Developing Learning & Development Activities Essay

Training Plan The purpose of my training session was to equip delegates with the right skills and knowledge to understand the changes auto-enrolment brings and what they need to communicate to their employees. Prior to my training session I emailed the learners to gage their existing knowledge on auto enrolment. There was a mix in responses with a couple of people saying their knowledge was around 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, a few sitting on the fence who have an awareness of auto enrolment but did not know all the legalities, and a couple who’s companies had already gone through the process. From this feedback I decided to cover the basics of the auto enrolment process, as trying to aim my training session at those with an existing knowledge would therefore make it confusing and above those with less knowledge. My view is that even if you know what you’re doing, it never hurts to go back over the basics to ensure you’ve not missed anything so that was what I aimed to do with my training session. The principles of adult learning include getting the learners involved in the planning and evaluation of the training and making sure they understand the reason for learning something. I feel these principles were reflected in my training session by communicating with them prior to the session to gage their knowledge; this meant they knew what to expect and by giving their feedback it helped to mould what level the session would be aimed at. The main resource available for the session was the whiteboard. I used this as the foundation of my training session by creating a PowerPoint presentation to use as a visual aid and form the basis of the session. I used both forms of assessment methods within my session; for a formative assessment I created a quiz on the categories of employees. I went through the theory and the facts first then tested what they had understood by putting the theory into practice. By the end of the quiz all learners were getting the questions right and ensured me they had a clear understanding on  the different categories. As a summative assessment I asked them to what extent they thought the training session had given them a better understanding of the pension changes on my feedback form. Comparing this to their knowledge rating from my email prior to the session, I can evaluate that everyone has benefited from the session as scores were either 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. Structure and sequence Trying to cover the basics of auto enrolment in 30 minutes was certainly a challenge, so I tried to structure my activities to ensure we moved through the various activities quickly whilst ensuring they were still all effective. Firstly I welcomed the group and created rapport (by tempting them with chocolate!), then spent a couple of minutes explaining the learning outcomes of the session. The first part of my teaching was to explain the four different categories as this is the foundation of auto enrolment. I covered the theory first with the PowerPoint acting as a visual aid then put the knowledge learnt into practice. I firmly believe Confucius was correct when he said ‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember and I do and I understand’. My learners heard the theory, they saw the different categories on the chart and could probably remember the names, but when I tested their knowledge in the game it was the ‘doing’ that ensured they remembered the differ ent categories. Individual and Environmental Factors When planning my training session a factor that influenced it was my own knowledge of auto enrolment. Like others I taught, I had already gone through the process at work so had learnt the basic principles, however at my workplace we split the process out to make it easier. My role at work was the communication side, whilst the payroll manager was responsible for making sure all eligible employees were enrolled. In case my learners asked questions I did more research into auto enrolment to ensure that I had sound knowledge. To create the legal requirements in communications I also researched other company’s communications to get a feel of ‘best practice’.  By doing this I ensured I was confident in what I was teaching and was not afraid to allow questions from learners. Another individual factor was to adapt my teaching style to suit adult learners. Training does not fall within my remit at work, and the only experience I have of leading sessions is through Girls’ Brigade. Whilst I have attended many training sessions these have all covered the methods of engaging children rather than adults. My initial thought for my training session was to create a ‘corner’s game’ for learning about the categories of employees and getting people up moving around the room. However I tried to put myself in my learner’s shoes and think what I would feel comfortable doing, and instead realised that running around the room and standing in the right corner is what children prefer doing. Therefore I adapted my game to be done with flashcards to ensure there was still an element of fun in my training session but I wasn’t making anyone feel uncomfortable. An external factor that influenced my session was the time limit. This affected all my preparation and planning as I was constantly thinking of ways to make things shorter so I could ensure I covered everything thoroughly. Had I had more time to play with I could have covered the basics in much more details but instead I decided to try and wet the appetite of the learners, then give them instructions of where to find out more. The layout of the room could have been changed (with some difficulty) but prior to the session I decided that leaving it in the horseshoe layout was the best option. This ensured everyone had a good view of the PowerPoint and during the quiz I was able to quickly glance around the group to ensure everyone had the correct answer. This was also another factor of why I decided to change the quiz to flashcards from the corners as the tables would have proved difficult to move to ensure there was enough room for everyone to move around safely. Positive learning environment In my training session I ensured I created a positive learning environment by creating rapport with the learners at the beginning of the session. I feel this is the key to a good training session as unless you’ve established a  relationship with the trainer, learners are unlikely to speak up when they do not understand something or if there’s an issue. Another way of ensuring there was a positive atmosphere was making sure I had thought over the principles of adult learning before deciding on the elements of my session, as had these been aimed at children instead of adults I could have easily made my learners feel uncomfortable and therefore not engaged in the training session. Feedback from learners All of the feedback I received from my learners was positive. As mentioned previously, all of them said they had a better understanding of the pension changes because of my training session. There was mixed responses from the question ‘how likely are you to apply the knowledge learnt today in your workplace’, but those who have scored lower on this question left a comment explaining that it’s because it doesn’t fall within their remit at work. When asked ‘what was the part of the training they enjoyed the most’, all of the learners said either the quiz or the legal requirements. These were the two learner activities in my training session which shows that the activities that got the learners doing something practical was the best way of learning. When asked for improvements to the session, the only comments I received were ‘more time’ and ‘the handout at the beginning would have been useful – but I understand why this was not done’. As I had included the quiz answers on the presentation I made the decision to not give the handout until the hand, otherwise it would not have been as effective. On reflection, I could have omitted those slides from the handout so they could have had it from the beginning to make notes from if they wished. Effectiveness of the activity My own perception of the training session was that it was a good mix of activities and tutor input. My past experience is that just listening to a trainer for 30 minutes is ineffective as after around 10 minutes most adults switch off, especially if it is something they are not 100% interested in. I put this into practice in my session as I know myself that auto enrolment is  not the most interesting subject, so had I stood and talked to the learners for 30 minutes most of them would have been asleep! However, by asking for participation – and warning them about that up front – meant that they stayed engaged throughout the session. Recommendations for the future Were I to use this training session again in the future I would extend it to an hours session to allow more time for questions and answers and to expand more on key points. Although I felt I covered the basics in a short space of time quite well, I could have emphasised more on the ‘anomalies’, like temporary and zero hour contract employees. I quickly glossed over the subject but would have liked to spend the time discussing it in more depth with the learners. As mentioned earlier, my other change would be to adapt the handout so it was suitable to give out at the beginning of the session. This would allow the learners to have something to make notes on and move through at their own pace. As they make their own notes, it does often open the time up for more questions from learners meaning you can meet their needs more thoroughly.

Case Study †Operations Management Essay

1.0 INTRODUCTION Operations management is defined as â€Å"the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver products and services† (Slack et al. 2010 p4). This encompasses the entire activity carried out within the organization. With increasing pressure on organizations to deliver optimally at reduced cost, the role of operations has been transformed from that of strategy implementer to one of strategy driver. Operations strategy looks at the patterns of strategic decisions and actions in a bid to set the roles, objectives and activities of the operations (Slack et al. 2010). An understanding of these strategies is important in ensuring that organizations are well aware of the requirements needed to meet the corporate objectives set about by management. The report looks at a case study of Concept design services (CDS); a product based manufacturing company looking to break into service operations. It seeks to identify current strategy types evidenced in the organization and the role operations play in the implementation of this strategies. Also considered is the relationship between the core functions highlighting possible conflicts, current practices and perceived strengths and weaknesses. Issues such as servitization and growth strategies are considered in relation to the companies push for development in line with its desire to become a service provider. An analysis of the impact it will have on the company’s manufacturing and service departments is also considered. Finally, recommendations that will ensure operations develop with the new growth plan is presented to management. 2.0 STRATEGIES IN CONCEPT DESIGN Within CDS, there is evidence of an amalgamation of strategies. With a diversification of the company’s portfolio, the corporate strategy of the organization had to be reflecting the changing scenario of the business environment. To identify the different strategy types within CDS, there is first a need to understand what strategy is. Strategy can be defined has â€Å"the total pattern of decisions and actions that  position the organization in its environment and that are intended to achieve its long-term goals† (Slack et al. 2010 P79). Strategy has also been described as the long term direction an organization intends to go (Johnson et al. 2011). In achieving an over arching strategy, three levels of strategies have to be considered; corporate level, business level and operational level. The formulation of these strategies will determine how the different organizational strategies will interact with one another (Zanon et al. 2013) While corporate level strategy deals with the overall purpose and scope of an organization such as where to locate the business, what type of business to engage in; business level strategy is more concerned with the various ways the business can compete successfully against other competitors in its segment. Functional strategy looks at ways in which individual functions can contribute to the overall objective of the organization. Operations strategy is concerned with the strategic decision and actions that set roles, objectives and activities of the operations (Slack et al. 2010). It focuses more on how the different parts of the organization can deliver on set strategies through the management of resources, processes and people. Operations strategy’s primary role is to implement strategy, but with continuous business growth, operations is expected to support and drive the organizations strategy. This will see it contributing to the competitive advantage of the firm (Slack et al. 2010). This is aptly captured in Hayes and wheelwrights four stage model of operations contribution. Figure 1. Hayes and Wheelwrights four-stage model of operations contribution. Adapted from Slack et al. 2010 Slack et al. (2010), identified four different perspective to operations strategy; Top-down, bottom up, market requirement perspective and resource based perspective. He noted though that all four perspectives are required for proper understanding of operations strategy. Although the strategies employed by organizations may differ, it remains important to reconcile the needs of the market with operational resources  (Slack and Lewis 2008). Hence, it is important to analyse the process through which market needs are aligned with operational realities, thereby ensuring that operation can deliver what it is being asked of them and that this alignment will endure over time (Zanon et al. 2013). Evidenced in CDS operations is the implementation of two of the identified perspectives; Market requirement and Operations resource perspective. 2.1MARKET REQUIREMENT PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS A market requirement perspective focuses on what market position requires of operations (Slack et al. 2010). Its focus is not just on the industry, but it considers where the organization intends to compete as well as the nature of competition ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­ (Lowson 2002). Hill (1985), suggested that to win orders in the market place, organizations operations strategy and the marketing strategy need to be in sync. CDS Marketing function identified a trend that seems to have worked for retailers in the decorative product industry. They realised the importance of fashion trends and its appeal to people. This market requirement led to the creation of a whole new industry. The need for premium, high quality household product characterised by the many different colour range became a market qualifying criteria that drove marketing’s strategy. This strategy was in line with the overall organizations strategy that saw a shift in the focus of its production of industrial injection-mould plastics to popular household items. In a bid to meet markets demand, supply services had to upscale its machineries by procuring additional large injection moulding machines to cater for the rapidly growing volume of products. Also, the design team had to be one step ahead of the competition by ensuring that they had a range of products that will keep customers engaged. Hence, the case study has shown that CDS have been able to develop its operations strategy by allowing operations meet the performance criteria required by the market (Slack et al. 2004). 2.2OPERATIONS RESOURCE PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS In the case of operation resource perspective or resource based view (RBV),  focus is on the organizations operation resources, competencies and capabilities (Lowson 2002). It focuses on the key strengths of the organization, looking at internal resources that cannot be purchased externally, thus providing the firm with competitive advantage through superior performance (Clulow et al. 2007; Fahey and Smithee 1999; Barney 1991). With operations-led, strategy is developed through sound understanding of current operational capabilities and an analysis of how it can be developed in the future (Slack et al. 2004). An understanding of the organizations strength will then influence the decision as to which markets should be considered for the deployment of current or future capabilities, and which competitors can pose a threat or can be taken advantage of (Hayes et al. 2005). CDS have clearly shown the strength of their operations over the years. Early experience gained from the manufacturing of industrial products have set them miles ahead of competition. This is evidenced in the quality of their product which drove sales to record highs and resulted in retail outlets signing up for the organizations product. The company prides itself on its technical abilities which has been achieved not just from years of experience but by investing in machineries. CDS have acquired latest precision equipment’s with the best quality moulds available. The technical knowledge of the employees also provides the company a unique advantage. Another area of operations that provides competitive advantage for the organization is its design expertise. CDS have in its employ professionally respected designers with the know-how of translating difficult technical designs into manufacturable saleable products. This has provided the organization leverage when dealing with design houses. The company is clearly leveraging on its operations resources, competencies and capabilities to obtain competitive advantage. 3.0AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CORE FUNCTIONS Within the context of any organization, there are 3 functions that must exist for the organization to realize its goals of meeting customers need. They are; 1) The marketing function 2) The product/service development function 3) The operations function The marketing function which also comprises of the sales unit is primarily responsible for communicating what product/services the organization has to offer to consumers in a bid to generate customers’ requests for the service. The product development functions’ responsibility is to create new and modified products and services in order to generate future customer request for services. And lastly, the operations function is responsible for fulfilling customers request for service through the production and delivery of products and services (Slack et al. 2010). The ability to effectively work with other functions in the organization is a key responsibility for the operation function (Slack et al. 2010; Zanon et al. 2013). Research as shown that in most organizations, different functions within the organization usually employ their own strategies to assist them in realizing their functional objectives. This unfortunately is a basis for corporate misunderstanding, inter-functional differences and rivalry (Hill 2005).While the objective of the operations function remains the production of goods and services whilst managing resources, it has to also manage its relationship with other functions of the organization. Due to the nature of its strategic importance, the operations function usually has conflicts with other functions. MARKETING In determining an organizations strategic objective, operations and marketing usually adopt different approaches. While marketing tends to emphasise improved service features that appeal to customers, operations focus more on efficiency and cost control (Nie and Young 1997). Erickson (2010), stated that the main reason operations and marketing functions in an organization have conflict is due to their perceived differing objectives. Largely, trade-offs are responsible for the conflicts between these functions as they attempt to balance competing priorities (Tang 2010). It is therefore important that organizations manage trade-offs in a manner that will ensure that they don’t compromise the over-arching organizational strategy for gaining competitive advantage. Zanon et al. (2013) in their research identified certain paradigm that organizations needed to implement for the  successful collaboration of the two functions. They argued that there is a need for alignment between market needs and operational realities. The objective here is to satisfy market needs while using appropriate operational resources and jointly developing those resources so that the operations department can acquire new capabilities and provide the firm with sustainable competitive advantage. The marketing function at CDS have been able to effectively market/communicate the value of their products to the market, this is evidenced in the phenomenal growth of the company. Through innovation, extensive advertisement – both on TV and in illustrated magazines, they have been able to drive sales of CDS products. The function have successfully carved a niche market for the organization through the portrayal of its products has been â€Å"classy† and for the upwardly mobile individual. Product differentiation, design partnership and extensive research, combined with a marketing manager with lots of experience and autonomy working with an experienced, technically astute manufacturing department has resulted in the success of the CDS products. The function has also been able to market itself and the value it can give to design houses in Europe. Through its marketing activities, CDS is moving from being just a manufacturer of commodities to a provider of services. Despite the progress that have been recorded by CDS, there still seems to be a misalignment between the marketing and operation functions. With the success of CDS products and the continuous innovation drive of the organization, it would seem that the marketing function is failing to acknowledge the limitations of the company’s capacity. CDS have a problem with the storage of finished goods and this has impacted on the delivery of product availability from supply services. They are currently struggling to ensure that they meet SKU stocking levels. Another problem has been the issue of proper planning and effective forecasting by the marketing team. The seasonal nature of CDS products requires that the marketing function carries out comprehensive forecasting to try and anticipate demand. Currently, poor forecasting by the function is costing the organization. Supply services have to deal constantly with issues of utilization,  efficiency and growing scarp rates; this is as a result of ad-hoc requests for urgent production to meet with un-planned demand. To minimize wastage and ensure proper alignment, marketing and operations will have to network and collaborate better (Johansen and Riis 2005) to ensure that the over corporate objectives are met. NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (NPD) â€Å"NPD is defined as the transformation of a market opportunity into a product available for sale, through a set of activities executed in a logical way, sequentially and concurrently† (Almeida and Miguel 2007). It allows organizations to gain competitive advantage, attract new customers, retain existing customers, and strengthen their ties with the distribution networks (Kotler and Keller 2006). Organizations that successfully introduce new products do so through a well-developed process that leads from creative designs to a successful launch of the product by focusing on satisfying specific customer needs (Chandra and Neelankavil 2008). The attainment of this task will require NPD to collaborate closely with both operations and marketing. NPD, in comparison to other functions is usually characterised by a high degree of uncertainty, risk and high cost to make changes to initial decisions made (Slack et al. 2010). For CDS, NPD is responsible for transforming designs from marketing into workable design moulds. Operations then ensure that the products from the mould are standardized and tested appropriately and efficiently. The moulds then have to be tested on the production machines. A great deal of inter-functional collaboration is required to ensure that proper scheduling is in place to enable NDP carry out testing without disrupting production. Getting this right is easier said. The reality is that there is usually a delay in getting the moulds from the suppliers in South Korea. This will then result in a need for an urgent test of the moulds. That said, CDSs’ NPD function are technically sound. They have managed to build for themselves a reputation of being able to overcome problems with designs regardless of its nature. The NPD function contributes to the organizations unique operations resource. 4.0 AN EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF DEVELOPMENT ON THE OPERATION OF THE  MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE DEPARTMENTS CDS like most manufacturing organizations are starting to appreciate the intrinsic value of adopting servitization as a practice. Servitization have been described as the process of transforming manufacturers to compete through product-service systems rather than products alone (Baines et al. 2007). The rationale for this transition from ‘purely product’ to ‘product- service’ or ‘purely service’ can be viewed from three perspectives (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). They identified the reasons as; First, economic. Research has shown that substantial revenue can be generated from products with a long life cycle; also services in general have higher margins than products and services also provides a more stable source of revenue as they are resistant to the economic cycles that drive investment and equipment purchases. Secondly, there is pressure on organizations from customers demanding more services. This has led to firms adopting a narrow definition of core competencies while increasing their dependence on technology to help in their bid to specialize. Lastly, it is viewed as providing competitive advantage. The less visible a service is, and the more labour dependent it gets, the more the probability of imitation reduces (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). Manufacturing has long moved beyond production alone and a combination of both products and service business model are now generally accepted as playing a key role in the success of any modern business (Baines et al. 2014). Companies that have adopted the concept of servitization will probably not follow the product-service classification, but will instead seek to distinguish on the basis of the value proposition with their customers (Baines and Lightfoot 2013). This is the case in CDS, where the company have had to adopt differing service model while dealing with the design houses and retailer service market. While the design houses have adopted a proposition that sees both companies working together – that is the customer wants the company to work with them (Baines et al. 2014), the retailers on the other hand, are happy to leave the management of the entire operation to CDS. Baines et al. (2014) have identified this differing forms of proposition has been ‘base’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘advanced services’. The relationship between the retailer services market and CDS can be classified as advanced. This categorization of product-service offering is centred on  the idea that due to the competencies of the company, maintenance and workability of the operations should be managed by the provider of the service. A feature of this type of offering includes customer support agreements, risk and reward sharing contract, and revenue through use contact (Baines and Lightfoot 2013). To meet with demand, and ensure that customer’s needs are met in terms of product availability, CDS will have to increase its production lines and increase holding capacity. Storage facilities will have to be located closer to the location of their customers. Localised facilities will ensure that store replenishment lead times are reduced. CDS will also have to invest in ICT. Setting up an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system will help connect the stores database with that of CDS. That way, they can easily track inventory levels and are able to respond in a proactive manner. Also, Oliva and Kallenberg (2003) argued that a good practice will be to set up a new service department whose focus will be to drive and improve performance objectives. The consolidation of the service offered is usually accompanied by a strong initiative to improve the efficiency, quality and delivery time of the services provided, and the creation of additional services to supplement the service offering. The consolidation of services also comes with the development of a monitoring system to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the service delivery. This monitoring system allows managers realize the size of the service market and account for services’ contribution to the firm’s operations (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). Internally, these changes create the transparency of numbers needed to get a clear sense of direction and to monitor the success or failure of executed changes (Oliva and Kallenberg 2003). Externally, the improvement of quality will establish CDS as a reputable service provider among its clients. CDS has seen steady and continuous growth over the years, albeit its focus had been centred on a single product type. With the recent direction of the organization, there are real concerns surrounding it rapid growth and its diversification into services. Southard and Swenseth (2003) identified certain issues that evolving organizations encounter due to rapid growth, they include bottle-necks, back-orders, and decreased profits despite increased sales. Some of these issues are evidenced in CDS. The rapid growth  of the organization has resulted in capacity related issues. There is one in every twelve chances of a product not being available, continuous scheduling disruption due to demand surpassing supply and the popularity of its product and wide acceptance usually leads to stock outs. The manufacturing function seems to be stretched to the limit with support services equally struggling. It would seem that the organization is currently unprepared for the changes. 5.0RECOMMENDATION TO MANAGEMENT In line with the company’s objective for growth, it has become imperative to address the operational issues that can hinder the organizations growth strategy. Using the product/service lifecycle to analyse the organizations current operations, it is obvious that the transition from being a purely product based manufacturing company to a product-service based organization is still in the infancy state. This is characterised by uncertainty as customer’s needs are not well understood. Hence, operations management will be required to develop flexibility to cope with any changes and be able to give the product/service performance that will ensure quality is maintained (Slack et al. 2010). Other issues to be considered by management includes; the issue of capacity management. To meet with the demand of the market and its growth strategy, CDS will be required to get more warehouses and hold more inventories. The plastic business is clearly one of volume; hence CDS has to ensure that it maintains its status of been a reliable supplier. It also has to effectively operationalize it marketing strategy. The company is currently plagued by poor forecasting and planning. There is a need to upscale the competencies of the sales representatives. This will enable them gather appropriate data that can then be fed into the organizations planning to help reduce scheduling related issues, stock outs and disruptions. Also required is an alignment between the strategies of the core functions. Regular business meetings, where issues relating to each function get tabled will help build better understanding among the different functions. REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY ALMEIDA, L.F. and MIGUEL, P., 2007. Managing new product development process: A proposal of a theoretical model about their dimensions and the dynamics  of the process. Unpublished Phd. thesis, Universidade de Sao Paulo. BAINES, T., LIGHTFOOT, H. and SMART, P., 2011. Servitization within manufacturing. Exploring the provision of advanced services and their impact on vertical integration. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 22(7), pp. 947-954 BAINES, T. et al., 2013. Servitization of Manufacture. Exploring the deployment and skills of people critical to the delivery of advanced services. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 24(4), pp. 637-646 BAINES, T. and LIGHTFOOT, H.W., 2014. Servitzation of the manufacturing firm. Exploring the operations practices and technologies that deliver advanced services. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 34(1), pp. 2-35 BARNEY, J., 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), pp. 99-120 CALANTONE , R., DROGE, C. and VICKERY, S., 2002. Investigating the manufacturing -market interface in new product development. Journal of Operations Management, 20, pp. 273-287 CHANDRA, M. and NEELANKAVIL, J.P., 2008. Product development and innovation for developing countries. Journal of Management Development, 27(10), pp. 1017 – 1025 CLULOW, V., BARRY, C. and GERSTMAN, J., 2007. The resource-based view and value: the customer-based view of the firm. Journal of European Industrial Training, 31(1), pp. 19-35 FAHY, J. and SMITHEE, A., 1999. Strategic marketing and the resorce-based view of the firm. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 10, pp. 1-21 JOHNSTON, R., 1999. Service Operations Management: return to roots. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 19(2), pp. 104-124 KOTLER, P. and KELLER, K.L., 2006. Marketing management. 12th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. LIGHTFOOT, H., BAINES, T. and SMART, P., 2013. The servitization of manufacturing . A systematic litera ture review of interdependent trends. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 33(11/12), pp. 1408-1434 LOWSON, R.H., 2002. Operations strategy: genealogy, classification and anatomy. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22(10), pp. 1112-1129 MILLER, A. and DESS, G.G., 1993. ASSESSING PORTER’S (1980) MODEL IN TERMS OF ITS GENERALIZABILITY, ACCURACY AND SIMPLICITY. Journal of Management Science, 30(4), pp. 553-585 OLIVA, R. and KALLENBERG, R., 2003. Managing the transition from products to services. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 14(2), pp. 160-172 PRASAD, S., BABBAR, S. and MOTWANI, J., 2001. International operations strategy: current efforts and future directions. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 21(5/6), pp. 645-665 RAMASESHAN, B., ISHAK, A. and RUSSEL, P.J., 2013. Interactive effects of marketing strategy formulation and implementation upon firms performance. Journal of Marketing Management, 29(11-12), pp. 1224 -1250 SOUTHARD, P.B. and SWENSETH, S.R., 2003. Transitioning operations to accommodate growing pains in evolving companies: an application of product profiling to a service company. Management Decision, 41(6), pp. 578-586 ZANON, J.C. et al., 2013. Alignment of operations strategy: exploring the marketing interface. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 113(2), pp. 207-233

Describe the spatial patterns and dimensions of one ecosystem at risk, and analyse the negative impacts of human activity on this ecosystem Essay

Describe the spatial patterns and dimensions of one (1) ecosystem at risk, and analyse the negative impacts of human activity on this ecosystem. One ecosystem at risk that has been studied is the coral reef; The Great Barrier Reef is located off the East coast of Northern Queensland. It stretches approximately 2300km from Papua New Guinea to Fraser Island. Overall the Great Barrier Reef system covers an area of over 348,000km2 making a vast, very complex ecosystem. There is a long history of human activity and use on and of the Great Barrier Reef. Negative impacts on the Great Barrier Reef include climate change, oil spills, tourism, overfishing, land clearing, sewage and waste disposal, coral harvesting and dredging and sand mining. Climate change has impacted Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef as it increases in sea temperature, increases in average sea level, has a change in rainfall patterns. It changes the ocean currents and circulation, which has an increase in El Nino events which cause extreme weather and can damage the reef and cause a large amount of run off from the land, causing turbidity, lowering of salinity on the reef and increased amount of sediment. Extreme weather conditions can also increase the CO2 levels which can also change the chemical structure of the Great Barrier Reef causing coral bleaching. On-going climate change will have and has already caused many consequences for the Great Barrier Reef. This change will and has directly impacted many species of fish, invertebrate, mammals and birds along with many aquatic and terrestrial plants. There are also substantial impacts on the functioning of the reef. The biggest concern about climate change and the Great Barrier Reef is the rise in sea temperature which will affect the movement of water around the reef and the nutrient cycle on the reef which also means the chemical structure which will be altered because of the increased amount of CO2 dissolved into the water. With this and the rising sea levels, may be enough to destroy the reef, collapsing of the reef ecosystem. Recreational fishing is also a common past-time on the reef. When boats anchor on the reef, the heavy metal anchors damage the reefs coral formations and dredge up the sea grass bed. These boats are also a source of pollution through oil and oil spills, rubbish and sewage. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority estimates that around 6000 large commercial ships transit through the Great Barrier Reef each year. These ships can carry anything from grain, minerals, bulk cargo (such as cars) and oil. Luckily there has not been a major oil spill on the reef. Ships also have the potential to bring with them feral aquatic species by releasing ballast water which is used to balance the ship containing these aquatic animals. Commercial fishing or overfishing has been an important economic activity for Queensland’s coastal communities. Unsustainable fishing practices in the past have left many areas of the Great Barrier Reef with decreased fish stocks. While many areas of the Great Barrier Reef are now off limits to commercial fishers, various areas of the reef can still be fished. Local fishermen are now no longer a major threat to the reef as they understand the need to protect the area’s fish stocks. However, the reef still remains threatened by illegal fishing, which is often carried out by foreign fishing trawlers, and by unsustainable recreational fishing. Tourism is one of the most important industries in Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef being ranked twelfth on the ‘Wonders of the World’ list brings a lot of tourism to Australia and especially far North Queensland. The economic value of the Great Barrier Reef exceeds more than $4 billion a year. In 2005, over 1.8 million tourists visited the reef. Research conducted by the James Cook University in Cairns has shown that tourism has five main impacts on the reef ecosystem; these are coastal tourism development, island-based tourism, marine based tourism, water-based activities and wildlife interactions. Coastal tourism development is explained as tourists mainly visit and stay at mainland Hotels, Motels and Resorts, where this places a strain on coastal environments, including estuarine river systems. Island-based tourism is the growth of tourism on islands throughout the Great Barrier Reef, which creates problems associated with sewage and rubbish discharges. Marine based tourism is where tourist boat companies make thousands of journeys out to the Great Barrier Reef each year, which brings rubbish and a potential for oil spills. These boats also require mooring points or anchor points on the reef which can destroy the coral. Water-based activities for explain diving and snorkelling are the most popular water-based activities on the reef. Most divers are very careful and usually cause no damage to the corals. However, studies have shown that a small proportion of divers swim too close to the corals, breaking them. The more fragile corals are susceptible to this. Wildlife interactions is the interactions with aquatic animals that live on the reef, most tourism operators are very careful to ensure tourists are well informed and to be strict with these rules and make sure that the tourists do not get too close to the wild animals that live on the reef, However, once again research shows that there are still a small portion of operators and tourists that are careless and disrupt wildlife which can impact on breeding cycles and natural interactions. Other impacts of tourism on the Great Barrier Reef include trampling of coral. This is a common occurrence where people walk on the reefs and the coral that become exposed at low tide. Souveniring of coral, shells and other elements of the reef ecosystem was also a major problem. In the past tourists and some commercial traders took large amounts of materials such as corals, mostly from the inner reef, which has now been constituted as being illegal unless the collector is correctly licensed. There are 26 major river systems that flow into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef from mainland Queensland. Approximately 25% of the land area of Queensland drains onto the reef. This runoff represents a major impact on the reef. Coastal development on land adjacent to the reef is expanding rapidly. Tourist developments such as those found between Cairns and Port Douglas, result in large amounts of land that is being cleared. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has information and research that the clearing of wetlands is another major issue impacting on the sustainability of the reef. Intertidal wetlands provide important habitats and nurseries for many of thousands of species that liv eon or near the reef. These wetlands also hold a large amount of water reducing the amount of fresh water the Great Barrier Reef receives each year which keeps salinity levels stable. Aquaculture is becoming a more popular form of commercial farming. Prawns, a number of fish species and pearl and edible oysters are commercially farmed throughout the Great Barrier Reef and in ponds near or next to the reef. These farms can sometimes release chemicals and diseases that impact and cause damage to the other species of aquatic life on the reef which can also cause pollution. Conventional agriculture on the coastal plain adjacent to the reef has been of great concern for reef ecologists and marine biologists. The use of chemical fertilisers in the farming areas of the reef can increase nutrients that promote algae growth. The algae can and already has been smothering the reef which causes a decrease in light penetration for the corals to perform photosynthesis to grow. A type of agriculture that can dramatically harm the reef includes land clearing which results in the erosion of topsoil and an increase in turbidity levels in the water. There are a large number of negative impacts on the ecosystem at risk studied, but the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, along with other smaller groups including the Aboriginal Culture have been enforcing a number of ways to protect and create awareness to tourists, fishers and all people on or visiting the reef or surroundings to keep the ecosystem as stable as they can.

International Marketing Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

International Marketing Environment - Essay Example Thus, the understanding of the environment of international marketing is significant in order to successfully achieve business goals (â€Å"Understanding the Global Marketing Environment†, n.d., pp.4-5). The Role of Government in International Trade The government has a significant role in international businesses, where the government promotes the activities of the trades and businesses. Various financial and non financial types of assistance are provided by the government that helps the country and its businesses to attract the FDI. This, in turn, enables the countries to fight their competitive countries. Foreign businesses are more attractive with the increasing liberalization in trade across different countries, deregulations and privatizations leading to greater opportunities of international businesses. Thus, governments have the opportunities to â€Å"open up their borders to international trade and investment, standardize their systems and procedures, adopt internati onally acceptable values and attitudes, and encourage the development of democratic institutions† (Aswathappa, 2010, p.10). Economic integration is attracted to a country when the country intends to develop financially and structurally. The various stages of integrations include free trade agreements, customs union, common market, and economic union. The free trade agreements regulate the initial integrations of trade between countries. External trade policies are controlled and regulated by the customs union. The common market decides on the movement of people across countries for the purpose of trades. The economic union contains all the elements of the other stages and regulated the monetary and fiscal policies of the international trades (Landers, 2012). Thus, it can be understood that these stages of economic integrations have significant impacts on the process of international trades between different countries. Economic and Cultural Elements of International Marketing E nvironment Economic and cultural factors are essential for the understanding of international marketing since these factors largely determine the marketing environment of the businesses and trades. Economic elements are significant since they have effects on the demands of any product being marketed in foreign markets. These elements include the size and composition of the target population, size and structure of the foreign market, level of competition, the sources of competition, rates of inflation, the restrictions on imports, tax systems, and other factors. These factors determine the demands and the rising level of trades across countries, thus, making it clear that economic elements affect international marketing environments. Cultural differences are also important in this regard since much of the social and ethnic issues result from such differences affecting global trades. Understanding of these factors is essential since they not only affect businesses but also support the marketer of the businesses in successfully gaining the target group in the foreign markets. Thus, elements like behaviors, values and beliefs are needed to be considered effectively (â€Å"Impact of Economic and Cultural Elements On International Marketing†, 2012). Political and Financial Risks with International Marketing The financial risks that are mostly involved in international tra

Engineering disasters that have occurred since 1800 Assignment

Engineering disasters that have occurred since 1800 - Assignment Example That is why the failure of the Engineers is called the Engineering Disasters. The Engineering disasters can be divided into different categories such as civil engineering disasters, Mechanical Engineering disasters, Nuclear Disasters, Environmental disasters, space disasters, etc. The primary causes of engineering disasters are usually considered to be According to the recent research conducted by Swiss federal Institute of technology in Zurich, it was proved the 800 cases of structural failure in which 504 people were killed, 592 people injured, and millions of dollars of damage incurred due to the Engineering disasters. When the faults are from the Engineers’ side, they are classified by the researchers in the following manner So the Engineers have no option but handle each and every task carefully. Here the paper specially focuses on many disasters that have occurred since 1800. This article is the analysis and the study of different Engineering disasters and the causes responsible for these disasters. Let’s have a look at some of the Engineering disasters from 1800 to till now. In 1854 a catastrophe occurred due to the failure of Engineers in building the steamship named Arctic where approximately 300 people had to loss their lives. The great appalling thing in this disaster was that not a single woman or child could survive. This steam ship was built in New York City and it was launched in 1850. This giant ship was 284 feet long, one of the largest ships in those days. Its steam engines powered large paddle wheels on either side of its hull. It was well equipped with spacious dining rooms, saloons, and staterooms, the luxurious accommodations never before seen on a steamship had been provided to the people. On September 13, 1854 Arctic reached in Liverpool after a trip from New York City. On its return trip to New York the Arctic would be

Saving Chinese gaming addicts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Saving Chinese gaming addicts - Essay Example The advancement in technology has led to the development of technological games that tend to be addictive just like drugs are. In the recent times, the trend has been that these games are not played manually at home. The internet, with its vast and ever increasing modifications has provided an online platform from where gamers can compete with other gamers globally. The result has been an increase in addiction in gaming. It is said that statistics do not lie. In this case, the news are filled with stories of gamers here and there who have become addicted to the games they play and have resulted to may be selling their children or have even died while playing these games for long hours. According to Liu, gaming addiction in China has been identified as a psychiactric condition. As a result, some measures have been effected to aid in curbing this disorder. Various measures and means are being utilised. What medium acan be used to save Chinese online gaming addicts? To complicate matters farther, research shows that games are important in improving certain skills such as making of decisions. Moreover, they are said to improve the health of an individual as they involve the usage of several motor skills. However, the sad thing about gaming is that the person becomes absorbed into the game gradually until he or she finds no meaning in other matters concerning life. It can be noted that apart from the rehabilitation centers set up by the Chinese government to curb online game addiction ad save addicts, magazines provide a meaningful means to save online game addicts. The advantages exceed the limitations by far. Furthermore, the target population, adolescents and teenagers is interested in reading magazines while there are several means to avail it to them.

Not sure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Not sure - Essay Example This entails display of excellent characters thus, promoting human virtues. Confucians have an optimistic view of humankind. They believe in the possibility of the ordinary man to become awe- inspiring and thus, man is teachable, perfectible, and improvable. This is achievable through personal as well as communal endeavors and is possible by self-creation and self-cultivation. Moreover, it focuses on cultivation of virtues such as ren, yi and li (Juergensmeyer, 70). Ren advocates for humaneness and altruism for people in the society, yi advocates for moral disposition to shun evil and righteousness while li advocates for the propriety and norms on human behavior in a society. On proper governance, it advices a person who wants to rule to first rule or govern himself before governing others (Haynes, 14). Therefore, for one to become a good leader, he should understand the principles and values for governing as this would provide him with the knowledge necessary for ruling others. Both Taoists and Confucians promote human virtues for honesty and naturalness for a successful life (Juergensmeyer, 70). They promote such values since they make life more comfortable and facilitate peaceful coexistence. However, Taoists disagree with the notion of governance through the establishment of laws and regulations. It sees the laws and regulations as a means of promoting rebellion and restricting the way man should live on earth (Haynes, 12). Conversely, Confucians accept the issue of governance, but on condition that the ruler first rules himself before ruling others. Taoists and Confucians have positive implications on human life and proper governance in that they facilitate the establishment of virtues and understanding the principles of proper governance. "Life and works of Confucius, by Prospero Intorcetta, 1687 Retrieved from Dec, 10, 2012 from http://members.tripod.com/~laotzu_2doagod.html Confucian temple in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Republic of China 2) Tariki refers to the power or authority of Amitabha Budha, which is other power. However, jiriki refers to self-power and ability of a person achieve liberation or reach enlightenment. It advocates for one to experience own truth and not rely on others’ experience for truth. The age of mappo refers to the age or period of degeneration of Buddha’s regulations and laws. It is believed to refer to the current or modern age in human history. Shinran Buddhism believes that recitation of Amitabha Buddha supports faith, as well as birth within paradise of Pure Land to attain enlightenment (Naberman, 113). It was among the largest schools of thoughts of Buddhism in Japan until the demise of the founder, Shinran. Pure Land of Honen Buddhism believes in tariki. According to the believers, repeated chanting the phrase namu amida butsu, otherwise regarded as Homage to Amitabha Buddha results in enlightenment (Naberman, 115). This enabled it become very popular within Japan. Nichiren Daishonin introdu ced Nichiren Budhism and entails mediation that employs a repeated phrase of mantra known as namu myo renge kyo. It is a form of salutation to Lotus Sutra for happiness, enlightenment, and

ESSAY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ESSAY - Research Paper Example The age of Callisto is around 4.5 billion years, the same as that of the planet where it is located which is Jupiter. Callisto is the furthest of the Galilean moons since it orbits from Jupiter at around 1,168,000 miles. Due to this distance from Jupiter, it takes seven days of earth to make a single complete orbit around the planet. Its orbit outside Jupiter’s main radiation strap makes the moon experience less tidal influences as compared to other Jovian moons. The size Callisto is about 3,000 miles in diameter, which is 4,800 kilometers. It is approximately the same size as planet mercury making it the third largest moon of the solar system. Callisto has the lowest density. Callisto’s mean surface temperature is 218.47 Fahrenheit (Zimmermann). Callisto was discovered by Galileo Galilei on January, 7 1610. Of all the Jupiter’s moons, it was the fourth to be discovered. It was discovered along with other three Jovian moons and it was the first for a moon to be found circling a planet which is not Earth. Galileo’s discovery finally led to the knowledge that planets orbit the sun (Zimmermann). Jupiter and its moons have been visited by several spacecraft. In 1973, Pioneer 10 arrived and by 1974, pioneer 11 had followed. During their flybys, Voyager 1 as well as Voyager 2 brought back outstanding photos. Detailed images were later to be formed by the Galileo spacecraft that travelled as near to the ground as 162 miles which is 261 kilometers over the exterior of the Galilean moons. Craters are the most noticeable feature of Callisto. This is because of the entire solar system Callisto has the most craters. According to scientist’s approximation, of the entire solar system, Callisto has the eldest surface. This moon has glimmered keen scientific interest since in 4 billion years, there is no sign of change on its geologic landscape. With no impact change on the

Are political parties still the central actors in politics Essay

Are political parties still the central actors in politics - Essay Example Politics, therefore, does not occur in a proverbial vacuum, consisting of a variety of interactions between society and the political actor and other relevant political figures that maintain responsibility for community governance. Politicians are often affiliated with a specific political party, an organisation that aims to influence the development of government party that are considered appropriate for securing the party’s objectives and agendas. Political parties serve as coalitions consisting of like-minded politicians that have the same ideologies and expectations for government. The question at hand is whether political parties are still the central actors in politics. Though political parties are highly influential and often serve as the underpinning for how politicians identify themselves comparatively to other political figures, there is little evidence that political parties are the principle actor along a political model or system. In fact, it would appear that the media is now the central actor in politics as media services a much broader role in society as it pertains to political activity. The media is able to influence politicians and societal members, promote real-time political activities, engage society about politically-relevant events, and even serve to expose questionable political behaviours. Political parties are no longer the central actor in politics. Political party affiliation is a method by which to classify a politician and their unique agendas as compared to other politicians. In the United States, political parties were established in the late 1700s when it became clear to those running for public office that they would need to garner public support to obtain a majority vote competitively (Nichols 1967). As there were no established political parties in the United States prior to 1787, the ideologies of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party (the two main parties in the country) became

Long Term Effects of Social Media And Its Impact On Children's Research Paper

Long Term Effects of Social Media And Its Impact On Children's Behavioral And Mental Health - Research Paper Example It has been suggested that on average children use almost 11 hours a day using the entertainment media and as such while using other forms of entertainment i.e. TV, children also engage into activities like texting while watching TV. This however, result into division of attention and may have an impact on the learning and cognitive abilities of the children. A study on the cognitive abilities of the person suggested that those participants who were good at multi-tasking while using media performed badly as compared to the persons who could not perform better at doing multi-tasking while using the media. The study concluded that those who are quick at media multitasking can actually get distracted very easily. (Kirkorian, Wartella and Anderson) Some studies suggest that too much of the hypertexting through social media websites and use of multimedia contents can actually result into a fundamental change in the way our brains work. The hyper texting as well as the use of multimedia re sults into limited attention span in children besides child also experience poor focus, low level of comprehension as well as depression and long term memory damage. (Conley) The above study clearly identifies that a sustained use of social media and even other entertainment tools can actually damage the cognitive and behavioral abilities of the children. It is also because of this reason that new guidelines are emerging which focus on restricting the use of electronics within the rooms of the children. It is now suggested that laptops as well as smartphones shall be removed from the rooms of children especially during night time. By restricting the access of children to electronics in general actually can help reduce the number of hours children actually... This paper approves that it is also important to note that some studies have also suggested that the use of Facebook improves the verbal ability of the children. Checking the status of friends on Facebook and other activities actually result into better spelling, working memory as well as an improved verbal ability. This study however, suggested that students using Facebook only shows such improved ability as compared to the use of YouTube. This suggests that the extensive use of multi-media contents specially may further damage the verbal as well as other capabilities of the children whereas checking messages and statuses on Facebook may improve the verbal ability of children. This study however, is relatively different in nature and suggests that children using Facebook for more than one year actually show an improved performance on some of the tests however, exposure to multimedia contents may have a negative impact. This report makes a conclusion that long term use of social media may have negative as well as positive impacts on the psychological as well as mental abilities of the children. A sustained long term use of social media may result into more aggressive behavior in children including anti-social behaviors, mania as well as memory loss. Studies however, also suggest that use of Facebook may also result into improved verbal abilities. However, this advantage may not be available if children are using websites like YouTube suggesting that exposure to the multimedia contents can have further damaging effect on the children and their mental abilities.

Review of Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airway Essay

Review of Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airway - Essay Example The success has been witnessed in participating in joint services with other airline companies like Middle East Airlines and United Airlines, to limit competition and boost success to the destinations that experience its services. The Middle East Company has been listed as a leading competitor with a strong foundation in Asia and the global continents. Emirates Airlines, conversely, had been established in 1985 to offer airline services. The company has since been considered the overall carrier in Dubai and United Arab Emirates having established its base at Dubai International Airport. Emirates has been based on the ideology of expansion and extending services to clients on the global scene. The company has been presented with the capability of holding the largest capacity of passengers and extended services. The airline operates an enormous fleet of Boeing airplanes, with the set of Airbus to place the services offered as the leading purchaser of the Airbus A380. Moreover, the airl ine boasts of offering the Sky Cargo services to over 15 international countries with diverse destinations. The ownership of the company has been the Dubai Government with connections in all of the global continents possessing ownership to over 103 areas. ... ed by the government of Dubai, has been operating for 23 years while Qatar Airways has been in business for 18 years and is owned by the government of Qatar. The emirates began its life in 1985 with a single aircraft. However, it has grown to be among the world’s leading international airline. It has reinforced Dubai as one of the most important aviation hubs (Cumming, 2007:67). The Qatar airways on the other hand began in 1993. A royal family in the country initially owned it. However, it was re-launched in 1997 under a new management. The government of the country currently holds more than 50% of the total investment. Private investors hold the rest of the shares. Political The political scene within the Middle East region has been favorable due to agreements among countries, which facilitate trade amongst them especially in the aviation industry. These agreements provide ready markets for both airlines. However, both companies were affected by the recent uprising in several Middle Eastern countries, which resulted in the closure of several airports leading to loss of business. Political influences of the specific countries have influence to the operation of the airlines. In Dubai for instance, politics have ridden the government owned emirates airline to a fully global power (Plunkett, 2006:432). The basic aim of this is to make the competitors growth projections not clinch to their desired height. This influence has made the customers of the emirates to rise from barely 8 million in 1996 to almost 29 million ten years later. This forms the most impressive sustained growth the company has ever made. The Qatar aviation is the most dynamic in the region. It is taking sponsorship over the political influence of the country placing it among the world’s fastest

Ethics of Engineering Essay Example for Free

Ethics of Engineering Essay Risk can be defined in many different versions basing on the specified use and situational context. It can simply means the future negative circumstances that can be prevented or mitigated, rather than day to day that calls for immediate attention. When it comes to risk management, the word hazard can be used to define a situation that would lead to harm while the word risk would mean a probability of anything occurring. This concept was applied at planning of delta works in the nineteenth century, which is a flood preventing project in western country. The type of risk analysis is now common in sites like chemical industry and nuclear power. Determining engineering risk is somewhere hard especially in industries where there is production of toxic materials. The way forward to measure individual life cost caused by the loss differs basing on the aim or purpose. Most measures entail what individuals are able to give to insure against death (National Academy of Engineering National Academies Press (US), 2004). Categories of risk -financial risk; is mostly termed as the unplanned variability of returns which covers bad-than-unplanned as well as good-than-desired returns. Basing on statistics risk is always placed to the probability of a number of outcomes that are mostly undesirable (Morse Babcock, 2009). Often the probability of the event and various assessment of its perceived harm need to be joined into a believable outcome, which joins a group of risk, regret and pay probabilities in a desired value for that same outcome. Risk is therefore assessed as a task of three variables namely the probability that there might be a negative warning, the presence of vulnerability and finally potential improvement in business. The first two probabilities are joined together and sometimes called likelihood, if any of the named variables above almost results to zero, the whole risk results to zero. Risk can further be defined as a state of lacking complete certainty where a number of possibilities entail a loss or various unexpected outcome. Measurement of risk; a group of possibilities with which each has a quantified probability and quantified losses From the text above it is vital for one to have uncertainty with no risk but not have risk without uncertainty. People can be uncertain concerning who will be the winner in a contest but unless they hold individuals stake in it, they hold no risk (Martin Schinzinger, 2005). If people bet some finances on the results of the contest, then it is true they have a risk. In this similar occurrences there are different outcome. The value of uncertainty only defines the probabilities kept for outcomes, as the calculation of risk calls for the two outcomes that is probability and quantified (National Academy of Engineering National Academies Press (US), 2004). Insurance and heath risk insurance is a type of risk lowering investment whereby the customer gives some agreed amount to be safer incase a negative issue arises. In this way, the customer will be so sure a loss has not occurred. Buying a lottery ticket is a high-risk investment with a possibility of minimal reward but with a high chance of getting a loss (Moriarty, 2008). Banking some funds at a specific rate of interest is also taking a risk although the return is less but guaranteed. Some risks like in individual’s health could be minimized through primary prevention habits that lowers early occurrence of diseases or by secondary avoidance habits once an individual has been exposed to early symptoms and signs that could be a risk factor. Tertiary avoidance lowers the negative outcome of a disease that is already established by minimizing illness- associated complication and restoring the functions. Every medical professional needs clear discussions about risk factors with an individual client to acquire informed consent concerning tertiary and secondary avoidance efforts however the entire medical health efforts in primary avoidance needs education of the public group at risk (Martin Schinzinger, 2005). In each circumstance, excellent communication concerning any risk factors, predicted results and certainty should differentiate between causal circumstances that need to be reduced and associated circumstances which might be consequences rather than causes (Baura, 2006). Safety It can be defined as a situation of being secure, out of danger injury or risk or in other terms, it means events that call to lower or do away with hazardous situations that can lead to injury of the body. Categories of safety †¢ Occupational safety it is mainly based with risks in locations where individuals work that is in building and construction, business industries and organizations. †¢ public safety it deals with hazards in premises, journeys, touring and recreation, and in other various circumstances which is not within the category of occupational safety †¢ Marketing safety this entails security in purchasing of goods and even in producing. One must be sure the services offered will not lead to a negative outcome (Baura, 2006). On the other hand, the producers themselves should not risk in making a loss for this can cause the closure of a business. †¢ Insurance risk this avoids a great loss in business or in individuals investment incase an accident or an injury arises, that means the owner is secured. In case of an accident, it is always advisable to analyze the employees’ status of safety measures, which could be affected by outward working environment, attitudes directed to security and accident avoidance work and also leaders’ commitment in security promotion. Such kind of factors could be linked to work stress and risk behavior (Moriarty, 2008). The perceived risk behavior affects negative outcomes like accidents and near misses, while the possibility that discourages improvement in transforming a person’s risk perception towards embracing safety is still not yet clear (Martin Schinzinger, 2005). Competent verses incompetent A competent engineer is one whose work is recommendable and excellent; he evaluates, assesses and organizes the employees to work with an aim of meeting the company’s goals and objectives. He works under minimal supervision from the seniors, seeks for advice in times of difficulty and consults other professionals to add skills and knowledge (Harris et al 2008). Unlike incompetent engineer who might have no knowledge of his work and his end results after working are disgusting. Maintaining a competent engineer could be challenging unlike the incompetent one. A good engineer has most of the qualification required in his area of assignment; works well to produce excellent results while a good person is generally pleasing and manifests good characters but may be lacking qualifications in his work (National Academy of Engineering National Academies Press (US), 2004). A person may be competent but lacks good morals this can be evidenced by most of the employers who employ workers on condition to get ‘something’ in return. This is mostly happening in the modern world where most competent individuals have no integrity or character. In conclusion, it is better to risk taking an action despite of the unknown results rather than being safe in a condition whose guaranteed results are negative for example banking money to gain small interest instead of keeping it with you. Reference Baura, G. (2006). Engineering ethics: an industrial perspective. New York: Academic Press. Harris, C. , Pritchard, M. Rabins, M. (2008). Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 4th Ed. New York: Cengage Learning. Martin, M. Schinzinger, R. (2005). Ethics in engineering, 4th Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishers. Moriarty, G. (2008). The engineering project: its nature, ethics, and promise. New York: Penn State Press. Morse, L. Babcock, D. (2009). Managing Engineering and Technology: An Introduction to Management for Engineers, 5th Ed. New York: Prentice Hall Publishers. National Academy of Engineering National Academies Press (US). (2004). Emerging technologies and ethical issues in engineering: papers from a workshop, October 14-15, 2003. New York: National Academies Press.

The Price Of Elasticity Of Supply Economics Essay

The Price Of Elasticity Of Supply Economics Essay The price of elasticity of supply assesses the sensitiveness of the quantity supplied to a change in the price of a good when all other influences on selling plans remain constant. It can be calculated by using the formula: PES = Percentage change in quantity supplied Percentage change in price The two determinants of price elasticity of supply are resource substitution possibilities and time frame for the supply decision (Parkin 9th edition pg97): For resource substitution possibilities, it means that only some goods and services can be produced only by using special or rare productive resources. Such items have low and sometimes even zero elasticity of supply because items like that are hard to be substituted. For example, cars and tyres. As the price of rubber rises, the quantity supplied will reduce by only a little because people still need tyres for their cars. It is difficult to find another raw material for tyre because the input factor of production is rare and therefore, the price elasticity of supply will be inelastic. The second determinant is time respond for the supply decision. For instance planting maize. It takes a few months to produce maize that even if the price changes, the farmer will not be able to do anything. Reason being so is that when the price of maize fluctuates, the time taken for maize production will remain constant. Thus, the price elasticity of supply will be inelastic if the production is long. Price QS 40% 20% S Based on the diagram, it shows that price increase is greater than the quantity supplied. The two determinants of price elasticity of supply are resource substitution and time frame for supply decision. Part B Price elasticity of demand (PED) is a unit free measure of the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good to a change in price, when all other determinants on buying plans remain the same. The formula used to calculate PED is(Parkin, 9th edition pg 86): PED = Percentage change in quantity demanded Percentage change in price Businesses use the price elasticity concept to decide on their pricing strategy based on three ranges of elasticity namely inelastic, elastic and unit elastic demand. When the percentage decrease in quantity demanded is less than percentage increase in price, it is said to be an elastic demand. Goods that are categorized under inelastic are considered necessities and therefore when business increase the price to obtain more revenue, the demand will still be there. An example would be smokers and cigarettes. If the price of cigarettes is now rm10 a pack, quantity demanded is 50 but when price increase to rm15 a pack, quantity demanded becomes 45. The above diagram is an example of the relationship between the change in quantity demanded and change in price. The elasticity is more than zero but less than one, which means it is inelastic and smokers will still continue buying cigarettes despite the price increase. When the percentage decrease in quantity demanded but greater than one exceeds the percentage increase in price, then it is an elastic demand. Goods that have an elastic demand are luxury goods because the goods have many substitutes, for example Nike shoes. If the price is rm200, then quantity demanded is 100 but once the price increases to rm220, the quantity demanded will fall to 70. This is because the customers can resort to other brands. The elasticity is more than one which means customers are sensitive to the change in price. The diagram shows that even though the price increases only by a little bit, but the quantity demanded decreased by a lot because goods like that can be substituted easily. When the percentage decrease in quantity demanded equals to the percentage increase in price, then it is a unit elastic demand. In cases like that, businesses should neither increase nor decrease the price of goods because a change in price will change the quantity demanded. An example would be chewing gum. The initial price is rm1, and quantity demanded is 200 but once the price increases to rm2, the quantity demanded will decrease to 100. By using the concept of price elasticity, businesses can decide whether to increase price (inelastic demand), reduce price (elastic demand) or not to change the price (unit elastic demand) in order to maximize revenue. Question 3 One of the factors of supply is the prices of factors of production. A decrease in price of production will directly correlate to an increase in supply. This is because if the price of a factor of production used to produce a good decreases the minimum price that a supplier is willing to accept for producing each quantity of those good decreases. So a decrease in the price of a factor of production decreases supply and shifts the supply curve rightward. Another factor is the price of related goods produced. A substitute in production of a good is another good that can be produced using the same resources. The supply of a good increase if the price of a substitute in production falls. Goods are complements in production if they must be produced together. The supply of a good increase if the price of a complement in production rises. Expected future prices are another determinant of an increase in supply. If the price of a good is expected to decrease in the future, the supply of the g ood today increases and the supply curve shifts leftward. b) A price ceiling or price cap is a regulation that makes it illegal to charge a price higher than a specific level. If the price ceiling is set above the equilibrium price, it has no effect. The market works as if there were no ceiling in the first place. Inversely, if the ceiling were to be set below the equilibrium, its effects are far greater. If the level of price equilibrium is above the price ceiling, in order to achieve price equilibrium one would have to enter to illegal region. Other mechanisms thus come into place in order to eliminate the shortage created by the price cap. Search activity and black markets are some of those mechanisms and consumers are willing to pay a higher price in order to obtain the goods due to the shortage. A price ceiling decreases the quantity supplied to a less efficient quantity resulting in a deadweight loss. A further shrink in consumer and producer surplus further enhances the potential loss from search activity. A price floor is a regulati on that makes it illegal to trade at a price lower than a specific level. If it is set below the equilibrium price, there is no effect. Effect only takes place if set above the equilibrium price. Price floor leads to an inefficient outcome. A minimum price is set above the equilibrium and decreases the quantity demanded. A deadweight loss thus arises due to a decrease in consumer and producer surplus. Question 5 Part A Demand refers to the quantity of a good that potential buyers would be willing and able to buy or attempt to buy at a different price level. The law of demand states that there is an inverse relationship between the price of a good and the quantity demanded in a defined time period. Quantity demanded of a good or service is the amount that consumers plan to buy during a given time period at a particular price.(McConnell,Brue Flynn Economics 18th edition) A decrease in demand will result in a leftward shift in the graph and there are six main factors influencing it. The first factor is the prices of related goods. Assume if a comparison is made between hamburger and hot dog. If the price of a substitute for hamburger rises, people buy less of the substitute and more hamburgers. The demand for hamburger will rise and demand for hot dogs will fall. Then there is also complement which is a good that is used in conjunction with another. For example, fries and hamburgers. If the price for hamburger increases, people will not buy so much fries and hamburgers. There will be a decrease in demand. The next factor is expected future prices. If a good, for now will decrease because people would want to buy it at a cheaper price. The third factor is income. When income rises, consumer will buy more goods but when it decreases, they will buy less of those goods. A normal good is one for which demand increases as income increases. Inferior good is one when demand will decrease as income increases. Next factor that will decrease a demand is when expected future income and credit falls. For example, when a sales person knows her income will fall in the future, she will have to spend wisely and not splurge on goods. Another factor is when the population decreases. For example in the 1990s in America, a decrease in the college-age population decrease the demand for college places. Lastly would be preference. If there is poor or no environmental awareness, it will shift the demand curve for recycled items or even eco-friendly bags to the left. The diagram shows a leftward shift on the demand curve. Unlike the demand curve, the quantity demanded curve will bring an upward movement on the diagram, instead of a shift and the only factor that influences it is price with all other determinants on buying plans remain constant. According to the new law of demand, higher price will cause a decrease in demand. From the diagram, a decrease in quantity demanded will cause an upward movement when price rise from P0 to P1, quantity demanded falls from QD2 to QD1. An example would be the rise of price of apple from P0 to P1. It will decrease the quantity demanded to QD1. There are a few differences between a decrease in demand and decrease in quantity demanded. First, decrease in demand will show a leftward shift in the graph but decrease in quantity demanded shows an upward movement. There are six factors influencing the demand to decrease but only one that influence the quantity demand; price. Part B Income elasticity of demand (YED) is the ratio of percentage change in the quantity demanded of a good or service to a given percentage change in income. YED indicates the responsiveness of demand to change of household income. To calculate YED.(McConnell,Brue Flynn Economics 18th edition) : YED = Percentage change in quantity demanded Percentage change in householdà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s income The three degrees of YED are positive, negative and zero. For positive YED, it is further categorized into two types which are income inelastic (01). For income inelastic, the percentage increase in quantity demanded is positive but less than the percentage increase in income. When the demand for a good is income inelastic, the percentage of income spent on that good decreases as income increases. Those will be considered normal goods such as clothes, food and travel. But for income elastic demand, the percentage increase in quantity demanded exceeds the percentage increase in income. When the demand for a good is income elastic, the percentage of income spent on that good increases as income increases. For example, if the price of a doughnut is constant and 9 doughnuts an hour are bought. So when income rises from rm975 to tm1025 a week, the quantity of doughnuts sold rise to 11 an hour, ceteris paribus. The change in quantity demanded is 2 and the average quantity is 10 doughnuts, so the quantity demanded increases by 20% and the change in income is tm50 and the average is rm1000 so income increases by 5%. The income elasticity of demand for doughnut is: 20% = 4% 5% Therefore, it is said that the income elasticity demand for pizza is elastic. Next is negative YED (YED Question 6 Equilibrium is a situation in which opposing forces balance each other out. Equilibrium in a market occurs when the price balances the plans of buyers and sellers. The equilibrium price is the price at which the quantity demanded equals the quantity supplied. Consumer surplus is defined as the value of a good minus the price paid for it, summed over the quantity bought. It is measured by the area under the demand curve and above the price paid, up to the quantity bought. Producer surplus is determined by subtracting the marginal cost from the price received for a good and summed over the quantity sold. It is measured by the area below the market price and above the supple curve. b.) The production possibility frontier (PPF) marks the boundary between the combination of goods and services that can be produced. There are four assumptions that are made which are the economy is efficient, there are a fixed amount of resources, a fixed level of technology and there are only two goods. In order to achieve efficiency there must be full employment and full production. The opportunity cost of an activity is the value of the next best alternative that must be forgone to undertake the activity. Scarcity is a situation where there is not enough resources to produce enough a good to satisfy the needs of the consumers. Choice occurs when scarcity forces consumers to make a choice in order to maximise satisfaction. PPF illustrates these three principles of economics; choice, scarcity and opportunity cost. Because of scarcity, a society has to make choices between the productions of two goods with scarce resources available. Most choice involves opportunity costs. Referencing Parkin.M, Economics 9th edition ,Pearson International Edition McConnell,Brue Flynn Economics 18th edition

High Scope Approach | Overview and Implementation

High Scope Approach | Overview and Implementation This paper will be talking about the High/Scope Curriculum Approach. The philosophy under the High/Scope Curriculum Approach is children should actively be part of their learning with the help and support of teachers/educators. The High/Scope philosophy believes that children are better learners when they can touch, manipulate, and explore. I will also explain the ways this model promotes the teaching and development of young children, the theoretical influences of High/Scope, and other important elements, such as planning, observation, and implementation. In this paper, I will review the types of assessments and documentations strategies used to evaluate on-going learning, and finally use the ELECT document to evaluate how the High/Scope Curriculum supports the six core principles. Theoretical Influences David Weikart is the educator that thought and organized the High/scope Curriculum. The main theorists behind the High/Scope Curriculum are Jean Paget and Vygotsky. Early in the development of the High/Scope Curriculum, the work of Piaget became influential and the curriculum was renamed the cognitively oriented curriculum. Also, Vygotsky socio-cultural theory had influenced the High/Scope Curriculum. The High/Scope Curriculum is based on the child development ideas that children learn better when they are actively engaged. From there the High/Scope create key experiences for teachers to help children in their learning process. The environment in the High/Scope is organized with developmentally materials/activities based on the needs and interest of children in the program. The main component of the High/Scope in the preschool area is related to key experiences that are divided into three sectors and each sector include learning experiences 1. Social and emotional development, including recognition and solution of problems, understanding routines, expectations, and communicating with others. 2. Movement and physical development, including block building, climbing, ball throwing and catching, and play with manipulative. 3. Cognitive development, including representation, language, classification, seriation, number, space, and time. The key experiences that shape the curriculum give opportunities to new experiences and can also be used for planning, assessments as wells as observations tools. Observations Observations in a High/Scope are beneficial for children, educators as well as for parents. Through observations, teachers find out about childrens needs and interests while interacting, asking open ended questions and participating in activities with children. Observations are done through the COR which is the Child Observation Record to assess children growth and development. Anecdotal notes are taken in a daily basis and are used to complete the COR. The Child Observation Record (COR) is based on the 58 key developmental indicators. Usually, this is done by educators that know really well the child and work with on a daily basis. Teachers evaluate children as well as their own performance. It is very important for educators to have written observations of their work, not only as written evidence to show parents how their child is progressing but also as a way to help parents identify how they can help in the process. Observations are done better if all educators in the program are observing the children in the room at the same time. This way educator can gather and draw comparisons from their observations and evaluate or reevaluate activities and key experiences that needed to be worked on in the future. Planning A main component of the High/Scope Curriculum Approach is the plan-do-review sequence. Teachers set up the environment with developmentally appropriate materials and the children first decide what materials they want to work with and what they wanted to do. Children plan with the educator in a group of 3 or 4. Educators speak to each child by taking turns while sharing ideas about their choices of activity and material. Planning time last about 10 minutes. After planning, children carry out their own initiatives by choosing materials or friends to work with and have freedom to execute their own thought. Educators supervise, interact, and support children in their learning skill. Educators also assist children in the problem solving. In the High/Scope setting, learning experiences are determined by both children alongside with teachers which means children decide and pick their own activities and teachers ask questions, add challenge to it, and support children in the learning. The curriculums plans are recorded through daily observations by teachers using the COR. Daily observations help teachers keep track of their work with children as well as their won performance. The role of the team in planning is very important in a High/Scope Curriculum. By working together as a team, educators will share their observations to see if they came across with the same information. I also think team work is important in the choice of materials provided children and finally important to the success of the program. Implementation High/Scope Curriculum Approach always follows specific structure to implement curriculum. The daily routine is fragmented into segments and each segment is planned depending on the needs of the program. The daily routine is made of: Arrival and greeting Plan-Do-Review time Large group time Small group time Outside time Transition time Eating and resting time The space is High/Scope is organized into different areas that will be relevant and motivating for children learning such as block areas, dress up areas, kitchen areas, book areas, rest areas, art areas, etc. All areas are all labeled in a way so the children can understand for example pictures of different items. I think this a good way to support early literacy. The materials are selected by the teachers so they are well organized and also labeled with pictures, photographs, or real objects. Materials are available all the time to children. The use of time is very effective in the High/Scope Curriculum. There is a time for planning which lat 10-15 minutes and the work time is approximately 45-60 minutes. 10 minutes to recall, 15 to 20 minutes small group time, 10 to 15 minutes large group time and finally 30 minutes of outside time. The time frame allows teachers to cover all sequences of the daily routine. It will also allow children to have consistency in their routine. In the High/Scope Curriculum, educators play an important role. They are responsible of setting up the environment, providing appropriate materials that are age and developmentally appropriate. They are also there to work alongside with children, encourage, guide, and support them in the learning. Educators use quality tools to observe children on a daily basis and also maintain a relationship between childrens family and the program. Finally, I will say that the way teachers conduct themselves in the High/Scope environment give children opportunities to build relationship with adult and school friends, in order to build confidence and self esteem. Assessment Assessment is very essential in the High/Scope Curriculum. Educators use the Child Observation Record to measure children development and growth. Educators take anecdotal notes at a daily basis to record the children activities and behavior while playing. The assessments help teachers and directors to measure the quality of the program. Quality of a program includes the learning environment, adult child interaction, daily routine, curriculum planning, assessment, parents involvement, teachers qualifications, and development and program management. Learning environment, is it inviting for children to learn? Is the space well arranged and are the materials appropriate for age level? Are there different segments in the daily routine that show what is coming next, planning has to be well balanced to meet learning goals and objectives. Are the children assessed with the right tools? Is the learning environment inviting and open for families to be involved in their childrens learning? Do teachers have some training to improve and update their skills? Is the program management supportive of the staff for professional development, dealing with stress related to work and offers some type of appreciation and recognition to teachers. Assessment is vital, it help improve the work environment for children and teachers. Documentation Documentation is very important in the High/Scope environment because it provides educators with a lot of hands on that they can utilize to improve their work, to keep families informed of their children work or progress. Documentation can also be used to provide community/social workers some information that can help in needed situations. Documentation goes from Child Observation Record, photographs, portfolio childrens work to a recording material. Documentation is a valuable tool and can be used as proven facts all the time if well kept. However every documentation should be personal to every child, confidential and can be used cautiously. ELECT Principles/Curriculum Model: High Scope 1.) Early Childhood Development sets the foundation for lifelong learning, behavior and health In the High/Scope Curriculum, children are given the opportunity to make choices, be responsible for their choices and think about it in the plan-do-review process. By allowing children to do so, they are learning important skills like communication with others, sharing ideas and critical thinking, and confidence. Those skills will be used throughout their life. 2.) Partnership with families and communities strengthen the ability of early childhood setting to meet the needs of going children Parents/families are welcome in the program to ask theyre children are doing. They can access their childrens art work, portfolios, progress, or any other issues. Parents provide support to children and by the way to teachers. Parents involvement helps their children and facilitates learning process. 3.) Demonstration of respect for diversity, equity, and inclusion are prerequisites for optimal development and learning. High/Scope Curriculum is open to all children including special needs children. Children are respected as a whole individual for the choices and ideas Parents and families involvement in the program can be used as a learning opportunity. Example: Art, dance, cooking project, song, form other cultures. In a learning program, respect for diversity equity, and inclusion are important to integrate while planning and implementing because it gives a child a sense of recognition, confidence and self-esteem. 4.) A planned curriculum supports early learning. In the High/Scope setting, teachers set up the environment depending on childrens interests Observations are done to assess childrens learning and growth. The plan-do-review process allows educators/children to have a feedback of their work, and this can be used to see what works or did not work. 5.) Play is a means to early learning that capitalizes on childrens natural curiosity and exuberance. In the High/Scope Curriculum, play takes very important place. Children experience new skills through play and play requires manipulation, exploration, and achievement. Educators support children in their play, ask questions to help or increase childrens learning, add more challenges to it, and also help children in problem solving approach. Educators also play alongside with children. Play is the main activity of childhood and we cannot separate play from children because I considerate play as 1st learning tool for children. 6.) Knowledgeable, responsible early childhood professional are essential Educators observe children at a regular basis to identify their needs, level of learning, and growth. Educators organize the environment and materials that are age appropriate for children. Educators work in small/big group with children depending of the activity. By working in a small, teachers get to know better and identify their needs. Educators support childrens learning and behavior with positive guidance. Teachers assess children learning as well their own performance. Educators maintain a relationship with families and community/social services Knowledge and experiences in the fields are needed to perform effectively in the program. Recommendations 1.) Its important to give opportunity to children to explore their environment and build knowledge around it. 2.) Maintain a relationship with parent by sending whether weekly newspaper, asses their childrens wok and parents/teachers meetings. 3.) Integrate diverse cultures and values in the classroom. Take time to assist children with special needs so they can effectively integrate into the learning environment. 4.) High/scope curriculum requires a large input that takes time. 5.) It will be hard to put in place a long project with children. Conclusion The High/Scope Curriculum is a very effective curriculum that provides a clear, concise, and constructive learning environment and learning tools for children. Its also interesting to see how children take care of their own learning with teachers support and build relationship that gives them confidence and helps them develop their self-esteem. From my research, I think the High/Scope Curriculum is beneficial for children today and will allow them to succeed in the future.