Fresh Direct Business Intelligence

Case Summary FreshDirect is the largest online grocery firm in the New York market, and one of the largest in the country. With more than 250,000 customers ordering over 8,500 products every day, the company faced severe logistics and management decision making issues. To solve these issues, FreshDirect adopted a comprehensive enterprise data base system from SAP which utilized a number of business intelligence applications to track orders and customers. SAP AG is a German  multinational  software  corporation that makes  enterprise software  to manage business operations and customer relations.Headquartered in  Walldorf, Baden-Wurttemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software. The company's best-known software products are its enterprise resource planning application (SAP ERP), its enterprise data warehouse solution – SAP Business Warehouse (SAP BW), SAP BusinessObjects software, and most recently, Syb ase mobile products and in-memory computing appliance  SAP HANA. SAP is one of the  largest software companies  in the world. 1.How is it possible, as Braddock noted, to have a great deal of data but little information? How does the SAP data base and business intelligence component change this? Answer: ‘To have a great deal of data but little information’ is only possible when there is a lot of data but none of it is sorted or organized properly. If we distinguish between ‘data’ and ‘information then we’ll see that; Data is raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed. Data can be something simple and seemingly random and useless until it is organized.Whereas when data is processed, organized, structured  or presented in a given context so as to make it useful, it is called Information. FreshDirect has to deal with thousands of customers, their order, delivery time and place and the required human resource for the business to run. B ut this required huge amount of data collection in a very organized way, which they lacked. While the end goal was to deliver fresh food to thousands of customers everyday on schedule, the exact location of orders at any moment was not understood, or who was in charge of them.Mistakes were happening routinely, but there was no record of how orders were moving through the logistics chain. Mr. Braddock knew that FreshDirect needed a system of continuous feedback, a real-time database that would follow every step and misstep of each business day, so that minor gaffes could be resolved before they turned into big problems. SAP ERP  is the corporation's  Enterprise Resource Planning, an integrated software solution that incorporates the key business functions of the organization.Enterprise resource planning  (ERP) systems integrate internal and external  management information  across an entire organization, embracing  finance/accounting,  manufacturing, sales and service,à ‚  customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated  software  application. The purpose of ERP is to facilitate the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders.Today, if a truck goes out 15 minutes late or if a container of jalapeno hummus is left off an order, the problem can be traced to its source. Also, the real-time data reports allow FreshDirect to shift its resources to areas of customer demand, beefing up capacity based on the popularity of delivery zones and time slots, anticipating which products might sell out and stocking up on them in advance. Thus by using SAP’s business intelligence software ERP FreshDirect changed their weakness into strength. . What is meant by â€Å"visibility into the workflow† and why is it important to FreshDirect’s success? What are exception screens and how are they used? Answe r: Business process is the set of activities that run the business. Business process visibility allows end users to gather business information to improve non-IT related issues, helps enable fast determination to see if business issues are truly IT-related, ensures that IT is aligned with the business and helps improve overall business efficiency.Business process visibility plays very important role in FreshDirect’s success. It is such type of business organization which required highly efficient workflow with rapid response ensuring best quality. It has to deliver fresh food to thousands of customers daily on a pre-fixed schedule and in different location. As there was no visibility of workflow before lots of mistakes were happening, the exact location of orders at any moment was not understood, or who was in charge of them.Mistakes were happening routinely, but there was no record of how orders were moving through the logistics chain. But after installing a business intelli gence software FreshDirect ensured its visibility in business process. FreshDirect was profitable for the first time in 2008. The key to profitability has been improving their execution of the initial concept. In recent years, they have introduced the following â€Å"customer centric† ideas: 1 Produce: Employed experts to rate the freshness of all produce and set prices accordingly.This reduces customer concerns about not being able to feel the product. 2 Packaging: Eliminated the use of foam, and reduced the number of cardboard boxes by 1. 5 million in response to customer complaints. 3 Favorites: Developed a customer relationship management system that tracks each customer’s past purchases, and presents them on-screen for re-ordering. Increased order size by 10%. 4 Recommender system: Added a YMAL (You-Might-Also-Like) cross-selling tool, which recommends products that other customers purchased. Added 5% to total revenue.Now in control of its logistics, and with powe rful business intelligence tools, FreshDirect increased customer loyalty and reduced its churn rate (the number of customers who leave the service). Currently, 65% of its total customer base are repeat, loyal customers, whose average order size is over $100, and who contribute 80% of FreshDirect revenues. According to a recent SEC filing, in 2011 FreshDirect has raised $50 million in additional equity from outside investors. FreshDirect now has almost 2,000 employees, 250,000 customers, and has delivered more than 6,000,000 orders.

How family structures have changed since World War II Essay

At the end of World War II â€Å"†¦marriage, at least once, became almost universal†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (www.ehs.org.uk 12/09/17). In 2006 14% of families had a child and they were not married but they were â€Å"†¦officially registered as parents of their joint children, this was seen as historically new†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.ehs.org.uk 12/09/17) Then six years on in 2016, the nuclear family is still seen as the norm, this type of family is what the media try to promote. â€Å"In 2016 there were 18.9 million families in the UK† within this â€Å"12.7 million married or civil partner couple families in the UK.†(www.ons.gov.uk 12/09/17) Although â€Å"cohabiting couple families were the fastest growing family type over the last 20 years† (www.ons.gov.uk 12/09/17) There are many reasons for why the family structure has changed since World War II, some of these reasons are; people do not want to get married, people are marrying later in life and there are now more people living alone. In 1961 women lived very different to today’s society as they were expected to get married young and start a family. In today’s society within families and society, there is less pressure to get married. During World War II the number of a woman getting paid jobs outside of their home â€Å"increased by 25% to 36%†(www.thoughtco.com 18/09/17). This was because of the number of men that were away fighting in the war, this opened up a lot of opportunity for women. In London, while dealing with the bombing of the city, women had to step up and â€Å"protect their families — children, the elderly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.thoughtco.com 18/09/17). Women nowadays are more focused on their jobs that they do not want to get married or have children. In the society, like we have today women are able to provide for themselves and their families without depending on a man to be the breadwinners. On the other hand, in some religions around the world, there are arranged marriages within the family, this is where the mother and father decide who their child is going to marry. There are some reasons why they do this â€Å"To protect perceived cultural or religious ideals and family ‘honour’ or long-standing family commitments†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.bbc.co.uk 19/09/17) â€Å"In the first nine months of 2008, the UK’s Forced Marriage handled more than 1,300 cases†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.bbc.co.uk 19/09/17) The contraceptive pill was instrumental in changing woman having babies young or when they are not wanted. When the pill was â€Å"introduced on the NHS, the pill was prescribed mainly to the older woman who already had children and did not want any more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (www.bbc.co.uk 18/09/17) Today â€Å"the pill is now 99% effective in preventing pregnancy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  ( www.nhs.uk 18/09/17) In the present day, the contraceptive pill is suitable for all woman if the woman has no medical reasons why she cannot take it or if the woman smokes. â€Å"There has been a rise in single-person households from 18% of households in 1971 to 29% of all households in 2005.† (Social trend and patterns of the family.) In the 1940’s the divorce rates increased right after World War II. It has been suggested that this is because â€Å"families were strained under the burden of living with a man who may have been incapacitated during the war†¦ women had a new found freedom in wo rking and didn’t want to give that up.† (divorce.lovetoknow.com 18/09/17). In the UK in the year 2005, there were â€Å"141,750 divorces, compared with 153,399 in 2004.† (news.bbc.co.uk 18/09/17) A family Lawyer Emma Hatley stated, â€Å"Half of the divorces involve children who are under the age of 16 so its impact on the whole family is obviously huge.† (news.bbc.co.uk 18/09/17) The Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 enabled men to petition in court for a divorce on the basis of their wife’s adultery. In 1923 The Matrimonial Causes Act â€Å"put men and women on an equal footing for the first time, enabling either spouse to petition the court for a divorce on the basis of their spouse’s adultery.† (www.cflp.co.uk 18/09/17) in 1960 the Archbishop of Canterbury â€Å"prepared a report demanding reform of the law to ensure that people could obtain a divorce if they could show the breakdown of their marriage.† (www.cflp.co.uk 18/09/17) O ne – parent families are becoming more and more popular in today’s society. One – parent household with dependent children has risen from 3% in 1971 to 7% in 2005†¦ 1.7 billion lone parent families in Britain, making up about 25% of all families.† (Fisher et al 2012 19/09/17) On the 29th of March 2014, the first same-sex marriage took place at midnight once gay marriage became legal in England and Wales. Since the law has been brought in that same-sex couple can marry there have been 15,000 marriages. (www.bbc.co.uk 29/09/17)In 1945 same-sex marriage was seen as a wrong thing and from a religious point of view, it is seen as you are going again the wishes of God. In today’s society, a same-sex couple is given the same rights as a heterosexual couple, for example, people in the same-sex marriage are allowed to adopt a child.

Analyzing the argument surrounding Vicky and Ying Ying

Analyzing the argument surrounding Vicky and Ying Ying, I do adhere to the arguments pointed out by Vicky concerning the capacity of crime mapping to be used as an instrument towards harnessing opportunities for resolving crime. Under this particular scenario, Ying Ying only asserts the corresponding threats of leakage and information breach that criminals can use in order to achieve their plans of action.However, there are limited areas that explain how it can be harmful within the scope of policing. Seeing this, by actively providing minor adjustments in the process of crime mapping, information security, and analysis of data, the process can indeed be further utilized as a means to convey means to reach out in the causes of crime and the corresponding trends shaping individual or group behavior.At the same time, the ability to outline specific means to categorize behaviors help law enforcement agencies to point out valid arguments concerning location, intent, and actions among cri minals who operate in a particular location. This is important in developing key strategies on areas that can explore new directions towards encouraging citizens to become responsive to the needs of the community and participate in the crime-reduction process by utilizing new patterns related to crime fighting, communication, and information sharing within local authorities.

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Review - Article Example The major functions generally involve searching of the relevant literature for establishing the contact with the discipline for writing the relevant literature. At the time of searching of the literature, practitioners are faced with various challenges. In this regard, the practitioners search for the journals which are not accessible for everyone. Some journals are only accessible for key users, which are recognized as one of the big issues for the practitioners. The second problem relates to the accessing of the journals during the research. There are few prominent solutions, to this issue, such as many sites are provided for accessing the articles without any subscription charges and the research scholars are suggested to figure out a list of the relevant journals for the research purpose (Carr &Briggs, n.d.). The study is based upon the indirect behavioral observation. Thus, the study is qualitative in nature. Correspondingly, the research design has been established. The study can be referred to base on indirect observation as it involves reviewing the articles of others. The research design will be rated three as per the SMRS application (The National Autism Center, 2009). The measurement of the dependent variable is related to the availability of the subject related literature articles. The practitioners are engaged in exploring articles of others. Hence, they are dependent upon the availability of such accessible articles. The indirect observation also explains that the problems related to the unavailability of the accurate articles are the dependent variable of the research. On the basis of the given information, the writer will rate four by using the SMRS (The National Autism Center, 2009). The independent variable of the study is the subject of the research paper. On the basis of the indirect observation, it can be determined that approximately 80% of the literature review to be

Islamic Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Islamic Finance - Essay Example In capitalism individuals have more choices where individuals are free to make decisions about their life, family, political involvement and business. In socialism individuals are not in control of their own decisions. In contrast to capitalism and communism; Islamic system also allows free decision making to individual until Islamic teachings and principles are not violated. In Islamic economic system individuals are required to take care of Islamic norms and values that do their actions and decision justify Islamic teachings or not? If individual’s actions are acceptable according to Islamic values only then individuals can decide freely. Information provision in capitalism is not free but has certain cost. In capitalism government does not provide information, it is assumed that information is out there in the market while individuals are required to explore market and extract information. Though information is available in the market but it encourages exploitation of indiv iduals who are not well aware of the prices. In contrast to capitalism; in communism and Islamic system information is freely provided to customers by the government. Under these systems government believes in protection of consumer rights and consider it the responsibility of state to keep people aware of market prices. Since capitalism delegates liberalization hence individuals have every right to own property. Individuals are free to buy and sell property anywhere in the world (LIODAKE?S, 2010). Similarly Islamic teachings preach equality, freedom and liberty by which individuals are free to buy and sell property but beside right to property individuals are bound to pay zakat for their property at the rate of 2.5% annually (AZHAR, 2010). Contrastingly in communism individuals have no right to own any property where as any property within the state is owned by the state. Individuals under communism are allotted piece of land according to their services and responsibilities yet the y cannot declare ownership to that piece of land. In today’s modern world, incentives, innovation, goals, targets, profit, entrepreneur, innovation and growth are common to be heard in capitalism which indicate constructive and developmental nature of capitalism. Western life style can be quoted against where innovation, goals and incentives are deep rooted in their daily conscious. Capitalism promotes concepts of open economy (REDWOOD, 1993). No doubt communism brought enormous growth, incentives and progress to Russia but that cannot be announced open because all incentives were available to the ruling elites and to the party members while commoners were only the workers (RESNICK & WOLFF, 2002). Islamic system promotes equality where theoretically layman has the same rights and opportunities as of elites. Under Arabs, Islamic system got much popularity, growth and success but in modern world, Islamic system is hardly in practice to defend its theoretical principles (MIRAKHO R & ZAIDI, 1988). The role of government in the capitalistic economy has no existence but even in United States, this principle has never been truly practical. The idea of free market in reality means government rules and regulations because without regulations, capitalism can never exist (HEILBRONER, 1993). Free market economy is faced with some market imperfections that are needed to be corrected by external authority whereas government is the third party to fix the bugs. Unlikely in modern communism

Mohawk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mohawk - Essay Example According to Kathleen Gallagher of the Millwaukee Journal Sentinal in a Christmas Day article 2006, carpet has dropped to 46% from 49% in sales of ALL floor coverings since '05. " People have to stand on something" said Haruki Toyama of Toyama Value Fund, in that recent article. Since this trend must have been apparent to the Mohawk Company a long time ago these folks have been moving into the tile and laminates end of floor coverings, hence their purchase and integration of the Belgian tile manufacturer mentioned. Instead of a careful and slow growing conservative company I see a concern poised to take advantage of lower transport costs than since the beginning of the Iraq war; along with an integrated tile manufacture, to challenge Shaw's leading market share in this industry. Instead of a stodgy conservative slow growth company, Mohawk seems poised on the cusp of an upsurge of growth if one reads into the future with this Sullivan article.

Montessori and Child Early Learning and Development Essay

Montessori and Child Early Learning and Development - Essay Example The Montessori approach in itself is scientific both in its aim and substance. The Montessori approach at the Early Years Foundation Stage offers children a chance to establish their motivation and exercise their independence within the favorable environment of the classrooms. The calm atmosphere, freedom within limits and respectful attitudes encourage and promote self-respect and self-esteem (Isaacs 2010, p. 78). This kind of environment promotes the development of the child’s personal, social and emotional aspects of his or her life. The Montessori approach offers a child a great opportunity to learn, explore and develop. The early years learning goals of children include the emotional, social, and personal development of the child, the child’s physical development, creative development, development of the child’s knowledge and understanding of the world and development of the child’s language communication and literacy. The Montessori approach provides a conducive environment, materials and activities for the sole purpose of achieving these primary goals of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is critical to have an understanding of a child’s development in order to have an understanding of the Montessori approach. According to Smith, Cowie, & Blades (2003, p. ... She believed that it was an escape from reality and was primitive. Jean Piaget, on the other hand believed that play had a role in the cognitive development of a child. He believed that adaptation depended on assimilation and accommodation processes and that children acted out an already established behavior, in play, and adapted reality to fit these. Vygotsys approach to play combined the cognitive and affective aspects of development. He believed that play is fulfillment of wish, not, however the isolated wishes, but generalized affects. He believed that the affective drive force behind play is the imaginary and illusory realization of the desires that are unrealizable, not with specific impulses but in a general sense to do with children’s mastery and confidence. He believed that play was the main source of development in children during preschool years. Clearly, based on the beliefs of Montessori, Piaget and Vgotsys, play is of great value in the development process of a c hild. In these paper we examine three activities that children can engage in and demonstrate how the Montessori approach supports the early learning and development d goals of a child. Three activities are analyzed closely. They include the rolling and unrolling of a mat, spooning grains and zipping and unzipping. Each of these activities has a sole purpose of enabling children enhance their learning and development and in the long run meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. The learning should occur primarily due to the interests and abilities of the children and that any planning done for purposes of learning should take this aspect of development and learning into account. Unrolling and rolling of mat According to Montessori for there to be personal,

Ancient chinese civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ancient chinese civilization - Essay Example Ancient China had given the world a lot of useful inventions too, such as the use of paper, the introduction of currency and coinage, its discovery of gunpowder, a cultural heritage like the Great Wall of China built by the emperor Shih Huang Ti whose fairly-recent discovery of his impressive funerary arrangements in a big burial compound containing an impressive array of a terra-cotta army consisting of an 8,000+ life-sized warriors, 400 horses and 100 chariots had astounded archaeologists and historians alike, and the first use of a bureaucracy in the form of civil service to administer an empire. It is said Shih Huang Ti searched for an elixir of youth to attain immortality but failed. The main concern of Confucius was to attain social order and political stability. This is because the period in which he lived was marked by chaos and constant warfare among the various states and people were displaced and inconvenienced as innocent victims of ambitions of various warlords. The key to a peaceful existence, according to the analysis of Confucius, was a return to the virtues of humanity and benevolence in social relations by reciprocity. Confucius asserted that the younger generations must profess filial obedience as a form of duty, one that is forced or emphasized on them as dutiful sons and daughters, because children brought up this way will also end up as benevolent citizens when they turn into adulthood. This is what Confucius meant when he said, â€Å"a young mans duty is to be filial to his parents at home, and respectful to his elders abroad, to be circumspect and truthful . . .† [I:6] because young people who exercise filial piety also are expected to care for their parents when these parents grow old. Filial piety and benevolence translate into kindness for parents and all old people, caring for them always and sensitive to their needs, while benevolence in the larger social sphere will reduce

Case study The global pharmaceutical industry Essay

Case study The global pharmaceutical industry - Essay Example However the wave of competition has caused shift in priorities, "many existing pharmaceutical compounds are standardized formulations that varies little in efficacy among manufacturers". The struggle for the differentiated product shall bring financial fortune to the agents of this industry, therefore major investment towards "advertising and sales force budgets have increased manifold in past years" (Sarah, 2004). As per research, less than 20 percent of the funds are allocated towards research and development expenditures. The investment towards research and development is further differentiated in terms of investment towards promising drug compounds in clinical human trials, which is less than 7 percent. The breakdown of the funds allocation is, "product introduction trials account for 5.8%; process development consumes 10% of research expenses' pre-clinical functions consumes 41%; extraction of chemical compounds for evaluation consumes 11.8%; and investment towards safety and toxicology consumes 5.4%". The new products consume more than 80% of expenditures of the research and development expenditures. The main environmental forces which has influenced the growth of this industry has been "expenditures towards research and development for each drug which typically last through a period of 10 to 15 years before a compound makes it to the market" (Michael, 2001). The approval from the relevant authorities essential for the public release of the product also dampens the growth of this industry; it takes more than 16 months for the specific product to get approved by the relevant authorities. The likelihood of clearances are also low, "only 1 in 5000 compounds will eventually be sold and less than one third of... It is expected that the pharmaceutical companies have the best potential to benefit from "aging population and increasing life expectancy rates throughout the world", the market for such products have expanded significantly, and it is predicted that by the end of current decade the concept of drugs for increase in life expectancy shall receive positive response in the poor countries of Asia and Africa, it this prediction comes out to be true than irrespective of the current wave of financial recession, this industry has positive scope towards financial development. It is known that the general understanding about health aspects is common in developed, developing and under-developing countries, therefore the sales of the pharmaceutical products shall not be confined to specific geography or class, and rather it is global business, having global outreach and market. As per research, "this business is attractive with operating profit margins exceeding 30% which is approximately twice th e S & P Industrial Index and net earnings as a percentage of sales averaging 17.9% versus 5.4% for general industry over the last 5 years". It is known that the running cost of this business is relatively lower than others; the business has "lower interest expenses, raw materials costs, tax rates and general and administrative cost as a percentage of sales when compared with most industries".

Children and adults Essay Example for Free

Children and adults Essay The Effective Early Learning Project based at Worcester University highlights two ways in which adults can help children progress; The first is the way the adult encourages the child to be autonomous, to get on and try new things; The second, is the way the adult offers experiences which are stimulating, challenging and interesting. Adults need to be a supporting factor when the child is in a risky environment. Children and adults alike enjoy climbing trees; adults know when they are too high as do children. This is a whole other debate in terms of nature or nurture debate. This is where we could explore the idea of children learning to be safe when risk taking or is it already there. Stephenson (2003) wrote about a child on a swing, Swinging was very popular with these younger children, but more often than the older children their reactions indicated that they felt unsafe and wanted the swing slowed down. Therefore the child has taken the risk, has agreed a boundary, enjoyed the activity and acknowledged the safety aspect. The adult was there to ensure the safety and also make the activity a positive one by being readily available. Children must face all different kinds of risks in order to support their development and learning. Stine (1997) wrote that to support their learning and development is a complex issue. There always has to be provision for a physical challenge. More and more educational settings are using outdoor play/activity to challenge the children. Although, what is an acceptable risk to one person, may be completely the opposite of another. Bruce and Meggitt (2002) write that outdoor space needs to be available most of the time; They continue that, safety is the only consideration for keeping children in doors. Children can feel safe in risk taking environments and activities in many ways. Initially the adult to child ratio, with a high number of adults children can be supported and helped to achieve. Secondly by minimising, if possible, the risk aspect. This could be ensuring the activity is a positive and acceptable environment. Thirdly by giving the children all the opportunities available for physical risk taking, children need a stimulating and challenging environment. And finally, a well maintained balance between the childs safety and the challenge of the activity. In an educational setting, an adult carer will go to the risk area and carry out an assessment. They will check the route to be taken, dangers in the area and also any area that poses extreme concern. An adult carer should also think about the child to adult ratio. A local nursery allows children to climb trees. Due to the child to adult ratio, the nursery feels that the level of risk posed can be curtailed by having by having the children supervised and supported through the activity by adults. The children are therefore enjoying the activity of risk taking, as well as feeling safe in knowing an adult is available to help at any time. Another factor that the adult carer should be aware of is the idea of making a childs environment completely hazard free. Therefore taking away any risk or danger. Walsh (1993) thought that children in an environment that is completely safe could become bored and this could lead to self initiated risk taking that could be dangerous. Durberry (2001) felt that children who grow up in an ultra safe environment would lack confidence in their own physical ability. This would be due to the poor opportunities for the children to build and extend upon their exiting knowledge. He continued that children had to be both confident and competent physically in order to feel competent emotionally. The ideals on risk taking vary from culture to culture. Although the main aim remains the same. The child needs to remain safe, but feel they are being challenged and stimulated. To minimise hazards there needs to be a high adult to child ratio. Children need opportunities to explore and do so independently. Over the last decade, the childs freedom of choice has been limited. Adult carers are sometimes over anxious about letting the child experiment with risk taking. The procedures and guidelines that are in place give the adult carer a frame work on which to base their activities upon. The adult carer should exploit and become fluent in the procedures and guidelines in place. This in turn will provide groundwork for safe risk taking. Bibliography Smith, P., Cowie, H. Blades, M. (2003) Understanding Childrens Development, London: Blackwell Publishing.  Bruce, T. Meggitt, C. (2002) Childcare Education, London: Hodder Stoughton.  DfEE (2003) Early Years (Volume 23, Number 1), London: Taylor Francis

Proposal for Light Rail Transit System in Hamilton

Proposal for Light Rail Transit System in Hamilton LRT SYSTEM PROPOSAL LRT System Background Integrative public transportation is critical for any metropolitan city, and Hamilton is by no means an exception. Transportation is a key issue in Hamilton and a sustainable transportation system such as the LRT system is the answer to the congestion problems. The LRT system is more than just moving people from place to place. It is about providing a catalyst for the development of high quality, safe, sustainable and affordable transportation options for our citizens, connecting key destination points, stimulating economic development and revitalizing Hamilton (Daily Commercial News, 2014). By planning and implementing an LRT system with an eco-friendly focus, it is indicative of a community oriented city. An LRT system would have a positive influence in terms of economics in the city, by attracting new businesses and increasing investment. On top of that, the environment would be better off as there would be less congestion and pollution. An LRT system would contribute to the abili ty to provide the city with a better image by being cleaner and more modern. Currently, Hamilton is highly dependent on automobiles and by designing the city around rapid transit systems; it can connect many destinations together. The purpose of the project is to provide the citizens of Hamilton with a better economic, social and environmental quality of life (Hamilton Rapid Transit, 2010). Downtown Hamilton is a massive economic center and employment cluster. Many Hamiltonians actually have occupations in Hamilton, and it is clear that the priority should be improving the transportation system and in particular the speed, consistency and the quality of Hamilton’s transportation system. Therefore, it is evident that Light Rail Transit will revitalize the urban neighbourhoods, attract new investment, improve air quality and reduce the congestion of cars in Hamilton. Alternate Routes/ Stops Downtown Hamilton is without a doubt an attractive destination for a variety of attractions and businesses. Therefore, it can be very beneficial to build a Light Rail Transit system that travels through downtown. There needs to be a lot of thought and consideration when constructing potential stops within downtown Hamilton, as the LRT needs to take into account on how to best increase citizen access to places of employment, residential areas, and key municipal services. The three proposed stops were chosen because of their proximity to major intersections, where vehicle and pedestrian traffic is quite high. Many would view the intersection of King Street West and Macnab Street South as a great location for a stop. However, upon doing more research it is evident that this location is not a critical stop because there is too much car and pedestrian congestion. To build a LRT stop in this location at the heart of Hamilton’s downtown core would mean months of road closures and con struction. This would result in negative impacts to any businesses within this radius. Additionally, another location that was rejected was Cannon Street West and Macnab Street South. This location was rejected for the reason that it was too close to our third stop at Cannon Street West and Bay Street North. If we put a stop at this location it would defeat the purpose of the LRT of being a faster and more sustainable way of transportation for the citizens of Hamilton. In this case it would be like a bus making frequent stops every few blocks. Additionally, this location has little pedestrian traffic, little lighting, and no businesses or buildings around. Therefore, this location would defeat the purpose of the LRT and reducing congestion. Another poor stop location would be at the intersection of Cannon Street West and Hess Street North. At first glance, one would think this would be a great location for a stop due to the area being populated on weekends and weeknights. However, t his area is populated with a younger demographic of mostly students, and a few substantial issues arise. Since the primary demographic in this area is younger citizens that are perhaps more immature, this could result in problems with people abusing and not respecting the LRT service. In turn, some people will avoid the LRT system as a whole and not take advantage of the system. Overall, these stops are best to be avoided as they will provide minimal benefit to the citizens of Hamilton. Justification of Chosen Route Following the analysis of a few routes, it was chosen that James Street North would be the primary street for the Light Rail Transit system to travel on. Bay Street North was rejected for the primary route as it is a one way street fromAberdeen Avenueto Cannon Street West. Additionally, it has only two lanes with many large parking lots running alongside and with the Hamilton Court House taking up a major section along Bay Street. Bay Street is not suitable because past King Street West, there are minimal amounts of pedestrians which are critical to the LRT systems effectiveness. By moving a few blocks East to James Street South, this presents a much more logical location and opportunity for the LRT System to be situated. This location would provide the necessary social, environmental and economic requirements to make the LRT system as beneficial as possible. There are many advantages with the proposed route, but in particular stimulating Hamilton’s economy is one of the biggest benefits of the LRT implementation plan. The construction of the LRT itself would potentially create 6000 jobs, while the operation and maintenance of the system would create over 1000 (Hamilton Rapid Transit, 2010). In addition, since the primary street for the route is James Street, this will provide a faster and more efficient mode of transportation for the people living in this area. On top of that, it would potentially bring more customers to small businesses throughout Hamilton, and in particularly on James Street. Overall, real estate value of those homes situated near the LRT system in Hamilton will also increase as a result (Higgins, 2012). This particular chosen route has many positive impacts on the surrounding neighbourhoods around the downtown core and in particular, greatly benefits the day to day living conditions of the residents living around James Street. A major advantage of this route is that it travels directly through the area which is known as the, â€Å"code-red zone.† Maps show the neighbourhoods in close proximity of James Street as being below the poverty line (â€Å"Code red: Mapping,† 2006). An LRT route travelling through the area would see real estate values increase; and a domino effect will follow and encourage more construction building and investment into developing the downtown core. Furthermore, the establishment of LRT would encourage people to actually use public transport and reduce the amount of vehicles in the downtown core. This would result in traffic congestion being significantly reduced. The intersection of James and King is very noisy and would drastically benefit by having less congestion, especially at peak traffic hours. As congestion decreases, this results in environmental benefits by having less pollution and less noise around the LRT system. The LRT system runs solely on electricity, producing no emissions and therefore no sound. However, with any massive construction project there also come disadvantages. After examining the proposed route, a clear disadvantage arises when analyzing the landscape of James Street North. The area is extremely dense in not only population, but with large commercial buildings and small businesses surrounding it. This means that heavy construction for the LRT would need to take place and creates a significant challenge for the City of Hamilton. In the short term, this would create significant traffic congestion but the final product would be well worth the short term congestion. The other disadvantage is that there is a possibility of trees and bushes getting in the way of construction because there is quite an abundance running around James Street, which poses another challenge. Overall, this particular route has advantages that far outweigh the disadvantages, by providing citizens with an improved quality of life, environmental benefits and connecting key destinations together. Stop Two: Intersection of King St E. and James St N The second proposed stop for the LRT system is to be located at the intersection of King Street East and James Street North. This stop is very critical for numerous reasons. Firstly, this intersection is the heart and center of Hamilton’s downtown core. In addition, James Street is distinctively known as being historical and introducing unique buildings such as the Lister Block building in 1961 which was the first indoor commercial mall in Canada. This intersection is also home to the Bank of Nova Scotia and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). This is an attractive location for a stop because of all the businesses in the vicinity such as banks, restaurants and KPMG LLP Hamilton. Additionally, there are numerous consumer outlets such as Jackson Square directly at the intersection, with many fast food and restaurants in the surrounding area. Jackson Square is an indoor shopping mall and commercial complex that also houses a movie theatre. The major advantage of this s top is that there are four bus shelters all within 50 metres of the intersection. This is important as this is obviously a very key stop for citizens and they could all greatly benefit by using the more efficient LRT system as opposed to busses. Along with this, people that use the bus service on a daily basis will be able to see how much faster and efficient this system is compared to taking a bus, while also reducing their carbon footprint. Since this intersection is at the heart of downtown Hamilton, it will serve as a positive reflection on Hamilton’s dedication to a clean and environmentally sound future. Finally, it will reduce traffic congestion by eliminating a majority of the downtown bus routes. The major disadvantage is the fact that since there are many large buildings and many businesses, building the LRT system through this location would pose a significant challenge. This is due to the high traffic density and pedestrian traffic that may pose a threat to the sp eed of the construction process. Although this is only a short term disadvantage of building in this location, the benefits will be very noticeable in such as traffic congested area. References Dailycommercialnews.com,. (2014). Hamilton’s transit future shifting gears?. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.dailycommercialnews.com/Home/News/2014/5/Hamiltons-transit-future-shifting-gears-DCN060326W/. Hamilton Rapid Transit. (2010). Moving Hamilton Forward with LRT. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://www.hamiltonrapidtransit.ca/wp content/uploads/2011/03/RT_Funding_Proposal_FINAL.pdf. Higgins, Christopher D.(2012, April). The North American Light Rail Experience: Insights for Hamilton. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://mitl.mcmaster.ca/documents/MITL_LRT_August.pdf. Media.metroland.com,. (2015). Hamilton and Area Census Tracts. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from http://media.metroland.com/thespec.com/statistics_flash/. ALL THE REFERENCES HAVE TO BE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

Ethical Dilemma: Brain Death

Ethical Dilemma: Brain Death The ethical dilemma is a situation that is common in many places of work including the nurse’s career. These dilemmas are always hard to solve since technically they weigh equally in the eyes of the professional nurses in question (White, 2001). Nursing as a career like any other has diverse ethical dilemmas. This paper aims at describing an ethical dilemma in relation to declaration of brain death by the nurse and refusal of this fact by the patient’s family. The work will entail the definition of ethical dilemma; main moral issues that arose in the scenario given; description of two bioethical principles and giving a view of how they relate to this scenario; explain my personal morality and how it relates to the dilemma of declaration of brain death and finally the conclusion. Ethical Dilemma and How it Affects Nursing According to Ong Yee (2012), ethical dilemma is a situation that needs one to choose one from among two or more morally acceptable options or between equally unacceptable courses of action, whereby one of the choices prevents the selection of the other. Increase in economic stress, advances in medicine, rise in self determination of patients and differing values between patients, their family and health workers, especially nurses are among the many factors that contribute to the frequency and complexity of issues that are ethical in the healthcare. Example of these ethical dilemmas includes truth-telling and disagreement over the management plans. This therefore needs the nurses to be in a good stead so as to be aware of these issues and adopt a suitable approach towards dealing with such dilemmas. In addition, the health care facilities management should have a responsibility to ensure that systems are in place to minimize the occurrence of dilemmas and to ensure that in case it ha ppens, staffs, including nurses, are supported on how to get through the process of resolving dilemmas and conflicts that may arise afterwards. An ethical dilemma can also be a situation or state in which one must select between two or more adoptions that are equally unacceptable, where this is â€Å"Conflict between two or more nursing ethical principles and each solution may contain unpleasant outcomes for one or more involved parties†; and in my case the parties are the bereaved family and the management staff (Miwa et al, 2012). The effect of a brain death and the family refusal scenario may be of great emotional impact of the nurses. Some might even end up losing it all, according the historical findings, but it always appropriate to note that these effects will differ from one nurse to another. The grade to which one feels a dilemma will always differ from each nurse and also differs in terms of the nurses educational background, how much clinical experienced is the nurse and also one’s nursing moral (Miwa et al, 2012). The dilemma consequences are always frustrating and upsetting nurses and more so when one does not have adequate experience dealing with the matter. The suffering that the nurses go through is known as the moral distress (Epstein Delgado 2010). This is meant to happen since the nurses know the ethically correct action to take in reference to the brain death but feels powerless to take the action. This might lead to some nurses leaving their jobs, or even the profession altogether. Main Moral Issues Raised In a situation of ethical dilemma in the declaration of brain death and refusal on the part of the family, the main moral issues include the fact that the family is legally authorized to make decisions in relations to the patient even though they do not have the medical knowhow they desire an action; not declaring the patient brain death thus the patient will still be assumed to be alive and thus treated. On the other hand, the nurse who has the clinical knowledge opposes the idea and is about a desire for action that the patient should be declared clinically and legally dead so that other follow up procedures could be taken (Epstein Delgado 2010). This means that there are two courses of action, both of which can be justified ethically and neither of which is of lesser weight. If the desires of the family are followed, the patient will be in the hospital assumed alive and treated like any other patient. One may ask how beneficial is this to the family and what are the costs of this action? On the other hand, if the desire of the staff is followed, the patient will be declared dead and there is the likely hood of the family feeling abandoned and opinion, neglected thus angry thus would lead to other repercussions like court battles a situation that one would like to avoid due to the costs that come with it (Epstein Delgado 2010). Bioethical Principles According to Crisham (1985), the bioethical principal has evolved over the years with some elements added and others removed until now we have only four broad bioethical principles: beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and autonomy. In this case will discuss autonomy and beneficence. This does not mean they override all other moral considerations, but they are the perfect match for this kind of ethical dilemma. Autonomy Ethics entails the respect for autonomy. This is the principle of permission. In minimal terms, autonomy requires to decide for the as an individual and free from the control of others and with sufficient level of understanding that you will provide a meaningful choice. Autonomous persons should be capable to deliberate a course of action and develop an action plan then implement it. This principle comes with its share of problems, especially when the person is incompetent for our scenario the bereaved family. The issues, therefore, rise since the family is to give informed consent to the declaration of the patient’s brain death. The principle holds that there is a need for competence, disclosure, voluntariness and comprehension when it comes to the informed consent making the declaration even more difficult for our car (Gordon et al, 2011). In relation to the ethical dilemma therefore, there is a need for informed consent from the parents for the declaration to take effect. And the fact that the family denies the declaration simply means they do not consent to it thus rendering it null and void (Gordon et al, 2011). Beneficence This principle requires that we contribute to the welfare of others as an ‘embodiment of the Golden Rule’ (Gordon et al, 2011). This principle can be divided into two: utility and positive beneficence. The positive beneficence principle requires that there is provision of benefits from the moral staff while the utility principle requires that the nurses weigh the benefits and deficits as a means of producing the best result. There is therefore need for a risk benefit analysis. In the scenario of brain death declaration and refusal from family, I will be preventing the ethical losses on part of the health facility by declaring that the patient is brain dead while I will be like issuing a loose statement to the patient’s family. The utility principle, therefore, requires me to weigh the risk associated with the declaration and come up with a sound decision (Gordon et al, 2011). Personal Morality Naturally, I am an empathetic person with great compassion, thus pride myself being a nurse. I always try to put myself in the patients and family shoes and try to understand the situation that they are in. I made great sacrifices on behalf of my career as a nurse and just to see that my role as a nurse is felt in the health facility. I am open and ready to lean in all the environments. I also enjoy socializing and comparing notes with my colleagues to ensure that the product of my decisions is holistic and meet the threshold that is set. My compassion has enabled me to appear friendly for both the patients and their family and friends. I always believe that am suppose to be dedicated to my place of work through hard work and ensuring flexibility whenever need be (White, 2001). The majority of these qualities is what I would call that makes part of me as a nurse if not all and therefore a situation that brings a collision between these qualities and the my occupation as a nurse does not only cause great confusion but perplexes. The scenario of declaring the brain death and refusal of the family is therefore a hard nut to crack on my part. One side of the puzzle is, given the fact that I have been appearing to be the ‘friend’ of the patients and their family members and friends, and such a declaration will make me lose one of the morality that I intend to keep. Compassion is the morality that keeps me going in my career as a nurse (White, 2001). Empathy makes me understand the situation of the family and the pain that they are going through thus making the declaration even harder. On the other hand, a declaration is my duty in place of work. I have to declare that the child is brain dead to ensure me being a benefit to the facility. Failure of which will be like a denial to do an activity which is actually the same reason why I am a nurse. This might lead to results such as being sucked. The declaration of brain death and refusal by the family is therefore an ethical dilemma. This is from the fact that it brings forward the controversy between the two bioethical principles: autonomy and beneficence. It is hard to determine whether to do what one is expected to do in the career or do what one views is right while all this does not solve the solution at hand; this is the scenario that comes with this ethical dilemma. The values of compassion and empathy makes enable one to understand the situation better and feel for the family even more and may end up forgetting his or her role as a nurse. In this case, the declaration of a brain death would be still a great ethical dilemma on part of the nurses if the family is against the declaration. References Beauchamp, T.L. (2011). Making Principlism Practical,Bioethics, 25(6), 301-303. Crisham, P. (1985).Moral: How Can I Do What’s Right? Nursing Management, 16 (3), 42A- 42N. Epstein, E.G., Delgado, S., (Sept 30, 2010) Understanding and Addressing Moral Distress. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 15(3), Manuscript 1. Gordon, J.S., Rauprich, O. Vollmann, J. (2011). Applying the Four-Principle Approach. Bioethics, 25(6), 293-300. Ham, K. (2004). Principled Thinking: A Comparison of Nursing Students and Experienced Nurses. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 35(2), 66-73. Miwa, Y., Shizue, M., Masako A. (2012). Ethical Dilemma Factor in Regarding Physical Restraints to Elderly of Female Nurses with the Living Together Experience. International Journal of Clinical Medicine, 3, 328-334. Ong, W. Y., Yee, C. M. , Lee, A. (2012). Ethical Dilemmas in the Care of Cancer Patients near the end of Life. Singapore Medical Journal, 53 (1), 11-6. White, G. (2001). Issues Update: The Code of Ethics for Nurses. The American Journal of Nursing, 101(10), 73-75.

Painting Pears and Paula Mandel Essay -- Artist Paintings Art Essays

Painting Pears and Paula Mandel â€Å"I can’t imagine a life without art. I can’t imagine it. It would be so sad. One of the most amazing things in the world is the art we create. It is a view into people’s souls.† -Paula Mandel If, on some sunny Sunday afternoon, you decide to take a drive through the streets of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, you’d pass by movie theatres, Starbuck’s cafes, shopping malls, and even historical parks. And if you venture on to some of the more remote side streets, you might discover a small, broken-down old strip mall accommodating a mom and pop’s pizza shop and Morninglory, a small bakery and catering company exhibiting a painting of a piece of fruit in the window. A pear, to be exact. Enticed into stepping foot in the bakery, you might peruse the wall of sweets and goodies, find one you like, and buy it. And so you amble on, fruit tart in hand, sun on face, and $1.50 less in your wallet. Later that day, after meeting a friend for lunch, you find it quite fitting to return to the bakery for another treat. On your arrival, you once again are lured into the shop door, ensnared by that splash of color, that painting of a pear hanging in the window, and you once again buy a dessert. This time, however, instead of departing to saunter along in the sun, you feel the urge to stay awhile, scrutinizing that work of art in the window. There is just†¦something about it that captivates you. That pear, those colors, that shape. You smile. You get closer, pressing your nose up against the storefront’s window, trying to see every detail of that painting. You become obsessed. You can’t place your finger on just what it is you find so allur... ...McGraw-Hill, 2002. 184-87. Hillman, James. â€Å"The Poetic Basis of Mind.† Writing the Essay: Art and the World. Ed. Darlene A. Forrest, Pat C. Hoy II and Randy Martin. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 59-80. Jung, Carl G. â€Å"On the Relation of Analytical Psychology to Poetry.† Writing the Essay:Art and the World. Ed. Darlene A. Forrest, Pat C. Hoy II and Randy Martin. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. 279-98. Mandel, Paula. Almost. 5 May 2003. Artist Statement. Pears. 5 May 2003. < http://paula-mandel.com/cgi-local/ perlshop-paulamandel.pl?ACTION=ENTER&thispage=pea01&ORDER_ID=!ORDERID!> Caress. 5 May 2003. < http://paula-mandel.com/cgi-local/ perlshop-paulamandel.pl?ACTION=ENTER&thispage=pea01&ORDER_ID=!ORDERID!> Personal interview. 13 Apr. 2003.

Reflective Practice in Nursing :: Reflection Upon An Incident

Reflective processes help us to see the world in alternative ways by enabling us to focus on different aspects of our experiences. Reflective processes are the stages of thoughtful activity that we need to go through when we consciously decide to explore an experience or to reflect upon it. There are many ways in which we can reflect upon something, but before we look at one or two formal structures, we need to look at the basic ideas behind using a structure for reflection. There are basically six fundamental stages of reflective processes and these are: Stage 1: selecting a critical incident to reflect upon. Stage 2: observing and describing that experience. Stage 3: analysing that experience. Stage 4: interpreting that experience. Stage 5: exploring alternatives. Stage 6: framing action. Now any experience that we have had can be used as the focus of reflection, but what we choose to reflect upon needs to have some significance for us. That is significance in terms of what we are trying to achieve or the purpose that it is going to serve. These significant experiences or events are often known as critical incidents. Flanagan (1954:327) defined what he meant by critical incidents: 'By an incident is meant any observable human activity that is sufficiently complete in itself to permit inferences and predictions to be made about the person performing the act. To be critical, an incident must occur in a situation where the purpose or intent of the act seems fairly clear to the observer and when its consequences are sufficiently definite to leave little doubt concerning its effects'. So we can see that critical incidents are episodes of experience that have particular meaning to the observer, the practitioner, or any other person taking part in them. They may be positive or negative experiences and must be suitable for being described in a concise way (Jasper 2003). When focusing on events involving other people, you will need to think about: the effect that this might have on the other people involved; gaining consent from the others involved; the status of any written records are you might make; confidentiality and protecting others. When considering reflecting with others in a professional context, you need to think about: the contextual indications of discussing things that have happened; choosing what to tell and considering the implications of this; working within professional codes of conduct and their implications; the consequences of disclosure; misconduct/malpractice/negligence;

Annotating (Glass Castle)

Annotating (Glass Castle) Glass Castle Did you notice anything unusual about Jeannette Walls portrayal of poverty, or homelessness? Even though they had bad times with food and other necessities, they still were happy as a family * When she was young, she viewed life as an adventure and when she got older and in West Virginia she started to see reality of her life and she didn’t want to be seen as the girl who lives in the beat up house and the family that didn’t always have food * She doesn’t let her situation of poverty be an excuse or a burden for not being successful and she knew she was going to push past it * It shows that the Walls’ lifestyle was a choice, when her she figures out her mom has had land worth a million dollars and she just wanted to live the way she was living When did Jeannette figure out that her life was not normal? * When film makers came to Welch and were making a documentary and she saw films about life in New York, she saw ther e was life outside the way they were living * When her dad was prostituting her out, her view of her father was changed * When she went over to a friend’s house they had a thermostat and she had never experience one before and this she realized there was much more like that and the way she was living wasn’t normal Do you think her parents were mentally ill?Her mom would stay in bed for days at a time and she would not even take care of her own kids and do nothing, she was probably in depression The dad was an alcoholic (when he tried to quit in Arizona he had withdrawal) and this was a mental illness He might have been molested by his mother, Erma-When Erma was molesting Brian and the children told their father he denied it and became very angry, probably trying to cover up what happened to him He also never wanted to go to West Virginia, he said it was because of pride but he was probably scared of going back to Erma Being molested by his would explain his alcoholism, his anger Annotating How do you know what is important enough to take notes on when you are reading? 1. Reveals some important detail about plot a. Exposition i. Time and Place of Setting, Setting Changes 1. Setting changes frequently in Glass Castle 2. Sometimes time is very difficult to figure out, in Glass Castle they were watching Water Gate which was in 70s, they lived in Lyndon B Johnson apartment building and he was president in late 60s ii. Introduces us to Main Characters iii. Hints at, or Suggests, the Conflict 3.When Jeannette went to hospital and her dad does the Skedaddle we know the problem is going to involve her dad or parents iv. Gives us necessary background info, Anything we need to Know what is Happening 4. We need to know these things for the story to make sense b. High-Point v. Every high point is like a mini climax in a story vi. The climax is the high point at the end c. Climax vii. The point where the Main Character, or Protagonist, Can win or lose, live or die, succeed or fail. d. Denouement (Resolution) viii. Happens the second we know which way the climax is going to go-win or lose, live or die, etc. ix.The Climax and Denouement happen in almost the exact same moment e. Conflict x. Conflict is most important element of plot xi. Internal 5. Glass Castle had a lot of internal conflict going on in Jeannette’s head xii. External – Most Movies or stories 6. Ex: Batman and Bane 2. When you come across special literary devices f. Foreshadowing xiii. Something earlier in the story that gives a hint to something that happens later in the story g. Symbol xiv. In Glass Castle the Glass Castle is a symbol of hope in the beginning but later it becomes disappointment and failure because they realize their dad was never going to build h. Irony xv.When something happens that is the exact opposite of what you expect i. Flashback xvi. The whole Glass Castle is a flashback because she is telling the story of her childhood 7. A memoir is one long series of flashbacks j. Juxtaposition xvii. Where you put two opposite scenes next to each other 8. Happens a lot in books 9. Ex: When Jeannette is living in a very high end apartment and her parents are living the streets and dumpster diving 3. When it reveals the importance of the title k. Sometimes it is obvious but others it is not xviii. Ex: In Glass Castle the first half of the book it was literally the house Rex was going to build and it represented hope and the future.Towards the end it represents disappointment in her father 4. Unfamiliar vocab words l. Circle and Look up and write definition by it xix. Ex: Hirsute-means harry or shaggy 5. When it reveals something important about a character m. New Character-Character List, Do every character and just put a little description on them with something specific what they said or did xx. Ex: Brian coming up with the idea of the catapult instead of saying Jeannette’s brother n. Mark when a character does or says something that is out-of-character, or not typical of them xxi. Ex: When Jeannette steals a watch from Mr. Becker (Eventually she brings it back) 6.Theme o. One of the main ideas or lessons that the writer is trying to teach us in a book xxii. Usually more than one them, even in short stories p. Made up of two parts xxiii. Subject matter xxiv. Author’s opinion 10. Ex: Glass Castle is about poverty and homelessness and Jeannette is trying to show us that poverty can be a choice 7. Highlight any phrases or sentences that you just like q. For whatever reason, funny, cool, just something you really like 8. Take note of anything that reflects your own personal experience, or some idea you’ve had or something you strongly believe Things Mr. Danforth Tests On Level 1 QuestionsLiteral questions that you can find in the text; concrete details you should be able to point to in the book. They are basic facts from the story (Where she worked for her first job in New York. Level 2 Questions Questions that require us to â€Å"read between the lines†-us making deductions on details or facts that are in the story and we are deducing a fact that is not written in the story. Means we come up with a fact, that is not written in the story, based up on one of two other facts in the story. Never printed in the book. Ex. : Why doesn’t Cinderella’s stepmother love her? Ex: Rex is sexually abused by his mother. He would never go back to West Virginia and also his mother, Erma molested her grandson as well.Ex: Rex is mentally ill based upon that he was molested by his mother and all the times he refused going back to West Virginia. She makes her clean all the time and gets all the really disgusting jobs and the other sisters don’t do any chores. She treats her differently because she is not her real daughter, she is her step daughter. She is jealous of Cinderella and her beauty and her daughters are ugly and fat, or maybe she’s jealous just for herself because she is old and not as pretty as Cinderella. Level 3 Reasoning Ideas that connect the story to real life in the present. Deep thinking themes. Ex: Mental illness and homelessness in the Glass Castle

Financial Case

By choosing the correct projects to participate in, Target Corporation can continue their growth and competitiveness in the retail Indus try. Executive Summary Target was first founded in 1 962, opening their first store in Roseville, Imines tot. The store was designed to differentiate themselves from the existing upscale store sees in the area. The company's idea flourished and by 2005, Target became a major retailing pop rouses, recording revenues of over $52 billion from stores located in 47 different states.One of the main reasons Target was able to become as successful as they are, is the idea of focusing o the shopping experience as a whole, and not just focusing on lower prices compared to thee r competitors. By embracing this idea, Target has been able to successfully attract their target d anemographic, a medaled, collateralized female, with children. In today's market, Target faces 2 main competitors: Walter and Cost. Wall Mart operates their stores similar to how Target's stores are operated, and their SST ores are generally in competing areas of another.Walter focuses on driving their prices as low a s possible, creating a very small profit margin on their items, but makes a large profit du to their large 1 amount of sales. Cost is a warehouse retailer that charges a membership f e in order to receive their discounted prices. The company relies heavily on these fees, as they ma eke up 72. 8% of operating income. Cost attracts many of the same customers Target attract s, but the companies are generally not in the same locations.Targets Capital Expenditure Committee is made up of top executives who me et monthly to review all capital project requests costing more than $100,000. This commit tee could approve any and all projects, unless the projects were worth more than $50 million an in this case, the project would need approval from the board of directors. If the project involve sees openings new location, a real estate manager, located in that speci fic geographic area, was r expansible for the proposal and presentation Of the proposal. The committee uses different fact Ores when analyzing the capital project requests.The factors are: NP and AIR, the size and cost of the project, the effect this project has on other Target store's sales, store sensitivities, variance e to prototype, customer demographics, and the impact it has on the Target brand. By care Ely analyzing each of these factors and locations, we were able to come up with a decision for EAI chi location. Analysis and Recommendations The first project we will discuss is the Gopher Place location. The proposal is f or $23 million to build a POP Target Store. This location has a very strong NP and IR R in terms to the expense of the project.With the prototype NP achievable with sales of 5. 3% below R & P forecast, we would expect this store to be financially stable. The size of the pr Eject is reasonable, and with the strong NP and AIR the cost should be redeemed. The biggest factor against this location is the centralization of sales from preexisting Target stop rest. In this location, there are five Target stores already established and plans of two Inc miming Walter 2 Superstores. 19% of our sales are expected to come from existing Target stop rest in the area, not benefiting the corporation.This location has a relatively small population, thou ugh they have been experiencing the largest population growth of the five projects. Only 12 % of the population fits our target demographic of adults with 4+ years of college education. The median salary is also on the higher end of the remaining projects and does not fit our target d anemographic. This location doesn't bring any new brand awareness to the Target brand and is go inning into a very crowded area of competition. The Whalen Court project is by far the most expensive project, costing $1 19. Million to build a unique, one floor Target store. This project has a project NP of $25. 9 million and an AIR of 9. 8%. With the large amount of investment, the NP and AIR figures AR .NET necessarily that strong but are still positive and could see growth. This is by far the large SST size project, with the largest expense by far. The expense alone makes us worried about the pr Eject. There are currently 45 other stores in the area, but this store would be the only one in a n urban center off major metropolitan area.This location would not have a major impact on Sal sees from other Target stores, but could take away customers from competitors that are cure .NET in the Metropolitan area. The population of 632,000 is by far the largest population and 45% of them fit our demographic of collateralized adults. This location also brings a nun queue branding and advertising advantage and the expense could be balanced against the brand wariness. The Barn is a proposal for a POP store costing $13 million and can reach its NP V with sales 18. 1% below the projected. The small investment allow s for a large return run, even if sales fall below the projected.There are no other Target stores in the area and the strong population of 3 151 ,OHO people fits our target median income. This project should have been passed already if it weren't for a disagreement with the developer. Soldiers Square is a project for a Supermarket costing $23. 9 million. In order t o achieve the forecasted NP and AIR of $300,000 and 8. 1 % respectively, sales would en d to be at 45. 1% above the forecasted sales level. The area is largely populated with other rate leers and currently 12 Target stores, with plans of building another 12.

Changing of Women Rules in Global Business Essay

Now, the role of women in today’s society is becoming increasingly visible and important than in comparison with the situation of 30 years ago. More and more women have started to try their self in different areas of human society, such as politics, science, business, journalism, charity etc. And areas such as entrepreneurship and business is no exception, on the contrary, they have become a priority because the people who are successful in business will always be respected and considered, especially in the world â€Å"men’s rules. Since ancient times, men do not take women, as it was believed that a woman’s place in the family sphere, it is unusual and should stay at home, manage the household, raise children, take care of her husband and so forth, but those days are long gone, and the woman is free to do what though no one can deny them. While many may disagree with that, especially in societies living on the old foundations, and Sharia law, where the woman stays at home and raises her children. And I must admit that in the West and in the more developed countries, women with all other than for example in Muslim countries. Women are much freer in their choice and the right activities. That is, they are not worse than men; at least the governments of these countries have taken measures to gender equality and discrimination against women. Equality of rights is the essential foundation of any democratic society that aspires to social justice and respect for human rights. The modern woman in this world are becoming more and more independent, hence, with men moving into the background taking place with them on a social level by changing their stereotypes, which were considered by it since childhood, but when she decided to climb the social ladder, it must prepare for the development of foreign territory. And the higher it will go up, the less it will be around the fairer sex. Thus, for a higher level of women need to learn the rules of conduct in a man’s world. The participation of women in business in the developed world and the familiar phenomenon is not surprising in the business world and society. Most commands respect the fact that women are showing remarkable abilities and business acumen. This paper is designed to explore the nature of women’s social position and description of the main characteristics of their social status and studies of women in today’s economy and business, market pressures on its social health. 1. The paradox of female companionship. According to the UN Population Division, 49. 7% of the population is women. It is difficult to understand the true customs and traditions, to experience how people live in a particular country. Moreover, even more difficult to provide an accurate picture of the situation of women in different countries – where the image of a woman’s life is not as noticeable, where the woman does not participate in economic and political life of the country, where, as a rule, she plays the role of a wife, mother, mistress of the hearth . But sometimes those women, about which we firmly There are certain stereotypes are not living the way we imagine, have certain rights and status in society. It is known that Japanese women live in a society where â€Å"dominates and rules the man. The dominant role of men in this country has developed historically for a long time, and, as in all countries of the East, the predominant role is expressed everywhere: in the business environment, and the arts, and in politics. But the beauty and uniqueness of Japanese women, her desire to agree, its great patience, a sense of harmony and balance in all things, the willingness to sacrifice were known to ancient times and carried the glory of a Japanese woman around the world. Japanese wife running the business is reconciled with the fact that her husband is found not more than a couple days a week. It may seem that the Japanese woman is under the yoke of patriarchy and pressure from the men. However, this is not the case. That Japanese has more rights than women of other countries in Asia and the Orient. Japanese woman confides education of children and the decision of their fate, it is completely given the right to dispose of her husband’s earnings and decide what expenses and how much need to be done, the Japanese women work, and some of them are financially stable and resting on the feet. Japanese women are able to hide their feelings, build diplomatic relations with her husband, seeking from him a lot more than European women. But even with a lot of rights, under the influence of civilization, becoming more independent, educated and self-confident, a Japanese woman still accompanies her husband to the door, with reverence and obedience to lower our heads bowed her husband followed. In Iran, is rarely seen without a black woman, at least – a green curtain that hides her hair, the shape, and sometimes even the face. From the outside it seems that the women in this traditional and patriarchal country have virtually no rights and are entirely dependent on men. In fact, it is in Iran, women live an active and fulfilling life. Active and energetic Iranian women evolved over many centuries. O daughters of checks that are cutting their beautiful hair and wore a military armor, as well as men to defeat the enemy, there is still a legend. Therefore, even the leader of the revolution in Iran, Imam Khomeini said that â€Å"for the revolution is to thank the women. † The case for women of the East, we can say that their situation is not so bad as we describe the Western media, so whether women in general to engage in politics or business to the detriment of his personal life and family. After all, we all know what this means, when a woman chooses a career, not a family. In Western countries, a woman does not want to lag behind men because society is so constructed that causes compete with the opposite sex, and to claim their rights. Thus, women put themselves under the family or career choice and the choice often falls on the first option. As a result, it leads to divorce or refraining from family relationships. Frequent quarrels and not paying enough attention to children, that leads to the child becoming self-contained and further experience severe stress. Also, women in these countries often lead dissolute lifestyle, drinking, smoking, etc. And it is for these reasons that many women somovolno decide to start a family, abandoning the business activity, and not because someone is prohibited for them or criticizes it. 2. Concept of â€Å"Businesswomen†. The modern woman in this world are becoming more and more independent, hence, with men moving into the background taking place with them on a social level by changing their stereotypes, which were considered by it since childhood, but when she decided to climb the social ladder, it must prepare for the development of foreign territory. And the higher it will go up, the less it will be around the fairer sex. Thus, for a higher level of women need to learn the rules of conduct in a man’s world. The participation of women in business in the developed world and the familiar phenomenon is not surprising in the business world and society. Most commands respect the fact that women are showing remarkable abilities and business acumen. Business women are self-employed, as the rules inherent in the following personal qualities and characteristics. Women, as a rule, the nature carefully and meticulously know how to count money. If you want to explore the firm’s position in the market, the women successfully cope with it. Diligence and thoroughness, determination and precision, care of women in the work known to all. Ingenuity and flexibility of thinking, the ability to analyze and evaluate the readiness to make decisions, communication skills and social competence – these are the qualities that a woman and needed her as an entrepreneur and manager. In most of the female population is at least half the workforce. At the time, the women are still facing difficulties in fully participating in the production process; they are, however, increase their buying power. Demographic studies show that an increasing number of women, who increasingly have to make decisions of financial issues. This trend is reflected in our developing world, where most of the immigrants were women. Women play an important and growing role in the global economy; they make a significant contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) by increasing the level of consumption of goods and especially the use of services. It is assumed that the increased participation of the female population in the labor market contributes to the potential growth of the economy, especially in the west. In most developed countries among students, first degree, as well as incomplete higher (the minimum period of training – two years), more girls than boys. To business and to the success of women are moving a lot of reasons and motivations. Below are some of them: – The desire to create the present and future of their own work; – Hope unification into one work and personal life; The desire to realize their hopes and their style of business activity; – Waiting for a good reward for their efforts and increase their personal wealth, – Ability to reveal his â€Å"I,† his abilities as the previous post did not contribute to this; – The tendency to take risks, find a way out of risk situations; – The value of the specifics of growing back, which founded the company; â₠¬â€œ The impact of friends and acquaintances; 3. Statistics and facts. In 2004, the U. S. percentage of girls among the students was 60%.  In the UK, this level is fixed at around 67%, in Germany – 61%, and in Sweden – 53%. Japan and Korea are among the leading countries in Asia: 65% and 52%, respectively (information is based on a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). In general, this trend must modern employment opportunities, as well as increase the cost of living are not cheering. In general education strengthens position in the labor market, increasing its potential earnings. Migration of women to the private sector is not accidental. It is here that women managers can achieve some success. Business requires knowledge of financial problems, Mastering accounting, psychology, communication, and marketing. The rapid growth of economy â€Å"women† – the burning topic of conversation, reports impress with reference to The Financial Times. â€Å"According to the Boston Consulting Group, women control $ 12 trillion in global spending and are the driving force for earnings growth on a global scale, 5 trillion dollars,† – says journalist Lucy Warwick-Chin. From 2000 to 2007, in the U. S. he number of wealthy women, not less than one thousand five hundred dollars for investment, increased by 68%, while the number of wealthy men – only 36%. Therefore, the economy women are called a force to be reckoned with. It is expected that its global economic impact in the coming years will be greater than that of Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. In some countries, women understand the strength of the economy is better: the powers of women in the U. S. are much higher, and their contribution to the economy – more than British women and other women of the world. Why women are more successful in the manual? a) Women make better leaders – they know how to think about several matters and, at the same time, to plan for the future, while men are able to concentrate on one issue, preferring to solve problems in series; b) Women are inherently more organized and able to act effectively because they mother. Take responsibility – it’s in the nature of women; c) Purposeful Women and men consistently better eye for detail analyze and take into account the nuances of the work; d) Women – more sociable, they tend to trust behavior. They are better at organizational and planning functions, adapt faster to changing conditions, regardless of the subordinates, contributes to these productivity improvements; e) Women leaders know best â€Å"key† people are products of their business are focused on the customer, the new product (or service) that is needed by the market; Women managers not only achieve lasting results of enterprises, but also create new jobs, successfully solve social problems as a team, and, especially, women, and the city in general. Organization is fully aware of the distinctive features of the motivation and methods of women will be more successful. Women take over 80% of purchasing decisions; they account for 70% of firms startups. This is the most important target group in the world. Conclusion: A woman in business today has become increasingly strengthening its position in the modern world women leading a significant percentage of all business structures. There is also a tendency to increase the number of women in business – every year the percentage coming into the business men and women favor the women. From this we can conclude that the role of women in society as a whole is growing every year. Already, many men in business recognized for a number of their women preeminent – in fact, in many areas of business activity, the stronger sex surrendered their positions. Thus, a woman in the business has a number of objective advantages over men, there are literally ome grown women – hairdressing salons, beauty salons, retail trade, in general, any commercial enterprise, requiring attention to detail, with little or average number of staff personnel. The proportion of women is higher in small business, then – medium businesses. In the large, the more international business, men continue to lead – but in the management of the business often are forced to have female staff, as its presence in certain circu mstances treats business tactics – activities. According to psychologists, a woman in the business of building a more cautious relationship with its business partners, avoiding excessive risk-taking, â€Å"sharp turns. † It is particularly sensitive to the issues of corporate culture, introducing an element of warmth and â€Å"nepotism† in the business life of the strict rules of the organization. These factors, among other things, increase the profitability of new technologies that increase productivity. Female leader, as a carrier of emotional start, can acutely feel the psychological climate in the team, to understand what was going on the conflict, and, perhaps, to prevent its onset. In conclusion, I would like to give an answer of the American writer and historian G. Wils on the question of the most significant changes: â€Å"For the past 40 years, the status of women has changed as it has not changed over the past four centuries. No change has not affected so deeply social. Changed relationship between wife to her husband, mother to child, woman to woman.

Descriptive Essay

Descriptive Portrait: My Grandmother When I picture my grandmother, I envision shiny grey hair, bright blue eyes, and the softest hands I have every felt. She is 94 years old and has 12 children. Virginia Irene Dill has raised many children, and that makes her the strongest person I know. When I walk through the door of her 75 year old home, I think of all the pain and joy my grandmother went through there. After so many years, our time together was not quite the same as it used to be since ten years ago when she started to fall ill due to old age. Despite the fact that her body does not allow her to do as much as she used to, I still remember her and the times we had together. Listening to the wonders of the world and the changes that have occurred, I have enjoyed hearing her stories. I enjoy most learning about my aunts’ and uncles’ crazy past. Our time together is special and the bond we hold is sacred. She holds the key to my history and is an example that a little hard work and a whole lot of patience is needed to make it in life. My grandmother’s small soft hands always surprise me. When I think of all the hard work that she had done including cooking, cleaning, and taking care of all her children, I cannot believe her hands could be kept so soft and manicured. She always wears a ring that my father bought her and she always tells me the story of when she received the ring The bright, shiny, silver ring holds an outer ring with jet black beads surrounded by sharp red beads, circled below with a turquoise stone, and pearly speckles. As I stand next to her, I feel like a giant. She is only five feet tall and is such a small, sweet lady. When I hug her, I feel safe and warm inside. While with her, I feel happy that she is a part of me She is a strong, sweet, and patient woman, and knowing this, it makes me happy to know that I have the potential to be like her. Her and I sit in her living next to the warm wood stove and have long talks about the past. We talk about my father and my grandfather, whom I never had the chance to meet. I always enjoy learning about my past, but the stories about my aunts and uncles and the mischievous things they did were always exciting to me. These stories always made me laugh like a young child when I hear them. Now ill due to old age, her face looks different. She is ghostly pale and calm as a cold winter breeze. I miss her smile and touch. Her hands and body are not as strong as they used to be, and most of the time, she looks tired. The smell of her oatmeal cookies no longer fills the room when I go to her house. The smell of fresh lotion scent has diminished, but most of all, I miss the long talks and warm hugs. I will always remember my grandmother and the impression she has made in my life.

Critically evaluate the statement that 'leadership can make a Essay

Critically evaluate the statement that 'leadership can make a difference to organisational performance' - Essay Example The renewed interest in interest in leadership has come from the constantly changing environment in which organisations began facing from the later part of the last century. The new challenges have brought out the importance of leadership in organisations as executive jobs become more a leadership job rather than a management job. In general the concept of leadership is very powerful and "capable of conveying much more than can be contained within a concise definition". (Sadler 2003 p, 2)The definition of leadership can be viewed from two angles; one as a process in an organisation where persons at various levels exert non-coercive influence to direct and coordinate various members of organisation towards its goals and the other from the point of view of property of individuals i.e. as a set of behavior characteristics, personal qualities by which an individual successfully exerts influence, again, to direct and coordinate (Moorhead 2000, p, 352). The word coercive is what distinguishes between the act of a manager who (could if necessary) exerts influence by virtue of the power and position he holds and the leader who does it without. A good manager necessarily need not mean a good leader and vice versa. In the organizational contest, a good leader will have to be a good manager, if he were to be successful. There are many ways in which the difference between managerial way of seeing and doing things and leader ways of doing and seeing things can be distinguished. "Managers does things right, the leader does the right things. "(Bennis 1989, p4). A manager's role in an organisation is described in terms of goal setting, planning organizing and controlling. Very often he gets people to do things by virtue of authority of his office, his dealings with people (customers, employees) is based on contractual aspects and position. The leader's role is to create and articulate vision and create directions; communicate and persuade all stakeholders to work towards it; empower, energize, facilitate, align and motivate people to work in a way that organisations and the individual goals are met. However an ideal leader in terms of domain knowledge, technical competence, conceptual skills etc. will be as good as the manager. Describing the performance of Jell Barad as CEO of Mattel, Moorehead (2000, p 354) shows her to be an ideal combination of manager and leader. These differences are somewhat derived from the transactional and transformational theories of leadership. The manager way of doing things is attributed to the transactional theory of leadership, whereas leader ways of doing things is related to transformational theory of leadership. Lee Iacocca's turnaround of Chrysler motors is shown as a typical case of transformational leadership. Typically a manger kind of role for executives is described as one that is suitable in an environment that is stable, orderly and predictable and the leader role as one most important in a changing and dynamic environment, a situation of constant change such as one organisations face today. Leadership theories There are several theories of leadership based on property. Early theories tried to identify traits and behavior which were the hallmark of good leaders, based on a historical study. Initially studies tried to

Fashion Retail in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fashion Retail in the UK - Essay Example The paper "Fashion Retail in the UK"discovers the the ideas behind the BCG business strategy in the context of UK fashion retail. The BCG strategy suggests that the resources of an organization be allocated depending on its relative position on the grid. The grid has four sections/ positions. These are cash cow, star, question mark, and dog. The BCG strategy is diagrammatically represented as follows. The relative market share is a dimension that is utilized in evaluating a business portfolio. A corporate that enjoys high market share would ultimately get a high return of cash. This can be explained in terms of economies of scales. A firm that manufactures large quantities of goods has benefits of economies of scale and thus they enjoy higher profits. On the other hand, the market growth rate is a representation that earnings and profits increase. An increase in the growth rate means that large amounts of cash would be utilized to stimulate further growth. This means that an organiza tion in the rapidly growing industries use up a lot of cash and one should only invest in such organizations when there is an underlying growth or a sustained market share. Dogs: the brand in this quadrant is in a slow growing market. Furthermore, such brands are not the market leaders: they hold a low market share. Such brands generate nil or sometimes negative cash on returns. It is not wise for one to invest in such brands unless one opts for a long-term investment. As such, one may opt for retrenchment.

Art periods - Impressionism and Post Impressionism Essay

Art periods - Impressionism and Post Impressionism - Essay Example The impressionist deviated from their predecessor artists as they painted in the open air (en plain air) (Rewald, 2005). This was very important in confronting the modern city life and the nature. They further painted their work by use of pure color. The use of pure color was very important as they made the work of the artist impressive. The work was attractive unlike the previous artistic work. The artists who fall in this category influenced the western conception of drawings and paintings. The impressionists revolutionized the western work of art. It was an avenue of the post impressionists who created their work basing on the impressionism. They modified the impressionism work of art. They thus, maintained some other aspects of the impressionism. The impressionism is very important as it made a base for the post impressionism. All the paintings, drawings and films of post- impressionism were borrowed from the impressionism. Even though the post impressionists deviated from the im pressionists, they still borrowed some knowledge from impressionists to perfect their works of art. Claude Monet is the greatest artist in this period. He aimed at catching light and atmosphere something which had not been thought by the past artists. His enjoyment in painting outdoors let to spontaneous and free painting technique. Monet’s brushwork is remarkably varied and flexible. He could change his work. Sometimes his work was dappled and sparking but at other times it was broad and sweeping.

HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Essay

HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY & ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS - Essay Example If a new technology was introduced, it was known all over the world. Each technology had a great impact on the society. The development in the engineering field has taken over the world. It has lead to a drastic improvement on the functioning of the world. Engineering was used in almost all the fields, which reduced the burden of humans. One by one technology developed which helped in the easy way of achieving things. Technologies were introduced for agriculture, cultivation and other areas. Before many years, people were struggling to do a specific task, as everything had to be done by them without machines. For their livelihood, they had to go in search of food and shelter. They had to keep changing the places they lived, due to the seasonal and climatic changes. They did not have any method to cook their food, which made them to eat it raw. This urged them to create some tools that can be used in their daily life. Then came the time when they required storing facilities. Tools for storing water and food were invented. As people started inventing these systems, they passed it to the people in other parts. (Samari 2005). This in turn lead to the improvement in the people’s living. The development in technologies mostly took place in countries like India, countries in the Middle East and Europe. Some of these inventions and developments seemed to be difficult for the people in the countries to implement in their daily life. After some time people started recognizing the importance of these technologies and most of the countries began to use them. There has been a tremendous improvement in the field of science that taught the importance of the world and the environment. Many new inventions and discoveries were proposed and it was a great boon to the people. Education and its facilities were improved by the use of technologies. Industrial revolution resulted in the development and establishments of