation as it may provoke higher wage demands. They must also establish the need for employment within that area. This is especially important in the middle of a recession where companies need to be smart about their expansion decisions. Managing Director of H&M, Rolf Erikson states; â€Å"H&M stands strong and we are focusing on the future. The economic situation is creating great opportunities that we are going to take, for example in terms of access to new attractive commercial locations and being in a strong position to negotiate. This year we plan to open a net amount of 225 new stores and recruit 6,000 to 7,000 new employees. †(H&M Profile, 2009) Social The social and demographics of the country of city must be considered before expansion. They must ensure that there is a market for the age that they are targeting and be aware of the attitudes towards fashion and the weather within the demographic area. Lifestyles must be considered here also, with the recession it may not be wise to sell a lot of summer or swimwear within EU with the euro being so bad and less people being able to afford holidays. Also cultural lifestyles must be analysis. For example H&M would have to be careful about expansion within the Far East and how they would market themselves to suit the cultures, i. e. : in larger Muslim cities it would be unwise to sell miniskirts or ‘belly tops’. They also look at the purchasing power within that particular area to study the buying habits of the customer. Technological H&M aim to use all form of technological communication in order to keep up to date with their customer and with today’s market. Their website is their main form of communication and they feel it is what strengthens the brand. The website offers a chance to shop online, visit stores, use their virtual changing room to get an idea of how the garment will look and to establish their business concepts. It also provides information aimed at the public, media, potential employees and financial markets and shareholders. They also have their own Face book page allow other customers to view from there. They tweet on the twitter site also with updates and have their own page on You Tube to upload Fashion TV. These are great methods of communication although they do have to be careful to filter what is being written and placed on these sites as they do target to teenagers and children. They also must ensure that internet pages such as Face book do not cheapen the brand especially as they try to promote themselves as a luxury low cost brand with stores in locations such as 5th Avenue. Environmental Legal Further information on Competitive environment and Marketing Environment is available in Appendix 2 *3. – Micro*- Environment Figure 4- {draw:frame} (Learning Marketing, 2008) Micro Environmental Factors- The micro- environment is the internal factors close to the company that have a direct impact on the organisations strategy. These factors include: Customers H&M believe the satisfaction of their customer is very important. This factor is what provides them with the knowledge to target the appropriate audience which helps to maintain customer loyalty. They believe that this is true of the layout of the store in order to attract their customers. H&M Cleverly devise each store differently, making it unique to suit its surrounds. They establish this by analysing â€Å"the customers on the street, the other stores nearby and the traffic flows and relates this to the circumstances of the premises. † (H&M,2009). Although this is a clever use of analysis, it is a wonder if they always get it right and if they always cater for the best target audience available and not just the largest. A use of questionnaires, polls and focus groups would be a great way to establish their best target market rather that a factual analysis. Employees â€Å"Skilled and committed co-workers are one of the main reasons H&M has been able to grow with good profitability for such a long period of time. (H&M, 2009) H&M always strive to employee local employeeswhenever they expand. They use their experienced co- workers to help train new staff when a store first opens, For example, When they expanded into the Japanese market the new employees spent time in both Norway and Hong Kong and during this stressful time employees from othe r stores are brought inn to help launch the brand. (H&M, 2009) Today, H&M has around 73,000 employees in 34 countries. Target growth of the company’s 10-15 percent new stores every year. For 2009 this means that between 6,000 and 7,000 new jobs will be created. Suppliers H&M always strive to offer the latest, high quality garments at the best price. In order to ensue this is the case they buy in large volumes from only independent suppliers so there are only a small percentage of middle men. They demand efficient distribution and test the quality of the produce at every level to ensure it is at its highest, this is why they ensure their team has an extremely high knowledge of design, fashion and textiles. Shareholders â€Å"H&M endeavours to engage in open dialogue with the stock market, the media, customers and other stakeholders. † (H&M, 2009) Figure 5- Current share price: Date- 05/01/2010 Time- 10:43:33  © H & M HENNES & MAURITZ AB 2010 Media Figure 6- {draw:frame} (Daily Mail, 2009) (See appendix 3) The line featured in 1,500 of H&M’s selected stores and of this Rykiel commented, â€Å"The Sonia Rykiel for H&M lingerie collection is the ideal way to offer the essence of Rykiel to a great number of women around the world, and a beautiful way to close the year. † (Lexis Nexis, 2009) Competitors The fashion industry is highly competitive. H&M faces stiff competition from speciality retailers, department stores, mall-based retailers and e-retailers. The company faces strong competition in northern Europe. The following show some companies that are the major competitors of H & M Hennes & Mauritz – Marks and Spencer Group plc Otto (GmbH & Co KG) Gap, Inc. , The Arcadia Group Limited Fast Retailing This can also be described using Porter’s Five Forces as noted with Appendix 4. â€Å"The Internal Analysis of strengths and weaknesses focuses on internal factors that give an organization certain advantages and disadvantages in meeting the needs of its target market. † (Strategic Plan, 2008) In order for H&M to develop an effective internal analysis they will need to include the growth strategies, target groups and the marketing mix. There are three marketing tools they need to include within the internal analysis in order to best explain this: BCG Analysis ANSOFF Analysis 7 P’s of Marketing Mix BCG Analysis The BCG is a tool which helps the company to rate their products according to the market share and growth rate. The products are then displayed on a two dimensional map showing their position in the market. This is explained below: Figure 7- {draw:frame} (Sweska, 2009) Rising Stars- These are products with a high market share and high growth rate. These are products that use large amounts of cash to produce but are very popular and therefore generate a large amount in return. H&M’s rising stars are their collaboration collections with Designers’ and Celebrities’ such as Madonna. Dogs- These products have a low market share and low growth rates. These products are usually discontinued after a short period. Beware of these and attempt to minimize the number of dogs within the product range. These products are those H&M develop to aim to be ahead of their competitors but go a little too far and produce a product that isn’t commercially appealing. Que*stion Marks- Products with a low market share but high growth rate. These have potential to turn into rising stars in the future if it is developed correctly. These can also be dangerous for the company as they are in high demand for a short period but generate a low returns due to the low market share. These are H&M’s high fashion, seasonal pieces such as this season’s sequined jackets which were popular during Christmas party season but they are the biggest product to adorn the sale rails. ANSOFF â€Å"The ANSOFF Growth matrix is a tool that helps businesses decides their product and market growth strategy. (Tutor2u, 2009) Figure 8- {draw:frame} (Tutor2u, 2009) Market penetration â€Å"Market penetration is the name given to a growth strategy where the business focuses on selling existing products into existing markets. † Market penetration seeks to achieve four main objectives: †¢Market penetration aims to maintain or increase of the market share. In order to do this H&M must continue to look at ways to provide competitive pricing strategies in order to have an advantage over their rivalry, especially as one of the main competitors is Primark LTD. They must provide good advertising to entice their customers. At present they market themselves using their shop window, poster campaigns and the H&M website. They also cleverly market themselves by displaying the prices and any sales promotions on the campaigns however the advertising is usually spread across the whole of Europe and therefore, with their stores basing the stock of each store on their analysis of the cities customer, it is often very difficult for customers to find these items in their store. †¢ â€Å"Knowledge is power. † (Bacon, F, 1597) Market Penetration aims to assist the company in attempts to secure power of growth markets. To do this H&M must have a good knowledge of their market and who their competition is within the market. †¢ H&M use very strong promotional tactics in order to promote the company and product, their main advantage of some of their competitors is the H&M magazine. H&M magazine is used to give the consumer a good message on how the company sees fashion, offering not only clothing from the company but also inspiration for trends within both fashion and lifestyle. This is published four times per year. Market penetration looks at ways for the company to increase their number of existing customers and maintain customer loyalty. H&M give a lot of information on their website which is good for customers to have knowledge in a brand they are investing in. However, H&M could benefit from offering some version of a loyalty scheme like a store card or by providing student discount to keep them ahe ad of their competitors. Market development â€Å"Market development is the name given to a growth strategy where the business seeks to sell its existing products into new markets. (Tutor2u, 2009) There are many possible ways of approaching this strategy, including: †¢ Expanding into new geographical markets; for example H&M launched themselves into Russia in 2009 and are making plans to enter Israel and South Korea during 2010 †¢ In order for H&M to develop their marketing strategies with their products, they aim to impress their customers with trends straight from the catwalk for a low price. They aim to keep their brand edgy by re-vamping their old red and white image of the website and packaging to a more colourful and fun print. They also provide special carrier bags when they collaborate with a designer or celebrity. †¢ H&M demand efficient distribution and test the quality of the produce at every level to ensure it is at its highest, new ways of fast yet cost effective and eco- friendly distribution is something they should always attempt to find. †¢ When developing the market H&M always look at ways to change their pricing policies to attract new customers and create new market segments. Product development H&M always strive to develop their products within their existing ranges while staying true to their mission statement, â€Å"fashion and quality at the best price. † (H&M, 2009) They are also expanding existing models in Middle East using a franchise route. This may be a risky move as they will not have full control over the franchised stores Diversification In 2009 H&M launched into a new market by introducing a range of interior textiles for the home under the H&M home concept 2009. This new concept increases the company’s strong brand by offering â€Å"additional choice of lifestyle related products to its customers. In addition, this provides an opportunity for the company to cross sell its merchandise to generate incremental revenue. † (Lexis- Nexis, 2009)- See appendix 5. 7 P’s of Marketing Mix. The 7 P’s are developed in order to â€Å"produce mutually satisfying exchanges within a target market. † (Mc Daniel et al, 2008) They are very important tools for H&M to use when developing or introducing new products into the market as good knowledge of which P’s are important or may need more attention is vital in order for a product to succeed. 3. 5 Conclusion From studying the marketing audit for H&M it is apparent that the company display good methods of conducting the marketing audits. However there are changes that could be made in order to increase the brand name and develop their market growth. A SWOT Analysis will now be conducted in order to determine the best course of action for the company to take in the future. 4. 0 SWOT Analysis â€Å"SWOT is an acronym used to describe the particular Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that are strategic factors for a specific company. (My Strategic Plan, 2008) The SWOT analysis is a marketing tool used to audit a company and its environment. The SWOT analysis is always at the first stages of the planning process, once the research has been conducted, as it helps the marketers focus on the key issues that need to be addressed. (Marketing Teacher, 2009) See Appendix 6 for a full SWOT analysis conducted on H&M. 4. 1 Conclusion In order to maintain success and enhance that success H&M must continue to provide a high level of service to their consumer market. They need to ensure that high fashion, high quality lines are being produced while remaining to be aware of their internal and external environments. In 2010 H&M need to introduce massive collaborations with themselves and other designers or celebrities as this is what keeps them ahead of the competition as well as a continued loyalty to customers to give them the confidence t shop, and shop at H&M. This can be expanded be expanded by introducing a loyalty system of perhaps a store card where the customer can but now and pay in monthly installments. H&M must do more research into the products they are producing and the fabrics used, especially in children’s wear, as recalls are not acceptable especially with the economic climate. H&M will continue to expand into new and existing markets and must remember to continue to perform high levels of research and analysis before expanding. They may also need to look at new ways to help make the decision as they cannot afford to get it wrong. The company also needs to keep a firm eye on the competition and consumer buying behavior, enhancing resources in this department to ensure a high level of awareness is maintained.