Methods and Procedures to Form the Government Contracts in Saudi Essay

Methods and Procedures to Form the Government Contracts in Saudi Arabia and the UNICTRAL Rules - Essay Example It compares it with the Saudi legislation in the government contracting procedures. Government procurement market is one of the largest markets in the world. Countries spend billions of dollars yearly to meet the needs in the various sectors of health, educational and municipal services, communications and technology. Therefore, it is not unforeseen that the issue of government procurement obtains great attention and consideration locally and internationally. Government Contract is an important tool used by the administration to achieve its requirements to ensure that the regularity of the public utilities. In consideration of the importance of government procurement law, many local and international organizations and conventions address government the contracting procedures. One of these agencies is the United Nations through â€Å"The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). It is a â€Å"Model Law on Procurement of Goods, Constrictions, and Services with Guide to Enactment.† The law empowers countries around the world to reconsider their local laws on government procurement that contains uncertainty, lack of clarity, and lack of transparency. Therefore, when countries are drafting their laws, this model law can guide them. Thus, the UNICTRAL Model Law is a model for comparison between its rules and the Government Tenders and Procurement law of Saudi Arabia, which was enacted by the Royal Decree No. M/58 dated 27 September 2006. The papers scope is limited to clarifying the contracting procedures of the government agency in Saudi Arabia when choosing the contracting party. It relates to the Government Tenders and Procurement Law. The process is applicable in the contracting to purchase items or services, whether the contracting method is sealed bidding, limited tender or the direct purchase method. Before 1966, Saudi Arabia lacked an integrated law specialized in organizing the contracts entered

Coney Island and Victorian Culture Essay Example for Free

Coney Island and Victorian Culture Essay Coney Island at the turn of the century was a bustling and growing place. People of all classes traveled from New York City as well as other parts of the world to take part in the famous amusements that helped to loosen the tight corsets of Victorian gentility. Inspired by the Columbian Exposition in 1893 George Tilyou began to build a park on Coney Island beginning with the Ferris Wheel similar to that featured at the exposition which was designed by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. By 1895 Tilyou opened Steeplechase Park and began to fill it with acts and side shows thus inspired by his travels a few years prior. While concentrating on the appeal to all walks of life Tilyou acquired A Ride to The Moon from Fredric Thompson and Elmer Dundy who built the ride specifically for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. A short season later in 1902 Thompson and Dundy left Steeplechase to create Luna Park taking the amusement with them. Playing off the most popular sport on Coney Island, Tilyou obtained a mechanical horse race that took riders on a thirty second ride around a track complete with hills and sharp turns. Other attractions added to the park included the Human Roulette Wheel which threw riders in all directions and Earthquake Stairs which jostled climbers and challenged them to descend a shaking stair case. These attractions as well as the wild side shows caused people to throw off all conventionality and made them rub elbows with other classes while having unrestricted fun. While Steeplechase drew visitors to the peninsula it also increased in the popularity of swimming or bathing as it was referred to in Victorian speak. People on a hot New York day adventured to Steeple Chase and the beach by various means of transportation. Donning the latest in bathing fashions people enjoyed more unrestricted fun regardless of any class system in the water. Although Victorians looked down their noses at the amusements and public bathing, people still flocked to the beaches and splashed in the chilly waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Ruckus rides and the ability to socialize appealed to the younger generations looking to toss off the oppressive garbs of Victorian gentility and just have plain unrestrictive fun. In 1907 tragedy struck Steeplechase as fire ravaged the park leaving a smoking ruin. In the efforts to still turn a dollar Tilyou charged admission to the ruins of the once great park. During the rebuilding, Luna Park benefited from the loss and treated guests to a modern park with rides to thrill everyone. The â€Å"old-fashionedness† of Steeplechase was challenged as Luna Park, the most modern of it’s time dazzled park goers with electric lights and tall white towers bathed in bright bulbs. This enabled the park to operate at night. But still people remained loyal to the original amusement park they knew so well even though built anew from smoldering ruins. George Tilyou sadly passed away in 1914 after seeing his park through another fire in 1911 which claimed Dreamland. Luckily enough the winds shifted and spared his park from a second disaster. By 1914 the amusement park began to fall out of favor. The once well loved and most visited park suffered a loss in the visitors during the hot New York summers. Steeplechase continued to operate and help people socialize and essentially come out of the tight bonds of gentility by offering a carefree time with out restrictions. Then on New Year’s Eve 1964 the last light was turned off for the final time at the ill fated old fashioned park. Luna Park on the other hand was not as popular as the original park but provided new wonders for those curious and daring enough to seek it out. Created after the Beaux-Arts movement of the time Thompson an erratic architect began to design the park as a world where someone could be lost in fantasy. By opening day on May 16th 1903 Luna Park opened its doors to the wonderment of many people seeking out entertainment and new amusements to help them shed the conventionality of the structured Victorian world. Here we can clearly see where still Steeplechase was cherished like a child hugs a ragged teddy bear but the new adventure which was named Luna was embraced for its latest technologies that Steeplechase clearly was lacking. With over 1 million lights, long distance telephone service, telegraph and radio services Luna Park became a city with in a city. With Thompson and Dundy’s success in creating illusion rides for the park guests they still relied on others as well. When they left the employment of Tilyou after the 1902 season they brought their famed â€Å"Ride to the Moon† amusement with them. Counting on its fame from Steeplechase park and the illustrious past of being featured at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901 the creators hoped it would bring the crowds in. With more and more people seeking a day at the park and on the beach both parks helped make Coney Island known world wide and soon became a top tourist destination. At a time when high society still held restrictions of how men and women should act in public in high regards, more and more people used these parks as a way to shed the restrictions of society and seek titillating amusements and fill curiosities each other had that Victorian culture had suppressed over the years with rules and barriers against those who dared to go against the prim and proper societies. Technology in these times were changing and what better place to display these but at amusement parks and expositions. Younger Victorians embraced these changes and viewed them as a move toward the future. We can clearly see where walls were broken down between classes while all walks of life frolicked on the beaches of Coney Island, screamed on the same rides, and traveled faster than they ever had in their lives. Luna Park and Steeplechase side by side were wonderful examples of old an new. While people still embraced the old curious onlookers sought out attractions that displayed futuristic gadgets. By the creation of the final park Dreamland in 1904 tourism and the shedding of Victorian genteel ways were in full swing. Dreamland brought more pleasure seekers to the peninsula and more bathers to the sea shore. The park was built by William Reynolds who is best known for his crooked dealings with Tammany Hall. Dreamland became the park to rival the other 2 on the peninsula. It is said that the park would be anything unlike the modern world has seen. The main tower of Dreamland had a beacon that shined out to sea and confused many ships coming into port. The amusement park sparkled as guests promenaded through the many attractions and thrill rides. With Dreamland promising amusement in a more dignified way the creators tried to offer Culture to those who visited the park. Providing a grand ballroom and upscale restaurants from around the world Dreamland attempted to cater to the upper class leaving lower classes to attend the older less dignified parks. The developers still provided rides and attractions that rivaled the other parks and even stole ideas from them as well. Americans were fascinated by disasters. Fighting the Flames was a good example of this as New Yorkers were most familiar with tenements catching fire and many people dying. People could identify with this ride. As tenement style buildings covered in asbestos were set ablaze, firefighters came to the rescue of the tenants who jumped to their safety in huge nets below. With rides like Shoot the Chutes guests at Dreamland were still treated to rides that caused them to throw off all conventionalities. Dreamland with its intentions to preserve all that is roper and dignified still provided outrageous outlets that caused people to smile and scream like they never had before. Sideshows still prevailed like Bostock’s Circus and Captain Bonavita’s Lion Show. They treated guests to clowns, wild animals, and daring stunts which caused people to gasp and look on in awe. Dreamland gave people a look at the world in their own backyard. Rides like Touring the Alps which provided ride rs with a simulated ride through the Alps complete with blasts of cold air to the Japanese Tea Room which gave people a look at cultures foreign to their own. The achievements of creating an atmosphere of wonderment and awe like that of the previous expositions held in Chicago and Buffalo, Reynolds achieved ultimate success in helping people question their hum drum ways and rules that bound them tightly. On May 27 1911 the wonderment that was known as Dreamland came to an end when it burned to the ground. Complaints by the fire departments that fought the flames were low water pressure. It was said that Reynolds built the park so fast that he built over fire hydrants. The mistakes and rush to greed cost him his park only seven short years later. The fire although sparing because of the winds did not leave Thompson’s railway alone. Sadly but fortunately that was one of a few external victims of the fire caused by greed. Fred Thompson found General Manager Samuel Gumpertz staring blankly at the ruins. Reynolds decided not to rebuild the park and Gumpertz opened a freak show in a large tent. This was the beginning of the end of Coney Island, the most famous playground of the early 20th century. Luna Park and Steeplechase continued to operate through many changes of attractions. The 1920’s ushered in rides like The Wonder Wheel and The Cyclone. It is joked immigrants who came to this country saw The Wonder Wheel first before seeing the Statue of Liberty. Still The Wonder Wheel is a wonderful example of freedom through good times and laughter and the shedding of old ways to a new life. By the close of the season of 1946 Luna Park could no longer afford to keep its gates open to the dwindling visitors. That which was new and exciting became old and worn out. Steeplechase continued to operate and pride itself of being risen from the ashes still provided visitors with aging and familiar rides. By the opening of Astro Park in 1962 this began to spell the end of the turn of the century amusements. At the stroke of midnight New Years Eve 1964 the last light was turned out on the oldest amusement park of the time leaving behind a legacy of fun and a little known waltz written for the opening of Dreamland entitled â€Å"Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland†. By looking at the amusement parks of the early 20th century we can clearly see where proper Victorians were given the opportunity to shed the constrictions of a culture that forced them into a protected part of society. Here creators of parks provided a person all types of amusements and bathing which for proper Victorians swimming with people of the opposite sex was just scandalous. Many of the older generations still held fast to their convictions of manners and proper ways. In many ways Coney Island was a petrie dish for societies and cultures. Could they truly leave behind the tight corsets and stiff collars to have fun with all folks of all classes with out concern for class stratification due to wealth, power or even dress? The writer of this believes yes. This was a place where society began to leave behind their constrictions and just have plain fun. Therefore unmaking Victorian culture as it was known.

The Future Of The Race :: essays research papers

The title of Gates and West's book evokes nineteenth and early twentieth-century works: Martin Delayn's Past, Present and Future of the Negro Race (1854), William Hannibal Thomas's The American Negro:What He Was, What He Is, and What He May Become (1901)…….. Within all these titles lie two assumptions no longer so openly embraced: that it is possible to speak of African-Americans in the singular—as what used to be called 'the Negro'; and now most often appears as 'the black community';—and that the authors in question possess authority to speak for the whole African American race. Gates and West, two of our leading black intellectuals, cast themselves as the grandchildren of what Du Bois called the Talented Tenth. Perhaps, with the Du Boisian Vandyke beards and the DuBoisian three-piece suits, the grandsons of Du Bois himself. Certainly they are taking upon themselves the Talented Tenth's early twentieth century responsibility to lead the race. Who is the Talented Tenth? This time-bound phrase comes from Du Bois's 1903 essay, 'The Negro Problem,'; quoted in the Appendix of The Future of the Race, and begin: 'The Negro race, like all races, is going to be saved by its exceptional men.'; These exceptional men, and Du Bois did mean men, would "guide the Mass away from the contamination and death of the Worst.'; The Talented Tenth would shoulder the task of uplifting the race without succumbing to money-grubbing selfishness; their formal education signified their intelligence and enlightened character. In 1903, the Talented Tenth was broadminded and big-hearted by definition. The passage of forty-five years diminished Du Bois's assurance. By 1948 he had revised his appraisal, and that revision also appears in the Appendix. He confessed error of his assumption that altruism flowed automatically from higher education. The Best Men had not become the best men. He lamented that the Talented Tenth had mostly produced self-indulgent egotists who turned their training toward personal advancement. Meanwhile, Du Bois had been learning to respect the masses from reading Marx. Nonetheless, he still cherished a hope that a new, self-sacrificing Talented Tenth of internationally minded men—still men—would ally African Americans to the peoples of the Third World and uplift the colored masses universally. Gates and West, who teach at Du Bois's own Harvard University, accept his challenge with all its Victorian mission of uplift. Although they announce their essays as the fruit of long conversations in Cambridge, they do not enter into dialogue.

Compare and Contrast the ways in which Christina Rossetti communicates her attitudes towards death in “Song” and “Remember” Essay

In both â€Å"Song† and â€Å"Remember†, Rossetti conveys her own attitudes towards death through writing about how others should treat her death and how she wants to be remembered, respectively. She addresses important ideas as well as using word choice and the metrical template to paint a clear picture of her perceptions of death. As a poet, Rossetti uses her choice and form of words as a way of conveying her initial feelings towards death. In â€Å"Song† the tone is immediately set by the ingenuous and candid first line, â€Å"When I am dead my dearest†. It portrays a surprisingly pragmatic approach to death on behalf of the poet and demonstrates an emotionally detached attitude to it, believing that it is inevitable; hence she does not disguise the subject of this poem in clichà ©d euphemism. The rest of the verse develops this, where she uses imperatives, â€Å"Sing†, â€Å"Plant† and â€Å"Be†, stressed at the beginnings of their lines, to show that she is adamant that her partner should dispense with all the conventional trappings of grief. The verse is heavily embellished in connotations of mourning, Rossetti making reference to as many symbols of it as she can, â€Å"roses at my head†, â€Å"sad songs† and a â€Å"cypress tree†, almost to satire the traditions of the day. Clearly, her views are that people should accept death as fated, although she also carries a tone of indifference as to what her partner should do, telling him that she does not mind whether he wishes to remember or forget her, â€Å"And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget†. This apathy is just as effective as the orders to not grieve, as she rejects the traditional and overt emotional intensity of the Pre-Raphaelites, demonstrated in poems such as â€Å"The Blessed Damozel†, parodying them. She finishes the poem in this manner, using the ambiguity of â€Å"haply, whereby it could be an archaic form of happily, so she will not be sad, or it could mean â€Å"perhaps† showing her casual and impervious attitude to whether she dies or not. In â€Å"Remember†, imperatives are also used to give a sense that she wants her death treated in a certain way, the first line being demanding and insistent, â€Å"Remember me when I am gone away†. Immediately, her perceptions of death seem to be that it is a final thing, hence she needs her partner to be sure to remember her, using this same imperative verb three times in the octet. It could almost suggest that she is scared of death, realising that she will be â€Å"Gone far away† and have no contact with earth again, and â€Å"Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay† reflect her unwillingness to die, and a sense of fear of it. However, these lines also reveal a flawed relationship, whereby she had been controlled by her officious partner. The use of the imperatives therefore may be Rossetti now trying to reverse these roles and control him, because of her resentment towards him; â€Å"You tell me of our future that you plann’d†. The accusatory tone is emphasised by the spondee on â€Å"you plann’d† and the shift from â€Å"our† to â€Å"you† suggests bitterness. Clearly, she is using her death as a way to make her partner realise his wrongs, and feel guilty through having to think about her for a change, and the fact that now she is going to have to be in a â€Å"silent land† where he can â€Å"no more hold me by the hand†. However, there is a shift in Rossetti’s tone indicated by the volta, â€Å"Yet†, as the sestet begins, moving from this idea of demanding that her partner remember her, to that of indifference to the matter. It seems she realises that their relationship was flawed and that she didn’t really love this man who tried to control her after all, and so she suddenly does not appear to mind if he â€Å"should forget me for a while† and in fact tells him, â€Å"do not grieve† if he feels guilty for doing so. She reaches a fatalistic acceptance that she is going to die, and that it doesn’t matter what her partner chooses to do, because she now appreciates that she should not make him â€Å"remember and be sad† when he could â€Å"forget and smile†, moving on with his life, and not tied to remembering someone who did not love him. However, it could be interpreted that here, Rossetti is again playing with the idea of guilt, and that she puts on this apathy in order to leave her partner in limbo to whether to forget or remember her. Perhaps this is her ploy to make him feel the guilt of trying to control her and through doing so, he will realise his wrongs, and thus been controlled by her, which you could argue as being her object, as the ultimate form of revenge. Rossetti also addresses the idea of religion in both â€Å"Song† and â€Å"Remember† which broadens her portrayal of her attitudes towards death. In â€Å"Song†, as already discussed, Rossetti rejects convention in her pragmatic approach to death, but also consciously rebuffs the traditional religious views of the time. There is no sense of celestial bliss or heaven in her mention of what death will be like, with no mention of a desire for a ceremony. She deliberately talks of her partner being â€Å"the green grass above me†, which shows that she has no belief of her dead body ascending into a divine afterlife, but rather staying firmly buried under the ground. Rossetti thus rejects the Pre-Raphaelites’ Anglican moral influences by her subversive reference to the afterlife. She writes of how she will be â€Å"dreaming through the twilight†, and given our associations of twilight- a time between day and night, it seems Rossetti imagines that she will merely be in an in-between stage, rather than in a true life in heaven or hell. Her reference to how she â€Å"shall not hear the nightingale sing on as if in pain† is also subversive, this time, of literary tradition. In poetry at the time, there would always be a reverent and eulogistic attitude to the nightingale, such as in â€Å"Ode to a Nightingale† by Keats, where he writes how the bird â€Å"singest of summer in full-throated ease† and so depicting a bird with a beautiful song, enjoyed by everyone. However, Rossetti writes that the bird sounds â€Å"in pain†, demonstrating an irreverent and caustically dismissive attitude to such conventional writing. Rossetti describes how death will be a form of sensory deprivation for her; â€Å"I shall not see the shadows, I shall not feel the rain† and again, it is surprising, but she seems to find a comfort in this, writing of these bad things- â€Å"shadows†¦.rain† and what she finds as a horrible noise, and how she will not miss them when she is dead. This shows how she does not fear death but rather sees it for its benefits. In â€Å"Remember†, she rejects religion, writing that â€Å"It will be late to counsel then or pray†. She uses the conflict in her relationship with her partner to form the structure for this clash- advice and guidance, her approach, verses looking to religion for the answer, which would be her partners approach. Thus, from this, we can conclude that she does not see death as something in the hands of any devout power above her. Rossetti also uses the meter, and structure of rhythm and rhyme to her advantage to help convey her attitudes towards death. The poem â€Å"Song† is written in two verses of eight lines, with an ABCB rhyme scheme. The simplicity of this metrical template suggests contentment and serenity, as it is familiar to the reader. The stresses are placed on important words such as the imperatives in the first verse, and the rhyme gives it an easy bouncing rhythm associated with humorous nursery rhymes, which fits the light-hearted feel the poem has when it concludes, with the balanced ending, â€Å"Haply I may remember, and haply may forget†, reflecting Rossetti’s nonchalant attitude towards death. The second verse could be interpreted to be a response to the first, however, whereby Rossetti’s lover is conveying his feelings, although Christina Rossetti herself is still writing. Perhaps he is talking of the relief it will be to not hear her constantly complaining- he will not have to hear her â€Å"sing on as if in pain† as she suffers from her illnesses or even just rambles on about death, or be surrounded by negative feelings, represented in the poem by the â€Å"rain â€Å"and â€Å"shadows†. Given our associations with twilight as a calm and quiet time, it seems he will be able to live in peace without her, and have entire free will as to whether he â€Å"may remember† or â€Å"may forget†. However, considering that Christina Rossetti is credited as the poet for the entire poem, perhaps she is paranoid that this is what he thinks, so is putting herself in his shoes, and feels guilty for this selfishness, and so, when she writes, â€Å"And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget, she is merely trying to ensure that she does not dominate any more of his life. The poem â€Å"Remember† is a sonnet, composing of fourteen lines written in iambic pentameter. The fact that sonnets are synonymous with love makes this poem again subversive, as it deals with love in a surprising way, whereby the relationship has broken down and Rossetti’s obsession now seems to be with her own demise, rather than a lover. It is made up of an octet, with the rhyme scheme ABBAABBA and a sestet, with the rhyme scheme CDDECE, and the latter begun with a volta, which in â€Å"Remember†, is â€Å"Yet†. This clear separation marks how the poem deals with her death in two separate parts, the octet with the remembrance of her, and the sestet, with forgetting her, and hence in turn marks her change in attitude between one where she requires her partner to remember her, and where she realises that there is no need. In conclusion, Rossetti’s attitudes to death, presented in both â€Å"Song† and â€Å"Remember† are highly subversive, and reject the pre-Raphaelite conventions of religion and the belief that the woman is dependant on their partner, in a passive role, and fears death away from their partner who they rely on.

Advanced Marketing course (MBA)

Question I: Explain the concepts of product line width, length, depth, and consistency. Use examples to support your answer. A product mix is a collection of a large variety of product lines. A product line is a group of items or products closely related and lie within a product class as the functions performed by them are similar, have the same group of customers, range within the given price or are advertised and marketed through the same channels or outlets. Every company’s product mix encompasses certain width, depth, consistency and length. Product width: Refers to the number of different product lines carried by the company. For e. g. Unilever deals with food brands, home care and personal care products therefore it offers a product mix width of 3 lines. Product length: The total number of different items or products in a single product line refers to the product length for e. g. if we take food brands of Unilever then Best foods, Knorr, Birds Eye, Lipton and Ben & Jerry’s makes the product length of the specific product line of food brands. Product depth: The variants of each product in a product line refers to the product depth for e. . if we take Lipton, it comes in two formulations loose powder tea and tea bags as well as it also comes in different types such black tea, green tea and herbal tea, so this would mean that Lipton has a depth of 5, as it branches out in 5 different variants. Product consistency: How closely the different product lines are related to each other in use, requirements, production , c hannels and distribution or some other possible way for e. g. If we take Unilever then their goods are consistent in a way that all of their goods are consumer durable and are distributed through the same channel. Similarly they are less consistent as each of their goods serves different buyers and also perform different functions for them. Question II: In planning its market offering, the marketer must address the five product levels of the customer value hierarchy. Describe the â€Å"customer value hierarchy† and identify the five levels of product contained within. Customer value hierarchy is an approach of viewing customer value. It is in a hierarchical representation telling us about how the customer relates and views a product. The customer value hierarchy is pyramid shaped with its base comprising of the basic customer value followed by the expected, unanticipated and desired levels. The five levels of product contained within it are as follows: Core benefit: This is the basic level. It actually refers to the benefit or the service the customer wants to have out the product he buys. Benefit providers, is how a marketer must see himself. Basic product: This is the next important level where the core benefit is converted into a basic product by the marketer. Expected product: The third important level where an expected product is created by the marketer. By expected product we mean a set of conditions or attributes expected by the buyer when he purchases the product. Augmented product: In this level such a product is created by the marketer which is far beyond the expectations of the customer and is referred as an augmented product. Brand positioning and competitions usually starts from this level in developed countries where as in developing countries like India competition starts from expected product level. Potential product: This level comprises of all the possible changing or augmentations the product gets to face in future. New ways of satisfying customers and distinguishing the product and its offering starts from this level. Question III: Explain the concept of a hybrid channel distribution system. When would this system be best utilized? When would this system not be beneficial? Hybrid channel distribution is when a marketer utilizes more than one or a multi channel distribution design. It is one of the most widely used and important channel distribution systems among the vertical marketing network. A single firm can easily cater multiple marketing segments by setting up two or as many marketing channels using hybrid channel distribution system. Firms mostly establish a hybrid system as multiple targets and segments can be approached. If we take the example of star bucks we’ll notice that it follows many distribution designs as they use direct retail system by selling to the stores owned by the company, selling through grocery stores following a single party selling system and also via direct mail following the direct marketing system. Also other distribution systems are utilized by the company. Hybrid channel distribution system works the best when a company serves a wider market and also the marketer knows what system suits the best to its customer way of doing the business. The Hybrid channel communication system carries a lot of potential for channel conflict, therefore in the case of conflicts; this multi channel system does prove to be that beneficial as it may result in improper channel utilization and blocking probabilities. Question IV: In designing a marketing channel system, the marketer must understand the service output levels desired by target customers. Channels provide five service outputs. List and briefly describe each of these outputs. In developing marketing channel systems, needs of the customers are analyzed, objectives of the channel are established and major channel alternatives are evaluated. The five service outputs produced by the channels are: Lot size: The quantity of items possible for the channel to make available to a customer on one occasion. For e. g. a wholesaler will always prefer a channel that can supply him a large lot size of units. Waiting and delivery time: The time taken by the channel to deliver goods to the customers. A customer normally does not like waiting a lot for receiving the goods and prefer a faster system. Spatial convenience: The extent to which the channel makes it convenient for its customers to receive the product. For e. g. if we consider TCS then we’ll notice that it has more offices situated in every area nearby and customers save a lot on transportation as compared to OCS which has less offices and dealers, therefore TCS offers more spatial convenience as compared to OCS. Product variety: The variety or the assortment breadth of the product that the channel offers to its customers. More variety is preferred by the customers as it increases their chance of finding what they are looking for or even better than that. Service backup: Any add on services that the channel provides to its customers such as delivery, installation, repair facilities etc. How good the service backup is, determines how good the channel performs. An increase in the channel cost also takes place for the customers in the case of greater service backup. Question V: The extraordinary growth of direct marketing can be attributed to many factors with both consumers and business are benefiting. List some of the factors that are contributing to the growth of direct marketing. Many factors are involved in the growth of direct marketing. The few most prominent ones are: Changing lifestyles is one of the most important factors that have made the customers accepted direct marketing. In these few years the number of women entering the workforce has increased tremendously. This trend contributed a lot to the growth of direct marketing as it became very inconvenient for working women to take time out and go for shopping. They could simply sit at home and select the merchandise of their choice and convenience through mail-order shopping and receive all kinds of merchandise at their home only via commercial television, mail, interactive television or via home shopping networks. The second most important factor that has increased the growth of direct marketing was the increase that has taken place in the cost of personal sales calls which has risen tremendously in the past few years making personal sale calls very expensive. Direct marketing methods have now made personal selling more cost effective. Another factor that has contributed a lot to the growth of direct marketing is technological growth such as computer based technologies. These technologies have enabled the marketers to be more accurate in the analysis of results, in creating advanced and better customer and prospect databases, better targeting of messages regarding complex demographics and psychographics and even in faster and better execution of packages by direct-mail. Another important factor that has made direct marketing more attractive than mass marketing is the quantity of available product and services has grown as through direct marketing a greater variety and number of products and services can be offered to a smaller group of prospects. Due to an increase in the use of telephones as a means to order has also helped direct marketing to grow and prosper as placing an order through a telephone results in faster order fulfillment and also makes the customer get rid of any delays connected with the mail order system. Question VI: Most companies set annual quotas. Quotas can be on dollar sales, unit volume, and margin, selling effort or activity and product type. Compensation is often tied to the degree of quota attainment. What problems does the setting of quotas present to both the company and to the sales representative? Sales quotas are set by a lot of companies to encourage and provide incentives to the sales representatives in order to meet their daily challenges and also to motivate them to work more effectively bringing out good results for the company. First a sales forecast is created by the company which becomes the basis of planning production, financial requirements and workforce size but the sales quotas create a lot of problems for the sales representatives and the company. Problems cause the company or the sale representative to suffer a lot for e. g. when the company underestimates and the sale representative is already pain then the company has over paid them. Similarly when the company overestimates the potential of the sales, it gets very hard for the sales representatives to match up to their quotas and eventually they get frustrated leading them to even quit at times. Another disadvantage is that often quotas ignore the service side of the business as it usually enables the sales representatives to get a lot of business. Another problem is that only short term results are gained by the company though providing customer satisfaction for a very long term. Due to all these problems faced by the company and the sale representatives most companies have dropped quotas and are adopting other systematic and proper means of attracting sales representatives to work at their best. Question VII: The new product development process starts with the search for ideas. New-product ideas can come from interacting with various groups and using creativity-generating techniques. List these techniques. New innovative product ideas can be created either by interacting with other people such as your own customers and getting their ideas or also by using creativity generating techniques for developing and enhancing creativity in individuals working for the company. These techniques are as follows: Attribute listing: In this technique each attribute of a product is listed and then modification is done to it. For e. g. f we take milk box, we can modify it by replacing the paper box by a glass bottle then it is painted differently and the cap is replaced by a cork etc. Forced relationships: Several ideas are listed then each idea is considered in relation to other ideas. For e. g. in designing a bed room, you consider a bed and a sofa as separate ideas. Then you think of getting a sofa bed that can serve both the purposes. Morphological analysis: It refers to listing every possible combination for creating many innovative solutions. For e. g. we take a problem like â€Å"getting something cooked†. First think of the dimensions such as how well cooked like half cooked, full cooked or baked. Then think of the possible mediums such as stove, on fire or oven and the power source such as electric oven, gas over or electric stove. Reverse assumption analysis: This is done by noting down all the assumptions and the possibilities about an entity and then reversing them. For e. g. let’s take a cinema that plays a movie of the audience choice, charges for the movie and provide snacks. Now if we apply the reverse assumption analysis we will reverse every assumption. The cinema will now show any movie that the owner gets charges not for the movie but for sitting as long in the cinema and instead of snacks offers fast food. New contexts: Consider a familiar process and re-design it into a new context. For e. g. replacing people-helping services with animals such as cats and dogs. Mind mapping: Start with a thought such as food, note it down. Then note down the next thought that comes into your mind such as pizza. Then link both the thoughts that are food and pizza and think of the next association that will be Italy. Associate a new thought with every other word that comes up. Doing this might lead to a whole new idea. Question VIII: Explain the product or brand management organization and list its advantages and disadvantages. Only a company that produces different variety of products or the production capacity is beyond the ability or control of the functional organization establishes a product management organization. It however has another form of management but doesn’t replace the functional organization. A product category manager is under the supervision of a product manager. A product category manager manages and supervises specific brand and product managers. Product and brand management is sometime referred to as hub and spoke system with the brand manager in the center and managing various departments. The brand managers develop competitive strategies for the product, think of an annual marketing plan and predict sales, initiates improvements in the product to meet the changing needs of the market and also continuously work with advertising agencies for the promotion of their product. Advantages of product or brand management: A product manager always develops a cost-effective marketing mix A product manager always ends up reacting quickly to new and innovative products. Smaller brands produced by the company get a product advocate. Disadvantages of product or brand management: Lack of authority to product and brand managers in carrying out their responsibilities. Lack of functional expertise as they are only experts in their own product areas. High costs associated with the system as every major product or brand requires an individual to manage it. Even minor products and brands are catered by different individuals. Brands are usually managed by the brand managers for a short time which leads to short term planning and fails in developing long term strengths. It’s harder for the management to develop a national strategy due to the fragmentation of the markets. Product and brand managers are more focused towards gaining the market share for the company rather than developing healthy customer relationships.

Sexual Stereotypes in Advertis essays

Sexual Stereotypes in Advertis essays When marketers create advertisements they create stereotypes. The most common are gender roles. Women in advertisements are displayed as sexual objects. This works because sex is one of humans basic needs (Miller and Jowles 608). These ads are targeted toward men. If they were to put a commercial on TV of a man lounging on the couch with a remote control in his hand and popping open a beer, some men might find that appealing. But, place a sexy woman on the couch with him, drooling over his wet beer bottle and they can have a man ready to jump in the car to go get some beer. The advertiser is swaying men to purchase their product by stereotyping women as being there for men's desires. The advertiser is saying that if the consumer, a man, were to go purchase their beer, somewhere in that scenario they would get a sexy woman to go with the beer. In reality, men are not that stupid. They know if they run into the local grocery store that they cannot just pick out a beautiful woman with their beer. But still, the more outlandish, the sexier, and the more skin shown, the more that image will stick in somebody's mind. And their hopes are that the next time somebody goes to purchase a six-pack of beer, that image will still be imbedded somewhere and that person will just naturally grab their brand of beer. It only works because of the stereotype placed on the woman. In a Coors light advertisement, from Maxim For Men, a set of twins is pictured. They wear tank tops that show off their bodies standing close to each other with innocent smiles on their faces. Underneath the picture is states, Heres to the twins. Turn a few pages in the magazine and you see a subsequent ad. It is the same set of twins in cheerleading outfits, showing more skin, wearing even bigger less innocent smiles. In this picture the girls appear to be having more fun. Underneath this picture it says, Heres to the twins. Again.&quo...

Police Abuse misc essays

Police Abuse misc essays In recent years, police actions, particularly police abuse, has come into view of a wide, public and critical eye. While citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals, it has now been shown that they must also keep a watchful eye on those who are supposed to protect and serve. This paper will discuss the types of police abuse prevalent today, including the use of firearms and receipt of private information. I will also discuss what and how citizens' rights are taken advantage of by police. For these problems, solutions will be discussed, focusing on political reform, education, and citizen review boards. These measures are necessary to protect ourselves from police taking advantage of their positions as law enforcement officers with greater permissive rights than private citizens. Because of this significant differential, all citizens must take affirmative action from physical brutality, rights violations, and information abuse. Problems arise, however, when one side is t old what to do by another, as there is bound to be conflicting viewpoints. In regard to police abuse, there will be many officers who feel that their job of fighting escalating street crime, gangs, narcotics violations, and other violent crimes is difficult already, and that worrying about excessive policy for abusive behavior will only further decrease their ability to fight crime effectively, efficiently, and safely. Citizens, however, have been caught up in this gung-ho attitude, and police are more and more often crossing the line of investigation and interrogation with abusive behavior. This abuse must be monitored so that police do not forget who they are servingnot themselves, but the public. This means that even the criminals, who are a part of the public, have certain rights, particularly, civil rights. All citizens must be aware of these rights to protect themselves against over-aggressive officers who take advantage of their position as badg...

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - Review

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - Review The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a rich story about secrets, ghosts, winter, books, and family. This bestseller is a book lovers book, with much of the action taking place in libraries and book stores, and the line between fact and fiction constantly blurred. It is hard to believe this is Setterfields debut novel, for she makes the words come to life with such skill that some passages even gave me chills. With a mug of cocoa and The Thirteenth Tale, contentment isnt far away. Synopsis of The Thirteenth Tale Margaret Lea works in her fathers bookstore and is haunted by a loss in her past.One night Margaret is summoned to the home of the most famous author in England to record her autobiography.Vida Winter, the author, tells a layered tale, with stories within stories, keeping Margaret (and readers) curious. Pros The writing is poetic.The characters are unique.The story is interesting, imaginative, and exciting. Cons You will want to drink lots of cocoa while reading (this is only a con for the weight conscious). The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - Book Review The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is reminiscent of classic British novels, like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. It has tragedy, romance, moors, and dark, stormy nights. In a way, The Thirteenth Tale is a homage to these and all other great works of literature. The power of books and stories is foremost in the novel, and as the main character gets lost in one story, youll find yourself lost with her in the story within a story (as well as the story surrounding the characters story). This is not a realistic book. It isnt meant to be. The aura of fairytale lends power and mystery to the writing. While place is utterly important to the book, time is not. Dont  try too hard to figure out when the novel is supposed to take place. It could just as easily have been now as a hundred years ago. Perhaps all this talk about place, time and story seems roundabout to you. Perhaps you want a synopsis of plot and a straightforward review so that you can decide whether to read this book. Heres what to expect: A good story written by a very good writer about a good story told by a very good writer. This can be a fun read for a book discussion club, especially for the autumn and winter months. See a list of questions you can explore with your book club for The Thirteenth Tale.  The audiobook version is well-received for those who prefer to listen rather than read. The book was adapted for a UK TV movie released in December 2013, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Colman. Setterfields second novel, Bellman Black, (2013) does not garner as good of reviews. Hopefully, her further works will be back up to the standard she set with her first.

The Lottery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

The Lottery - Essay Example ear of the evil spirits.† The game of selective homicide begins and the main culprits get somewhat backing from the other villagers as if it were a status issue. Analyzing this â€Å"lottery†, Jackson describes the events of sacrifices and states, â€Å"It would seem, therefore, that the lottery is tied to the people’s work ethic and productive way of life.† (Jackson, 23) I could correlate this story with a real event in my locality. One day, police arrested a couple Mr. and Mrs. Gomes who lived in an apartment near our house. Later, we realized that Mr. Gomes had charges on him of physically abusing his stepdaughter. And to our horror, we also realized that Mrs. Gomes had supported her husband in doing this. Thus, instead of protesting, Mrs. Gomes took part in the exploitation of the poor girl. Maybe, this was an attempt on her part to maintain her status in the household and impress her husband, since he was the only earning member. â€Å"The Lottery† is actually a serious literary work that tries to discover why we sometimes form institutions and enjoy humiliating others through it. It is not merely a nice TV show script †¦ It provides a gateway towards complicated

Concert report(Faculty Recital - Charles Neidich, clarinet, and Jon Essay

Concert report(Faculty Recital - Charles Neidich, clarinet, and Jon Klibonoff, piano) - Essay Example The orchestra that performed his compositions was the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The performers included Andrew Russo on the piano, James Ehnes on the violin and Edward Arron on the cello. The conductor of the orchestra was Joann Falletta. Paul Schoenfield, the composer of ‘Four Souvenirs’ includes a lot of sentimentality and emotion in his compositions and has a musically sophisticated style in the way he presents his compositions which are always filled with an infectious energy and innovative melody that is very attractive to his audiences. ‘Four Souvenirs’ by composer Schoenfield was for violin and piano and was recorded on January 8th 2007 with James Abbott as the engineer. The duration of the piece was 11:11 and it was recorded at the Setnor Hall, Syracuse, NY. Schoenfield creates captivating interest in his composition through an interplay between high and low sounds and forms of the nuances. The composer manages to maintain a good balance between popular rhythms and forms with his own originality. The first movement opens with great dynamism and vigor and gradually moves into the second movement that is more sedate and laid back when compared to the first movement and is a bit repetitive in its presentation.

Malaysia and Sustainable Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Malaysia and Sustainable Development - Essay Example It was during this period that mega-projects like the Petronas Twin Towers, KL International Airport, and the Sepang F1 Circuit were completed. However, amidst the economic development, environmental degradation has been inevitable. The country's dependence on the manufacturing and industry sector cause a negative spillover in the form of air and water pollution, global warming, and ozone depletion (Malaysia 1-6). In order to promote sustainable development, Malaysia join forces with the United Nations to launch a fourfold program called Vision 2000 which is geared to address the environmental impact of development. These four strategies include: conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; access to sustainable energy services, frameworks and strategies for sustainable development, and national/sectoral policy a nd planning to control the emission of ozone-depleting substances and persistent organic pollutants (UNDP Malaysia 1-4).

Compare and contrast two different management styles and assess how Essay

Compare and contrast two different management styles and assess how they can affect employee motivation - Essay Example As identified by Prucell (1987), cited in Blyton and Tumbull (1992; 256), ‘management style is an extra dimension linked to wider business policy, and at the least, related to guiding principles which infuse management behaviour in dealing with employees.’ Management style is also decided by the organizational culture, local culture, customs, and social dynamics. Based on different traits and behavioural aspects possessed by the business owners, four distinct management styles have been identified by Dr. Rensis Likert: autocratic, paternalistic, democratic and laissez-faire management style (Calvert, Coles & Bailey, 1995). Autocratic management style is considered as one of the oldest styles, with business owners or managers keeping most of the authority to themselves. Their decision making does not involve their staff. These managers are habitual of giving orders and take charge of work and get it done with authority. They are extremely quick in decision making whenever required. Paternalistic management style, usually seen in organizations promoting the familial control and management, share many of the size and ownership characteristics of autocratic type, but they tend to have much more positive attitude towards their employees. Employee consultation is a high priority, and more preference is given to staff retention and reward systems (Gennard & Judge 2005). Democratic management style adopts the employee-participation aspect in most of the management decisions. Though employees are encouraged to actively participate in decision making, the final right to approval still rests with the business owner. This style is best suited in organizations or teams with highly skilled workers that require minimal supervision. The positive aspects of this management style are feelings of belonging, pride, and high commitment. This approach can spew out employees’ ideas,

Trends and Challenges in Human Resource Management Essay

Trends and Challenges in Human Resource Management - Essay Example Owing to rapid technological advancements, the demand for well trained employees is high. Organizations are now looking to impart necessary skills to their workers using all kinds of innovative strategies and training resources. With respect to this trend, Rothwell, Hohne, & King (2000), state HR practitioners, " must be ready to manage, design, develop or select, and use learning technologies that support learning and development for their organization" (p. 190). Focus has also shifted to employee development, leadership development and performance improvement. Here again the organization looks to HR practitioners to bring out positive results. Mathis & Jackson(2005) state, "Four major HR challenges faced by managers and organizations now and in the future are the globalization of business, economic and technological changes, workforce demographics and diversity, and organizational cost pressures and restructuring" (p. 28). Nowadays the world is a global - workplace and under these circumstances it is the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) to steer the organization across the choppy waters of international law, cultural issues and the threat of terrorism. Technological changes have made it imperative that HRM adapt itself to meet the needs of the organization. The workplace has become increasingly diverse in terms of ethnicity, gender and age. Therefore HR practitioners must ensure there is no discrimination or harassment on the basis of ill-conceived stereotypes. They must also work to create an environment of security to enable optimal production while keeping at bay employees' insecurities about losing their jobs. A Complete Performance Management System as Opposed to Annual Performance Appraisals: Performance management seeks to enhance performance, introduce changes as per the need, keep up morale, and keep communication channels opens. According to Hendry et al., "Despite a revised perspective which treats performance management as a wide-ranging process many line managers still equate performance management with annual appraisals and their negative aspects" (as cited in Price, 2000, p. 193). Annual performance appraisals are dreaded by the employees. They are asked to fill out forms or are interviewed and then judgments are made as to their character by managers who are usually ill-suited for the purpose. This method of evaluation creates a hostile environment where negative attitudes prevail and no discernible improvement in performance is seen. In the words of Price (2000), "Modern performance management systems emphasize dialogue rather than assessment" (p. 194). Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) and behavioral observation scales (BOS) are popular techniques designed to overcome the shortcomings of performance appraisals. These techniques stay objective, while focusing on employees' performance and potential. Performance management is a key aspect of HRM. It helps bring out the potential of employees as individuals and as team members. Thus by focusing on performance management the HR department can deal effectively with the trends and challenges of Human resource management. References Fitz - enz, J. (2001). How to measure human resource mana

Motivation and psychological contact on Media Company in China Essay

Motivation and psychological contact on Media Company in China - Essay Example Extrinsic motivation is external and involves employee’s rewards such as money and grades. Psychological contract refers to the existing mutual beliefs, perceptions and informal obligations between the employee and an employer. It is different from the formal written employment contract which generally identifies mutual duties and responsibilities. This paper seeks an understanding on the motivation and psychological contract among employees in China Digital Media Corporation. China is in the process of transforming its broadcasting policy that includes; conversion of television services from analogue to digital broadcasting system nationwide, improvement of the broadcasting policy and administration, reorganizing different companies which belong to the state into corporations which are market driven, and allowing foreign investors to participate in some specific areas in the media industry. Considering the above changes, China Digital Media Corporation main focus is to capita lize on the opportunities resulting from the expansion of broadcasting media and cable TV industry in china. To successfully attain this, the media company will need to motivate its employees and have an appropriate psychological contract in place. The workforce plays a key role in the achievement of established goals of the company. According to Costigan, et. al. (1998), motivation is a cognitive decision making process which initiates, energizes, directs and maintains a behaviour which is goal oriented. Motivational process begins with physiological or psychological need through which behaviour or drive aimed at a goal is activated. Managers, expect increased qualitative productivity from their employees. Employee’s behaviour is greatly influenced by their working environment. Individuals are motivated to work by different motivational factors. These include monetary factors such as; salaries and wages, bonus and incentives. There are also other non-monetary factors which i nclude; an employee status or job title, appreciation and recognition, delegation of authority, proper working conditions, job security, workers participation, cordial relations, good superiors, provision of training, proper job placements and promotions, good performance feedback, provision of welfare facilities and flexibility in the working hours. Motivation is of great importance to an organization in that; it increases efficiency, reduces absenteeism and employee turnover, improves the corporate image, improves employee’s morale, reduces accidents and facilitates initiative and innovation. China Digital Media Corporation will have to consolidate different motivational theories and models that influence employee’s motivation. Employees have varied needs depending on their demographics, circumstances, aspirations, affairs and personalities. Hygiene factors are important in that they eliminate job dissatisfaction. Employees in the media company expect to work in an e nvironment that is conducive, pleasant, respectful, productive, and promotes teamwork. For the media company to boost employee’s motivation, there has to be motivators such as interesting work, recognition, sense of achievement and advancements. In addition, employees should be treated fairly and be rewarded accordingly for their efforts. Perception of inequity among employees in the company results in poor inputs, and even others leaving the organization. Supervisors should also be keen to provide performance feedb

Trends and Challenges in Human Resource Management Essay

Trends and Challenges in Human Resource Management - Essay Example Owing to rapid technological advancements, the demand for well trained employees is high. Organizations are now looking to impart necessary skills to their workers using all kinds of innovative strategies and training resources. With respect to this trend, Rothwell, Hohne, & King (2000), state HR practitioners, " must be ready to manage, design, develop or select, and use learning technologies that support learning and development for their organization" (p. 190). Focus has also shifted to employee development, leadership development and performance improvement. Here again the organization looks to HR practitioners to bring out positive results. Mathis & Jackson(2005) state, "Four major HR challenges faced by managers and organizations now and in the future are the globalization of business, economic and technological changes, workforce demographics and diversity, and organizational cost pressures and restructuring" (p. 28). Nowadays the world is a global - workplace and under these circumstances it is the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) to steer the organization across the choppy waters of international law, cultural issues and the threat of terrorism. Technological changes have made it imperative that HRM adapt itself to meet the needs of the organization. The workplace has become increasingly diverse in terms of ethnicity, gender and age. Therefore HR practitioners must ensure there is no discrimination or harassment on the basis of ill-conceived stereotypes. They must also work to create an environment of security to enable optimal production while keeping at bay employees' insecurities about losing their jobs. A Complete Performance Management System as Opposed to Annual Performance Appraisals: Performance management seeks to enhance performance, introduce changes as per the need, keep up morale, and keep communication channels opens. According to Hendry et al., "Despite a revised perspective which treats performance management as a wide-ranging process many line managers still equate performance management with annual appraisals and their negative aspects" (as cited in Price, 2000, p. 193). Annual performance appraisals are dreaded by the employees. They are asked to fill out forms or are interviewed and then judgments are made as to their character by managers who are usually ill-suited for the purpose. This method of evaluation creates a hostile environment where negative attitudes prevail and no discernible improvement in performance is seen. In the words of Price (2000), "Modern performance management systems emphasize dialogue rather than assessment" (p. 194). Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) and behavioral observation scales (BOS) are popular techniques designed to overcome the shortcomings of performance appraisals. These techniques stay objective, while focusing on employees' performance and potential. Performance management is a key aspect of HRM. It helps bring out the potential of employees as individuals and as team members. Thus by focusing on performance management the HR department can deal effectively with the trends and challenges of Human resource management. References Fitz - enz, J. (2001). How to measure human resource mana

To what extent will GM(genitic modification) agriculture help feed a Essay

To what extent will GM(genitic modification) agriculture help feed a growing global population - Essay Example the increase in population levels, but also the fact that these increases in population to a large extent are expected to happen in the emerging economies. These countries are experienced an upturn in economic fortunes giving rise to increased income generation. The result of the increased income generation will be reflected in demand for more food from these economies. This is the challenge that the world faces in this early period of the twenty-first century. It is in the addressing of these challenges that the role of biotechnology and genetically modified foods needs to be examined under the microscope. (Pinstrup-Anderson, Pandya-Lorch & Rosegrant. 1999). This essay aims to examine genetically modified agriculture and the possibility of it offering a solution for the vexing problem of increased food production to meet the needs of the anticipated growth in population. For this purpose a literature review is proposed to establish evidence on genetically engineered agriculture. The review will cover literature in favour of the use of genetically modified agriculture as well as literature that is against the se of genetic engineering as means to provide a solution to the issue of feeding the expected increase in population. Genetically engineered food crops have been grown in many parts of the world and it is expected that there is ample literature available on these experiences. In addition there has been scientific testing on the effects of genetically engineered food products and it is expected that there is enough literature to provide evidence on the effect of genetically engineered food in humans and animals. The literature review shows that support for the use of genetic modification in agricultural crops comes from biotechnology scientists, the business enterprises that have invested in the technology, financial institutes like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, and countries of the developed world in particular the United States of

Transit Point Essay Example for Free

Transit Point Essay Should Merloni replace its network of regional warehouses with Transit-points? In order to be able to answer to this question, we first have to calculate the costs of operating, inventory and transportation from both alternatives (the current system and the transit point) and then compare them. However, as the case doesn’t have complete information to compute these costs, we have to do some assumptions. First, we have to separate the 17 regions in two groups: the Urban regions and the Rural ones. To former this groups we used the criteria of the average daily demand. So, if the region has a daily demand bigger than the average of the 17 regions (99,21= 1686,6/17), it will be included in the Urban regions. Otherwise, it will incorporate the Rural group. After doing this, we will assume that the operating, inventory and Short-Haul Transportation Costs per piece and per month will be the same for each group and will be equal to the ones of the exhibit 10 of the case. Second, in order to calculate the transportation costs between the central warehouse and the retailers, we have to assume that the transit point will be near the location of the Region Warehouses. If so, the costs of transportation until the Transit point will be the same of the long-haul transportation and the costs between the transit point and the retailers would be the same of the Short-Haul transportation Costs. We also have to determine the distances between Fabriano and the Regional Warehouses. In order to do this, we use the map of the exhibit 7 from the case. We know that this distances can not be exactly the real ones (because the roads are not in a straight line), but as we don’t have more information about this on the case, we decide to use the map. Analyzing the exhibits 1, 2 and 3 and assuming that the goal of Merloni is just maximize his value (minimizing its costs) we conclude that there is not only one good system. So, Merloni should use a combination of the two systems. The current system should be used for 6 regions: Bari, Bolzano, Cagliari, Catanzaro, Genova and Udine. In fact, although the operating and inventory costs decrease a lot in the Transit-Point system, the transportation costs increase much more in these regions. This happens because in the Trial-Point system the products should be transported to the regions every day, and sometimes with the trucks almost empty. The Transit Point should be used on the other 11 regions: Angona, Bologna, Catania, Firenze, Milano, Napoli, Padova, Palermo, Pescara, Roma and Torino where the elimination of inventory compensates the increase on the transportation costs. In conclusion, pursuing the goal of minimizing the costs, Merloni should use a mixed distribution system. We will have to consider that the distances between Fabriano Rome and Fabriano Catanzano are, respectively, 210 and 710 km (according to the map’s scale – it is not a real life situation given that roads are not in a straight line).

The Qualms of Communication Essay -- miscellaneous

The Qualms of Communication "He never talks to me!" That phrase is the most common complaint that women have about men. The communication process between men and women has long been an interest for many people. The way we speak and why we speak that way have prompted diverse opinions from various authors over the years. Deborah Tannen is one such author. Tannen, who has a doctorate in linguistics, is a professor at Georgetown University. She has been studying the way people communicate and the problems they have communicating with each other for many years. Her studies inspired her to write several books on the subject. The excerpt â€Å"Put Down That Paper and Talk To Me,† which appears in the textbook Writing the World, was taken from her best-seller You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, written in 1991. Deborah Tannen believes men and women talk differently because they are raised in two different conversational cultures and that problems arise because of conversational styl e. She thinks that boys are taught to speak like men and girls taught to talk like women. In the essay Tannen addresses many of the misgivings of communication, based upon her numerous studies, that she believes proves men and women really are taught to talk a certain way. Deborah Tannen has been studying how people communicate with each other and she believes it starts at a very early age. Starting when we are very young, we communicate very differently. On a television show titled â€Å"She Said, He Said,† Tannen showed some video recording on a study of hers that had two same-sex children enter a room and sit and talk to each other. She performed this same study on varying ages of children from 5 to 16 and in every case the results were the same. She found that the boys would sit side by side and would speak almost distractedly, while looking about the room. The girls would enter the room, place their chairs facing each other, and would speak looking directly at each other. To Tannen, this study showed how males do not talk with much intimacy. Their relationships are held together by performing activities in a group, such as sports or politics. She believes men speak when they feel a need to impress or if their social status is in question. T he females however, spoke with much more closeness. Tannen says, â€Å"For females, talk is the glue that holds their relationships... ...them control power, wealth, and social resources because men think that women do not want them. Another one of Tannen’s critics, Senta Troemel-Ploetz, accuses Deborah Tannen of ignoring the possibility that men and women communicate differently because of differences of power. Troemel-Ploetz contends that the problem goes beyond conversational style. She believes that Tannen completely misses the power-struggle between the two sexes in the ways that they speak. She believes that society is giving men too much power in speaking and essentially how people are leading their lives. Tannen’s advice on how to solve communication problems is mainly just to understand the differences in the way we speak. Tannen says, â€Å"Many men honestly do not know what women want, and women honestly do not know why men find what they want so hard to comprehend and deliver.† Men and women are different so naturally we will behave and talk differently. Since we start communicating at a young age Tannen believes we are raised to speak in separate worlds by a combination of cultural and biological influences, and if we can better understand our differences, we can solve many of the qualms of communication.

Romeo And Juliet: Fate :: essays research papers

The only theme that tragedy reveals is that the noble and good must suffer. There is no lesson we can draw from tragedy that will help us avoid the fate of the protagonist. It is known that in Shakespeare’s tragedies the main characters die in the end. Romeo and Juliet being a tragedy, sets up a situation where we know that Romeo and Juliet are going to die in the end. There are many events that lead to their deaths. The Capulets and Montagues share the responsibility for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because of each family’s stubborn refusal to end an enduring feud. If their feud could have been resolved the children of each family would not have shared this terrible fate. Friar Lawrence was also partially to blame through his actions in trying to help the couple. At the end of the story the Prince, is the only character who reminds everyone the reality of how Romeo and Juliet’s death occurred because of everyone’s faults. Romeo and Juliet didn’t even try to tell their parents, Lord and Lady Montague and Lord and Lady Capulet, about love between they shared for each other because they were afraid that their parents wouldn’t understand them. Perhaps the families would have understood, the problem is, we don’t know, because Capulet and Montague learned about their children’s love when they were already dead. If Romeo and Juliet were comfortable with telling their parents of their marriage then there would have been fewer complications regarding the marriage with Paris. If it wasn’t for the hostility between the two families then they wouldn’t have cost Romeo and Juliet their lives. The masque was the most important part of the story. Romeo was wearing a mask to hide his face. Since Juliet couldn’t see his face, it allowed Juliet to fall in love with him before she saw who it was. If Juliet had known Romeo was a Montague she would probably not have fallen in love with him. Juliet said: "My only love, sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late!" (I-5) Juliet realizes that it was a mistake to fall in love with Romeo, because he is a Montague, but it is too late, because she is already in love. Friar Lawrence also had a big part in the story. All his good intentions, the play still ends in tragedy.

Flexible Learning Essay

Education is a broadly debated topic, now there is a new concept emerging, ’flexible learning’. This essay will discuss what is understood by this term and how it could affect the way of the future in education. Furthermore it will discuss how flexible learning has engaged technology and how it has made education more accessible and equitable. Next it will demonstrate how individual students have benefited through the use of technology with flexible learning, and how students are able to be the central focus of their own education. Technology brings with it many advantages for the future of education, however not without some setbacks, this essay will also discuss these. This essay will argue that because of the increasing accessibility and improvements in technology, flexible learning should be the way of the future in education. Flexible learning is quickly becoming the way of the future for education, as it engages and implements the use of sophisticated technology. According to George and Luke (cited in Andrews & Ferman 2001) flexible learning is a multi-directional approach to learning using different methods of delivery. On the other hand, Nunan (cited in Andrews & Ferman 2001, p. 2) considers that ‘flexible delivery is often taken to mean the same thing as increasing flexibility in learning’. Summarising Harmes (2010) explains flexible learning engages technology, allowing the use of the internet, e-mail, and other digital interactive technology. It also allows the student to freely access online lectures and study material and more importantly it enables teachers to position the student as the central focus of the learning experience. This can be seen at universities including the relatively new University of Queensland campus at Ipswich who are using technology to promote flexible learning. It was in fact the purpose built with this in mind; and included computer rooms, a self-directed learning centre and even wireless laptops (Andrews&Ferman 2001). Another example of flexible learning is discussed by Huijser, Bedford and Bull (2008) who describe the Tertiary Preparation Program (TPP); this is a course which is accessed online and on-campus. TPP students can engage in online lectures, Wimba classrooms and forums, study material can also be submitted online and feedback returned to student, again online. Using technology students have engaged in flexible learning all over Australia, including international students. Furthermore TPP is currently funded by the government making it free; this allows students to prepare for higher study prior to investment. The outcome of this should be a higher intake of fee paying students, which in turn should lead to increased government funding for universities. Flexible learning through technology has made education more accessible and therefore equitable. Harmes (2010) discusses how the internet has increased the number of students to able to study degrees through online study material and lectures. As a result of technological advances the world has become a â€Å"global village â€Å"and students can participate in a global classroom. Worldwide opportunities using technology and flexible learning should be funded locally (Zhao 2009). Ultimately this will enable there to be proximity through distance, and will allow students to study anytime and anywhere, thus making education more equitable explains Harmes (2010). There are students from as far away as remote Western Australia studying through the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). They are able to access all the lectures and tutorials online, and USQ plans to offer many more academic programs online by 2012 (The Chronicle 2009). ‘Technology is the tool used to provide a facility for a teacher facilitated, learner centred environment’ (Bonanno, 2005). It is only through the many improvements and advances in technology that education has been so accessible and with it flexible learning has been implemented. Flexible learning has made education more accessible because, study is teacher facilitated and enables the student to be positioned as the central focus of education. According to Harmes there are many benefits of flexible learning, students are able to access their study any time they like, and this means that they are able to co-ordinate study around work and family life. The flexibility that technology provides has enabled students to study at their own pace (Andrews& Ferman, 2001). Additionally students have a sense of freedom with their study, slotting it in whenever they please. Knowles (cited in Choy and Delahaye 2002) researched how adult learners are more likely to be motivated and experienced in life, and that they are ready to embrace learning with deeper appreciation and understanding. Knowles (1973) continues by discussing how this self-driven learning is assisted through flexible delivery and how students benefit from a mature independent approach to education with the option for teacher help when needed. As a result of this Bonanno suggests that with good self-discipline and time management students are able to have freedom and access to study anytime and place, thus enabling many styles of learning. Technology has increased the flexibility that students have, thus allowing greater access to education. Despite the fact that education has embraced technology, there are still some problems which must be resolved. According to Ralston (1999) it appears that although many have embraced technology for learning, there are still many who are either too afraid to or do not have the skills and confidence to do so. Furthermore he suggests that that those who do not attempt to engage technology will be severely disadvantaged, because the twenty-first century is the age of technology. Andrews and Ferman (2000) noted on their study of the University of Queensland, -Ipswich campus that many students found the course material limited, that there was a lack of structure, and there were also a significant number of technical difficulties. Additionally Bonanno (2005) discusses some of the disadvantages of technology and states that the learner can easily lose motivation partly due to a lack of classroom spirit and teacher facilitated learning. Technology can be out of date or difficult to understand and often it can be confusing and sometimes it can just be that there is no technical support available. Bonanno’s (2005) comments that many problems occurring are learner related and that in order to be successful the learner must be self-motivated and have a reasonable degree of self-competency. She also comments that the facilitator or teacher must be motivated as well and be able to produce engaging study material for the student to work with; they must also be able to direct, listen and support students. Despite some complications, changes in technology help to make sure education is more accessible and equitable. Universities are able to capture larger numbers of students enabling more funding from the government. Students are able to be in control of their own education pathway and are able to be flexible about when and where they choose to study. Students can also choose to study gregariously in online classrooms and even traditional classrooms. Problematic areas will in time be improved as technology upgrades on a daily basis; including faster internet options. With this evolving technology people’s knowledge and experience will increase and in time student numbers and study options will grow. It is realistic that flexible learning will be and indeed should be the way of the future in education and that there will be a worldwide classroom. References Andrews, T & Ferman, T 2001, ‘The flexible learning experience – how good is it really? ’ in L Richardson & J Lidstone (eds), Flexible learning for a flexible society, pp. 39-45. Proceedings of ASET-HERDSA 2000 Conference, Toowoomba, Qld, 2-5 July 2000. ASET and HERDSA http://www. aset. org. au/confs/aset-herdsa2000/procs/andrews-t. html. Bonanno, K 2005, ‘Online learning : the good the bad and the ugly’, Proceedings of the XIX Biennial Conference – Meeting the Challenge, Australian School Library Association, Zillmere, QLD, pp. 1-7 Choy, SC & Delahaye, BL 2002, ‘Andragogy in vocational education and training: learners’ perspective’, Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Conference, Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association (AVETRA), Melbourne, VIC University of Southern Queensland 2009, ‘University offers online options to its students’, The Chronicle, 10 Jul, p. 41. Collis, B & Moonen, J 2002, Flexible learning in a digital world: experiences and expectations, Kogan Page, London, UK, pp. 8-10,17,26-27. Harmes, M 2011,TPP7120 Studying to succeed ,Appendix 3’Flexible and Blended Learning’, University of Southern Queensland,Toowoomba,viewed 25 September 2011,http://usqstudydesk. usq. au/ Huijser, H, Bedford, T & Bull, D 2008, ‘OpenCourseWare global access and the right to education: real access or marketing ploy? ‘, International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1-13. Ralston, P 1999, ‘Education for IT equity’, The Australian, 12 Jan, p. 44. Zhao, Y 2009, Catching up or leading the way: American education in the age of globalization, ASCD, Alexandria, VA, pp. 98-113.

The Neighbourhood Principle

Has The Neighbourhood Principle failed? â€Å"My neighbour asked me if he could use my lawnmower and I told him of course he could, so long as he didn’t take it out of my garden. †1 This is the concept which most people tend to associate the word ‘neighbour’ with. However, in the court room, the word makes a decisive shift away from this traditional meaning and endeavours to establish to whom a common law duty of care is owed. The law has expanded considerably by the onset of the concept of foreseeable plaintiffs which is almost 80 years in existence in the UK.It is evasive in determining â€Å"whether proximity should now be regarded as a discrete analytical concept around which arguments may be constructed, or merely as a slippery expression reflective of the fairness, justice and reasonableness of imposing a duty of care upon the defendant in the light of the nature of his relationship with the claimant. † 2 This essay sets out to establish whethe r the neighbour principle was successful or if it has fallen short and where, it will present court decisions, statutes and constitutional provisions pertinent to this area of law.In articulating what was meant by â€Å"the neighbour principle†, Lord Atkin famously stated the following proposition: â€Å"The rule that you must love your neighbour becomes in law you must not injure your neighbour; and lawyer’s question, ‘who is my neighbour? ’ receives a restricted reply. You must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions 1 2 Eric Morecombe (English comedian, 1926-84) Hartstone, J. , ‘Confusion, contradiction and chaos within the House of Lords post Caparo v. Dickman’, (2008) 16 Tort L Rev 8 which you can reasonably foresee would be liable to injure your neighbour?The answer seems to be – persons who are so closely and directly affected by my act that I ought reasonably to have them in contemplation as being so affected when I am directing my mind to the acts or omissions which are called in question. †3 His definition was to become the foundation stone of later cases involving negligence and was, in due course, accepted as â€Å"the first definitive test of when a duty of care was owed. †4 Atkin’s statement has given rise to much discussion. At first, some displayed uneasiness at the very wide and flexible terms in which it was propounded 56.It is important to remark that this neighbour principle formed part of the ratio decidendi of Atkin’s judgment but that it cannot be said that it is the ratio decidendi of his decision. â€Å"For although both Lord Thankerton and Lord Macmillan contemplated the addition of new duties to the law of negligence, neither of them attempted to formulate the principle or principles upon which this might be done. Nor is the generalising approach of the neighbour principle appropriate to the criminal law, where precision and certainty are all-importan t. †7 As a consequence of the Donaghue v.Stevenson [1932] case in the UK, the people were given a potential remedy to take against the providers of consumer products even where no privity contract had been in existence between the 3 4 Ibid at 580 Connolly, U. , Tort Law, (Second Audition, Thomson Reuters (Professional) Ireland Limited, Dublin, 2009) at 16 5 Smith v. Howden’s Ltd [1953] N. I. 137 per Lord MacDermott C. J. 6 London Graving Dock Co. Ltd. v. Horton [1951] A. C. 736 7 Heuston, R. F. V. , ‘Salmond on the Law of Torts’, 17th edition, (Sweet & Maxwell, London, 1977) at 198 complainant and the individual or company tortfeasors.If the proviso for ascertaining that a duty of care was met, then such individuals could bring negligence claims in any situation. The dictum was accepted into Irish law in Kirby v. Burke [1944]. 8 The decision in this case â€Å"stands on the boundaries of actionable negligence,†9 and does not contend nor purport to gi ve guidance on the obligations arising from already distinguished duties, or in fact, recognisable relationships – e. g. that of occupier and visitor. 10 Sometimes the particular duty can subsist contemporaneously with the Atkinian duty,11 but sometimes it displaces it. 2 Duties may be divided into those owed to someone else i. e. â€Å"if it was imposed for the benefit of that someone else;†13 and duties owed to no one in particular i. e. if it was not imposed for the benefit of a particular individual but was imposed for the benefit of the community as a whole or for the benefit of some section of the community. †14 In an ever conscious society, there was much need for the modernisation of the law with regard to the wider duties and especially the neighbourhood principle. The Anns v.Merton15 case brought about the ‘two-stage test’ in order to ascertain 8 9 Kirby v. Burke [1944] I. R. 207 Smith v. Howdens Ltd. [1953] N. I. 131, 137, per Lord MacDerm ott C. J. 10 Smith v. Scott [1973] Ch. 314 11 Commissioners for Railways v. McDermott [1967] A. C. 1054 12 Commissioners for Railways v. Quinlan [1964] A. C. 1054 13 Bagshaw, R. and McBride, N. , ‘Tort Law’, (Pearson Education Limited, Essex, 2001) at 3 14 Ibid at 3 15 Anns. v. Merton London Borough Council [1978] A. C. 728 the existence of a duty of care in negligence.Lord Wilberforce initiated the requirement of: I. II. â€Å"A sufficient relationship of proximity based upon foreseeability†16 And secondly, the deliverance of reasons as to why a duty of care should not exist. In 1990, concerns arose with regard to the duty of care. 17 â€Å"Lord Bridge and Oliver in Caparo sought to remove any temptation on the part of the practitioners to view proximity as a discrete legal concept capable of precise application to the resolution of legal disputes. Instead, encouragement was given to view proximity in descriptive terms rather than as a definitive concept. 18 Th is time a three-stage test was introduced to establish a duty of care I. II. III. Foreseeability of damage was required, A relationship characterised by neighbourhood19 And that it would be fair, just and reasonable to impose a duty which would benefit the other party. â€Å"The Caparo tripartite approach made no reference to the concept of policy. Instead, Lord Bridge spoke only in terms of a duty of care being imposed where the 16 17 18 Ibid at 741 Caparo Industries Plc v. Dickman [1990] 2 A. C. 605 Op cit 2 as per judgment of Lord Atkin ‘Caparo v.Dickman’ (2008) 16 Tort L Rev ‘Caparo v. Dickman’ (2008) 16 Tort L Rev 8Lawbook Co. at 13 8Lawbook Co. at 13 19 court considered that it would be fair, just and reasonable to do so. †20 It is also interesting to note that a two-part test is now in place in certain jurisdictions, e. g. New Zealand, for novel fact circumstances where the finding of a duty now has to be balanced against applicable policy mat ters. 21 The two-step test established in Donaghue22 and later developed in Anns23 was that accepted by the Irish courts until 2002 until the decision of Glencar Exploration Plc v.Mayo County Council [2002]. 24 This case marked the adaptation of a two-step test which gave precedence to the â€Å"incrementalist approach†25 that was being applied in the English courts at the time. Implications of the decision in this case made by the Supreme Court became blatant in the case of Fletcher v. Commissioners of Public Works. 26 â€Å"A plaintiff who suffered reasonably foreseeable psychiatric injury, which had resulted from the defendant’s negligence towards him as his employer, was denied the damages awarded to him by the Supreme Court on ‘policy’ grounds. 27 This new approach is much more sympathetic. Since 2005, proximity has once again come to the fore with regards to decisions made by the House, some of their Lordships have adopted it as a â€Å"central ana lytical tool for disposing of appeals. †28 Thus, the notion that this principle of 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Ibid at 13 Scott Group Ltd. v. McFarlane [1978] 1 N. Z. L. R. 553 Op cit. 4 Op Cit 19 Glencar Exploration Plc v. Mayo County Council [2002] 1 I. R. 84 Class notes on Negligence authored by Connolly, U. , distributed by Hackett. C. Fletcher v.Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland [2003] 2 I. R. 465 Byrne & Binchy, Annual Review of Tort Law, (2003) at 526 Op cit 26 at 13 proximity could â€Å"have been elevated to the dignity of being a concept in its own right†29 originated. It is subsequently unclear now as to whether it should be regarded as â€Å"a discrete analytical concept around which arguments may be constructed, or merely as a slippery expression reflective of the fairness, justice and reasonableness of imposing a duty of care upon the defendant in the light of the nature of his relationship with the claimant. 30 To bring to a close, the term ‘ neighbour’ and proximity clearly have a much wider interpretation – physical proximity, causal proximity or indeed the denotation of a legal relationship. Furthermore, if this test is satisfied, it is then up to the court to decide whether any policy reasons (or otherwise) exist so as not to acknowledge a duty of care in that particular case. The elusiveness of how this dictum is interpreted may never be resolved. It is the application of policy to novel situations of what is fair, just and reasonable that has instigated the advancement of the neighbour principle.In other fields of law, the broader legal concepts of reasonableness and unconscionability are applied every day. The courts are in a state of uncertainty with regard to the dictum. It is evident that the law has had to expand considerably. So perhaps, in the future, the test of fair, just and reasonable as displayed in the Glencar31 case will be triumphant due to its conversion of the practical, everyday test for negligence into the legal test. Despite having its flaws, it still makes the law comprehensible to all. 29 30 31 Ibid at 13 Ibid at 13 Op cit 34

Emotion Management

Managing emotion is not easy for me. I find that all to often I allow my emotions to get the best of me and I definitely have a hard time focusing that emotion in a productive manner. I feel as though I do not understand well just exactly what my emotions are until it’s too late. I may have just been slightly frustrated over a small issue, but now I’m completely consumed with anger because I couldn’t resolve a small conflict. Goleman (2001) states, â€Å"having Social Awareness or skill at managing relationship does not guarantee we have mastered the additional learning required to handle a customer adeptly or to resolve a conflict-just that we have the potential to become skilled at these competencies. † This is where I find myself in life. I have the ability to become skilled at many emotional competencies, I just haven’t learned how to yet. Socially speaking I deal very with impulse control and am very effective at resolving conflict. Personally speaking I am just the opposite. I would do very well to learn and practice, what Goleman calls, The Self-Management Cluster. The cluster involves focusing on and managing internal states, controlling impulses, and acknowledging resources. The pursuit of happiness is a driving force in a human’s daily decision making. We choose who, what, where, why and how based on our imagination of the future and how it will treat our future selves. In attempting to create this state happiness I often find myself just the opposite. I like to think that I’m pretty good at shooting myself straight and not over or under predicting the outcomes of my future, however I must agree with Gilbert’s (2006) view that â€Å"Our imaginations aren’t particularly imaginative. Our imaginations are really bad at telling us how we will think when the future finally comes. † If I could live in the ideal world that my simple brain can conjure up I would be wealthy, be situated in the exact job that I know was created just for me, and live with a wife who just adores me. As it stands I only live with that that wife, my imagination thought up the other bits. Sitting here now reading the last line I think I just reinforced the idea that my imagination definitely lacks imagination, The idea of this paper is to consider prescribed readings from Goleman and Gilbert and write a health and wellness prescription for myself. There is one excerpt from Goleman’s book that speaks to me. There is growing evidence that fundamental ethical stances in life stem from underlying emotional capacities. For one, impulse is the medium of emotion; the seed of all impulse is a feeling bursting to express itself in action. Those who are at the mercy of impulse—who lack self-control—suffer a moral deficiency: The ability to control impulse is the base of will and character. By the same token, the root of altruism lies in EMPATHY, the ability to read emotions in others; lacking a sense of another's need or despair, there is no caring. And if there are any two moral stances that our times call for, they are precisely these, self-restraint and compassion† (Goleman, 1995). I believe my prescription from this excerpt is to focus on practicing self-control. I am very good at loving my wife, but I am awful at being a partner. I choose to do what makes me happy in the moment, like exercising or reading a book, rather than spending quality time together. I’m very compulsive to my own wants. I need to look at what the needs of our relationship are and then weigh in how my needs may be affected and make decisions based on all the information gathered. Currently I am very compassionate, caring, giving person. I believe that I am very healthy and have a fair amount of emotional intelligence (EI). I listen well and ask for clarification of what I’ve heard rather than assuming what I heard. I fight fair. I create boundaries and try my best to listen to what my body is tells me. I believe the authors would agree with these statements. I believe they would want me to focus more on self-control and developing more compassion for my personal relationships. I believe I do a good job at finding happy. I try to keep day-to-day life simple and do the little things with big rewards. My prescription for myself is to seek out understanding for my lack of personal impulse control and focus on relationship building activities at home. Achieving a level of balance and control of daily challenges is essential to overall health and happiness. Barringer and Orbuch (2013) quote Marilu Henner explaining â€Å"Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life. †