Automobile Industry of Pakistan †an Overview Essay

The automotive industry rightly prides itself on being recognized as the â€Å"mother of all industries. † In its folds it carries many different kinds of vehicles to provide mobility to people and goods. While they may appear to be simple machines, their design and manufacturing have much deeper roots in all the known technologies. In-depth knowledge and skillful application of mechanical, electrical, electronics, chemical and a host of other technologies culminate in achievement and improvement of the manufacturing base of a country, by focusing on a single product â€Å"the automobile. † This then provides an opportunity to produce a large number of goods and services for consumption of the entire international community. Use of the word â€Å"mother† for automotive industry is therefore the most appropriate description to define the nature and importance of the industry. In recent years, we have witnessed that the industrialization of South East Asian countries greatly depend on the development of their automotive industry. Similarly, automotive industry acted as a catalyst in the overall growth of the industry in Japan and Koreas and the consequent wellbeing of their citizens. It is indeed heartening that the mother has once again smiled at Pakistan. Fortunately the last 3 years have witnessed phenomenal growth in the industry in terms of technological advancements and production/sale volumes with the local contents rising as high as 90%. The industry is already employing 120,000 people, contributing more than 12 billion rupees to GDP, contributing more than Rs. 30 billion to the national exchequer in terms of duties and taxes, attracted investment worth Rs. 52 billion including a substantial foreign investment. Today the customers have choice to pick from a wide range of products including motorcycles, trucks, buses and cars of premier Japanese and Korean brands at internationally competitive prices which has only become possible due to local contents and availability of highly productive and inexpensive human resources. An automobile has over 2000 components and parts out of which the assemblers usually concentrate on the manufacturing of small but critical parts while the remaining parts are supplied by the vendors and the subcontractors. In Pakistan the automobile component manufacturing industry consists of mainly units producing original components for assembly under delegation program and units producing reconditioned and original components for local use. These units are in three types which include the original equipment manufacturers, independent equipment manufacturers and the ancillary (auxiliary) industry producing small parts and non-automotive items. There are more than 800 vendors in the country with a total investment of over Rs.8 billion; they are engaged in the manufacturing of original components for the assembly operation under the delegation program as well as producing reconditioned and original components for sale in the local market. They manufacture and supply the local car assemblers with auto parts such as pistons, engine valves, gaskets, camshafts, shock-absorbers, struts, steering mechanism, cylinder heads, wheel hubs, brake drums, wheels, bumpers, instruments and instrument panels, gears of all types, radiators, cylinder liners, blinkers, lights, doors and door locks as well as auto air conditioners. Critics say that the local vendor industry though still in the process of development, have not achieved the delegation targets by producing low quality components which are not acceptable by the local assemblers, it is said that the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories – which represents the auto parts manufacturers – have not in a way been fully able to contribute its share to the development of this sector. The vendors on their part however put the blame on the policy makers and partly on the assemblers who have not been encouraging the local vendors as such. On the other hand it is said that the foreign car principals have no justification for their complaints because of the level of their participation in the local vendor industry. Hino trucks, as it was pointed out, have started manufacturing wheel drums locally while Suzuki is still complaining about the quality of silencer it received from the local vendors. In the world trade, Automobile Sector is one of the largest segments. It is the major driver of economic growth and business activities in a country. It puts multiplier impacts on the economy. Day-in, day-out around 200,000 vehicles roll off the world’s assembly lines with car as the dominant segment of the industry. Evolution of Automobile Industry in Pakistan Automotive industry in Pakistan started in the 1950 and has gone through different phases from being a private sector industry in 1950 – 60s, and becoming a government controlled industry in the 1970s – thanks to Mr. Bhutto’s Nationalization policy, and then reverting back to the private sector from 1980 onward. Currently in Pakistan we have a total of 67 Automobile Manufacturing Units (A. M. U) which include: o7 Car A. M. Us o7 Light Commercial Vehicle A. M. Us o2 Jeep A. M. Us o5 Truck and Bus A. M. Us o4 Tractor A. M. Us o42 Motorcycle A. M. Us There are approximately 400 vendors doing businesses in the automobile sector. All the Automobile Manufacturing Units in Pakistan are operating under agreement and licensing from countries like Japan, Korea, China and some from the European Union. Pakistan’s automobile sector has been registering high growth rates for the last four to five years due to the country’s business friendly policies along with lower tariff rates, persistent growth in GDP, and per capita income. Globally considered as the mother of all industries, the automobile industry in Pakistan is fast evolving as a robust industry. Some sub-sectors of this fast growing industry, like motorcycle production, have already achieved economies of scale. The level of motorization in the country has also been rising over the years. In 1998-99, it was three cars per 1000 persons, which has significantly increased to 11 cars per 1000 persons in year 2005-06. The indigenous growth in production of motorcycles increased by 25 per cent during year 2005-06, reaching to an all-time high of 520,124 as compared to 106,797 units in the year 1996-97, which accounts for around 380 per cent increase in motorcycle production during the last nine years. Similarly the production of trucks as well as that of buses also saw sufficient increase during the last 10 years. Some 2,994 units of trucks were being produced in the country in 1995-96 which, over the years, have increased to 4,518 units, recording 51 per cent increase in production. In the case of buses, the rise in production is more pronounced as compared to that of trucks as their production augmented by around 74 per cent during the last decade or so. The industry has achieved a phenomenal growth of 50. 2 percent in Fiscal Year 2004-05 and increased competition has led to the introduction of innovative products as well as a decline in financing costs. Compared with Pakistan, India has a strong engineering base and has successfully created a sizable capacity for production of vehicles. It enjoys a clear edge over Pakistan in the automobile sector. Indian auto companies are highly cost competitive due to appropriate levels of automation and low cost automation and have achieved a high level of productivity by embracing Japanese concepts and best practices. India is already the second largest two wheeler manufacturer, second largest tractor manufacturer, and fifth largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world and has the fourth largest car market in Asia. The automobile industry in India is now gradually evolving to replicate those of developed countries. Pakistan can import automotive components and spare parts from India at a lower price as presently these items are being imported from the Far East at higher prices. On the other hand, India is expected to benefit from free trade due to its low raw material, electric and labor costs. The two segments of the industry namely; Car and Motorcycles have shown remarkable growth over the last five years. The growth in domestic market of cars has risen from 40,601 in year 2001-02 to 126,817 in year 2004-05, which is expected to cross 150,000 units during year 2005-06. This growth is attributed mainly by car financing schemes, improved liquidity position of certain class as a result of economic growth indicators and other monetary measures. The motorcycles have also shown marvelous growth due to new entrants. The new entrants with fair competition have brought about the availability of cheaper vehicles in the domestic market. Vendor Industry This industry has the potential for development of entire engineering sector. Development of vendor industries in return assures transfer of technologies in nearly all spheres of engineering, specifically, metallurgy, plastics and glass. Technology exists for major engine, suspension and transmission components but due to limited market, prospective entrepreneurs shy away from investment. Over 400 vendors are engaged in the production of auto parts locally including tires, sheet metal parts, mirrors, gaskets, engine valves, camshafts, oil pump gears, pistons, radiators, seats, dashboard, and axles. The Beginning of Pakistan’s Automobile Industry When Pakistan came appeared on the map of the world, there were neither any automobile assembly plants nor were any industrial capabilities available for this sector. However, the development of this industrial sector started soon after the independence. Peace in the country and development planning by government resulted in increased economic growth that sequentially laid the foundation of industry. First Period 1950 – 1964 (Start from the Scratch) First serious effort by government to develop the industry and engineering sector in particularly was observed in 1950s when a six-year plan (First Development Plan) was drafted to guide government investment in developing the infrastructure. For auto industry, to overcome the initial difficulties, the government, besides developing infrastructural facilities established the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) in 1950. The main objective of PIDC was to play the pioneering role of establishing such industries which the private enterprise was unable to undertake either because they were technologically complex, needed large capital, or were less profitable. These steps resulted in growth of the industrial sector recording 56. 62 % growth of the manufacturing sector from year 1949 to 1955. Investment in the automobile industry in Pakistan started in the mid 1950’s when Kandawalla Industries established its units for assembling buses and trucks, the company’s name was later changed to NayaDaur Motors. National Motors took the indigenization when it came out in the 1960’s and was said to have reached above 80% delegation of the Bedford lorries and trucks before it closed down. Kandawalla Motors on its part came up with ‘Nishan’ , a jeep copied on the pattern of Willeys Jeep of USA by the Pakistan Army, it was said that the project was successful but was killed before the commercial production could begin. It may be worth mentioning here that the same blueprint is said to still be in use in Iran till today but under their own brand name. Second Period 1964 – 1972 (Progressive Manufacturing) Potential of the industry and high demand of the products attracted new entrants whereas the existing players started producing in mass quantities. This mass production that started in 1964 resulted in the first ever period of progressive manufacturing in the history of Pakistan. The idea of progressive manufacturing was first mooted by the Ghandhara Industries and Mack Trucks. The idea was to start local manufacturing with simple and non-functional parts and to add more and more complicated parts in small steps. According to the planning then done 100% local manufacturing was to be achieved in seven to ten years. Unfortunately, this period did not last long as the projects undertaken proved to be over ambitious that eventually failed. Clearly the concept of progressive manufacturing has not added much to technology, self-reliance or economy. For example, as against the targets set of manufacturing 100% of local contents in maximum 10 years, actually achieved delegation in eighteen years is 45. 78% for trucks & buses, 43. 17% for trucks & buses engines, 16. 50% for 4Ãâ€"4 jeeps and zero percent for cars. Furthermore, no new units for manufacturing passenger cars, 4Ãâ€"4 vehicles, LCVs, buses and trucks were established under this concept, but still few new units for producing tractors, jeeps and specialized vehicle were established. New units established were Atlas Honda, Khawaja Autos, Rana Tractors, Jaffar Industries, and Bela Engineers. A more market oriented approach was adapted by Honda motorcycles and Vespa scooters during this period, as they introduced light motorcycles for the first time in a market dominated by heavy motor bikes like BSA, Triumph and Lamberetta scooters. Third Period 1973 – 1987 (Nationalization of Industries) Following the progressive manufacturing period, nationalization of industries under Economic Reforms order had a profound impact on automobile industry in Pakistan. In early 1972 under Martial Law Regulation, the Government took over the control of 32 industrial units, including eight automobile plants, under the officially appointed Board of Industrial Management with the Minister for Production as its Chairman. The units taken over by the Government were iron and steel, heavy engineering, heavy chemicals, assembly and manufacturers of motor vehicles. The companies gone under nationalization included: oWazir Ali Engineering oSind Engineering oHyesons Mack Trucks oAli Autos oAwami Autos oRana Tractors oMillat Tractors oHaroonInd/Karachi Autos oRepublic Motors oJaffer Trailer Developers oGhandhara National Motors oKandawala Industries oNayaDaur Initially, the management of these industries was taken over by the government, but in August 1973, the President promulgated the Economic Reforms (Amendment) Ordinance after which the Federal Government acquired majority ownership of shares of these industrial units. After nationalization, these units were renamed, their functions were redefined, and Pakistan Automobile Corporation (PACO) was created in 1973 as a holding corporation under the administrative control of the Federal Ministry of Production. Formation of PACO In order to manage the automobile units and to advise the Government (in developing policy guidelines for growth and development of auto industry), Pakistan Automobile Corporation (PACO) was formed in 1973 under the administrative control of the Federal Ministry of Production. It was a major public industrial conglomerate of 15 companies including four joint ventures. For the first time in Pakistan emphasis was given to develop the nationalized units under local manufacturing facilities and the development of parts in an organized manner and the system of standardization, regulations and monitoring was established. This required the industry to assemble from Complete Knock Down (CKD) and then go on to manufacture components and to achieve a local content of 75% over a five year period. A number of small and large industrial units that were mostly functioning in the unorganized sector were channelized into a more formal pattern of production management under the PACO control. The direction for achieving quality standards as laid down by the â€Å"Principals† was also established. The MOI was entrusted the responsibility of allowing any waiver for non-performance, and was applicable if CBR also concurred. Performance under Government Control According to the government resources, the nationalized industries made progress on a wide front. During the year 1973-74, large scale manufacturing sector achieved a growth rate of 7% as compared to 11. 8% achieved during year 1972-73. The performance of automobile and farm equipment group was the best with production recording an increase of 78. 6%, followed by chemicals (30%) and steel and engineering (15. 1%). It can be observed that number of units in almost all areas of automobiles developed in this phase. The distinctive feature of after nationalization period is the assembly of Suzuki range of vehicles (Cars, Pick-up, Vans and Jeeps) and Isuzu Trucks & Buses in the public sector. Awami Autos signed a Joint Venture Agreement with Suzuki Motor Co. of Japan and a new company by the Name of Pak Suzuki Motor Co. Ltd was established in 1982 to produce Suzuki range of vehicles at the existing facilities of Awami Autos. PACO also established two units in the public sector namely Baluchistan Wheels and Bolan castings. The performance of PIDC was also excellent under the nationalization reform and it also contributed towards the progressive manufacturing. The performance of PIDC can be evaluated from the fact that by the end of December 1973, PIDC was successful in completing 62 projects at a capital cost of Rs 1,242. 6 million. In March 1974, 16 industrial projects were transferred to the respective 12 corporations set up by the Federal Government. Including in these projects were Pakistan Machine Tool Factory, Heavy Mechanical Complex and Heavy Foundry and Forge Projects. Subsequently, the remaining 10 projects under the PIDC’s control were also transferred to the Mineral Development Corporation. During the year 1972-73, the PIDC-managed projects and companies produced goods worth Rs. 470. 5 million as compared to Rs. 446. 6 million in 1971-72. Fourth Period 1987-95 (Privatization on Industries) The policy of de-nationalizing public sector units was adopted once the change in government took place. Privatization brought in foreign companies. This resulted in a number of joint ventures. Due to these ventures, Pakistan auto industry entered into assembly/progressive manufacturing of passenger cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles. Once the new management of cars and motorcycle assemblers took over the control they entered into joint ventures with foreign companies mostly Japanese, for further development. Most important joint venture that took place was of Atlas with Honda and Indus Motor with Toyota. Similarly, NayaDaur which after discontinuation of AMC-Jeep franchise had become a mere vendor to Pak Suzuki (assembling Suzuki Jeeps) was sold to Tawakal group. Under the Government de-nationalization policy NayaDaur entered into Joint Venture with Kia Motors of Korea and started assembling Kia Ceres Pickups and Kia Pride Cars. The process of privatization is still on and fortunately every government has adopted the policy of privatization and opening of the markets to foreign investment. Although, process is on but still many object that this process is not crystal clear and has many short comings. Major Players in Pakistan’s Automobile Industry oPak Suzuki Company Ltd. oSuzuki Motorcycles Pakistan Ltd. oAtlas Honda Ltd. oIndus Motors Compay Ltd. oDewan Farooque Motors Ltd. oDawood Yamaha Ltd. oSigma Motors (Pvt. ) Ltd. oHinoPak Motors Ltd. oGhandhara Industries Ltd. oSind Engineering Ltd. oVPL Limited. oMaster Motor Corporation Ltd. oAl-Ghazi Tractors Ltd. oMillat Tractors Ltd.

Pediatric Nursing Shortage Essay

The Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) has been instrumental in advocating for high quality, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive care for children and families. The healthcare needs of pediatric patients present unique challenges due to different developmental stages, limited communication skills, and differences in epidemiology and approaches to treatment as compared to adults. Nurse staffing is a focus of major concern because of the impact of staffing patterns on patient safety and quality of care. The advent of managed care, shortened hospital stays, and public reporting of quality measures demand that healthcare organizations objectively define and assess the quality of care delivered to children and families. Registered Nurses are the primary caregivers within the healthcare setting and are the essential link in assisting patients and families with navigating and humanizing a highly technical and impersonal healthcare system. An organization’s commitment to high quali ty pediatric care is dependent upon appropriate staffing levels with adequately prepared nurses and the implementation of collaborative, evidence-based practice (Schwalenstocker, Bisarya, Lau, & Adebimpe, 2007). In 2007, members of the Public Policy Committee developed the Safe Staffing Position Statement. This document outlined recommendations for safe and effective nursing care for children and their families. The position statement was recently updated and is intended to serve as the framework to assist organizations providing care to children in the implementation of evidenced based staffing plans to promote high-quality care. It is imperative that schools of nursing, healthcare institutions and pediatric nurses utilize this document as a resource to ensure that appropriate education, training, resources and effective staffing plans are provided to ensure the provision of safe, quality, customer focused care to pediatric patients and their families. Problem Statement Following a Congressional request in 1993 for the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to study the adequacy of nurse staffing in hospitals and nursing homes, a 1996 IOM report recognized the importance of determining the appropriate nurse-patient ratios and distribution of skills to ensure patients receive quality care. A September 1999 IOM report first called the public’s attention to the problem of increased patient morbidity and mortality related to errors occurring within healthcare delivery systems. Since that time there has been a growing emphasis on patient safety, process improvement and the potential effects of adequate staffing. Rationale and Supporting Information Research has continued to show the association between nursing staffing and improved patient outcomes (Aiken, et al, 2010; Kane, et al, 2007; Needleman, et al, 2006; Stanton, 2004; American Organization of Nurse Executives, 2003; Aiken, et al, 2002). In 2007 the Child Health Corporation of America is association with the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) and Medical Management Planning/BENCHmarking Effort for Networking Children’s Hospitals found increased nurse staffing was associated with improved patient/family experience with care and a reduced incidence of adverse outcomes. NACHRI also reported that The Joint Commission found staffing levels had been a critical factor in 20 percent of sentinel events occurring over a ten year period from 19952005 (Schwalenstocker, Bisarya, Lau & Adebimpe, 2007). Stratton (2008) found a reduction in the rate of pediatric central line blood stream infections with an increase in nursing sta ffing hours. Research conducted by Mark, Harless and Berman (2007) showed a statistically significant reduction in postoperative cardiopulmonary complications, pneumonia and infections in the pediatric population with increased RN staffing. In addition, nurse staffing levels have also been found to be a critical determinant of nurse job satisfaction (American Organization of Nurse Executives, 2003). During the 108th Session of Congress (2003-2004), The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act was first introduced. The intent of the act is to hold hospitals accountable for the implementation of valid and reliable nurse staffing plans, taking into consideration each hospital unit’s unique needs and strengths. The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act was reintroduced in the 110th Congress (2007-2008) and further refined and reintroduced on June 15, 2010 under S.3491/H.R.5527 during the 111th Congress (American Nurses Association, 2010). The Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) believes the following additional factors are of critical importance regarding safe staffing for pediatric patients: †¢ There are unique challenges with caring for children. These challenges include: o Infants and young children are dependent upon adult caregivers and require closer supervision. o Many children have not yet acquired the communication skills to warn clinicians about a potential mistake or verbalize possible adverse effects about their care. Medication administration is much more complex since weight based dosing is required o for most medications (Kaushal, et al, 2001). The acuity and intensity of nursing resources required to care for children have been growing steadily (Monsen & Finley, 2007; NACHRI, 2003). Of the 14.1 million children in the US living in poverty, 1 in 10 lack health care coverage (Children’s Defense Fund, 2010). Childhood poverty contributes to deficits in primary and preventative health care and results in increased healthcare issues and higher acuity for these children (Children’s Defense Fund, 2002). Pediatric nurses practice in many settings including hospitals, schools, homes, clinics, long term care facilities, and public health centers. The multitude of settings and the wide range of resources available in each setting greatly affect the type and number of nursing staff required to care for any given patient population. The level of experience of nursing staff, unit layout, and level of ancillary support must be considered when establishing the staffing needs and assignment plan for any given unit (Institute of Medicine, 2010; American Nurses Association, 2007). Society of Pediatric Nurses Position/Recommendations SPN believes that all children and their families should receive safe, high quality, culturally sensitive, family-centered care in an environment that supports the development of the child and promotes excellence in nursing care. As an advocate for patients, families, and the pediatric nursing profession, SPN endorses the following recommendations: 1. Staffing is a complex issue composed of multiple variables (American Organization of Nurse Executives, 2003). No single published ratio for nursing staffing is automatically applicable in all settings where children receive care. Published recommendations for staffing ratios must be carefully evaluated for the particular pediatric setting since these ratios may inadvertently minimize the complexity and multitude of issues that must be considered in the care of pediatric patients and their families. 2. The professional registered nurse must be considered an essential member of the team providing care for children and their families; staffing plans must reflect this vital role (American Nurses Credentialing Center, 2003). 3. Healthcare institutions should develop valid and reliable staffing plans (American Nurses Association, 2010) and patient assignments should promote developmentally appropriate, high quality care for children and families. Nursing leadership, registered nurses and other designated nursing staff should be involved in the development of staffing plans and proper preparation of staff for the patient populations cared for within the facility (Joint Commission, 2010). 4. While the specific details of these staffing plans will vary with individual patient needs and facility resources, SPN believes the following factors should be considered in all staffing situations: Number and acuity of the patient population. a. Assessment of patient needs including special developmental, physiological, psychosocial, and learning needs of children and their families. b. Availability of specialized pediatric equipment and supplies to provide the necessary care and the availability of other support services such as respiratory care, child life, social services, and spiritual care (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006, 2004a, 2004b, 1998). c. Level of education, competency, and the extent of experience and specialized pediatric training of available staff. d. Family involvement and/or the family’s special needs related to meeting the healthcare needs of the child (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006; Lewandowski & Tessler, 2003). e. Comparable pediatric staffing benchmark data and/or staffing guidelines from other pediatric focused professional organizations should be integrated into developing staffing plans if at all possible (National Association of Neonatal Nurses 2008; American Nurses Association, 2008; American Academy of Pediatrics 2006, 2004a, 2004b, 1998; NACHRI, 2003). 5. Nurses caring for pediatric patients must have appropriate education and experience to demonstrate competency in the care of this highly specialized patient population. The core concepts as cited in the following sources should be included in education and training: Pediatric Nursing: Scope and Standards of Pediatric Nursing Practice (American Nurses Association, 2008) Position Statement on Family Centered Care Content in the Nursing Education Curriculum (Society of Pediatric Nurses, 2008) Position Statement on Child Health Content in the Undergraduate Curriculum (Society of Pediatric Nurses, 2007) Core Curriculum for the Nursing Care of Children and Their Families (Broome & Rollins, 1999) Standards and Guidelines for Pre-Licensure and Early Professional Education for the Nursing Care of Children and Their Families (Woodring, 1998). 6. Organizations and nursing staff providing care for pediatric patients should commit to ongoing maintenance of nursing staff’s clinical competency through continuing education that ensures a current knowledge base of issues and trends in pediatric care delivery. 7. Organizations should work to establish practice environments characterized by open communication, teamwork, and effective collaborative problem solving to address nurse staffing issues and ensure safe, effective care for children and families. 8. Nurses are encouraged to assume professional accountability for their own practice. Nurses have accountability for the following: Being an advocate for the role of the registered professional nurse Being knowledgeable of state practice acts Being knowledgeable of the mechanisms available to address potential staffing issues References Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D. M., Cimiotti, J. P., Clarke, S. P., Flynn, L., Seago, J. A., Spetz, J. & Smith, H. L. (2010). Implications of the California nurse staffing mandate for other states. Health Services Research, 45(4), 904-921. Aiken L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J., Silber, J. H. (2002). Hospital nurse staffing and patient mortality, nurse burnout, and job dissatisfaction. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(16), 1987-1993. American Academy of Pediatrics (2006). Child life services. Pediatrics, 118(4); 1757-1763. American Academy of Pediatrics (2004b). Levels of neonatal care. Pediatrics 114(5); 1342-1347. American Academy of Pediatrics (2004a). Guidelines and levels of care for pediatric intensive care units. Pediatrics 114(4); 1114-1125. American Academy of Pediatrics (1998). Facilities and equipment for the care of pediatric patients in a community hospital. Pediatrics 101(6); 1089-1090. American Nurses Association. (2010). Safe staffing saves lives. Federal legislation: Registered nurse safe staffing act. Retrieved on-line February 13, 2011. http://www.safestaffingsaveslives.org/whatisANAdoing/federallegislation.aspx?css=print American Nurses Association (2008). Pediatric nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Washington DC: Author. American Nurses Association. (2007). Acute care staffing. Nursing’s legislative and regulatory initiatives for the 110th Congress: Appropriate staffing. Retrieved on-line: February 13, 2011. http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAPoliticalPower/Federal/legis/AcuteCare.aspx. American Nurses Credentialing Center. (2003). The magnet recognition program for excellence in nursing service health care organization, instructions and application process. Pub# MAGMAN03. Washington, DC: Author. American Organization of Nurse Executives (2003). AONE policy statement on mandated staffing ratios. Retrieved on-line: January 21, 20 11. http://www.aone.org/aone/advocacy/ps_ratios.html. Broome, M. & Rollins, J. (Eds.). (1999). Core curriculum for the nursing care of children and their families. Pittman, NJ: Jannetti Publications. Children’s Defense Fund. (2010). The state of America’s children 2010. Retrieved on line February 13, 2011. http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/state-of-americas-children2010-report.html. Children’s Defense Fund. (2002). Basic facts on poverty. Child Poverty FAQs. Washington DC: Author. Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: leading change, advancing health. Report brief: 2010. Washington DC: Author. Institute of Medicine. (1999). To err is human: Building a safer health care system. Washington, DC: Author. Joint Commission. (2010). Joint commission accreditation resources: Accreditation manager plus. Retrieved on-line: February 21, 2011. http://qvcsql01/JCRAMP/Frame.aspx. Kane, R. L., Shamliyan, T. A., Mueller, C., Duval, S., Wilt, T. J. (2007). The association of registered nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Medical Care, 45(12): 1195-1204. Kaushal, R., Bates, D.W., Landrigan, C., McKenna, K. J., Clapp, M. D., Federico, F., Goldman, D. A. (2001). Medication errors and adverse drug events in pediatric inpatients. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2114-2120. Lewandowski, L. A. & Tessler, M. D. (Eds.). (2003). Family-centered care: Putting it into action: The SPN/ANA guide to family-centered care. Washington DC: American Nurses Publishing. Mark, B. A., Harless, D. W., Berman, W. F. (2007). Nurse staffing and adverse events in hospitalized children. Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice, 8(2): 83-92. Monsen, R. B., Finley, S. (2007). Shortage of nurses and child health. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 22(3), 231-232). National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institution s. (2003). Clinical practices service program: Benchmark data. Available from www.childrenshospitals.net/nachri. National Association of Neonatal Nurses (2008). Minimum RN staffing in NICU’s. Retrieved online February 11, 2011. http://www.nann.org/pdf/08_3009_rev.pdf. Needleman, J., Buerhaus, P. I., Stewart, M., Zelevinsky, K., Soeren, M. (2006). Nurse staffing in hospitals: Is there a business case for quality? Health Affairs, 25(1): 204-211. Schwalenstocker, E., Bisarya, H., Lau, S. & Adebimpe, O. (2007). Nursing-sensitive indicators for children’s hospital care quality: Indicators are essential, but further testing is needed for use in comparing hospital performance. A white paper prepared by the Pediatric Data Quality Systems (PediQS) Collaborative. September 2007. Retrieved on line: February 8, 2011: http://www.childrenshospitals.net/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Site_Map3&Template=/CM/ContentDisp lay.cfm&ContentID=29730. Society of Pediatric Nurses. (2008). Position st atement on family centered care content in the nursing education curriculum. Retrieved on-line: February 21, 2011. http://www.pedsnurses.org/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,222/task,doc_view/gid,193/

Is a 'Surveillance Society inevitable in the age of new media Essay

Is a 'Surveillance Society inevitable in the age of new media - Essay Example others construe to the transformation as a commencement pause from the total political fashions of the past times along with their calamitous results. It is quite significant to comprehend that this sense of moribund courteousness and contribution has established itself concomitantly with the propagation and broadening implementation of the new-fangled information and communication technologies or the ICTs, in particular to the internet as well as the world-wide web. Still, the interaction media are frequently supposed by description to be communal incorporating, thereby, generating a standardized eminent chore which delineates a communal majority (Lievrouw, 2001). This conviction has branched-out to various discourses regarding the internet and online communal groups, along with current experiential analyses. The global internet crops up with the foundation for an unmatched world-wide concord as well as communal justice progress all throughout the period of terrorism, war, and severe political combats. In the same way, the internet has experienced deep-seated alterations all throughout this period. Innovative web-forms have cropped up at the hyper-textual anatomical design of the internet, even as various online mechanisms have evolved from the technological tassel to embellish in to a centralized attribute of routinal life on the World Wide Web. Hence, this paper would analyze the way media has turned constantly political in current times, and how its growth structure has augmented politics in general terms. Critical financial times regrettably appear to bring along an increment in all sorts of offences. No matter which field an individual or commune belongs to, they are always at a stake of some form of

Scotch Whisky Industry in the UK and in particular, William Grant & Essay

Scotch Whisky Industry in the UK and in particular, William Grant & Sons - Essay Example Homogeneity in the needs of the market therefore is the unifying factor in creating better international markets. This argument is contended by others that believe an international market is impossible to exist since there are several dynamic differences in the trends of various nations. The growth of trading agreements in certain regions has constantly developed and become a source of interaction in business and marketing strategies creating trading relationships between countries (Stalk et al 1980). 2.0 Balvenie in the UK. Such bodies as the North American Free Trade Arrangement, the European Union and others are forms of regional trade agreements that have been formed over the years of international marketing development. These bodies work on eliminating region trade barriers to allow other organizations without those regions trade freely within each other’s borders. These relationships are advantageous in allowing the companies engaged in international trade to obtain econ omies of scale while consumers of their goods enjoy low prices and access to a variety of products. These trading regions create free movement of labor and resources among other advantages. Engagement in international trade is therefore more of an advantageous venture for greater success in companies and have more advantages to disadvantages. Organizations like Grant and Sons are among the firms involved in the free international trade operations that are an expansion to the business in the long run. The firms gain in advantage from free movement and labor. The firms as well engage themselves in further customization of the products that creates better quality in the products sold such as the whisky distilled by Grant and Sons organization in the various outlets of the company’s distilling plants (Zuckerman et al 1998). The extensions of the Grant company into the international market is a cause for the exciting entrepreneurial environment created by interactions in joint ven tures with companies such as Remy Cointreau and third party agreements in UK Portugal. This kind of ventures have also given motivation and confidence to the organization from acceptance by the market outside their own country. 2.1 The Scotch whisky industry in the UK. Scotch whisky has over the years only been matured and distilled in one country which is Scotland. This brand has grown from a simple cottage industry to being the sole global supplier in over 210 countries. Changes created in bid to make international ventures include complete changes or adjustments in the administration and organizational structure. The management approach incorporated involves the geocentric approach suggested by Permulter (1969) that brings about a more globally integrated management system. Despite the successes of Scotch whisky, the industry requires methods that grow every day to maintain the position of top quality as an unchallenged player. This will involve customization of the brands by see king customer response to quality. It is important that the industry carries out an area study of the people it supplies with whisky in order to realize options of expansion. 2.2 William Grant and Sons in the UK. William Grant and Sons is a great contributor to the whisky industry in the UK. It is characterized by authenticity in its production. William Grant and Sons utilizes its own water from springs in production process and its own grown barley

The SARA Approach to Gun Violence Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The SARA Approach to Gun Violence - Coursework Example The third steps in SARA model involve generation of solutions to remove the causes of the gun violence problem. The model gives an approach that focuses on both the offender and the places where the gun violence occur (The Center for Problem Oriented Policing, n.d).The offender oriented response is a framework that focuses on preventing gangs and groups from engaging in gang violence by use of deterrence strategy. This involves the delivery of explicit messages to the would-be offenders that warns them against the involvement of in gun violence (The Center for Problem Oriented Policing, n.d).The offender oriented response involves focusing on those involved in gun violence with the intention of reducing or stopping their activities, this, therefore, involves crackdowns, arrests, and prosecution of offenders. However, no community can support indiscriminate, illegitimate and highly aggressive random crackdown. It is therefore important to engage the community and let them know why the offenders are being arrested and the strategies the police will use. The process will become highly effective if it has the support o the community.Place Oriented Response involves focusing on the characteristics that make a place to be a gun violence hot spot. The proactive approach can be done through increased patrols, street searches and enforcement of firearm laws (The Center for Problem Oriented Policing, n.d).The first step in place oriented response is getting the support of the community.

Observation study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Observation study - Essay Example Introduction Tim Hortons cafe is one of the most populated cafe in the New York region. There are various branches of the cafe in New York area, and still several in the Rochester region (Nelson, 2009). They emanate from a chain of business cafes operating under the same name from Canada. In the USA, Tim Hortons cafe has opened over 800 branches. Tim Hortons cafe, 1508 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624 is one of the cafe from the Tim Hortons chain of cafes (Craves, 2007). Methodology To be able to determine why Tim Hortons cafe has many customers than many other cafes and restaurants in the region, a structured qualitative observation methodology was applied. In this study, 45 minutes of full-time observation were utilized, during a Wednesday evening, starting 5: 30 pm to 6:15 pm. The location was particularly selected due to its popularity, as well as the access, since it is situated on the Buffalo road. Structured observation entailed the observation of different activities within th e cafe, including the way the customer arrive and leave the cafe, the time taken since a customer’s arrival to the time the customer is served, and the nature of the service that the customers in this cafe are offered. ... en, since the pre-selection of some participants would render the study skewed towards the desirable characteristics and relationships between the employees and the customers. Therefore, a random sampling method of participants was applied, to ensure that the observational study will be accurate and no desirable social characteristics are elicited on either the customer participants or the employee participants. The selected participants were representative of every aspect of demographic characteristics. Thus, the participants were selected from different ages, gender and racial groups, as well as perceived different economic classes. To establish why customers like Tim Hortons cafe, the researcher looked for the following: 1. The arrival and departure rate of customers 2. Customer-to-employee relationship in terms of language and communication 3. The service time gap between when the customer arrives and when they are served 4. The opening and closing schedule of the cafe 5. The pri cing strategy of the cafe Data and Measurement For the purpose of accuracy of the data collected, the data measurement applied two methods, namely structured observation as well as brief interviewing. This combination was resulted to, after a session of debating that found that observation alone was not adequate for the nature of the study, since simply observing the atmosphere of the cafe, the nature of the relationship between the employee and the customers, as well as the pricing of the cafe would not give plausible and adequate information regarding the other innate reasons that attracts the customers to the cafe. Therefore, interviewing was resulted to, as a complimentary method, to compliment the information obtainable through observation, for the sake of clarification and certainty,

Code switching between English and other languages Essay

Code switching between English and other languages - Essay Example In bilingual or multilingual communities the use of language occurs in a harmonizing way as the speaker shifts between languages as to execute their function which can be either approaching economic need or developing a friendly relationship. Lets take an example of a dialogue held between two Indian speakers who are code-switching between English, Hindi and Kannada. Jayalakshmi, one of the speakers, before presenting her analysis of the conversation held with her friend with reference to code-switching introduces herself as a multilingual. India, a large part of south Asia, remained under British rule for almost ninety years and during this period English remained an official language so it was widely learnt formally. Even after getting independence English remained there as an official language and Hindi became the national language. According to Hewings and Tagg Language policy is introduced in a country by its politicians when a huge political change takes place e.g. after independence or a war. The official language of a country gets a high status and used at institutional, government and international level whereas the national language is marked for its national identity which possesses social and cultural values (Hewings and Tagg (edds) 2012). From Jaya’s commentary we come to know that she speaks a variety of languages which include Hindi as her national language, Kannada as her mother tongue, Bengali as her neighbours communicated in it and some other regional languages. When we hear Jaya’s conversation with her colleague on her workplace we apprehend that English has been used as an official language. Nitin speaks most of English while discussing an official problem and his switching less to other languages is an outcome of the influence of Jaya’s abode which is England. It is noteworthy that Jaya who is supposed to bring a solution to Nitin’s problem unconsciously switch to

(Technology Supporting Business Processes 1) Assignment

(Technology Supporting Business Processes 1) - Assignment Example To begin with, management of business usually requires efficient collection and allocation of information. Through the use of information system this process has been made more efficient. Reason being, it has facilitated speedy transfer of information among different level of management. This has to a great extent minimized costs associated with meetings. Moreover, the information system has enhanced sharing of information amongst employees of an organization; this has been made possible through storing files at a central point accessible to certain employees. Consequently, the business becomes more competitive. (Markgraf & Media, 2010) The management process of a business is usually dependant on the information in hand. Through the use of information systems business can get up to date information about their markets; consumers; and competitors. Consequently, it makes the business to be more efficient and competitive. As an illustration, sales information provides an overview of what consumers are really purchasing. For this reason, business will stock and manufacture products that are in great demand. This minimizes loses making the business profitable. (Markgraf & Media, 2010) Most of the businesses require record keeping. This is usually meant to monitor performance of the business in all its sectors (production, marketing, etc). The information system provides an efficient and cheap platform to do so. As an illustration, a business information system has the ability to store communication and financial records; modification histories; and performance data. The information stored can be useful in a number of ways; for instance: estimating costs and analyzing performance of a business. (Bocij & Chaffey, 2003) Markgraf, B., & Media, D. (2010). Importance of Information System in an Organization. Retrieved July Thursday, 2014, from Chron:

The Empires of the Past Essay Example for Free

The Empires of the Past Essay The modern world is shaped by different cultures and beliefs that are rooted from the past. Moreover, most of the strategies and techniques used in architecture, policy making and trade are also handed down from former civilizations. The three most prominent empires that highly influenced modern day culture are the Roman, Gupta and Han empires. These empires rise and fall almost simultaneously while leaving behind a great legacy. Acquisition The Roman Empire (27 B. C. – 476 A. D. ) was acquired after years of civil wars. These wars resulted from the fall of the Roman Republic. It started when the Roman Senate designated Octavious as Agustus. Augustus succeeded in capturing the hearts of the populace. In the process, he successfully managed to end the civil wars across the Roman territory and unite them under one rule. The Gupta empire (320-550 A. D. ) proliferated in the Northern India. It started when different states become reunited under the Gupta’s influence. Furthermore, the empire extends through extensive military conquest to the surrounding states. Han Dynasty started during about 206 B. C until 220 A. D. Economic expansion had been the foremost strategy that expands Han’s territory. Although, they also established military supremacy. Like the Roman and Gupta Empire, the Han dynasty also worked towards to create a united China. Rule The Roman Empire tried to tolerate most of the religion in their territory; however, the government is somehow against Christianity. During the empire’s reign, the people experienced a wide divergence of cultures and beliefs. Arts, mathematics and literature where central to education. The Gupta Empire also invests on education of literature, mathematics and astronomy. They also tolerate different beliefs and tradition especially the prevalence of Hinduism and Buddhism. Han dynasty, while investing in trade and education, promotes philosophical structures of Taoism and Confucianism. They incorporate these traditions into their political and civil systems. All of the empires are believed to encompass the ‘golden age’ in each area. Roman Empire prospered during the Pax Romana. The Gupta Empire had been well-known during the time when trade was abundant in South Asia. Han dynasty reached new regions as it expand its territory and established the ‘Silk Road’ where most merchants enter and live China. Collapse The reign of the different empires started with the goal of reuniting or uniting the different states within and beyond their actual territories. Nonetheless, the expansion later led to lack of sufficient control. Although, bureaucracy was established in all empires, due to several differences, the populace revolts against the government. In the case of the Roman Empire, the fall of the empire was commonly attributed to the rise of Christianity and the economic problems during those years. The Gupta Empire was said to have declined after the invasion of the Huns which caused their trade to falter and raised tension among different regions. Han dynasty was believed to collapse due to corruptions among the officials of the government. Small farmers were mostly the victim of such corruption. Civil wars broke since the people were against the government. Conclusion The impact and legacy of the three different empires discussed are far-reaching. Christianity is still in existence and the prominence of Roman Culture is still significant as of today. Their tradition and heritage, as well as their rhetoric and arts are still studied in various schools and university. Architectures and political structure are highly scrutinized and admired. The regions acquired by the Gupta dynasty resemble most of modern day’s India. The culture and religion that exist before are still in existence. Han dynasty focuses on trade and commerce. These trade expertise and traditions are still adapted by Chinese after communism failed. Modern China has intermixed Taoism and Confucianism as a religion and a way of life. Works Cited Stearns, P. N. Documents in World History. 4th edition. Longman, 2005. Brummett, P. J. , Edgar, R. R. , Hackett, N. J. , Jewsbury, G. F. and Molony, B. S. Civilizations Past and Present Volume 1 to 1650. 11th edition. Longman, 2005.

Dazed and Confused Essay Example for Free

Dazed and Confused Essay Dazed and Confused List and describe 4 characters that are important to the movie: Randall Pink FloydFloyd is the stud senior quarterback who realizes he doesn’t want to be just a quarterback for the rest of his life and questions his role in the social pack. He cant stand Coach Conrad and the pledge sheet hes making all the players sign. Hes going out with Simone, but hed like to hook up with Jodi. He seems to belong to all cliques. Mitch KramerMitch is going to be a freshman in high school and hes already getting picked on by the senior class. Lack of parental supervision (and help from Pink and his pals) allows Mitch to experience high school life a little earlier than most of his classmates. Kramer is the new kid on the block who, like Pink, has an amazing athletic talent and a way with the ladies| Fred OBannionOBannion is a super-senior who is enjoying his second straight year of hazing freshmen. He has a temper, and when the freshmen get their revenge he blows up and drives away in his piece-of-junk car. | David WoodersonWooderson, a former superstar quarterback and graduate working for the city after realizing that life after his alma matter is sweeter when you live by your own rules. The high schoolers think hes cool because hes older and he has a nice car. Many of the classic lines in this movie to come from Wooderson. | Q: What does the movie teach us about life? The movie dazed and confused is more than just a movie about smoking marijuana. It documents the changes we all face in life, as social and political pressures increase, when one gets older and faces decisions that require you to figure out how to avoid being what others want you to be while staying young at heart. Q: What is your favorite part of the movie? My favorite part in the movie is when they are sitting on the 50-yard line of the football field smoking marijuana, reminiscing and having laughs. While Matthew McConaughey â€Å"Wooderson†, says a very memorable quote, â€Å"Man, its the same bull***t they tried to pull in my day. If it aint that piece of paper, theres some other choice theyre gonna try and make for you. You gotta do what Randall Pink Floyd wants to do man. Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules theyre gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin man, L-I-V-I-N†. Q: Why is that your favorite part of the movie? This is my favorite part of the movie because it reminds me of me and my friends back in the day. Plus the quote â€Å"You just gotta keep livin man, L-I-V-I-N† is one of my favorite quotes of life! Q: Do you believe the movie is realistic? Why or why not? I believe the movie is realistic because the director made the characters all so different and have their own personalities. It’s also realistic because the audience can relate to at least one character in the movie. Q: What have you learned from this movie? Society is full of constraints and limitations that people in power: or those looking to capitalize on the weakness of others place on others to get them to act the way they want them to. If you want to be free of such people and situations, you have to learn how to challenge the social constructs and rules that keep you from finding your true purpose in life. Don’t let others tell you what you can and can’t do. This doesn’t mean that you have a right to break the laws, but it does mean that you can be anything you want to be if you are willing to go after it. There are no laws that say you have to be what someone else wants you to be. Q: Who do you think (what age group, or what kind of person) would enjoy this type of movie? I think Teenagers all the way up to Elders; of both genders, would enjoy this movie. Everybody who has watched it will watch again and again, and never will get old to them. For those who haven’t watched it, WATCH IT! Other important Information Director: written and directed by Richard Linklater Producers: Sean Daniel, Richard Linklater, Jim Jacks and co-producer Anne Walker-McBay * Jason London as Randall Pink Floyd * Wiley Wiggins as Mitch Kramer * Rory Cochrane as Ron Slater * Sasha Jenson as Don Dawson * Michelle Burke as Jodi Kramer * Christine Harnos as Kaye Faulkner * Adam Goldberg as Mike Newhouse * Anthony Rapp as Tony Olson * Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson * Marissa Ribisi as Cynthia Dunn * Jason London as Randall Pink Floyd * Wiley Wiggins as Mitch Kramer * Rory Cochrane as Ron Slater * Sasha Jenson as Don Dawson * Michelle Burke as Jodi Kramer * Christine Harnos as Kaye Faulkner Adam Goldberg as Mike Newhouse * Anthony Rapp as Tony Olson * Matthew McConaughey as David Wooderson * Marissa Ribisi as Cynthia Dunn Starring: * Jason O. Smith as Melvin Spivey * Shawn Andrews as Kevin Pickford * Cole Hauser as Benny ODonnell * Milla Jovovich as Michelle Burroughs * Joey Lauren Adams as Simone Kerr * Christin Hinojosa as Sabrina Davis * Ben Affleck as Fred OBanni on * Parker Posey as Darla Marks * Deena Martin as Shavonne Wright * Nicky Katt as Clint Bruno * Esteban Powell as Carl Burnett * Renee Zellweger as Nesi White Awards Year| Result| Award| Category/Recipient(s)| 1993 | Nominated| Golden Leopard| Richard Linklater| 994 | Nominated| Young Artist Award| Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama Jason London| Rating: (R) Running time: 102 minutes Other: Lawsuit In October 2004, three of Linklaters former classmates from Huntsville High School, whose surnames are Wooderson, Slater, and Floyd, filed a defamation lawsuit against Linklater, claiming to be the basis for the similarly named characters on the film. The lawsuit was filed in New Mexico rather than Texas because New Mexico has a longer statute of limitations. The suit was subsequently dismissed

Strategies for Consumer Research

Strategies for Consumer Research Consumer research is a type of applied sociology that attempts to map and understand the way in which consumers behave and make decisions about the products that they purchase. This is absolutely fundamental to those managing marketing processes for an organisation. Understanding how consumers make the decision to purchase a particular item of goods or service is vital to the setting out of marketing plans for products. The research will also discover which marketing approaches are the most successful and, therefore, which ones should be repeated to attract attention[1]. Typically, this type of research is statistical in nature, pulling together all of the decision inputs that consumers will look at, before making decisions[2]. For example, factors such as availability, price, likely value growth and functionality will all play an important role in terms of consumer decision making. Traditional consumer research aims to be entirely objective in nature and is undertaken in an impartia l manner, attempting to form an understanding of the actual state of affairs in the given product market. However, more recently, there has been recognition that many consumers will simply make impulse purchases and that one specific set of inputs will not always produce the same result, as human perceptions and decision making processes vary considerably from individual to individual, depending on a range of factors that cannot be neatly placed into a scientific analysis[3]. Essentially, there are two key approaches to consumer research which are recognised and discussed in the research paper by Isabelle Szmigin and Gordon Foxall. Traditionally, consumer research theorists have argued that consumer research must naturally either centre on the interpretive approach or the positivist approach[4]. Szmigin and Foxall argued that a combination of the two approaches will produce the best approach. Critically, Szmigin and Foxall recognise that the real value in consumer research comes from the quality of the information that the research gives to the managers making the ongoing marketing decisions. This has arguably been a massively overlooked factor in consumer research. The ultimate goal for consumer research should surely be to give a definitive course of action for a marketing department to follow in order to gain the maximum possible consumer penetration. By arguing this point, Szmigin and Foxall successfully demonstrate that the ideal form of consumer res earch must take account of both scientific, objective decision making factors as well as the subjective and emotional decision making factors, if it is to gain a detailed and inclusive understanding of consumer behaviour[5]. There are arguably inherent positives and negatives to both approaches and these are discussed by Szmigin and Foxall, with varying degrees of conviction. Ultimately, however, the authors failed to reach a final conclusion as to which method offered the better approach and instead opted to conclude that a middle ground would be the best approach. In this paper, the question as to whether this conclusion is a true reflection of the position or whether the authors simply failed to find conclusive evidence and were thus forced to reach this conclusion due to the absence of any convincing suggestions to the contrary is evident[6]. Interpretive v Positivism The two different approaches under discussion are interpretative and positivistic, although it could also be seen as a debate between science and art[7]. Similarly, positivistic consumer research is more commonly referred to as quantitative research and interpretative research is referred to as qualitative research. This is a direct reflection of the statistical importance of the positivistic approach. With the positivist approach, a large group of individuals is studied with an attempt to draw one conclusive set of statistics that explain all consumer behaviour. The focus is very much on the four Ps, namely product, price, place or location and promotion. In the positivist approach, the basis for the research is that the four Ps will be the underlying factors that will make up the decision making process for consumers. These are all objective factors and take little or no account of dealing with personal preferences as displayed by individual consumers. During this process, a hypoth esis is drawn up which essentially sets out the claims which the research aims either to prove or disprove. This positivist approach is heavily statistically based and the questioning of consumers will aim towards gaining figure based results that can be displayed in the form of graphs. Similarly, the reliability of the findings is tested by statistical methods including ascertaining the significance level of the data. Whilst this method is seen as being potentially conclusive and providing statistical data that can be used in marketing techniques, it fundamentally misses the fact that humans behave in different ways even when faced with the same raw data. Different consumers will make different decisions and will place different relative values on the input factors detailed above. Interpretative research aims to take this factor into account. Research is focussed on a smaller group of individuals with the aim of mapping out consumer behaviour based on a range of more subjective factors such as those relating to cultural and sociological impacts[8]. With this approach, however, the personality and subjective beliefs of the researcher are much more likely to have an impact on the results of the research. Personalities and subjective thoughts will naturally vary depending on the consumer’s values and, with this in mind, there is a serious question as to what value this type of research can off er to marketing professionals within a company. Without any statistical patterns of behaviour, it can be very difficult for marketing professionals to determine a set of trends that can be accurately relied upon[9]. Interpretative Approach Analysis Based on Szmigin and Foxall’s Research Szmigin and Foxall spent a large amount of their analysis considering whether the interpretative value has any merit and what it can offer in terms of additional value that this method offers the process of consumer research. Szmigin and Foxall recognised that papers relating to interpretative research are often seen as peripheral to positivistic research, offering little in the way of added value. This is, however, rightly discarded by the authors. The paper explains the concepts that have been developed surrounding the use of interpretative research. One of the most formative of these concepts is that indicated by Thompson[10], that interpretative research will come up with multiple possible worldviews rather than one individual ‘way of the world’, which was distinct from the positivistic approach. One of the central points determined by Szmigin and Foxall was that the interpretative approach accurately represented the complexities of human nature and that failure to consider this was a fatal flaw in the traditional positivistic approach[11]. Interestingly, the approach taken by Szmigin and Foxall, on the one hand, recognised the absolutely vital elements that the interpretative approach bring to the phenomenon that is essential for the complete understanding of consumer behaviour, but also gives credence to the way in which this approach is too value laden and thus not entirely reliable as a source of information for marketing professionals. The weakness of allowing subjective and internal states of the consumers to be taken into account is widely accepted by Szmigin and Foxall, yet despite this, there is a refusal to write off this approach, entirely[12]. One possible way of reconciling these opposing thoughts is that of considering the interpretative research methods as a way of ascertaining a range of several possible causes of action based on the range of potential consumer thought patterns from which positivistic research approaches can be used to narrow down the data into a more useful set of conclusions. It is this combination of the two approaches that Szmigin and Foxall focus on in reaching their conclusion. The approach, on the face of it, appears to be entirely logical given the data available. A Further Look at Interpretative Research Before simply accepting the proposition that the interpretative research approach offers additional supporting information to the more traditional approach, a greater analysis of the potential added value that can be obtained through the use of interpretative research is required. Klein Myers[13] argued that interpretative research is simply a way by which knowledge is obtained through consumer research. Rather than seeing interpretative research as a distinct method of conducting consumer research, it may be viewed as a way of filtering the information gathered through a set of cultural and social parameters. Interpretative research does not involve the pre-setting of parameters or any other variables; instead, it lets the social context influence the phenomenon. It seems that the approach of combing the two theories is powerful, but not in the way that Szmigin and Foxall identified. A paper by Bruce Rowlands[14] also explored the issue of the relative use of interpretative and positivistic approaches. However, in this case, it was concluded that the combination of the two approaches would be valuable but not simply because no conclusive conclusion relating to the choice of one over the other could be reached, but rather due to the fact that combining the two approaches can achieve the best of both worlds, in certain circumstances. In this case, it was held that the two approaches worked well together where the non constrained interpretative approach can be used within at least a certain set of boundaries (albeit loosely defined)[15]. Critically, this paper recognised that the problem with interpretative research is that reaching a meaningful conclusion can be virtually impossible, in many situations. This is down to the potential width of results that such an untargeted approach can cause. However, in this paper it was concluded by Bruce Rowlands that this difficulty could largely be overcome by setting at least basic parameters to guide the research in the first instance to ensure a degree of control in the research process[16]. By combining the findings of the Bruce Rowlands paper and that of the paper under current discussion, it is clear to see that there is at least some merit in the argument that the two methods can be successfully combined to offer rounded consumer research[17]. Positivistic Approach Analysis Based on Szmigin and Foxall’s Research It seems, from considering both the research as conducted by Szmigin and Foxall and other related research in the area, that it is generally thought that interpretative research methods have been developed to fill in the gaps of the positivistic approach. In order to explore this theory fully, the perceived weaknesses of the positivistic approach from the perspective of Szmigin and Foxall requires further consideration, as this will give a clear indication of the anticipated role of interpretative research methods. By establishing the weaknesses of the positivistic approach, it will then be possible to ascertain whether the use of interpretative research would indeed fill this gap and should, therefore, be considered as a means of offering a more complete consumer behaviour analysis[18]. Szmigin and Foxall saw that there were several inherent weaknesses in the positivistic approach. Firstly, it was identified that the underlying assumption that there is one reality that does not change; this is clearly unrealistic with consumers in a constant state of flux with ever changing external and internal decision factors. True positivism also works on the assumption that all consumers will make purchasing decision based on entirely reasoned factors with absolutely no input from irrational desires and impulse purchases. This is an over-simplistic view of the way in which consumers actually make decisions. It is well recognised that consumers will often make purchasing decision based on entirely irrational desires and, therefore, certain data patterns will be entirely meaningless, if only rational decision factors are considered. Szmigin and Foxall also recognised that in taking this concept of a single reality as encouraged by the positivistic approach, there is a danger that all other possible realities are excluded, thus potentially missing out other possibly valuable data sets. These main weaknesses in the positivistic approach are argued by Szmigin and Foxall to be the reason that interpretative research methods are necessary in order to fill in these gaps. These weaknesses are so substantial that it is accepted by Szmigin and Foxall that a positivistic approach is so fundamentally flawed that it alone cannot produce any meaningful data for the eventual users, namely the marketing manager in the relevant organisation. A Wider Look at the Positivistic Approach The positivistic or quantitative approach to consumer research is regarded as the traditional approach to consumer research; therefore, there is considerably more research available on the potential weaknesses to this area of research. Martin Callingham[19] stated that the main weakness in the use of qualitative approach is that, although input factors can be analysed against the actual outcome, there is no way, through using this direct data to ascertain whether the input factor was the actual cause of the witnessed outcome[20]. For example, if a company runs an advertising campaign and sees sales increase, the positivistic approach will show the statistical increase in sales, but will not show that it was the advertising campaign that drove this increase. The rise in sales will not necessarily be down to the advertising campaign; it could be down to a range of other cultural or social factors[21]. This failure to link cause and effect is the cited reason for the need to enhance the traditional positivistic approach[22]. Quantitative research is entirely science based with the emphasis on objectivity reliability and generalisations. Whilst this is clearly desirable in the field of research, consumer behaviour simply does not fall neatly within this scientific approach. There is positive value to be had in this approach, particularly when the aim of the research is to link directly some factor with base line results; it is both unbiased and objective with no values being derived from the researcher themselves. Despite this, the positivistic approach is clearly limited. Any variable that is not part of the model is totally disregarded and, as such, it is limited in its findings to the variables that are laid out in the original model[23]. Any fluidity of consumer behaviour will not be captured, which is an essential part of any consumer research project. It is this weakness that the use of interpretative research aims to manage and deal with by adding value to the overall research project[24]. Summary of Findings The need to expand upon the traditional positivistic approach has been clearly recognised by Szmigin and Foxall. The paper recognises that there are inherent weaknesses in both approaches to consumer research which render the use of one research method to the exclusion of the other, ineffective[25]. However the paper has been slightly unsatisfactory in the way in which it reaches this conclusion. The approach taken by Szmigin and Foxall involved the consideration of the weakness of both methods and, having concluded that both methods have fundamental flaws, it was then decided that the only possible solution was to use a combination of the two. This conclusion is agreed with; however, a slightly more positive approach to reaching this conclusion would have been welcome[26]. Other research papers have taken a more pragmatic approach by considering the difficulties and weaknesses with the traditional approach and then looking positively at whether or not the interpretative approach can suitably fill the gaps in a way that would improve the nature of the consumer research[27]. The weaknesses in the traditional approach of failing to consider discarded variables and of failing to link the cause and effect of behaviour have been duly noted by Szmigin and Foxall. Where the analysis falls down is that they do not then go on to consider fully how the interpretative approach could deal with these issues. It would seem, therefore, that by pulling together all of the relevant research in this area using an interpretative approach predominately yet with at least the basic controls such as those suggested by the positivistic approach, the best of both worlds will be achieved and the most comprehensive consumer research can be undertaken[28]. In summary, therefore, Szmigin and Foxall have reached the correct conclusion as to the importance of combining the two approaches, but the way in which this conclusion was reached could have been achieved in a more positive fashion rather than it being a default position which is what appears to have been the case with Szmigin and Foxall. Bibliography Anderson, Paul F., On method in consumer research: a critical relativist perspective, Journal of Consumer Research, 13 (Sept), 1986, 155-173. Belk, Russell W., Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006. Blumer, Herbert,, Symbolic Interactionsim, Englewood Cliffs: NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1967. Brown, Stephen, Marketing and literature: the anxiety of academic influence, Journal of Marketing, 63 (Jan), 1999, 1-15. Calder, Bobby J., Tybout, Alice M., Interpretive, qualitative , and traditional scientific empirical consumer behaviour research, in Hirschman, Elizabeth. C. (ed.), Interpretive Consumer Research, Provo, UT: Association of Consumer Research, 1989, 199-208. Callingham, Martin, Market Intelligence: How and why Organizations Use Market Research, Kogan Page Publishers, 2004. Charmaz, Kathy, Between positivism and postmodernism: implications for methods, Studies in Symbolic Interaction, 17, 1995, 43-72. Cova, Bernard, Elliott , Richard, Everything you always wanted to know about interpretive consumer research but were afraid to ask, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11, 2, 2008. Davies, Andrea, Fitchett, James A.,An Empirical Exposition of Paradigm Incommesurability in Consumer Research: Two Museum Studies Revisited, Proceedings of the EIASM Interpretive Consumer Research Conference, Brussels, May 2000. Firat, A. Fuat, Venkateash, Alladi, Liberatory postmodernism and the re-enachtment of consumption, Journal of Consumer Research, 22 (3), 1995, 239-67. Goulding, Christina, Consumer research, interpretive paradigms and methodological ambiguities, European Journal of Marketing, 33, 9/10, 1999, 859-873. Goulding, Christina, Grounded theory: the missing methodology on the interpretivist agenda, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 1(1), 1998, 50-57. Hackley, Christopher E., Doing Research Projects in Marketing, Management and Consumer Research, Routledge, 2003. Heath, Timothy B., The reconciliation of humanism and positivism in the practice of consumer research: a view from the trenches, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, 20 (2), 1992, 107-118. Hirschman, Elizabeth. C., Scientific style and the conduct of consumer research, Journal of Consumer Research, 12 (Sept), 1985. 225-239. Hirschman, Elizabeth C., Postmodern Consumer Research. The Study of Consumption as Text, Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1992. Hoffman, Donna, Holbrook, Morris B., The intellectual structure of consumer research: a bibliographic study of author cocitations in the first 15 years of the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (March), 1993,505-517. Hogg, Margaret K., Maclaran, Pauline, Rhetorical issues in writing interpretivist consumer research, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11, 2, 2008. Hudson, Laurel A., Ozanne, Julie L., Alternative ways of seeking knowledge in consumer research, Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (March), 1988, 508-521. Hunt, Shelby. D., Positivism and paradigm dominance in consumer research: towards critical pluralism and rapprochement, Journal of Consumer Research, 18 (June), 1991, 32-44. Klein, H., Myers, M., A Set of Principals for Conducting and Evaluating Interpretive Field Studies in Information Systems, MIS Quarterly, 23, 1, 1999, 67-94. Leong, Siew M., Sheth, Jagdish N., Tan, Ching T., An empirical study of the scientific styles of marketing academics, European Journal of Marketing, 28 (8/9), 1994, 12-26. Lutz, Richard J., Positivism, naturalism and pluralism in consumer research: paradigms in paradise, in Advances in Consumer Research,16 ed. Srull, Thomas, Provo:UT: Association of Consumer Research, 1989, 1-7. McQuarrie, Edward F. Glen-Mick, David, On resonance : a critical pluralistic inquiry into advertising rhetoric, Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (Sept), 1992, 180-197. Nancarrow, Clive, Moskvin, Alexander, Shankar, Avi, Bridging the great divide the transfer of techniques (qualitative and quantitative techniques), Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 14 (6), 1996, 27-37. Rowlands, Bruce H., Grounded in Practice: Using Interpretive Research to Build Theory, Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 3, 1, 2005, 81-92. Schiffman, Leon G., Hansen, Havard, Kanuk, Leslie Lazar, Consumer Behaviour: A European Outlook, Pearson Education, 2008. Silverman, David , Qualitative Research, Theory, Methods and Practice, London: Sage, 1997. Solomon, Michael R., Bamossy, Gary, Askergaard, Soren, Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999. The VOICE Group, Reflections on collaboration in interpretive consumer research, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11, 2, 2008. Thompson, Craig J., Eureka! and other tests of significance: a new look at evaluating interpretive research, Advances in Consumer Research, 17, eds. Goldberg, Marvin, Gorn, Gerald, Pollay, Richard, 1990, 25-30. Footnotes [1] Nancarrow, Clive, Moskvin, Alexander, Shankar, Avi, Bridging the great divide the transfer of techniques (qualitative and quantitative techniques), Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 14 (6), 1996, 27-37. [2] Hackley, Christopher E., Doing Research Projects in Marketing, Management and Consumer Research, Routledge, 2003 [3] Silverman, David, Qualitative Research, Theory, Methods and Practice, London: Sage, 1997 [4] Schiffman, Leon G., Hansen, Havard, Kanuk, Leslie Lazar, Consumer Behaviour: A European Outlook, Pearson Education, 2008 [5] Hogg, Margaret K., Maclaran, Pauline, Rhetorical issues in writing interpretivist consumer research, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11, 2, 2008 [6] Hudson, Laurel A., Ozanne, Julie L., Alternative ways of seeking knowledge in consumer research, Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (March), 508-521, 1988 [7] Hirschman, Elizabeth. C., Scientific style and the conduct of consumer research, Journal of Consumer Research, 12 (Sept), 1985, 225-239, 18 [8] Solomon, Michael R., Bamossy, Gary, Askergaard, Soren,, Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999 [9] Calder, Bobby J., Tybout, Alice M., Interpretive, qualitative, and traditional scientific empirical consumer behaviour research in Hirschman, Elizabeth. C. (ed.), Interpretive Consumer Research, Provo, UT: Association of Consumer Research, 1989, 199-208 [10] Thompson, Craig J., Eureka! and other tests of significance: a new look at evaluating interpretive research, Advances in Consumer Research, 17, eds. Goldberg, Marvin, Gorn, Gerald, Pollay, Richard, 25-30, 1990. [11] The VOICE Group, Reflections on collaboration in interpretive consumer research, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11, 2, 2008 [12] Davies, Andrea, Fitchett, James A., An Empirical Exposition of Paradigm Incommesurability in Consumer Research: Two Museum Studies Revisited, Proceedings of the EIASM Interpretive Consumer Research Conference, Brussels, May 2000. [13] Klein, H., Myers, M., A Set of Principals for Conducting and Evaluating Interpretive Field Studies in Information Systems, MIS Quarterly, 23, 1,,1999, 67-94 [14] Rowlands, Bruce H., Grounded in Practice: Using Interpretive Research to Build Theory, Electronic Journal of Business Research Methods, 3, 1, 2005 (81-92) [15] Brown, Stephen, Marketing and literature: the anxiety of academic influence, Journal of Marketing, 63 (Jan), 1-15, 1999 [16] Hoffman, Donna, Holbrook, Morris B.,The intellectual structure of consumer research: a bibliographic study of author cocitations in the first 15 years of the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (March),1993, 505-517. [17] Cova, Bernard, Elliott, Richard, Everything you always wanted to know about interpretive consumer research but were afraid to ask, Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 11,2, 2008 [18] Hirschman, Elizabeth C., Postmodern Consumer Research. The Study of Consumption as Text, Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1992. [19] Callingham, Martin, Market Intelligence: How and why Organizations Use Market Research, Kogan Page Publishers, 2004 [20] Hunt, Shelby. D., Positivism and paradigm dominance in consumer research: towards critical pluralism and rapprochement, Journal of Consumer Research, 18 (June), 1991, 32-44. [21] McQuarrie, Edward F., Glen-Mick, David , 1992, On resonance : a critical pluralistic inquiry into advertising rhetoric, Journal of Consumer Research, 19 (Sept), 1992, 180-197. [22] Anderson, Paul F.,On method in consumer research: a critical relativist perspective, Journal of Consumer Research, 13 (Sept), 1986, 155-173. [23] Heath, Timothy B.,The reconciliation of humanism and positivism in the practice of consumer research: a view from the trenches, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, 20 (2), 1992, 107-118. [24] Leong, Siew M., Sheth, Jagdish N., Tan, Ching T., An empirical study of the scientific styles of marketing academics, European Journal of Marketing, 28 (8/9), 1994, 12-26. [25] Goulding, Christina, Consumer research, interpretive paradigms and methodological ambiguities, European Journal of Marketing, 33, 9/10, 1999, 859-873. [26] Belk, Russell W., Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006 [27] Charmaz, Kathy, Between positivism and postmodernism: implications for methods, Studies in Symbolic Interaction, 17, 1995, 43-72. [28] Lutz, Richard J., â€Å"Positivism, naturalism and pluralism in consumer research: paradigms in paradise, in Advances in Consumer Research, 16, ed. Srull, Thomas, Provo:UT: Association of Consumer Research, 1-7, 1989

The Piano :: essays research papers fc

A Mail Order Bride â€Å"The strange thing is I don’t think myself silent, that is, because of my piano† (Campion 9). This beloved instrument is central to the plot and plays a major role in the movie The Piano. It is a symbolic instrument that Campion uses to tell a complex tale.. The film is a story of shyness, repression, and loneliness, of a woman who will not speak and a man who cannot listen, and of a willful little girl who causes mischief. Ada’s verbal silence is a complicated issue in the film and contributes to the overall confusion surrounding her gender identity. Since the age of six, Ada voluntarily chose to be mute and expresses herself through her play of her piano. Her piano symbolized not only her body but also more importantly her soul. In the mid-1800’s, Ada arrives on the stormy shores of New Zealand to meet her prearranged husband, Stewart. Ada was referred to as the mail-order bride on the summation of the Blockbuster videocassette. In addition to her luggage filled with dishes and clothes, she brings her eight-year old daughter, and her piano. Despite Ada’s wordless pleadings, Stewart refuses to bring her piano home and it is left on the beach. As Ada, Stewart, and the rest of the crew leave the beach, Ada contemplates the piano sitting on the sand near the water. This scene shows the underlying feelings of Ada; she is unhappy that her prize possession is being left behind. Stewart believes in his ownership of Ada and he demonstrates this by negating her own claim to property. Baines, a local man with Maori ways, makes a deal with Stewart in which he will trade land for music lessons from Ada. Baines offers Ada a deal to get the instrument back, and she is unprepared for the price she must ultimately pay. He recognizes the value that the piano has with Ada, which Stewart fails to do. The first act of compassion from Baines towards Ada is when he has the piano tuned. This event symbolizes that he truly cares what Ada feels and respects her as a women and person. Stewart does not comprehend that affection must be earned through trust, respect, and love. Baines realizes this and he gives the piano back to her saying, â€Å"I want you to care for me† (The Piano). One can feel the sense of frustration with Baines during the play scene.

Revolutionary War Heroes :: essays papers

Revolutionary War Heroes There were many great men in the past who have contributed greatly to the growth prosperity and independence to this country. These historical figures include such men as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. These men served their country as revolutionary war leaders and helped American to become the free and just country it is today. Benjamin Franklin, born January 17, 1706, was the 10th son, and 15th child, of 17 children in the Josiah Franklin family. Josiah was a soap and candlemaker, who lived in Boston, Massachusetts with his second wife, Abiah Folger. Although Franklin learned to read at an early age, he only attended grammar school for two years. By the time he was 10 years old, Franklin was working for his father. However, he didn’t enjoy the candlemaking profession, and two years later, Franklin was apprenticed to his brother James, a printer. For five years, Franklin sought to master the printers' trade. During this time, he also strove to improve his education. Franklin read numerous classic novels and perfected his writing style. One night, Franklin slipped a letter, signed "Silence Dogood," under the door of his brother's newspaper, the New England Courant. That letter and the next 13 written by Franklin were published anonymously. The essays were widely read and acclaimed for their satire. In 1723, at age 17, Franklin left for Philadelphia. He got employed at a printing job in London, learning many important skills. He came back to Pennsylvania and had by 1730 become owner of a printing business. This is where Franklin published his first official literary work, The Pennsylvania Gazette. In 1731, Franklin founded what is considered the first public library. During the next several years, Franklin was responsible for establishing the first fire department, a police force, and the Academy of Philadelphia, which became the University of Pennsylvania. In 1732, Franklin began compiling and publishing the annual Poor Richard's Almanac. With its homely virtues, it attracted a large amount of people interested in his work and made Franklin's name a household word. Franklin had gotten involved in politics and represented Pennsylvania at the Albany Congress in 1754, called in response to the French and Indian Wars. In 1757, Franklin was sent to England to petition the king for the right to levy taxes. He remained in England for the next five years, and in that time he obtained permission for Pennsylvania to tax the estates of its proprietors, successfully repealed the Stamp Act, and represented the voice of several colonies. He befriended powerful British political leaders and wrote political satires and pamphlets on public affairs, helping keep the colonies informed on foreign affairs.

Rabbit Proof Fence Essay

Physical journeys involve the movement of a person from one place to another. They provide opportunities for travellers to extend themselves physically, intellectually and emotionally as they respond to challenges and learn more about the world around them. This concept of physical journeys can be clearly seen in the texts â€Å"Rabbit-Proof Fence† by Phillip Noyce and â€Å"A Horse with No Name† by America. Both texts use a number of methods and technical features, to represent the journey and the impact of its result. The film â€Å"Rabbit-Proof Fence† tells the story of 3 Aboriginal girls (Molly, Daisy and Gracie) who travel on foot across 1500km of inhospitable Australian outback to be reunited with their family, after being forcibly removed by the Australian government. It has been represented as a physical journey of epic proportions, an act of survival and a quest for freedom, as the girls lead by Molly, overcome various obstacles. Such as surviving without food, water or shelter in the harsh Australian bushland, while navigating their way home via the rabbit-proof fence and cleverly outsmarting their tracker. The primary setting of the text is the physical landscape of outback Australia over which the girls embark their journey. This landscape is used throughout the film to represent the progression of the girl’s journey through its changing terrain, emphasising the distance they have travelled and the hardships that they have had to face. Their lack of freedom on the journey is represented visually through the juxtaposition of point of view shots of the landscape through the bars of imprisonment, when they are being sent away. This contrasts the previous scenes where an aerial shot is taken of them roaming freely, in their vast and spacious environment. In effect it symbolises they oppression that they feel and creates an understanding of the importance of the journey to the girls. The use of other film techniques such as slow motion, the playing of indigenous Australian music and close-up shots of their faces during the girls travels emphasis their physical and emotional displacement as a result of the journey. Also as the film is seen through the eyes of Molly we are aware of the importance of the journey to her through her continuous determination, as well as the impact it has had on her through her gradual deterioration and exhaustion. The film relies on the conventions of realism to represent the physical journey undertaken. The hardship of the journey is illustrated through a series of images, including a heat haze-where they are dragging their feet through the sand, them digging desperately for water and Molly carrying Daisy, as she cannot continue any longer. This physical journey has resulted in individual learning and growth and an understanding of the world. This is particularly evident through the character of Molly. As a result of this journey, she has discovered many things about herself, her spirituality and her identity, as well as the world she lives in, and her place in it. In the song â€Å"A Horse with No Name† a story is told about a man travelling by himself through the desert on a horse. He is exploring the world, and discovering things about himself and life without the interruptions that society and its people bring. The theme of physical journey has been reinforced by the consistent rhyming pattern of ABAB throughout the song. As it flows, it progressively reveals his story and reinforces the impact it has had on him. The concept of physical journey has also been achieved through the choice of words that reveal his inner feelings and motifs. Evidence of this is in the line â€Å"in the desert you can remember your name, cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain†. This indicates he is on the search for his identity and to escape from society, which inturn represents the physical journey as a quest for spiritual growth and change. Throughout the journey the man looks many aspects of nature and life, these have had an impact on him physically due to the harsh climate of the desert and emotionally due to the sadness he feels in the face of death. This is illustrated through the use of figurative language in the lyrics and shows the impact and reality of the journey. The metaphor â€Å"the ocean is a desert with its life underground, and a perfect disguise above† represents and adds depth to the theme of physical journeys resulting in discovery and an understanding of the world. The extensive use of visual features and imagery such as â€Å"the sky with no clouds†, and the â€Å"red hot desert sun† coupled with the precise attention to descriptive detail, offers a realism to the experiences on his journey and the impact that this journey has made in his life. In conclusion, in both â€Å"rabbit-proof fence† and â€Å"a horse with no name† the concept of physical journeys is represented as a way by which people learn about themselves and discover the world around them, and will often result in spiritual growth.

Alliant Energy Case Study

1. Who are the main players (name and position)? William D Harvey, Chairman and CEO of Alliant Energy Jamie Toledo, head of supplier diversity program- Alliant Energy 2. In what business or businesses and industry or industries is the company operating? Energy/Utility- Alliance provides electricity and natural gas service 3. What are the issues and problems facing the company?That diversity within the workforce and supplier base does not meet corporate core values and goals (to create and retain/maintain a diverse workforce/supplier base, and place women in positions not traditionally held by women, still need more ethnic diversity) in order to maximize their abilities Employees are confused about Alliant’s definition of diversity Employees’ perception of diversity (affirmative action, work attitudes, job satisfaction) 4. What is the primary problem for the company/organization in this case?That diversity within the workforce and supplier base does not meet corporate co re values and goals 5. Why have the problem (s) you cite emerged? Identify the causal chain (the events or Circumstances that caused the problem-Some will be Internal Weaknesses, others EXTERNAL Threats). Employees’ perception of diversity (affirmative action, work attitudes, job satisfaction— external threat, people come to the workplace with preconceived notions regarding diversity.Employees confused about definition of diversity- Internal cause by lack of training and lack of understanding regarding management’s expectations 6. What are the characteristics of the industry that the company is in and how is the Industry changing over time? Not typically an industry that includes many women, and is not located in an area of the United States that is particularly diverse. Industry is continuously growing as the need for energy increases, thus more people will need to be hired and more suppliers will be needed. The marketplace is full of many different ages, races , and religions.An organization with employees that reflect these different groups will be more successful in serving consumers because their workforce reflects the diversity of the marketplace 7. What is the firm's strategy for differentiation, enabling them to compete within the context of their industry? According to Jamie Toledo, having diverse suppliers leads to new perspectives and creativity, it supports local communities, and ensures diverse businesses have fair opportunities. In addition, having a diverse workforce enables the company to understand the marketplace and increases the company’s chances of succeeding . What are possible solutions to the problems you have identified? Continue to communicate senor managements’ commitment to diversity, explain the benefits of diversity, active participation of employees in the training, create an internal diversity council 9. What are the advantages and possible disadvantages of your solution(s)? Advantage: more trai ning and more continued reinforcement typically leads to more involvement and awareness, employees now know the definition and of and benefits of diversity at it applies to their jobs and company.Possible disadvantage: the scripted training may reinforce stereotypes. All day, mandated training may lead to some employees not grasping all the elements of the training 10. Are there any possible problems with your suggested recommendations? What contingencies need to be accommodated? Training may be too scripted, not enough employee involvement†¦. Solution= include more informal forums or guest speakers. Could also spread the scripted training over the course of multiple days.