Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Arthur Miller Essay

Between 1949 and 1953, Arthur Miller wrote two of his most famous plays. Both plays dealt with major problems in society. The main characters of the plays were similar. Also, the supporting characters of both plays were alike. Arthur Miller’s plays Death of a Salesman and The Crucible are similar in many ways. The main purpose of both Death of a Salesman and The Crucible was to show major problems in American society. In Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller was trying to show the impossibilities of the American Dream. In The Crucible, he was trying to show how society is intolerant toward others and is prone to hysteria. Both plays dealt with society defeating the average, hard-working man. Each play showed a society that was full of deceit and liars. In both of these plays, society was depicted as an evil thing that would overpower the average person and create an unjust world. The main characters of Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, Willy Loman and John Proctor, were alike in many ways. Both of these men had extramarital affairs, and in both cases, the affairs ended up destroying their lives. Both of these men were hard-working, average men who were just trying to make a good life for themselves and their families. Names were important to both men, and they both took pride in their names. In both cases, many decisions the two made were because of their family members. One large similarity between Willy and John was the fact that they both eventually died, and the death was partly their choice. Both men could have avoided death, but instead, they chose to die because they believed it was the correct thing to do. In these two plays, there were also many similarities between the supporting characters. In both plays, children had much more power than they normally do. In Death of a Salesman, Willy’s son controlled much of his life. In The Crucible, the girls, led primarily by Abigail Williams, caused many people to be hanged, and even more to be imprisoned. Also, both John and Willy had wives that were very loyal to them throughout their lives and supported them until the end. Both plays showed a figure of power, seen as Howard in one play and Judge Danforth in the other. In both plays, the main character had a friend who stood up for them at the end. Willy had Charley, who had been his best friend for a long time, and John had Reverend Hale, who tried to prevent John’s death. There are many similarities between characters in the two plays. Death of a Salesman and The Crucible are alike in many ways. Arthur Miller created similar characters in both plays. He used both to show the many things wrong in America. These two plays are both powerful pieces of literature that should be read and appreciated by all people.Sources: Death of a Salesman and The Crucible by Arthur Miller Arthur Miller Essay Can the audience be certain that Abigail is pretending when she has her fits (pages thirty nine-forty and ninety one-ninety six) In sixteen ninety two there was an outbreak of hangings for witchcraft. Arthur Miller based â€Å"The Crucible† on the events that lead to this to create an allegory of the events that took place in the nineteen fifties, when Joseph McCarthy was the head of the investigations of the senate committee on internal security. When Abigail her fit on page ninety two, Miller leaves the audience confused because of the other girls’ reaction to what Abigail does and also to Mary Warren’s accusations. When Abigail starts imitating Mary Warren the girls copy Abigail and start using it to accuse Mary Warren of â€Å"sending a shadow on them,† so Abigail used its sudden entrance into the court to stop Mary Warren from telling the truth about what happened in the woods. The way they chose to accuse her was by imitating Mary Warren. â€Å"Mary Warren (screaming out at the top of her lungs, and raising her fists): Stop it!! Girls (raising their fists): Stop it!! † Arthur Miller adds more uncertainty by making other girls leading into the fits. This happens when Betty wakes upon page thirty nine and starts a fit off by saying, â€Å"I saw Goody Howe with the Devil! † This is effective because Betty is apparently ill at the time that this happens then â€Å"As she is speaking BETTY is rising from the bed, a fever in her eyes, and picks up the chant. † Then in a fit on page ninety two, Mercy Lewis says â€Å"Mercy Lewis (pointing): It’s on the beam! Behind the rafter! † This is when the bird has appeared and Danforth asks where it was. This is an effective strategy to employ and these points in the play because it keeps the audience guessing and wanting to know what will happen next. Mary Warren is present during both the fits that Abigail has, although in the second one on page ninety two she is the one both accusing and being accused. At the end of the fit Mary Warren has a real stress induced fit â€Å"only MARY is left there, staring up at the `bird’, screaming madly. All watch her terrified by this evident fit. † The fact that Mary Warren has now joined in isn’t the only thing that makes this effective it is that she has just changed her mind after being so resolute on telling the truth, also that this implicates Proctor as being a witch because he is the one that took her to the court. In the sixteen nineties the buildings were furnished in a minimalist fashion because people couldn’t afford much more that the essentials, for example in Betty’s bedroom would have a bed a little chest of drawers for her clothes and a chair. There would also be a few windows. Therefore it would be quite shocking seeing it filled up with mainly young girls, then when all the girls suddenly start shouting it would be overwhelming and quite confusing for an audience member seeing this for the first time. However, When Mary Warren is persuaded to go to court she seems scared of Abigail as she says; â€Å"She’ll kill me for sayin’ that! † The audience also know that Abigail has lied from the beginning about what happened in the woods, as Abigail told her uncle that all they did was dance but then Betty says â€Å"you drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor! Also in the same conversation Abigail tells Mary Warren to carry on lying, â€Å"Let either of you breathe a word about the other things and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring pointy reckoning that will shudder you. † When the girls copy Abigail they never catch on straight away they always take a while to join in, such as in the court room on page ninety two Abigail has to repeat what Mary Warren says twice before the girls start repeating as well. â€Å"The Crucible† is an allegory of what was happening in America in the nineteen fifties. When Joseph McCarthy became a senator lots of people started having trouble with being accused of being a communist. It was mainly actors, actresses and writers that were accused but once you were accused there were only two things you could do to stop yourself from being blacklisted, which meant you would find it very hard to work again, you could either admit to being a communist and still be black listed or you could do the easier thing to prove you weren’t a communist which was accuse someone else. This is very similar to â€Å"The Crucible† as Abigail feels she has to accuse Tituba so that she isn’t accused of which craft. The only two differences when you were put in this situation ware that you wouldn’t be hung for being a communist you just wouldn’t be able to find work very easily. The other difference was that in Salem you had to be a witch to be hung, whereas in America you had to be a communist. There are certain similarities between Salem and today, such as today, lots of people treat Muslims differently because other people have turned Muslims into a scapegoat and projected everything wrong with the society that they live in and been blamed on a particular group of people, which in our case is Muslims. This prejudice against particular groups of people often isn’t fair. In America they projected their fears onto communists because they were that the communist uprising in Russia would spread to America, but now we are worried because a few Muslims out of millions decided to become suicide bombers and the government used them as a means to justify the war in Iraq by demonising the main faith in that country. Overall I think that the audience wouldn’t be able to whether Abigail was pretending while she was having her fits unless they had seen â€Å"The Crucible† before, because Arthur Miller uses a lot of tactics to confuse or scare the audience.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

India Election

The current 1 5th Lok Sabha will complete its constitutional term on May 31 , 2014 By constitutional requirement, elections to the Lok Sabha must be held at most every five years or whenever parliament is dissolved by the president. The previous election, to the 1 5th Lok Sabha, was conducted in April-May 2009 and its term would naturally expire on 31 May 2014. The election will be organised by the Election Commission of India (EC') and are normally held in multiple phases to better handle the large electoral base and security concerns.Congress had a empathic victory in 2009 10k sabha elections . 1JPA- 2 started on a high by wining almost full majority of its own. However ,their second term has been marred with controversies and corruption allegations. starting with common wealth game scam,every few monthes saw a new scam coming out like Adarsh society scam and the biggest of all sharply in the past few years adding to the woes of common men. Cursed against black money and corruption by Ana Hazare and to some extent baba Ramdev has only added to the woes of congress. But congress is srewed and knows politics very well.They know that offence is the best way of defend. For every scam or corruption news come out ,they bounce back equally controversial news against Vival arties. Their projection of Rahul Gandhi,who is known as youth icon of India today after his appointment as vice-president of congress party. Lets see as a prime ministreal candidate may help them in their campaign build upto 2014 elections. Since the last general election, the BJP has made inroads by winning the state assembly elections in Goa and winning despite a tradition of anti-incumbency in Punjab.However, it lost control of Uttaranchal, Himachel Pradesh and its southern bastion of Karnataka. Use of technology In January 2013, the Election Commission of India announced that it would be using n SMS based alert system called Communication Plan for Election (COMET) during the election. The syst em, aimed at sending messages to the millions of government officials on election duty, was successfully deployed in the assembly polls in Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand andManipur in early 2012 and in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat in late 2012.The COMET system â€Å"uses coded text messages through mobile phones to collect data about officials, information about scheduled events like staff reaching the polling station, mock polls conducted, start of polling, oting percentages every two hours, number of voters in after voting time was over, and whether the poll party reached safely at the high security Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs) deposit centre. † The system would also send alerts to the local police in case of disturbances at any polling station Main opposition party Bhartiya Janta Party was left down and out after 2009 elections.BJPs arch enemy is not congres but BJP itself. lts leaders have failed to capitalize on core issues of price raise and corruption agai nst the congress. They shoud have learned from congress and other nd some other smaller parties,have been able to successfully use the anti miniorty tag againt the BJPfor ever two decades now. BJP has also lost a lot of mass appeal leaders over the years past popular leadrer in India Atal Behari Vajpayee has now retired from active politic. charsmatics learder and face of modern India ,Parmod MaJhan was killed in a tragic incident.Stalwarts like Govindacharya and Jaswant Singh were thrown out. Prime ministreal candidate Murli Manohar Joshi has been made to sit on the side lines with no influence on national level politics. L. K. Advani is lose to retirement years and fire brand Sushma SwaraJ hasn't proved to be a winner yet. That leaves the party with only one leadear of mass appeal,Narender Modi who may not yet able to handle national politics alone,and behind him a dark shade of communlist tag. Beside every one knows congress will play the anti miniorty tag against him quite well. BJP has also destoried its chance by not farming stretigc alliance with other parties in state. It used to have an alliance with AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and Mamta Banerjee'sTMS , IN West Bengal ,BJD in Orissa and recently JDU OF Bihar . BJPS loss has been congress gain. Third Fornt Parties: Third fornt parties have been redused to play a miniorty role at the center over the past few years. Leaders like Lalu Parsad,Mulayam Singh YadavJaya Lalta,Mayawati are no Govt. ln this case of congress.Left fornt has already become non-existent after the debaile in 2011 assembly elections and it had be highly unlikely that they,had make any come back by 2014. For the past few years, most of third fornt allies have been thob-nobbing with congress ,which raises doubt on their very existence. Third fornt was formed to combat BJP as well as congress ,but if u are going to chossse congress fter polls every time ,then won't it better for peoples to vote for congress dereibly third fornt needs to get its priorities right and decide on their future survavial options ,because as of now their future looks black.The contender's For India Election 2014 Though congress may not admit it yet,but Manmohan Singh be showen door out,and congress may be prefer to field Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministreal candidate in 2014. 1t may be too early for Rahul to lead nation as he has not proven his political accumen yet,but after the negative reviews UPA-2 is gathering,congress may want to hange Manmohan Singh. As for BJP the choice is only Narender Modi havng good record at regional level but no influence at national level yet. The Prime Ministreal Candidate: 1 Gandhi or Manmohan Singh. :NDA:- Narender Mod'. 3:Third Fornt:-Depends upon which party gets most seats. Slogans Of Parties: UPA:-Secularism NDA:-Hindu Rashtar OTHERS:-Rural Deviopment MANIFESTO:- UPA:-The congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi and prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh realeasd the party manifesto,the menifestolists some promises wit h special focus on miniortes,dalits and tribal communities. Reiteraing its national rural employment gaurntee act schamethe congress has promised 100 days work for Rs 100a day,as an entitlement under MNAREGA.The congres has promised to enact a right to food law that gurantee food for all. lt has announced that every family living below poverty line will be entaitled 25 kg of rice or wheat per month at rate of3 3 per kg. The manifesto subsieded community kitchens,which will be set up in all cities for homeless peoples and migrants,with the support of the central govt. In the health sector,congress has declared that every family living below poverty line will be overed by the rashtrya swasthy bima youJna over the next three years. he party has promised social security cover for the disabaled,the elderly,urban home less,released bonded labourers,members of primitive tribalgroups and membersof the most backward dalit communites. S In order to woo the miniorites community,the congress pl ans to implement reservation for miniortes,on the basis of social and economic backwardness govt Jobs and educational institutions. The party has promised to set up an equal opportunity commission to ensure that the sachar commission recommendations are implemented and the miniortes are not deprived in any atter.The party has reterated the contenation promise of implementing33 % reservation for womens in parliament and he state legislature ,which it had to failed promised to reserve one third of all central govtJobs for womens. The congress has promised free education from primary till the university education for students from dali and tribalcommnites. continuing its incentives for the schedule castesand schedule tribe communites. To cheak communal and caste related violence,congress has proposed a law that empower the nationalhuman rights commission to monitor nvestigation and trail in all such cases.Declering a zero tolarence policy towards terrorism. The party has focused on its core areas of farmers ,womens,the socially backword sections. Through its wide range of promises,the congress is trying to projecta govt which will work on inclusive growth,encompassing all sections of society. NDA: 1,To develop a prosperous powerful Nation. 2,for stability and secular india needs a decive leader. 3,National security fear shall no longer stalk this land. 3,Engaging the world India' voice shall be heared.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Dnata travel report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dnata travel report - Essay Example The insurance cover is one of the important tools in any business operation and is an indicator of concern regarding those who come in and out of the travel agency. Further, it involves activities such as transportation and cruise services, and involvement in sporting events. Finally, the services are for enhancing relations of numerous people coming in and out of the booking offices as well as hotels and field. Mission of Dnata Travel Agency Mission refers to the major activities that an established firm undertakes. The major operations of the Dnata traveling agency include offering holiday packages. This usiful as most of the travelers look forward to inquiring a place they can spend their holiday with their families. Dnata management staffs play the role of insuring the traveling agency runs on well with an increase in profits. Insurance covers are not only for an organization but also for those who visit the agency (Schwab et al, 2008). Insurance covers all staff members are nece ssary. Insuring of the agency denotes that there is compensation to all individuals (whether the staffs or travelers) in case of occurrence of the insured risk. This in itself is a way of attracting more travelers into the premises, as there is an assurance of consideration of their lives. Objective and vision of Dnata traveling agency Vision refers to what a particular organization or adpersons desires to do in future. It means a call for ability of individuals to advance the services initially offered, in a manner that the services will be more satisfying. Comparing with diverse changes in technology, services offered should be of high-tech and better when compared to services of other competing organizations. Dnata traveling agency looks forward to the establishment of and necessitating travelers to get use of online booking of tickets. Managerial staff of Dnata also moves ahead to improve accommodation services. In setting objectives, it is of essence to consider the questions w hat services to offer, who to offer the services, and who to access the services (Schwab et al, 2008). Pre-approach Before having access to the services provided by Dnata travel agency, individuals have to either register online or directly with the relevant offices. However, individuals may deliberately appear in person and inquire for relevant tickets to the agency. There are business meetings held to collect information about a certain subject discussed. Discussions are between travelers and top managerial agency staffs. The primary reason for the meeting is to determine the quality of services offered and strategies to improve the services (Schwab et al, 2008). Approach prospecting Potential customers of any organization are the individuals outside the organization who are ready to access the services and products provided in specific organizations. Dnata is the leading travel agency in the Middle East, specifically in Thailand and in amongst other worldly agencies, it appears t o be the fourth largest. To be part of the travelers is an indicator of ecstasy especially for those coming from far countries to take refuge on the agency. Through insurance services, the managing staffs of Dnata include several things such as compensation in case of cancellation of flights (Schwab et al, 2008). There is a follow up of departure, especially where the agency staffs fail to spot tickets of some several individuals. Dnata travel

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Mediation Critique Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Mediation Critique Case Study - Essay Example The environment of the mediation room is deemed to be the most crucial factor for ensuring the success of mediation conducted between Randy and Brett. Apart from the physical setup of the room, the less tangible factors also contribute into influencing the decision-making of the parties as well as the mediator. From the mediation conducted, it can be understood that the environment was calm as well as safe for the parties with respect to negotiation (00:14). Besides, in order to ensure the success of the mediation plan, only three people were present at the conference room including the mediator, Randy and Brett (00:47). Furthermore, the comfort of both the parties involved in the mediation was deemed to be crucial and thus the environment was kept peaceful to facilitate proper communication and create a problem-solving atmosphere (00:25; 01:02).  In the opening statement, the mediator introduced herself and presented a brief idea about the tasks that will be performed for reaching into a common agreement between the involved parties (00:08). The mediator stated that the main objective of the session conducted was to reach a mutual agreement between Randy and Brett so as to evade any sort of conflicting situation further (01:19).  Besides, the mediator also highlighted the fact that full confidentiality of the information will be maintained. In addition, the mediator also mentioned that partiality will be avoided on both the sides in order to bring out favorable or positive outcomes.  

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Psychology of Training & Development - Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Psychology of Training & Development - - Essay Example That would be a measurable and statistically significant improvement achieved. (b) State the statistical test you would use to analyse the data from the experiment in order to test the hypotheses you have set out in part (a). Describe the purpose of this test and any conditions that should be observed in using it. (350 words) One should realize that there is only so much that one test can measure. â€Å"[M]easuring organizational culture, of itself, is only a means to an end† (Chmiel 2000, pp. 362). The statistical test that would be used to analyse the data from the experiment would be SPSS software. This would be able to measure the relative level of success or failure that the participants had with regard to using the computer model as well as the level of success using the 2-D floor plan. Luckily, this organization unfroze, realizing its necessity to change or face similar catastrophes in the future on the oil-platform. â€Å"‘[U]nfreezing’ involves showing t he organization that it needs to change and overcoming resistance to change† (Doyle 2003, pp. 66). Of course, conditions that should be observed in using such software include the actual environments in which the tests were conducted, not to mention the attitude of the managers who took tests as well which would analyse their attitudes towards their workers. There are â€Å"†¦managers†¦less concerned about the accuracy of ratings than†¦the organization† (Landy & Conte 2009, pp. 261). Obviously, the managers of the oil-platform should be given batteries of tests in order to evaluate how well they react to real-time emergencies. Managers who can keep their emotions in check during a disaster could save lives. â€Å"Emotion and emotion management are a prominent feature of organizational life†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Briner 1999, pp. 347). Additionally, the work motivation that is demonstrated by everyone will hopefully be present in other tests that could be done on all workers. It is true that â€Å"†¦more journal space over the years has been devoted to work motivation than to any other area of organizational psychology† (Levy 2009, pp. 229). The purpose of the SPSS test would basically be to analyse the data provided with regard to how the workers performed in terms of being able to evacuate quickly as well as perform well on the computer modules. This would demonstrate workers’ competency or lack thereof in their respective areas of expertise as workers on this oil-platform. Such testing must be part of normal organizational practices. (c) Critically review the design of the experiment

Friday, July 26, 2019

Summary and conclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summary and conclusion - Essay Example Investigations need to be carried out in order to create a pollution free shed. Urban stream parameters of shed need to be investigated as well. Major reasons that these investigations should be carried out are to identify the presence of heavy metals in the shed and to make sure that they stay in required limits or steps taken if their quantity increases. Investigations should also be carried out on shed’s river basin to ascertain its water quality and to render it fit for use or otherwise. Industrial wastes, use of land for ecological contamination and mixing of shed’s water with wastes are the reasons behind these investigations too. Three groups were established for the purpose of investigation. Each group was assigned to analyze the water shed for three different types of contaminants namely heavy metals, Nutrients and the third group would conduct a site survey. The presence and quantity of heavy metals such as Alkalinity and chromium etc. and nutrients such as ni trates and phosphates etc was to be ascertained by the groups. Site survey group was supposed to analyze water for turbidity, ammonia and chlorine etc. Samples were taken and sent to lab tests specific for each of the analyte performed. The results were recorded in PPM i.e. parts per million. The sample turning Pink, Dark pink and Dark blue indicated the presence of Alkalinity, Chromium and Copper. For nutrients, A dark blue color indicated phosphates, Dark pink color indicated excessive amounts of nitrates and an orange color of the sample indicated the presence of dissolved oxygen the presence of which is considered very crucial for aquatic life and its sustainability. The tests that were conducted by the Site Survey group indicated the presence of contaminants as follows: A dark pink color indicated excessive chlorine in water although chlorine is usually not present in fresh water. Light green to dark blue color indicated the presence of Ammonia in quantities from less to excess ive and turbity was identified by the level of clouding present in the sample tubes. When compared, the results of the two samples taken from South Platte and Cherry Creek came out relatively different. Both the samples had good quantities of dissolved Oxygen although their values differ due to the location of the samples taken from. Another important factor that stood in the results was the dangerous levels of nitrates found in certain areas of the river basin and shed making the water unsafe for use in those areas. Alkalinity was consistent in shed as well as the areas of river basin. Hardness also varied in different areas but it is of not much concern as hard water has been acclaimed fit for use due to the presence of minerals and nutrients in it which are rather healthy. Turbidity in those areas was also found to be varying. All these contaminants varying in their actual quantities giving varying results is supposed to be different nature of water and soil in the areas from whe re these samples were taken. As the composition of the soil underneath changes with area, there is a very strong chance that the constituents, alkalinity and hardness of water might also change in that area. Also, different contaminants entered the stream at different levels such as industrial waste and ecological contamination. It may also affect the constituency of water and make it more or less harmful. Good levels of dissolved oxygen found in the water made it fit for the aquatic life to survive but at the same time increased quantities of

Effects of Platelet-rich Plasma Injections Thesis

Effects of Platelet-rich Plasma Injections - Thesis Example History of Injury Most of the patients had missed at least one game or practice within the last year due to an elbow injury (93.8%) with only one individual making all their games and practices (Table 2). In addition the majority of patients reported diagnosis of a UCL injury, although four (25%) had been given no diagnosis. The diagnoses included tear to the UCL (83.3%), partial UCL tear (8.3%), stress fracture (8.3%) and torn flexor tendon (25%). Many individuals were diagnosed with multiple types of injuries; hence the percentages indicate what percentage of diagnosed patients had a particular type of injury. Treatments that had been taken for the injury varied across rest, therapy, steroid injection, PRP or surgery. All patients had been given PRP injections, as this was a criterion for inclusion in the study. In addition, each patient had used at least one other method, with one patient using all five types, and eight patients (50%) using all but steroid injection as a method of treatment. Rest and therapy were the most popular treatments aside from PRP, with 14 patients (87.5%) using rest as a method of treatment, and 15 (93.7%) reporting use of therapy. Surgery was also popular, with ten patients (62.5%) reporting using surgery as a treatment for their UCL injury. Most patients had a single PRP injection, with only one patient having two and one having three. Time from the PRP injection to first picking up a baseball to throw ranged from two weeks to 16, with an average of 7.3 weeks. Patients were asked to give level of pain on a scale of 0-10 both before the PRP injection and the first time they picked up the baseball to pitch following the injection. The average score before the injection was 3.6, while afterwards it was 6.6. A total of 11 patients (68.8%) reported decrease in pain between before the PRP injection, and the first time they picked up the ball afterwards, four (25%) reported an increase in pain, while one did not give a pain level for after PRP injection. The result for the individual that did not give a pain level can be disregarded for this calculation, making the total proportion of patients that reported a decrease in pain to be 73.3%, and the proportion that reported an increase in pain to be 26.7%. There was some correlat ion between level of pain and weeks recovery time, but not in all cases (Figure 1). Figure 1: This graph shows the level of reported pain per patient compared with the number of weeks of recovery before they picked up the ball to pitch. Reported complications were relatively low, with only three patients (18.8%) reporting a long term increase in pain following the treatment, one (6.25%) reporting tingling or numbness, one (6.25%) reporting increased pressure and tightness, and four (25%) reporting decreased mobility in their elbow. Satisfaction with the PRP treatment was given on a scale of 0 to ten, with an average of 6.8. However, the average does not give the true picture, as responses were dichotomous, with most patients being either highly happy

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Evaluating Fictive-Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evaluating Fictive-Narrative - Essay Example He effectively illustrated that the abstract understanding is enhanced when studying the physical object. John was greatly fascinated with nature and science from a very early age. His father was a scientist in the area of Surgery, thus he occasionally communicated with John on issues concerning general science. The literature explains that John used to observe the activities of small living organisms such as the insects that are commonly found on the tree barks. He developed curiosity on how the insects manage to hatch or come forth from the dung. During childhood, John developed keen interest in the bodies of dead animals like the pigs. He wanted to observe the pig more closely to satisfy his curiosity. They obtained the dead animals from the slaughterhouse, before they are taken by the butchers or meat suppliers. During analysis of the dead animals, he used several procedures and equipments. He used the knife to slice the carcass, and then remove the intriguing organs such as the liver, lungs and heart. He observed that the features and characteristics of the hearts varied, from one animal to another. His father taught him great lessons in natural science and surgery through practical procedures, more so the animal dissection techniques. The father explained that the surgical procedures conducted on animals, was very similar to procedures conducted on human beings. The father taught him the general functioning of the body organs. The esophagus is the channel that the food follows, so as to make blood. The food enters the stomach, then liver and also the heart. The heart pumps the blood to other body parts or organs through the phlebes. Aristotle was taught by his father that blood is the main source of nourishment to the body. Therefore, John illustrated adequate capabilities of being a natural scientist. John was effectively guided in his medical training by the medical school lecturers, instructors and

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Market Analysis and Prospects for Timber Buildings in The Developing Essay

Market Analysis and Prospects for Timber Buildings in The Developing World - Essay Example The rapid growth in industrialization, urbanization and civilization brought many problems by which not only human beings but also all the other livening things are suffering and our entire planet has come in danger. It has been now the major priority to save our planet from being deteriorated. In such a situation before creating anything the environmental factor is taken into consideration. Construction line is also not at all exceptional. Today as all of us are acquainted with the drawbacks of the concrete or steel buildings, it has become necessary to think the other alternatives which the environment also will accept and it won’t be harmful to the environment. The research paper aims at investigating how beneficial it will be to use the timber in constructing the buildings. The objective of this research therefore is to study different benefits of using timber in building material. It is also the aim of this research to find out the profitability in using timber for constructing the buildings and houses in rural and urban areas in developing world. For this the scientific, ecological benefits are analysed and the future market of timber buildings is also focussed. The project represents a significant portion of the final year work of a degree programme. Progress during the year and the final report are both used as part of the assessment process. For this 150 hours have been spend in research and preparation of the final report. The topic for the research project is the â€Å"Market Analysis and Prospects of Timber Buildings in Developing World.† Timber has been an ideal material for building. Historically it is proved that wood has an inherent strength and durability and that is why it is an ideal material for building. Today when the architects and engineers plan to build the buildings they look at timber as their preference. In ancient time the man used to build the houses made by the Lignocelluloses

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Annotated bibliography of sources Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Of sources - Annotated Bibliography Example Lastly, the author points out the contribution of growing population to greenhouse gas emissions. Tao, M., Chen, L., Wang, Z., Ma, P., Tao, J., & Jia, S. (2014). A study of urban pollution and haze clouds over northern China during the dusty season based on satellite and surface observations. Atmospheric Environment, 82183-192. doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2013.10.010 Tao, M., Chen, L., Wang, Z., Ma, P., Tao, J., and Jia, S explain a large scale study carried on northern China during spring. The study, which was carried out using satellite and ground observations aimed to identify and evaluate the process of urban pollution. The study also explains the different types of haze clouds found in Beijing area. Therefore, the information found in this article is important in explaining formation hazy weather in China. China Daily is a newspaper published daily in the Peoples Republic of China. In addition, the newspaper is written in English language making it easy to be understood by many professionals in the world. Apart from the language used to print, the newspapers is resourceful and reliable in this research because newspaper information is highly regulated by the government and undergoes some vetting within the company to ensure it is from reliable sources before being printed. Therefore, the information concerning car pollution is verifiable and can be used in our study. Greenpeace International is a non-governmental organization that is concerned with environmental conditions in the world. The organization is keen on environmental developments and actively collects relevant data to ascertain environmental conditions in order to create awareness and give propositions on how the conditions can be dealt with. In this article, the organization points out the problems and impacts of air pollution in China. The organization further gives simple solutions that can be used to solve the problem of air pollution in China. Therefore,

Monday, July 22, 2019

Teaching Strategies Adopted by the Teachers in Science High School Handling II-Acacia Essay Example for Free

Teaching Strategies Adopted by the Teachers in Science High School Handling II-Acacia Essay Abstract The researchers sought to determine the teaching strategies of the II-Acacia teachers. This study intends to help various people. The data gathered in the study will be beneficial to the students, faculty, parents, DepEd, and future researchers. Through this study, the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching strategies can be determined. Specifically, it will seek answers to the following sub-problems: 1. What teaching strategies are used by the teachers? 2. What teaching strategies are most often and most seldom used by the teachers? 3. What are the implications of the findings to classroom instruction? 4. What are the recommendations to improve classroom instruction? The researchers used questionnaires. The questionnaires were distributed to teachers. Afterwards, the data was retrieved then organized in tabular form. Then it was copied in to the SPSS. Each teaching strategy employed in the II-Acacia was interpreted one by one. Then, a conclusion was derived. Introduction Since the beginning of time teachers started to pass on their knowledge to their students, over the years they started developing techniques for teaching from basic demonstration to the use of visual aids. Teachers have become an integral part in the society; they provide knowledge to make the child ready when we become adults. Teachers have different strategies to use for the students to learn. According to oregon. gov there are 4 varieties of teaching methods and these are Demonstration, Question and Answer, Role Play, and Short Lecture. As part of a teacher’s teaching strategy they also have a variety of teaching materials which they can use. These can be Audiovisual, Interactive computer, or Games. A teacher is nothing without a student. Students are the main reason why teachers exist. Students have learning techniques to suit them. According to mindtools. com students have 8 learning styles these are Sensory, Intuitive, Visual, Verbal, Active, Reflective, Sequential, and Global. Sensory learners prefer concrete, practical, and procedural information. They look for the facts. Intuitive learners prefer conceptual, innovative, and theoretical information. They look for the meaning. Visual learners prefer graphs, pictures, and diagrams. They look for visual representations of information. Verbal learners prefer to hear or read information. They look for explanations with words. Active learners prefer to manipulate objects, do physical experiments, and learn by trying. They enjoy working in groups to figure out problems. Reflective learners prefer to think things through, to evaluate options, and learn by analysis. They enjoy figuring out a problem on their own. Sequential learners prefer to have information presented linearly and in an orderly manner. They put together the details in order to understand the big picture emerges. Global learners prefer a holistic and systematic approach. They see the big picture first and then fill in the details. Research Problem The researchers want to determine what learning method is commonly used and evaluate it if the learning technique is really effective. This study evaluates and assesses the different teaching strategies of teachers utilized by the teacher in AQ Science High School. The researchers will use SPSS as the statistical tool to evaluate the data. Specifically, it seeks answers to the following sub-problems: 1. What teaching strategies are used by the teachers? 2. What teaching strategies are most often and most seldom used by the teachers? 3. What are the implications of the findings to classroom instruction? 4. What are the recommendations to improve classroom instruction? Related Literature and Studies Institutions of higher learning across the nation are responding to political, economic, social and technological pressures to be more responsive to students needs and more concerned about how well students are prepared to assume future societal roles. Faculty are already feeling the pressure to lecture less, to make learning environments more interactive, to integrate technology into the learning experience, and to use collaborative learning strategies when appropriate. Teaching methods are best articulated by answering the questions, What is the purpose of education? and What are the best ways of achieving these purposes? † For much of prehistory, educational methods were largely informal, and consisted of children imitating or modelling their behaviour on that of their elders, learning through observation and play. In this sense, the children are the students, and the elder is the teacher; a teacher creates the course materials to be taught and then enforces it. Pedagogy is a different way by which a teacher can teach. It is the art or science of being a teacher, generally referring to strategies of instruction or style of instruction. Resources that help teachers teach better are typically a lesson plan, or practical skill involving learning and thinking skills. A curriculum is often set by the Government with precise standards. These standards can change frequently, depending on what the Government states. A study from . asian-efl-journal, the bulk of research into Chinese students’ problem with plagiarism in both the Anglophone and Chinese contexts has given much attention to the culture/education versus language debate, and the development versus morality debate. This study explored the views of two groups of Chinese college English teachers in those regards, one with an experience of English-medium academic training (the PGDELT trainee teachers, n = 29) and the other without (the EFL in-service teachers, n = 30). All participants completed a questionnaire with a few being interviewed. The results indicated that (a) the EFL in-service teachers tended to see Chinese college EFL learners’ plagiarism more as a linguistic problem, whereas the PGDELT trainee teachers tended to see it more as a cultural/educational problem; and (b) the EFL in-service teachers seemed to take a moral perspective as indicated by their penalty-oriented approach to the learners’ plagiarism, whereas the PGDELT trainee teachers appeared to take a more developmental perspective as shown by their pedagogy-oriented approach to the learners’ plagiarism. However, while there seems to be strong evidence for the differences between the two groups in their perceptions regarding the culture/education versus language debate, there is only limited evidence for their different perceptions concerning the development versus morality debate. Moreover, the two groups were also found to differ to some extent in their perceptions concerning the causes of, remedial approaches, and punitive reactions to student plagiarism. Finally, the implications of this study are discussed and recommendations for future research presented. Most teachers and pupils have experienced misunderstanding in an English as a Foreign Language class. Take for example this episode of a teacher being puzzled by a pupil coming to the board, because he said, â€Å"Can’t hear! † (not â€Å"come here ! †). Communication is ruined if there is phonological misunderstanding. Troubetskoy explains that a learner is deaf to foreign sounds, which receive an incorrect phonological interpretation since they are â€Å"strained through the phonological sieve of one’s mother tongue†. As a result, there are numerous misinterpretations (1986, p. 54). This shows how tricky phonological appropriation can be for EFL teaching. By phonological appropriation, we mean matters of sounds, that is phonetics -the study of speech sounds , but also, rhythm and intonation, phonology â€Å"the abstract way phonemes function† (Roach, 2000, p. 44), as well as a mastering level of a linguistic form and its meaning, allowing a learner to use it in an authentic communication situation. Interaction is social and reveals how communication between the learner and other speakers leads to the FL appropriation. By interaction, we mean a language-dynamic communicative exchange among individuals in a functional pragmatic frame (Bailly, 1998, p. 135). This paper is based on both research and teaching, since its author is a researcher and a teacher trainer; it aims at raising this crucial question: Can oral interaction be a trigger to phonetic and phonological appropriation? To start with, this was posed to a group of 80 EFL supervisors coaching teacher trainees in partnership with the University School of Education in Reunion Island (IUFM de la Reunion, France) and their answers were staggering: Can interaction activities favour phonological learning? Yes: 9 No: 39 Don’t know: 32 Can discrimination activities favour phonological learning? Yes: 63 No: 13 Don’t know: 4 This quick survey shows that, unlike discrimination, interaction is not necessarily considered as a means of furthering phonological appropriation. By discrimination, we mean an auditory decoding process allowing the learner to match a speech sound with what he knows. The above-mentioned survey indeed raises many more questions: What about the consequent distinction between the conscious and unconscious process? What about the dichotomy between a form-focused versus a meaning-focused process? What is the respective role of input and output in phonological appropriation? To what extent can motivation help? The main problem raised here is whether cognitive psychology can address all questions, and what could be done to sort it out. It will therefore be worth wondering in this qualitative, descriptive, analytic and experimental study, whether oral interaction, which is now a full skill in the Common European Frame of Reference for Languages, can be seen as a real trigger to phonological appropriation. This study is built on a teacher trainee’s experience in Reunion Island, Indian Ocean. Reunion is the 23rd French region. L1 is Creole French; L2 is French. The major first foreign language taught at school is English (80% choose English, the others taking Spanish, German, Chinese or Tamil). Pupils start learning English as early as primary teaching at the age of 7. The teacher trainee involved is a 24-year-old French-speaking colleague who studied English both at the local university and abroad through an Erasmus exchange programmed. She passed the national competitive proficiency exam for EFL secondary teaching (known as CAPES). The University school of education tutor, who is also the author of this article, visits her in class three times in the year. The class involved is a B1 class (Threshold level in the CEFRL) of 24 fifteen-year-old teenagers. The school mentioned is a secondary high school. This group level is somewhat average with a majority of girls. The group personality is somewhat inhibited and introverted. Their fluency is slowed down by pronunciation difficulties. None has gone to an English speaking country before and all often feel self-conscious when they have to communicate in a foreign language. Our analysis will be threefold. We shall first examine an experience in this B1 class, in which phonology is acquired through phonological discrimination and tested through interaction. We will therefore deduce theoretical and practical issues. In a second part, we will enlarge our theoretical scope and try to find answers to our issues. Eventually, this will lead to a second experience and us to practical assumptions in the same B1 class, this time integrating oral interaction as a trigger to phonological appropriation. A comparison between the two similar assessments should be revealing: sound acquisition, word and sentence rhythm, intonation will be tested by three persons, the trainee for the sounds, the supervisor (a qualified teacher at that school) for rhythm, and myself (a lecturer and a trainer at the university school of education) for intonation. An average class situation was set up in November 2006 (Classe de seconde 4, 24 pupils, Lycee Boisjoly Potier, Tampon, Reunion) taught by our teacher trainee. The sequence was planned for three lessons. The cultural unifier was violence in New York. Two documents were studied: â€Å"Rudolph Giuliani† (Appendix 1) as a listening activity (Assou, 2004, p. 57), â€Å"New York City Mayor disturbed by police officer’s use of force†, November 28, 2006 (Appendix 2), as a reading activity. Once listening and reading, together with speaking will be over, phonology will be acquired through listening discrimination. A final interaction test should help to measure this acquisition. Related Studies The respondents from the college of Nursing and Health Sciences of ­ten preferred to use the following teaching methods: Lecture/Discussion Combination, Class Discussion and In-class Demonstration. They rarely preferred to use Jigsaw Method, Guest speakers, Oral presentations and Panel of experts. The data indicate that some faculty still hold the traditional passive view of learning which involves situations where materials are delivered to students using a lecture-based format. Although the findings of a study by de Caprariis, Barman and Magee (2001) suggest that lecture leads to the ability to recall facts and discussion produces higher level compre ­hension, a more modern view of learning where students are expected to be active in the learning process by participating in collaborative activi ­ties may prove more effective. A research on group-oriented discussion methods has shown that team learning and student-led activities not only produce favorable student performance outcomes, but also foster greater participation, self confidence and leadership ability (Perkins and Saris, 2001; Yoder and Hochevar, 2005). The results of the study of Hunt, Haidet, Coverdale, and Richards (2003) on the student performance in team learning methods show positive learning outcomes as compared to traditional lecture-based methods. In contrast to these findings, a study by Barnes and Blevins (2003) sug ­gests that active, discussion-based methods are inferior to the tradition ­al lecture-based method. However, a comparison of lecture combined with discussion versus active, cooperative learning methods by Morgan, Whorton, and Gunsalus (2000) demonstrated that the use of the lec ­ture combined with discussion resulted in superior retention of material among students. The Polytechnic Institute (PI) supports the curricula designed to culti ­vate and promote among the students high levels of scholarship, desire to seek understanding, a solid foundation in professional and personal responsibility, desire for service, and an ability/willingness to serve as leaders within both the engineering and architecture profession and soci ­ety. Thus, the graduate of PI must possess the ability to identify, formu ­late and execute solutions to multidisciplinary problems encountered in the practice of engineering and architecture. In order to realize these objectives, the faculty of the PI adopts certain teaching methods adapted to the subject matter, capacity of the students, situational needs and related to actual life situations and practices. The data show that the respondents from the Polytechnic Institute always preferred Lecture/Discussion Combination and role playing. Also they always preferred to use lab work and applied projects as teaching methods. They never preferred the Jigsaw Method; Index Card Exercise; Guided Imagery; Socratic Methods; ILPE Method and Brain Writing. The development of problem-solving skills is one of the primary goals of the PI curricula. Problem solving involves five basic components: rec ­ognize and define the problem; formulate the model and identify vari ­ables, knowns and unknowns; select an appropriate solution technique and develop appropriate equations; apply the solution technique (solve the problem); and validate the solution. Solution validation is one of the most important steps in this process and includes interpreting the solu ­tion, identifying its limitations, and assessing its reasonableness using appropriate approximate solutions or common sense. Allowing the stu ­dents to engage in lab work and project studies will help them develop problem solving skills. Also, role playing when properly used introduces problem situation dramatically, provides opportunity for the students to assume roles of others and thus appreciate another point of view. Fur ­thermore, it allows the students to explore solutions and provides oppor ­tunity to practice the skills. The faculty of the College of Business Administration envision to contrib ­ute to the intellectual and personal growth and development of the students and to enhance the competence of the students to engage in all phases of business activity and management. In order to achieve these objectives, the data show that they always preferred Lecture/Discussion Com ­bination and Class Discussion but rarely preferred to use Jigsaw Method, Index Card Exercise and Panel of experts as teaching methods. This means that the faculty of the College of Business Administration believed that by using the Lecture method combined with class discus ­sion, the students would be able to acquire knowledge on the core areas of business, perceive the global nature of organizational and economic activities, recognize the role of law and ethics in business behaviour, un ­derstand and appreciate the impact of demographic diversity on organi ­zations and understand and appreciate the impact of sustainability and the natural environment on organizations, the impact of organizations on sustainability and the natural environment, understand organizations and the process of management, develop the ability to work effectively, inde ­pendently and collaboratively, and integrate core area skills in problem solving and decision making. The College of Arts, Sciences and Education brings together disciplines in the arts, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social scienc ­es and education t o form the intellectual heart of the University. It fosters liberal education, promotes lifelong learning, research, creative activ ­ity, social and professional responsibility, and growth. To these ends, its faculty challenges students to think critically and intuitively, cross disci ­plinary boundaries, recognize and value diverse perspectives, and solve problems creatively by through the use of different teaching methods. Since the College of Arts, Sciences and Education is committed to a liberal education orientation, it must provide the students with oppor ­tunities for: expansion of the boundary of knowledge, preservation and enrichment of a countrys cultural heritage, development of personal and social adjustment, cultivation of intelligent citizenship, acquisition of self-discovery and self-understanding, development of an oral and writ ­ten competency, maximization of the capacity for critical and imagina ­tive thinking, and understanding of international relations and affairs. This awareness of the commonly held objectives of the college provided broad bases for the faculty’s use of various teaching activities and meth ­ods. Thus, in this college, learning should provide opportunities beyond the knowledge of the subject matter of a particular course. The courses should not be restricted to the instruction of abstract theories, but should afford opportunities for students to develop skills of effective oral and written expression, to improve their ability to relate to others, to learn to think critically and scientifically, and to feel the need for continuous growth even outside the university campus. The importance of such in ­tellectual and social stimulation beyond the mere knowledge parameters of the course content should be emphasized. The college has the following major departments: Natural sciences, Mathematics, Social Sciences, LLH/Communication and MAPE/Profes ­sional Education. It is assumed that the teaching methods used in the class may differ from subject to subject since the method that the faculty may prefer to use may depend on the goals of the subject. The goal of the Natural Sciences component of the curriculum is to help the students increase their scientific literacy and capacity to ap ­proach scientific materials intelligently, and to convey the general understanding of science as a way of looking at the world. In order to achieve these goals, the faculty of the Natural Sciences Depart ­ment often preferred to use Lecture/Discussion Combination, Team Project Method, lab work, Worksheets/Surveys, In-class Demonstra ­tion, Panel of Experts and Explanatory Discussion as their teaching methods. However, the data show that the respondents had never preferred to use guest speakers, applied projects, Simulation and the ILPE Method. The next data on the teaching method preferences are from the Mathematics teachers of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education. The findings of the study show that this group of respondents always preferred in-class exercises. This group of respondents never preferred to use Jigsaw Method, guest speakers, Videotapes, Report-Back Session, Role Playing, Panel of ex ­perts, Explanatory Discussion, Reflective Discussion, Debate, ILPE Method, Guided Imagery, Brain Writing and PBL as teaching methods. This implies that the faculty adopted these teaching methods in order to provide the students precision in numerical expression, logical thinking and problem solving. However, other instructional methods may also be proven effective for developing mathematical comprehension. The most important of these could be the use of hands-on, active learning tech ­niques in the classroom. Of equal import is the need to make students understand the utility of the material they are being taught. Students need to understand and appreciate the need for their courses. Many students leave their mathematics courses thinking that the material will never be used in their courses. It is essential that mathematics courses have some future value in their program of studies. The mathematics portion of a student’s curriculum should not be simply something â€Å"to get through. † This means that the faculty teaching mathematics and others must coor ­dinate their curriculum. They must teach concepts and methods that are applicable to current practice, and these methods must be employed in other curriculum within a reasonable time period after the students learn the techniques. In mathematics teaching, teachers provide students with adequate oppor ­tunities to engage in math activities to help them in the self-exploration and cooperation and exchange in the process to really understand and master the mathematics knowledge and skills, ideas and methods, and to learn valuable math. Thus, participation and learning efficiency of the method is used when appropriate relevant. The social sciences component of the curriculum aims to make the stu ­dents aware of the general problems and issues, especially those with relevance to the Philippine society; and to enhance students’ awareness of the importance of scientific approaches to the discussion and analysis of social issues. In order to achieve these aims, the faculty teaching the social sciences always preferred Brainstorming as their teaching method but rarely preferred Role Playing, Role Playing, Index Card Exercise and Panel of experts. Another data of the teaching method preferences are from the LLH/Com ­munication faculty of College of Arts, Sciences and Education. The data indicates that this group of faculty often preferred Lecture/Discus ­sion Combination, in-class exercises, Brainstorming, Class Discussion, Explanatory Discussion, Reflective Discussion and Simulation. Most probably these are the teaching methods that the faculty teaching LLH/Communication perceived that could provide the students with effec ­tive communication skills in both English and Filipino, foster critical understanding and appreciation of how people give expression to their experiences in the world, develop in the students the students to see the grammatical relationships between words, group of words and sentence within the discourse level; train the students in the effective use of ver ­bal and non-verbal symbols towards ethical speech communication; and develop in the students writing skills in their respective discipline. Like ­wise, these teaching methods will help them teach the students how to reflect on the totality of the human experience; formulate for themselves a human perspective that integrates all branches of knowledge in a pro ­found understanding of the individual as well as society; and contribute to the understanding of the beautiful and the good in human experience. They rarely preferred to use Jigsaw Method, Report-Back Session, Team Project Method, lab work, Worksheets/Surveys, Index Card Exercise, Guided Imagery and In-class Demonstration as teaching methods. The faculty teaching MAPE and Professional Education are committed to the production of quality teachers who could be at par with the other pro ­fessionals through a deliberate effort to improve instruction, research, and community extension. These efforts are reflected in their teaching meth ­od preferences. Simulation is an event or situation made to resemble real classroom situ ­ation as closely as possible. The faculty uses simulation most probably because it is an excellent venue for the education students to learn ex ­perientially since it provides opportunities for them to practice problem solving and psychomotor skills in a safe, controlled environment. In a simulation, students create connections mentally which is rarely, if ever, accomplished through conventional teaching techniques. Conse ­quently, the learning has a greater impact, plus the new knowledge and skills are retained much longer. It works because the students become more engaged with the subject matter than through more conventional approaches to teaching (lecturing, debates, discussion, videos, etc. Thus, compared with these traditional methods, this method of teaching and evaluating learners is more realistic, enhances both acquisition and re ­tention of knowledge, sharpens critical-thinking and psychomotor skills, and is more enjoyable. Simulation can be used to teach theory, assessment, technology and skills. The emphasis in simulation is often on the application and inte ­gration of knowledge, skills, and critical thinking. Unlike a classroom setting or a paper-and-pencil test, simulation allows learners to function in an environment that is as close as possible to an actual teaching situa ­tion and provides them an opportunity to think. The Team Project method is the appropriate pedagogy of choice of most faculty in the professional education courses, since it combines knowl ­edge with practical experience and improve interpersonal and commu ­nication skills which are essential to the knowledge growth and perfor ­mance of future educators. Furthermore, besides technical skills and knowledge, the MAPE and Professional education courses is required to give students opportunities to improve their interpersonal, collaborative and communication skills. It requires students to apply in practice per ­sonal competencies and improve problem-solving skills such as explor ­atory searching, critical thinking and decision making (Hawking et al. 2001). The method also provides students with experiential learning op ­portunities to actively develop their knowledge and experience, as they cooperate in group projects. The discussion method is always a preferred teaching method since it involves the entire class in an extended interchange of ideas between the teacher and the students and among classmates. The members in the class may approach the discussion topic with many and varying points of view, however, the teacher focuses the discussion in the direction most conducive to effective and purposeful learning. In summary, the respondents from the College of Arts, Sciences and Ed ­ucation often preferred to use Lecture/Discussion Combination, in-class exercises and Class Discussion in teaching. Rarely, they preferred to use Jigsaw Method, Explanatory Discussion guest speaker, video tapes, Re ­port-Back Session, Role Playing, Reflective Discussion, Debate, ILPE Method, Guided Imagery and Brain Writing. As a whole the faculty of Aquinas University as reflected by the data, often preferred Lecture/Discussion Combination, Team Project Method, lab work, in-class exercises, oral presentation, Brain storming, Class Discussion and In-class Demonstration. They rarely preferred Jig ­saw Method, guest speakers, Index Card Exercise, Debate, ILPE Meth ­od, Brain Writing and Socratic method. Lectures although combined with class discussion (4. 34) remain the core teaching method in most the colleges. Their role is best suited to pro ­viding an overview of the subject matter and stimulating interest in it, rather than disseminating facts. Since this is the most preferred teach ­ing method, the faculty must remember that students would appreciate good quality lectures with clear objectives which could be placed in the course handbook, with the lecture summaries, clear overhead acetates or slides; a paced delivery; and appropriate handouts which would provide students with complex diagrams or difficult or critical text. The class discussion that follows could be used to clarify certain points in the lec ­ture. Thus, lecture when combined with discussion widens the intellectu ­al horizons of the student, making it possible for them to gradually move toward acquisition of self-discovery and self-understanding. It enables the instructor to correct error in literature and articles read by the student. Also, it affords opportunities for an instructor to explain a particularly equivocal ambiguous point of idea, or a complicated, difficult, abstract process or operation and resolves conflicting points of view and clarifies misunderstanding of different schools of thought. It could also enliven the learning situation by adding the voice, gesture and the personality of the instructor. The discussion that follows the lecture will promote interest by giving the students a share in the responsibility for the course and in search for knowledge. It compels the students to be active learners and motivates them by keeping the work within their intellectual bounds and by allying it with their aptitude. It enables the instructor to constantly appraise the students’ understanding of the issues under discussion. Discussion method is also a preferred teaching method since it sharp ­ens the students’ ideas and concepts by forcing them to express them in their own words. This facilitates intellectual comprehension and applica ­tion of new knowledge to life-situations. It permits the students to chal ­lenge statements with which they disagree or which they misunderstand, thereby facilitating the process of self-discovery and self-understanding and developing the sense of self-assertiveness. In addition, it develops in the students the skills essential to effective group discussion and verbal communication. The discussion method forces the students out of their classroom lethargy, so that every learner will react either in support or in opposition to the issue under discussion. In using this teaching method, each student learns to feel free to express his/her opinions, to argue with mutual respect and to defend his/her own stand in the light of logic and rationality. It also develops facility in oral expression, critical and cre ­ative thinking, and intellectual and imaginative problem-solving ability. Thus, lecture when combined with discussion sustains and strengthens most of the elements essential for productive learning. The provision of feedback and class participation heightens the learners motivation, facilitates the intellectual grasp of abstract concepts and the learning of problem-solving skills. The data also show that Brainstorming is an often preferred teach ­ing method. Alex Osborn describes it as a conference technique by which a group attempts to find a solution for a specific problem by amassing all the ideas spontaneously by its members† (http://www. moneyinstructor. com/lesson/brainstorming. asp. According to him in this process more ideas could be generated than in any normal dis ­cussion and that by producing more ideas, people had a better chance of finding useful ones: from quantity came quality. A key part of the process is to come up with wild or silly ideas because these in turn can spark off really useful ones. This finding of the study implies that brainstorming is often preferred as a group process so that the members of

Crisis Intervention Issues Essay Example for Free

Crisis Intervention Issues Essay Counselors and other individuals in the helping profession play an important role in times of individual crisis such as violent crimes or mass crisis such as large-scale disaster situations by facilitating the diagnosis and treatment of pyschosocial disorders among populations that have been directly or indirectly traumatized by critical events. Gladding (2008, p. 246) notes that crisis counselling often involves incidents where there is a sense of loss or grief, and is therefore aimed at helping clients to regain a sense of normalcy in order to move on with their lives. However, there are instances when counselors are adversely affected by their work with traumatized clients. Sexton (1999, p. 393) notes that counselors and therapists who are constantly exposed to â€Å"reports of trauma, horror, human cruelty, and extreme loss† become vulnerable to experiencing the â€Å"feelings of fear, pain and suffering similar to their clients† that ultimately affects their ability to provide counselling services. Among the issues that counselors face in the course of their crisis intervention efforts is the risk of countertransference and vicarious traumatization. Countertransference refers to the counselors’ tendency to either avoid empathy or to overly identify with the client as a form of defense mechanim. Avoidance reactions are often manifested through the counselor’s â€Å"denial, minimisation, distortion, counter phobic reactions, detachment and disengagement from an emphatic stance† (Ibid, p. 394). In contrast, over-identification often leads into the overinvolvement of the counselor with the client’s experiences to the point that the counselor may feel idealize the client’s experiences and feel guilt for not being able to extend more help to the client (Ibid). Consequently, countertransference often impedes the therapeutic relationship as the counselor’s fails to feel empathy for the client. Empathy is particularly important in crisis intervention as it enables the counselor to correctly assess the client situation and support the client with definitive action plans for recovery (Gladding 2008, p. 248). Without empathy, client welfare is compromised by the inability of the counselor to identify the client’s problems from the client’s perspective, which could lead to incorrect or inadequate support and action from the counselor. Meanwhile, vicarious traumatization among counselors occurs as a result of the â€Å"accumulation of experiences across many therapy situations† (Sexton 1999, p. 395). Vicarious traumatization not only impacts the counselor’s helping relationships but also extends to other areas of his or her professional and personal life. The effects of vicarious traumatization include the development of anxiety and post-traumatic syndrome disorder (PTSD) symptoms and other psychosocial disorders by the counselor. Unfortunately, majority of counselors are vulnerable to the risk of vicarious traumatization (Ibid, p. 396). Hence, those who work in the midst of large-scale crises events are clearly at a greater risk due to the scale of horror, loss, and cruelty that they are exposed to through indirect and direct experiences of their clients and themselves. Hence, the vicarious traumatization of counselors not only hinders them from functioning effectively in helping relationships but renders them unable to continue their relationships with clients as they become individuals in need of therapy and counselling themselves. On the other hand, there are ways of reducing the risks of countertransference and vicarious traumatization. Sexton (1999, p. 396) note that counselors must engage in constant self-examination for the symptoms of crisis intervention issues in order to identify and resolve problems early by themselves or with the help of other counselling professionals. This ensures the counsellor’s assurance of his/her own psychosocial health which is important in safeguarding client well-being and interests. Thus, it is important for counselors and other helping professionals to be aware of the proper handling of crisis intervention issues they may confront while in the process of helping others recover and rebuild their lives after a traumatic incident. Works Cited: Gladding, S. T. (2008). Counselling: a comprehensive profession. New Jersey: Merrill-Prentice Hall/Pearson. Sexton, L. (1999). Vicarious traumatisation of counsellors and effects on their workplaces. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 27(3):393-403.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis I choose Gate Gourmet as an organisation for use as case study. It is headquartered at Zurich-Airport, Switzerland and is the worlds second largest airline catering company, providing catering services to many of the worlds major airlines, such as British Airways, Swissair, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific to name just a few. The scale and complexity of the Gate Gourmet operations is high and it operates in global environment in an industry that is highly competitive and cost sensitive. This gives an opportunity to evaluate the macro and micro environment in line with the strategic options that Gate Gourmet has. Task1 (B) There are several practices that are used for strategic planning in the industry today and the choice of these are driven by factors such as type of industry, market realities, competitive pressures, size of the business and of course the culture and ethical practices of the organisation. Planning horizons have now considerably shortened considering the dynamic nature of business of the 21st century. The horizons have now become 2-3 years. There are however several best practices that have emerged from what is observed across industries: Stretch goals are an imperative to make strategic thinking more out of the box Planning processes are now regarded as evolving and flexible and it is to the organisations credit how quickly it can course correct. With the understanding of importance of stakeholder buy in and support there is an emphasis on communication in the strategic plan. This is an integral part of the quality planning in the strategic planning. Detailed plans are now created to tie the objectives to activities and outcomes. An organisations competitiveness is now determined by a set interconnected core competencies and not by a single core competency. This has emerged from the understanding that there are various organisational aspects that go into building a competitive advantage. In addition to the best practices mentioned above, there are some theories and frameworks that support the strategic planning: SWOT analysis for environmental analysis Porters 5 forces theory for environmental analysis Strategy as an ecology to understand the competition Balanced Scorecard approach McKinseys 7-S model to understand how the organisational factors help drive its operation strategy Ansoffs matrix to define the service or product strategy BCG and McKinsey matrix to review the product portfolio Value chain analysis as to how the organisation is adding value and interacting with its ecosystem Core Competency approach for deciding differentiation approach Top down or bottom up approach for participation and communication Strategic narratives that help in framing and analysis of strategic options Task 1(C) For Gate Gourmet to formulate its strategy, we must look the following: Environmental analysis and the position of Gate Gourmet relative to its environment. I would recommend using Porters 5 forces and SWOT as it will help us understand both the macro and micro environment and link it with the Gate Gourmets position in the competitive landscape. Since the industry of inflight catering is defined largely by operational excellence, we can use the 4-V analysis to understand the areas of operational excellence that can be used to differentiate, not merely to drive operational efficiency, but also to achieve competitive advantage. The SWOT will also then help us understand the core competency of Gate Gourmet and if that fits with the differentiation strategy that will help it achieve competitive advantage. From the core competencies, the balanced scored card can be used to outline the business objectives that will help leverage the core competencies and achieve competitive advantage. These objectives will be defined across financial, customer, human resources and knowledge management aspects of the organisation. Task 1(D) Relevant theories for the marketing plan for Gate Gourmet are product Life cycle management using Ansoffs matrix and BCG matrix, service marketing strategy and innovation based marketing strategy. Looking at the product life cycle of the inflight catering business, we understand that the business is a mature business and therefore will require innovation and service differentiation focus to compete. Also, BCG matrix will help Gate Gourmet evaluate the services and geographies that can be dropped from its portfolios and the ones that need to be consolidated and invested in. Ansoffs matrix will help Gate Gourmet to decide the innovation strategy through new product launch. This will help improve its utilization of the supply chain resources and the investments and thus help reduce its per unit costs. Task 2(A) There are 2 general strategic options that are available to Gate Gourmet: Cost Leadership and Differentiation. Let us look at the relative advantages and disadvantages: Cost Leadership: Gate Gourmets business drives the need for it to be increasingly efficient as its airline customers face heightened cost pressures due to the changing business and economic scenario. It operates in a business which is low margin and increasingly coming under further squeeze. Hence Cost leadership is a requirement for business in this industry in the in flight catering business. It cannot be a source of competitive advantage. Differentiation: Given that efficiency focus is a requirement or a qualifying criterion in the industry of Gate Gourmet, what can lead to a competitive advantage is through a differentiation strategy. Quality and flexibility are areas that can help Gate Gourmet differentiate itself to its competition. However, focus on quality and flexibility will lead to overheads that can act against the cost leadership requirement. Therefore Gate Gourmet will also need to have a robust operational strategy to drive the quality and flexibility differentiation with cost leadership. Task 2(B) The following are Gate Gourmets key stakeholders: Employees and contractors: The strategy of flexibility and consolidation will impact the employees as Gate Gourmet will have to resort to lay offs for its permanent employees and look at flexible hiring model to suit its operations. Raw Material Suppliers: Gate Gourmet will have to look at creating a deeper alliance and information sharing to implement its strategy of flexibility and quality focus. This will happen though further integration of their systems and through real time information sharing. For cost leadership, Gate Gourmet will need to get into longer term contracts and choose strategic suppliers that can offer it better unit prices. Supply Chain/Logistics partners: Gate Gourmet will need to have more integration and alignment with its supply chain partners to put in place a quality and flexibility strategy. It will need to agree with them on standard quality practices to ensure consistent quality experience creating the competitive advantage that Gate Gourmet is looking at. Airlines: Flexibility and cost leadership will require Gate Gourmet to receive information from its airline customers in real time. Gate Gourmet will also need to have Task 2(C) The following are the key areas that need to be paid special attention to by the management team implementing the strategy: Communication The communication of the strategy, its objectives and the rationale behind that needs to be clearly articulated and communicated to the employees. This is required to create the appropriate buy in from them. The communication also needs to be planned to the customers of the organisation to share with them how the organisation is changing for the better and aligning to the market and competitive requirements The partners of the organisation also need to be informed and aligned with the changes so that they too can change their work practices to align with the organisational strategy. Organisation design The organisations structure needs to support the new strategy and ensure that the execution is supported by the new organisation This will also ensure resources are allocated efficiently and minimise the waste Training and development Training programs need to be implemented for the new and existing employees to close the information and skill gap required to execute the new strategy Investments into Systems and Integration For close integration with the partners and customers of the organisation systems need to be put in place to support this. The organisation will need to invest in infrastructure and work practices to put these systems in place Contractual Strategy Serviced Based and Strategic partners The contractual relationships with the partners may need to be revisited and consolidated in view with the new strategy Also existing partners may have to revisit the service levels and scope of the contractual relationships. Task 2(D ) Communication Organisation design Training and development Task 3 Develop vision, mission, objectives and measures of these Task 3(A) Vision statement articulates how the organisation sees itself in the future, in fact it is the long term goal for the organisation which it strives to achieve. Ideally this goal should be such that it can never be achieved by the organisation and it should serve as the drive for the organisation. A mission statement is more of a goal statement for a fixed tenure of time and is usually derived from the Vision statement. From the mission statement the organisational objectives year on year can be derived. Value of the organisation defines the principles and ethics that the organisation abides by and holds dear. These could be targeted at doing business in a specific way, or giving high consideration to employees and customers. These are principles that are considered to be above the business objectives and are the fundamentals on which the company envisions its future. There are many ways in which these can be measured. A representative way of doing this is evaluating how customers and employees believe the organisation is doing business keeping in mind the vision, mission and values. Also, employees can be interviewed to determine how their individual values are aligned to organisational values and if they hold the latter close and let it reflect in their working. The prevailing organisational culture also reflects how the vision, mission and values are absorbed by the different stakeholders of the organisation. Another way of measuring the effectiveness is to determine how the organisations performance management system is aligned to the mission and goals that have been set and how these are supported by the training, development, mentoring and coaching in the organisation. Task 3(B) Gate Gourmet abides a set of brand values and that drives its vision of its business. The Gate group was established as a master brand to reflect the growing diversity of the business. The shapes making up the outline of a star in the logo symbolize Gate groups individual companies and their vast range of capabilities. The points on the star represent the brand values with which we make every effort to serve our customers: QUALITY We deliver best-in-class products and services. INTEGRITY We pledge an ethical and trustworthy relationship. RELIABILITY On-time and with a clear focus on safety. VALUE Optimizing value for you throughout the supply chain. FLEXIBILITY One size does not fit all. We are attuned to your needs. PASSION We lead through innovation and inspiration. RESPECT We celebrate the diversity of cultures among our employees and customers. RESPONSIBILITY We strive to protect the environment and to be a good corporate citizen in our communities. The companys website gives the following information on its mission statement: Customers prefer us because passion shines through everything we do. We measure our success by the success our customers enjoy. (Refer: Source 2) Task 3(C) The organisations cultural and ethical environment provides a mean for realising its vision and mission. These are execution ingredients that it requires to attain the vision and mission that it has set for itself. The culture and ethical conditions are determined by how the employees and partners of the organisation have adopted and aligned with the vision, mission and strategy. It is important to note that without these supporting factors, even the most well crafted vision, mission and strategy cannot be implemented. The stakeholders need to align with these and the McKinseys 7-S model reflects how these factors interact with each other and determine how vision, mission and strategy get implemented. Task 3(D) Gate Gourmet operations can be described as extremely complex requiring optimized efficiencies and responsiveness at the same time, where it must be able to achieve very stringent operational objectives in an extremely competitive, dynamic business environment. Some of its operations objectives are listed and evaluated below along with relative importance of criteria selected for evaluation, conflicts with other objectives and how Gate Gourmet accommodates these changes Driving lower costs through economies and processes Due to the nature of the competition in the industry, and where customers are always looking drive costs lower to increase their profitability, the cost per meal that Gate Gourmet charges to its customers would directly impact the amount of business that it is able to generate from its existing and new customers. Flexibility, responsiveness to changing customer needs and ability to operate in an dynamic environment Though the company has to offer very competitive pricing, it is also very important that the company that it is very flexible to the constantly changing customer requirements and is able to deliver the product and service that are closely aligned with customer expectations. As can be seen from the case, the final requirement for a particular flight is not known till hours before the flight and even that could change due to last minute cancellations or new booking, due to which they have to operate in a just in time fashion, of being able to come up with delivery at the moment the customer requires it. Maintenance of highest quality standards As Gate Gourmets customers are airlines that are extremely conscious of offering the best to their passengers and also ensuring that they have good branding as a company offering the highest quality experience, they would want to ensure that the food that is served on their flights is of the highest standards and that various processes are followed for maintaining quality and consistency. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Reliability and service guarantee In addition to the above discussed factors, a very important operational objective for the company to achieve would be the ensure very high reliability in the services that it provides and also providing very high service levels that would ensure its customers business work as smoothly as possible. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Seamless communication and working with a vast array of partners in a global supply chain As discussed above, the operation of the company, due to the scale at which it operates is very complex where it has to coordinate multiple aspects and work with multiple partners and customers to deliver the required level of service, it is a very important operational objective that there is a very high amount of information sharing and close working together across the entire value chain that would allow for planned service delivery. This is again an important objective and is aligned with the other objectives that ensure that the company is able to deliver. Task 4 Explore the implications of changes in the general and marketing environment for organisations Task 4(A) Let us start by analysing the typology of Gate Gourmet which will then set the context for relevant objectives for Gate Gourmet. This is the key to understanding operations and any gaps in their performance: Volume: Clearly Gate Gourmet completes a high volume of daily transactions across its supply chain with 534 thousand meals a day worldwide, on average 195 million every year. It has 115 flight kitchens in 30 different countries, in locations as diverse as Hawaii, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, New York, Madrid, London, Bangkok, Sydney and Tokyo. Also, it emphasises working in unison with cleaning staff, baggage handlers and maintenance crews to ensure that the aircraft are prepared quickly for departure. Variety: Gourmet Gate faces variety across its airline customers and also within its customers due to the geographical spread of the airline operations, the customer needs differ. Creating a high variety situation for Gate Gourmet. To summarise we the following drivers for variety: Geo disperses airline organisation Geo dispersed end customers Customizations of the end product required based on airline/geo Variation in demand: Gate Gourmet faces mediocre variation in demand that typically emerges from the change in booking status of passengers which is the nature of the airline industry. While demand variation can be high during emergency situations as had been the case during the aftermath of September 2001. Visibility: The Gate Gourmet operations are not customer facing while they supply a product and service that impacts the end customer experience for their airline customers. Task 4(B) Give the 4 V analysis, we need to look at the implications for Gate Gourmet: High transaction volume would mean capital intensive operations for Gate Gourmet which will help it drive high repeatability and lower its unit costs as the volumes increases and economies of scope kick in. Gate Gourmet will also pay attention to introduce specialisation in its operations and allocated its resources as per the areas of specialisation these will be in terms of the geographic operation of the airlines and the airline itself. High variety in its business would mean Gate Gourmet operations to be flexible and aimed to meet the customer needs. The complexity that this introduces in the operations increases the unit costs. Variation in demand is though mediocre, but the Gate Gourmet needs to be in touch with demand and have the ability to anticipate the demand fluctuations and flexibility to cater to these demand variation. Capacity redundancy may not be crucial as there is no regular high variation in the demand. This factor also drives the unit costs upwards. Visibility of operations for Gate Gourmet is low for the end customer, therefore is a delay between the production and consumption of the product of Gate Gourmet. This allows for higher standardisation and staffing with resources with low contact skills. This allows high staff utilisation and centralisation of production therefore driving the unit costs down. The analysis and implications leads us to the objectives that will be key for meeting Gate Gourmets customers and end customer expectations: Dependency of delivery Order Qualifying criterion Speed of response Order Qualifying criterion Cost Order Qualifying criterion Quality Focus Order Winning criterion Flexibility- Order Winning criterion While the high volume and low visibility of the operations help Gate Gourmet standardise the operations and resourcing driving down the unit costs through economies of scope. They have also reduced the number flight kitchens by 10% from 115, when the case was published, to 97 currently and also their daily volumes have gone up by 10% hinting at strong economies of scope driving their unit costs lower. While the need for high variety and medium variation require its operations be flexible and integrate with the customer demand scenario. This drives the unit costs upwards and creates a challenge for gate Gourmet in this low margin and low cost business. Task 4(C),(D) Organisation Design: Gate Gourmet advocates the concept that the organisational structure should reflect the core processes undertaken by the business, with a manager given responsibility for each process. Under the traditional structure, if there is a problem with servicing a flight, no one manager would be responsible-the fault might lie with the purchasing manager for not ordering supplies, the equipment manager for not having the right equipment, the production manager, or the transportation manager. So, some caterers have now organised their production units based on core processes. Gate Gourmet in Geneva (Emad, 1997) identified these as Equipment Handling, Customer Management, and Goods Supply and Preparation Speed of Response: Gate Gourmet integrates tightly with its upstream and downstream supply chain partners through transparent and real time information sharing through the SCALA and e-gatematrix ensuring that the same information is available to all the partners at the same time; demonstrating backward and forward integration for creating competitive advantage. They have integrated the SC partners giving the last mile reliability to their end-customers, though they function as different organisations the information sharing couples then tightly and helping them reach rapidly to changes in their environment. It has created standardised menus in SCALA to ensure consistency and repeatability in its menus. Quality Focus: For quality Gate Gourmets global team of talented and accredited chefs is ready to serve your catering needs and deliver on your vision. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary) Gate Gourmet has instituted a total quality management initiative that is aimed at inculcating process quality than relying on inspection quality. This initiative is called Airline Catering On The Move Global Service Excellence and has been implemented internationally across its network of operations. This program was developed through the expert support of Dr. Donald Fisher, a globally-acknowledged expert in the quality management field. Dr. Fisher, of the Mid-South Quality Productivity Center (MSQPC). Dr. Fisher has been acting as an external consultant and has been instrumental in this initiative by bringing in his global experience and expertise. This alliance has been particularly valuable as Gate Gourmet operates in an international context as well. (Source: http://www.msqpc.com/Newsletters/Spring2003.pdf) (Source: Title: High flyer Author(s): Bettye Wells Miller Journal: Managing Service Quality) Flexibility Customer requirements of Gate Gourmet are such that it needs to assemble meals as per the specific guideline provided. Also, the packing and loading onto the service trolleys are as per specification. These service trolleys are loaded onto huge coolers and into loader trucks to send to the aircraft galleys just before the take off. Gate gourmet operates nearly 1700 of these vehicles and many of these are already equipped with cooling systems, cameras and state of the art engines to meet with the strict FDA regulations and also comply with the environmental guidelines. Cost Focus: Gate Gourmet also follows aggressive HR policies to manage its human resources and ramping down based on changes in its customer demand. It also got into union issues due to these practices in the UK in 2005. (Source: http://www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/gategourmet.cfm) Gate Gourmet is also looking at moving from permanent employee base to flexible staffing practices again in an attempt to be flexible and responsive. (Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4153366.stm) It is reported to making losses globally and trying to revamp its operations to stay profitable. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/15/business/worldbusiness/15iht-gate.html?_r=1) Gate Gourmet is consolidating its partnerships and acquiring logistics companies to allow it to backward integrate focussing on driving its unit operational costs lower. It is also looking at longer term contracts with it customers to assure a business volume over time. It is also innovating and getting into new lines of business to improve utilisation of its supply chain reduce its cost of operations and also drive top line growth. Gate Gourmet has entered into an alliance with ARINC Inc. (leader in onboard retail management). They are working together to promote on board sales programs for the worlds airlines and rail systems as well. This is helping Gate Gourmet improve utilization of its resources and reduce idle time. (Refer: http://www.arinc.com/news/2008/04-30-08.html) Gate Gourmet has also diversified into non-airline catering where it can use its existing supply chain to service on-land and train passengers as well e.g it has teamed up with Starbucks and railways in Portugal. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary/non-airline-catering) (Source: Title: Developing new products and services in flight catering Author(s): Peter Jones Journal: International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management) Task 5 Plan for the implementation of a general or marketing strategy. Task 5(A) The mission and goals will help determine the business objectives that the organisation needs to achieve. Also, timelines for achieving these objectives can be set based on the mission and macro environmental factors of the organisation. The objectives and the timeliness can then be broken down into lower level objectives and activities with shorter timelines. Each of these activities will be assigned to individuals with responsibilities and also resources required to complete these activities. Each of these activities will have outcomes outlined and linked to the key performance indicators. These can then be established as milestones and linked to the key performance indicators that can be used to review the milestones and activity status. Therefore the timetable will consist of the following key elements: High Level objectives Low Level Objectives Low Level Activities Estimated duration of completion Milestones Responsible individuals and departments Resources required to complete the activities Desired outcomes KPIs to be used to evaluate milestone status Task 5(B) Task 5(C) While crafting a strategy, key performance indicators can be determined at the time of planning. A balanced scorecard typically helps determine the required KPIs along the different areas of strategic importance. Also, targeted values for these KPIs can be established during the planning process and how these need to be re-visited with time. The data required for these KPIs can be collected regularly and published as per a pre-determined schedule. These KPIs can then be compared to the target and a root cause analysis be done for those KPIs that are off the targets. Corrective action can then planned based on the root causes determined. Task 5(D) Post the difficulties that the customer airlines of Gate Gourmet were facing, Gate Gourmet decided to go with an approach of flexibility and to be able to match its cost structure with the changing financial situation of its customers. It decided to model its workforce requirement to this strategy as well and laid off workers in UK and US. However, there was an immediate backlash of these lay off specially in the UK leading to major business disruptions in Heathrow airport leading to grounding and delay of several flights prominent airlines. This had not been factored in by gate Gourmet management and they had to go for significant damage control measures post this fiasco. This indicates why Gate Gourmet should have monitored proactively the effects of its flexible strategy. The decision of the Coca Cola company to expand its operations in India as ap art of its Asian strategy was faced with issues when its expansion in Southern India was faced with stiff resistance from the local population and community on the detrimental effects of the factories on the ground water table. This again demonstrated the need to the company to monitor and factor in the community aspects of a strategy.