Thursday, October 31, 2019

How does your company deal with preparing staff to work in another Essay

How does your company deal with preparing staff to work in another country and for incoming foreign staff - Essay Example Understanding these relations is very important for an organization, which desires to manage its employee-employer relationship effectively. PROPOSED STUDY: This paper gives an examination of the employee organization rapport by probing the employee perception of what they owe their company and what they feel their company owes them in return. The paper also examines these aspects from a cross-cultural perspective by determining how societal culture affects employee attitude concerning their obligations to the employer and what the employer owes them. Purposely, the paper delves at how various cultural aspects of collectivism, the employees’ perception of the terms of their employment relationship. Additionally, whilst most studies focus on employees’ behavior and attitudinal reactions to their company’s failure to meet obligations, less has been unraveled about how companies deal with preparing their staff to work in another country and for incoming foreign staf f. This paper aims at discussing in depth, how Ford Motor Company prepares its staff to operate in remote countries. The paper gives an exclusive introduction to the company’s background, after which it embarks on the thesis statement, which is, how the motor company has dealt with preparing its staff to work in another country and for incoming foreign staff. ... The company has employed more than 25600 peoples by the end of December with its headquarters based in Michigan and Dearborn. Ford has recorded revenues of more than $182,456 million in just one fiscal year; that is up to December 2007. An increase of around 7.6% over that gained in the year 2006. The company’s operating profit of the company used to be $6,631 million in the economic year 2007 put under compared to an operating loss of around$8, 291 million in the year 2006. This loss, however, in 2007 reduced to $3,722 million (Ford Motor Company, 2000). The company operates two businesses: Automotive Division In this business, it produces a variety of vehicles, among cars in the medium, large, small, and premium segments as well as buses, SUV’s, Vans, and trucks. Its automotive vehicle brands include Mazda, Mercury, Ford, Volvo, and Lincoln. Ford also owns a 34.4 % controlling stake when considering Mazda (Lussier, 2013). Because it is the consumer trend towards lesse r and more cost-effective cars, it has increased its business in this part. Ford’s automotive business can safely get organized into five segments: Premier Automotive (PAG). Ford added onto, manufacturing and distributing trucks and cars, it, also, avails a diversity of after sales products and services via its dealer network (Rowley, 2013). The Financial Service Division The Ford Motor Credit Company was initiated in the year 1923 as a completely owned subordinate of Ford. This business provides automotive financing for Volvo, Mercury, Ford, and Lincoln’s customers. The Credit business was established so that Ford Motor Company dealers could offer competitive financial services to both business and individuals. The Major financial services entail:

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Self in Human Communication Essay Example for Free

The Self in Human Communication Essay Looking-glass self— the image of yourself that others reveal to you through the way they communicate with you b. Comparisons between yourself amp; others (you gain a different perspective when you see yourself in comparison to your peers) c. Your cultural experiences (these experiences provide benchmarks against which you can measure yourself; for example, your ability to achieve what your culture defines as success contributes to a positive self-concept) d. Self-interpretations amp; self-evaluations; your evaluation of your own thoughts amp; behaviors i. Self-interpretations- your reconstruction of the incident amp; your understanding of it ii. Self-evaluations- the value-good or bad- that you place on the behavior B. Self-awareness- your knowledge of who you are; of your traits, your strengths amp; limitations, your emotions amp; behaviors, amp; your individuality (basic to all communication) 1. Your 4 Selves (Johari Window); divided into four areas or â€Å"panes,† the Johari window shows different aspects or versions of the self (4 areas are not separate from one another, but interdependent; when one area gets larger, one or another becomes smaller). Open self- represents all the information, behaviors, attitudes, amp; feelings about yourself that you know amp; that others also know (varies according to your personality amp; the people to whom you’re relating) b. Blind self- represents knowledge about you that others have but you don’t (Example: habits you don’t realize you have); a large blind self indicates low self-awareness and interferes with accurate communication c. Unknown self- represents those parts of yourself that neither you nor others know (could be revealed during hypnosis or in dreams) Hidden self- represents all of the knowledge you have of yourself but keep secret from others (successfully kept secrets) 2. Growing in Self-Awareness (important in communication) a. Listen to others- feedback you need to increase self-awareness b. Increase your open self-increases the chances others will reveal what they know about you c. Seek information about yourself- use everyday situations to encourage people to reveal what they know about you; seek in moderation d. Dialogue with yourself; no one knows you better than you know yourself; ask yourself self-awareness questions Self-esteem- a measure of how valuable you think you are 1. Ways to increase self-esteem; increasing self-esteem will help you to function more effectively in school, in interpersonal relationships, amp; in careers) a. Attack self-destructive beliefs- set unrealistically high standards amp; therefore almost always lead to failure ii. Examples of self-destructive beliefs: 1. The belief that you have to be perfect; this causes you to try to perform at unrealistically high levels at work, school, amp; home; anything short of perfection is unacceptable The belief that you have to please others amp; that your worthiness depends on what others think of you 3. The belief that you have to take on more responsibilities than any one person can be expected to handle b. Seek out nourishing people (also seek to become more nourishing) i. Noxious Vs. Nourishing People 1. Noxious people criticize amp; find fault with just about everything 2. Nourishing people are positive amp; optimistic; they reward us, stroke us, and make us feel good about ourselves c. Work on projects that will result in success (if a project does fail, realize this does not mean that you’re a failure) Remind yourself of your success (only focus on failures if your objective is to correct what you did wrong or identify the skills you need to correct those failures) e. Secure affirmation- positive statements about you, statements asserting that something good or positive is true of you (focus on your good deeds, your positive qualities, strengths, amp; virtues) II. Self-disclosure A. Self-disclosure. Who you are- individuals who are more sociable, extroverted, comfortable communicating, competent, amp; self-confident are more willing to disclose 2. Your culture- various cultures view self-disclosure differently 3. Your gender- women generally disclose more about relational topics than men with certain exceptions; in initial encounters men will disclose more intimately than women, perhaps to control the relationship’s development; also in a study between Americans amp; Argentineans males indicated a significantly greater willingness to self-disclose than females. Your listeners- self-disclosure is more likely to occur in dyads (groups of 2 people) or small groups than in larger groups; we disclose to people we like amp; trust, amp; to those that disclose to us (dyadic effect- what one person does, the other also does; not universal across all cultures- Americans are likely to follow dyadic effect while Koreans aren’t) 5. Your topic amp; channel- we disclose more positive information about superficial topics (job or hobbies over sex life or financial situation); individuals are more likely to disclose online (disinhibition effect- people seem less inhibited in communicating in e-mail or in social network sites than in face-to-face situations) C. The Rewards amp; Dangers of Self-Disclosure 1. Rewards a. Self-knowledge- helps you gain a new perspective on yourself amp; a deeper understanding of your own behavior b. Improved coping abilities- helps you deal with problems, especially guilt (receiving support rather than rejection) c. Communication enhancement- you understand the messages of others largely to the extent that you understand the individuals; when they are serious or joking, or being sarcastic out of fear or resentment) d. More meaningful relationships- tells others you trust, respect, amp; care enough about them and your relationship to reveal yourself 2. Dangers a. Personal risks-the more you reveal about yourself, the more areas of your life you expose to possible attack; the more they know the more they can use against you (competition or romance).

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Strategic Management at Zhujiang Iron and Steel Company

Strategic Management at Zhujiang Iron and Steel Company 1.0 Introduction This material critically analyses the process of strategic management in the areas of nature of competition, the strategy, the strategy process, method of entrepreneurship and resources ofZhujiang Iron Steel Company (ZISCo). The analysis has been done by using some major theories such as gap analysis, balance score card, triple loop learning of ZISCo. Zhujiang Iron and Steel Company (ZISCo) is a Chinese state owned enterprise established in 1997. ZISCo is a steel manufacturer who produces wide range of steel sheets and plates that are used as inputs of various other products. In early 2003, ZISCo faced many problems in the key areas of production, procurement marketing and this has resulted in poor financial performance. In the past ZISCo implemented niche marketing strategy from 2003onwards, ZISCo planned to implement value creation strategy undertook many functional reforms with active participation from all its employees improved its financial performance during 2004 2006. However, in 2007 also ZISCo encountered various challenges, predominantly in the areas of cultural change, knowledge management, and development of organisational competence and learning capability Thus, this material initially analyses the current business strategies of ZISCo to understand the nature of their operations. Subsequently, conducts a PESTEL analysis, Porters five forces and value chain analysis to understand the environment of ZISCo, drivers of profit in the industry at present and the future. In addition, gap and balance score card analysis also has been done to understand the gaps that are existing in the context of ZISCo and to evaluate its performance. Strategic options can be considered to address the gaps that have been identified by the organisation. Therefore, the report will provide an exposure to the strategic options available used by ZISCo and whether they have effectively implemented the strategies. This has been done by analysis of 7S framework triple loop learning alone with an action plan. Finally, the report will suggest the recommendations where its applicable by providing justifications. The analysis of this report was done with the assistance of the case information provided and through industry related information from academic books, journals, websites and other publicly available secondary data sources. 2.0 Process of strategic management followed at ZISCo Businesses vary in the processes they use to formulate and direct their strategic management activities. The model enhances the development of strategy formulation skills by guiding the analyst systematic and comprehensive study of each business situation 2.1 Strategic factors and capabilities 2. 1.0 External environment From the PESTEL analysis Michael Porters five forces analysis it is clear that ZISCo is functioning in a very complex volatile environment which will impact all the strategies adapted by the organisation. Hence, a good understanding of ZISCos external environment will facilitate the organisation to exploit opportunities and avoid threats From the steel industry analysis we can conclude there are many well established key players in the Chinese market the industry has high potential to attract new players in future. Thus, the PESTEL variables in macro environment have major impact on the performance of ZISCo. 2.1.1 Internal environment Analysis of internal environment is a crucial phase to an organisation as it helps to identify the strength and weakness of the organisation. This would mean internal analysis will determine the required skills resources of ZISCo to cope up with competitors capabilities thus measures ZISCos effectiveness to gain competitive advantage According to the value chain analysis the main competitive advantage of ZISCo is technology leadership and implementation of value creation strategy in the steel and iron industry in china. However, through this analysis it is clear focus on quality was very low this is mainly due to the fact that quality department people were ignoring their responsibilities management did not place more care in this department as it does for marketing. 2.1.2Analysis of SWOT From the SWOT analysis key strength of ZISCo is that they have gained competitive advantage over technology leadership as they are the first company to introduce CSP technology in steel iron industry. In addition the other most important strength is their value creation strategy; ZISCo is the first company to implement value creation strategy and one stop shop services to their customers. Thus this will provide a first mover advantage to ZISCo as Chinese market moving toward planned economy to market economy. However, the primary weaknesses of ZISCo are poor quality products are being produced, has liability to pay bank loan interest of US$ 40million annually, and lower bargaining power in purchasing raw materials as a result of signing a contract with a supplier. The quality issues identified would erode companys goodwill among major most important customers; even company may lose its profitable customers for lack of focus in quality issues. Further the non current liability seems to be a huge amount, if proper care is not taken to settle the debt the whole company would go into liquidation. In addition company also faces problems with supplier; ZISCo will directly get affected if supplier does not provide raw materials on time in intended quality. Rapidly changing environment has influenced the performance of the organisation by creating opportunities and threats. The key Opportunities of ZISCo are Chinese economy is transforming towards market economy by creating an advantage for all the organisations in Chinese market and unsatisfied higher demand for container used steel sheets is a big opportunity for ZISCO. The unfavourable key factors that affect ZISCo performance and barrier to growth are slow moving organisational culture (slow change from production orientation to value orientation) , competitors imitating CSP technology and marketing practice very quickly. Further high raw material and electrical cost, the government restriction in steel industry such as limiting the number of employees been recruited and fixed price ranges are also threats for ZISCo 2.2 Strategies adapted by ZISCo Organisation can formulate strategies in three different levels known as corporate level, business level and functional level (Viljoen, J. and Dann, 2003, pg 235). As GISCo is the parent of ZISCo, they have adapted several comprehensive business strategies for their organisation. The business strategy of ZISCo is â€Å"value creation for both customers and company†. In order to follow this business strategy Zhujiang has adapted following strategies. Such as: Changing their niche marketing strategy to mass marketing strategy Pre-emptive strategy Differentiation strategy Cost reduction strategy New product development strategy Informal communication strategy Outsourcing strategy Adapting a new business model strategy 2.3 The performance of ZISCo The rapidly changing external environment has created some significant challenges for management of ZISCo. In order to analyse the overall performance balance score card approach has been used A general conclusion that the overall performance of ZISCO is at satisfactory level can be drawn from the balance score card analysis .However if we take each perspective in to consideration ZISCo has achieved maximum performance in financial and innovation learning perspectives whereas customer perspective and internal business perspectives are at moderate level. Therefore, ZISCo should concern on accelerating order cycling process to make improvements in internal business perspective performance. In addition they should also create possible steps to retain attract more customers by means of customer satisfaction. 2.4 Analysis of External, Internal and Stakeholders inconsistency To be successful, an organisations strategy must be consistent with the requirement of its current and expected future environment (external consistency), its capabilities must be consistent with the business strategy being pursued (internal consistency), and its performance from the existing business strategy must be acceptable to its key stake holders (Hubbard R.B, 2008, pg.167). Hence, an analysis has been done to identify the internal, external and stakeholder consistency of ZISCo According to the analysis of internal consistency of ZISCo it is evident that they have failed to adapt systems those match with their business strategies. This has ultimately created an internal inconsistency within the ZISCo. In addition, ZISCo also has external inconsistency as a result of government regulation on steel industry and changing market in china. 2.5 Gaps in Strategy formulation Gap analysis of ZISCo has been done on the basis of current business strategies of the organisation. Therefore environmental business strategy, organizational performance and business strategy gaps have been identified for ZISCo (Refer appendix diagram8). By analyzing these gaps it can be identified that ZISCo is trying to position its self uniquely in the market. 2.6 Strategic options available to overcome gaps ZISCo was not able to achieve their novelty among competitors due to gaps recognized in formulation of strategy. Thus, there are several strategic options available for ZISCo such as market strategy, generic strategy direction strategy. In order to sustain and gain competitive advantage all 3 options are equally important for ZISCo 2.7 The effect of competitors and stakeholders Stake holders competitors have major role in the performance of ZISCo. The key stakeholders who are exerting more power on ZISCo are government: Government has restricted the number of employees recruited by ZISCo; thus have created a barrier for further business expansions also government is controlling the prices of the steel products thus ZISCo wont be able to use the cost based pricing strategies add their target profit margins. Secondly, the bargaining power of suppliers is also high in the context of ZISCo because ZISCo has entered in to contract with limited number of suppliers. Thus this enables ZISCo to solely depend on them gives high power to the supplier. The other most important stakeholders are employees. They also create an impact on the business strategy adapted by ZISCo by resisting for the required cultural change. As employees have product orientation values it would be very hard to change them towards customer orientations. This would have greater impact in developing overall strategy of ZISCo. ZISCo would have to invest more funds for a long time period in training development since cultural change cannot happen soon as company requires. Finally, like all other stake holder mentioned above Customers also exerts high power in ZISCo because there is an unsatisfied demand for steel products in Chinese industry many market players are there. If a customer is not satisfied with ZISCo, the chances of switching brand are high. Therefore to survive grow in the competitive environment as ZISCo planned it should provide value to its customers. Competitors ZISCo is operating in a very competitive environment in which competitors are adapting to their opponents strategies very quickly. In the case of ZISCo also they have tried to adapt to CSP technology and tried harder to copy ZISCos business model and marketing practices. Thus, there is a possibility competitors can attack ZISCo anytime by imitating their unique innovations soon after the patent rights expire. Thus, this compels ZISCo to continually invest huge amount of funds in research development and in marketing. In addition to the local players ZISCo also faces high international competition in Chinese steel industry due to unfulfilled steel demand in China low costs of labour. These foreign players might have advanced technologies than ZISCo attack ZISCo simply in terms of quality. Thus, it is necessary for ZISCo to carefully understand nature of pressures exerted by both domestic international players and develop the most suitable strategy. 2.8 Implementation of gap Strategic implementation is complex and time consuming but success of an organisation lies on this stage. However good the business or corporate strategy is, it is off little value unless implemented (Hubbard R.C, 2008, pg 349). Therefore, during this phase, strategy makers should consider the question of who implements that strategy, what must be done and how the strategy is implemented (Fletcher, 2001, p.2). Hence, 7S framework has been applied to ZISCo to identify gaps the issues that should be addressed during implementation phase 2.9 Paradigm of operation ZISCo has shifted their paradigm from the conventional wisdom about how things have always been done and must be done to that of emergent strategies From previous paradigm ZISCo achieved efficiency productivity but did not produce products in intended quality that will fit the purpose of customers. Therefore ZISCo has shifted the paradigm from production orientation to marketing orientation by providing more value to their customers. In order to operate in new paradigm ZISCo has changed their market from niche to mass market, changed their organisational structure from functional structure to matrix structure and improved their financial performance through cost reduction 2.10 Recipe issues Recipe can be defined as a set of believes assumptions held commonly throughout the organisation, taken for granted in that organisation, but discernible to the outside observer in the stories of organisation history and explanations of events (Strategic management guide 3, 2004, pg 3). There are several issues have been identified for ZISCo in current paradigm In formulating strategy ZISCo did not define its goals objectives clearly which is critical for any organisation as it guides the employees towards mission vision of the organisation. Therefore, unstated purpose or goal of ZISCo makes the organisation unable to analyse the long term strategic purpose. Even though, ZISCo increased their financial performance by increasing profits through new business strategy still they unable to over come their long term debt. Therefore, this imposes a huge hidden financial risk on ZISCo. Another issue in relation to ZISCo is that cultivating a market oriented culture within the organisation while adding value to the organisation as well. In the past economy of china organisation strategies focused mainly on the production orientation, the value for production orientation already rooted strongly in employees minds is hard to change. Finally, ZISCo is loosing competitive advantage of CSP technologies as a result of competitors are adapting to CSP technology over past 2-4 years. Therefore, loss of competitive advantage (technology leadership) is a critical recipe issue for ZISCo. 2.11 Recommendation justification for ZISCo From the above analysis, I would recommend the following recommendations; ZISCo should implement vision mission in more transparent manner to their employees as it will help the employees to understand the long term strategic direction of the organisation. Thus, ZISCo should develop objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and within the Time limit. ZISCo can transform their organisation as a learning organisation by allowing more innovations, continuous improvement in new product development by investing more in new technology, empowering employees and providing freedom to experiment. ZISCo should adapt to a TQM (total quality management) approach to attend real-time quality issues and invest more in compliance costs (Refer appendix diagram 14) In order to add value for both organisation customers, ZISCo should focus on new management accounting concepts such as extended value chain analysis target costing. These concepts will add value to organisation by reducing costs will add value to customers by providing them the intended benefits or quality(Refer appendix diagram 15 ) The president should also consider changing his leadership style; He should act both as charismatic a transactional leader because the president had performed well in strategy formation but he didnt concentrate much on communicating monitoring the developed strategy. ZISCo can also diversify their product to such as refining metals such as steel alloys. This can be done by merging with a recycling company or starting them self. This might reduce the cost of raw materials and reduce suppliers bargaining power in purchasing raw materials. Further, ZISCo can sell the raw materials to outsiders gain competitive edge. ZISCo can implement Just in time (JIT) system rather than having buffer stocks for raw materials, work in progress finished goods. JIT system would help ZISCo to deliver goods on time will reduce inventory holding costs Further ZISCo should also focus more in managing its supply chain. It should reconsider the contract with suppliers because the present supplier seems to be not reliable enough poor in quality. Thus, management should consider signing contracts with few reliable suppliers (Refer appendix diagram 16 ) ZISCos communication system also should be developed because it seems there is communication gap between top people bottom people ZISCo. Even though, Middle managers are acting as effective communicators between two parties it is insufficient for an organisation that intends to create value. Organisation should extend their one stop shop services in many geographical areas. By doing this they can gain competitive advantage and increase customer satisfaction as it reduce the transportation cost and time of customers. Organisation also should concern on their employees by creating carrier opportunity and carrier development to provide a value to their employees by providing them future sustainability. 2.12 Action plan of ZISCo ACTION Measure Person Responsible TARGET (Period Ending) 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Focus on growth strategies Market share, competitiveness President and Middle Management 6% 7.5% 8.5% 10% 15% Improve the CRM strategies Contribution to total revenue and net profit President and middle Management 10% 18% 28% 42% 55% Improve the quality of the final output Quality control measures Department of product quality 15% 25% 40% 65% 90% Create Learning Culture, Continuous Improvement and a flexible organization Innovation efforts, ability to correct mistakes and progress, quick response President and the middle Management 2% 4.5% 7% 10% 15% New Product Development New products developed R D 1% 2.5% 5% 9% 12% 4.0 Conclusion This case analysis has focused on the strategic management process of Zhujiang in the areas of nature of competition, the strategy, the strategy process, method of entrepreneurship resources of Zhujiang Iron Steel Company (ZISCo). The analysis has investigated apparent effects of the issues of ZISCo determined the causes of these consequences by use of appropriate theories. Based on this analysis, justifiable recommendations have been developed, which would redirect the organisation to its required respective strategic objectives. The recommendations for the organisations have been logically presented within a 5 year timeline which enables to generate the favourable outcomes while keeping the environmental changes in focus. At present ZISCo is operating in a very competitive market the competitive advantage of technology leadership is more short time oriented. Thus, in order to sustain in the market a key core competitive advantage is required for ZISCo as company planned the value creating strategy would be the most suitable. Further, the quality levels of ZISCo are inadequate. This is furthering them from their objective of value creation. ZISCo is putting efforts to move from a paradigm of production efficiency to value orientations. However, it is a great challenge to ZISCo as there are many gaps at ZISCo. The analysis indicates though the strategic objectives are appropriate for the environment, implementation of strategy is ineffective. Thus in conclusion it is clear that only by formulating effective strategies an organisation could not achieve its strategic objectives, unless it has the systems, procedures and most importantly willingness to efficiently implement the formulated strategies. 5.0 References Fletcher J (2003) .Strategic management Study guide and plan Edith Cowan University Perth Australia Hill,C and Jones G (1995) Strategic management an integrated approach (3rd)Houghton Miffin, Boston, Toronto Hubbard, G. Rice, J. Beamish, P. [2008] Strategic management Thinking analysis action 3rd ed Pearson education Australia Miller A, (1998), Strategic Management, McGraw Hill, 3rd Edition. New York.Study Guide: Strategic Management Viljoen, J. Dann, S. 4th edition (2003). Strategic Management, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: Pearson Education Pty Ltd.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Comparison Between The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Vinegar Tom by C.

Comparison Between The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Vinegar Tom by C. Churchill We are currently performing a piece of drama called 'The Crucible' and have studied a play called 'Vinegar Tom'. 'The Crucible' was written by Arthur Miller in 1953 and was set in Salem, Massachusetts USA in 1692. 'Vinegar Tom' was written in the 1970's and was set in the 17th century. Although 'Vinegar Tom' was written about the 17th century, the ideas parallel those of the issues of the 1970's. The issue was feminism. Although women were beginning to work the same jobs as men, their wages were drastically different, with men being paid a lot more for the same job. More women started to go to university in order to gain the qualifications that would enable them to do the jobs that men did. Some parts of the play reflect the feminist issues that were happening at the time the story was written. In 'The Crucible' the issues surrounding the time of when the play was written was McCarthyism. Arthur Miller was interested not only in the Salem witch trials, but also the more current affairs of the USA. The opposing look on communism sparked a massive conspiracy theory that set neighbours, friends and family against each other. People were accused of being communists, and, in order to free their name and the risk of being blacklisted, they had to give the names of other that were communists. This set off a long chain of innocent people that were accused by people trying to free t...

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Analysis of Troy Maxson Essay

The play â€Å"Fences† by Lloyd Richards is mostly the story of Troy Maxson. A man of many words, some of which although may not be particularly nice. He is an elderly, large black man who used to be a home run hitter in the Negro league, but by the time of the integration of professional Baseball, Troy was too old to benefit from it. This caused Troy to become the man he is today. Throughout the play the reader sees in depth of what kind of man Troy Maxson really is. Yes, he is far from a perfect man, but he has an inner strength that can inspire, which makes him, above all, memorable. As a result of having his dreams ultimately shattered Troy is vulnerable. Not just vulnerable to others, but by believing in the self-created illusions he has created to cope with his drastic fall from living his dream to working at a dead end job. While being so susceptible to his own created world Troy is more than comfortable with living in his fictitious fantasy. This is seen when Troy tries to convince his friend Bono that is relationship with a women called Alberta was nothing consensual, when in reality it is obvious he was having an affair with the lady (page 1703). Throughout the whole play the readers get an idea of where the Title â€Å"Fences† come from. Troy Maxson’s character causes conflicts with everyone else, and in doing so placing metaphorical â€Å"fences† around him and the ones that care about him. With these fences up all around him he rejects and puts down the dreams and desires of others because they differ from his own philosophy. There are many examples of this throughout the play, but the one that seems to stand out the most would be when he tries to completely tear down his son’s dream of playing professional football (page 1716-1717). Troy Maxson’s charter although represents more than just a man who is bitter from past experiences; he represents human nature’s unwillingness to adjust to social change. Just like how the white men viewed black people, even after segregation was in full swing, they still viewed them as inferior beings. The same concept can be seen in Troy. Troy constantly uses baseball to describe his actions as if baseball was still a major role in his day to day life. When he talks about facing death, he uses baseball terminology, comparing a face-off with the grim reaper to a duel between a pitcher and a  batter (1706). When he bullies his son Cory, he warns him: â€Å"You swung the bat and didn’t hit it. That’s strike one.† (1726). So with this Troy becomes the perfect example for a tragic hero. Doing what he sees fit through his own eyes even though the people around him tell him that his actions will have drastic side effects, but he still stubbornly stride s on pursuing his own course of action. As terrible as it may seem the experiences Troy went through were not uncommon. In fact drones of skilled African American players could not experience playing on the professional level. Sadly they were bound to the Negro leagues due to the color of their skin, thus for having their stats lost to legend. And according to Frank Deford only after about fifty years of the Negro leagues existence are the skills and talent of these Negro League players beginning honored by modern day baseball (Deford). References Deford, Frank. â€Å"Negro League Baseball.† Smithsonian 41.7 (2013): 73-76. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. Richards, Lloyd. â€Å"Fences.† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Sweig. 10th ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012, 945-946. Print

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Rate of rate of hydrochloric acid and mange essays

Rate of rate of hydrochloric acid and mange essays Rate of rate of hydrochloric acid and mangesium ribbon In the reaction between hydrochloric acid and magnesium ribbon, the hydrochloric acid will dissolve the magnesium and produce hydrogen gas. All chemical reactions involve reactants which when mixed may cause a chemical reaction which will make products. In my case the reactants are hydrochloric acid and magnesium ribbon. The chemical reaction takes place when the magnesium ribbon is dropped into the hydrochloric acid. The products that are formed during this reaction are hydrogen gas and magnesium chloride. The formula equation for this experiment is: Magnesium + Hydrochloric acid (r) Magnesium Chloride + Hydrogen ( s ) ( aq ) ( aq ) ( g ) Magnesium will react with hydrochloric acid, because it is higher in the reactivity series that hydrogen. When the two chemicals react a displacement reaction will take place and the magnesium will displace the hydrogen in the hydrochloric acid forming magnesium chloride and hydrogen gas. Li (lithium) all to dangerous to react with a strong acid Zn (zinc) these metals will react with hydrochloric acid as they Fe (iron) they are higher in the reactivity series than hydrogen Sn (tin) and so a displacement reaction will take place Hg (mercury) none of these metals will react with hydrochloric Ag (silver) acid as they are all lower in the reactivity series than Al (gold) hydrogen, therefore a displacement reaction will not happen Depending on certain factors the rate that this reaction will take place will either increase or decrease. The factors that may affect the rate of reaction are as follows: Temperature of the Hydrochloric Acid Mass of the magnesium ribbon used Concentration of the Hydrochloric acid Surface area of the magnesium ribbon used All of these factors will change the rate of reaction because of the Collisi...

Monday, October 21, 2019

We Are Not Here To Hate One Another †Creative Writing Essay

We Are Not Here To Hate One Another – Creative Writing Essay Free Online Research Papers We Are Not Here To Hate One Another Creative Writing Essay The lady was pouring with tears. She wiped her lashes and spoke with grief, â€Å"They are beasts. It is insult to humanity to call them human beings. Those who kill innocent people are animals†. The camera moved from the tearful lady and moved towards the scene where the blood and human flesh was scattered everywhere. Destruction and barbarism were omnipresent. The head and clothes of the volunteers were blood stained. The dead bodies were present on streets, foot paths and stairs. The people watching the scene were scared. The camera focused the reporter. The reporter wiped his eyes and lamented, â€Å"These were the deadliest explosions in the history of London after the World War II. As Americans can not forget 9/11, 7/7 has been imprinted on the hearts of every Londoner. These blood stains can not be washed even by the water of seven seas†, and the reporter started crying. Everyone was having wet eyes. The reported was right. The words of the British leady were true. The views from the camera covering blood, flesh and wounded were true. 7/7 was a day of barbarism, insult to humanity and terrorism. No doubt, the persons killing innocent people are animals, they are beast and disgrace to the mankind. No sensible person in the world, none having a human heart, none with a belief in humanity and mankind would justify the 9/11 or 7/7 acts. No conscientious and sensible person would favour such actions. The killing whether of a white or black, of a Christian or a Muslim, Iraqi or an American, it is simply killing. Terrorism in any part of the world is terrorism. It is disgrace for humanity and murder of civilization. There can never be a second opinion. However, with all this in view, we have to decide whether human beings only live in London. Are only those people innocent who live in New York, London or Tel Aviv? Is the dead body of only a white man, Tom, Dick or Henry, respectable? Are only Tim, Jim and Bush human being? And anything done against only these people is terrorism. Are only explosions in Central London barbarism? It is the point to ponder whether only American and British mothers may be called mothers, only white and red children be called children. Are only Eng lish speaking people human beings? Only the screams from the red lips are real, the pain affects only white skin, only western people suffer. It has to be decided whether Afghan blood is blood or not, the dead bodies in Najaf, Mosul and Baghdad are human bodies or not? The mothers living in Gaza and West Bank are mothers or not? The children in Sudan are not human children, the screams emanating from the Guantamo Bay are not human screams. Just think, where was the humanity, when American bombers bombed at a marriage ceremony in Afghanistan, when a whole village was destroyed and there were 300 dead bodies of innocent elder people, women and children and the Pentagon simply announced that it was a ‘Mistake†. Believe it! the highest number of handicaps are living in Afghanistan, which is also known as the largest graveyard of human beings, today not a single Afghani is there who has not seen blood stained human bodies or who has not put a body in grave or who has not seen a wounded relative passing his last breathes in his arms. Whether they are the Torabora hills or the blind walls of the Fort Jangi, each and every inch of Afghanistan is an eyewitness to the American barbarism, terrorism and inhuman acts. It is to be questioned where was the humanity when innocent Afghans were tightly filled in containers and the containers were kept in the desert; when the death was hovered over Baghdad; when millions of tons of explosives were thrown over Mosul and Najaf; when the Iraqi women were kidnapped and their naked bodies were found in the desert; when the dogs were unleashed on human beings in the Abu Gharib prison; when the human faces were masked with underwears; when the human beings were forced to drink human blood; when the innocent faces were rubbed with shit; when the woundeds were thrown among deads; and when innocent people were bound with electric wires and forced to stand. Where were the human activists, human rights commissions and th e civilization philanthropists when every house in Palestine was digging graves for its dwellers; when infants were being blown with guns; when the villages as a whole were being bulldozed and when kids were being handed over to their mothers with explosives attached to their bodies. Where were all the cameras and the reporters; where were all these tears and screams; why these people did not think at that moment that the death is terrible for every human being. Why people forget that the pain and blood have no religion, no cast and no theology. These are simply human bodies and human screams. It is difficult to understand why these people do not try to understand the emotions behind the actions. These people still designate the Palestinians, Iraqi and Afghans’ deaths as insignificant deaths; muslim bodies as low value bodies while American and British deads are significant and of higher value. Why these people differentiate between an Afghani mother and a British mother . Why don’t they treat an aggressor as aggressor and a grieved as a grieved person. The world can never be the same again unless we start respecting human beings; respect others and be respected. There is no second class citizen on this planet. Every human being is a first class citizen of this world. If America has a right for pre-emptive strike, so do the others. We have to learn from the fate of the League of Nations. Now UN is being forced to follow the same path. We all have to work hard to make this earth a part of the Heaven. Why only those people have to fight who believe in the Divine religions. God never created human beings to hate each other. Research Papers on We Are Not Here To Hate One Another - Creative Writing EssayCapital PunishmentBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XGenetic EngineeringWhere Wild and West MeetComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Spring and AutumnHip-Hop is Art19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHonest Iagos Truth through Deception

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Virgin train crash Essay Example

Virgin train crash Essay Example Virgin train crash Essay Virgin train crash Essay On Friday 23 February 2007 a virgin train going from London to Glasgow derailed and crashed at grayrigg, near Kendal killing one individual and wounding five. The company in the imperativeness conference was positive, complimentary and dignified. It is common phenomenon the different attack of an issue from different journalists in magazines, newspapers or even Television and wireless programmes. This subject is really of import. I searched in 4 different beginnings: a ) communicatemagazine.co.uk B ) en.wikinews.org degree Celsius ) mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk vitamin D ) books.google.gr A ) Communicatemagazine.co.uk ( 2009 ) In this article defines that Sir Richard Branson turned a potentially reputation-damaging incident into an illustration of best pattern crisis communications. During a PR conference, the independent editor Simon kellner described Branson s handing of the crisis as genius PR He besides added that Branson took the narrative off from being an institutional and public catastrophe and made it on about the gallantry of the train driver The article describes the good communicating of the company with the media with efficiency and accurate manner. It says that the president of the company was really emotional but did nt take the clang as his company s mistake. He even made the driver of the train as a hero. He besides point that if the train was older the accident would be worst with more deceases and more hurts. He even commended web rail for being dignified in accepting duty for the accident. B ) Wikinews.org ( 2007 ) In this article the writer talk more about the incident that the statements of the company and other factors. The articles focus more to the 180 people that was onboard, the clip that the incident occurs and how many were the hurts. Include some statement of constabulary A train has crashed between Oxenholme and Tebay, but that is all we know at the minute. We have got two autos going at that place now and local constabularies are go toing , some statement of ambulance At the minute, we have studies of assorted hurts, from leg hurts to endorse hurts and caput hurts, runing from child to rather serious From the deliverance squad besides It s our apprehension there are a figure of people injured on the train. We think there are legion hurts and a statement merely of the president of virgin company that says that he come from his vacations to the site and did a imperativeness conference. He stated that virgin train Pendolino was built like a armored combat vehicle and believed t he path was to fault. He besides praised the train driver that tried to halt the train alternatively of go forthing the cockpit. C ) Virgintrains.co.uk ( 2007 ) Here we have the official articles and statements of the virgin company. The imperativeness office foremost introduces the accident on 24 February at 2 oclock and province that they investigate the grounds of the accident. Later on with a new imperativeness release they praised the driver and his astonishing occupation Mr Sir Richards said. He assumes that the train was built like a armored combat vehicle and it is the safer train you can be in. He besides states that he went to the infirmaries and saw some physicians and people that were in the train. After 2 yearss the driver negotiations about the accident but he do nt state anything about it in the same it. He province merely the support from the company during the accident, He besides states his unhappiness about the one dead and the hurts. At the same twenty-four hours the laminitis of virgin rail group makes some more statements. He says that the probes move rapidly, that his greater concern is the people that are in the inf irmaries. He speak about some more hints during the accident and at last he province that they are non the 1s that must be blamed. D ) Michael Regester, A ; Judy Larkin ( 2008 ) In this article we have the full narrative and all the statements. They talk about the accident but focal point on the probe besides, he acquire a clear position off the factors that caused the accident. Sir Richard Branson took his hat off to Network rail for accepting the duty for the accident. He besides said It is non for us to fault but instead work closely to guarantee that this neer happens once more. He was careful non to knock Network rail, therefore keeping their working relationship. The writers province that he would hold significantly perpetuated what is perceived to be a national job alternatively of railroad care. The writers criticise laminitiss crisis technique that was rather good, The fact that he left a household vacation to see the clang and his hailing of the train driver as a here touches the human calamity. They besides say The now good documented hardiness of the trains used by Virgin, coupled with Branson s superb stakeholder relation direction, has meant t hat Virgin clients have non been deterred. Decision We have four articles speaking about the same accident. Some of them are rather common. The first one except the description makes some remarks about the laminitis of Virgin and it appears the laminitis as intelligent and with good crisis techniques. The 4th bash besides the same, plus have a deeper image of the accident with more elements and statements. The 3rd one, the official imperativeness of the company talks about the accident and provinces their company crisis policy that they have nil to make with the accident and they should nt be blamed. They talk rather retaining and they try to be supportive. In the 2nd article the writer does nt travel in inside informations and he remains more in the narrative of the makes. It seems more an information beginning and nil more. The credibleness of the office imperativeness and from the book seems more accurate, the first is the official releases of the company and the 2nd a good overall research for the accident. The writers seem to co gnize really good the incident. The 3rd article credibleness exists because its general information that released. In the first article the writer seems believable for the information but he expresses his sentiment besides. All four articles helped me to hold a more general attack in the issue. Some of them provided me with extra information and some with debris information. After understanding what those four articles say, one think that I know rather good the issue. Communicatemagazine.co.uk ( 2009, June 29 ) . Masters of catastrophes: Virgin trains. Retrieved November 10, 2009, from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.communicatemagazine.co.uk/index.php? option=com_content A ; view=article A ; id=326: masters-of-disasters A ; catid=44: currentissue A ; Itemid=113 Wikinews.org ( 2007, February 23 ) . Virgin Train clangs in England. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //en.wikinews.org/wiki/Virgin_Train_crashes_in_England Virgintrains.co.uk ( 2007, February 26 ) . Grayrigg derailment statement from virgin trains ( 1 ) A ; ( 2 ) . Retrieved November 10, 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk/2007_02_01_archive.html Virgintrains.co.uk ( 2007, February 26 ) . Brave train driver praised by Sir Richard Branson. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk/2007_02_01_archive.html Virgintrains.co.uk ( 2007, February 26 ) . Statement from Iain Bl ack, driver at virgin trains. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk/2007_02_01_archive.html Virgintrains.co.uk ( 2007, February 26 ) . Virgin Trains welcome prompt publication of Rail Accident Investigation Branch s initial study on Grayrigg derailment. Retrieved November 10, 2009 from hypertext transfer protocol: //mediaroom.virgintrains.co.uk/2007_02_01_archive.html Michael Regester, A ; Judy Larkin ( 2008 ) . Risk Issues and Crisis Management in Public Relations: CASE STUDY: VIRGIN TRAIN CRASH ( pp 188, 190, 191 )

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Humes Account Of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Humes Account Of Justice - Essay Example Regarding the nature of justice, especially in case of ownership of a property, Hume finds out some natural motivations for justice, like public interest, self-love and private benevolence. Applying thoughts and reasoning, all the motivations fail to stand as a valid justification, Hume arrives at a point and explains that our sense of justice is not naturally grounded. Justice as per Hume becomes an artificial outcome of human convention and education. Hume explains the emergence of sense of justice from primitive societies and its transition into more advanced societies. Hume explains the dependency of an individual on the society for survival and by the motivation of self-love an individual wants to advance society. At this instant all maintain themselves to respect the acquired passions of others and recognize the stability of possessions as the basic requirement to keep society intact. This concept propagates to provide a sense of common interest, respect for the social norms, a nd a sense of trust in the consistent behavior of others. In this way the process forms a common ground for justice and also forms opinions about property, right and obligation. Hume points that single acts of justice mostly goes in contradiction with the public good, whereas the common experience teaches us that public good is achieved when justice is made as rule.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Impact Of Demand For Company Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Impact Of Demand For Company Product - Essay Example The ability for economic growth and a decline in employment would provide more individuals and households that wouldn’t be as limited in buying specific products. There would be the ability to invest in different types of products while looking at other needs which can be added to daily living. More important, there is the ability to create a different amount of spending with the more that individuals are employed and able to work with the product. The combination of increase with the national income as well as the flexibility which most would have for providing new options in products would help Dairyland to have more supplies while factoring in a growth for demand for basic products as well as items that are known within the corporation but not as popular. Even though this would provide advantages for the company, there are also some restrictions on the demand. The inflation would also create a rise in the prices with Dairyland. Currently, there is a direct association with the products that are based on the ability to offer low and wholesale prices. The inflation would automatically increase the number of prices for the products. Even though the demand would increase from one perspective, there might be the need to change the pricing. This would become a disadvantage as it is the main way in which Dairyland can create and associate with the products that are available in the community. For this particular aspect to work, there would be the need to diversify the products or find ways to decrease debt and other costs within the corporation. Even though there is more demand for the supplies offered, the company costs will increase. The demand for more products also increases the need to meet the demand for supplies. There is also the need to increase and diversify the costs according to the demand.

The Contributions of Web 2.0 in E-Learning in Saudi Arabia Research Paper

The Contributions of Web 2.0 in E-Learning in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example Very many studies and researches have been carried out with the aim of promoting E-Learning as a means of fostering better education in the world (Webster & Hackley, 1997). Most of these researches have failed to contribute to the development of E-Learning due to various reasons especially in Saudi Arabia. One of the main reasons maybe their failure in assessing the relationship between Web 2.0 and E-Learning. Students in Saudi Arabia have shown less or no interest in using E-Learning as compared to their counterparts in Ukraine and Russia (Al-Jarf, 2004). Students are although still reluctant to accept E-Learning (Alenezi, Veloo, Karim, 2010, Al-Jarf, 2007). Several factors have been found to have significance contribution to the acceptance and use of E-Learning (Yi et al., 2001; Galletta et al., 1995). One of the factors that have had significance influence on E-Learning is the Web 2.0 technology. The use of Web 2.0 is on the increase; moreover, Web 2.0 features such as social netw orks have made enormous changes to various aspects of our lives. People involved with social networks can share their opinions, photos and videos, and they can learn many things that relate to their studies and their lives (Weaver & Morrison, 2008; Bemis-Dougherty, 2010). This research aims at establishing what contributions Web 2.0 technology has had on online E-Learning in Saudi Arabia. Aims of the research This research aims at: To spread the culture of technology that helps to create an e-learning community. To provide higher education for people who do not have the opportunity to join a university. Objectives There are several reasons as to why this research is significant and they are: To examine the number of users on Web 2.0 on education purposes To investigate challenges of using Web 2.0 on E-learning To provide an opportunity for many users to learn through Web 2.0 To determine how to reduce the cost of education using e-learning To determine how to boost the confidence of people who want to share To compare the gender differences as far as the use of Web 2.0 is concerned To determine the value of Web 2.0 for students To identify the barriers of using Web 2.0 in Saudi Arabia To determine the popular uses of Web 2.0 by students Literature review In this research, literature review will come from various studies and work from different information designs concerning with World Wide Web. Reports and other representations from individual researchers, as pertains this subject matter, will be used. Different reports that attribute to the effects of using the web, especially Web 2.0., on E-learning will be used to support the research. The researcher will determine the contribution of Web 2.0 in supporting e-learning in Saudi Arabia as discussed below. Examples of Web 2.0 support of E-learning Web 2.0 includes social network sites. One way of distributing information is to have the society accept it. E-learning is hugely enhanced by social networks. All age s are encompassed in this network. Every age is represented in this network. Information is easily shared if people consider it to fun. In order to embed a new culture into a society, the society must accept and welcome the new culture. Blogging is also provided by Web 2.0 where information is shared amongst a focus group, and each is allowed to give feedback. This is the best way of dialogue. A topic is provided, and people can give

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Midterm Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Midterm Exam - Essay Example The memories which these items bring to the author are the core aspects of discussion, resulting into the materials contained within this chapter. There is a significant element of harmony between Chinese and American culture portrayed in the chapter. In consideration of modern times, the chapter might be perceived as containing unacceptable elements of the society, like racism. The elements should however be understood for the viewpoint of a Chinese native residing in America. The cultural difference existing between the author’s native and adopted culture, is attributed to these perceptions. It becomes extremely difficult for the author to perceive some of the common elements within the environment as the Native American would do. This chapter presents the reader with an element for understanding the existing discrepancies between the author’s native culture and the adopted one. There is an element of attachment to the culture which is contained within the context of the chapter, and which the author is communicating to her audience. Understanding the value of culture to the author requires reading through and getting the feeling which are associated with the occurrences described within this chapter. While there might be elements in the reading which could be considered as stereotypes, it remains essential to understand that these are the perceptions of the author. The thoughts presented by these ideologies remains essential in comprehension of the inferred meanings of the writings. While many of the elements contain a simple description of the appearance of objects which the author observes, these objects cause the author to visualise of some Chinese aspects of livelihoods which she has learnt to do without (Wong, 86). This is a significant element within the chapter as it can identify the differences which the author experiences in Chinatown compared to china. While there might be many Chinese

Structural Stagnation Dilemma Forum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Structural Stagnation Dilemma Forum - Assignment Example Further, the economies are suffering because of shortfall of investments in education and infrastructure. For structural stagnations, the major causes are categorized into long term short term. The long term causes are globalization, exchange rates and trade deficit while short term is associated to the aftermath of financial crisis. As shown in figure 11-3, by Colander, a graph showing policy implication of structural stagnation, the policy makers are deemed to target a higher potential output as a result of the dilemma (Colander 238). In which case, Aggregate Supply (AS) and Aggregate Demand (AD) model explains that â€Å"too high targeting†, than is sustainable, on aggregate output creates a financial bubble. The financial bubble in turn causes slow growth in macro economy and high unemployment rate. In contemporary society, the definition of economic growth and employment goes hand in hand with technological change. At times of volatility and impeded economic growth, many economies are relying on technology to create jobs and facilitate innovation and development. The technology industry has initiated direct job creation, especially in the ICT sector that now features among the largest employers. Apart from being an employer, technology also boosts economic growth through its contribution to GDP growth. For instance, E-commerce is pervasive in most economies and constitutes a considerable portion of their overall GDP. However, the technological change has brought with it both negative and positive impacts on employment. The introduction of machinery, working like man, has brought about unemployment in subject industries. Many workers are laid off as a result of technological transition taking course. Even though globalization has been evident to lift many out of poverty, it does have contradiction in terms of the structural changes it forces US to undergo. The

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Essay

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) - Essay Example Consequently, the overall financial cost in the health care sector will reduce. With this in mind, PPACA has different modes by which it hopes to achieve the dream. This includes tax credits, mandates and subsidies (Feldman 26). In addition, individuals or employers are receiving the rate of coverage. Logically, this reform aids with the improving of health care programs and also the delivery of health care services. Moreover, PPACA states that insurance companies need to offer equal rates in spite of the conditions in existence and cover every applicant (Feldman 33). As a result, there will be few deficits and less expenditure within the Medicare. In summary, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act cause several reactions especially from the conservatives who consider it bogus. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has existed since 2010 after being signed by President Barack Obama. However, this reform affects several policies that have been in existence. The reasons includ e disregarding of policies or conditions (Feldman 33). This means that every member of the community will undergo the same rating. Therefore, the premiums ought to be the same regardless of the geographical position, gender or other conditions. Therefore, there is a guarantee of issues. Additionally, there is sharing of the responsibility unless one belongs to a religious group (Feldman 35). Therefore, an individual that is not covered under a health care plan should receive a waiver when he or she is experiencing some hardships. Moreover, this will position the small scale businesses to compare their premiums and policies with those of the government. In addition, the government will subsidize the premiums of people living below the poverty line. This also applies to small scale businesses. Moreover, the same favors should extend to the members of that particular family. In addition, there should be a modification of the policies that state the minimum standards of coverage. Additi onally, the insurance companies need to cover their employees with the same policies as it is a government requirement. In summary, these changes enable people to access affordable health care services since they will handle the payment. Arguably, this reform has led to several reactions. This is because it seems to suppress the insurance companies. Consequently, this issue found its way into the courts. However, the Supreme Court of America states that it is constitutional since it has the President’s signature. Consequently, it is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (McDonough 57). It is also important to note that millions of people within America cannot afford to buy medical premiums because they are expensive. Additionally, the reform seems to force every individual to buy an insurance cover. Consequently, some people feel that PPACA interferes with their civic right, which is liberty (McDonough 62). In summary, the insurance companies feel th at the reform interferes with their businesses while other people feel that they need their liberty to choose whether to buy the insurance cover or not. The Supreme Court did consider that it has the power to ignore the ruling until 2014 (McDonough 77). This is because an act prevents the court from making a decision until 2014. This is because the federal mandate has not yet taken effect. Therefore, the court cannot consider a tax constitutional before

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Compare and contrast discontinuous change Research Paper - 1

Compare and contrast discontinuous change - Research Paper Example Factors causing the discontinuous change in business can be grounded in different fields that may include but are not limited to politics, religion, technological advancement, and literacy rate. Discontinuous change affects family-businesses more as compared to other types of businesses primarily because the former are less formal in terms of system and organization, and accordingly less likely to increase the resources to help the business sustain as compared to the latter (Kumar, 2012). End of the cinemas and entertainment industry in a region because of a strong religious movement, closure of projects started by the previous government by the new government after it takes the charge, drastic reduction in the scope of manual sewing and embroidery of clothing because of the use of machines for the same purposes, rapid decline in the market value of palmists and magicians with the rise of people’s belief in science and technology as a result of more education and improved literacy rate, and decline in the readership of books with the availability of online reading sources on the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Essay

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) - Essay Example Consequently, the overall financial cost in the health care sector will reduce. With this in mind, PPACA has different modes by which it hopes to achieve the dream. This includes tax credits, mandates and subsidies (Feldman 26). In addition, individuals or employers are receiving the rate of coverage. Logically, this reform aids with the improving of health care programs and also the delivery of health care services. Moreover, PPACA states that insurance companies need to offer equal rates in spite of the conditions in existence and cover every applicant (Feldman 33). As a result, there will be few deficits and less expenditure within the Medicare. In summary, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act cause several reactions especially from the conservatives who consider it bogus. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has existed since 2010 after being signed by President Barack Obama. However, this reform affects several policies that have been in existence. The reasons includ e disregarding of policies or conditions (Feldman 33). This means that every member of the community will undergo the same rating. Therefore, the premiums ought to be the same regardless of the geographical position, gender or other conditions. Therefore, there is a guarantee of issues. Additionally, there is sharing of the responsibility unless one belongs to a religious group (Feldman 35). Therefore, an individual that is not covered under a health care plan should receive a waiver when he or she is experiencing some hardships. Moreover, this will position the small scale businesses to compare their premiums and policies with those of the government. In addition, the government will subsidize the premiums of people living below the poverty line. This also applies to small scale businesses. Moreover, the same favors should extend to the members of that particular family. In addition, there should be a modification of the policies that state the minimum standards of coverage. Additi onally, the insurance companies need to cover their employees with the same policies as it is a government requirement. In summary, these changes enable people to access affordable health care services since they will handle the payment. Arguably, this reform has led to several reactions. This is because it seems to suppress the insurance companies. Consequently, this issue found its way into the courts. However, the Supreme Court of America states that it is constitutional since it has the President’s signature. Consequently, it is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (McDonough 57). It is also important to note that millions of people within America cannot afford to buy medical premiums because they are expensive. Additionally, the reform seems to force every individual to buy an insurance cover. Consequently, some people feel that PPACA interferes with their civic right, which is liberty (McDonough 62). In summary, the insurance companies feel th at the reform interferes with their businesses while other people feel that they need their liberty to choose whether to buy the insurance cover or not. The Supreme Court did consider that it has the power to ignore the ruling until 2014 (McDonough 77). This is because an act prevents the court from making a decision until 2014. This is because the federal mandate has not yet taken effect. Therefore, the court cannot consider a tax constitutional before

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Essay Example for Free

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Essay Alcoholism and drug abuse in the workplace or school can no longer be ignored by employers and institutions as they contribute to poor performances. Excessive use of alcohol and drugs leads to addiction, which is never addressed by most companies leading to a decrease in an employee’s morale. Drug usage and alcoholism may also make an employee behave inappropriately, disrupting a firm’s operations due to too much tension and frustrations. It also affects the relationship between employees and their clients, not forgetting the negative effect it has on the family that ends up changing how a worker performs at his or her place of work. Burroughs explains that, alcoholism causes an employee to miss work due to hangovers, a factor that causes disruptions at the place of work, causing employees to lose a lot of money. Drug abuse and alcohol reduces employee’s ability to concentrate at work, hence the inability to make right decisions. It also causes employees to produce low-quality jobs, lack of motivation and impaired skills. Employees can be laid off from their jobs or face disciplinary actions from their place of work due to alcoholism as most employees can not tolerate poor performance (2003). According to Wells, (2005), employees can assist employees with alcohol and drug addiction in establishing supportive programs such as Employee Assistance Programs. This program will give employees and their family members, referrals to available community resources and activities. Employers can also encourage employees to seek treatment and rehabilitation at the firm’s expense. Recovery will help employees to change as they feel valued by their organization. They will work on changing their behaviors to avoid disappointing the employer. Employees can seek treatment on their own to avoid the risk of losing jobs. In addition, it is important for employees to avoid bad companies that affect their behaviors’ and encourage the use of drugs and alcohol. It is important for employees to associate with non-alcoholics, to help them reduce bad drinking habits. References Walls, J. (2005). ‘The Glass Castle’, 2nd Edition, Scribner: New Jersey. Burroughs, A. (2003). ‘Dry’. 1st edition, St. Martins Press: New York. Source document

Monday, October 14, 2019

Cancer Research Analysis: Strategic Planning

Cancer Research Analysis: Strategic Planning INTRODUCTION Cancer is one of the worlds deadly diseases which is having lot of effects. Cancer need lot research to decline the rate of death of patients due to cancer. This declination in the rate can be achieved by carrying out the research the funding for research can be achieved by charity, dedicated to saving lives through ground breaking research. Cancer Research UK is named as cancer research and awareness charity in the United Kingdom , came in existence on February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and Imperial Cancer Research Fund. These organisations are making huge publicity in the society to get awareness in the people about this disease. These make awareness about the symptoms and treatment .All the funding from the charity is used for research in directly and indirectly .Together with partners; they have had a significant impact which has helped to reduce the number of cancer deaths. (Cancer Research) Non -Profit Sector Non-profit mean one doesnt accept any type of profits only depends on non profit issues , charitable and governmental organisation. Non-profit sector thus includes religious congregations, universities, hospitals, environmental groups, art museums, youth recreation associations, civil rights groups, community development organisations, labour unions, political parties, social clubs and others (Boris and Steuerle, 1999). The non-profit sector exists to benefit society. Within the non-profit sector, there is a rich and dynamic diversity of cause and organisations. Without the many thousands of nonprofits, with their many millions of volunteers, society would lack valuable services, diversity, and civic participation. The non-profit sector is important because it provides services that would not be performed by the business sector. Many services needed by society do not generate a profit and are, therefore, unattractive to the business sector (Wymer et al, 2006). Non-profit organisations have started to adopt business-like techniques (Goerke, 2003) used in the for-profit sector as they are becoming increasingly confronted with market pressures typical of for-profit organisations, like competition for funding and the need to earn money to fulfill their mission (Andreasen and Kotler, 2003; Dolnicar et al., 2008). These techniques and approaches have been recognised as important to non-profits by the academic field (Gonzalez et al., 2002); one in particular is especially important the marketing concept which advocates and understanding of the customer (Day, 1994). Instead of accepting the marketing concept and beginning the marketing process with the customer and investigating what the market actually needs and wants (Gonzalez et al., 2002), non-profit organisations have an organisation-centered marketing mindset and may falsely believe that their product or service is needed by the market (Andreasen and Kotler, 2003). A number of other resear chers agree with this viewpoint in emphasizing the importance of market orientation for the non-profit sector (Macedo and Pinho, 2006). Aim Cancer Research UKs aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer. Around 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year. Every two minutes someone is told they have the disease. And every year more than 150,000 people die from the disease. Cancer remains peoples greatest health fear. It is difficult to overstate the scale of the cancer problem and the impact it has on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every year. (Cancer Research) Marketing strategy A strategy is a plan for the actions taken to attain one or more organisational goals. The task of strategy formation is one of achieving a match between the organisations internal skills, capabilities, and resources on the one hand and all of the relevant external considerations on the other hand (Thompson and Strickland, 1986, p. 74). An institutional goal for a business might be to increase its revenue at a moderate but steady rate or diversify its customer base. The compilation of an organisations institutional goals and the means to reach them forms a strategic plan. SWOT analysis is a frequently used tool to develop a strategic plan. The central focus of a SWOT analysis is to recognize opportunities and avoid threats while weighing an organisations strengths and weaknesses (Bryson, 1988). Although many non-profits may view marketing as a business activity, Kotler and Levy (1969) believe that marketing plays a very important role in the lives of non-profit organisations. They argued that all organisations undertake marketing whether they know it or not, therefore they must possess a satisfactory understanding of it. Furthermore, the non-profit sector has characteristics of marketplace problems (Kotler, 1979) where memberships decline, costs soar, and competition is fierce. Owing to these indicators, it was suggested that marketing had a great deal to offer the third sector in order to survive, grow, and strengthen their contributions to the general welfare (Kotler, 1979, p. 44). Complicating characteristics of non-profits organisational structure include non-financial objectives, multiple stakeholders (Bruce, 1995), a competitive-collaborative relationship with other organisations in the field, and the balance between financial pressures and the mission (Gallagher and Weinberg, 1991). These characteristics make it very difficult to ascertain success and may lead to their disregard of marketing. Such strategies include the identification of customers who are most interested in supporting their mission (market segmentation), ensuring an image is built that is attractive to those people (product positioning), the development of communication messages most attractive to these people (advertising) and communicating with them through channels these people regularly use (place). Consequently, the assumption underlying the present study is that despite the fact that non-profit organisations are distinctly different from for-profit organisations market orientation can significantly increase the effectiveness of non-profit organisations in achieving their mission (Lazarevski, 2009). In addition, Intellectual capital is capable of adapting to the challenges posed by the non-profit environment in the knowledge economy because some of the theoretical roots of IC come from the internal focus associated with core competence theory (Mouritsen et al. 2005). Intellectual capital helps to shift SSNPOs strategic focus to intellectual resources, including knowledge, skills and experience. This is important to SSNPOs, because strategic activities and changes that are brought to the organisations will be mainly driven by internal initiatives by paid employees and volunteers rather than external forces such as government agencies. Therefore, resistance to those strategic activities and changes by volunteers and employees is likely to be lowered (Kong, 2007). Cancer Research Organisations has an advantage for the society and should approach in all means to get funding and branding. Nonetheless, brand of any non-profit body is equally important considering the promotion and pla ce of the 4Ps. Non-Profit institutions can introduce marketing in a number of ways, such as appointing a marketing committee or task force, hiring an advertising agency or marketing research firm, hiring a marketing consultant, or appointing a marketing director or marketing vice president (Kotler, January 1979). In 2008/09 Cancer Research was funded by 433 Million Pounds where 80% of the money is spent on the cancer research. Cancer research UK uses various methods to raise funds making donation is the most common where people donate money to the charity in various ways like some donate on their special events like on their wedding anniversary or birthday and some donate funds to the charity in memory of their loved ones .Cancer Research charity earns its third of their total funding which help in fighting the deadly disease. Some people donate money in this ways so that they dont want to miss their continuity after their death and some donate in remembrance of the others. One can also join a local group which raise funds to the Cancer Research UK or he/she can create their own committee which helps in raising funds to the charity organisation. In order to collect funds through their shops, Cancer Research UK has set-up around 600 shops across the UK. By visiting one these shops and buying s omething from there donates the charity. If one is interested in raising funds for Cancer Research UK, they can do by participating any of the various events which were organised by the charity. Some of the events the Cancer Research UK carries out are like flagship, women-only Race for Life, Run 10K which is a popular event held by the charity and there are some other events like Relay For Life, Shine and a half or full walking marathon which is carried at nights through which one also participate and raise funds. People can join internship schemes provided by the Cancer Research UK as volunteers and help raise funds by working at cancer charity shops or they can also participate in events held by charity and help them. Cancer Research UK does get funds from Government as well but in smaller amounts which it spent on specific projects like it got two and half a million from Dept. of Health which it used for developing anti-tobacco campaigns.(Cancer Research) P.E.S.T ANALYSIS Political factor: Private donations make up the majority of Cancer Research financial resources, and by limiting the amount they receive from governmental sources, Cancer Research remains financially independent (Hannagan, 2001) however now cancer research is closely monitoring the policies that each party comes up with and comparing them to what they think cancer research has produced a handy guide to help parliamentary candidates as they campaign in their local areas. The guide, How to campaign with confidence about cancer, gives candidates an introduction to what cancer is and how they can find out more. Commit to Beat Cancer campaign which calls on the next government to make the UKs cancer outcomes among the best in Europe in the next ten years. The campaign also asks our supporters to contact their local prospective parliamentary candidates asking them to sign up to our Cancer Commitment. The commitment contains the same policy calls that appear in our manifesto. Thousands of o ur supporters have emailed their candidates. Already over 400 candidates across the country have signed up and weve sent them a wallet-sized commitment card so that they can show their support for the campaign. Economical Factors: Cancer Research relies on donations from the public for two key reasons: to ensure the freedom to provide humanitarian assistance whenever and wherever it is needed, and to remain independent from political, religious and economic interests. Regular donations give Cancer Research the freedom to provide medical aid to those who need it most and allow them to react swiftly to emergencies as soon as they occur .cancer research can be affected by changes in disposable income, although the effect may not be as immediately obvious. When the purchasing power is reduced cancer research may see a little change in their funding in the short term, but if the reduction in the spending power id reflection of a downturn in the national economy, its funding will be reduced in longer term (Hannagan, 2001). Social Factors: Non-profit marketing needs to take account of the basic believe in particular society. With in a society, there will be subcultures of people with shared values and these may influence the work of cancer research. Technological factors: The development of new products changes such as product which is used in treatment of different diseases, development of new equipments used for the recognition of new diseases may affect the cancer research operations because in marketing terms, institution will often want to emphasize their use of modern equipment and technologies, particularly in comparison to their competitors (Hannagan, 2001). SWOT ANALYSIS: STRENGTHS World Class Research with a strong team of researchers makes the awareness of cancer to public by preventing it in early stages. Unlike other viral diseases Cancer is a disease where the precautions cannot be taken care. That is one of the strongest strength where people will be interested to invest or fund in saving lives of many and down the next generation. Cancer Research UK is almost proved that the disease can be cured in the initial stages. (Annual Report, 2008/09) The interactive, informative website where all the fact sheets are revealed made one of the most trustable Cancer Research Organisations. This is one of the strongest strengths where people who donate money will feel glad. Though it is a purely non-governmental body, the amount spend on the research and development made Cancer Research UK 48rd position in Times Top 100 Graduate Employers List. The scenario of cancer being a most effective disease, people pays attention towards the research and development where each person doesnt need an explanation of what the funding exactly does. So, Cancer Research UK which is one of the first span entries in the market got a good response. Researchers dedicated to the work. Strong commitment by Cancer Research to the donors. More than 4,500 plus doctors, scientists and nurses are supported by Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK supports the grant funded researchers based in UK universities, hospitals and institutes. It is proven that high quality researchers are made by Cancer Research UK. It handles approximately 285,000 new cases of cancer every year. As many of the developed countries and developing countries are showing interest in cancer research and UK is one of the leading countries in doing cancer research. Thus, there are excellent chances of good connections across the globe. WEAKNESSES The funds collected by different means are always will be short of as the research itself is a lengthy process. Once it reaches the saturation of people funding then the problem of funding will be serious. OPPORTUNITIES With the help of Cancer Research UK, there are chances of getting new drugs into the market which are Cancer Preventive drugs. Cancer Research UK is one of the leading research institute or organisation in UK, thus it has world recognition and can have a global impact. Hence, the funds collection will be improved. Till now government has not funded to Cancer Research UK, so there are many chances where government can support and act as a backbone to the cancer research UK. Students, doctors, scientists and nurses will be interested to work in an organisation as Cancer Research UK. Hence, the funding can be reduced in the future to grow further. THREATS As the Cancer Research purely depends on the public funding the main threat is Funding. If funding is not sufficient for the research exercise then the process chain has to stop. The trained scientists and doctors of other countries may not work with Cancer Research UK for longer period where knowledge banks need to be refreshed rather than updated. PART B (NEXT THREE YEARS CANCER REASERCH STRATEGY) Although researchers appear to largely agree that the adoption of a market oriented perspective as well as marketing tools is important for Non profit Organisations (Andreasen and Kotler, 2003). It can be argued that market orientation is not a relevant concept for cancer research because its mission (product) is defined in advance and cannot be changed in dependence of market needs. However, there is a wide range of other marketing strategies and instruments available to Cancer Research that can be implemented without changing or denying their true mission. Such strategies include the identification of customers who are most interested in supporting their mission (market segmentation), ensuring an image is built that is attractive to those people (product positioning), the development of communication messages most attractive to these people (advertising) and communicating with them through channels these people regularly use (place). Market segmentation and target market The selection of target market segment is (together with the positioning decision) the foundation for most marketing programs. Yet there are few models for the selection of market segments. The segmentation decision is one of the major meeting grounds between marketing research and modelling, since models used for the selection of target segment require considerable information on the size of segments, their key characteristics, expected competitive activities, and expected market response of given segment to the offering of the firm and its competitors (Moorthy, 1984) The company will basically target the following market segments as donors (Kelly, 1998). High-income earners Hospice centers Collectors and bookworms House-movers Corporate entities, basically office employees rarely sales, marketing and mobile ones Fundraising strategy Increasingly, fundraising practitioner literature is focusing on the growing importance of relationship cultivation with all donors rather than devoting resources to marketing the organisation to donor publics. Rather than simply focusing the cultivation of major gift donors, practitioners have recognized that the same principles can be applied to all donors (Waters, 2008). By dedicating more time to donor relations, Worth (2002) says that these principles can result in increased donor loyalty to the organization. Kelly (2000) maintains that stewardship is the second most important step in the fundraising process. She advocates that fundraising practitioners must incorporate four elements of stewardship. Cancer Research official fundraising plan should be: reciprocity, which allows the Cancer Research to demonstrate its gratitude for the gift; responsibility, which means that the Cancer Research uses the gift in a socially responsible manner; reporting, which includes the basic principles of demonstrating accountability; and relationship nurturing, which includes regular communication and cultivation activities. These principles will help the Cancer Research and fundraisers maintain ethical standards as well as ensure continued fundraising success. In setting out the basic principles of the fundraising process, Rosso (1993) makes it clear that if Cancer Research wants to ensure its longevity then it should be prepared to dedicate time to developing relationships with its donors. Nudd (1993) in sisted that organisations that conduct research on donors are in the best situation to cultivate relationships because of their understanding of their donors. Wagner (2002) ideas suggest that Cancer Research should search for new donors or work with their current donor databases to evolve their donors. Nudd (1993) suggests that Cancer Research if it ensures its longevity must be ready and prepared to do both. She acknowledges that organisation must constantly be on the lookout for new individuals who are interested in the cause or the Cancer Research and try to bring them on board as a donor. However, she maintains that organisations hould put more focus on donors who already have an established relationship with the organisation because past donor performance is the greatest indicator of future giving (Waters, 2008). Just as the public relations literature is beginning to discuss the different relationship maintenance strategies, fundraising literature is also rich with varying strategies on how the Cancer Research donor relationship can be enhanced through cultivation. Although practitioner literature gives advice on securing face-to-face business meetings with major gift donors over lunch and in private settings (Sargeant and Jay, 2004), others are beginning to realise that relationship maintenance strategies can benefit donors at all levels, not just the elite donor. Kellys (2000) basic formula for stewardship involves thanking the donor and then continued correspondence where the Cancer Research shows that it has used the donation wisely and responsibly. Cancer Research is encouraged to add donors to its regular mailing list to either provide them with newsletters and annual reports (Neal, 2001), additional fundraising solicitations for future campaigns (Rosso, 1993). Online fundraising Online fundraising is growing rapidly in importance. Cancer Reaserch needs to send individual email messages, encouraging them to click on link that will take them to the Cancer Reaserch websites, where a donation can easily be made with a credit or debit card. Cancer Reaserch should also include organisations websites address in their direct mail materials because some supporters may find donating online more convenient than returning the direct mail response card. Traditional direct mail is also appropriate for the internet direct mail. Because the internet is a different medium, the development of creative materials will be different. Most e-mail applications allow for multimedia text and visual elements. This combination creates opportunities for much greater creativity in fund raising offers. Furthermore, because links cane be embedded in to the massage, much more information can be made available to receivers who desire it. There are several reason online fundraising is growing . The proportion of the population that has an internet connection continues to grow. The proportion of the interne-connected population that has a high speed internet connection also continues to grow (Wymer et al, 2006). Cancer Research relationship marketing strategy Relationship marketing aims to construct deeper relationships with beneficiaries than those likely to emerge from ad hoc contacts. Unlike most relationships in marketing, these relationships need not be long term, as charities invariably want their beneficiaries to recover from whatever ailment is afflicting them. (Gronroos, 1990) recognised explicitly that while relationship marketing attempted to establish and develop relationships, it did not necessarily involve long-term relationships.) Long-term connections between a beneficiary and a Cancer Research could in fact emerge, e.g. through a beneficiary becoming a donor to; supporter or ambassador of; or volunteer worker for the Cancer Research campaign concerned, but this is not essential in order to justify the application of a relationship marketing approach. It is vital nevertheless that the organisation look at transactions with beneficiaries beyond their ad hoc use of the charitys services (Conway, 1997), Cancer Research needs to keep in touch with beneficiaries to see how they are getting on (Bruce, 1994); communicate on a two-way basis, and actively seek feedback. Furthermore, practical measures whereby charities can encourage actual or potential beneficiaries to want to have an ongoing relationship with an Cancer Research include relationship advertising (Stern, 1997) whereby the Cancer Research needs to provide information on customised services and seeks to convince potential beneficiaries that they will be well-cared for (Hochschild, 1983) . Relationship advertising, according to Stern (1997), stimulates thoughts, feelings and actions relevant to relationships and to what a relationship with Cancer Research will involve. Further relationship-building devices include two-way communications (involving freepost mail responses, toll-free telephone numbers, e-mail helplines, etc.), database marketing (with personalised, targeted communications Berry, 1995), the provision of incentives to interact with the health campaign, subscriptions to Cancer Research activities, and personal information on developments within the Cancer Research and its pl anned activities. Personal information on Cancer Research activities will extend to news about its employees, profiles of well-known celebrities who support the charity, and insider information about intended future programmes (Bennet, 2005). Global Move Cancer Research can widen its role by going international joining hands with international cancer organisation like world cancer congress and other medical organisation as donor community also impart obligations for constructive engagement with multilateral agencies on broader humanitarian issues. This dialogue complements its more focused geographic interests by demonstrating its commitment to alleviating suffering and addressing complex global issues. Cancer research should increase the level of engagement with selected humanitarian agencies in order to better reflect cancer research interests. Future campaigns and strategies Cancer research will continues to work both on improving access to existing treatments and stimulating the development of newer and better medical tools that take into account the needs of people in poor countries. Cancer research will push for continued improvements in medical practice. Cancer research also continue to support efforts to reshape the way medical Research and Development is funded so that medical innovation serves those most in need and is not only market-driven as at present. CONCLUSION Strategic planning for Cancer Research is important and probably will become part of the standard repertoire of public and non-profit planners. It is important, of course, for planners to be very careful about how they engage in strategic planning, since every situation is at least somewhat different and since planning can be effective only if it is tailored to the specific situation in which it is used. Cancer Research UK should more often try to collaborate with other charities, pharmaceuticals and professional bodies in order to eradicate the cause as soon as possible Knowledge is critical to for Cancer research, as a result of the public sector reform movement, NPOs are forced to change the way they manage and operate their activities. Cancer research needs to use its organizational resources more effectively in the competitive non-profit environment (Waters, 2008).