A Sacred Place - 1124 Words

A Sacred Place A sanctuary is a sacred place where a person can feel safe and find peace within oneself. It is the theme of sanctuary that relates Irene Zabytko’s â€Å"Home Soil†, Raymond Carver’s â€Å"A Small, Good Thing† and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, to one another. In Irene Zabytko’s â€Å"Home Soil†, the narrator tato talks about the harsh experiences he had in his past. He talks about how he was forced by the German’s to go out and herd up the crowds in the streets, â€Å"...one of them shoved a gun into my hands and pushed me out into the streets†(Zabytko 492). Tato finds some excitement and thrill in the power he has over these crowds of people, â€Å"I too began to yell at people and held the rifle against my chest,†¦show more content†¦John puts his wife in the best room he feels will help with her recovery and that is the room that once was a nursery. Of all the rooms to put her in, the nursery should of been the last place, but how could he know of her condition, postpartum was unknown of during the late 1800’s. John saw the room as, â€Å"a big, airy room, the whole floor nearly, with windows that look all ways, and air and sunshine galore† (Gilman 591). The narrator wanted to stay in another room that she describes to be so peaceful in her eyes, â€Å"I wanted one downstairs that opened onto the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings† (Gilman 591). John feels the room upstairs is the best sanctuary for his wife to get the best rest and relaxation in and to help with her â€Å"temporary nervous depression† (Gilman 590). The room is just the opposite for his wife, it is not a sanctuary for her because she becomes more and more crazier having to live in this room and always being reminded of how children use to live in the room. She has thoughts of suicide, â€Å"I am getting angry enough to do something desperate. To jump out of the window would be admirable exercise...† (Gilman 599). His wife knows that this room is not the best for her that this room cannot be a sanctuary for her. She is very far from feeling safe and secure inShow MoreRelatedSacred Places1504 Words   |  7 PagesThe World Trade Center: A Sacred Site R. Clark, J. Frazier July 4, 2010 Greg Underwood University of Phoenix The World Trade Center: Sacred Site Myths, while imagined, have their own explanations of the divine, that to the faithful and those who take the myth on faith , see as true, sacred and unquestioned. For those who do not see myths as religion and the lore and stories in it mere stories , events and elements in it are curiously close to the beliefs and persuasive elementsRead MoreSacred Places1363 Words   |  6 PagesMERGEFORMAT ï ¿ ½1ï ¿ ½ Sacred places represent the essential spirit of human kind, and at some point in time, was part of a significant event, ceremony, or spiritual worship. People venture to sacred places to satisfy the human spirit s desire for communion with themselves and their collective humanity. Sacred sites are the most loved and visited places on planet earth. When one arrives at a spiritual destination they find themselves closer to their individual realities. These places have the power toRead MoreThe Sacred Balance : Rediscovering Our Place1102 Words   |  5 Pagespollution, or other major environmental concerns.† (Loughlin). Drinking polluted water will harm individuals and their families but global warming has not appeared to danger us and so we do not worry about it (Walker). In the article, The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature, by David Suzuki, it is indicated that humans have lost interconnectedness with nature. In other words, people have put importance to the mo re unnecessary things, which are the main causes for us consuming chemicals in foodRead MoreReligious Traditions768 Words   |  4 PagesElements of Religious Traditions In the following paragraphs, I will explain how religious traditions describe and encourage the relationships with the divine, sacred time, sacred space or natural world, and with each other. Next, I will identify issues that are critical. Finally, I will include examples of various religious traditions. Relationship with the divine Divinity is the power of having attributes and the quality of being divine. In earlier times, divinity was believed to give anRead MoreThe Memorial And Museum At The World Trade Center1258 Words   |  6 Pagesfamilies and American people. Memorial gatherings and establishment of the memorial transformed the site into a sacred space for both religious and nonreligious men and women , not only in America but all around the globe. This essay examines 9/11 Memorial in the light of Micean Eliade â€Å" Sacred and Profane† In chapter 1 Eliade introduces a term hierophany. He defines it as something sacred that manifest itself to humans thought ordinary objects that belong to profane world. Those objects show dualityRead MoreThe Lord Of The Flies1441 Words   |  6 PagesTrump said, â€Å"The Theatre must always be a safe and special place†, and for once he is right, the Theatre is a special place place, where people and objects transform in front of our eyes. One element that helps make a play great, is if it effectively uses its sacred space. The definition of sacred space according to our lecture is, â€Å"A physical space that feels almost magical, sometimes it may transform or appear before our eyes.† Sacred space is not required to incorporate the entire stage eitherRead MoreSpace And Nature On Campus Essay959 Words   |  4 PagesEliadian Space and Nature on Campus At the end of each interview, I asked participants to describe a place on campus of particular importance. I then requested that they text me a photograph of the space the next time they experienced the emotions described during the interview. Five of six participants responded within twenty-four hours. Explaining her methods, Ammerman highlights the significance of visual research: â€Å"Taking the visual turn introduced a new set of stories†¦The data are producedRead MoreAmerican Indian Religious Freedom Act1690 Words   |  7 PagesPrior to the Second World War, religious places remained untouched as they were mainly located in rural areas. However, the period after the Second World War was characterized by an increase in population, corporate farming, a more vibrant timber industry as well as an expanded recreational industry. This change resulted in less respect for the public land, and the situation was made worse by the proliferation of state and federal agencies that have no respect for the public land. It thus becomesRead MoreThe Prayer Of The Sacred1678 Words   |  7 Pages For most religions, the sacred feels as though it is out of reach or untouchable. One typically cannot have a direct conversation with whom they consider sacred, so they pray to their god(s), hoping that their prayers will be heard and answered. Another aspect of following a religion is having a deep feeling of either love, respect or fear for the sacred. No matter the feeling, it is critical for one who follows it to reach out with prayer and tell their sacred how they feel,profess their faithRead MoreEloquent Feelings And Safe Places1139 Words   |  5 Pages Eloquent Feelings and Safe Places Stephen Dunn s poems makes sure to let the reader stop and think, and as a creative writing teacher he knows how to do just that. Winner of awards such as the â€Å"Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, â€Å"The James Wright Prize†,and the â€Å"Paterson Award for Sustained Literary Achievement†, his work â€Å"The Sacred†, published back in 1989, shows off his literary genius in normal experiences and captures

Corporal Punishment Argument Essay Free Essays

Corporal Punishment Argument Essay Corporal Punishment should not be enforced to teach children from misbehaving. To spank and to hit children in todays society Is considered morally wrong but often unpracticed. There is a fine line between abusive hitting and spanking your child on the caboose. We will write a custom essay sample on Corporal Punishment Argument Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Parents who hit their children wither at home or in public leave mental and physical scars that could untimely influence violent behavior in children. Children who are physically punished at home hardly ever learn their lesson. Researchers from the Catalog of Physiologic Study have proved that punishing a child through corporal punishment only leads to more misbehaver. Instead, by confronting them in a calm matter has shown to work better by 35 percent, rather than hitting. In addition, by taking away something that the child possess dear to their hearts for a certain period of time forces them to behave in an orderly manner. For example, when a child runs up a cell phone bill, it would make more sense to take away the cell phone rather than physically spank the child and allowing them to keep the cell phone. By keeping the cell phone, children are more likely to take risks. Although, by taking away the phone children understand if they were to take another risk they would jeopardize not having a phone. Society can be viewed as extremely hypocritical. Their viewpoints on public corporal punishment can be seen as evil. More than 90 percent of the community disagrees with corporal punishment while they are in public, but only 15 percent will practice what they preach in their homes. This leaves about 85 percent of parents who exercise spanking in the comfort of their own homes. This hypocritical trait is what leads to frustration in parents and confusion in children. Many times the frustration from not being able to punish children in public leads to a more severe punishment at home. This is often seen when teachers notify higher authority when they see or suspect some sort of violence in their student’s homes. A child who receives corporal punishment undergoes more stress and emotional discomfort than any parent might from contributing punishment. The children’s helplessness can lead to more violent behavior; In addition, most children grow up to mimic the methods of discipline from their own parents or guardians. In 2008, child services survey announced that children who had been spanked at a younger age were at high risk of emotional damage, which often resulted to a poor and unsuccessful future. In addition most children loose respect and become accustomed to being hit by their parents. Most children aren’t fazed by others emotions because of their adapted ways. Spanking and hitting children are not the only idealistic methods to solving problems. The many viewpoints from parents, society and children are important to follow inorder to have a child who How to cite Corporal Punishment Argument Essay, Essay examples

Risk Management Process and Strategies for Risk - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theRisk Management Process and Strategies for Risk Types. Answer: Introduction Risk can be any event that occurs unplanned and results into positive or negative impacts on a project. Risks result from uncertainties in outcome of project activities. In risks, there are possibilities of facing losses or undesirable outcomes. Uncertainty and risks are often used interchangeably but the two are somewhat different uncertainty is the case where possible outcomes of a situation are known but their probabilities of occurrence cannot be judged while in the case of risk , risk impacts can be quantified as well as their probabilities can be known. Risk may not always lead to a loss but it is an outcome which is unfavourable to the project in some way. This favourability is relative to what a stakeholder is expecting from the project as an outcome. Two stakeholders can have different views on the same risk. Thus, their objective are required to be integrated which presents complexities on projects. A project needs to have appropriate strategies in place to ensure that these risks are managed well otherwise, the gap between expectations and actual outcomes would keep on increasing on the project. There are several tools and strategies that are available for reducing risks but these strategies may differ from industry to industry. In a manufacturing unit set-up project, risks may be managed through the use of appropriate contract arrangements with equipment and machinery vendors. Risk management is the process using which the risks can be minimized any reducing its probability of occurrence and reducing the severity resulting from its of occurrence in least possible time. Risk management is an iterative process that involves cycles of three steps including risk identification, risk analysis, risk response, and risk control. Risk Sources Types There could be many sources of a project risk and the impacts of these risks can have infinite possibilities. However, there are certain sources of risks that are more frequently seen and thus, can be categorized as the primary sources of project risk. These include: Client Characteristics: There are certain factors related to clients that can affect the outcomes of the project such as nature of business, form of business, track record of the client on managing manufacturing development projects, availability of funding, modes of compensation, attitude towards professional services, and the history of litigation or claims. These characteristics are important as they help in identifying the risks that can occur on a project as well as defined the impacts of those risks on the project. In the current case, the client is the manufacturing organization that have sufficient funds available for establishment and has a clean record of paying companies that they outsource their services to. Project Nature: Certain project related factors such as relationships between program budget and schedule, project site, political profile, project type, and applicable laws or regulations, can also affect the types of risks and their impacts on a project. Professional Services: Many projects involve services from a third party companies including equipment suppliers, contraction contractors, and architects which makes the project dependent on the availability and experience of these third parties. Project delivery Method: Modes and methods of delivery of a project can be different with different types of projects. For instance, a construction project can be delivered through one general contractor handling all sub-contractors or through involvement of multiple prime contractors who would be delivering the project directly. Moreover, with the level of complexities and size of the project, the familiarity with the contractors and sub-contractors can vary which would affect the speed of approvals and construction. Others: There can also be other parties to contract or project that can affect the risk portfolio of a project based on their involvement and influence on the project. These parties can include employees, project team, regulatory bodies, public communities and more such internal and external stakeholders. For instance, in case of a manufacturing unit establishment is a design professional involved in a product development then the skill, experience, and the compensation offered to the contractors involved in factory set up and implementation of the manufacturing equipments would affect the wooden factory establishment. Risks can be mainly of two types that include endogenous and exogenous risks. Endogenous risks arise from the shocks within an organization while exogenous risks result from shocks received from outside the company(Danielsson, 2012). Exogenous factors can include marketing plans of an organization, its market reputation(Milhaud, 2012), Risk Assessment Once risk sources are identified, the risks that are likely to occur on a project can easily be identified and then, the next step is to assess these risks. This assessment involves understanding of the probability of the occurrence of the risk and the impact of the risk event on the project. Certain risks can have very low probability of occurrence but if they occur, they can be catastrophic in nature while some risks occurring more frequently can have very minor consequences that can be avoided on a project. Considering these two aspects, the severity of the risk can be determined by considering both the measures. A common method of facilitation for risk management is the use of risk matrix and filtering. It gives a sharper view of the risks faced a company by exploring a large set of risk scenarios that are complex in nature. The filtering breaks down risks into their sub-components such that they are individually evaluated to assess their contribution to the overall project risk. Risks are prioritized based on certain risk factors and criterias of evaluation and risk scores are calculated accordingly(SORNETTE, et al., 003). The steps followed in this method of risk assessment include: Defining risks and system scope: First step in any risk management practice involves identification of a risk question answer to which would make the goal for risk assessment. For instance, if the question is if the raw materials would be sufficiently available in the market to produce furnishing products as per the market demand, then the goal of the risk management would become assurance of appropriate selection of products for manufacturing that can be produced from the raw materials that are easily available with the suppliers that are nearby and in good quantities. The scope of the risk management practice and the system must be clearly defined at this stage such that the boundaries of project are clearly identified. Project teams can also narrow down on the scopes by using qualitative filtering techniques. For instance, a company can filter out products based on their level of returns such that products giving low returns because of less profit margins are ruled out. Defining Risk Topics: Once the risks and project scope are clearly identified, a cross-functional team on a project can go deeper down these risks to identify head topics and subtopics. Head topics are those risk factors that are directly connected to the risk question while subtopics are those factors that can impact the risk which is associated with the head topic. These topics can be seen as the sources of project risks and these are evaluated and given risk scores. The risk sources or topics in case of factory establishment projects are production plans, quality measures, regulatory requirements, raw materials, products, and industrial procedures. Sub-topics that can come under various risk sources include: Workcentres under production units, unit operations under workcentres, and process steps under operations. Product quality under quality measures, production quality under product quality, and process quality under production quality Furniture types under products, raw material mixes under furniture types, quality under raw material mixes While it is essential to identify risk sources, it is also important to identify who would be responsible for these risks which is an outcome of mutual discussions between key stakeholders. Trade-offs has to be made between the accuracy of these details and the resources including time and human capital. Depending on the nature of a situation, the level of detail required and the quantity of resources to be used can be decided. One way to identify required level of detail is by making a comparison between the risks at different levels of details with the need for resources for risk mitigation at these levels. The severity of risk would decide the level of efforts that must be put for managing or mitigating risks. Another factor that would play a key role in determining the level of detail to be obtained is the target time that would be consumed in the assessment of specific risk component(PQRI, 2015). Evaluation Criteria: Once risk categories are sufficiently identified, an evaluation criteria has to be established which must address the concerns of probability of occurrence and severity of a risk. This criteria should be able to bridge any gap that exists between various risk components and the risk questions. A question can be asked to do this such as How can we understand the contribution that this risk component gives to the overall project risk? In the stage of evaluation, a balance has to be created between the level of details and the level of efforts required. Most simple evaluation model identifies likelihood of the component causing harm to project and the severity of the impact caused. These evaluations are mostly subjective and thus, level of details is sacrificed for attaining simplicity and speed of decision. Another model uses these two criterias for evaluation by forming a risk matrix such that both probability of risk occurrence and its impact are related to the p otential project failures(Roy Brahma, 2012). For instance, in the case of check on the quality of products produced in the furniture manufacturing unit, a risk matrix can be prepared as shown below: Figure 1: Risk Matrix A more complex and detailed evaluation method is multi-factor evaluation in which a degree of objectivity is used along with the level of details for the assessment of project risks. This would involve multiple factors that can be used for evaluating risks at the same time with additional criterias defined adding to the overall justification of severity or probability of risk occurrence. This probability may relate to the capability of the risk component to detect a defect or deviation from normal. Some of the criterias that can be used for assessing risks in a manufacturing site include last occurrence of defect, strength of quality controls, adequacy of staffing levels, and ability of audit to detect a deviation. Scoring Models: After evaluation criteria are clearly defined, a scoring model can be developed including all the identified risk criteria to arrive at a single score for each risk(Smaga, 2014). This score can be calculated using multiplication or addition of the weightages of different criteria based on their importance. Some examples of scoring models include Risk matrix that reflects scores on either side of zero to represent low and high risks. Table A: Risk Assessment Assessment criteria Scoring Score Potential for harm to project -10 to +10 +6 Non-conformance level -3 to +3 -3 Ability to detect defects -5 to +5 +4 Staff adequacy levels -3 to +3 -2 +5 Multifactor multiplicative scoring which involves multiplication or divisions between individual scored to calculate the total score Table B: Multifactor multiplicative scoring Assessment criteria Scoring Score Potential for harm to company reputation 0 to 10 8 Non-conformance to quality level 0 to 3 2 Ability to detect defects in furnitures 0 to 5 4 Staff adequacy levels 0 to 3 1 15 Weighted scoring method gives a weightage to each criterion such that these scores are added or averaged to calculate the final score which is represented using percentages. Table C: Weighted scoring Assessment criteria Score Weight Weighted score Potential for harm to company reputation 8 50% 4 Non-conformance to quality level 2 20% 0.4 Ability to detect defects in furnitures 4 30% 1.2 Staff adequacy levels 1 10% 0.1 +5 Score for Risk Components: After deciding on the risk scoring model between the project team, scoring can start. Most often, the scoring model is first pilot tested and reviewed by stakeholders to get their buy-in and later team rules are developed through multiple scoring sessions that would lead to standardization. Subtopic Filtering: Risk matrix can also be narrowed down to the subtopics such as shown in the figure below where warehousing and plant maintenance are chosen two subtopics that are identified in the matrix as producing low risk while packaging, complaints, and product release are some of the subtopics posing high risk to the project. Figure 2: Risk Probability vs Severity Ranking and filtering can help develop reviews of project risks such that based on the cumulative scores of risk components, priorities can be defined for establishing control over those risks. For instance, a low cumulative score of risk can be respondent to with lower level of control and thus, would be given a lower priority as compared to high risk topics. In the current example of manufacturing unit risks, risk control can be enhanced for the high risk categories such as release and QC lab while it can be reduced for low risk categories like warehousing and maintenance. When control over the low risk categories is eliminating, it results into reduction of the scope of risk management. Also, elimination of the products that can lead to high risks can further reduce the project portfolio size. High focus on the high risk areas can also help in evaluating the mitigation options. Risk Review: The results can then be revaluated through the scoring model to identify best mitigation options. For this cross-system scores can be gathered on topics for evaluation for re-scoring. An operational feedback would further confirm if the risk control strategies are sufficiently addressing the risk question. The feedback would also ensure that assumptions about the residual risks hold true. Residual risks are those risks that remain even after the risk control procedures have been applied. In the process, new risks can also appear that may not have been identified earlier in the control measures in which case, the control measures have to be updated based on the feedback Risk Communication: The risk ranking and filtering output has to be communication sufficiently to decision makers who are authorized and a standard operating procedure has to be documented which would provide a way to implement the decided control measures. This can be useful not only in controlling specific project risks but also the portfolio of risks for enhancing control Project risk management strategies Risk management is not just about elimination of risks but it plays a more crucial role by strengthening the management practices which is fundamental to any organization. This could be a reason why organizations have started to give more value to the risk management practices. A 2011 survey conducted by McKinsey found that boards only take reviews and approve proposed risk management strategies as per 44% of the survey respondents. Only 14% of the respondents in the survey had observed companies using risk management practices or were having a complete knowledge of risks faced by an organization. Many directors still felt that the information they received through reviews was only short term. Different types of risks that can be identified on the manufacturing unit establishment project include financial risks, equipment risks, outsourcing risks, environmental risks, and safety or health related risks. For managing most risks, companies adopt a governance framework that provides some risk management principles, standards, codes, and incentives. Most times, risk governance falls into a state level or national level practice with codes defined by commissions for establishing an internal control over risks in an organization. COSO has a guidance published for risk assessment which gives guidance on certain risk related issues(Pasztor, 2011). International Organization for Standardization gives guidance on implementation of the risk management practice. ISO 31000 is a de facto standard used for risk management guidelines which has a variety of different methodologies and practices defined in it. One of the risk governance practices defined includes thematic peer reviews which are defined by a Financial Stability Board. . However, organizational heads still feel that there is a lack of guidance on risk management which is adequate for specific project purposes. There are certain gaps in frameworks and risk governance codes making it difficult for companies to create a strong risk management structure with effective appetite for risks. However, use of sound risk governance practices can still help companies regulate their project resources. The rules and agreements are defined for specific jurisdictions following specific laws such as company laws of Germany and Austria and stock exchange laws of Mexico. These governing laws mostly deal with the issues of project audits. Turnbull guidance is a specific audit guidance provided by UK government while risk governance guidance has been provided for the listed boards by the Corporate Governance council of Singapore (OECD, 2014). At the organizational level, there can be four strategies to respond to risks including ignorance of risk, transfer of risk to a third party, avoiding of risk and its mitigation(Alfiana, et al., 2016). Depending on the risk score, the severity of risk is assessed and appropriate response strategy is selected. For instance, in case of risks posing high severity, the risk is best avoided through appropriate control measures. There would be certain residual risks that would still occur despite all control measures taken and these risk impacts have to be mitigation by identifying appropriate method chosen from unlimited possibilities. Most endogenous risks can be avoided as the probabilities are better known while exogenous risks that occur because of external factors have to be respondent with a mitigation strategy or through transfer of the risk to the external party(Shogren Crocker, 2000). Conclusions The objective of this report was to explore how risk management practices are used in a manufacturing unit establishment project including the different steps involved such as risk definition, risk source identification, risk assessment, risk scoring, and risk management strategies development for risk minimization their risks. Some common risk sources were identified including client characteristics, project nature, professional services and project delivery methods. The exploration of risk management process lead to the discovery of some risk management steps that are used in organizations risk definition, risk topics identification, risk evaluation, scoring, subtopic filtering, risk review, and risk communication. The report also identified some scoring models such as risk matrix, multiplicative scoring, and weighted scoring. It was found that companies can use risk control strategies that are given priority based on risk score for avoiding the risks but there can still be some re sidual risks for which mitigation plan has to be made. References Alfiana, E., Sule, T., Sutisna Masyita, D., 2016. Impact Of Exogenous And Endogenous Risks On Systemic Risk In Indonesian Banking. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, pp. 77-82. Danielsson, J., 2012. Endogenous Risk , s.l.: Hyun Song Shin. Milhaud, X., 2012. Exogenous and endogenous risk factors management to predict surrender behaviours, s.l.: HAL. OECD, 2014. Risk Management and Corporate Governance, s.l.: OECD. Pasztor, J., 2011. Endogenous Risk and Dangers to Market Stability , s.l.: College of Financial Planning. PQRI, 2015. Risk Ranking and Filtering, s.l.: PQRI. Roy, S. K. Brahma, R., 2012. RISK MANAGEMENT IN PROJECT AN INSIGHT, s.l.: Nalco. Shogren, J. F. Crocker, T. D., 2000. Endogenous Risk and Environmental Policy, s.l.: Iowa State University. Smaga, P., 2014. The Concept of Systemic Risk , s.l.: LSE. SORNETTE, D. et al., 003. Endogenous versus exogenous dynamics and scaling laws in Cyber-risks , Zurich, Switzerland: ETH.

Swan Lake Essay Example For Students

Swan Lake Essay Swan Lake is a ballet that consist of four acts. It is based from a German fairy tale. It contains music from Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The first performance of Swan Lake was in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater. It was held on May 4, 1877. The choreographer was Julius Reisinger. It was not successful. Swan Lake is the French version of a German tale. It is about a princess named Odette who is turned into a swan by an evil magician named Rothbart. In some versions of the story it is said that her friends also are turned into swans. Every midnight is it that they become humans and only for a few hours. One midnight prince Siegfried sees her and falls in love with her. He promises to rescue her. We will write a custom essay on Swan Lake specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now There is going to be a ball at the castle where Siegfried lives. At the ball he will announce who he will marry. Odlie which is Rothbarts daughter goes to the ball like a black swan. Prince Siegfried is drawn to her and tells everyone he will marry her. Odette goes and sees what is happening and rushes to the lake. Prince Siegfried notices her and runs after her because he notices that he has broken the promise. He goes to the lake and Princess Odette for gives him. Rothbart seeing what is happening makes a big storm and they both drown. In other versions there is a happy ending where the prince fight with Rothbart. He breaks the spell. The other versions say Rothbart surprises Odette while her and her friends were gathering flowers he turned all of them into swans. After Tchaikovskys death in 1893 a memorial was given and there was a second act, rechoreographed by Lev Ivanov. A full production was performed January 27,1895 at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. The Russians had great expectations for the production. Marius Petipa choreographed Acts I and III, and Ivanov choreographed Acts II and IV. This version required major changes in the sequence of the music as originally written. It finally received recognition at the end that is deserved.

“Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.” by Rajiv Lal Essays

â€Å"Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.† by Rajiv Lal Essays â€Å"Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.† by Rajiv Lal Paper â€Å"Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.† by Rajiv Lal Paper Essay Topic: Entertainment 1. What are Harrah’s brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats? Strengths General Strong and consistent revenue growth over the past years and reliable stock market performance allowing for Harrah’s to gain a leading market position. Harrah’s national presence with a network of 26 casino locations in all â€Å"traditional† and most of the new U. S. casino markets across 13 states, including land-based, dockside, riverboat, and Indian casino facilities. First-mover advantage: William Fisk Harrah was the first to industrialize gambling with the casino operation in Reno, NV dating back as far as 1937. Additionally, Harrah’s was among the first companies to set up facilities whenever the legal and regulatory institutions allowed for new markets opportunities. Customer Relationship Management Complexity of the Total Rewards program which is designed to appeal to and provide value for both â€Å"big time spenders† and small but steady gamblers. Harrah’s ability to anticipate, as opposed to react to, what customers like and dislike and design and deliver its services accordingly. Technology enabled, automated business processes which provide seamless customer information across all departments in all Harrah’s locations. Ability to (re-) design its servicescape based on the transaction data obtained from its Total Rewards members, e. g. install more slot machines if data suggests this will yield to increased revenues. Consistent brand experience for customers through integration of information system infrastructures across all Harrah’s locations. Organizational Structure Harrah’s customer-centric marketing and operations approach which tightly integrates marketing and operations activities through cross-functional teams. Management Strong performance of COO Gary Loveman in developing and implementing the Total Rewards program and re-building the company’s organizational structure. Service Harrah’s ability to provide world-class service experience in a â€Å"tricky environment† by putting in place a number of measures at the employee level such as service process design, reward and recognition. Brand Image Consistent focus of all advertising activities around the feeling of exuberance and anticipation which research suggests are the most profound emotions of gaming. Weaknesses Harrah’s marketing efforts are primarily directed toward existing Total Rewards members and current gamblers frequenting other casinos in the target markets, thereby leaving those potential customers who currently frequent other entertainment options out of consideration. The market presence of Harrah’s casinos is limited to the U. S. market. As opposed to the MGM, the Mirage, or the Bellagio, Harrah’s properties are not highly-themed environments that offer a lot of new experiences to the customer. Standardization of the entire company, but especially its IT systems, will (1) necessitate a need to merge or replace infrastructures when acquiring or merging with a company and (2) limit the company’s ability to adapt structures to the changes in the market environment. Op portunities Expand cross-market revenue by encouraging Total Rewards Members to play at various Harrah’s locations. More tightly integrate the Internet / Harrah’s Website into marketing and advertising activities. Current Customers: Provide a self-service channel for customers to view personalized offers, last-minute offers, reward credits needed to achieve the next level etc. Prospective Customers: Increase awareness via an exciting, memorable Website and strong online advertising. Online Gambling: Provide an online portal which allows for Total Rewards members as well as new customers to experience a selection of games on the web, e. . slots, and provides another means to accumulate rewards credits from a remote location. Expand current Total Rewards data base by adding more fields to it, such as an advertising campaign management tool. Direct marketing efforts towards the â€Å"retail market†, that is, not only towards its current Total Rewards members and those gamblers currently frequenting other casinos. Growth through acquisition or joint venture with existing casino operators inside or outside the U. S. market. Automate operational initiatives in order to be able to utilize customer information in real-time while the customer is at the facility, e. g. instant offers displayed for the customer at the slot machine while one is playing. Utilize Total Rewards program as platform to allow for a â€Å"cashless† infrastructure which enhances convenience as part of the service experience. Expansion of casino operations across other global markets such as Asia Pacific or Western Europe. Threats Unfavorable reputation of gambling among sections of the U. S. opulation hindering social acceptance of gambling as entertainment. Intense competition given the restricted number of markets where gambling is a legalized entertainment option. A maturing U. S. gambling market is likely to induce a decline in overall growth rates in t he future years. Increase of competition due to growth of already existing non-gambling entertainment options and / or emergence of new non-gambling entertainment options. Changes in the legal and regulatory environment of gambling may further limit market opportunities for casino operations. Intensification of competition as a result of competitors building newer and flashier properties. Development of customer relationship management programs by the competition aimed at copying Harrah’s successful techniques. 2. How does Harrah’s create customer value? Proactive Marketing: Opportunity-based customer segmentation enables Harrah’s to build customer relationships based on a customer’s estimated future worth and thus direct marketing efforts towards specific customers and / or customer segments. Tiered Total Rewards Program allows Harrah’s to identify its best customers on the spot and consequently to treat its best customers best. The Reward Me nu as part of the Total Rewards program translates reward credits to the various complimentary offerings and thus enables customers to understand exactly which privileges and / or perks are available and how to earn them. Harrah’s excels at providing world-class service experience in a â€Å"tricky† environment and is known to have the friendliest employees which set the foundation for Harrah’s to win the award for â€Å"best service for three years in a row. Harrah’s national presence, that is, its network of casinos operations, allows for customers to accrue and redeem rewards credits at any of its 26 locations throughout the United States. Integrated information systems across all Harrah’s locations allow for the company to provide a consistent brand experience for its customers as each customer’s profile is fully accessible at any of Harrah’s locations. 3. How does Harrah’s create customer loyalty? The tiered Total Rewar ds program ranges from Gold and Platinum to Diamond memberships depending on the customer’s level of play increases a customer’s switching costs â€Å"play by play†. The three tiered program reflects the â€Å"ideal† path a customer should complete during his / her relationship with Harrah’s across the customer life cycle. The top tiers have a number of privileges attached to them, which are intended to serve as incentives to encourage repeat business. Based on transactional data, Harrah’s regularly addresses personalized offers to its current Total Rewards members in order to generate repeat business. Harrah’s customer-centric approach to marketing which consists of three pillars– new business, loyalty and retention – allows for execution of a targeted direct marketing program. New Business: Ability to make more effective investment decisions at the customer level based on a customer’s predicted worth. Loyal ty: Offer incentives of customers to visit Harrah’s properties more frequently and to encourage customers to visit Harrah’s casinos first in order to capture the majority of the single casino trips. Retention: Re-invigorate customers who have broken a historical visitation pattern or showed other signs of attrition. Information Management Harrah’s effectively utilizes the customer information generated by the Total Rewards program to tailor its service offering to the individual customer segments. Transactional data facilitates for Harrah’s to re-design its servicescape in order to meet changing customer expectations and thus repeatedly deliver positive service experiences. Availability of real-time customer information provides a means for Harrah’s to constantly stay in touch with its customers and facilitates to anticipate customer likes and dislikes in order to repeatedly meet (or exceed) customer expectations. Brand Image The Total Rewards program does not convey the image of â€Å"bribing† the customers, but to actually take into account the customers’ desires and to provide services accordingly. Create a feeling among customers that Harrah’s – as opposed to its competitors – knows its customers and rewards customers like the firm knows them.

Business and Professional munication Management

Reflection report helps analyse and develop particular skills in relation to a particular course. Any transfer of learning or skills gained is identified by thorough analysis of personal skills and knowledge level. The course that I attended was well designed that attends to future careers of students. Hence, this reflection journal helps understand the particular skill levels gained during the course work. There are three relevant areas of knowledge gained during the course, MAT10706, Quantitative methods with economic, MKT00075, Marketing principles and 00207 munication in Organization. A critical assessing of knowledge gained against each areas have been ascertained. While undertaking coursework during graduation there are several attributes that I have gained. The analysis of each attribute against each course and levels of expertise makes difference in relevant areas  (Burda & Wyploss, 2013). I have gained tremendous intellectual rigor in field of Quantitative methods with economic. I have b e capable in analyzing various scholarly articles and developing a critical review for the same. While the field of this discipline is vast I have learned the attributes from a large number of self-help books that was available in the library. This field of knowledge has given me ethical practice guidelines which made me adopt high ethical standards in professional and social practice.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The discipline of Marketing principles have provided me with several creative attributes, that allowed me to effectively respond to intellectual, professional and social challenges  (Blythe, 2008). I feel I have b e proficient in this domain from my practices of multiple case studies and real life situational analysis. There has been high transfer of learning pertaining to the discipline as well which allowed a smooth transition which contributed to munal and professional areas. Communication in organization is a necessary domain that needs to be learnt by each and every individual undertaking this course. munication forms the basis for personal and professional success. This domain has the attributes of providing life-long learning opportunities that enables individual capabilities to change  (DeVito, 2007). It e passes a reflective process through information literacy, self-managed learning and being autonomous. I have conducted self-analysis for this domain which reflects that I am a novice in the field. munication allows interacting with individual, teams and professional through munity settings. Being employed in a professional field in any organization allows for capability to attend to diversified cultural settings. munication will enable me to interact with Indigenous as well as other people from a varied background. Though I have made attempts to learn and develop my skills pertaining to all disciplines within my course but critical analysis reveals certain gaps in knowledge. For Quantitative methods with economics I have developed capabilities but I needs to further resort to self-help books and journals for a guided learning experience  (Baye, 2006). All professors in this course provided various important and versatile theories. But I have not been able to develop my knowledge and skill for this area of expertise. For Marketing Principles I have been highly proficient in multiple numbers of ways. I feel I have developed professional attitude with respect to the domain of marketing with highly creative skills. I feel I can easily develop this area of knowledge further to b e an expert in the domain  (Armstrong, 2014). I need to take help from my professors and friends who have excelled in these disciplines to guide me for developing relevant concepts related to marketing strategies. I can easily prepare marketing plans and analyse cases but I face difficulty in catering to diversified field of developing marketing strategies. Which can be easily be developed by means of learning ways, methods and procedures that contemporary organization use.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Communication is the most relevant field of study in personal as well as professional life. In order to develop my novice to being a proficient person in munication, I plan to undertake a small course in munication for professionals  (DiSanza, 2016). I will regularly maintain a journal and note my areas of improvements by means of feedback from friends and colleagues. This will allow me to develop my skills in an organized manner. Self-reflection is a way and method that enables addressing of short falls in areas of knowledge, skills and expertise. Through analysis of my own self I was able to diagnose area of expertise in which I lag and need to improve. The steps of improvements will be applied over the next month such that I am able to emerge as a professional in an organization. Through maintain of personal journal in areas of expertise and levels of experience I will reach my goals of developing an expertise knowledge and emerge as a highly professional executive. Armstrong, G. A. (2014). Principles of marketing. Pearson Australia. Baye, M. a. (2006). Managerial economics and business strategy (Vol. 5). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Blythe, J. (2008). Essentials of marketing. . Pearson Education. Burda, & Wyploss. (2013). Macroeconomics. Glassgow, Gret Britain: Bell&BrainLtd. DeVito, J. A. (2007). Interpersonal munication Book. The, 13/E. New York, NY: Pearson International. DiSanza, J. R. (2016). Business and professional munication: Plans, processes, and performance. Pearson.

Multic wk6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Multic wk6 - Essay Example Traditionally girls wear pink and boys wear blue. This does not happen as often in our society anymore, but it still is a way that people tell whether a baby is a boy or a girl. I wondered whether that little girl would grow up to be a girl who liked frilly dresses and wore makeup or whether she would grow up another way. Her grandmother was socializing her to be a girl, but sometimes this is not the way that the child sees themselves. I think my own gender socialization was towards being female but because I have met so many people in my life, I believe that I am open minded enough to understand that people are different in many ways. As an example, if I were to counsel someone who was transgendered, although I could not relate directly to the way they felt, I could understand the impact of how their gender socialization may or may not have been a positive situation for them. In think that my socialization could only help to enhance my work with clients because although I was geared towards being very feminine, I found out later in life that that was not exactly the person that I was -- I enjoyed being a tomboy sometimes, dressing in frilly clothes sometimes, and then just wearing causal clothes when I hang out with my friends. The greatest challenge for gays and lesbians is the fact that many people think that it is "wrong". Although some aspects of society have accepted that this lifestyle is just an additional aspect of peel relating to each other, there is a faction of society that wants to believe that this is wrong according to God. Because of this, many gays and lesbians experience oppression in a similar way that blacks did before civil rights. Many gays and lesbians would like to be legally married because they have families in similar ways as heterosexual couples. This means that they need to have provisions made for custody of their children in case something happens to one or both of the parents and they need to

Airport Design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Airport Design - Research Paper Example The stakeholders of the airport include customers, transporters, Government agencies, airlines companies, civil aviation authorities, airport management and the staff members. Therefore, the airport design should facilitate all of them in a balance so that there can be efficiency in all the working areas of the airport and thus giving benefits to the airport management. all of these aspect of the airport design should be managed in the planning session therefore it is the duty of the engineers to keep these things at preference. The purpose of this research paper is to provide a guideline about the planning of an airport design. The main persons included in the process will be the airport managers, airport staff, airport planners, architects, and the overall aviation industry. However, these are the main persons in the planning process and then the construction process but throughout the planning and construction their main focus should be on considerations of the stakeholders and their concerns about the usage of the building. There are many of the important considerations or the factors, which are very important for the planning processes of an airport design. These factors or considerations are safety, Security concerns, operational ability, commercialism, financial support, aid, and the environmental conditions. In addition to this, there is a requirement of settlement with the local Government bodies and the civil aviation authorities. So that the airport management will not face any problem, form the legal agencies regarding any law or rules. In this section of the report, there is a detailed description of the step by step procedure of planning the airport design, analysis of all the necessary components of an airport design and an overview of the primary users of the airports. In the planning process of airport design, the first step is to gather and

Sexual behavior Essay Example for Free

Sexual behavior Essay Many do not know that as a child is growing up they have normal childhood sexual behaviors even as a baby. Today we are going to discuss the different stages of childhood sexual behaviors. Â  The first stage that will be discussed is infancy(0-2). Young infants discover the joys of self- stimulation. Many can see that as they change their baby or maybe washing a baby that when the wash the genital area the baby will either laugh or smile with enjoyment. This is actually very normal to happen. Young babies may also begin to do a pelvis thrust which has been observed with infants of the monkey and ape species and has also been observed in humans. It has been noted that baby boys as young as 5 months can so behaviors that resemble an orgasm and females are able to have behaviors the resemble an orgasm as young as 4 months. It has also been stated that children will begin to masturbate as early has 5 months. The next stage that will be discussed is early childhood (3-8). When it comes to the data on children and their sexual behavior it is mostly all a speculation because not many want to talk about their children and their sexual behavior or just that they may not see certain things as sexual behavior. One study that was done was with question mother of over 1,000 children and question like does your child masturbate was not asked more question such as does you r child does private area when they are home is asked. The study showed that about 42% of boys touch or try to touch breast and for girl the percentage is about 43%. About 60% of boys touch privates when at home and about 43% females. Then about 26% of boys try to look at people when they are either nude or undressing and also about 26% for females. The next stage is preadolescence (9-13). A report that was done around the 1950s by Kinsey and his colleague’s states that masturbation is the main source for sexual orgasm at the preadolescence stage for females and males. The study states that about 51% of males and 15% of females have masturbated by the age of 13. Also this is the stage that sexual education is being learned. Many times when asking one where they have learned information about sex from they would state that it was from their friends or from a media source. The next stage that will be discussed is adolescence. In the stage of adolescence come puberty and with puberty there comes a change of hormones and hormone levels that causes one to want to be more sexual active. Also at this stage one is trying to discover what their sexual orientation is. As growing up we are able to see what sex one is attracted to and what to do more things with. Here is the stage where many will engage in sexual intercourse and the risk of getting STI’s and pregnant becomes greater.

Data Management and Metadata Essay -- Computer Science

"Although fully searchable text could, in theory, be retrieved without much metadata in the future, it is hard to imagine how a complex or multimedia digital object that goes into storage of any kind could ever survive, let alone be discovered and used, if it were not accompanied by good metadata" (Abby Smith). Discuss Smith's assertion in the context of the contemporary information environment Introduction In the world of preservation and library science the common focus is on preserving content, ensuring its longevity, findability, and a stable consistent metadata and technology solution, However we live in an age where everyone is a publisher of some form, and more consistently the content they produce will be in a digital rather than analogue form. Within that content there will always be varying amounts of metadata, some will be populated with an immense detail and granularity, some content will have been created with no human intervention to add additional information to it. In fact much of the digital material produced will have been done so by people who have no concept of metadata, and no inclination to know about it or time to use it. The question raised by Smiths statement highlights many of the issues around data preservation and digital content, with metadata only being a part of those issues, but integral to the ongoing management of the massive influx of digital content being produced. Metadata Issues Lets begin with a potentially frightening piece of I.T. market research. â€Å" In 2010 the amount of digital information created and replicated worldwide was nearly 1,203 exabytes, (an exabyte is billion gigabytes or 1018 bytes)† IDC [1] With the amount of data growing exponentially year on year one could ask, ... ... 9. http://annotator.imense.com/info/ accessed 12-12-2010 10. http://www.virage.com/rich-media/index.htm accessed 12-12-2010 11. Board, Technology Strategy, Metadata production tools MAINSTREAM COLLABORATIVE R & D FUNDING Metadata production tools 2011 http://www.innovateuk.org/_assets/pdf/competition-documents/metadataproductiontoolscompetition.pdf accessed 02-01-2011 12. Bulterman, D.C.a., â€Å"Is it time for a moratorium on metadata?† IEEE Multimedia 11, no. 4 (October 2004): 10-17 (Bulterman, 2004) 13. Shah, Chirag. â€Å"ContextMiner: Supporting the Mining of Contextual Information for Ephemeral Digital Video Preservation.† International Journal of Digital Curation 4, no. 1 (2009): 175-192. http://ijdc.net/index.php/ijdc/article/view/111. 14. http://tagger.steve.museum/ accessed 21/12/2010 15. http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/ accessed 21/12/2010 .

Diabetes Mellitus-Shared Care Model and ICT

The world is fast changing: the pace of events is massive. The apparently big world is shrinking into a global village as democracy spreads, western civilizations encroach on other civilizations and globalization becomes a household concept. Technological advancements and improvements in the information and communication technology have perverted all spheres of human endeavor. While this is happening on one hand, health care delivery has not improved significantly. Many patients and clients complain of the lack of coordination in the health sector: they are not happy about the reduced utility derived from health care facility they patronize.There is a growing reduction in number of competent staff as well as insufficient fund for the health sector. These factors have made it necessary to evaluate the impact of information and communication technology on health care service. This need has become more important for chronic disease where collaboration between health care service provide rs is important. And with increasing incidence of chronic diseases and their attendant complications, this need cannot be overemphasized. Besides, the cost of managing some of the chronic diseases, for example diabetes, epilepsy and seizure disorders, with the traditional method is reasonably high.The prospect ICT brings is improved quality of care due to collaboration between health care workers through a comprehensive shared care system adequately powered by ICT solutions and reduced overall cost for the management of chronic diseases like diabetes. In this paper, diabetes is the focus chronic disease. I will attempt to evaluate the requirements for an Irish ICT system to supply the model of shared care. However, a brief review of diabetes mellitus and shared care will be undertaken to unravel areas of focus for ICT intervention.Diabetes mellitus: Review Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome of chronic hyperglycemia due to relative or absolute insulin deficiency, resistance or both. It affects over 100million people worldwide. Diabetes is usually irreversible, and patients can have a reasonably normal lifestyle; however its later complications which include macrovascular disease lead to increased risk of develop coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular resistance; and microvascular complications such as diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy.In a normal person, the blood glucose concentration is narrowly controlled in order to prevent the devastating complications that may follow reduced or increased blood glucose concentration. This normal glucose level is 80-90mg/100ml or 3. 5-5. 0mmol/l. This concentration usually increased to 120-140mg/100ml during the first hour after a glucose meal. The feedback mechanism of the body is alerted to reduce this level to tolerable levels by the body by the conversion of glucose to glycogen for storage under hormonal influence particularly insulin.However, in the fasting state, glucose is produced from glycogen and other substrates and released into the blood to maintain the blood glucose concentration. The various mechanisms for achieving this level of glucose control are as a result of hormonal influence, the activities of organs such as liver, skeletal muscle and the particular glucose concentration. The liver is a major metabolic organ that is important in the blood glucose buffer system: this is done by the storage of glycogen formed from glucose under the influence of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, in the liver.It also releases glucose into the blood in the fasting state. Insulin and glucagon function as important feedback control systems for maintaining a normal blood glucose concentration. When the glucose concentration rises too high, insulin is secreted from the Islet cells of Langerhans, the endocrine portion of the pancreas; the insulin in turn causes the blood glucose concentration to decrease toward normal. Conversely a decrease in blood glucose concentration stimu lates glucagon secretion; the glucagon then functions in the opposite direction to increase the glucose concentration toward normal.Under most normal conditions, the insulin feedback mechanism is much more important than the glucagon mechanism, but in instances of starvation or excessive utilization of glucose during exercise and other stressful situations, the glucagon mechanism also becomes valuable. Diabetes mellitus is a syndrome of impaired carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism caused by either lack of insulin secretion or decreased sensitivity of the tissues to insulin.It could be primary or secondary; primary diabetes is inherent while secondary diabetes can be due to Cushing syndrome, pheochromocytoma, cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, malnutrition-related pancreatic disease, pancreatectomy, and hereditary hemochromatosis, carcinoma of the pancreas, thiazide diuretic use, corticosteroid therapy, atypical antipsychotics, congenital lipodystrophy and acromegaly. There are two general types of diabetes mellitus: Type I diabetes also called insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus [IDDM]; this is caused by lack of insulin secretion.Type II diabetes, also called non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM] is caused by decreased sensitivity of target tissues to the metabolic effect of insulin. This reduced sensitivity to insulin is often referred to as insulin-resistance. The basic effect of insulin lack or insulin resistance on glucose metabolism is to prevent the efficient uptake and utilization of glucose by most cells of the body, except those of the brain. As a result, blood glucose concentration increases, cell utilization of glucose falls increasingly lower and utilization of fats and proteins increases.Injury to the beta cells of the pancreas or diseases that impair insulin production can lead to type I diabetes. IDDM is immune-mediated and has been associated with other autoimmune conditions like pernicious anaemia, alopecia areata and Hashim oto disease. Viral infections or autoimmune disorders may be involved in the destruction of beta cells in many patients with type I diabetes, although heredity also plays a major role in determining the susceptibility of the beta cells to destruction by these insults. HLA-DR3 or DR4 is found in more than 90% of patients.In some instances, there may be a hereditary tendency for beta cell degeneration even without viral infections or autoimmune disorders. The usual onset of type I diabetes occurs is less than 30 years; this is why it is called juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus. Type II diabetes mellitus is caused by diminished sensitivity of target tissues to the metabolic effects of insulin, a condition referred to as insulin resistance. This syndrome, like Type I diabetes mellitus is associated with multiple metabolic abnormalities although high levels of keto-acids are usually not present in type II diabetes mellitus.Type II diabetes mellitus is far more common that type I, accounti ng for 80-90% of all cases of diabetes mellitus. In most of these cases, the onset of type II diabetes mellitus occurs after age 40. There is usually no immune disturbance. Therefore, this syndrome is often referred to as adult-onset diabetes mellitus. Patients with diabetes present with acute manifestations which include polyuria, polydipsia, weight loss and ketonuria; they also present with subacute symptoms like lethargy, reduced exercise tolerance, vulvar pruritus, and visual disturbance.They also could also present with some of the complications of the disease such as staphylococcal disease, retinopathy, polyneuropathy, erectile dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy. Investigations that are necessary in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus include fasting plasma glucose >7. 0mmol/l, random plasma glucose >11. 1mmol/l; routine investigations include urinalysis for protein and acetone, full blood count, urea and electrolytes, liver biochemistry and random lipids. Management of diab etes mellitus: avenue for shared care The management of diabetes required community participation and patient education.The importance of glycemic control in the management of diabetic patient cannot be overemphasized: patient should adequately understand the favorable outcome associated with good glycemic control, the implication and concomitant complications that may result from poor plasma control. This is the core of self management of diabetes. Patient should also know the dietary requirement and comply with/adhere to drug use. Besides this self-care, community care is very essential as this constitutes family and general practitioner care. There is monitoring of patient’s compliance to medications and dietary advice.Essentially, the management of diabetes is multidisciplinary: dieticians, cardiologist, ophthalmologists, neurologists, internal medicine physicians, endocrine experts. There is growing need to integrate this range of practitioners. Metabolic control of diab etes can be tested by urine tests, home blood glucose testing and glycosylated hemoglobin. Urine tests are carried using dipsticks these methods are simple and give a good feedback on the blood glucose control. Patients can also be taught finger-prick and use blood glucose monitoring device to measure blood glucose.They can then interact with specialist through appropriate communication facility for automated scheduling and medication. Epidemiologically, there are 200,000 persons in Ireland with diabetes; this figure represents 3-5% of western populations. It is estimated to double by 2010. It consumes 10% of total health budgets. About â‚ ¬350 million annual cost is spent in Ireland where 59% of which is spent treating complications: 50 countries endorsed measures to reduce diabetes complications by one-third Shared Care What is shared care?Shared care is a concept where all the professionals involved in the management of a case collaborate by exchanging information on the patie nts’ care. In this way, patient also has input into the care because his/her self-management better informed from the avalanche of information provided by the care network. Shared care is an approach to care where professionals share joint responsibility with respect to an individual’s care using their skills and knowledge. It also talks about adequate monitoring and exchange of patient data within the limits of confidentiality and privacy.Shared care is both systemic and local: it collaborates the systems involved while there is local interaction between clinicians. Shared care impacts on the iron triangle of health. This triangle includes quality, access and cost. Shared care improves quality of patient care for patients with complex chronic disease like diabetes. There is increased access to patient information by health care professionals, and the patient can also easily access the professionals’ especially when the shared system is backed up by information and communication technology. Patient is also satisfied with the service rendered.This model has been suggested to be better than the conventional method of treatment afforded to patients. The treatment is appropriate because the health care givers agree on best available method based on evidence-practice. Competence is also guaranteed and services are effective and efficient. On the hand, there is improved provider satisfaction: because there is reduced contact with the utilization of tertiary level of health care service. Definitions of terms Self-management: this is about goal-setting. It is the core of self management about medication and body care.Diabetic patients need to understand the implication of self care to monitor the progress of symptoms and emergence of complications. Home care monitoring is also very useful because it helps patients to monitor their response to treatment and glycemic control. Prevention: primary prevention is important to reduce the possibility of a worsening condition especially for patients with multiple complex co-morbidities. Community of practice: this refers to the people involved in the share care. They include providers and organisations, citizens and patients with families and support groups.Models of shared care: shared care is found in Primary Care which is the emphasis of The European Forum for Primary Care (EFPC), Secondary Care, Community Based Care and mental health. The focus of shared care includes inter-professional relations and patient management. Inter-professional relations include collaborative provision of clinical services, communication and information exchange, use of treatment and referral guidelines, shared responsibility for patient care, regular face-to-face contact, and joint professional education. Patient Management is based on individual patient goals.It includes patient and family in the decision making protocol of management and patient-centered focus. There is no rigid working modality; wi th shared care, increased patient access to care reduced fragmentation of care and increased integration and continuity of care. There is a strong link at all levels of health sector-improved working relationships between providers and improved satisfaction among patients and providers. Diabetes-shared care-ICT solutions There is no doubt that information and communication technology is inevitable in the management of chronic diseases like diabetes.In order to set-up an Irish ICT unit for diabetes, the requirements will be considered within the limit of the community of practice which includes providers and organization, citizens and patients. The concept of ICT solutions is branded as eHealth. It is a promising field that will incorporate all the professionals who are directly and indirectly involved in the management of a case to properly integrate their knowledge and skills for the appropriate care of a diabetic patient while making the emphasis: glycemic control convenient for p roviders and patients.It is imperative to elucidate the aspect of health care that are relevant to ICT input: the idea of ICT use is to integration of information to improve access. This implies that patients’ information are made available at a common centre and accessible to the patient, their health care providers and researchers. The components include Clinical database: this contains the information of patient. There is a central repository of health care information of the patient. It includes the electronic patient record which is but a segment of the repository.For diabetics, the information about their presentations, clinical features, investigations, treatment plans and modalities are combined, classified and ordered in accessible manner at the clinical database centre. This database centre is secured as the confidentiality and privacy of the patient’s data has to be maintained. It is also prevented from use by third parties unless there is due consent by the patient. This central unit is fed by local diabetes databases from local hospitals. The data is made accessible to general practitioners, community health care providers and patients.Decision support tool: this is second important part of ICT solutions in shared care for diseases including diabetes. It contains specialized information guide for experts and simple algorithms of decisions for patients. Specific Requirements Providers and organization The tools that are required to have an effective shared care plan for diabetes includes: Internet: the internet has become the most influential means of connecting people, and exchanging information in this age. It is therefore unequivocal that it is useful in health information systems to achieve a collaborative network of professionals who care for diabetic patients.A large bandwidth is required for the volume of information that is processes, exchanged and implemented in shared care practice for diabetic patients. Interprofessional Co mmunication systems: Diabetic care requires effective interdisciplinary communication so that management decision is both cost-effective and evidenced based. A huge communication network is therefore required. Mobile and wireless Infrastructure: these also form ICT tools which are used in database processing, exchange and monitoring, they are required in order to facilitate the integration of the patient, and more importantly improves providers access to informationData storage: since clinical database is an integral part of ICT solutions for shared care plan for diabetics. Data must be stored in a way that is accessible to providers. This implies that strict measures and guidelines must be in place to ensure the database is well-structured. Intelligence systems: Websites must be secured. Database must be protected from intrusion by third party parties. Patient’s data must be confidential and kept private and guideline of medical ethics with respect to this must be maintained . Therefore a sophisticated intelligence network is imperative to accomplish this gargantuan task.E-learning for medical education: there is need to provide facility for providers for training and retraining. They need to update their knowledge base so that thy can offer quality service to clients. This can be achieved by making such up-to-date information available through an accessible means, for instance, the internet. Medicolegal/Ethic Issues: ICT input into health care must be maintained within the limits of ethical guidelines and mediolegal regulations for data management, exchange and implementation. It addresses problems of public interest, patient autonomy, third party involvement and international regulation against threats.Citizens and Patients The requirements for the patients include E-learning device for the patient: this will teach patient the modus operandi of the collaborative health information system, their role and why it is important they adopt it. It will also give useful information about diabetes. Decision support tools: this should contain factual information that can guide the patient to make informed choice with respect to their management. Patient home management: this includes clinical signs monitoring, automated scheduling and medication.It also comprises access to health educators and professionals. Areas of ICT use have been well documented in the literature: they are basically Teleconsultation: this is a kind of telemonitoring between patient and caregiver via phone, email, automated messaging tools and the internet Videoconferencing: this is face-to-face contact via such equipments as television, digital camera, videophone to connect between caregivers and patients. Both have proven useful in diabetic care. And this is widely reported in many papers from across the world. Issues and challengesHaving elucidates the conditions above in terms of providers and patients; it is needful to quickly mention that certain issues must be considered before initiating and implementing ICT input into shared care for diabetes. These include ? Confidentiality compromise ? Security breaches ? Territoriality and power status amongst health care providers ? Cost of ICT requirements ? Medicolegal issues These challenges will adversely affect ICT adoption for shared car in diabetes if ignored. They can be addressed by ? Adequate funding of the project by government.Intensive training for users and health care professionals ? Consensus on the modus operandi amongst health care service providers ? Intensive research into ICT implications in health care, patients’ behavior, pragmatism of project plan. Conclusion The impact of ICT on shared care plan for diabetes is indispensable. There are improved collaboration amongs health care workers and patients are ultimately satisfied with the service they get. The requirements for Irish ICT have been elucidated and concomitant issues explained. It is my hope that this will be ado pted and health care service will subsequently improve.

Prescription Addiction Essay

Addiction by Prescription In this essay, I’m going to explore the abuse of prescription drugs, provide information on the most commonly abused substances, and on the current treatment options available for users. Because of the rise of prescription pill addiction, it is important that people are made aware of the very dangerous effects that these drugs can have on them. The negative effects can result in jail time, illness, and even death. Painkillers, Depressants and Stimulants, are currently the most commonly abused prescription drugs. Years of research has shown that addiction to any drug (illicit or prescribed) causes a brain disease that can be treated effectively. Successful treatment may need to incorporate several components, including detoxification, counseling, and sometimes the use of addiction medications. Behavioral and pharmacological treatments are both necessary for the recovery of individuals with addictions. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is estimated that 48 mi llion people (aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons in their lifetime. That’s approximately 20% of the U.S. population. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in prescription drug misuse or abuse. This increase has led to a corresponding increase in ER visits because of accidental overdoses as well as admissions to drug treatment programs for drug addictions. It’s thought that prescription drug addiction is on the rise because there are more drugs available to more people and the opportunity for abuse is greatly increased. Doctor’s are reporting writing more prescriptions for patients than ever before. In addition, you only have to go on the Internet to find high numbers of online pharmacies selling these addictive drugs. People become addicted to prescription drugs for various reasons. One may have an injury or any type of pain and begin to take the drug, and soon become dependent. Some take the drug longer than necessary and take more than the prescribed dosage. Other people have genetically addictive personalities. It just takes one prescription and the drug can quickly b ecome addicting. Prescription drugs can still get you high, just like street drugs. People often don’t realize the impact these medications can have on them because they were prescribed by a doctor so they tend to think they are safe. Some people might abuse prescription drugs because they  are more readily accessible than street drugs. It is, unfortunately, very easy to â€Å"doctor shop† and get all of the pills that you want. â€Å"Doctor shopping† is moving from provider to provider in an effort to obtain multiple prescriptions for the drugs an abuser is using.†¨ Vicodin, Oxycodone, OxyContin and Percocet are common painkillers that are abused. Painkillers often contain opioids which are highly addictive and can have a serious effect on the brain. They can cause a â€Å"physical dependence,† meaning the body becomes accustomed. There are also very severe withdrawal symptoms. Depressants, such as Valium and Xanax are drugs that slow brain function. They include sedatives (used to make a person calm and drowsy) and tranquilizers (intended to reduce tension or anxiety). These can cause depression, confusion, exhaustion and irritability and can dangerously diminish heartbeat and respiration. This is especially true when depressants are combined with alcohol and over the counter (OTC) medications. It’s a combination that can even lead to death. Stimulants are a class of drugs intende d to increase energy and alertness. These drugs can increase blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. Stimulants affect the brain through a slow and steady release of two neurotransmitters; dopamine and norepinephrine. They are used for treating conditions including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy and, occasionally, depression. Excessive vomiting, tremors, sweating and anxiety are just some of the risks of abusing stimulants. †¨ Breaking free from prescription drug abuse takes much more than willpower. Fortunately, medications and counseling can improve the chances of success. New treatments like Suboxone, and traditional therapies like methadone and 12-step programs, are helping thousands of people stay on the road to recovery. There are various options such as; Drug Rehab Programs Available from Support Systems Homes, Detoxification, Residential Treatment (Residential Drug Rehab), Outpatient Treatment, and Community-Based Self-Help Groups. Now we have explored the depths and effects of addiction and dependency on prescription drugs. There are many causes for addiction and almost any substance can be dangerous if used improperly. As long as there are new drugs there will always be new developments in the way to treat them. In summation, there are many ways and substances to become addicted too and anyone can be at risk. If the dangers are known it is much easier to combat the problem of substance abuse. Work Cited  ·DRUG FACTS.† Drug Facts. National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, 1 June 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·The Truth About Prescription Drugs. Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Aug. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drug Abuse Rates Increase in the Western United States, Northwest Now Leading Area of Epidemic.† Yahoo News. Passages Malibu, 3 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drugs: Abuse and Addiction.† Drug Abuse. National Institue On Drug Abuse, Oct. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drug Abuse: Addiction, Types, and Treatment.† WebMD. WebMD, 18 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .  ·Ã¢â‚¬ Prescription Drug Addiction: Information and Treatment.† Treatment for Prescription Drug Addiction. Support Systems Homes Inc, Nov. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. .

5 Myths Stopping You From Getting Promoted

5 Myths Stopping You From Getting Promoted You know you deserved that promotion, and probably the one before that. People who are newer to the company and not getting the same results you are seem to be getting all of the recognition while you feel left behind. How can you get noticed by the higher-ups doing the noticing? Here are 5 myths you need to debunk right away if getting a promotion is your end goal. 1. Everybody knows you’re  a hard worker.Just because you work hard, doesn’t mean people notice. And certainly not higher-ups who may not interact with you on a daily basis. For all you know, a middle manager could be taking all the credit that should be yours. Find a way to let your boss know when you score big or do especially well. Toot your own horn. Don’t be a braggart, but play it smart. They’ll never reward your hard work if they don’t know about it.2. Your boss knows you  want to be promoted.If you haven’t told your boss explicitly what your ambitions are, and how youà ¢â‚¬â„¢d like to move up in your field, then chances are good she doesn’t know. Not everybody wants to use every job as a springboard higher up the ladder. Some people are quite content to stay in one position for a decade or two. Make your wishes known and ask your boss for her help in your career development. She’ll be flattered and she’ll know exactly what you want when new opportunities open up.3. Your friend would never go after something  you want so much.It’s lovely to have close friends among our colleagues. But keep in mind, this is their livelihood too. Just because you’re pals doesn’t mean your pal won’t throw their hat in the same ring after your coveted promotion. It’s business, after all. Keep your eyes open and don’t miss any chances.4. HR posts all the openings.Sometimes, positions open up and are filled before HR has the chance to make it public. Keep your ear to the ground and pay attention when peopl e in other departments are chatting about their teams. If you hear of someone about to leave, or applying out or up, get on putting yourself out there to replace them before someone else does.5. You’re not supposed be involved  with other departments.If you’ve struck up an interest or affinity with another department or another manager, that’s fine. As long as your work is getting done- and well- there’s no problem pitching in and helping out. That’s a great way to position yourself should any openings come up in that department. Your boss will be fine with it, provided you don’t let it interfere with your work for her and in your current department.Make sure you’re in the game before you complain about being left out of it.

Scientist max planck Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Scientist max planck - Research Paper Example heoretical research, Planck revealed a quite extraordinary breakthrough: ‘the law of radiation of bodies as a function of temperature could not be derived solely from the Laws of Maxwellian electrodynamics’ (Einstein 1995, 106). To reach findings in agreement with the related trials, a particular frequency’s radiation had to be dealt with as if it is composed of photons of the ‘individual energy hf’(Weast 1973, 44) in which h is the universal constant of Planck. This breakthrough became the foundation of all experiments and studies in physics in the twentieth century and has almost completely directed its progress from then on. Without this breakthrough it would have been impossible to formulate a feasible theory of energy and atomic and molecular dynamics that direct their transformations (Jammer 2000). Furthermore, it has ruined the entire structure of orthodox mechanics and electrodynamics and creates a new mission for science that is, looking for a new theoretical foundation for the whole of physics. In spite of substantial incomplete achievements, the question remains far from an agreeable answer (Einstein 1995). However, it is still impossible to dispute the fact that the quanta of Max Planck revolutionized twentieth century physics. The efforts of Max Planck in thermodynamics resulted in the development of the quantum theory. To give explanation of the shades of hot lustrous matter, Planck suggested that energy is emitted in incredibly miniscule and isolated quantized quantities or packs, rather than in an endless and steady wave (Weir 2009). He coined the term ‘quanta’ to refer to these packs of energy and he was successful in establishing that each quantum’s energy is equivalent to the radiation’s frequency multiplied by h (Hoffman 2008). This figure, shown in the form of erg-seconds, quantifies each quantum’s energy (Weast 1973). An erg ‘is the amount of energy needed to raise a milligram of mass by a distance of 1 centimeter’

A Review of Literature on How to Manage International Joint Venture - 2

A of on How to Manage International Joint Venture Successfully - Literature review Example In licensing model, companies planning for internationalization use patent or trademark of market leaders in foreign countries in order to enter in the country. Companies use strategic partnership with existing player in foreign market in order to enter in the country and this partnership is known as joint venture. Ownership ratio in Joint Venture or International Joint Venture is decided in accordance with the capital invested by two strategic partners. Discussion Academic scholars like Griffith, O’Brian and Zeybek (2001) have pointed out that international joint venture (IJV) is one kind of foreign direct investment and they have also argued that in international joint venture (IJV) strategic partners are engaged to develop and operate one common business entity. Other researchers such as Perlmutter and Heenan (1986) have depicted IJV as a functional device to survive in tumultuous global economies. According to these research scholars companies plan for IJV in order to decr ease financial and strategic risks and they have also given evidences to support their viewpoints. Various research scholars such as Gundlach & Achrolhave (1993) have identified different benefits of forming in IJV. According to them IJV provides various benefits like local capital, raw material sources, marketing capabilities, government assistance, technology integration, tax incentives, assurances of imports, decreasing ethnocentrism issues and local currency loans to foreign players. Academic scholars like Reurer and Miller (1997) have pointed out that IJV can help the parent companies to adopt long term performance plans in order to increase average rate of return in investment. Baek, Min and Ryu (2006) have established a valid argument on wealth management issues of IJV and according to the scholar IJV can create more wealth for shareholders of parent firms meanwhile the model also saves skin for parent firms suffering from high leverage or low level of cash flow. Research sch olars such as Koh and Venkatraman (1991) have argued that international joint venture can boost the growth of stock market value for parent company while many other researchers have found that their argument lacks subjectivity. There is negative side of IJV and academic scholars have pointed out that IJV is considered as strategic dilemma for many organizations. Research scholars such as Yan and Zeng (1999) have pointed out that IJV destabilize the business process for many organizations. They have found that stability of IJV model demands change in leadership or ownership model for companies. Academic scholars have pointed out that IJV needs successful integration of strategic change management in order to be successful. Synchronization of change management and IJV is a contingent option for directing the equilibrium of foreign business venture in response to external and internal forces. Study shows that IJV is the systematic profiling of business risk and available strategic vari ables. Research scholars like Eisenhardt (1989) has proposed two theories names as team production theory and agency theory in order to define risk factors associated with IJV model. Agency theory has underlined agents might fail to understand business objective of principle and in such cases objective of IJV might fail. In such cases principals or the parent companies need to use different mechanisms such as monitoring, contract and reliance in order to resolve agency

Analysis of Marketing plans for Forever Charge Assignment - 8

Analysis of Marketing plans for Forever Charge - Assignment Example This identifies a comprehensive basis for understanding the marketing environment and helps in ensuring a detailed marketing plan. Organization and precision of contents of each of the areas are however not adequate for an effective marketing plan. The environmental analysis fails to discuss customer factors and this means missing links in the plan. Other factors such as recession, competition, and technology advancements are just mentioned but are not discussed. Environmental factors, as used under environmental analysis, are also not specific because even technological factors, recession, and competition are environmental factors. Such organization of the section into external, internal, and customer factors and a discussion of aspects of each of the group of factors would have been appropriate. Even though SWOT analysis appears organized (Ferrell and Hartline 38, 39), its contents are not accurate. Helping to promote business, for example, is more of an objective than an opportuni ty, and if an opportunity exists for promoting business then that should be discussed with clarity. The marketing plan is for Forever Charge, a product of BKSK Inc. The product is a wireless charger that is new in the market and is being marketed for a new company. The objective of the plan is to win consumers’ trust towards sales and profits. Below is the analysis of aspects of the plan. The marketing plan is detailed and this allows for consideration of factors to the success of plan implementation. Each of the sections of the plan is organized into subsections in which details are discussed. Analysis of the marketing environment, for example, includes discussion on technological, competitive, economic, socio-cultural, legal, and social factors to the marketing environment. This ensures effective decisions on the explored areas.  

Using current primary literature, discuss the aromatase-inhibiting Essay

Using current primary literature, discuss the aromatase-inhibiting anticancer drugs - Essay Example The paper will, then, continue with a discussion of the molecular structures, binding methods, and corresponding effects of the aromatase inhibitors (AIs). The structure, function and binding interactions of the aromatase enzyme are still being investigated. Aromatase is a rate limiting enzyme in estrogen biosynthesis (Hong et al. 2009). It belongs to the monooxygenase family (particularly, the cytochrome P450 family) of enzymes and catalyzes the biosynthesis of oestrogen (specifically, oestrone) from androstenedione, involving a unique sequence of three reactions that require O2 molecules to produce an aromatic ring structure within the oestrogen molecule. The binding fit of androstenedione to aromatase is tight because the aromatase enzyme is not one of the promiscuous enzymes — which have looser fits for the various substrate structures they bind (Waterman, 2009). To conduct reactions, aromatase requires a partner enzyme, NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (Hong et al. 2009). High levels of aromatase enzyme expression and correspond oestrogen in tissues play a key role in augmented tumor growth. Blocking this biosynthesis pathwa y is the rationale behind the development of AIs (Pant & Dutta, 2008). The reason that most of the development and use of AI drugs have been for cancers of the breast is that most breast cancer cases have up to ten times the amount of oestrogen found in the average circulatory system. It is important to note that aromatase activity (and the formation of oestrone) is more pronounced in postmenopausal women, which is why most AIs are commonly used for postmenopausal women with breast cancer (Waterman, 2009). The aromatase enzyme has also been identified in endocrine tissues (such as ovary, uterus, prostate, and bone) and cancer associated with these tissues. Interestingly, the enzyme has also been found to be expressed in non-endocrine tissues, such as liver, lung, and colon cancers

Investment in Training

Investment in Training Training is a key component of the present and future of HRM. However, why in the case of the United Kingdom are there so many concerns with this issue regarding organisational commitment to it? Are those concerns valid? Britain seems to have a poor record concerning its investment in training which has resulted in todays skills gap problem. The British governments goal is to bridge this gap by raising the bar on the workforce development. More precisely it envisages that promotion of workforce learning will enhance its competitiveness and will help her create an economy that will make her world leader. It has resorted to initiatives and strategies aiming at solving the so-called â€Å"training problem but obtaining the high-added value route has proved to be challenging and difficult. This paper attempts to present several dimensions of this training problem in the UK. It also tries to assess the severity of the skills gap as well as its chances of being resolved. It shall start by presenting some facts that have triggered a change in Britains attitude concerning the promotion of learning and the investment in training. After that it shall present the initiatives and strategies launched by the British government in its effort to improve the Vocational Education and Training framework as a means of encouraging people to assume their own learning and development and as a means of attracting employers interest in the countrys effort to foster its economy through human resource development. After examining a certain number of training policies and institutions facilitating them, this essay shall endeavour to point out potential flaws and weaknesses of the system. Then we will study some other aspects of the so-called â€Å"training problem† in the UK. One of th ese aspects is employers attitudes which also seem to play their own negative part in Britains desire to become a high skills society. We will also have a look at the â€Å"training apartheid† phenomenon and the inequality of training provisions in the British workplaces. Finally this paper will discuss the emergence of informal training practices, the importance of soft skills and the difficulties in assessing both the former and the latter. Britain is deemed to be trapped in a low-skills equilibrium (Finegolf and Sosckice 1988), meaning that its firms have low-skilled labour force and they produce inexpensive products and services to the detriment of quality. This is the strategy of differentiation that UK firms have been pursuing in their efforts for competitive advantage. That is also the reason why they insist on refusing to invest in the training of their workforce and on employing low-qualified workers (Marchingoton and Wilkinson 2008). This under-investment on workforce learning on the part of employers as well as the governments failure to properly invest in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) throughout the years has resulted in the so-called â€Å"training problem† which is inextricably linked to the skill shortages Britain has been experiencing. The breath of the problem is mirrored in reports and surveys conducted by governmental bodies. What is particularly worrying are the international compa risons which testify that due to this problem, the UK economy has been left behind by its international competitors. (Marchington and Wilkinson 2008) That is the reason why Britain has decided to rely of Human Resource Development in order to solve its problems and obtain the competitive edge against its rivals. Stuart(2007) cited in Stuart and Cooney (2008) explains that nowadays systems of training and skills are considered to impact positively on firms performance and ultimately on national economies. Therefore countries utilise them as weapons to improve their competitive position and to face challenges posed by the globalisation, technological change and the rise of the so-called knowledge economy. Britain has realised that in order to bridge its skill gaps and to move towards the creation of a high skills economy it has to maximise the skills and knowledge of its people. This dimension of Human Resource Management, that is to say training, and more broadly, learning and development has therefore drawn Britains attention as it is said to be the key that will offer the country the competitive edge in the global economy. As a result the government has decided to undertake training initiatives aiming at fostering the learning and development of its workforce. Therefore the state has assumed a more interventionist role in order to improve the VET (Vocational Education and Training) framework. It has designed many strategies as well as established many institutions whose goal is to facilitate Britains trajectory towards the creation of a knowledge economy. The creation of this type of economy is not only desired by Britain but it is also a legal request stemming from the European Un ion for its members. The European Unions wish to transform into the most competitive, knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010 is reflected on the â€Å"Lisbon Goals†. In other words Britain will not only be struggling in order to tackle its national skills deficiencies but it will be doing so in order attain the conditions set by the â€Å" Lisbon Goals â€Å" and its mutual targets with the European Union (Beardwell and Claydon 2007). Beardwell and Claydon (2007) mention that there is a proliferation of government-driven initiatives and they attempt to itemise a few. It has introduced a number of vocational qualifications such as the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) which have several levels and which depict the skills and knowledge which are indispensable for an employee wishing to exercise a specific job. Moreover, there are Apprenticeships which provide work-based training and which permit to the trainee to pursue a qualification at the same time. It has set up the Learning and Skills Councils whose duty is the implementation and finance of educative and training programmes (with the exception of higher education) for sixteen year olds and above. It has also established the Sector Skills Development Councils whose primary role is to deal with skill shortages and to act as voice mechanisms which give employers the opportunity to express themselves and to address the skills and productivity problems of their own businesses (Beardwell and Claydon 2007). Additionally, it has launched the Investors in People Standard which according to Hoque (2008) provides a benchmark for training practices and which prompts organisations to design and put into place training practices addressing their skills gaps. If they manage to meet the Standards criteria they are granted the Investors in People award. However the significance of the whole process lies in the fact that it is meant to increase organisational effectiveness and to entail profits . Finally Britain has followed the example of the dual German VET system which involves many stakeholders in its national learning strategies, including the trades unions. The government has passed legislation leading to the formation of Union Learning Representatives whose main responsibilities is to analyse training needs of the union members, to provide information and to advice on training, to arrange training practices, to promote the value of training and to consult the employer concerning these activities (Hoque and Bacon 2008). Despite the efforts of the government to maximise the skills and knowledge of its people by reforming the VET system, the VET framework is characterised by many weaknesses. According to Keep (1999) the most important one is that the government continues relying on a voluntaristic approach which allows employers to choose not to engage in learning policies and investment on training if they do not want to. On the contrary other European countries utilise coercive measures backed by legislation. He considers the dearth of governmental mechanisms and of regulation able to enforce the provision of training as problematic because this means that each employer follows their own strategies dealing with their own needs and do not partake to the countrys aims for the creation of a knowledge workforce. Another flaw is that the VET is so complicated and inconsistent that employers tend to be unaware of the training programmes available (Harrison 2009). The initiatives launched by the government are also deemed to suffer from limitations. Grugulis (2003) makes a strong case against the National Vocational Qualifications and questions whether they are accurate certification depicting indeed the abilities of their holders to practice an occupation. She suggests that their level is lower than the level of the qualifications they replaced and that they do not offer financial returns to their holders. Marchington and Wilkinson (2008) explain that Apprenticeships have been also heavily criticised on the grounds of low completion rates, bureaucracy and lack of flexibility. Nonetheless, the main argument against them is that they do not respond to employers needs. As a solution, in 2007 the government took the decision to authorise the accreditation of in-house training schemes of major companies in order for the vocational qualification system to fit better employer needs and in order for employers to be able to run their own accredited training schemes (Harrison 2009). A case in point might be Tesco which has created its own internal training scheme that has been accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and that has become eligible for public funding (Marchington and Wilkinson 2008). Another example is McDonalds which became one the first employer s who had their in-house training schemes accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in January 2008 and whose target was to form loyal and committed staff able to provide high quality service. The course was equivalent to an A-levels (Brockett 2008). Governmental actions such as the accreditation of the firms in-house training raise two issues: The first problem is the possibility that the whole vocational qualification system will lose its credibility (Harrison 2009: 84). Moreover, the accreditation of in-house training demonstrates that the government endeavours to satisfy employers. Thereby the question raised is whether it is correct for the government to carry on financing training tailored to employer needs, such as in-house training (Marchington and Wilkinson 2008). The authors argue that these training schemes which are designed by companies themselves aim at developing skills relevant to their needs, thus excluding education and other skills emphasised by the government. In the end this runs counter to the governments aims. Finally, Britain being a liberal market economy, there is a bias against vocational qualifications in comparison to academic qualifications. Academic qualifications are deemed to be superior whereas vocational training systems as Bosch and Charest (2008) argue suffer from poor reputation and low social status in liberal market economies. Notwithstanding the existence of vocational routes the UK carries on overestimating tertiary education. Marchington and Wilkisnon(2008) claim that this has as subsequent repercussion the fact that many young people opt for the academic pathway but many of them drop out before qualifying and end up in low low-skill and poorly paid jobs. Other impediments to Britains struggle to bridge the skills gap come from the employer side. From the employers perspective there seems to be an unwillingness to cooperate with the government in their endeavour to upgrade the skills of the workforce (Harrison 2009). This reluctance to invest in training is due to several reasons. Harrison (2009:30-31) attempts to list a few such as the fear of poaching, the fear of the unpredictable market conditions as well as the fact that the benefits of the investment in training are difficult to be foreseen as they come in the long term. Loyds (2002) cited in Marchington and Wilkinson (2008) mentions other reasons such as the lack of time and the lack of information on the economic benefits of training. Finally, Beardwell (2007) explains that employers hold an unfavourable position towards employee learning and they seem reluctant to invest in the training of their workforce on other grounds: the likelihood that employees will stop being committ ed to their employer because their skills will be desired by other employers and the likelihood that employees will be poorly trained. A research study conducted by Matlay (1999) in 2000 businesses, among which the overwhelming majority were micro-, small- and medium sized companies demonstrated the â€Å" training paradox â€Å" in the small business sector. According to this paradox even though the vast majority of small businesses acknowledge the importance of and adopt a positive attitudes towards training practices, most of them had failed to provide them over a period of 12 months before the interviews. They respondent also recognised some direct reasons such as market positioning, prevailing economic conditions and availability of relevant firm-specific training as well as indirect reasons such as costs of training, time constraints, lack of in-house trainers, lack of motivation and interest. The owners/managers of these firms also claimed that some training initiatives in the UK lacked the necessary focus, coherence and clarity and suggested that the government should encourage the training industry, throu gh subsidies, to offer cost-effective training solutions tailored particularly for the need of SMEs. Hoque (2008) deals with another aspect of the training problem in Britain which is the inequality of training provisions in the British workplaces, a problem labelled â€Å"training apartheid† . According to this problem there are disadvantaged employee groups which suffer discrimination regarding access to training. Almeida-Santos and Mumford (2005) cited in Hoque (2008) argue that this discrimination takes place against women as well as members of ethnic minorities. Hoque (2008) also cites Arulampalam and Booth (1998) who dealt with reduced training provided to temporary/fixed-term and part-time employees and Addison and Belfield (2004) who included older employees to these disadvantaged groups. Furthermore Harrison (2007: 269) added disable people to this long list. Moreover, Westwood (2004) cited in Hoque(2008) claims that firms invest more in the training of their professionals and already qualified employees rather than the training of their low-skilled employees. The â€Å"training apartheid â€Å" is an issue which undermines Britains attempt to tackle its skills gap problem which remains unsolved despite the reform of the NVET institutions and the launch of strategic initiatives by the government aiming at the upskilling of the workforce. Hoque (2008) offers an example which might illustrate the failure of the Investors in People (IiP) Standard to tackle this phenomenon. After the launch of its revised version in 2000 the Standard was meant to guarantee equal access to training to all employee groups. Nevertheless his study which was based on the analysis of data collected from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey indicated that the Standard did not contribute to the resolution of the problem but to make matters worse it also demonstrated that inequality of training opportunities was more common in IiP workplaces than in non-Iip workplaces. There is also the issue of the assessment and evaluation of training provision in todays economies, which has become very difficult as firms tend to resort to informal training in order to cover their training needs. Beardwell (2007:289) explains that many companies might adopt learning strategies which are not systematic or planned. Nowadays firms have in their disposition several types of training which are usually informal. A case in point might be e-learning which enjoys wide popularity because it is flexible and easily accessible as it allows employees to learn with the help of technological tools. Moreover mentoring can also be informal and that takes place when an inexperienced employee is guided and advised on learning and development issues by an older and more experienced colleague. Informal learning is also linked to tacit knowledge. Myers and Davids (1992) define the notion of tacit skills as skills which are obtained through experience rather than training and which are embedded in the context where they are acquired. Both informal and tacit knowledge cannot be gauged which implies that they cannot be certified by qualifications. Apart from the technical and tacit skills there is also the need for the development of soft skills which is also of a great importance. Keep (2006) takes the service sector as an example where the development of generic and interpersonal skills and of some attitudes such as self-discipline, loyalty and punctuality are of vital importance. Nevertheless they cannot be measured which means they cannot be certified. However they continue to constitute skills even though they cannot be represented as qualifications. Thus, Marchington and Wilkinson(2008) argue that there is no appropriate proxy for measuring skills because they are not as qualifications. Most importantly Britains reliance on international comparisons in order to assess its skill shortages is highly debatable because if informal training cannot be measured and i f tacit and soft skills cannot be assessed either there is no way of reaching accurate conclusions concerning which country has the most skilled labour force and thereby the most competitive economy (Keep 2006). A case study is provided by Abbott (1994) whose study in small service sector firms demonstrated that people who work in the services are required to possess friendly and lively personalities and other personal attributes and generic skills which are indispensable for their work. His study also demonstrated that vast majority of small service sector firms provide informal training which is often considered to be of inferior level of training in comparison to formal training. Sometimes it is not classified as â€Å"training† even by employers themselves. According to him informal training is linked to tacit skills because they are usually learned informally and tacit skills are associated to some forms of soft skills such as inter-personal skills and cooperativeness. Soft skills and tacit skills cannot be measured but this does not underestimate their importance for people who work in the sector. This paper has reviewed the major aspects concerning the â€Å"training problem† in the UK. It has managed to study the setting where it takes place and to understand the factors that have prompted the UK to acknowledge the problem. International comparisons clearly indicate that the UK workforce is poorly educated and trained. This also accounts for the low skill equilibrium in which the UK has remained trapped. The solution for the economic strength of the nation is the creation of a learning society. Britain has embraced the strategic role of human resource development and its potential to offer the country the competitive advantage. The governments goal of upgrading the skills of its workforce depends on the VET framework which has gone through changes. Nevertheless it is still characterised by significant weaknesses. The most important mistake is that even though the government has assumed a more interventionist role than in the past it continues to make mistakes such as its insistence on relying on voluntarism which prevents it from coming into conflict with employers. The severity of this approach lies in the fact that the government has ended up conceding power to the hands of employers. With this sort of power employers will have the opportunity to seek strategies and aims covering their needs and therefore diverging from those adopted by the government. This and many other unsolved issues illustrate that the UK has still a long way to go before becoming a high skills society. REFERENCES Abbott, B. (1994). Training strategies in small service sector firms: employer and employee perspectives. Human Resource Management Journal, 4, 70-87. Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. (2007). Human Resource Management: A contemporary approach. 5th ed. Pearson Education. Bosch, G. and Charest, J. (2008), Vocational training and the labour market in liberal and coordinated economies. Industrial Relations Journal, 39(5), 428-447. Brockett, J. (2008). HRs role in â€Å"McA-levels†. People Management, 14, 3, 7 February:9 Finegold, D. and Soskice, D. (1988). The failure of training in Britain: analysis and prescription. Oxford review of economic policy, 4(3), 21-53. Grugulis, I. (2003) The contribution of the National Vocational Qualifications to the growth of skills in the UK. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 41(3), 4557-475. Harrison, R. (2009). Learning Development. 5th ed. CIPD Hoque, K. (2008). The impact of Investors in People on employer -provided training, the equality of training provision and the â€Å"training apartheid† phenomenon. Industrial Relations Journal, 39(1), 43-62. Hoque, K. and Bacon, N. (2008). Trade Unions, Union Learning Representatives and Employer-Provided Training in Britain. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 46(4), 702-731. Keep, E. (2006). Live and Learn. People Management , 12(15), 27 July:7 Keep, E. (1999). UKs VET Policy and the â€Å"Third Way†: following a high skills trajectory or running up a deal end street? Journal of Education and Work, 12(3), 323-346. Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2008). Human Resource Management at Work. 4th ed. CIPD Matlay, H. (1999). Vocational education and training in Britain: a small business perspective. Education + Training, 41(1), 6-13. Myers, C., and Davids, K. (1992). Knowing and doing: tacit skills at work. Personnel management, February:45-47. Stuart, M. and Cooney, R. (2008). Editorial: training and the limits of supply-side skill development. Industrial Relations Journal, 39:5, 346-353.