My personal capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My personal capital - Essay Example What exactly will be the nature of business under the plan for my group? As a business consultant and empanelled with local chapter of chamber of commerce, I will seek to organize a seminar on emerging businesses that involve local as well as international venturing. Technical experts from various fields will be invited to take part in the workshop and discussions forming part of this seminar. Ideas about new products and services on the horizon will get exchanged; and after attaining details about two or three alternative ventures from these workshop and discussion forum the matter will be deliberated at the group level in order to take a final decision about the venture to be pursued. Next step will involve utilization of my capabilities in deciding the type of business entity to be established for the business. Do we need to incorporate our business or form a partnership is a crucial decision to be taken? The fact is that ‘the nature of your business is one of the factors th at must be evaluated in determining the best business entity for your business.’(Sherri K. DeWitt) . Though corporation provides certain protection from liabilities to shareholders, but partnerships have certain advantages as well. Partnership can be a general partnership or limited liability partnership. Then there is another alternative in shape of LLC. So the decision about incorporating the business or not is a crucial one; and my experience and capabilities intuit me to suggest corporation status as the business should always be of permanent nature and not depending upon the vagaries of ownership.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A Midsummer Night’s Dream The play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Williams Shakespeare contains two distinctly different subplots within the lager structure of itself, which can be considered as a remarkable characteristic of the dramatic construction in general and of Shakespeare’s play in particular. Although Shakespeare borrows the themes, characters and stories from the history of the ancient Greece and Greek mythology, the play-within-a-play structure shows his creations and his own work. The play-within-a-play structure serves the function of recapping many important themes of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and allows Shakespeare to comment on the nature of art as well as criticize the acting of amateurs who perform and play on the stage yet do not understand what they actually do. The first play-within-a-play is a performance of Pyramus and Thisbe played by the laborers. It is similar to the main play in many aspects including commons in the story of the Athenian lovers and some of the overall themes. Pyramus and Thisbe face parental disapproval in the subplot just like the couple Lysander and Hermia do in the main plot. Despite its dramatic premise, the craftsmen play the love story of Pyramus and Thisbe in such a comical way that parodies the melodramatic Athenian lovers and gives the play a very joyful and comical ending. The role played by the darkness of night creates another similarity as it causes the romantic confusion in both plays. Pyramus, in the dark of the night, mistakenly believes that Thisbe has been killed by the lion when he sees her bloody mantle; he, thus, commits suicide because of this misinterpretation. Likewise, the mix-ups and meddling of the love fairy Puck cause the Athenian lovers face a miserable situation, which also happens at ni ght in the wood. Though the performance of the craftsmen makes the Athenian lovers’ story which involves strong emotions become comical and hilarious, the sub play serves as symbol for the larger play itself. It is explained while the lovers and Theseus and Hippolyta are mocking the ridiculous performance of the laborers, the audiences watching the lovers watch the craftsmen’s play are concurrently aware of the lovers’ own absurdity. Moreover, the play-within-a-play of the craftsmen suggests the strict requirements and the limit of the theatre. The workmen establish a very unlikely dramatic troupe. All of these characters appear comical because of their superficial characteristics and personal traits. They bumble, mispronounce words, and play the part of the fools. These untutored craftsmen are worried about their new dramatic roles for Pyramus, Thisbe, a wall, a lion, and a moon since none of them has had a previous acting experience. In spite of their preoccupation, the leader of the troupe Quince fails to help the actors correct their pronunciation and master important techniques for dramatic performance. During the rehearsal time, instead, he only tries to match the actors in hope that they will play out. On one hand, the play-within-a-play is offered as a comic interlude to display Shakespeare’s creativity. One the other hand, the sub play helps the audiences understand some of the overall themes in t he main play. That is, the play does not clearly explain how the craftsmen come together and how or by whom they are selected to be worthy to play. These characters and the sub play they perform exist to raise questions about the fitness for acting a certain role in a play. The issue of whom is worthy to putting on a play is also one of the concerns in the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Another aspect of this issue comprising who is responsible for bringing a play to the audiences or what thoughts and actions are proper in order to bring a play to stage should be also concerned. The conversations among the craftsmen-actors in which they argue whether they can bring an actual wall to stage and conclude that it is impossible to carry out demonstrate this point. Another play which can be considered as a second play-within-a-play is written by the Oberon, the King of all fairies. He creates a play in which the mortals are the performers. Marriage and reconciliation are the means for resolving all conflicts. In Oberon’s play, Helena gets her love, Lysander and Hermia stays together, and Titania has a lesson of obedience. As the workmen turn the tragic drama of the Athenian lovers into a comic farce by their awful performance, Oberon does the same when his fairy Puck accidentally put the love potion on eyes of the wrong Athenian man. This mistake causes the Athenian lovers experience an intensive misery, which also creates a comical situation. Similar to the first play-within-a-play, the second serves an important role to signify the larger play. In â€Å"What hempen home-spuns have we swagg’ring here?† Amateur Actors in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Coventry Civic Play and Pageants, Clifford Davidson discusses the play-within-a-play structure and its purpose. He indicates that the play-within-a-play raises questions of imagination and stage reality (Davidson 87). Also, the author argues that Shakespeare uses this structure to parody the older dramatic styles of the public theaters fashionable when they tended to use the bombastic language and clumsily use the mythological subjects in their performance (Davidson 88). Above that, Davidson points out a very important issue that Shakespeare makes a comparison between the inadequate of the acting amateurs and the highly professional work conducted by his own company through the parody with the acting of the craftsmen in the subplot (88). According to the author, however, Shakespeare seems to have a negative view on the play and the players in many provincial cities and towns, which probably can cause severe misrepresentation about the quality of the amateur actors or companies (96). Davidson explains that by saying that â€Å"for the spectacles that cities like Coventry were able to mount were surely not so rough and â€Å"amateurish† as we might imagine† or â€Å"the quality of the production were surely much, much higher that Shakespeare’s play-within-a-play in A Midsummer Night’ Dream would seem to suggest† (96). The play-within-a-play is analyzed studied from a different point of view in the article The Act of Change in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Alan Bellringer explores the art of acting which he claims is â€Å"a valid part of the art of living† and its importance (213). He asserts that â€Å"the sub plot about the Athenian workmen’s underserved success in the amateur dramatic competition is thematically relevant and supportive† (Bellringer 213). On the other hand, the author sees acting and plays as a mean for normal, simple and blundering people like the character Bottom to â€Å"escape from their stereotyped tradesmen’s personalities through their imaginative art of drama, the world of ‘shadows’†. Through the play and acting, these craftsmen-actors can â€Å"briefly change their status in life† and â€Å"find fulfillment in their new-found importance as actors†. Regardless of â€Å"a mere matter of talented extroverti sm†, Bellringer compliments the performance of the craftsmen for their contribution to the success of the play even though it is intended as a ridiculous performance used to satirize the dramatic play of Pyramus and Thisbe and turn it into a comical play (215). He stresses the dynamism as the essential quality of this comedy and states that the purpose of play-within-a-play is about the â€Å"use of change† or the â€Å"amendment of life† (Bellringer 217). The play-within-a-play structure recaps the principles themes and ideas of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and has a significant contribution as a representation of the main play. The similarities in the sub play clarify the overall scheme. It also serves as a tool for Shakespeare’s creative work and a mean for the audiences to distinguish between the fiction and reality and realize the nature of art in theatre. Works Cited Bellringer, â€Å"The Act of Change in a Midsummer Night’s Dream†. English Studies 64.3 (1983): 201-17. International Bibliography of Theatre Dance. Wed. 10 Apr. 2014. Davidson, Clifford. â€Å"†What hempen home-spuns have we swagg’ring here?† Amateur Actors in a Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Coventry Civic Plays and Pageants†. Shakespeare Studies 19 (1987): 87-96. International Bibliography of Theatre Dance. Wed. 10 Apr. 2014.

Censorship: Simply Not Enough Essay -- Censorship

Not too long ago, an evening television program caught mine and my daughter’s attention. It was a cute family comedy verging close to her bedtime. I was relaxed as we spent some quality time together, and out of nowhere I felt as if I had been punched in the face when a curse word came out of the so-called 15 year old actor’s mouth. Playing it cool, I glanced down at my young daughter who did not even flinch. I thought to myself, when were those words allowed to be uttered on television? Even worse, was my daughter’s reaction, or in this case non-reaction, because of desensitization or did she simply not hear it? Since then I have found myself immersed in the censorship dispute. Globally, media censors have loosened their grip significantly which have had a positive social impact, for the most part, but have they gone too far? I, for one, yearn for the â€Å"Mayberry† days where life was simple and no one had to worry about what children were watch ing on TV. In 1973, Thomas Elmendorf, an emergency room physician, made a speech to the American Medical Association about the increase in violence behavior among young adults and it’s correlation to violence on TV. In it he cited that â€Å"Murder is the fastest growing cause of death in the United States. The annual rate of increase exceeded 100 percent between 1960 and 1974.† He also goes on to explain that by the time a child graduates high school, they have spent an astonishing 18,000 hours in front of the TV, not to mention other forms of media, versus 15,000 hours in the classroom. Elmendorf also elaborates that within those 18,000 television hours, a young adult will have witnessed â€Å"18,000 murders and countless highly detailed incidents of robbery, arson, bombings, shootings... ...All Aspects Of Tibet 45.5 (2010): 4. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. Collins, Rebecca L.Elliott, Marc N.Berry, Sandra H.Kanouse, David E.Kunkel, DaleHunter, Sarah B.Miu, Angela. "Watching Sex On Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation Of Sexual Behavior." Pediatrics 114.3 (2004): e280. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Elmendorf, Thomas. "Violence On TV." Vital Speeches Of The Day 42.24 (1976): 764. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. Jerome, Sara. "Supreme Court Case May Dirty Down the Airwaves." CongressDaily AM 16 Nov. 2011: 5. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. Katz, Paul. "Funny $#@*!." Entertainment Weekly 802 (2005): 23. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. TODD PITMAN - Associated, Press. "Myanmar Relaxes Grip On Media, Vows End To Censors." AP Top News Package (2012): Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.

History of Soul Music

History of Soul Music Christina Ivery University of Phoenix RES/110 John Thomas February 11, 2010 Soul music was a voice for blacks during a time of war and segregation, aside of leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.. As stated by a historian Peter Guralnick, â€Å"It was as if the rhythm and blues singer, like the jazz musician and professional athlete before him, were being sent out as an advance scout into hostile territory†. (Santoro,2003). John Ponomarenko says Soul music originated from African Spirituals, â€Å"the first references to spiritual songs sung by black slaves dated as far back as 1828-1850†. Black spirituals were often used as work songs and sometimes contained coded information s form of secret communication, songs such as â€Å"Deep River, Roll Jordan Roll, and Wade in the Water to name a few. Soul Music began in the late 1950’s and the early 1960’s. Many studios developed in inner cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and Memphis and each had a sound of its own. This also encouraged competition and talent from all over the world. Soul music came at a time of the civil rights movement and gave all blacks a voice for their many battles within their neighborhoods and overseas as well. The staggering war on segregation was a major driving force for soul music during that time. The events in the Deep South inspired many musicians, for example; seeing black protestors hosed down in the streets with fire hydrants and beaten repeatedly with clubs as if their voices were lethal weapons. Soul music was originated in the United States primarily by African American musicians starting with the blending of gospel, rhythm, and blues. Gospel sounds and Christianity were far from the sounds of Ray Charles and James Brown singing of love, women, and good times. Piero Scaruffi stated, â€Å"James Brown, known as the King of soul, began a movement all on his own, captivating people with is powerful voice and his electrifying dance moves. â€Å"Say it aloud I’m Black and proud† was blazing from the radio sound in 1968, and said it all in the title. It became the new black national anthem. One of the first to enhance the use of a live band and gave his first choreographed show on Live at the Apollo†. Developed from a merge of gospel, blues, and jazz it came with emotions that could move anyone. Gene Santoro stated, â€Å"soul music was known as â€Å"white crossover music†, it was suddenly a way for blacks to be seen on television and most teen oriented music programs with close to no white stars†. This music was something of their own that was uplifting during a depressing time in history that everyone could dance with. Whites and blacks alike related for once because of the sounds of great soul music. The pioneers of soul music were known for their distinctive voices, voices that could only come from people who felt or was feeling traumatizing emotional pain. Their voices truly matched their ongoing struggle. Soul Music was the epitome of music in the 1960’s; many artists emerged as true musical superstars. Artists like Aretha Franklin from Detroit, who made her first recording as a gospel artist when she was the age of 14 with Columbia records signed by John Hammond. Stated by Richie Unterberger, â€Å"she made history with hit songs such as I never loved a man (the way that I love you), Respect, Chain of Fools, and I Say a Little Prayer. Soul music got people off their seats and clapping their hands, something that people could feel all through your body. Marvin Gaye was another soul singer that paved the way for musicians young and old, while also redefining soul. As stated by (Ankeny, 2008) â€Å"with one of the greatest songs to hit the charts that altered the face of black music â€Å"What’s going On† forged a sophisticated sound and incorporated jazz with classical elements†. What’s Going On also brought the sound of the spiritual believe back to the forefront of soul music. Once again soul was singing of the issues ranging from poverty and discrimination of the environment, drug abuse and political corruption, mainly the conflict in the Vietnam War. Other great hits included Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, You Precious Love and Your all I Need to Get By. Marvin sang of the issues of the times like no one else. I recall the day that Marvin Gaye was pronounced dead. My mother cried terribly as I imagine quite a large part of the world did that day. It was if soul was gone from that moment forth. It was sad moments in history that I myself will hold as a paused moment in time. However, this music brings me strength from the many songs that my ancestors before me sang for freedom or of agony; or the stories that are told through rhythm and blues that tell the history of blacks of sorrow and pain. Many songs can make people cry but it takes a mighty strong people to take that sorrow and turn it into something of their own. These artists left huge footsteps for new artist’s to follow in this time of confusion and free agency and free choice. Throughout all the chaos, soul has the few that are paving the way and would make our past icons proud of the music that these artist’s produce. Artists such as Erika Badu, Leela James, and Mary J. Blige are just a few of the icons today that keep the soul alive. For this reason soul music will not die for years to come. Soul music began with words that tell of history and how to achieve freedom. It tells Americas who we are, were we came from and where we want to go. So sing with me. References Ponomarenko, J. (2005, August) retrieved from ttp://www. localdial. com/users/jsyedu133/Soulreview/Understandingpages/the5. htm Peiro Scaruffi. (2005). A brief history of soul music. Retrieved from http://www. scaruffi. com/history/soul. html Santoro, G. (2003). Sweet Soul Music. Retrieved from  University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Ponomarenko, J. (2005). The history of Soul. Retrieved from www. localdial. com/users/jsyedu133/soulreview/understandingpages/the5. htm Unterb erger, R. (2010). The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Retrieved from www. aretha-franklin. com/bio. htm

Hebrew Wisdom on Diligence and Laziness Essay

Part I 1) I chose the Islam worldview i)The Question of Origin– Islams believe that man came into being through a long process of evolution. They believe the evolutionary process which produced man in its form today took millions of years, and man evolved from lower forms of animal life. In their belief,it was only small types of animals in the beginning, and in the course of time animals got larger and eventually one of these animals developed into man. This animal is believed to have become extinct, but is believed to have been represented by the monkey. The basis of argument is certain kind of monkeys have a strong resemblance to man. ii)The Question of Identity—Islamic identity is an upmost possession. It is your faith, religion, moral values, and your whole life. This identity is the one that makes you wake up before sunrise to pray to Allah. This identity makes you kind, sincere, responsible, and thoughtful when you deal with people. It also forbids you to steal, gamble, participate or engage in implicit behavior. This identity makes you realize and understand that Islam is a way of life in other words this identity makes you a good human being. iii)The Question of Meaning/Purpose–Allah states in the Quran, that he created man to be his Khalefah (confident ,attractive handsome, man),and to regulate humans; the Quaran is the constitution revealed by Allah, the name of Islam’s God. Very simple, the purpose for man’s creation is to worship the creator, Quaran 51:56-58.Allah states that he made this life in order to test man so that every person may be recompensed after death for what he has earned. iiii)The Question of Morality-A person becomes a Muslim by believing there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and saying the Shahadah (Declaration of Faith)with sincere conviction. Muslims are believers of the Islam worldview. They believe this present life is a trial in preparation for the next realm of existence. They also believe the world was created by man. iiiii)The Question of Destiny-Islam teaches that destiny is written by one’s personal hands, and then handed over to God for judgement. They believe the good and evil are in Allah’s responsibility, but if you accomplish good things in life you attain heaven and if you do bad things you will attain hell; this also means that Allah is the knower and creator of all things, and nothing exist outside of his will and decree according to the Islam worlview. Part II i)The Question of Origin—The Islamic worldview, and the Biblical worldview has no comparison, or similarity in the origin of man. Genesis 2:7, clearly states that God created man from the dust of the earth, blew into the nostrils of man, and man became a living soul. Man was also created in God’s image, Genesis 1:27. This destroys the theory of evolution; man was not developed from an animal, assumably some type monkey. ii)The Question of Identity—According to the Biblical worldview, God gave man dominion over the animals on earth in Genesis 1:26.We, not only were created in God’s image which is a very distinctive quality, but with the authority to rule. There are some similarities with the man in Islam worldview, such as being distinguished in character and morals. Although; God views are different from man’s, there are standards, and character that Christians should live up to, just as the muslims do in the Islamic faith. Christians should not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and be willing to tell others of Jesus and even willing to die for the gospel: the same with muslims, they are bold in their belief, and they are persistant and steadfast in their way of life. iii)The Question of Meaning/Purpose—‘For god so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ’John 3:16.God came to give us life, eternal life with him. As Christians, we are made to worship God. Allah states that he made this life to test man for their recompensation after death. God doesn’t test or tempt us with evil, he gave us his son to help us overcome evil by believing in Jesus. The Islamics must control their own desires to do good or evil; the biblical worldview has Jesus to help us overcome. After death, hell is the payment for a person who chooses to live an evil life, and the similarities are the same in both worldviews. iiii)The Question of Morality—Genesis 1:31 tells us that everything God made was good. Muslims, recite with conviction the shahadah, and the change transpires in their life of belief. A Christian, too, with conviction repents of their sin, confesses Jesus as their lord, and in the belief, one is a new creature iiiii)The Question of Destiny-Destiny is something that Christians, and Islams have in common. One day life will come to an end. According to Allah, nothing is out side his will, and no one is forced to obey Allah, because he has a freewill. There are minor similarities, such as :nothing is done without God’s will, no one is forced to obey God, and we are free moral agents, BUT one day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

College Burnout Detect and Fight

College Burnout Detect and Fight Being in college should be one of the most exciting times of your life. For most students, it is their first chance at a life beyond the apron strings of the parents. For the first time they get to make decisions for themselves and learn what it means to be an adult. However, it is also a period of life when there is a lot of pressure. Thats why many students are at risk to experience college burnout. Not only do they have manage getting to class on time and tackling extremely difficult courses, but most will also have to juggle these things along with a job, paying rent, food shopping, and managing a family all at the same time. It’s no secret that college students lead extremely demanding lives and can easily become overwhelmed with this type of major change in lifestyle. For many, it can become so stressful that it can get to be just too much to deal with and some students consider dropping out of college. Two Options So, when struggling students finds themselves behind the gun with the deadline for an assignment coming due, they usually see only two options. Take the easy way out and hire someone to do the work for them or they can spend endless and sleepless nights trying to get done, many times neglecting other responsibilities in the process. This may work for a while but what happens after you have completed all that work and you don’t get the results you want? Your grades do not measure up to the amount of work you put in. You become exhausted, irritated, and discouraged. If this happens repeatedly, no matter how hard you try, your sense of dedication and the enthusiasm you felt at the beginning of the term will begin to wane. And if you’re like most people, you’ll begin to show signs of college burnout. What Is College Burnout? No matter how excited we get about going to college, it is literally impossible to remain upbeat 100% of the time. It is also impossible to remain on point for every task we have to face. After all, we are only humans and our brain power has to be refueled on a regular basis. If not, we can become overextended and fatigue will begin to set in. This is completely normal and nearly everyone goes through it. However, if you reach a point where occasional breaks are not enough to refuel your spirit you may be trying to cope with college burnout. So, how can you tell the difference between just regular exhaustion and college burnout? Health Problems: As your level of depression gets stronger, your immune system weakens and you’ll find yourself getting sick more often. Aside from headaches and unusual aches and pains, you may have bouts of insomnia (leading to a lack of energy), lingering colds, and other issues with your health. Cognitive Abilities Diminish: As your stress level increases, your normal brain functions will begin to diminish. You’ll notice that you become forgetful and your decisions become erratic. Your ability to concentrate on your studies is affected and you begin to make the kinds of mistakes you would never normally do. This will naturally lead to even lower grades automatically sending you into a downward spiral leading to further depression and an even stronger sense of failure. Lack of Motivation: One of the first signs of burnout is a lack of motivation. Your initial desire to do well in your studies gives way to a defeatist attitude. Your mind tells you that you’re not going to do well anyway and you have a sense that you will let people down no matter how hard you try. As a result, you are unable to muster up any desire to try. Boredom/Lack of Interest in Things: Boredom will set in and you’ll have no interest in anything, even things you once enjoyed. Your hobbies and interests will not be enough to pull you out of your negative mood. Even when you are successful in something there will be no sense of pride or satisfaction in the work you’ve done. Relationships Begin to Suffer: Burnout causes many students to pull away from relationships. You’ll find yourself avoiding people and go into a hibernation mode not wanting to communicate with anyone around you. All of these symptoms are a direct result of stress the student may experience. When you’re suffering from college burnout, you might lose control of your emotions and end up fighting over insignificant things, your attention will automatically drift to the negative side, and you can become very judgmental. Anyone experiencing these kinds of symptoms is most likely dealing with college burnout. The question at this point is ‘what can you do about it?’ How to Deal With College Burnout? One of the challenges of this unpleasant state is that you don’t have a lot of time to let the negativity run its course. You have deadlines to meet, courses to study for and the longer you linger in the depressive quagmire the worse your situation can become. You need to do something that can address your situation quickly. Tip #1:Seek Counseling Your university likely has a counselor that can help you to cope with your problems. Seek their guidance, they are there to give you support during those tougher than usual times. Make an appointment and take their suggestions seriously. They may recommend a semester of study off-major to give you a break from the pressure or they may offer other suggestions you may not have thought of to get you back on track. Tip #2: Take Care of Your Physical Needs First Most of the problems you’re dealing with in college burnout are all inter-related. But you won’t be able to recover from any of them if your body is not strong enough to fight back. It is more important to maintain your physical health before attempting to deal with your psychological and emotional issues. Start by eating healthy meals (even if you don’t want to) and making sure you get enough nutrition. When your body is well nourished, you will naturally sleep better, which will automatically help you better manage your emotions and mental state. If you do not see any improvement from managing your physical needs, it is very important that you see a doctor to make sure there are no other underlying causes that you aren’t aware of. Tip #3: Re-evaluate Your Goals Sometimes eager students are determined to push through their college years faster than usual. They may take on more classes than they need to or they have not seen the value in taking breaks. At times, to get over burnout may be as simple as setting smaller, easier to achieve goals. If youre feeling that your planning skills are not good enough, read our guide on how to improve your planning skills to perform better in college. Tip #4: Meditation Other students have discovered that practicing meditation and mindfulness has been very effective in getting you back on track. Even some thing as simple as positive self talk can help you to improve your overall outlook. Once your body and your mind are in sync, you will find that your entire attitude will begin to make the shift from negative to positive and you’ll be back on task before you know it. Everyone experiences burnout from time to time. It is a common occurrence with anyone who lives a busy life. Dealing with college burnout is not the end of the road and chances are you’ll deal with other types of it later on in life. The good news is that these feelings don’t last forever and with the right mindset and tools to fight it, you will be back to your studies and living the life of a college student in a very short period of time.

Marketing channels and logistics Essays

Marketing channels and logistics Essays Marketing channels and logistics Essay Marketing channels and logistics Essay Marketing channels and logistics BY k3700026 1. Executive Summary This report is aimed at exploring the market channel and logistics in the case of SuperAlloy, the world-class provider of forged aluminum alloy wheel rims. Through the analysis of financial performance, the fluctuations of average selling days and inventory turnover are necessary to addressed. After the discussion, this report mentions three key, including the dilemma of collaboration in supply chain, breakthrough of market channels, deploying the system of logistics in China region. From the perspective of management, SuperAlloy should adapt external integration, estructure the supply chain collaboration, complete the breakthrough of market channels, highlight some KPIs, such as inventory turnover, average selling days, and the average time to generate first trial order for new customer or new design, and deploy the logistics of China regions. 2. The Discussion for Task 1 2. The market opportunity for the forged aluminum alloy wheel rims With the designs of energy-saving technology growing mature in automobile market, the forged aluminum alloy wheel rims have become the important component in future lightweight vehicle. The components of high-strength forged aluminum alloy could e used to reduce vehicle weight and enhance the engine efficiency. Therefore, the forged aluminum alloy wheel rims have played the key part in automotive supply chain ( superalloy. tw/). The case company in this report is SuperAlloy, which has moved into the forged aluminum alloy wheel r ims since 1997. The first three key suppliers of forged aluminum alloy wheel rims are Americas ACOA, Germanys Otto Fuch, and Taiwans SuperAlloy. In China, the first provider for article_content_12953. html). The market opportunity for forged aluminum alloy wheel rims results from technological bar inherent in the high-strength forged luminum alloy wheel rims ( superalloy. tw/). First, it stems from high specifications in automobile system regarding safety. Thereby, the providers of forged aluminum alloy wheel rims are often required to meet the criteria by way of innovation of manufacturing process or material technology. Second, the process of aforementioned innovation result in longer lead times before mass production. Accordingly, higher margins for the forged aluminum alloy wheel rims often cost the higher-than-normal expense of high-quality services from RD team and sales team. On the other hands, the management for market channel and logistics plays the critical position in the technology-intensive industry. 2. 2 The financial performances of SuperAlloy As the appendix describes, SuperAlloy is the Taiwans biggest closed-mold forge company and ranked as the third position in the global forged aluminum alloy wheel rims industry. Based on the published financial data on the website of http:// newmopsov. twse. com. tw/, this report reviews the financial performances of SuperAlloy from 2006 to 2011, trying to identifying the issues behind market channel and logistics. Table 1 The financial performances of SuperAlloy Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 sale (NTD OOOS) 2,223,755 3,579,541 2723,396 Margin(%) 30. 39 20. 98 2. 72 20. 95 22. 44 17. 2 Operating margin(%) 17. 13 10. 83 -6. 81 6. 83 5. 42 Debt ratio(%) 59. 36 60. 35 63. 72 24. 23 46. 51 Inventory turnovers 1 . 1 1. 89 2. 05 2. 66 2. 98 2. 14 Average selling days (Days) 278. 62 193. 12 178. 04 137. 21 122. 48 170. 56 Asset turnovers 0. 37 0. 48 0. 46 0. 39 0. 43 0. 49 Cash flow 63. 06 60. 42 12. 01 4. 8 1 . 44 -6. 17 2. 4 3. 45 2. 74 0. 64 -19. 58 3. 8 5. 95 4. 13 Source: http://newmopsov. twse. com. tw NA means the data cant be accessed. As shown in table 1, the sales from 2006 to 2008 indicate the strong growth momentum, while the margins and operating margins in the same period indicate that more revenue didnt mean more profit. In 2008, the inventory turnover, asset turnover and average selling days indicate the positive progress on management. Therefore, the negative ROA in 2008 could be attributed to the issue of negative margin. It suggests the necessary adjustments regarding cost efficiency. According to the management interview traced on the website of (http://store. gvm. com. tw/ article_content_12953. tml), the improvement of manufacturing process and staff quality has been under the focus of internal management. Compared with the data shown in the appendix, SuperAlloy began to deliver forged aluminum wheel rims to Jaguar Cars and Tesla Motors in April 2008. In October 2008, SuperAlloy won a Toyota TMS gold award. Hence, the factors resulting in the negative operating margin in 2008 could be related to the effects from financial tsunami and following issues regarding cost efficiency. The fluctuation in the period from 2009 to 2011 reflects another pattern. Even with the lower revenue than 2009, the outcomes in 2010, ncluding inventory turnover, average selling days, margin and operating margin, indicate the best signal since 2006. However, affected by cripple effects resulted from the European debt crisis, the performance in 2011 delivers the signal of another economic impulse surrounding a higher average selling days as well as a lower inventory turnover. Figure 1 The compassion among sales, margin, operating margin Source: This report Based on the analysis of DuPont formulate, a lower ROA could result from lower asset turnover, indicating poor management, lower operating margin, or a combination of oth factors. The trend displayed in figure 1 suggests the downtrend of ROA an ROE in fgure 2 should be focused on the operating management. As shown in table 1, there are two points which are necessary be highlighted. First, the lower inventory turnover of 2011 suggests the efficiency of logistics should be improved, reflecting some problems linked with manufacturing system and sale team. Second, the higher average selling days indicate the forecasts for brand customers orders should be adjusted to the dynamic of market, indicating the key issues behind market channel and regarding strategies. These issues could involve the identification of problems, the cooperation of cross-group cooperation, internal integration or external integration. These topics will be discussed in following sections of this report. Figure 2 The compassion among sales, ROES, ROAS in the past Source: This report Based on the previous analysis, there are some issues necessary to be addressed. The lower inventory turnover of 2011 suggests possible challenges confronted SuperAlloy. From the perspective of operation between sale team and manufacturing department, lower inventory turnover mean the misinformation in the process of ommunication between these two departments. The sale team should take the role to maintain customer relationship and Judge where is the equilibrium among the capability of manufacturing department and customers demands and criteria. Once customers demand could not fit the capacity or the present category of product. The outsourcing process should be moved on in order to provide the total solutions for the timing and immediacy of orders. Accordingly, in accordance with the lecture of Marketing Channels Logistics by Mike Bourlakis(2012), the efficiency of outsourcing process will be the issue to be discussed. Before the discussion, its important to realize the characteristics in automotive supply chain. For the purpose, this report collects the information from the in-depth interview by e-mails through personal relationship connecting to some senior manager in the regarding forging field. Based on the process cited on the website of ]yeh. com. tw and personal in-depth interview with the senior manager by e-mails, the manufacturing process of forged aluminum alloy wheel rims could be referred as the following sequence: 1. Order entry, 2. Mold design making, 3. Material incoming, 4. Material inspecting, . Making product sample, 6. Quality confirm by customer, 7. Cutting 8. Forging, 9. Edge cutting, 10. Heat treatment, 11. Vibration grinding, 12. Pickling, 13. Drilling surface grinding hole machining 14. Anodized or coating, 15. Finished product inspection, 16. Packing delivery. Above process highlights the longer lead time for new product innovation depends on the sequence from step 2 to step 6. The average lead time for the trial order of a new customer to a formal mass-producing order usually cost six months to 1 5 months, according to the in-depth interview through emails. The major threshold for enerating new orders results from the capability of dealing well with customers requirement, such as the strength of product, the design of the product as well as the flexibility of rapid responses for customers immediate need and ideas. Besides maintaining the customer relationship with existent clients, the main promotion of sale teams in the industry is through the all kinds of exhibitions around the world. design, the following orders of forged aluminum alloy wheel rims will grow at the pace of automotive growth momentum. Above process for building up customer relationship results in the higher-than-normal threshold for new providers. . 3. 1 The first key challenges : The dilemma of collaboration in supply chain From the perspective of automotive supply chain, the difficulty and complexity inherent in the technique of forging aluminum alloy drive the outsourcing process and following collaborations. Notwithstanding, there will still be the dilemma for the collaboration of supply chain confronting SuperAlloy. The dilemma derives from the differentials among different companies, heated up by the process of distribution of benefits in customers orders and the difference of profitability of different automotive components. Thus, the partnership in supply chain is like the game theory, demonstrated by the prisons dilemma. From the perspective of protecting intangible assets, the know-hows and techniques embedded in forged aluminum alloy wheel rims mean the capability of moving into a higher margin market. Inevitably, more robust partnership, more comprehensive understanding . t symbolizes the advantage of core competition decays with the collaboration going on. Hence, the concerns of keeping the uniqueness of techniques will drive the dilemma into next stage, since both parties want to keep the competitiveness in the market nd sustain the original customer relationship. Whereas the dynamic of collaboration depends on more bargaining assets which party holds, like technologies, producing capac ity, the certification of customer as well as the capability of generating orders. Accordingly, the first key challenge in front of SuperAlloy is to meet the the dilemma of collaboration in supply chain collaboration. . 3. 2 The second key challenges : The breakthrough of market channels Even with the insurance of automotive customers certification, the unstable sale growth momentum will be always existent. The ncertainty is reflected on the volatility of average selling days in table 1 . The issue behind the higher average selling days in 2011 should be linked with the global economic concerns. Once the sale team loosens the monitoring for global automotive market, the reliability of customers order forecast will be overestimated. It could lead to the lower inventory turnover and higher average selling days, along with the fluctuating margins driven by unexpected downtrend in the market. Under previous global economy, the market channels of SuperAlloy should react through innovation, integration or diversification of product portfolio. Based on the point of view, the breakthrough of market channel should be addressed . For the time being, the promotion through exhibition is the key channel to contact potential customers. However, the promotion should be involved with RD team and sale team to back up the following communication with customers. From the perspective of efficiency and accumulating the key human capital, the management of the market channel should rely on the scheme of the key performance indicators, to utilize the existent human resources. For SuperAlloy, the second key challenge is the breakthrough of market channel. Based on above characteristics of automotive supply chain, SuperAlloy should leverage its customer relationship to build up the solid partnership and flexibility of outsourcing or other external integration. Therefore, the objectives of breakthrough of market channel are to bring into solid collaboration, maintain the promotion. . 3. 3 The third key challenges : Deploying the system of logistics in China region Under previous global economy, the growth momentum of automotive market depends on the stimulus of policy of subsidies, guiding people to transfer from traditional vehicles to energy-saving vehicles. Combined with brand customers romotion, the demand of forged aluminum alloy wheel rims co uld be heated up. Nonetheless, it should be a long way to go. Whenever reviewing the growth momentum around the world, China automotive market shouldnt be missed. Notwithstanding, the cooperation with Chinese local partners is not always an easy task, due to the regulations inherent in cultures and Joint venture. The issue of managing the logistics and sustaining the customer relationship shouldnt be ignored. Once the distance between the different customers basements are longer than ever, the efficiency of managing people in the process of logistics become ritical to the global operation. As shown in figure 3 in the appendix, SuperAlloy is running the global operation. Nonetheless, how to strengthen the efficiency of logistics in China region should be addressed as a crucial decision-making process, including the indicators of measuring performance and assembling the logistics depending on potential customers demand. In sum, there will be three key challenges for SuperAlloy to deal with in the future. They are listed as following points: 1. The dilemma of the collaboration in supply chain, 2. The breakthrough of market channels, 3. Deploying the system of logistics in China region. . The Discussion for Task 2 3. The solution for the dilemma of collaboration in supply chain After above discussion, the following parts of this report will be focused on how to generate the solutions for aforementioned three challenges. As far as the first challenge is concerned, the solutions will include supply chain integration. According to the characteristics of forging industry, the swap of equity to build up the long term collaboration should be listed as the fir st priority. The first reason results from the culture of Taiwans supply chain companies, which usually focus on the control of decision-making process. If the partners are without cross-shareholding, the external integration would be possibly deterred by mutual trusts and interest conflicts inherent in supply chain mentioned as above. On the other hand, the negotiation of the swap of equity will bring in the dynamic of adjustments and evaluation from all kinds of standing points. Thereby, the equilibrium of new collaboration could be achieved by the trade-off of industrial dynamics and the right of control. From the perspective of supply chain integration, first comes who could be authorized to adjust the logistics, then second comes the evaluation of performances. The two ecessary step are dependent on the equilibrium of equity structure. After the two procedures, the external integration and internal integration could be reorganized under the leadership. Under above discussion, the first solution to the dilemma of collaboration in supply chain is to start the external integration, based on the building up of new leadership and equilibrium of equity structure. For the sake of considering the differentials of company culture and accelerating the speed of market channels Based on the external integration mentioned as above, the following step is to start the breakthrough of market channels. With the capacity and flexibility inherent in new partnership, the promotion of creating total solutions for customers could strengthen the capability of keeping customers orders and drawing the potential customers orders. Once the flexibility of selecting qualified orders is enlarged up, the product mix could also be more appropriate than ever to restructure market channels and adjust logistics. Notwithstanding, the success of breakthrough of market channels depends on the building up the key performance indicators (KPI). Compared with above discussion regarding table 1, inventory turnover and average elling days could be ranked as two primary KPIs. Besides them, the average time to generate first trial order for new customer or new design could be used as the KPI to measure the efficiency of integration between technological team and sale team. Reviewing the process of generating new order, average time to generate first trial order for new customer or new design will include the plan for exhibition, the forecast of market trends and initial survey of customers and potential customers. Once the outcome is longer than expected, then the necessary interview or adjustment should be carried out. Since average time to generate first trial order for new customer or new design is linked with the cooperation among members in both teams, the interaction among them could be under evaluation and immediate adjustments. 3. 3 The solution for deploying the system of logistics in China region After breakthrough of market channels, the customer relationship could be maintained efficiently. With the KPIs in previous discussion, the global operations around brand customers could be leveraged up in the deploying the system of logistics in China region. Under the differentials between Chinese enterprise ulture and Taiwan enterprise culture, the better way to deploying the system of logistics in China region is through the collective actions based on the new partnership. On the other hand, the logistics in China regions should be completed through the linkage with local relationship. The Joint venture with local critical family or key company will be reviewed as the must-be routine. Nonetheless, the past experiences in China region are not always profitable, due to the learning curve for local regulations and exclusive marketing channel. For the sake of utilization of xistent resources, the collective deployment under the external internal integration could shorten the adjustments , quickening the speed to fit customers demand in China regions. 4. Conclusions After the discussion in this report, the suggestions for SuperAlloy are listed as following point. The three key challenges are the dilemma of collaboration in supply chain, the breakthrough of market channels, deploying the system of logistics in China region. According to the analysis of arguments , the solutions for these challenges are stated as following. First, SuperAlloy should start the external supply hain integration, building up the new supply chain collaboration. Following that, SuperAlloy should restructure breakthrough of market channel, combining the management of KPIs in previous sections. Finally, SuperAlloy could utilize existent resources and partnership to deploy the logistics in China region. 1 . http://store. gvm. com. tw/article_content_12953. html 2. superalloy. tw/main. hp 3. http://newmopsov. twse. com. tw/ 4. gvm. com. tw/Boardcontent_12953_1 . html 5. autoinfo. gov. cn/autoinfo_cn/top/ydphb/index_ydphb. htm 6. http:// www. Jyeh. com. tw 7. Mike Bourlakis (2012), Marketing Channels Logistics,London: Brunel University. 6. Appendix: The company profile of SuperAlloy SuperAlloy , founded in 1994, has moved into the industry of forged wheel rims since 1997. From the perspective of revenue, SuperAlloy has created t he sales of NTD 27. 5E in 2011, operating Taiwans biggest closed-mold forge. Nonetheless, from the point of the company history in the industry of forged wheel rims, the initial stage from 1997 to 2000 have almost run out of original accumulated capital until the influx of venture capital from IJMC group, which is ranked the second position of IC foundry http://store. gvm. com. tw/article_content_12953. html). After the experience of initial stage, the management of SuperAlloy have started to focused on the operating efficiency and regarding capital expenditures such as the plants and equipments for forged aluminum alloy wheel rims. Since then, SuperAlloy has gradually passed the threshold of automotive supply chain. From the points of sale growth, the sale of 2004 was Just above NTD 5 hundred million, whereas SuperAlloy delivered the sale of NTD 22 hundred million in 2006 (http://store. gvm. com. tw/article_content_12953. html). The growth momentum results from the orders from global auto brands, such as 6M, FORD as well as Chrysler. According to the information on the companys website of superalloy. tw, the critical milestones of company history from 2000 to 2011 are listed as following: 2011. 1 Won the TOYOTA QUALITY Platinum Award. 2011. 07 AS 7003 NADCAP Materials -resting certified. 2011. 03 Germany KBAnuvvehtcle -rest certification certified: KBA NO. 48288 (Truck wheel 22. 5 x 1 1. 75). 2011. 03 Won the 19th Taiwan Excellence Award (truck wheel TE0002). 2010. 08 Won Supplier Excellent Performance Award from Bureau of Foreign Trade. 2010. 08 Won Finishing Light Metal Article Equipment and Methods NO. US00 7785452B2 U. S. patent. 2010. 06 AS9100 certified, supply Forging to AIDC Aerospace. 2010 The company get Honda, Land Rover, AMG Forged Wheel Program Awarded. 009. 07 The company by raising an additional NT$187 million in cash, with its capital increased to NT$2. 17 billion. 2009. 07 Opel Insignia OPC Forged Wheel Supplier. 2008. 04 The company began supplying forged aluminum wheel rims to Jaguar Cars and Tesla Motors. 2008. 10 In October 2008, SuperAlloys designs won customer recognition and a Toyota TMS gold award. 2007. 6 The company obtained Ford QI . 2007. 10 The company recapitalized undistributed earnings in the amount of NTD140. 5 million, bringing its paid-in capital to NTDI . 7655 billion, with a staff of 2006. 6 Phase 2 of Plant 2 was completed and the factory went into production. 2006. 10 The company expanded its plants and purchased additional equipment by raising NTD900 million in cash through issuing new shares at a premium of NTD700 million, with the companys paid-i n capital increased to NTDI . 625 billion and its shares traded on the emerging stock market. 2006. 11 The company began shipping wheel rims to Chrysler. 006. 11 The company hired new employees in the month to the end of 2006 to increase its workforce to 1006, with a new golf head end customer added to its customer base: 2005. 1 The company expanded its plants and purchased additional equipment by raising an additional NTD360 million in cash by issuing new shares . 2005. 01 The company expanded its plants and purchased additional equipment by raising an additional NT$360 million in cash by issuing new shares at a premium of NT$135 million, with paid-in capital increased to NT$I . 425 billion. As of the end of 2005, the companys employees had increased to 874. 2005. 1 The company added a new golf head end customer 2004. 05 The company began shipping wheel rims to Ford. 2004. 6 the company purchased additional fixed assets and built Plant 2 by raising an additional NTD128 million in c ash through issuing new shares at a premium of NTD48 million, with its capital increased to NTDI . 08 billion. 2004. 08 Phase I of Plant 2 was completed, with machines installed and production begun. 2004. 12 Plants were expanded and additional equipment purchased by raising an additional NT$192 million in cash through issuing new shares at a premium of NTD72 million, with paid- in capital increased to NTDI . billion and employees increased to 346. 2003. 5 The company purchased additional fixed assets and built Plant 2 by raising an additional NTD200 million in cash through issuing new shares, with its capital increased to NTD 1 billion and employees increased to 270. 2002. 07 The company purchased additional fixed assets by raising an additional NTDI 72. 3 million in cash through issuing new shares, with its capital increased to NTD 800 million and employees increased to 210. 2001. 09 The company purchased additional fixed assets by raising an additional NT$IOO million in cash thro ugh issuing new shares, with the total paid- n capital increased to NTD 627. million and employees increased to 147. 2001. 11 The company began shipping wheel rims to GM. 0 2000. 05 The company purchased additional fixed assets and built Plant 1 by raising an additional NT$300 million through issuing new shares and NT$29. 7 million through earnings recapitalization. The companys capital was increased to NTD527. 7 million and was renamed SuperAlloy Industrial Co. , Ltd. 2000. 11 Plant 1 was completed and inaugurated , with employees increased to 116. Figure 3 The global operating basements of SuperAlloy Source: superalloy. tw/main. php

The Beginning of the Ionian Revolt

The Beginning of the Ionian Revolt The Ionian revolt (c. 499-c.493) led to the Persian Wars, which includes the famous battle depicted in the movie 300, the Battle of Thermopylae, and the battle that lent its name to a long race, the Battle of Marathon. The Ionian Revolt itself did not occur in a vacuum but was preceded by other tensions, notably trouble in Naxos. Possible reasons for the revolt of the Ionian Greeks [based on Manville: Anti-tyrant feeling.Having to pay tribute to the Persian king.The kings failure to understand the Greeks need for freedom.As response to an economic crisis in Asia Minor.Aristagoras hope to get out of his difficulties with Artaphrenes that were caused by the ill-fated Naxos Expedition.Histiaios hope to get out of his benign captivity at Susa. Characters in the Naxos Expedition The principal names to know in connection with this Herodotus-based introduction to the Ionian Revolt are those involved in the Naxos Expedition: Histiaios (Histiaeus), son of Lysagoras and the tyrant of Miletus (c.515–493 B.C.).Aristagoras (c.505–496 B.C.), son of Molpagoras, ambitious son-in-law, and deputy of Histaios.Artaphernes, satrap of Lydia, in western Asia Minor.Darius (r. c.521-486 B.C.), the Great King of Persia and half-brother of Artaphernes.Megabates, a cousin of Darius and Persian naval commander. Aristagoras of Miletus and the Naxos Expedition Naxos- the prosperous Cyclades island where the legendary Theseus abandoned Ariadne- was not yet under Persian control. The Naxians had driven out certain rich men, who had fled to Miletus but wished to go home. They asked Aristagoras for help. Aristagoras was the deputy tyrant of Miletus, the son-in-law of the proper tyrant, Histiaios, who had been rewarded Myrkinos for loyalty at the Danube Bridge in the Persian Great King Darius fight against the Scythians. He was  then asked by the king to come to Sardis, where he was brought to Susa by Darius. Megabates betrays Artaphernes Aristagoras agreed to aid the exiles, and asked the satrap of western Asia, Artaphernes, for help. Artaphernes- with permission from Darius- gave Aristagoras a fleet of 200 ships under the command of a Persian named Megabates. Aristagoras and the Naxian exiles set sail with Megabates et al. They pretended to head to the Hellespont. At Chios, they stopped and waited for a favorable wind. Meanwhile, Megabates toured his ships. Finding one neglected, he ordered the commander punished. Aristagoras not only released the commander but reminded Megabates that Megabates was only second-in-command. As a result of this insult, Megabates betrayed the operation by informing the Naxians in advance of their arrival. This gave them time to prepare, so they were able to survive the Milesian-Persian fleet arrival and four-month siege. In the end, the defeated Persian-Milesians left, with the exiled Naxians installed in forts built around Naxos. Herodotus says Aristagoras feared Persian reprisal as a consequence of the defeat. Histiaios sent a slave- Aristagoras- with a secret message about the revolt hidden as a brand on his scalp. The revolt was Aristagoras next step. Aristagoras persuaded those he joined in a council that they should revolt. One hold-out was the logographer Hecataeus who thought the Persians too powerful. When Hecataeus couldnt persuade the council, he objected to the army-based plan, urging, instead, a naval approach. The Ionian Revolt With Aristagoras as leader of their revolutionary movement after his failed expedition against Naxos, Ionian cities deposed their pro-Persian Greek puppet tyrants, replacing them with a democratic government, and prepared for further revolt against the Persians. Since they required military help Aristagoras went across the Aegean to mainland Greece to ask for help. Aristagoras unsuccessfully petitioned Sparta for its army, but Athens and Eretria provided more appropriate naval support for the Ionian islands- as the logographer/historian Hecataeus had urged. Together the Greeks from Ionia and the mainland pillaged and burned most of Sardis, the capital of Lydia, but Artaphrenes successfully defended the citys citadel. Retreating to Ephesus, the Greek forces were beaten by the Persians. Byzantium, Caria, Caunus, and most of Cyprus joined in the Ionian revolt. Although the Greek forces were occasionally successful, as at Caria, the Persians were winning. Aristagoras left Miletus in the hands of Pythagoras and went to Myrkinos where he was killed by Thracians. Persuading Darius to let him leave by telling the Persian king that he would pacify Ionia, Histiaios left Susa, went to Sardis, and tried unsuccessfully to re-enter Miletus. A major sea battle at Lade resulted in the victory of the Persians and defeat of the Ionians. Miletus fell. Histiaios was captured and executed by Artaphrenes who may have been jealous of Histiaios close relationship with Darius. Sources Herodotus Book VHerodotus Book VIAristagoras and Histiaios: The Leadership Struggle in the Ionian Revolt, by P. B. Manville; The Classical Quarterly, (1977), pp. 80-91.The Attack on Naxos: A Forgotten Cause of the Ionian Revolt, by Arthur Keaveney; The Classical Quarterly, (1988), pp. 76-81.Jona Lendering: Beginning of the Ionian Revolt; affairs in Greece (5.28-55)

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Home Depot Case - Research Paper Example Further research reveals there is a top management challenge to develop a good Strategic Plan, one that will retain the accomplishments of the previous CEO in terms of process and at the same time add missing ingredients. HD needs a Strategic Plan that will provide the finest customer services across all branches and that will convince the financial analysts in the stock market to recommend HD shares so as to push up the prices of its shares of stock. To win in that challenge without much experimentation, it is advisable for the new CEO to tap one expert financial adviser who is familiar with the stock market and has contacts with financial analysts, and another expert in the field of Retail Management and Customer Relations for the industry wherein HD belongs. With these two experts, and with good relationship and coordination with the Board, the right performance indicators can be agreed upon. Once people are all directed towards the accomplishment of action plans in the Strategic Plan, Home Depot value of shares will soar to the satisfaction of the Stakeholders. II. Background A.Problem Statement After the resignation of Home Depot’s CEO, Robert Nardelli, who had served the organization from the years 2000-2006, the new CEO, Frank Blake, has to decide what to do in order to satisfy Home Depot Stakeholders who wanted the value of the corporation to increase. Re-stated in a question, what should be the strategies of the company to achieve desired results? B.Symptoms Although the profit margins and sales increased during the term of office of CEO Nardelli, and the number of store outlets grew yearly, the Stakeholders were not impressed and were in fact dissatisfied. The cumulative shareholders’ returns in 5 years was reported in the case to be at negative (-13%). This obliged them to tie up the income of the CEO to the share prices of Home Depot which have been down. In terms of financial performance, more details are in the Appendix Figure 1B. In one article by Simpson, Stephen D. (2006), the author noticed how sales growth of Lowe was much faster than that of Home Depot. He said: â€Å"All that said, it is clearly true that Lowe’s is the pluckier and faster growing of the two concepts. Sales in the 4th quarter climbed over 26%...and earnings per share rose nearly 36%. Certainly those numbers outstrip what Home Depot managed to accomplish.† Stephen furthermore added that it was generally known that Lowe’s had â€Å"better customer service†. Compared to Lowe in 2006, Home Depot was growing in sales by only 11.14%. C.Critical Factors The experiences of both CEOs Robert Nardelli and Frank Blake were not in the Retailing or Marketing Industry. Both came from GE or General Electric. Nardelli came from the Power Systems Division while Blake was a lawyer. Thus, the former CEO was good at cost cutting and improvements in the process, but weak in customer handling and probably even marketing. The new CEO, on the other hand, was faced by circumstances he did not have expertise on. Shareholders were dissatisfied by the relatively poorer performance of the share prices of Home Depot in the stock market. The graph showed HD shares declining in value. Checking on the financial side, it can be seen that Nardelli actually did a fine job of providing the profitability, growth in sales, and liquidity. Further research revealed the presence of an aggressive competitor, Lowe, which was penetrating the market of HD since it opted to expand by

Micro Economics - Competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Micro Economics - Competition - Essay Example However, not all situations can the management plan on how to counter the competitors. In most cases, these situations arise due to unavoidable circumstances facing an organization. Whenever such situations arise, an organization’s management has to take drastic measures of solving the problem. How firms solve the problem of competition in the two scenarios forms the main discussion of this paper. Short-Run Decisions and Long Run Adjustments of Firms Facing Competition Introduction Competition occurs in perfect market structures where firms operate in a perfectly competitive market structure. In perfect competition, many small firms involved in the production of identical products with perfect access to resources and knowledge characterize the market structure. Firms operating in a perfectly competitive market structure face a horizontal and perfectly elastic and demand curve, a situation where marginal revenues are equal to average revenue. Characteristics of perfectly compet itive markets include perfect knowledge, freedom of entry and exit of firms, production of homogenous and identical units of output and many firms in operation. The structuring of a perfect market does not give an opportunity to a single firm to either influence the market price or market conditions, there are no governmental regulations and the assumption there is no existence of externalities. Body Faced with the problem of competition, organizations have to device ways and means of preserving their relevance in the market. Various factors affect the relevance of organizations in the industry they operate. Jain and Khanna (198) assert that quality and the popularity of an organization’s products among the customers determine the market share of that company in the market it operates. Competition indirectly acts as a quality controller. As companies increase their fight for a bigger cake in the entire market, they apply a number of measures. Firstly, companies increase their focus on the quality of products provided to the market while at the same time strives to offer the best prices in the market. Pricing is not an influential factor as high-end markets have indicated. Quality is the biggest factor influencing the market dynamics and purchasing behaviours of customers. Compromising quality of products adversely effects on the customers base of a company. Companies known to high quality products and services are associated with large market shares and subsequently report high revenues and profits. While laying down strategies for winning their competition, organizations apply a number of means and ways. Although every organization uses unique strategies in the market geared towards increasing its revenue sales, there are similar steps that organizations use to achieve these results. Either, an organization can opt for long term or short-term competition mitigation factors. While long-term plans needs a solid strategic plan and implementation schedule, short term decisions could be spontaneous and reactive. Reaction is a situation where a company facing high competition from other firms operating in the same industry takes drastic measures of countering that competition. Mainly, the management as measures of last result takes such measures. However, the management of an organization should be adequately prepared to counter any in eventualities whenever they occur in their operations. Whenever

Explain in what ways the corecompetences and resource requirements Essay

Explain in what ways the corecompetences and resource requirements differ between a firsttomarket, secondtomarket and latetomarket innovation strat - Essay Example It is known widely that R & D is much valued in technological firm which increases value of the firm. Patents are looked upon as an offensive and a defensive asset. Offensively, it aids a technological company to earn licensing royalties and/or seeking an injunction to halt a competitor from shipping a product. Defensively, patent portfolio provides leverage to negotiate for a more favorable settlement. Hence, according to Coombs (1996), it is important for innovation firms to have their patent portfolio in line with their corporate strategies. For a first-to-market innovation strategy, patents act as an offensive role in the early stage to achieve market monopoly. However, this is not true for a recent example. Creative's core competency in the portable media player industry lies in its innovative capability to create value through innovations. It was reported that Creative was the first to market its first generation of portable media player in 2000. However, Creative neither achieves market monopoly nor dominates the market currently. After the patent was awarded to Creative in 2005, Creative sought an injunction that stop Apple from selling the iPod. The outcome was that Apple would pay US$100 million licensing royalties to use Creative's "Zen patent" for an MP3 player interface. Creative Technology's profits were then raised a record 11 times due to the lump sum payment from Apple. (News of the profit can be found at http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/apple-profit-rises-78ipod/story.aspxguid=%7BCCF6CF6B-D2C6-435B-A5B2-E6D92872F777%7D) In this case, "Zen patent" helped to increase Creative's profits in the year of 2006, enhancing its roles. This agrees well with Robinson (1988) where pioneer firms benefit from patents to a greater extent than second-to-market and last-to-market firms. However, Creative Zen's market share is surprisingly lower than Apple iPod. Even though Apple lost to Creative in the court, Apple continued their patent filling for another invention: iPhone. More than 300 patents were applied for iPhone, proving that second-to-market firms do find ways to improve their technologies. On the other hand, last-to-market firms exit earlier than the first-to-market and second-to-market firms in the industry. Late-to-market firms might also have to pay licensing fees to first-to-market or second-to-market firms for the usage of their patents. For them to stay in the industry, they need to have more innovative products with new features which are able to define themselves. One example is Dell who entered the industry in 2003 and made the exit in year 2006. (The news was found in http://www.pocketlint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/) Unlike Apple, Dell was not able to come up with new products. 2.2 Marketing strategy Marketing strategy allows an organization to pool its resources on opportunities to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Creative Zen was outshadowed by Ipod in the market even though Creative Zen was the first portable media player in the market. It was reported that Apple dominated the MP3 player market in 2007 with 72.3 % market share. Creative Labs was 2.7 % market share while Dell was not even in the top 5. (News of the market share is found in http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/newspid=conewsstory&refer=conews&tkr=AAPL:US &sid=aggTRzHFt1Do) The market

Micro Economics - Competition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Micro Economics - Competition - Essay Example However, not all situations can the management plan on how to counter the competitors. In most cases, these situations arise due to unavoidable circumstances facing an organization. Whenever such situations arise, an organization’s management has to take drastic measures of solving the problem. How firms solve the problem of competition in the two scenarios forms the main discussion of this paper. Short-Run Decisions and Long Run Adjustments of Firms Facing Competition Introduction Competition occurs in perfect market structures where firms operate in a perfectly competitive market structure. In perfect competition, many small firms involved in the production of identical products with perfect access to resources and knowledge characterize the market structure. Firms operating in a perfectly competitive market structure face a horizontal and perfectly elastic and demand curve, a situation where marginal revenues are equal to average revenue. Characteristics of perfectly compet itive markets include perfect knowledge, freedom of entry and exit of firms, production of homogenous and identical units of output and many firms in operation. The structuring of a perfect market does not give an opportunity to a single firm to either influence the market price or market conditions, there are no governmental regulations and the assumption there is no existence of externalities. Body Faced with the problem of competition, organizations have to device ways and means of preserving their relevance in the market. Various factors affect the relevance of organizations in the industry they operate. Jain and Khanna (198) assert that quality and the popularity of an organization’s products among the customers determine the market share of that company in the market it operates. Competition indirectly acts as a quality controller. As companies increase their fight for a bigger cake in the entire market, they apply a number of measures. Firstly, companies increase their focus on the quality of products provided to the market while at the same time strives to offer the best prices in the market. Pricing is not an influential factor as high-end markets have indicated. Quality is the biggest factor influencing the market dynamics and purchasing behaviours of customers. Compromising quality of products adversely effects on the customers base of a company. Companies known to high quality products and services are associated with large market shares and subsequently report high revenues and profits. While laying down strategies for winning their competition, organizations apply a number of means and ways. Although every organization uses unique strategies in the market geared towards increasing its revenue sales, there are similar steps that organizations use to achieve these results. Either, an organization can opt for long term or short-term competition mitigation factors. While long-term plans needs a solid strategic plan and implementation schedule, short term decisions could be spontaneous and reactive. Reaction is a situation where a company facing high competition from other firms operating in the same industry takes drastic measures of countering that competition. Mainly, the management as measures of last result takes such measures. However, the management of an organization should be adequately prepared to counter any in eventualities whenever they occur in their operations. Whenever

The Development of the Marketing Thought Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Development of the Marketing Thought - Essay Example These forces, while closely interrelated, produced fickle consumer markets which are more sensitive to price, services, and such other features which create customer value that a slight difference would equate to huge economic losses. From transactional marketing to relational marketing follows a tool for building customer relationships: customer relationship management. If developed and implemented effectively, Strategic CRM has been a guiding tool for most businesses today in competition-filled markets for without a loyal customer base, the business will eventually remain stagnant and cease to exist. After more than a decade of confining the marketing concept as â€Å"a process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives,† the American Marketing Association developed another definition of marketing, describing it as â€Å"...an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.† ... s, marketing evolved from a cold means to maneuver a product into the market in both ways strategical and tactical to a humanitarian obligation that likewise yields two-way benefits; only that in the second definition, marketing purports to be the only tool to stay profitable in the industry taking into consideration the radical changes in the business environment. In brief from a product-oriented approach, organizations now divert their attention to their customers and in creating a profitable rapport with them. Marketing Paradigm Shift? The so-called shift in marketing paradigm is seemingly misguiding as what a few authors contest. What is considered a paradigm shift is not applicable to how the marketing concept evolved from transactional into being relational. Some studies have indicated that transactional and relational marketing may still co-exist today although the former is slowly dominated by the latter with the rise of the web technology where direct marketing became virtua lly possible not to mention, efficient for both buyer and seller. Business firms used to concentrate only on the mass production of goods with less or without particular consideration to consumer relations knowing that the consumers will patronize such products anyway through an unsegmented promotional technique. There was technically no form of personality and individuality -- absence of a human touch. In the business equation, there were only enthusiastic retailers and submissive buyers; therefore in theory, businesses did not consider the profitability of confining the emotional link in between human transactions. In the early 1980s, Len Berry coined the term relationship marketing, describing it as the strategical approach that invites, improves, and maintains customer relationships.

CMS Detector at the LHC: Calorimetry (EM, Had, Forward)

CMS Detector at the LHC: Calorimetry (EM, Had, Forward) CMS structure: Solenoid: Most particles are stopped by the detector except for few, such as muons, neutrino. Main difference between ATLAS and CMS is that CMS has solenoid on the outer layer, so it bends the trajectory of the muons again in an opposite direction (opposite pointing magnetic field). Depending on how much the trajectory is bent, we can deduce the momentum of the particle. Tracking system and both EM and Hadronic calorimeters fit inside the superconducting CMS solenoid, which generated Magnetic Field of 3.8 Tesla (100 000 that of the Earth). Tracking detector (measures momentum, charge, decay) – silicon detector is the inner most layer. The CMS tracker records the paths taken by charged (not neutral) particles by registering their positions at various key points. The tracker can detect the paths of high energy muons, electrons and hadrons, as well as tracks coming from decays of very short lived particles such as b quark used to study the differences between matter and antimatter. (WEB: http://cms.web.cern.ch/news/tracker-detector). The tracker is very lightweight and precise, so it has minimal effect on the paths the particles take. Each position measurement is accurate to 10 micrometers. The tracker material is selected to withstand high levels of radiation, since it is the inner most layer and so receives the highest volume of particles. CMS uses silicon strip sensors (detectors) in shape of rods, covering area of 206 sq.m. (wiki), adding up to 25000 silicon sensors. Also used silicon pixel detectors, which are in principle very similar to silicon strip sensors, but have a segmentation of pixel diodes instead of strip diodes. The 65 million pixels (each generating ~50 microwatts) are mounted on the cooling tubes form the 3 inner most layers. Silicon microstrip detectors then stretch out in a 130 cm combined radius barrel with inner and outer endcaps to close off the tracker. Calorimeter (an apparatus to measure energy of the particle AND particle identification) – scintillating crystal (EM calorimeter made of lead tungsten, a very dense material that produces light when hit), and then sampling calorimeter for hadrons. The ECAL is sandwiched inside the solenoid after the tracking system and before the HCAL. EM calorimeter is used to measure energies of electrons and photons, because they are likely to be produced in reactions for Higgs and other new physics. LHC collides bunches of high energy protons every 25 ns, so the calorimeter material is required to have very specific properties. PbWO4 – lead tungstate is the crystal of choice for the following reasons: 1. the material is high density and has heavy nuclei (explain why is this good); 2. the oxide crystal is transparent and scintillates, emits a small flash of light(well-defined photon bursts), when electron or photon pass through it. This means the calorimeter system is very precise an d very compact; 3.lead tungstate is relatively easy to manufacture from readily available raw materials. Each crystal is equipped with a photodetector (specially designed to work in a high radiation levels and strong magnetic field) that registers the scintillation light which is converted into an electric signal, amplified, and sent for analysis. The ECAL made in a barrel shape (to fit inside the solenoid, of course) with two flat endcaps (one closing off each side of the barrel). The barrel part consists of 36 supermodules, each containing 1700 crystals, adding up to 61,200 crystals in total. The endcaps are made up of almost 15000 crystals. There are 75,848 crystals in ECAL. Each crystal (volume 2.22.223 cm in the barrel; 3x3x22 cm in the endcaps) weights 1.5 kg, each crystal took 2 days to grow, in total it took 10 years to grow all crystals. The crystals were manufactured in Russia and China, where appropriate facilities already existed. Issues: The yield of light in the crystal depends strongly on temperature, so a sophisticated cooling system is required to keep the crystals at constant temperature. Also, the light signal needs to be converted into an electrical signal (via photodetectors) to be recorded, and since the initial signal is relatively weak, amplification is required. Photodetectors: Avalanche photodiodes (APD) for the barrel and vacuum phototriodes (VPT) for endcaps (because the radiation is too high to use silicon photodiodes), as these can operate in strong magnetic field and high radiation. Lead tungstate crystals (though fairly radiation resistant) suffer limited radiation damage – the crystal structure is disturbed, hence the optical transmission decreases. This effect is accounted for during the operation of the detector and appropriate corrections are included in the data analysis. The crystals are probed by light monitoring system to register the optical transmission. The radiation damag e can be reversed (anneal) when CMS is not operating. In room temperature the atoms within the crystal return to orderly positions. Each crystal is identified with a unique barcode, registered in a database, and measured (light transmission and scintillating properties in ACCOS machine). Cut to micrometer precision. Getting the material right was only one of the challenges for the ECAL team; each crystal had to be cut, machined, polished, tested and given a photodetector. Groups of crystals were then assembled side-by-side in glass-fibre or carbon-fibre â€Å"pockets† to form larger structures known as â€Å"supercrystals†, â€Å"modules† and â€Å"supermodules†. The crystals arent pure, but doped to improve their properties. Each crystal is cut and polished to a precise size, so that all pass the light the same way. There are 34 categories of crystal, 22 slightly different varieties of capsules with an attached photodetector. For barrel the crystals are first grouped into sub-modules: 10 crystals per lightweight glass fibre box. 40-50 sub-modules then make up a module, and 4 modules m ake up one of the 36 supermodules. Endcaps are constructed from 25 (55) crystal blocks, or supercrystals. Monitoring and cooling systems as well as final electronics are added to the supermodules before they are placed inside the experimental cavity. To ensure stable and equal operation of the crystals, the cooling system keeps all crystals within 0.1 oC of the optimum temperature. What is scintillation? Scintillation detectors are one of the most often used particle detection devices (Leo 157). Scintillators are made of specific materials that emit a flash of light when struck by a particle or radiation. The emitted light signal is amplified by photomultipliers and converted into an electrical signal which is then analysed. In ECAL electron or photon collides with the heavy nuclei of PbWO4, generating a shower of electrons, positrons and photons. These shower particles penetrate the scintillator further, colliding with more nuclei and producing more shower particles. Atomic electrons take fraction of energy from the passing particles and enter excited states. When they de-excite back into a ground state, the atomic electrons emit a photon of blue light, i.e. a scintillation. The blue light is picked up by photodetectors. The lead tungstate crystals produce a relatively low yield for each incoming particle, so the signal needs to be amplified. (transmitted to t he photomultiplier, converted into a weak current of photoelectrons, and further amplified by an electron multiplier system LEO 158). The total generated light signal is linearly proportional to the energy of the incident particle. Photodetectors? All photodetectors are glued to the crystals. Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) are made of silicon with a strong electric field applied to them. Scintilation photons knock an electron out of an atom, and the electron accelerates in the E field, striking more electrons from silicon atoms. The latter also accelerate and knock out more electrons (the number increases exponentially), hence creating an avalanche. This method allows producing a high current in a short period of time. The amplified and digitized signal is transported away by fibre optics cables away from the radiation area for analysis. A different kind of photodetectors is used in the endcaps due to much higher radiation levels than in the barrel. Vacuum Phototrides (VPTs) contain three electrodes within a vacuum (hence the name). When the scintillating photon strikes atoms in the first electrode, released electrons accelerate towards the second electrode (positive anode) and knock out more electrons. The latter accelerate towards the third electrode (dynode with a higher electric potential than the anode) and again knock out more electrons. This method also produces a strong current form a weak light signal, which is carried away from the high radiation zone via optic fibre cables (what kind of optic fibre cables). http://cms.web.cern.ch/news/crystal-calorimeter The region in the endcaps must was designed to distinguish between closely spaced particle pairs (such as for example in case of a short lived neutral pion decaying into two closely spaced low energy photons that might be mistaken for one high energy photon from Higgs decay). A special ECAL preshower is located in the endcaps before the EM calorimeter crystals. It is the made of two lead panels followed by silicon sensors (6.3cm x 6.3cm x 0.3mm). Each silicon sensor is divided into 32 strips each 2mm wide. Compared to 3cm wide scintillator crystals the preshower sensor resolution is better (5% precise energy measurement Ph.Bolch). The photon passing through lead sheet produces a shower containing e e+ pairs which are measured by the silicon detector strips. The silicon detectors are kept at temperatures between -10 oC and -15 oC for optimal and long-term performance. The outside of the preshower is heated to temperatures of the ECAL, since the crystals performance Muon chamber, muon detectors which are inside the return yoke of the magnet (Track, muons identification). To identify muons and measure their momenta CMS uses three types of detectors: Drift tubes DT (in barrel position measurement), cathode strip chambers CSC (in endcaps position measurement), and resistive plate chambers RPC (in barrel and endcaps trigger). Energy measurement: calorimetry- by creation and total absorption of showers, either EM (light ammount) or hadronic (penetration depth). Social Work Provisions for the Elderly: History and Politics Social Work Provisions for the Elderly: History and Politics In this paper, I aim to discuss the historical and political context of social work provision for the elderly. By using and reviewing the views expressed in previous work on the elderly in our society, I hope to demonstrate the context in which social work and social care operate. One of the concerns of this essay is the impacts of discrimination and oppression on the elderly. I will discuss how listening to the views of service users is crucial to developing effective methods of providing social care. In the last two to three decades, a fairly wide body of academic work has become available, approaching the issues of ageing and of care for the elderly, within the discipline of Social Policy. Social Policy is an interdisciplinary field born from, and derived upon, other social sciences economics, politics, sociology etc. (Tinker:1992:3) Within this field, the specific discipline of gerontology the study of ageing has developed in recent decades because the elderly population has increased so sizeably in the last 50 years. Cherry Rowlings wrote in 1977 that while in 1951, just 13% of the British population was of retirement age, by 1977 this had increased to 17.3%. (Rowlings:1981:27) Since the 1970s we have seen this trend continue. This change can be attributed both to comparatively low birth rates, and the increased life expectancy. Businesses, the professions and the media are finding now that pensioners form one of their biggest markets. (Tinker: 1992: 3) Rather than using medical and biological models, social gerontology focuses on the ways in which social and cultural factors influence peoples experiences of growing older. Tinker writes that the elderly are unusual in that they have been labelled a special group in our society, and yet the only think that marks them out is their age unlike groups seen as deviant they are normal people and we all expect to join this group in time. (Tinker:1992:4) However, although not labelled deviant, the elderly have nonetheless been constructed as a problem, as Jacki Pritchard writes: An elderly person is thought to be of no use once they reach retirement age, probably because they are not seen to be producing anything for the society in which they live. They are considered to have had their life.' She notes that this differs from other cultures, in which capitalism is less advanced. (Pritchard:1992:16) And Nicholas Bosanquet has noted that the rate at which the elderly population is growing causes great anxiety in society. He cites Professor Sir Ferguson Anderson as saying in 1976, Britain faces social disaster because of the rate at which the proportion of elderly people is rising. (Bosanquet:1978:7) He goes on, The emphasis has come to be more and more on the elderly as a burden even as a threat to the standards of service or opportunity enjoyed by the rest of the population. (Bosanquet:1978:79) Changes in medicine have made illness and disability a problem particular to the elderly. Diseases that effected the young in previous centuries, have been controlled or wiped out in this country, and now children and young adults can expect to be in good health. Similarly, disability from birth is relatively rare; and blindness, deafness and mobility problems are impairments by far most commonly experienced by the elderly. (Bosanquet:1978:21) The medical model of disability has traditionally seen disability as naturally and inevitably arising out of a physical or mental impairment. The more contemporary social model, however, has argued against this, in saying that whilst a person may have a natural impairment, it is societys failure to accommodate people with this difference to the norm, which disables them. For example, though a person may be unable to walk and require the use of a wheelchair, this does not inevitably make their life so very different from the life of an able-bodied person. Rather, it is a lack of easy access to public buildings and transport, poor adaptations in housing and so on, which turn this impairment into a striking disability. In the case of elderly people, because ill health and disability is now so much restricted to the oldest generations, it is seen as natural and inevitable that older people will lead very different lives from younger adults, and that the quality of their lives will decrease. However, this can be seen as only a construction, as many of the problems faced by older people could be altered by changes in public provisions and social care. Bosanquet notes that mental health, most significantly depression, are as great a problem as physical health for the elderly. He writes that this is because the most important factors people attribute to their happiness at all stages of life, are ones which elderly people are least able to take for granted. These include: oHealth oFamily life/friends. The elderly will almost inevitably face bereavement, but also having decreased transport/mobility, and fewer places to go where they can meet and make friends, both increases their sense of isolation and decreases their independence. oFinancial/ home stability. The elderly live on pensions. The decrease in their health can lead to them losing their home. (Bosanquet: 1978:10) The elderly are increasingly separated from the rest of the population. They suffer great isolation. But policy has been seen only as pension policy. Nicholas Bosanquet argues that the Government needs to intervene not only when the elderly person has no relatives, but even in addition or instead of care from family. He stresses that policy must increase choice and opportunity, as the elderly find themselves unable to decide and control their own futures. (Bosanquet:1978:75-77) One of the most fundamental issues facing the elderly is the problem of housing. Bosanquet reports that since the 1970s, governments have been concerned with designing special flats for the elderly. These solve some housing problems and give people the opportunity to form small communities with others in their own age bracket. (Bosanquet:1978:92) He writes that this is not a new idea; in the Majority Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Law I 1909, there is mention of special housing for the elderly. However, the views of what elderly people require from housing has been deeply flawed, due to a failure of policy makers to listen to the ideas of the elderly, about what they need in day to day life. After the Second World War, there was great interest in building small housing for the elderly. However, reports of the time did not view it as necessary to provide many special features or fittings for the elderly. The post-war Rowntree Report stated that bungalows were the preferable type of housing; two-story houses provided problems for pensioners with impaired mobility, and the elderly often did not like living in flats, as they were not considered private or independent enough. The report stated that houses for the elderly people must be built with easy access to local shops, close to the persons family and friends, and near housing for younger generations so that the elderly did not feel cut off from the rest of society. The report did state that flooring and any stairs in the property must be designed for safety and ease of manueverability. This would mean using non-slip materials on flooring, and ensuring that stairs were neither too steep or built around awkward angles. However, these precautions aside, there were no provisions made for wardens or for providing a safe environment for those with health problems. (Bosanquet:1978:95) Subsequently, between 1945 and the early 70s, a good number of small flats were built, but these were not reserved exclusively for pensioners and many housed younger adults. Very few were built with any special design features which would have made them safer and more convenient for the elderly. More recently the idea of sheltered accommodation has grown up, though many people see this simply as a compromise before the nursing home. (Bosanquet:1978:97) Bosanquet concludes that the elderly need schemes which help them find a new lifestyle and to decrease their sense of isolation. Luncheon clubs, good neighbour schemes, day centres and holiday schemes are essential provisions in his view. He believes that these services are more important than simply focusing on income support; however policy makers have tended to see this is a luxury, rather than one of the essentials of government spending plans.(Bosanquet:1978:97) He argues that services should increase their focus on the over 75s. Younger retired people are more likely to still be living with spouses and in their own homes. More years after retirement, however, and any savings the person may have had will likely have run out, and pensions become increasingly inadequate whilst the cost of living actually increases, as for example the elderly person needs to spend more on maintaining their health, in heating bills and medicine/doctors fees. (Bosanquet:1978:124) While this and many other books on the subject of elderly people outline the historical, political and economic factors in pensioners lives, they do not all cite the opinions of elderly service users themselves. Very often social policy and research is based on accounts given by social workers, or by representatives of a vulnerable group for example the families of children or in this case elderly people. To address this, Jacki Pritchards book The Abuse of Elderly People includes a great deal of anecdotal evidence and transcriptions of interviews with elderly people. By focusing on cases of actual abuse, the book may appear to be dealing with an extreme aspect of poor care for the elderly it may not be expected that abuse is a concern of the majority of older people. However, the principles of the book are useful as it outlines some of the ways in which older people are discriminated against, and how many of their needs and interests are oppressed. Pritchard is keen to stress the d ifferent areas in which elderly people may be abused 1. Physical, which includes medical maltreatment and neglect. 2. Psychological abuse, including threats of abuse, humiliation, harassment, emotional neglect and threats of any kind of abuse. 3. Legal abuse, including material and personal exploitation. (Pritchard:1992:21) Elderly people are not always given othe right to choose othe right to privacy othe right to independence. Pritchard considers it vital that if a person is mentally sound, and chooses to stay with their family even when the professional considers the family to be abusive, then the social carer must do no more than offer the elderly person support and inform them of their options. However, of course, there are different standards over what is mentally sound, and even what to do if someone is not. She is also keen to point out the difference in practices between the various professions involved in an elderly persons life. Very often, the policies of the doctors, care home nurses, and social workers arein direct conflict, and the normal policies of one may seem unacceptable to another. Subsequently, what is important returns to ensuring the rights listed above are honoured, and judgement of whether or not this is done can be made only by the elderly persons own experience. (Pritchard:1992:25) Pritchard reports that carers are more likely to become abusive, when they themselves are denied adequate support. The carers sense of isolation, their resentment towards the tasks they undertake, and their lack of external support, leads to an increase in abusive behaviour towards the elderly person being cared for. As a common sense measure, therefore, policy must be adapted to provide support and respite for carers, in the interests of all parties involved. (Pritchard:1992:33) In conclusion, it has been seen that many of the problems that elderly people face could be significantly diminished by improvements in social care. Rather than being natural effects of ageing, these problems are more frequently caused by discrimination in society against older people. As society has placed most significance on the needs of younger adults, there have not been adequate provisions made for the elderly for housing, health care and social integration. In response to these needs, social work needs to take steps to reduce the oppression of older people. This will involve maximising elderly peoples ability to make independent choices in their lives, and to enjoy the same standard of life as younger adults. Above all, social workers and researchers should listen to service users as they explain what services they need. Bosanquet, Nicholas (1978) A Future for Old Age: Towards a New Society. Temple Smith: London. Pritchard, Jacki (1992) The Abuse of Elderly People: A Handbook for Professionals. Jessica Kingsley Publishing: London. Rowlings, Cherry (1981) Social Work with Elderly People. Harper Collins: London. Tinker, Anthea (1992) Elderly People In Modern Society, Third Edition. Longman: London and New York.