The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea †Literature Essay

The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea – Literature Essay Free Online Research Papers The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea Literature Essay Thesis: In the two books of The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemmingway uses two very similar ways of writing. As both books revolve around the main character’s relationship with animals. The Old Man and the Sea is a novel that was written in 1952 by Ernest Hemmingway. In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago has a very close relationship with the fish. The month when the great fish come. Anyone can be a fisherman in May Page 18 Santiago is a fisherman. He is poor, but doesnt complain about it. He is not so happy about his position, but is hard working and has pride. This pride later contributes to his battle with the fish, but this quote illustrates a lot about Santiago, as well as about Hemingway. Although he is poor, Santiago will not borrow, because it leads to begging, but he accepts food the boy Manolin brings him, and says he will thank the bar owner who supplied the food. At this point, Santiago has not caught anything in 84 days, but since he is so determined he goes for the gold. Santiago goes on a fishing trip†¦alone. This is very dangerous for the elderly fisherman because at his age anything could happen and he is in great danger at all times in this tri p. Santiago is a very determined man and is always looking to reach and exceed his goals. Research Papers on The Sun Also Rises and The Old Man and the Sea - Literature EssayMind TravelAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XThe Hockey GameHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationTwilight of the UAWThe Spring and AutumnEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenGenetic Engineering

Using Shaping to Mold Child Behavior

Using Shaping to Mold Child Behavior Shaping (also known as successive approximation) is a teaching technique that involves a teacher rewarding a child as she or he successfully improves the acquisition of a target skill. Shaping is considered an essential process in teaching because behavior cannot be rewarded unless it first occurs. Shaping is intended to lead children in the direction of appropriate complex behavior, and then reward them as they complete each successive step. Best Practices for Behavior Shaping First, a teacher needs to identify the students strengths and weaknesses around a specific skill, and then break the skill into a series of steps that lead a child toward that target. If the targeted skill is being able to write with a pencil, a child might have difficulty holding a pencil. An appropriate assistive step-wise strategy might start with the teacher placing his or her hand over the childs hand, demonstrating to the child the correct pencil grasp. Once the child achieves this step, they are rewarded and the next step is undertaken. The first step for another student who is uninterested in writing but does like to paint might be providing the student with a paint brush  and rewarding the painting of a letter. In each case, you are helping a child approximate the topography of the behavior you want so that you can reinforce that behavior as the child grows and develops. Shaping may require a teacher to create a task analysis of the skill in order to create a roadmap for shaping the behavior or meeting the final skill goal. In that case, it is also critical for the teacher to model the shaping protocol for classroom para-professionals (teachers aides) so that they know what approximations are successful and which approximations need to be cleared and retaught. Although this may seem like a painstaking and slow process, the step and reward process deeply embeds the behavior in the students memory, so that he or she will be likely to repeat it. History Shaping is a technique that arose from behaviorism, a field of psychology established by B.F. Skinner and based on the relationship between behaviors and their reinforcement. Skinner believed that behaviors need to be reinforced by specific preferred items or food, but can be also paired with social reinforcement like praise. Behaviorism and behavioral theories are the foundations of applied behavior analysis  (ABA), which is used successfully with children who fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Although often considered mechanistic, ABA has the advantage of allowing the therapist, teacher, or parent to take a dispassionate look at the specific behavior, rather than focus on a moral aspect of the behavior (as in Robert should know that its wrong!). Shaping is not restricted to teaching techniques with autistic children. Skinner himself used it to teach animals to perform tasks, and marketing professionals have used shaping to establish preferences in a customers shopping behaviors. Examples Maria used shaping to help Angelica learn to feed herself independently, by helping Angelica use the spoon hand over hand - moving to touch Angelicas wrist until Angelica was finally able to pick up her spoon and eat from her bowl independently.While teaching Robert to use the toilet independently to urinate, his mother, Susan, saw that he had difficulty pulling up his pants. She decided to shape this step in her task analysis by praising and reinforcing his ability to pull his pants up to his knees, then stretching out the elastic waist to finish the step, and then helping Robert by using hand over hand to complete the pulling up pants step.One shaping experiment that Skinner conducted was when he and his associates decided to teach a pigeon to bowl. The target task was to get the bird to send a wooden ball down a miniature alley toward a set of toy pins, by swiping the ball with a sideward movement of its beak. The researchers first reinforced any swipe that looked like what they had in mind, then reinforced any that approximated what they wanted, and within a few minutes, they had succeeded. One way modern marketers use shaping is to provide a free sample of a product and include a coupon for the large discount on the purchase price. In the first purchase, the consumer would find a coupon for a smaller discount, and so forth, until the consumer no longer needs the incentives and has established the desired behavior. Sources Koegel, Robert L. Assessing and Training Teachers in the Generalized Use of Behavior Modification with Autistic Children, Dennis C. Russo, Arnold Rincover, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Wiley Online Library, 1977. Peterson, Gail B. A Day of Great Illumination: B. F. Skinners Discovery of Shaping. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 10.1901/jeab.2004.82-317, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, November 2004, Bethesda, MD. Rothschild, Michael L. Behavioral Learning Theory: Its Relevance to Marketing and Promotions. Journal of Marketing, William C. Gaidis, Vol. 45, No. 2, Sage Publications, Inc., JSTOR, Spring 1981.

Business research method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business research method - Essay Example Celebrities help create unique ads for companies; a positive engendered attitude and sales intention towards produced brands (Ranjbarian, Schekarchizade & Momeni, 2010). Celebrity endorsement is a panacea for all marketing woes and is becoming common each day. This is because of the impetus bases on attracting customer’s attention thus developing a positive association. This influences recall and also induces trial, which eventually effects purchase decision. Furthermore, the assumption that they have a similar lifestyle with celebrity lures people to buy the product. In view of the fact that celebrities are always on the spotlight, they are able to transfer their image to the advertised product. For this to happen, becomes an added advantage to the company. According to McCracken (1989, p.310), â€Å"a celebrity endorser is an individual who publicly enjoys recognition and uses it on behalf of consumer goods through advertisement†. Celebrity endorsement influences the consumers’ feelings and attitude towards the advertisement and towards the brands. This increases purchase intentions and sales because, in this whole process, goals are achieved, which include awareness of the product; interest to know more about the product; desire to own product and action to buy the product. Marks & Spencer is the most suitable target group to bring out advertising using celebrity endorsement. When beginning to design a research on this topic we first and foremost have to use the two fundamental types of research, descriptive and explanatory. Descriptive research covers what activity is going on in a company. Explanatory research covers why an activity is going on in the company. Marks & Spencer is a company that deals with the sale of clothes for all gender and all ages. This UK, based company strategically came up with the idea of using celebrity endorsement to market their products. This was necessary to them because the type of business they are in co mes up with new upcoming products. They have used a couple of celebrities over the years, and they include; David Beckham, Helen Mirren, Dannii Minogue, Twiggy, Antonio Banderas and the X factor’s finalists. Marks & Spencer used these celebrities for different reasons. It enabled the audience easily recall the brand. When a new product comes into the market and is advertised by a particular celebrity, certain target groups follow and remember the existing brand. It helps the company recover its image. For two years in a row, this company had experienced losses and needed the fastest way to recover its customers back and attract more from competitors. For those people who did not recognize of the existence of this company, got to know because the certain interest that the celebrities imparted on the viewers of the advertisement. Celebrities are considered as respectable and only settle for quality when choosing things. Therefore if, he/she is in a particular advertisement the customers develop confidence on the product. Marks & Spencer used this strategy to create confidence in the goods they manufactured. They also used people are familiar with the customers because they wanted their products to look believable. This is because a celebrity cannot advertise for a company that is a hoax (Till & Busler, 1998,

Government Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Government Analysis - Essay Example They can enact this right in the voting booth, in the court of public opinion, through the judicial system, and via a host of other avenues. In the end, laws and rules are designed for the better good of society, which means that some will almost certainly disagree and strive to have a rule amended or changed. As the government has grown in size, the bureaucracy has remained in force to handle many such proposed rule changes. From Health and Human Services, to issues of the economy, to science and technology among others, the Federal Register has been designed to keep the public informed of any new or impending changes to policy. In this age of increasing technology, such changes are readily accessible via the Internet, and comments are encouraged. This epitomizes our functioning democratic form of law. It is important that individual citizens have the right and the avenue to make their voices heard in an easily accessible manner. Not everyone can travel to Washington D.C. to argue a proposed rule, but nearly everyone can write or email interested parties. This paper will examine a current rule that is being proposed by the Food and Drug Administration, analyze its rationale, discuss recent comments made, and propose a recommendation as to its feasibility. Proposed Final Rule For quite some time, the Food and Drug Administration has been grappling with a proposal to allow certain parts of cattle to be used in dietary supplements, food, and cosmetics, provided a certain procedure was followed. This rule was actually adopted in 2005, as an amendment to an earlier rule that prohibited such use. Now, the rule is back up for debate, as new research studies have been published that seem to contradict earlier findings establishing that the cattle parts were safe in the proposed food and drug items, provided the set procedure was followed. The docket number of this rule change is FDS-2004-N-0188, and the title of the rule amendment is â€Å"Use of Materials Derived fr om Cattle in Human Food and Cosmetics†, with the comment period ending May 3, 2013 (Federal Register 14012). In summary, rule 69 FR 42256, adopted back on July 14, 2004, established that the use of certain parts of a cow in food and cosmetics was to be prohibited. This was due to studies that revealed there was potential risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in human food (Federal Register 14012). This also applied to dietary supplements and cosmetics. After a revised comment period, and the publishing of further studies, the Federal Register opted to amend the rule back on September 7, 2005. This amended final rule allowed for the use of the small intestine of cattle in human food and cosmetics, provided an approved removal technique was used (Federal Register 14012). The small intestine, being deemed acceptable for use in cosmetics and certain food products, including dietary supplements, has now been permitted since that rule amendment in 2005. The new rule has sin ce allowed the intestine to be utilized provided it was removed by a procedure approved by the FDA, or if an organization could provide an equally effective alternative procedure that was deemed safe and reliable (Federal Register 14012). While this procedure has continued largely unchecked for the last seven years, interested parties began to conduct and publish their own studies. These studies have created enough reasonable doubt as to the safety of the small intestine, as presently being used, that the Food and Drug Administration has decided to revisit the rule. In recent years, scientific studies, most of which have been peer-reviewed, have demonstrated that there is the possibility that the colon of cattle can be infected with matter that can be harmful to humans. In

Rethinking Video Game Violence Essay Example for Free

Rethinking Video Game Violence Essay Technological advancements made in the twenty first century have continuously altered the lives of every individual in this planet. Digital technologies have made communication among individuals very easy with the click of a button. In addition to this, technological advancements have also affected how people entertain themselves. Children all over the world are already abandoning their traditional toys. Action figures, matchboxes, building sets and puzzles are now losing its popularity because of the invasion of video games. The technological advancements have introduced the Play Station, Xbox, Game Cube, etc. to millions and millions of children all over the world (Mayor, 2005). True enough; the development of video and online games has continuously invaded the households of citizens all over the world, targeting their most important clients, the children. For some reason, video games only cater to the young adolescents and children; only in rare cases do they tend to be successful in influencing the adults. This is due to the fact that these games were designed using the role-playing method, which only entice the younger population as they are the ones who could not distinguish which is real and which remains to be in the fantasy realm of their minds. When adults observe children playing video games, the former fails to see what the latter sees (Mackey, n. d. ). In one way or another, these video games contribute to the construction of the children’s identity and culture, thus greatly affecting the lives of the children. With the popularity of video games increasing, the traditional ways by which childhood is characterized have continuously eroded and undermined. Somehow, no one knows where and what childhood really is about (In Search of the Child, 1969). Together with these advancements in technology come social problems associated with children and the youth such as drug-trafficking, teenage crime and the involvement of children in crime. The development of these video games has continuously instilled fear upon educators and parents as they continuously affect the children’s lives. Critics of video games fear transmission of violent messages to the children as they engage in playing with these video games (Squire, 2002). It was in 1980 when these video games were developed when President Reagan called for the creation of cold war warriors, knowing that these games would instill skills and attitudes to the warriors. However, more critics become more and more afraid of the effects of these games to cultural activities. They would often think that these would become influence children negatively as these would cause the young children addiction in technological developments (Squire, 2002). In April of 2002, a U. S. District Judge named Stephen N. Limbaugh, Sr. made a claim which somehow contrasted this particular fact. According to this very famous personality, video games are not capable in conveying ideas or expressing anything else that could possibly amount to speech (Jenkins, n. d. ). Because of this, video games did not enjoy constitutional protection since then. Limbaugh also said that for as long as games do not express ideas, no game shall be protected even if laws clearly state that children and the youth should not have access to any form of media that is said to explicitly contain violence and sexual messages (Jenkins, n. d. ). According to different research and studies made regarding this topic, the kids who have are now part of the videogame generation does not respond to traditional instructions. Because of this, researchers and educators worry that video games transmit hyper competitive and distorted sexual values to the children. Government policies have been constructed in such away that violent messages could not reach the children. Government policies introduced censorship practices which aim to keep the different homes safe from violence and distorted sexual messages. There had been several devices developed that could help in filtering out violent messages from reaching the homes of the children (In Search of the Child, 1969). In addition, video games are said to turn the children’s attention away from their academics (Squire, 2002). This particular ruling met a lot of criticisms, arguing that video games do express ideas that could definitely influence the minds of the youth negatively. Video games are seen to have psychological and social effects (Jenkins, n. d. ). According to some critics, gamers produce meanings through game play and other related activities. Effects are often seen as they emerge in the game itself. Thus, meanings become visible through interpretations as it continuously reflect our conscious engagement. Through this, they would be put into words and finally, examined. New meanings would often arise from what we already know and think. Because of this, each and every player would interpret a game according to his or her own experience and knowledge (Jenkins, n. d. ). In the same manner, it is often argued that children could not distinguish fantasy from reality. Due to this, focusing on meaning would increase the knowledge and competence each player has, that would often start with the mastery of particular concepts that differentiate the fantasy from the real world (Jenkins, n. d. ). This paper would look into the effects of video games on the children and the role they play in the lives of the children. In the same manner, it would look into how violence is instilled in the minds of these children through these video games. In addition to this, this paper shall look into how these games construct meanings and identities for the young children. For this paper to accomplish these tasks, it shall be using the game RuneScape, developed by Jagex Ltd. , one of the most popular online games in the whole world. RuneScape Released and Operated by Jagex Ltd. in 2001, RuneScape, once again is one of the most popular games in the world. It is said to take place in the fantasy world of Gielinor which is divided into different kingdoms, regions and areas. Players travel throughout the world by foot, often using spells and devices and other means of transportation. As they travel to each region, players face different monsters and quests. In the same way, more and more materials are being made available to them (RuneScape, 2007). Players are portrayed in the screen as avatars that could easily be customized. The players of this game could set their own goals and objectives together with the activities they would want to pursue in order to reach their goal. Competitors engaged in the game are not encouraged to pursue a linear path. They fight with other players, monsters, complete quests and increase their experience in all the skills available. Interaction between players is also encouraged through chatting, trading, etc (RuneScape, 2007). Video Games and their Impact to Children’s Lives A very famous retired military psychologist, Grossman said that video games teach kids to kill in the same way the military trains their soldiers. This very famous retired military man turned psychologist identified the following military concepts included in video games. The following are: brutalization, classical conditioning, operant conditioning and role modeling. These concepts are said to be adopted by the training camps as they prepare their soldiers for the battlefield (Jenkins, n. d. ). These methods have similarities in the way players interact with the computer games and other players. Because of this, the over exposure of children to these kinds of violence at the age when they are still having a hard time in distinguishing fantasy from reality brutalize them. Because of the rewards associated with the different video games, the children are trained to kill in exchange for these prizes. In addition to this, Grossman claims that a child acquires the same conditioned reflex and motor skills the soldiers have every time he plays an interactive point-and-shoot video game (Jenkins, n. d. ). Lastly, soldiers tend to imitate the role models being made visible in the games. Thus, the possibility of acquiring the same skills in real life is high. For humanist researchers on the other hand, these games are very powerful tools for teaching. It could help players in problem solving as they can see their mistakes as opportunities for learning and reflection (Jenkins, n. d. ). Thus, they would be finding better solutions to their problems. The different video games encourage the players to form their own hypotheses, and in the same manner, test them. In the obstacles that they face in the game world, their abilities are pushed to the highest level, since these games are designed in such a way that players would be encouraged to meet their goals (Jenkins, n. d. ). Thus, video games increase aggression among its players which then affects crime rates all over the world. Because of this, even unrealistic video games could be dangerous for the children and young adolescents. According to an experimental study that dealt with college students that engage in video games, these students have increased aggression after exposure to fantasy violent video games. This then proves the alarming situation at hand, that young adults are even affected by the violent messages transmitted by video games even when they are already supposed to know how to differentiate between fantasy and reality (Anderson, 2003). Because of this, these video games are said to be more dangerous than violent television shows and cinemas. In the same way, newly developed video games are now designed to reward the players for killing innocent bystanders, police, prostitutes, etc. using different means and weapons (Anderson, 2003). Hence, the plots of video games are now worse than ever, becoming more and more violent. In addition to this, there are even games that make some criminals as the heroes of the particular video game. For the author of the book What Video Games Have to Teach Us about Learning and Literacy, the most powerful dimension of these games is the projective identity. Projective identity is the way role-playing allows us to experience the world from different perspectives. Identity then is chosen, accepted or constructed rather than imposed through the games that they engage in. How Video Games Define What it means to be A Child Young children, as mentioned often find it hard to distinguish fantasy from reality. Thus, most children are engaged in games that often involve role-playing. As defined, role-playing games are composed of sessions where group of gamers meet to play. Make believe rules are often formulated which may be simple or sophisticated. As adults already know the difference between reality and fantasy, they find it hard to grasp the concept associated with role playing games (Fei, n. d. ). These role-playing games have said to continuously influence the personality of the children and other young adults. These particular influences, in turn help in shaping the identities of these teens, especially those that are still in the so-called development phase (Fei, n. d. ). How Children Use Video Games to Construct their Realities and Identities As mentioned in the previous parts of this paper, children engage in role playing activities when they play with video games. Thus, this somehow helps them in constructing their realities and identities, how they perceive themselves. This perhaps is the reason why research published in 2000 supports the fact that playing violent video games increases one’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior. Apparently, without the children’s proper discernment of what is right and wrong would lead them to the adoption of these concepts that are supposed to exist only in the fantasy world in real life. In the study conducted by Craig Anderson and Karen Dill, it showed that their college student respondents have been influenced by the violent games they have played or are currently playing. It is quite obvious that the aggressiveness they have acquired through playing these violent video games caused their delinquent behaviors in the past (Anderson, 2003). In the same manner, video games have been a very popular avenue in which certain children construct their gender realities. In one way or another, video games have played a very important role in enhancing the gender differences between the girls and the boys. Based on observation and research, the characters, stories and worlds created by girls are truly different from that of the boys. Obviously, boys are more violent than the girls, making violence the most popular feature of the video games for boys. On the other hand, the girls just do not find the themes of these video games appealing – hunting, battling with monsters, etc. Because of this, video games tend to be more popular among the male kids than the female ones. In addition, this then leads to the social construct embedded upon the young minds of these children. At a very young age, the differences between the roles of the males and the females are quite clear to them (Kafai, 2001).

Human Error Essays -- Miscommunication, Shift Work

To err is human. Throughout everyday life, human error is around every corner. Human error is defined as, â€Å"a mistake made by a person rather than being caused by a poorly designed process or the malfunctioning of a machine such as a computer.† (Encarta, 2009) To simplify this definition, people make mistakes. Human error may become apparent in the form of human behavior or conduct that can be categorized as undesirable, unacceptable, careless, inattentive, forgetful, reckless, harmful, a miscommunication, human performance that is extreme in variability or beyond the limits of that expected, or an inappropriate form of risk taking behavior. An error may be harmless, it may be detectable and correctable, or it may serve to predict future problems (Peters, 2006). Many references to human error are associated with high-profile catastrophes. The publics concern over these high-profile catastrophes puts human error in the spotlight. Some examples of human error catastrophes include: the Tenerife runway collision in 1977, Three Mile Island in 1979, the Bhopal methyl isocyanate tragedy in 1984, the Challenger and Chernobyl disasters of 1986, and the Piper Alpha oil platform explosion in 1988. While these catastrophes put human error concerns in the spotlight, the human error impact on manufacturing operations can be just as detrimental. All of the catastrophes that were described above happened on a night shift period of shift work. Shift work involves the alternation of teams of worker each working a certain â€Å"shift†, and who usually perform the same work duties so that operations can be continued for longer than allowed by any single worker. Shift work schedules necessarily require some workers to work for periods of ti... ...ng questionnaires to the convenience sample was the basis of the study. This data was collected for a three-week period. The questionnaires were evaluated and descriptive statistics via means and standard deviations were used to describe the effect on work performance. This study shows that all age groups are subject to exposure to physiological and psychological hazards brought about by night shift as indicated in their subjective response. It also shows that shift work is related to workplace fatigue and accident injury rates (Hayajneh, 2008). Throughout literature review it seems that most research and studies support the fact that accident rates and shift work are related. The studies that were examined as part of this literature review compare and contrast various sides of business functions with similar results in accident rates and shift work data.

Analyse the Marketing Opportunities and Challenges Faced by a Selected Business When Using Internet Marketing

M2 – Analyse the marketing opportunities and challenges faced by a selected business when using internet marketing. Footlocker is an American sportswear and footwear retailer, its headquarters is located in New York City. This company originated in America but has made an international expansion buy placing stores in Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia. The internet gives Footlocker many opportunities to advertise and promote online to a wider audience which results in more sales and profits. Footlocker has exploded internationally and because of this, the company has to take into consideration the choices they make because of their international buyers. An advantage of marketing online would be immediate sales. For example, in my opinion it is easier to shop online because it is more comfortable to shop within the comforts of your own home and it is easier to resolve problems when you are ordering from the country however for international buyers, company’s have to make sure there are procedures put in place that will secure people’s bank card details preventing any troubled to be caused. Things such as the padlock and security checked tags this automatically wins over your customer because it shows that the company cares about the customer’s well being. In order for footlocker to succeed internationally they have to meet to customers expectations and provide them with a good customer service. Another opportunity that the internet brings is exposure. The internet gives footlocker the opportunity to become more known and become global. Different ways that the internet could help to advertise footlocker is by advertisement banners, pop up adverts with a link that leads customers to the website of footlocker, advertisements on other company’s websites. For example if you buy over ?50 worth of clothes from office then you get a 10% voucher off footlocker purchases. The internet helps these promotions to expand even more widely. This is a positive impact because everybody likes to save money so by having this promotion it would interest your customer, however the negative is because this is only for a short period of time some customers might not return and only use the sale as an excuse to take interest. However a challenge that footlocker faces is other competition with other companies. For example JD Sports ships products internationally just like foot locker and offers the same services like footlocker does. In certain countries JD Sports is more recognised in more European countries. A way that Footlocker could resolve this is by using a celebrity endorsement (preferably an influential sports person) to enhance their sales to attract a wider audience making a bigger audience aware of the organisation. A way that the internet benefits by internet marketing is by providing all the necessary information about the product or service that the person is providing. Businesses are increasingly enabling the customers to find out even more information about their product. For example some companies advise you how to wash certain clothes so they do not get ruined and stay preserved. Organisation strives on building a customer and business relationship so by maintaining this they cater to the customer’s needs and wants. On the other hand on a customer’s point of view, this is a down fall because they would not be able to see or feel the product unless they purchased it first which increases product risk. Also another disadvantage of this is because the items get shipped, and if product gets to the consumer damaged the company does not have to be liable for this. Marketing on the internet gives organisations the opportunity to sell to a wider market; however some companies do not have the right amount of staff to be able to fulfil orders on time. The company has to be well structured in order to do this. For example footlocker has different departments in order for the company to succeed by sharing the work load. They have departments such as marketing, merchandising, finance, technology and human resources. Human resources would have to analyse the employees to see whether they would have to employ more people or spend money on training people how to cope with a larger customer base. Shops are easier to have a set structure because you only have to really please your customers. On the other hand when you are marketing online you have to have many departments to deal with your customers queries. For example Footlocker provides a page on their website which answers general frequently asked questions (FAQ) if the customer experiences any type of problem, such as payment problems or assistance using the website they provide an automated system which helps customers within 24 hours. The negative thing about this could be that the customer does not get the straightforward or type of answer they were hoping for, whereas in the shop you would be able to go up to an sales assistant to help you.

Later Adulthood Development Essay

During our life time it is inevitable that we will grow older. People 65 an older are living longer lives. This age group has been increasing over the years with the help of new technology. During this stage in life we will go through many life transformations. First we will change not only physically, but mentally, and emotionally, and socially. Our roles in life will change drastically and if not prepared it will not be a smooth transition. If a person was once very independent in their younger years and now will need to be dependent on others for assistance it could become a big problem. They may need help with basic daily health needs such as bathing, cooking or may need help getting around town. There are many assistant living facilities that will assist them if needed. Another issue in aging is they may become victims of crimes. Elderly people have physical limitations that will make it harder for them to defend themselves. Discrimination will now become another issue that they will have to face. It may be hard for them to land a job at this age because many companies might be worried that they will constantly be out of work or can’t physically do the job. Compare living accommodations such as accessibility and the need for health care: There are numerous nursing facilities for the elderly to live in. In the past these facilities were ran like institutions and less like a home. The new facilities are well equipped with everything they would have in their own homes. Facilities provide entertainment, social gatherings, everything you would need to enjoy your elderly years. Many elderly people would prefer to live and maintain their own households with their spouses and not have to resort to facility living. Health care is important to the elderly generation because they are more apet to have health problems. Because of the increasing cost of health care Medicare and Medicaid programs were put in place to reduce the cost of health care for this age group. Another medical issue for the elderly is that Physicians are primarily  trained in treating young people and the elderly does not receive the quality care they need. In that age group medical care is crucial for their survival because they are more frail and sick than the younger generation. The transition from work to retirement is a major part in anyone’s life. Mandatory retirement was once created for people age 65 an older, it was meant to abolish the oversupply of available workers. Congress eventually stopped this law because it was discriminating towards the elderly. Retiring is a major adjustment in life for those who worked there whole lives. One of the many adjustments are living on a smaller income, and no interaction from fellow coworkers. Social Security benefits is a financial assistance program for retired people 65 and up but it was never intended to make a person financially independent. It is impossible to live comfortably just off of social security checks alone. About 95 percent of older adults receive Social Security; for 18 percent of them, Social Security is their only income. Americans who did not prepare themselves finically will need to work for the rest of their lives. Those who did not prepare themselves for retirement will have to worry about money and possible have to rely on government assistance. Those who did prepare themselves financially will not have to worry about money an can enjoy their leisure time and enjoy the many things that they weren’t able to do while working such as traveling, golfing, etc. Many people at this stage will get bored an unfulfilled without a job to go too. Volunteering their time and possible a part time job are a few ways an elderly couple can do to stay productive and be a contributing citizen. Older people volunteering their time can also lead to a higher feel of worth and self-esteem. Many changes go in in marriage, family, and peer relationships when we grow older. Older people are married they are happier than the non-married ones. When we age we will have to understand that one spouse will have to take care of their spouse. The caretaking spouse will get frustrated, angry, overwhelmed with caring for their spouse. When a spouse is ill this can drain the family savings and add more stress over finances. When a spouse dies it can be very emotional for the spouse that is left behind they will begin to experience loneliness’, depression and will have more things to take care of on their own. The surviving spouse will have to be emotionally ready to move on with life without their mate. Peer relationships will also change beca use  friends are sick and dying and reminds them that the end is near. This can lead to elderly people staying in the house and distancing themselves from other people and family. Some elderly begin to live with family and like the idea that they are around their loved ones. Others do not want to put a burden on to their family and decide to move into a nursing facility instead. Living with someone else can become a major shock because they are used to living on their own. The social policies that affect the older adults are Medicaid, Medicare, social security benefits, and the older Americans act of 1965. Medicare was created to assist older people with the cost of health care. Everyone 65 and older will be eligible for this service. Everyone in the United States is eligible for some sort of social security benefit after retirement age if they worked. This Money is paid into the social security system from taxes from employees and employers. It is a certain amount of money given every month to offset the cost of living. Some elderly people live off just social security alone because they did not plan correctly for the future. If a person does not have any pensions, savings and other income it will not be enough to live comfortable off of. . The Americans Act of 1965 is a law and its amendments and they are the basis for federal aid to states and local communities to meet the needs of the older generation. This law assists with an adequate income, physical and mental health, housing, employment opportunities. The final service made for the elderly is Medicaid. It provides services for low income families, and those who need public assistance. Each state is different with the Medicaid benefits. When we age we will all change mentally, physically, physically and socially it’s all a part of this life cycle. With proper planning and research growing older can be a smooth transition in life. Financial planning, family support, resources are all positive can contributions to everything an older adul t needs. References Dale, O., Smith, R., Norlin, J. M., & Chess, W. A. (2009). Human behavior and the social environment: Social systems theory (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Operational Strategy and Improvement Paper

Operational Strategy and Improvement Paper Operations strategy is concerned with setting broad policies and plans for using the resources of a firm to best support its long-term competitive strategy. A firm's operations strategy is comprehensive through its integration with corporate strategy. The strategy involves a long-term process that must foster inevitable change. An operations strategy involves decisions that relate to the design of a process and the infrastructure needed to support the process. Process design includes the selection of appropriate technology, sizing the process over time, the role of inventory in the process, and locating the process. The infrastructure decisions involve the logic associated with the planning and control systems, quality assurance and control approaches, work payment structures, and organization of the operations function. Operations strategy can be viewed as part of a planning process that coordinates operational goals with those of the larger organization. Since the goals of the larg er organization change over time, the operations strategy must be designed to anticipate future needs.130731-D-NI589-149A firm's operations capabilities can be viewed as a portfolio best suited to adapt to the changing product and or service needs of the firm's customers (‚Â ¶, 2).In the business world, organizations have to compete with companies that produce similar goods. To be successful against the competition, an organization must have a competitive strategy. Without a competitive strategy, the company would have a difficult time in competing successfully for the duration. The strategy of an operation is based on how the competitive environment is changing and what the business needs to do in order to meet the future and current challenges. The development for a business of the operations processes and human resources has to be on a platform that would give the business a leading edge. Once the company has a clear understanding of the direction they are...

Life Is Beautiful (1997) - Movie Review

Life Is Beautiful (1997) - Movie Review When I first heard about the Italian movie Life Is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella), I was shocked to discover that it was a comedy about the Holocaust. The articles that appeared in the papers bespoke of many that found even the concept of the Holocaust portrayed as a comedy to be offensive. Others believed that it belittled the experiences of the Holocaust by inferring that the horrors could be ignored by a simple game. I, too, thought, how could a comedy about the Holocaust possibly be done well? What a fine line the director (Roberto Benigni) was walking when portraying such a horrendous subject as a comedy. Yet I also remembered my feelings to the two volumes of Maus by Art Spiegelman - a story of the Holocaust portrayed in comic-strip format. It was months before I dared read it, and only then because it was assigned reading in one of my college classes. Once I started reading, I couldnt put them down. I thought they were wonderful. I felt the format, surprisingly, added to the books power, rather than distracting from it. So, remembering this experience, I went to see Life Is Beautiful. Act 1: Love Although I had been wary of its format before the movie began, and I even fidgeted in my seat, wondering if I was too far from the screen to read the sub-titles, it took only minutes from the films beginning for me to be smiling as we met Guido (played by Roberto Benigni - also the writer and director). With a brilliant mixture of comedy and romance, Guido used flirtatious random encounters (with a few not so random ones) to meet and woo the school teacher Dora (played by Nicoletta Braschi - Benignis real-life wife), whom he calls Princess (Principessa in Italian). My favorite part of the movie is a masterful, yet hilarious, sequence of events involving a key, time, and a hat - youll understand what I mean when you see the film (I dont want to give too much away before you see it). Guido successfully charms Dora, even though she had been engaged to a fascist official, and gallantly retrieves her while riding on a green painted horse (the green paint on his uncles horse was the first act of anti-Semitism that is shown in the film and really the first time you learn that Guido is Jewish). During Act I, the movie-goer almost forgets he came to see a movie about the Holocaust. All that changes in Act 2. Act 2: The Holocaust The first act successfully creates the characters of Guido and Dora; the second act delves us into the problems of the times. Now Guido and Dora have a young son, Joshua (played by Giorgio Cantarini) who is bright, loved, and doesnt like to take baths. Even when Joshua points out a sign in a window that says Jews are not allowed, Guido makes up a story to protect his son from such discrimination. Soon the life of this warm and funny family is interrupted by deportation. While Dora is away, Guido and Joshua are taken and placed in cattle cars - even here, Guido tries to hide the truth from Joshua. But the truth is plain to the audience - you cry because you know what is really happening and yet smile through your tears at the obvious effort Guido is making to hide his own fears and calm his young son. Dora, who had not been picked up for deportation, chooses to board the train anyway in order to be with her family. When the train unloads at a camp, Guido and Joshua are separated from Dora. It is at this camp that Guido convinces Joshua they are to play a game. The game consists of 1,000 points and the winner gets a real military tank. The rules are made up as time goes on. The only one that is fooled is Joshua, not the audience, nor Guido. The effort and love that emanated from Guido are the messages relayed by the movie - not that the game would save your life. The conditions were real, and though the brutality was not shown as directly as in Schindlers List, it was still very much there. My Opinion In conclusion, I must say that I think Roberto Benigni (the writer, director, and actor) created a masterpiece that touches your heart - not only do your cheeks hurt from smiling/laughing, but your eyes burn from the tears. As Benigni himself stated, ...I am a comedian and my way is not to show directly. Just to evoke. This to me was wonderful, the balance to comedy with the tragedy.* Academy Awards On March 21, 1999, Life Is Beautiful won Academy Awards for . . . Best Actor (Roberto Benigni)Best Foreign Language FilmOriginal Dramatic Score (Nicola Piovani) * Roberto Benigni as quoted in Michael Okwu, Life Is Beautiful Through Roberto Benignis Eyes, CNN 23 Oct. 1998 (http://cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9810/23/life.is.beautiful/index.html).

A Conceptual Model of E-Business Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 22500 words

A Conceptual Model of E-Business - Coursework Example Considerable confusion exists in the literature concerning the various terminologies used to describe E-Business. Terms abound with vague descriptions having loose connections to existing management literature and even more cryptic relationships to evolving technology. Despite this, however, there is the relative consensus that the core components of E-Business are Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and e-commerce. It is important to note that a business may not deploy every component or even attempt to link the three components. Some texts use the term 'enterprise Resource Management" or ERM as a comprehensive term meant to include all E-Business systems in one conceptual entity. It may, thus, be argued that these systems are distinctly different, serve specific functions and may or may not "add up" to a comprehensive organizational capability. Some texts use the term 'enterprise Resource Management" or ERM as a comprehensive term meant to include all E-Business systems in one conceptual entity. It may, thus, be argued that these systems are distinctly different, serve specific functions and may or may not "add up" to a comprehensive organizational capability. The objective of this research is to distinguish and develop a conceptual model of E-Business, on the one hand, and determine, or try to evaluate the potential social impact of e-business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Within the context of the stated, it need be noted that legal strictures have inhibited the development of e-business in KSA but, these restrictions are gradually being lifted. It remains, however, important to emphasize that lack of an e-business presence in Saudi Arabia implies that, rather than evaluate the actual effect within the country of focus, the study will look towards theoretical and empirical studies on the social impact of e-business for the determination of potential, and probable, effect. The Internet has emerged as a key business medium for both large and small firms. Firms are increasingly using the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW), and other web technologies1 to expand their markets, to conduct business transactions with customers and suppliers, and to enhance their competitive position.

Operational management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operational management - Case Study Example In the work of Barnes (2008) operations management entails proper use of the available resources to make effective and quality production successful. McDonalds embraced the operations management strategy, validating the reason for its success in the market. First, Hill (n.d.) argues that McDonalds has spent a great deal of their energy on product planning. This is inclusive of coming up with products that are friendly to the clients in terms of cost and attractiveness. In the case of McDonalds, a lot of clients have indicated their passion for the chicken nuggets by the restaurant (Hill, n.d.). With the schedule manager on board, McDonalds is able to plan a sales chart, which allows production at any given time. The clients, therefore, return as they yearn for more from McDonalds and are rarely disappointed by the organization. New products are constantly added on the menu as seen in Hill’s (n.d.) work since the client’s preferences constantly change. The menu is inclusive of all foods and drinks for all weathers even the cold season (Hill, n.d.). McDonalds is keen to plan a way forward to deal with its high demand. Hill (n.d.) clearly indicates how McDonalds deals with the volume of production and how to deal with the demand of the clients. Planning the capacity in this case has led to the organization deal with the demand variations both on long and short term basis. Hill (n.d.) emphasizes that the McDonald’s managers are quick to respond to the peak hours of the business, for instance lunchtimes, Friday evenings and weekends in the Eastborough restaurant. With adequate stock of ingredients, McDonalds is able to maintain its large clientele base. In the McDonalds world, layout design has been of essence in making the organization a success. Hill (n.d.) quickly explains the arrangement of the organization that allows effective working, service provision, welcoming the clients, administration and