Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Is there a causal relationship between proximity to power plants and Essay

Is there a causal relationship between proximity to power plants and cancer cases - Essay Example The floating Chernobyl explosion radiation particles contaminated the cow’s milk products. Similarly, milk products from the nearby Satre Selo Village and the Perehodichi Village were contaminated. The Chernobyl cows’ ate the radiation-infected grass. The grass grew on radiation- contaminated farm soil (Stepanova et al., 2008). The residents’ eating contaminated cow’s milk was a confounder variable. The winds’ blowing the radioactive particles to particular community is another confounder variable. The people’s long exposure within the vicinity of the Chernobyl community is a third confounder variable. If there were no cows eating the grass, the people will not drink the cows’ milk or eat the infected cows’ meat. Consequently, the number of cancer incidents would favourably decline. Consequently, the contamination spread. The contaminated soil contaminated the grass that grew on the contaminated soil. Next, the cows ate the -radiation contaminated grass. By eating the contaminated grass, the cows were contaminated with radiation. When the farmers extracted the milk from the cows, the milk products were contaminated by the Chernobyl radiation (Zamostian et al., 2002). The contaminated soil was another confounder that increased the number of cancer incidents within the Chernobyl community. Another confounder was the quantity of contaminated food eaten. With more people eating radiation-contaminated food, more people died from the deadly cancer ailment. Further, the Chernobyl accident research focused on soil contamination measurements from Ukraine’s 38 Narodichesky region communities (Karmaus et al., 2008) The six year research included children respondents belonging to the 18 years old and below age range. The PROC MIXED linear measurement model to gather radiation data, controlling confounders. The findings indicate erythrocyte, blood

Monday, October 28, 2019

Ten Commandments for CEOs Seeking Organizational Change Essay Example for Free

Ten Commandments for CEOs Seeking Organizational Change Essay In our ever-changing, fast-paced world, competitive relationships Can shift quickly when companies respond too slowly to increased competition in their industry group. Succeeding in such a competitive and changing environment demands that CEOs reshape their organization to meet todays challenges and competitive realities. But responding to change remains highly elusive because there is a natural resistance to change at all levels within the organization, including at the top. CEOs and other members of the executive suite need to take a hard look at their existing organization and culture, ask tough questions about its appropriateness for the current competitive environment, and take concrete, implemental steps to forge a preferred culture and drive it downward throughout the entire organization. But therein lies the challenge, for few management teams both establish a comprehensive strategy for remaining competitive and take a hands-on approach to implement change internally. By not getting involved, they signal to employees that the change really isnt very important. A key premise of this article is that cultural change or any organizational transformation is essentially a top-down activity. It cannot be delegated. If the CEO perceives the need for change, makes it a top priority, and gives it a great deal of time and attention, the organization will change. By the same token, if the CEO offers only limited lip service, needed changes just wont happen. This article outlines how the CEO can be an enthusiastic sponsor of change by paying enough attention to implementation to make the transformation take place. Reynierse and Leyden (1992) provide a case study incorporating these steps. 1. Strategy-Driven The process I am advocating will be relatively ineffective without a strategic framework to provide competitive advantage. This process is not a substitute for such a strategy. Rather, the strategy is the starting point that establishes the context for all other steps. However, strategies will be relatively ineffective when management pays insufficient attention to their impact on the work forcefor ultimately it is the work force who will implement the strategy and make it succeed or fail. The point is that unless such a strategic plan is implemented and executed effectively, it will not be fully realized in the competitive marketplace. An overview of this process is depicted in Figure 1. A companys business strategies, plans, and goals are the starting pointnot the endof this exercise. They formalize the CEOs vision, setting the tone and establishing direction for the company in both the long and short terms. They provide a context for all other activities and decisions, establishing the limits for making many choices along the way. In addition, they determine the direction and boundaries for building the new organizational culture, including molding employee expectations. Resources are scarce in every organization, and management must accept the fact that it cant do everything. Strategic choices reflect judgments about where companies think they have marketplace competitive advantage so that plans implemented here enable them to grow faster and earn more than their competitors in these market segments. Similarly, the resources dedicated to building the organization are determined by this strategic focus. 2. Top-Down Involvement If something is important, a good rule of thumb is to have a top-down approach to getting it done. Ideally, then, the CEO must get involved. If the CEO attends to the organization, it will improve and gain competitive advantage. Conversely, if the CEO gives it scant time and attention, little organizational growth will occur. In short, the CEO who enthusiastically sponsors a broadly conceived program for building the company is more likely to succeed and reap the benefits down the road. A company-wide initiative needs an enthusiastic and supportive CEO who does not hesitate to play a continuing role during the change process. But where is the top? And who is the CEO? Building organizations is often better served by dealing with chunk-sized bites rather than the whole company. Particularly for large companies, it often makes better sense to deal with natural strategic business units (SBUs) rather than the entire company. At one level, there are often unique problems or opportunities in a unit or company division. At another level, it is most meaningful for those involved to deal with issues that directly concern them and their business unit. The approach I am advocating includes determining the firms core values and mission. It is unlikely that every SBU or company division will share the same core values or mission. Individual business units often have unique customers, competitors, product maturity, strategies, and objectives. These units need the autonomy to develop their own focus. For such cases the division executive is functionally the CEO for that unit and can provide the vision, enthusiasm, and driving force for success. Throughout, however, the CEO must remain interested and provide broad support for what is taking place. Even when the primary leadership role resides elsewhere, the CEO must be an advocate for change and reinforce actions taken at these lower levels. 3. Organizational Assessment Periodically it is valuable to take an objective snapshot of the broader organization. This not only provides information about the companys strengths and limitations but can also identify how those strengths and limitations measure up to the mission and the core values. Effective organizations have employees who share these values, and a carefully conceived organizational assessment will identify pockets of agreement and resistance. Several techniques, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups, are used for these organizational assessments. The organizational dynamics survey (Reynierse and Harker 1986) has been particularly effective, because it provides an objective measure of the underlying values that mold organizations. For example, the surveys broad customer orientation category taps a cultural value related to making customers a priority and satisfying their needs. Surveys are particularly important because they get every employee involved; everyone has the chance to be heard. Surveys also provide an opportunity for management to pay attention to employees concerns and to build their trust. This is achieved when management openly communicates with employees regarding key issues and responds to problems by taking timely, corrective action. At the same time, establishing trust is the first step in getting employees to buy in to managements broader vision. 4. Clarify Core Values Peters Waterman (1982) have one all-purpose bit of advice for management figure out your value system. Decide what your company stands for. Today many frequently echo this management theme. Identifying and clarifying core values are central to this approach as well. When they are integrated with a companys business strategies, core values help provide a focused mission. All too often, companies or their natural business units lack focus; their employees are confused about what the company stands for and what it is trying to achieve. However, when the focus and the mission are clear, they can drive the entire organization or SBU. Mission statements ideally should be brief, concise, and to the point. They should identify primary business activities, integrate key strategies, and reflect the firms core values. When we speak about core values we are dealing with many attractive virtuesMcLaughlin, McLaughlin Lischick (1992), for example, identified more than 100and it is tempting to include as many as possible. In my experience, however, an organization can give proper attention to only a fewsay, three to fiveclearly stated core values. Anything more will be too diffuse and will only confuse employees and dilute managements efforts. In other words, management has to make some hard choices, and established strategies provide the context for focus. There are no shortcuts; there is no generic mission statement. To build a focused organization, the management team has to participate in the process. We use a value clarification exercise when working with top and senior management. This exercise consists of 30 corporate values that are relevant (and credible) for business and industry. Each is defined and serves as an effective probe, placing key issues on the table for discussion. Some representative examples are shown in Figure 2. Because many are presented with a different thrust or emphasis, they can generate a provocative and lively discussion. This value-clarification process gains agreement for key priorities and direction, and fosters team-building through shared values and mission. Similarly, it lays the groundwork for resolving internal differences between functional groups that may have varied goals or priorities. Finally, it sets the stage for driving the process downward through the entire work force so other employees can buy in and share the focused mission as well. The risk in all this, says Peters (1992), is that management does such a good job that these values become fixed, even though they no longer are appropriate. The necessary caveat here is to return to strategy and competitive marketplace reality. Very simply, if the strategy is no longer appropriate and requires changes, the core values and focused mission probably need to be changed as well. They must therefore be revisited and modified as necessary to be congruent with any new strategies. A case can be made that because clarifying core values is so central to this approach, it should occur earlier in the process. There are benefits, however, of having it follow the organizational assessment step because this gives management another opportunity to respond to the input and reactions of the work force. Their perceptions of what the company really values are important and may indicate that changes are needed. 5. Work Force Involvement and Participation One of the advantages of the employee survey approach to assessing an organization is that all employees have the opportunity to participate and express their opinion. In other words, at an early stage in the process they have the chance to level with management, provide an employee perspective, and establish an agenda for later stages. While we begin the more intensive activities at the top with senior management, we involve lower-level employees, particularly lower levels of management, as quickly as possible. Although every situation will be different and will require different solutions, management should be vigilant for opportunities to involve new participants. A valuable tool is the use of focused task forces to address any priority issues that may have emerged from the organizational assessments or team-building sessions. This permits additional employee involvement at the problem-solving and solution-generating stages of the exercise. A fundamental assumption is that a focused organization requires a work force that shares this focus. The key to successful implementation, then, is the steps that are taken to drive the process downwardto downstreamso that all employees feel they are a part of this focused mission. Implementing managements vision demands paying attention to employees, managing their expectations, and responding to their concerns. Building the firm requires taking action steps that promote the core values and focused mission. I call these steps the culture carriers. It is through them that senior management can reinforce values consistently and frequently. Put another way, the culture carriers provide direction for marketing the core values and mission with all employees. The five culture carriers we have identified are summarized in Figure 3 and will be discussed separately. 6. Inspirational leadership Our studies of corporate culture indicate that there are two ways management stays in touch with what is going on in the company: 1. By visiting work areas and being visible to their employees. This is inspirational leadership at its best and is similar to the idea of Managing by Walking Around (MBWA), as developed by Peters Waterman (1982) and Peters and Austin (1985). 2. Through the balance sheet and financial focus. In general, however, many top executives emphasize financial performance and focus to the extent that they neglect their leadership roles. The broad process for organizational change outlined here provides structure for MBWA and for being a cheerleader. Although executives tend to underestimate their leadership effectiveness, they in fact exert considerable power by virtue of their leadership positions. As DePree (1989) observed, Leaders need to be concerned with the institutional value system. Each time they go out to a work area and talk to an employee or group of employees represents an opportunity to exercise influence and reinforce the companys mission and core values. This clearly communicates to employees what is important to the organization and what is expected of them. When the CEO or division head is leading the charge, everyone quickly picks up on it, and any ambiguity regarding what is taking place is quickly removed. The results are multiplied when this leadership role is being exercised by the entire management team. As an example, the management team of one of my client organizations made a contract with one another during a planning retreat to spend 15 minutes a day walking around, getting to know employees, and talking with them in each of their subordinate organizations. Though initially they were ambivalent and self-conscious about their task, it soon became an accepted and high-priority activity. They would confront each other daily by asking, Have you spent your 15 minutes walking around yet today? This, together with several other steps, quickly led to a turn-around in an otherwise demoralized work force. It was an important step for management to become informed, get on top of operations, get in touch with its people, and communicate direction. 7. Communication Put as simply as possible, employees cannot accept or implement top managements vision if they are unaware of it. Frequent formal and informal channels of communication are needed with all employees to introduce the focused mission and core values and reinforce them over a period of time. Executives must make liberal use of meetings, video presentations, posters, newspaper articles, brochures, and so on. If there is a rule of thumb, it is that you cant do too much in this area. Some of our clients have successfully used kick-off meetings in which they celebrated the focused mission and core values, gave every employee a wallet-sized card containing the mission statement, and provided other symbolic itemspins, coffee mugs, pencils, hatsthat focused on elements within the mission and its values. Primarily held to share information, the meetings were also used to rally employees and build enthusiasm for the new organization. The informal mixing that occurs at such kick-offs is also a va luable time for management to energize employees and talk with them further about the focus. 8. Financial Focus Well-ran companies have a strong financial focus that emphasizes both profitability and cost containment. It can play a significant resource allocation role that simultaneously provides increased funds and resources to programs that support the core values while denying (or at least sharply reducing) funds and resources to established programs that are less important to the mission. How capital is invested and what activities are expended carry important messages to employees. It is necessary to examine investment decisions in terms of a strategic standard that includes the companys core values and focused mission. Having done so, it may be necessary to withhold capital or budgetary expense dollars for those projects that fail to qualify under this standard. When capital investments and highly visible expenses are consistent with the values and mission of the company, they will provide support for and reinforce this focused mission among employees. But when inconsistency abounds, emp loyees will be confused and may withhold their support.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Digressions in Venus and Adonis and Hero and Leander :: essays papers

Digressions in Venus and Adonis and Hero and Leander The poems Venus & Adonis and Hero & Leander have many similarities. Venus & Adonis, written by William Shakespeare (1593), is the story of lovesick Venus and innocent Adonis. Venus attempts to convince Adonis to have intimate relations with her. In the poem Hero & Leander, written by Christopher Marlowe (1598), Leander convinces the beautiful Hero to consummate their relationship despite her arguments. Another similarity of the two works is the digressions within the poems. In V&A, the digression involves two horses that are overcome by lust and eventually run off to mate in the woods. The digression in Hero & Leander is also sexual in nature. It involves Neptune attempting to seduce Leander. The digressions in V&A and Hero & Leander have parallel references to the work as a whole. The digressions also have similar qualities that indicate the influence of Shakespeare on Marlowe. The digression in Venus & Adonis occurs during the first one third of the poem. Shakespeare chooses to have the horses mirror the behavior of Venus and Adonis. The stallion, Adonis’ horse, mimics the actions of Venus. The stallion is the aggressor in the relationship; it is he who approaches the jennet. He shows off his strength and beauty by prancing and stamping on the ground. After his displays of strength and power the stallion, â€Å"looks upon his love, and neighs unto her† (Shakespeare 41). It is clear that the horse is entreating the jennet to submit to him sexually. When Shakespeare describes the stallion he states that, â€Å"this horse excel a common one† (293). This quote directly relates the horse to Venus. The reader knows that Venus is of uncommon status, she is a god and therefore is immortal. Shakespeare uses this knowledge to link the two characters. Venus is also very aggressive in her relationship with Adonis. Shakespeare humorously describes the way Venus demonstrates her strength in a way similar to the stallion. Venus takes, â€Å"over one arm the lusty courser’s rein, Under the other her tender boy† (31-32). Venus is attempting to use strength to get her love, the way the stallion used his strength. Shakespeare is making a reference to how Venus’ is taking what is customarily the male role. The actions of the jennet in the digression can be compared to the actions of Adonis in the poem.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Pesticides Essay -- Environment, Pollution

People have been abusing the environment for too long. Americans should not use chemicals without researching and considering serious consequences. Rachel Carson, an aquatic biologist who helped shape the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wrote an article about the damage chemicals are having on the earth. She presented a great point that most damage Americans are causing to the earth cannot be reversed. These chemicals are left in the air or in the ground for generations (Carson 50). Americans should use environmentally friendly pesticides to reduce pollution and improve human and animal health. One of the main reasons to use environmentally friendly pesticides is to reduce pollution. In an article from National Wildlife, it was found that surface and groundwater pollution is the biggest â€Å"uncontrolled† threat to American water today. This is caused when rain washes the chemicals from pesticides in into streams, lakes, and other bodies of water (Miller, par. 5). It can be very hard to monitor this issue because it is difficult to decide which farmer is using too much or even misusing pesticides (Miller, par.5). One way to reduce pollution from pesticides is to cut back on the amount of pesticides used. Farmers in Iowa were encouraged to reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers on their crops to help stop polluting the groundwater and runoffs. The farmers were over-using fertilizers and pesticides because they were not taking into consideration the fertilizers that were already in the ground from past years. Since the project began, there has been a dec line in nitrate levels in groundwater (Miller, par. 16). If all farmers would adopt this new way of thinking, the water contamination problem would deteriora... ...pesticides that will harm the earth nor eating any pesticides. Like Rachel Carson, all Americans should be very concerned about the impact pesticides are having on the environment and all living creatures. In her conclusion to The Obligation to Endure she says, â€Å"I contend that we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife and man himself. Further generations are unlikely to condone our lack of prudent concern for the integrity of the natural world that supports all life† (Carson 54). She, as well as many others, recognizes a major issue in current actions with pesticides but is hopeful for the future. A little change in each person can achieve great results. To reduce pollution and improve the health of humans and animals, Americans should only use environmental friendly pesticides.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

What are the students

Brittany a great Listener, She always has a positive attitude, she looks at you when your speaking, gives gestures, and acknowledges you while your speaking. She's always alert and respectfully to questions In a conversation. She offers feedback and she's great at making constructive correctly sound â€Å"nice†. 2. What are the student's 3 (three) major â€Å"communication weaknesses? † Brittany Really doesn't have any weaknesses when it comes to communication, but if there is a problem in our allegations she will rather text then talk.I find that a minor weakness, because our generation would rather talk than work issues out in person. Questions to be answered by you the student 1 . How did this activity help you with your communication strengths and weakness? This activity gave positive and negative opinions on my communication skills and they were very beneficial. One thing I can say is when I communicate with family and friends set aside from having to communicate a t work or In class I would rather text then talk on the phone or In person and maybe that has become a weakness when It moms to my communication skills.Other than that I am comfortable with his opinions on my strengths when it comes to communication. 2. Did this actively bring to surface some issues you should be concerned about? Yes, this activity did bring to surface some issues, only because like I said in my other response I'll text before I actually pick up the phone, or ill text if there's a situation I want to discuss with my significant other. My overall approach will be less testing, and Just start communication with certain people more in person. What are the students By Brittanyhackett2010 .What are the student's 3 (three) major â€Å"communication strengths? † Britain's a alert and responsibility to questions in a conversation. She offers feedback and she's great at making constructive criticism sound â€Å"nice†. 2. What are the student's 3 friends set asi de from having to communicate at work or in class I would rather text then talk on the phone or in person and maybe that has become a weakness when it comes to my communication skills. Other than that I am comfortable with his opinions on my strengths when it comes to communication.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essays

David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essays David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essay David Altons Literary Criticism of Our Video Culture Essay Our Video Culture, directly mirrors concepts covered in chapter two, specifically the characteristics of culture and the ideas of mass media. Altos document discusses the impact of video and television violence on the behavior of children, and the unacceptable shift in what is suitable to be broadcasted on television. Alton focuses on the specific example of the murder of a two-year-old boy, James Bulgier, by two young boys in Liverpool. The murderers had been conditioned to believe that certain violent actions were acceptable; they were sensitizes to such gruesome ideas, due to the number of times they had seen these actions displayed on television. The two boys have been exposed to a series of popular violent television films that instilled in them, Vicious characteristics of culture that were learned through observation and imitation. When Alton and many others addressed the issue of widespread violence on television, Parliament disregarded it as a matter that should be tended to by the childs parents. This hints at the idea that though the values of a society express that murder and violence are unacceptable, ass media was successfully able to create an ambiguous area of limitations for television broadcasts; it was no longer mass medias fault, but the parents fault for not monitoring their children more carefully. Mass media has used its power to shape what is now believed as the new norm for television by encouraging a pervasive culture of violence, thus minimizing the concern of what children can observe and learn from watching this violence on television; giving way to situations such as the murder of James Bulgier.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The eNotes Blog Augusts Teachers Corner Column Schools of the Futureâ€Oh,My

Augusts Teachers Corner Column Schools of the Future- Oh,My Teacher’s Corner is a monthly newsletter from just for teachers. In it, experienced educator and contributor Susan Hurn shares her tips, tricks, and insight into  the world of teaching. This month, shes looking to the future of teaching with a skeptical eye. Check out this month’s Teacher’s Corner column below, or sign up to receive the complete newsletter in your inbox at . Predictions about how students will be educated one day are intriguing, but a few of them are downright scary when you think of the implications. Some visions of education in the future seem really off-the-wall, but others are not hard to imagine, for better or worse, considering the continuing impact of technology in the classroom and how it has already changed instructional practices. Here are a few highlights from the prognosticators: Schools will consist of interlocking modular pods that can be added to or removed from a basic structure to adjust for the increase or decrease in a school’s population. Modular schools will be portable, easily moved from one location to another as the general population shifts geographically. Students will be micro-chipped to facilitate supervision and safety. Classes will be conducted with robots providing instruction. Traditional schools will cease to exist. Students will complete individual studies on computers at community centers open 24/7, working when it’s most convenient for them and communicating with teachers by voice mail. All field trips will be virtual, and students will attend virtual workshops conducted by recognized authorities in various fields. Hands-on learning will be phased out; students will interact solely with 3-D models, touching only computer keys. Computer keyboards will be phased out. Students will use hand and eye gestures, like playing games on a Wii, to control electronic tablets. Students will write with digi pens. Large multi-national companies will have an increasing influence on curriculums and school resources. Some of these predictions, tossed in there with the robots and microchips and portable pods, really aren’t that hard to imagine. The last one seems entirely likely, considering the current emphasis on preparing students for the workforce in a global economy, the primary intent of CCSS. You can read more predictions about schools of the future in this Australian news article  and at educationworld.com. Also, check out â€Å"Five Future Technologies That Will Shape Our Classrooms† at edutopia.org. The technologies here and their applications may remind you of The Matrix. A couple of them are more reminiscent of Brave New World. What then will be the teacher’s role in the future? Except for answering voice mail now and then, it’s projected to be of little importance, no more than writing study programs to be delivered via students’ computers, the kinds of instructional programs that computers could probably generate for other computers to run. The human factor seems to be missing altogether, and that’s more than scary. It would be a disaster of untold consequence if eliminating the teacher-student relationship should turn out to be something other than science fiction. The fact is, however, that the expanded use of technology has already decreased the amount of time students spend interacting with their teachers and with one another. Many kids now earn high school diplomas without ever spending time with other human beings in a classroom; offering on line classes is an established practice at colleges and universities. Looking ahead from projected models of instruction and from current trends in how high school and college credits are being earned, it isn’t impossible to imagine teachers eventually being phased out of the process entirely, with lessons designed and delivered by curriculum centers. The personal interaction between teachers and their students could become as outmoded as kids writing on slates with chalk. What a tragic loss that would be, a deprivation that couldn’t be ameliorated through the most advanced uses of technology because it relates directly to the human spirit. Eliminating classroom teachers in favor of computer instruction would surely save billions of dollars, but to believe that their absence would not impact students is to deny human nature. How do you program a computer to jump-start a kid’s curiosity or instill a love of learning or make students believe they can when they’re convinced they can’t? How do you write computer programs that show students every day that they are important? A computer never smiles or hands out Kleenex during flu season or lends lunch money or carries on a spontaneous discussion that starts nowhere and ends up in an unexpected, spectacular place, nor does a computer model how we should treat each other. Computer programs can instruct, but they can’t teach. Carl Jung, who spent a lifetime studying the human psyche long before the advent of computers, knew the difference between instructing and teaching. â€Å"The curriculum is so much necessary raw material,† he said, â€Å"but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.† Read Jung’s entire quotation and other observations about the vital importance of the teacher-student relationship here. Looking over the predictions about schools of the future, it occurs to me that the seers forgot to consider an important variable: parents. Parents might not embrace the idea that their children should report to community centers and be instructed by a computer that doesn’t know the color of their eyes or what they want to be when they grow up or that they are sad because their grandmother died. It’s hard to imagine that parents wouldn’t want their children to be valued and nurtured, as well as instructed. It’s also hard to imagine the stands filling up on Friday night so that parents can watch a virtual football game on their laptops. A silly notion, but I offer it to make the point that our schools are so thoroughly woven into the fabric of our communities that to eliminate them would destroy a big chunk of what holds us together. Schools of the future won’t become a dystopian vision realized, so long as everyone understands and remembers some essential truths: A school is more than a building, education is more than instruction, and since kids are human beings, educating them requires a human touch. Enjoy what’s left of the summer. The bell’s going to ring soon, and how great is that! Susan

Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Drowner Essays

The Drowner Essays The Drowner Essay The Drowner Essay Essay Topic: Drown Language in literary texts often plays an integral role in shaping meaning. The Drowner (1996) is a contemporary Australian novel. Set in the lath 19th century and early 20th century the romance and historical epic follows the life of protagonist, William Dance, his relationship with Angelica Lloyd, and his Journey from England through, Africa, to Western Australia. Poetic Language, in particular symbolism, imagery and metaphors, are extensively used to construct and Juxtapose settings, characters and their relationships. The title of the novel can be interpreted both on a literal and metaphorical level, hich clearly establishes water as a motif and metaphor tthroughout the novel. Drowning refers to the act of controlling the flow of water, and is done by a Drowner who is a rural water engineer who is responsible for keeping the fields fertile. In the first section of the novel, The Art of Floating Land, readers are introduced to the character of Alphabetical Dance and his occupation as a drowner, sustaining life through the act of drowning, and hence water is established as a life-giving force. On a more metaphorical level, the word drowning has connotations of death. Thus, the title Juxtaposes the idea of water as a life-giving force, and introduces it as a life- taking force, constructing the duality of water which is a central theme tthroughout the novel. Language, particularly imagery, plays an integral role in the construction of Will and Angelicas relationship tthroughout the novel. At their first encounter in the section Spa Water, the atmosphere is portrayed, through the use of vivid sensual imagery, apealing to the readers sense of aesthetic Judgement. Olfactory imagery is used describing lavender rapped in the activated stream. This pleasant odour is complimented with auditory imagery, Handel trickles into the baths. This imagery evokes synaesthesia for readers and clearly constructs Will and Angelicas relationship as blossoming and passionate, with an air of optimism for the progression of their relationship tthroughout the novel. However, later in the novel, the smell of lavender which was symbolic of their fresh and pleasant relationship evolves into the stench of rotting shark, as the dynamic of their relationship changes on their Journey to Africa. Sensual images are once again evoked as Angelica is descriptively riding him as if she could wrench both his character and the spirit of Africa from him. This vivid imagery gives readers a sense of violence and desperation, which Juxtaposes the earlier sense of optimism for the relationship. Language therefore plays a pivotal role in constructing William and Angelicas relationship, and foreshadowing the eventual entropic demise of their relationship. Language also plays an important role in presenting the disintegration of Will and Angelicas relationship. The isolation of Western Australia negatively impacts their relationship as Angelica becomes withdrawn and Will becomes desperate. Wills sexual desire is as sthrong as ever as he peels her dress and enters her in the snallows 0T tne water. I ne Klnaestnetlc Imagery 0T tne cola water, tne auditory images of Wills sobs and the vivid visual imagery of their bodies entwined in the water once again evokes synaesthesia in the reader. However, this synaesthesia does not appeal to readers aesthetically, and can even be described as un-aesthetic as Will is seemingly taking advantage of Angelica in her current fragile state due to her Blackwater fever. This creates Juxtaposition in the novel between Will and Angelicas first sensual encounter which appeals to readers, and their final sensual encounter which is almost repellent to readers. Due to the poetic language used, readers are able to clearly see the disintegration of the pairs relationship. Language is once again significant in constructing and Juxtaposing the antipodean landscape of the Western Australian desert. The landscape is described as arid plains, with isolated hills. The visual imagery depicts a setting which is a harshly masculine, monotonous and isolated. These characteristics can also be found in the goldfielders, who are the occupants of the town. This landscape is said to have obliterated individuality. The sound of the town is described to be a blend of braying camels and a malign roar of drinking men. This auditory imagery further emphasises the harshness of the setting as it bring out the animalistic nature of the goldfielders. The leitmotif and metaphor of water as a life-giving force and life-taking force reoccurs, as the lack of water is responsible for the baked and Juiceless bodies found in the desert. This almost gory imagery is pivotal in Juxtaposing the harsh Western Australian climate with the apealing setting of England. Symbolism plays a vital role in the construction of Angelica Lloyd. The section Spa Water, will notices a black swan, charcoal black back and red beak. Angelica however, points out that the swan should be white and plumper. This is symbolic of Angelica because the black swan foreshadows her travel to Australia, as the black swan is iconic to Western Australia, and hence is symbolic of change. Secondly, the idea of beauty that a swan symbolizes plays and important part in forming the character of Angelica. This is because Angelica focuses on what the swan should be rather than what it is which is symbolic of the actress in her, building beautiful facades. As Angelica travels through Africa, Angelica has a dream where her white horse gets destroyed by the smell of rotting shark. The majestic and powerful horse eing destroyed by the overbearing smell is symbolic of Angelicas dreams and aspirations being diminished as she travels to pursue Williams dreams and not hers. Thus, symbolism is important in constructing the character of Angelica. In conclusion, poetic language is particularly important for readers to shape meaning in the novel, The Drowner. Symbolism, metaphor and imagery play vital roles in constructing and Juxtaposing settings, characters and their relationships, as well as showing the progression of events in the novel and foreshadowing future events in the novel.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Evaluate the role played by money in the united states presidential Essay

Evaluate the role played by money in the united states presidential election - Essay Example Increasing presidential election costs has made it more difficult for candidates to come up with threshold resources needed for them to be competitive at every stage. Therefore, as presidential election costs rise, there is shrinkage of the candidate pool, which narrows the spectrum of perspectives and views offered to Americans to just a few individuals with access to money and subsequent resources. Spending in the modern presidential elections, in the US, rather than being dominated by contributions from average Americans, is now dominated by a minority of wealthy donors and special interests; who have the financial clout to ensure their preferred message is amplified (Anschutz, 2013: p37). These groups and individuals use their wealth in order to influence public policy, especially by funding candidates who share similar values to them. Since most of these groups and individuals are reliant on US economic and financial policies to generate more wealth, they have gained an outsized role in US elections as they fund candidates whose policies resonate with their goals. However, these issues arising from the dominance of â€Å"big money† in US presidential elections are not only theoretical. Research has proven that since the opinions held by wealthy American groups and individuals have different priorities, money allows for skewed public policies through dominance of elec tions (Anschutz, 2013: p38). Americans aspiring to be president are today spending more time fundraising than ever before, which is necessary to keep up with their election rivals (Anschutz, 2013: p43). In addition, as with the backlash from ObamaCare, candidates who may offend special interest groups and wealthy individuals by deed or word face the risk of being outspent as the latter finance their rivals. This means that they have to raise and spend

Friday, October 18, 2019

Nukes; Who Has the Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nukes; Who Has the Power - Essay Example State Department 1). In addition, the agency also ensures that there is peaceful exchange of equipment and use of nuclear energy (U.S. State Department 1). The Nuclear Weapons Council (NWC) plays a major role in maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. The department ensures that U.S. nuclear weapons are safe, secure, reliable, and effective. The NWC department facilitates cooperation and establishes priorities that govern the management of U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile through the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy (Natural Resources Defense Council 1). Indeed, the Department of Defense (DOD) administers the countrys military units prepared to work nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles (Natural Resources Defense Council 1). The department oversees the uniformed military and agencies handling nuclear weapons issues. It also drafts arrangements for utilizing nuclear weapons and oversees the transaction of nuclear arms control understandings. On the other hand, the Department of Energy researches, produces, and dismantles nuclear warheads and materials (Natural Resources Defense Council 1). The National Nuclear Security Administration oversees the nation’s nuclear weapons design facilities and safeguards the safety, reliability, durability, and security of U.S nuclear weapons and naval nuclear reactors (U.S Department of Energy 1). The National Nuclear Security Administration responds to nuclear emergency in America and addresses global nuclear nonproliferation issues. The agency seeks to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction and offers safe and effective nuclear propulsion to the American Navy (U.S Department of Energy 1). The National Security Council is an executive branch in the Office of the President that coordinates efforts among government offices trying to control the spread of nuclear weapons and to address nuclear deterrence and security

Middle eastern humanities essay paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Middle eastern humanities essay - Term Paper Example These stories also reveal the different cultures of people. There are various ways to manifest love and show it to people around them. The story of Laila and Majnun is a story of love without bounds. It knows no limit. Their love for each other swerves dangerously between two opposing ideas of sanity vs insanity. The love they felt each other is so strong that they tend to forget who they are. Their thoughts are only filled by the object of their affection. It corrupts them of their identity. No other reasons are good enough for them to face the other aspects of life such as family, religion, society, and culture. Love made Majnun appear crazy before men and society. He idolized Laila so much to the extent of kissing all the objects related to her, such as the walls, seat and even her dog. His love blinded him of his identity as human being. He obliges to the commands of his emotions to pursue his Laila regardless of his physical health. For him, nothing else must be regarded but his affection to his Laila. He sets aside education, forgetting norms of society, and neglecting the love of his family towards him. In the same manner, Laila is bound in chains at the same height of love sickness as her lover Majnun. She sets her delight to him only. Her studies, social life, and family were all sacrificed due to her love sickness for Majnun. Her family kept her at distance due to the insanity behavioral tendencies of Majnun all because of love. The love of Majnun and Laila is a tragic one. They are both incapable of handling the emotional stress that love brought to them. They forget the other aspects of life that can make a person whole. They were carried by the strong current of their affection for each other. And when they are not granted to be together, life is equated to death. Their story ended up tragically. Majnun, remained in hope in the promise of Laila to come back to where they last parted. He forgets his identity

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Annotated bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Annotated bibliography - Essay Example The former one is completely opposed to this notion and instead claims that all that a person does is a result of choice. The question therefore is normally asked as to whom between the two is right. Whereas history does indeed play a role in one’s behavior, does it mean that the person committing a crime or violence is not responsible? This essay’s purpose is to assert that humans have freewill and that for every action taken, no one is really compelled. Decision and influence are two distinct things, which ought to be treated as such to avoid the confusion of determinism. Whereas, it could be true that one’s decision or its magnitude may be somehow influenced by the past, the actions taken by a person is not devoid of their consciousness and approval. That is to say, history may have a role in a decision but the person taking it is very much aware of it and by no means are they doing it without knowledge. According to (Cohen p.15), whenever one is taking a particular action there is full understanding and knowledge of its likely outcome and this therefore negates any claim of determinism. If every decision is taken based on the history then creativity and invention have nothing to be attributed to since they did not exist before. The proponents of determinism claim that a decision is greatly, if not fully, influenced by one’s history. For instance, if a man witnessed violence while growing up, there would no way to stop them from engaging in the same. However, Howard, George, and Diane (p.67), who reported that other factors that could alter a person when they are growing up, have disputed the above assertions. It therefore means that even if one witnessed violence, it does not automatically mean they will follow suit. The creativity demonstrated by individuals is not in any way influenced by experiences one had while growing up. Instead, the mind tends to focus on making new things. Similarly, one who involves in

Research and Product Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research and Product Development - Essay Example On the other side, the collaboration could be disadvantageous to either both or one of the companies. A one sided effort is an example of how one of the companies could be disadvantaged in the collaboration, with only one company ripping all the benefits at the expense of the other. Cultural differences between the companies can also affect the whole process to the extent that the research goal is not met hence both companies losing out. An industry can gang up on one company that comes up with new technology because of market competition. The industry may feel that the introduction of a new technology on the market would reduce their customer base that would reduce their profits. Therefore, companies may come together and gang up against the new company with the new technology to deny it market access and availability. The ganging up by the industry may cause the company with the new technology to allow it to be more open for the market due to aggressiveness. The new technology may stand the gang up and create profits and awareness for the new company (McKelvey,

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Annotated bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Annotated bibliography - Essay Example The former one is completely opposed to this notion and instead claims that all that a person does is a result of choice. The question therefore is normally asked as to whom between the two is right. Whereas history does indeed play a role in one’s behavior, does it mean that the person committing a crime or violence is not responsible? This essay’s purpose is to assert that humans have freewill and that for every action taken, no one is really compelled. Decision and influence are two distinct things, which ought to be treated as such to avoid the confusion of determinism. Whereas, it could be true that one’s decision or its magnitude may be somehow influenced by the past, the actions taken by a person is not devoid of their consciousness and approval. That is to say, history may have a role in a decision but the person taking it is very much aware of it and by no means are they doing it without knowledge. According to (Cohen p.15), whenever one is taking a particular action there is full understanding and knowledge of its likely outcome and this therefore negates any claim of determinism. If every decision is taken based on the history then creativity and invention have nothing to be attributed to since they did not exist before. The proponents of determinism claim that a decision is greatly, if not fully, influenced by one’s history. For instance, if a man witnessed violence while growing up, there would no way to stop them from engaging in the same. However, Howard, George, and Diane (p.67), who reported that other factors that could alter a person when they are growing up, have disputed the above assertions. It therefore means that even if one witnessed violence, it does not automatically mean they will follow suit. The creativity demonstrated by individuals is not in any way influenced by experiences one had while growing up. Instead, the mind tends to focus on making new things. Similarly, one who involves in

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

BUS599 - Integrative Project, Mod 1 Case Assignment Essay

BUS599 - Integrative Project, Mod 1 Case Assignment - Essay Example They have a well stretched network covering almost places in North America and United Kingdom housed just there. The company faced great success during its tenure over the past couple of years which was result of great devotion and dedication of a hardworking staff and consistently managing high standards of quality at a fairly acceptable price. Organic food is eco friendly and plays its part to reduce pollution as well as save water and mineral soil. It also helps in maintaining your health and provides a safe and nutritional food intake leading to a healthy digestive tract therefore this approach has led to the consumption of organic and natural food thereby increasing the sales of whole foods which is a great competitor for all others organic and natural foods in the mainstream market (Staff, 2012). Whole foods market has maintained its standard and has influenced the mindsets of many by diverting them towards nutrition filled healthy food. They are well known for their freshness a good example of their maintaining quality is that even the flowers they are selling are fresh and their scent can be smelt as soon as one enters their store. Another example of how they have revolutionized the conventional style of growing banana's; they have converted it to a proper science by studying the change of colors to deal with it life cycle yet maintaining its freshness. They sell everything fresh without any delay in delivering the food from the farms to the markets. Even their packed ready to go meals are really fresh (Lindstrom, 2011). The mission of whole foods market is to provide their customers with a hustle free shopping experience, to play its part in helping and caring about the community and preservation of nature, they intend to develop good habits of eating and enlightens through education to all its stakeholders, provide healthy and good quality of organic foods and developing continuing win-win deals or partner based relation with their providers. The core values of whole foods market are primarily based on five main components: firstly standard quality and their ongoing efforts to carry on with them. Secondly, to produce only organic form of food without any harmful chemicals used. Thirdly, producing ecologically certified sea food, which has "Responsibly Farmed" label which clearly indicates that it’s the highest quality which restricts use of growth developing hormones, antibiotics etc. to ensure good standards. Fourth is that they couldn’t compromise on quality by using proper breeding techniques and not incorporating such harmful methods which tend to be inorganic. Lastly, they are firm believers in community service leading to prosperity and happiness by changing lives globally (Drell, 2012). The important information related to the shares of whole foods market is described here, industry capital is $k 16,923,590 whereas the arrears remaining on shares are $k 185,520, those internal stakeholders are 8.8% and insti tutes which are stakeholders are 79.98%. It was observed that the return and growth in percentage fluctuated the following ways (it should be kept in mind that it is the percent change) the return for the first year was 14.76% and the fifth year growth by the generated revenue was 77.48%. The third year return was 84.23% and the growth in the five year earning tenure became 96.15%. It is surprising that the fifth year for the return became 156.13%

Life in the 13 Original Colonies Essay Example for Free

Life in the 13 Original Colonies Essay In the 1600’s and 1700’s, the economies of the northern and southern colonies were affected due to many different factors. Because of the different climates and geography of their land, the northern colonies and southern colonies had different resources available to them, which shaped their societies into what they are today. The resources available to the northern colonies were completely different from the resources that were available to the southern colonies. In the northern colonies, due to the climate and geography of their land, crop growth wasn’t as successful as it was in the south. The could weather and rocky land made it hard for them so as time went on, the northern colonies became more of an industrial people and relied more on manufacturing things like naval equipment and rum. A few of the northern colonies participated in what they called a triangular trade system where New England traded rum for slaves from Africa and then these slaves were given to the west indies in exchange for sugar and molasses, which was made into rum again. The northern colonies heavily relied on this system and it was this that brought New England success. In the south, the climate was mainly warm and perfect for crop growth so the southern colonies became more agricultural. The main reason the south had such great success in the area of crop growth was because they discovered a great cash crop called tobacco. Due to it’s addictive nature and great taste, the demand for it was very high. The south purchased tons of slaves because farmers relied on slavery to help the success of their farms and crops. They were different from the northern colonies in this way because the north rarely used slaves. They merely transported them. Education was strongly affected by the geography and climate also, believe it or not. The North was cold and hard to grow crops in so they were more industrial based. This meant that all of the people needed to know how to read and write in order to make deals with the other nations. In the northern colonies, there were very few public schools. Therefore, the parents of children usually just hired a tutor until they went off to a university. If the family couldn’t afford a tutor, then they either sent the child to a public school, or didn’t educate them at all. In the south, the climate and geography was perfect for growing crops. Therefore most people lived on large farms called plantations. There was less emphasis on education in the south because most of the people were  slaves or indentured servants. Also, even many of the landowners didn’t know how to read or write because not much is needed to know in order to farm and they didn’t have to worry about trading overseas. They left that to the north. Ultimately, the geography and climate of the northern and southern colonies was the main factor that shaped the societies into what they are today. For instance, the north had horrible luck in climate for crop growth, which made them more of an industrial group of settlers. The south thrived on crop growth, which made them more of an agricultural group of settlers.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Evaluation of Play as an Educational Tool for Children

Evaluation of Play as an Educational Tool for Children ‘Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see’ (Postman, 1994, p xi). The importance of learning, the content and delivery, for children in Year 1 (5 to 6 years of age) is under debate. Arguments are rife through education that formal teaching as prescribed through the Literacy Hour, is developmentally inappropriate for many 6 year olds, and thus recommending that the principles of the Foundation Stage can be extended to cover all children aged between 3 to 7 years of age. From the Government’s point of view David Bell, the Chief Inspector of Schools in England, was reported in the Sunday Telegraph,31 August 2003 in saying that too many children are not ready for school due to their disrupted and dishevelled upbringing. As a result, the verbal and behavioural skills of the nations five-year-olds were at an all-time low, causing severe difficulties for schools. Review of literature Much has been stated in this country over the problems that children of 5 to 6 years of age face with their education. The Government’s Chief Inspector of Schools has been vocal on the subject: In 2003 children are starting school less well prepared than ever because parents are failing to raise their youngsters properly. One of the key causes waste failure of parents to impose proper discipline at home, which led to poor behaviour in class. Another serious concern was the tendency to sit children in front of the television, rather than talking and playing with them. This meant that many were unable to speak properly when they started school, stating that parents were still not doing enough to support teachers. There is evidence that childrens verbal skills are lacking. We should encourage parents to talk to their children and give them a whole range of stimulating things to do and not just assume that the television, or whatever, will do all that for them. He added that the deficiencies of pupils starting school could have lasting effects, particularly where parents continued to fail to offer support to teachers. (Sunday Telegraph, 31 August 2003). At the time a two-part response to this came from a) Mos. Kaman Gandhi(2003) CEO of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists said behaviour is very obviously linked to language and it is very hard to separate one from the other. It is clear some parents have problems with their pre-school children. They have the will but sometimes lack the resources and know-how to cope when faced with a child with language difficulties, Speech and language therapists are involved and engaged with some key initiatives, including Sure Start programmes, which bring together early education, childcare, health and family support to give a sure start to young children living in disadvantaged areas. Along with b) Talk to Your Baby co-coordinator Liz Attenborough(2003) said: All parents wish to do their best for their children, but often lack the confidence or knowledge to implement powerful parenting practices, such as attentive listening, singing songs, playing rhyming games and sharing books. Parents need to be empowered to recognise their valuable contribution to their childs ability to make sense of the world, through encouraging communication at every opportunity Yet prior to this, in January of 2003 reported in the Financial Times, it was stated that every primary school in the country should hold classes for parents to teach them how to play with their children in an attempt to stop language skills disappearing from some homes, Alan Wells (2003) the head of the Basic Skills Agency told the North of England Conference. Head teachers were reporting a steady rise in what has been called the daily grunt monosyllabic conversational skills and a basic lack of language ability that was not connected to the problems of learning another language. This is about children sat in front of TVs or their computers, and its about a lack of families having food together and a general lack of conversation, He also stated that programmes on a national scale were needed to teach some parents how to play with their children, read to them regularly and demonstrate conversational skills within the family. So children’s development is questionable, it was reported in the Sunday Telegraph in June of 2003 that education researchers, who blame increased television viewing and the decline of family conversation forth trend, say that teaching such children the 3Rs is a waste of time because they have not yet grasped the basics of language, and that unbelievable as it seems, some children starting nursery do not seem to have ever had a one-to-one conversation with anyone. Parents rely on television as a distraction for the child, so they can cope with other matters in their busy lives, but where does the problem start, and how do other countries tackle the issue. The cycle of learning, that of perceiving, knowing and remembering, begins in the very first few days of life with the child responding and learning from reflex action. These actions are the beginnings Ofcom-ordination, which become patterns of behaviour. This learning process of a young child becomes very much that of active rather than passive. The Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980) termed these as schemas, and by way of complex research of into the child’s intellectual development, began to explain the evolution of thinking for a child. As the child progresses and grows, their senses of hearing, seeing and touch are used to great effect to understand all-around them and learn. Through observing the forms of logic and reasoning of children, especially their spontaneous comments, Piaget developed his cognitive theory of qualitative changes, in that children think and reason differently at different periods in their lives whilst going through stages of intellectual dev elopment. From this research concept was introduced four fundamental neurological stages of child-development: sensory-motor, pre-conception, intuitive, concrete operational, and formal operation (Child, 1997, pp. 193-201). For this paper concentration will only be on all stages leading up to concrete operational. The first stage of development is sensory-motor: for a mental age approximately 0 to 2 years. Developmentally, the first two years of child’s life is very important. Mental structures of the child are mainly concerned with the mastery of concrete object’s, very early actions, taking place from day 1 to 4 months) involve sucking and general body movements. These are primary actions, mainly the grasping of everything towards it that it comes in contact with. As the senses and actions improve, from cycles repeating and the perfecting of co-ordination, Piaget refers to these cycles of action as significant primary circular reaction. Here new actives appear, with less demand on reflexes. At 4 to 8 months an increase in visual-motorcar-ordination allows interests to take place outside of the child’s body, these secondary circular reactions are basically sensory reflex grasping by limbs of all that comes in range. Next, at 8 to 12 months, these secondary circular reactions are more refined and incorporated into new situations that lead to that of purposeful behaviour. At 12 to18 month’s the child will experiment at extending these secondary circular reactions into tertiary circular reactions, by inventing and developing new ways of completing the required end-result. At plus 18month’s, towards the end of this initial stage the child begins to represent the world in mental images and symbols, and the inception of language allows the depiction of objects in their absence. It was found that with the child’s imagination, the act of play becomes very important, it allows assimilation and enables the complete union of sensory experience and motor activity development. Imitation is shown as an example of accommodation, where the child is attempting to modify behaviour to become someone or something else. The term deferred imitation is where the ability to cope with someone else in their absence, and represents a great advance as it shows that the child’s development is such that it is now able to form images of events that can be recalled for future reference (Child, 1997, p 194). The second stage of development is pre-conception: for a mental age approximately 2 to 4 years. Here the direct link between sensory experiences and motor activity are developed into the intermediate process of mental activity, and the acknowledging of symbols starts to take place, which act on the experience and knowledge gained in the first stage, due to internalizing imitations and actions. The child’s use of transductive reasoning is evident, where the coincidence of two events, possibly non-related, creates a pre-concept. This period in a child’s development is very dominated by symbolic play, where doll’s become babies etc. and direct imitation of what other people are doing. All this takes place with an egocentric nature, as the child is unable to view things from another person’s point of view. The egocentric nature also stops the child from understanding what is seen by way of visual perception, another person’s angle of views the same as theirs or vice versa. Part B of the second stage is Intuitive: for a mental age of approximately 4 to 7 years. Where the mastery of symbols takes place, by the process of mental activity, acting on all experience and knowledge gained in the previous stage. Being very dependent on superficial perceptions of their environment, the development of ideas and understanding of situations are formed by impressions, which are on-reversible. Meaning the child can only comprehend one relationship at a time, this occurrence Piaget terms cantering, the concentrating on one aspect of a problem and disregarding the rest. This results in a lack of conservation of quantity, which relate to problems that involve reorganizing a flexible mass such as water in containers. Because the child is dependent on superficial perceptions it cannot work the problem backwards, Child (1997, p.197) outlines the problem of the child realizing of the mass to its original shape by the compensating for changes in the original dimensions. This mental action of reversibility is a central skill that frees the child from intuitive impressions, and enables an appreciation of the change in physical dimensions without change in the total quantity. Part three of the development stage is concrete operational: for a mental age approximately 7 to 11 years. Where the mastery of classes, relations, numbers, and how to reason takes place. The child describes the environment at the highest levels of abstract reasoning, with consistent classifications leading to the accurate sorting of similar properties, resulting in providing valid concepts. This sorting is referred to as serration and leads to concrete operational thinking, inessential skill of development. Finally stage four in the development process is formal operation or abstract thinking – mental age approximately 11 years and up. Where the mastery of thought takes place, the highest level of thinking, where the person can reason hypothetically and in the absence of material evidence. Piaget put each of these four fundamental stages as part of an invariant sequence, a sequence that could not be broken but could be longer or shorter, and each stage contained major cognitive tasks that had to be completed for successful intellectual development before moving onto the next. These fundamental stages have been the foundation for teaching and learning, which some educationalists argue to reject. Margaret Donaldson (1978) argues that the task Piaget used to observe children was at the time not explained in sufficient detail for them to understand. Therefore on the subject of cantering (Piaget, stage 2B),the findings are invalid, and Donaldson explains that research into this task and another of similar design, have been carried out by several including Martin Hughes (pp. 20-31). The results were dramatic. With thirty children aged between 3 and 5 years, 90% of their responses were correct, and the youngest ten children with an average age of 3years 9 months, achieved a success rate of 88%. Overall the general conclusion seems unavoidable: pre-school children are not nearly so limited in their ability to ‘decentre’ or appreciate someone else’s point of view, as Piaget has maintained for many years (p 30). So what are the reasons that hold a 5-6 year old child back, and how can they be addressed. Other elements to learning exist: that of different social and ethnic backgrounds, that children learn effectively by playing in a calm environment, that the performance and cycle of learning is enhanced when parent/teacher is eager to be positive and praise, and when parent/teacher is quick to be negative, the child is reluctant to learn. With these extra elements, the stages described are not so firmly coupled with age, but as stated, with mental age. This mixture is termed constructivism, the blending of cognitive psychology and social psychology that dictate adaptive behavior, not just cognitive alone. So learning is a constructivist activity. Cognitive development is a process in which language is a crucial tool for determining how the child will learn how to think because advanced modes of thought are transmitted to the child by means of words. The Russian theorist, Vygotsky (1962) reached a conclusion that thought and speech originate from different processes and then evolve in parallel but independently of each other. Children learn the names of objects only when told so. At some point the attitude changes, the child becomes curious about names of things. At this point the child’s vocabulary increases dramatically, with much less coaching from adults, this point in the development of the child is where thought and speech merge. During the course of development everything occurs more than once, in the learning of language our first utterances with peers or adults are for the purpose of communication, but once mastered they become internalized and allow inner conversation, and thought undergoes many changes as it turns into speech. Vygotsky, believes that the meanings of words evolve during childhood, and their meanings are dynamic, not static entities. Tough (1976) found that language and literacy is directed in the young child by factors such as the size of family, parents and their educational background, class, language, their situation and location. Therefore the foundation of learning is on social constructivism that involves language home background; and the importance of play by way of meaningful stimulation that promotes intellectual development. Another argument on Piaget’s theories regarding the pre-conception stage, 2A, was by Povey and Hill (1975) showing that the social activity of language may have been undervalued, not only as a source of variation between children’s concept development but also as the vehicle by which children convey their ability to form concepts (Child,1997, p.195). Povey and Hill also found that children up to the age of four gain specific and generic concepts from pictorial information(pictures, drawings). Moss Penn (1996) produced a broad evaluation of nursery education in the UK and out of this concentrated their results on how the early learning services had been badly neglected. With continual under-funding an issue and increased fragmentation; staff poorly paid and trained; low aspirations and lower expectations, their provocative analysis of this evaluation also showed that young children are seen as important for what they may become, rather than for what they are. In England children are legally required to start the National Curriculum (Key Stage 1) the term after their 5th birthday (31 August,31 December or 31 March). Yet children often start earlier than this. Children are taken into nurseries from 5 months through to 5 years. Across the world it is about the same, the age of 5 in Canada, and 5 in the USA. In the state of Indiana, USA, a child has to be 5 by August1st, last year it was 5 by July 1st, and prior to that it was June 1st. In the USA since 2004 plans were being made for a start age of 3 by researchers at the Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute in the USA were formulating plans to develop a rich learning environment for pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) that took into account the child’s social, emotional and physical development. Now in 2006 the plans are a reality with First School, a new vision for early schooling of children ages 3 to 8. Developed through a partnership among families, the community, the FPG Child Development Institute and The University of North Carolina, which together are passionate about the future of schools and schooling for young children. The FPG aim is to use this model to inform other educational institutions to guide them to a successful early learning experience for children and families. The early start age reflects the lives of working mothers in today’s society, trying to balance work and family life, whilst trying to improve life chances for their children. First school offers a safe, constructive and significant haven for children, bringing a quality into pre-school environments. The problem of childcare for parents on low income or in a workless situation, is not exclusive to one country, it is a global problem, and is a major consideration towards education. In the UK this problem is being addressed by the Government taking on ate-year strategy for childcare, published in 2004, which is now subject to Parliamentary Approval in 2006 (Education Skills,2006). It is the Government’s response to a fundamental challenge facing Britain in the need to ensure available, affordable, and high-quality childcare in the 21st Century. The problems that face the teaching of Language and Literacy are highlighted here in examples from the UK and in the USA, yet it is recognised as a global problem. Many studies have been carried out over years, highlighting the contribution of high quality early education, which tends to be more targeted at disadvantage children. This underlines the concern of literacy problems in later years, which is being addressed now for the education standards of tomorrow. In the US long term studies in early childcare NICHD (1991) highlighted the fact of high-quality childcare was found to give a better cognitive and language ability than children in low-quality care. It also found that children who spent more time in childcare were seen to display behavioural problems, such as aggressive tendencies at 4.5 years onwards, than children in less care. The largest and most lasting academic gains were seen in disadvantaged children. For the UK the Department for Educational Studies (Dress) funded the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education a longitudinal study in1996, it was an evaluation for children of 3 to 7 years of age inure-school through into primary from different social backgrounds. The summary in Findings from the Early Primary Years (EPPE Summary 2004)where collected data was about the children, parents, home environment and the pre-school they attended, and proved that cognitive and social effects were positive going into primary. The findings of the study showed that parent’s education and social class remained as predictors of intellectual and social development, and that very long periods of pre-school were connected withanti-social behavioural problems. This fact was attributed to the presence of non-parental childcare before three years of age. The education level of the child’s mother was also seen to be a major factor in the child’s performance. Major findings from the pre-school period included that of disadvantaged children benefit significantly from good pre-school experience, especially when they are with a mixture of children from different backgrounds. It was also found overall, that disadvantaged children tend to attend pre-school for shorter periods of time than those from more advantaged groups (EPPE Summary 2004). Several recommendations were made, that included: to encourage more episodes of ‘sustained shared thinking’ with the children; work towards an equal balance of child and adult initiated activity; and ensure that staff have both the knowledge and understanding of curriculum and child-development. The UK Government in the UK introduced an extended National Curriculum (Education Act 2002) and the Foundation Stage that was for the 3 to 5year olds, giving this period in the child’s education a distinct identity and attention. The six areas of learning became statutory, and the Act also specified that there should be early learning goals for each of the areas: Personal, social and emotional development; Communication, language and literacy; Mathematical development; Knowledge and understanding of the world; Physical development; and Creative development. A national consultation on the content of the early learning goals as set out in Curriculum guidance for the foundation stage was carried out in autumn 2002. Following this consultation the early learning goals, and use of the Curriculum guidance as a guide, became statutory in March 2002. This new move was aiming to secure learners participation and ensure appropriate opportunities for them to achieve, and offered flexibility within for schools to develop their own curriculum. It offered a less prescriptive approach, in which flexible allocating of time for required subjects allowed them not to taught each week, term or year, therefore allowing choice of method and the advancement of teaching and learning. The Act also established a single national assessment system for the foundation stage, replacing baseline assessment schemes. The Foundation stage profile was introduced into schools and settings in 2002-3. This profile has 13 summary scales covering the six areas of learning, which need to be completed for each child receiving government-funded education by the end of his or her time in the foundation stage. The Foundation Stage developed the key learning skills: listening, speaking, concentration, persistence, learning to work together and-operating with others, along with the developing of communication, literacy numeric skills in the preparation for entry into of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1. Progress for the child through the Foundation Stage is categorised as Stepping Stones, where developing knowledge can be identified through the 13 stages of the Foundation Stage Profile, the assessment of which is completed in the final year prior to entry into Primary School. Emphasis is placed on successful personal, social and emotional development for all, especially those children with behavioural or communication difficulties. Throughout, the curriculum requires a safe and secure, rich environment for the child that is vibrant, purposeful, challenging and supportive, where trust for the practitioner is forthcoming, and progress is positive and rewarding. A prolific body of research in the USA has centred on early childhood programmes, in the state of Carolina, USA, in 2004 plans were being made for a start age of 3. Researchers at the Frank Porter Graham (FPG)Child Development Institute were formulating plans to develop a rich learning environment for pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) that took into account the child’s social, emotional and physical development. Now in2006 the plans are a reality with First School, a new vision for early schooling of children ages 3 to 8. Developed through a partnership among families, the community, the FPG Child Development Institute and The University of North Carolina, which together are passionate about the future of schools and schooling for young children. The FPG aim is to use this model to inform other educational institutions to guide them to a successful early learning experience for children and families. The early start age reflects the lives of working mothers in today’s society, yet it also offers a safe, constructive and significant haven for the child, bringing a quality into pre-school environments. From an article in Nursery World (Feb, 2004), it stated that the number of children who have speech and language difficulties in day nurseries across the UK is rising fast, according to a survey of nursery staff, and that the results of the survey by I CAN, the charity the helps children who have speech and language difficulties, found that 89 present of nursery staff were worried that speech, language and communication difficulties among pre-school-age children were growing. Nursery staff reported more children having problems concentrating, speaking clearly and following instructions. Children often responded with monosyllabic answers or gestures rather than appropriate language. Almost all (96 per cent) of the respondents said they has at least one child with communications difficulties in their nursery, while 10 present said they had at least 10 children with such problems. Respondents of the survey blamed several factors, including a lack of time spent by children and adults talking together, the use of television to pacify child and the trend for parents to talk on behalf of their child instead of letting the child have a say. It shows that the problem is crucial that children with speech and language difficulties have the same opportunities in life as other children. A study of the transition from infant to Primary in England: from Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1 was carried out in 2005 (Sanders et al,2005), where it was discovered the biggest challenge to children being the move from play-based approach in the Foundation Stage to a more structured curriculum in Key Stage 1. It also noted that the Literacy Hour had proved challenging as it was difficult for young children to sit still and listen to their teacher. In European countries, the transition to primary school (age of 6) is linked with a play-based exploratory curriculum to a more formal one. In England the transition begins around the age of 5, and into a more formal curriculum one year later (Sanders et al, 2005). This report also highlighted the question that staff may not be appreciating the anxiety for children and parents at this time, which proves quite surprising. The recommendations of the report included: a communication between staff of Foundation Stage, staff in Year 1 and parents to plan for the child’s needs; that School’s should have resources to enable the children in Year 1 to have play-based activities, for role play, construction and outdoor learning; that formal sitting and listen in Year 1 should be reduced, and more opportunities for learning through play; and that there is a further need for research into this transition. In February of this year a study (FGP 2006) was carried out in the Fusion 240 state funded Pre-K programs for 4 year-olds. The assessment was selecting one classroom at random, and within that classroom four children were chosen for individual assessment in the areas of language, literacy and number skills. The major findings in this study are reproduced here. Children: †¢ More than half of the children enrolled were from low-income families. †¢ African American, Latino, and Asian children were more likely than White children to be in a Pre-K class with a high concentration of poor children. †¢ A large percentage of the mothers had only a high school education or less. †¢ Almost one-quarter of the children spoke a language other than English at home. †¢ With their entry into Pre-K, the language ability of most children from low-income families was below the national average, as was their math ability. On standard measures of language and math, these children made small but meaningful gains from fall to spring of their Pre-K year. Pre-K teachers: †¢ They averaged 42 years of age; most were female and White. †¢ Overall, about 70% of teachers had at least a bachelor’s degree. †¢ About half had at least a bachelor’s degree and state certification to teach 4-year-olds. †¢ About 30% had a two-year degree or no formal degree past high school. †¢ Pre-k teachers’ salaries were higher than those of child care teachers and approached the salaries of public school teachers. †¢ Teachers with lower qualifications (less than a bachelor’s degree)were more likely to teach poor children and children who were African American or Latino. The finding’s highlighted the concerns of teachers not being able to give the high quality experiences required to those children that need it most. It also reveals that using the widely used measure of classroom quality of Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised(where a score of 7 is ‘excellent’, a score of 5 is ‘good’, and a score of 3 is ‘minimal’) the average score was 3.86. This score is disappointment to all concerned, considering the enthusiasm, and shows an environment that is not able to take full advantage of learning opportunities for young children. These findings were endorsed by Kauerz (2006) who states that although Pre-K provides crucial gains in achievement, especially in reading and math’s, it is only short term due to what is termed as ‘the fade-out problem’. This problem is that the advantage that the child has gained could be lost (60-80%) during the first two years of elementary school, when joining a year/class that includes children of a lower level(those that did not participate so early). They are held back whilst the teacher’s attention is put to those of a lower standard. It also has an effect if the elementary school that the child from high-quality Pre-K joins is of low quality. This factor is covered widely in research in the USA as entry is entirely dependent on residential location, therefore it could be a problem for children from low-income families. Yet on the positive side, Campbell, Miller-Johnson, Sparling Ponselle (2001); National Research Council (2001); Steinhart et al(2005) all confirm that through rigorous research high quality early childhood experiences produce impressive life-time benefits to society including fewer grade retentions, fewer special education placements, increased high-school graduation rates, and finally increased employment earnings (Buyers, 2006). Statement of scope and aims of the study The aim of this study is to discover and evaluate how schools use play as an educational tool for children aged 5 to 6 years of age. Along with how it is used in line with the National Curriculum and Early Years learning objectives. The study will investigate if play is used enough in school, and which benefits come from this, with finally, to support these findings, an overview of studies completed in other countries, on the subject of play in education. The sample size will be thirty, which is less than perfect, but in the small time frame allowed it will produce a representative sample that will be supportive of this papers aim. Methodology Section A – the justification The method used in the design of this research as a factual enquiry, the following were considered: †¢ The aims of the study and theories to be investigated †¢ Reviewing the relevant literature: interested organizations †¢ Preliminary conceptualization of the study †¢ Deciding on the design of the study and assessing its feasibility within the limitations †¢ Deciding which hypotheses will be investigated †¢ Designing the required research instrument and technique: postal questionnaires †¢ Drawing the sample: who to interview †¢ Doing the field work †¢ Processing the data †¢ Assembling the results †¢ Writing the research report A study of this nature is a complex operation, and a first requirements therefore the development of a clear plan, overall research design. It is the research design that must hold all the parts and phases o

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Essay on Themes of House on Mango Street, and The Bluest Eye

Disturbing Themes of House on Mango Street, and The Bluest Eye  Ã‚   Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago and grew up in Illinois, the only girl in a family of seven. Cisneros is noted for her collection of poems and books that concentrate on the Chicana experience in the United States. In her writing, Cisneros explores and transcends borders of location, ethnicity, gender and language. Cisneros writes in lyrical yet deceptively simple language, she makes the invisible visible by centering on the lives of Chicanas, their relationships with their families, their religion, their art, and their politics. Toni Morrison, born as Chloe Anthony Wofford in Ohio in 1931 changed her name because it was hard for people to pronounce it. She was the second of four children, and both of her parents migrated from the South. Morrison is best noted for her novels, short fiction, being a lecturer, teacher and public servant. She writes using deft language and her lyrical writing, exploring the African-American middle classes and folk culture. Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street, written in 1984, and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, first published in 1970, are both aimed at adolescent audiences but deal with deep, often disturbing themes about serious social conditions and their effects on children. Both books are told in the first person; both narrators are young girls, living in destitute neighborhoods, who witness the harsh realities of life for those who are poor, abused, and hopeless, although the narrators themselves manage to survive their tough environments with their wits and strength intact. The books are more than simple literary exercises written merely to amuse or delight their audiences. Both authors attempt to provok... ...s 91). Of the two books, Morrison’s is by far the more effective for both adolescent and adult audiences. Its characters and settings are fully, painstakingly drawn, it has a powerful thought-provoking theme, and it has a clear plot which can inspire its audience to laugh or cry. A reader can get deep into the minds and actions of the characters as well as the environment they live in in The Bluest Eye and find a series of newspaper articles, sometimes vaguely touching or thought-provoking, capable, perhaps, of inspiring discussions about some of the issues it touches on, but essentially too minimal and impersonal to inspire any deep emotional reaction in it readers. Works Cited: Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 1stVintage Contemporaries ed.New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1993.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Introduction Although tempting, rapid weight loss that's not monitored by a doctor can have serious consequences. In addition to dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, heart problems, and developing gallstones and overtraining syndrome, the drastic measures required to lose weight fast are hard to maintain. MayoClinic.com states that fast weight loss is often gained back quick, and tends to be water weight and muscle tissue, not fat. They recommend losing no more than 2 pounds a week. (See References 1, 2 and 3) How Much, How Fast Fast weight loss at the expert-recommended rate of 2 pounds a week, requires that you accumulate a daily deficit of 1,000 calories. After one week, this adds up to 7,000 calories, and since there are 3,500 calories in 1 pound of fat, you will lose 2 pounds. This means that you can lose 10 to 15 pounds in about 5 to 7 weeks, give or take a few days. Gradual weight loss at a rate of 2 pounds a week gives you time to get used to the lifestyle changes you're making, which should pertain to diet and exercise. (See References 1) Effective Dietary Changes Reducing...

Friday, October 11, 2019

Analysis the operations management of Starbucks Essay

Operations management concentrates on managing process. All operations focus on the process of input, transformation and output. Operations management will concern about the cost of ingredients, labor requirements, and customer satisfaction. (Heizer, J, p, 39). So all the operators need to concentrate on some main objects of operations management such as capacity, quality, variability, and queuing. They should treat the task of balancing the supply with demand as their primary work. This essay will introduce the idea of how the operations are performed in Starbucks and how the relation between supply and demand is influenced. In the first section it will clarify the capacity and demand management. Regarding the second section it will point out the method in Starbucks to balance the supply and demand in quality aspect. Quality is the soul of a company,said Schurz in 2003. And the author can not agreed any more about this. For the final section it will discuss about the strategies whic h made by Starbucks to eliminate the problems occurred in queuing. Capacity management used to be called â€Å"demand management† (Crandall and Markland, 1996) or â€Å"managing capacity and demand† (Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, 2004). Capacity management attempts to ensure the service runs well and satisfy the visitors’ requirements(Klassen and Rohleder, 2002). In terms of MRP, namely the material requirement planning, MRP is a manufacturing project as well as practical technology. It begins with defining products based on forecasting of market demands and customers’ order. Following this, a plan based on the producing progress of products, products’ material form and stock situation is formed. With the help of computer to calculate the needed amount and time, it then can clarify the manufacture progress and order schedule (Ptak, 2011). Starbucks uses an algorithm named thousand dollar consumption algorithm to calculate the safety material consumption for the next week. This model is applicable for them to make a short term forecast of the material consumption. The best consequence they want most is a smooth rising average. Using the usage amount of weekly material given weekly sale then multiple the next weekly forecasting sales and then multiply 1.15 is the result of safe storage  amount (Starbucks, 2006). A service is an intangible and insubstantial product that cannot be touched or tasted. Services are behaviors, actions and activities (Valarie, Mary, and Dwayne, P. 4). Compare to product, there is no need for transport and storage of service. The world’s largest coffee company, Starbucks, has 18000 stores in over 60 countries and over 200000 employees. To support this global business, the company made a success of how they organized their delivery of their services and goods. The purpose of Starbucks’ is to make a positive impact of one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Quality used to be the most difficult concept to define. However, the hospitality industry has experienced the increasingly fierce competitions about higher service quality as time goes by (Parayani et al, 2010). In the same way, Starbucks need to pay more attention on what customers want the most from the service delivery. And the customers care more about the things they experienced in current hospitality industry. Total quality management(TQM) becomes a more and more significant business management method which is related with hospitality service(Feigenbaum, 1986). This method is aimed at satisfying customers, benefiting all the members of the organization as well as making good contributions to the society(Parasuraman, Zeithaml& Berry., 1988). It concentrates its attention on product and service quality together with the degree of devotion of members. The total quality management concerns about one process, four stages and eight sections. The management system of Starbucks can be seen as a proper instance to analyze this total quality management concept. As for the one process of Starbucks, the enterprise is ought to meet the different working tasks during different time periods. Every business behavior of the enterprise has a whole process of emerging, forming, conducting and verifying(Greasley, 2010). One specific example is that the quality of beverage of Starbucks is strictly evaluated in different ways, such as the temperate, the taste, and the look of the beverage. The evaluation has its  specific requirement rather than basing on the personal preference of the staff. During different making time and considering several kinds of beverages, different evaluating rules are applied. It displays the fact that Starbucks follow the â€Å"one process† rule in total quality management. In view of the four stages, total quality management points out a cycle system called PDCA cycle. This cycle system performs in the form of planning, doing, checking and acting. In normal situation, the producing process of a beverage needs the effort of planning what material will be adopted, checking the availability of the material and then using it to make the product. Any of these four stages cannot be skipped because any of them has an important impact on final results. There arises the concept of eight sections following the four stages. It begins with analyzing the current performance of the firm to spot the potential quality problems and ends with conclu ding the experience, strengthening the achievement and standardizing the working results. Based on the total quality management, a model named SERVQUAL comes in to being. This model is a new method to evaluate the service quality in hospitality industry(Bojanic, 1994). Its central point is the service quality gap model, namely that service quality is depending on the gap between the aspiration service level of guests and the actual service level they experience(Pitt, 1997). The SERVQUAL model can be simply seen as this formula: the result of SERVQUAL is equal with the actual experiencing result minus expectation result. The higher the SERVQUAL result is, the better service quality is. SERVQUAL is divided the service quality into five aspects: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy(Zeithaml, 1990). Tangibles should have modern service facility, wide attraction of service facility, clear uniform of members and the factor of provided service matching with firms’ facility. Considering the Starbucks, it has the outstanding coffee producing facility, cleaning store environment, quality monitoring system that can meet the international standard. More importantly, the staffs in Starbucks are required to wear the cleaning and green aprons. This requirement not only reflects the idea of environmental protection and healthy pursuing, but also meets the demands of tangibles, which asks the firm to have the clear uniform of  members(Zeithaml, 1996). In view of reliability, it is the ability to correctly and reliable to conduct the service commitment. It includes the requirement of meeting the deadline of promised the service commitment, showing the care and helping the guests when they face the problem and recording the activities and transactions correctly. Starbucks has set a ta rget that the coffee in Starbucks will be authenticated and monitored by the third independent professional party before 2015. There are two requirements considering the coffee producing of Starbucks. The one is that the purchasing process should be legal and reasonable and the coffee cropping process should be responsible. In fact, Starbucks manage to follow such rule, as can be seen from the evidence that it has formed the moral purchasing system called C.A.F.E system. Such behavior shows the fact that Starbucks manage to take the social responsibility, which can help to increase the reliability of the firm and help to build more satisfying reputation. As for the responsiveness, it relates with the wish to improve the service standard when receiving the suggestions from customers. Starbucks has its own unique customer recovery system. To be more precise, if the customers is not satisfied with the product they buy or the service they experience, staff in Starbucks will give them customer recovery coupon as a kind of method to compensate. Besides this, the staffs also follow the listening principle that requires the staff to listen to the feedback from the customers and take relevant actions to solve the issues. In addition, staff should thank for the feedback from customers, no matter it is positive or negative. This recovery system plays an important role in dealing with the customers’ needs and shows high degree of responsiveness inside the Starbucks. With regard to assurance, it concerns about the workers’ degree of confidence and ability to display their knowledge and courtesy. The members in Starbucks are asked to follow the 5B principle. The 5B principle is to be considerate, welcoming, genuine, involved, and knowledgeable. To be considerate is to try to care for others and the whole environment. To be welcoming is to welcome every guest warmly, making them have the sense of belongings. To be genuine is to sincerely contact with guests and build the positive relationship with guests. To be involved is to devote the heart  into work and have the motivation to build a better Starbucks. To be knowledgeable is to be specific about the work and love the work(Starbucks, 2012). It is obvious that having such assurance inside the Starbucks, the operations inside the firm is und er a promising pattern, which is able to develop the quality management level. Finally, it is the concept of empathy, which means that the companies are required to care for guests together with providing the personal service. Applying this ides to Starbucks, workers in Starbucks welcome the guests individually and then kindly ask for the needs of the guests and provide the first-class service for them. Without these operations, operators can not spot in which the service gap exists and then figure out how to eliminate it(Christopher, 2006). Customer’s satisfaction is a very important demand in a hospitality industry(Robledo, 2001). The design of the hospitality industry is mainly divided into two aspects, the physical environment and the servicescape. Especially nowadays, the servicescape play a very important role in the customer’s perceptions. The hospitality, particularly hotels, should make their design and plan match the marketing and customer’s anticipation (Bitner, 1992). So, the core business value of Starbucks is to create a certain servicescape named â€Å"Third Space†(Starbucks, 2012). The third space is defined as shopping and leisure space distinguishing from living space and working space that are marked as the first space and second space individually. In order to improve the life quality, it is a key point to improve the quality of third space. As for Starbucks, it aims to expand the third space for customers. the workers in Starbucks devote themselves to provide more warm atm osphere for customers through sincerely communication and first-class service. Thus, Starbucks is more like a space for relaxing rather than just a coffee store . Under the nine-to-five working form as for most people, it is a real need for them to have an additional relaxing place and Starbucks well provides this kind of space due to its value of providing third space for customers. This value has won more and more popularity among customers. There are some knowledge of the waiting lines called queuing theory, which is a very important part of the operations management, and it is a very effective tool that every operators need to know. The most common discipline of queue is â€Å"FCFS†, which means first come first service; also it  is the same as first in first service. The Structure of a waiting line system has three parts: arrivals, queue discipline and the service facility. So, considering the arrival characteristics, it is mainly divided into three major characteristics: amount of the arrival population, behavior of arrivals and the mode of arrivals. There are two most important characteristics involving in the form of the service system and the allocation of the service time. And the basic queuing system can be divided into several models: single channel queuing system, multiple channel system, single phase system and multiple channel system (Heizer, J., p. 773). A service facility can be seen as a channel, it usually can be one open teller or a check out service. And different customers’ demand makes different phases of the queuing models. Also the queuing cost is quiet important, the operators must recognize that there are mainly divided into two parts of the queuing cost, the cost of providing good quality services and the cost of the lost of waiting time(Gross, 2008). But if a manager want to ensure the quality of the products, sometimes the queuing cost is necessary(Hayes, 2011). However, it is very important to balance the savings in service cost(Prabhu, 1997). But to minimize the cost of lost time waiting, Starbucks usually will arrange a senior partner to chat with customers, care about their demands, asking about the customized order then mark it to the partners in the bar counter, save time for both customers and the store. Also this senior partner will arrange some activities according to the queuing condition and his own experience. This partner’s job is to distract customers’ attention. By using this time, the partner can introduce the new product to the customers and send some free giveaway d rinks and dessert. Usually the free giveaway drinks will be the drinks which are new to the market. Also this partner can seize this opportunity to promote the member card of Starbucks and the items on the cabinets, which are thoughtfully placed exactly beside the queue lines. Because of the characteristic of service that cannot be storage and service takes time and the time is variable, also the customers often arrives at variable time. Therefore, the limited of the service capacity caused the bottlenecks in the process. In Starbucks, there is a special character  called Floater. Floater is like a free man that does not have a fixed work. Floater’s duty is to make sure everything goes fine. There are often two tellers in a Starbucks’ store, and the Floater’s fundamental job is to guide the customers wait in line and make sure the queue goes smooth, then get to know the customers’ demands then marks it down on the beverage cups within their own special marks which made by Starbucks, this work will efficiently relieve the pressure of partners who works inside the bar. Also the floater needs to notice the whole store, make some operational flexibility measures to ensure the positive operation of the store. One of the operations management’s main functions is to concern about the process design. The process of operation is to transform the input resources into output services and products. Process design can not only improve one’s quality, but also optimize the capacity of the hospitality organisation. Process shortening is also a very important operation about saving customers’ time and improving customers’ satisfaction. So the Starbucks made a model called â€Å"Four Classes Beverage Procedure†. This model segment the beverage according to the quantity level of the beverages in waiting queue that is needed to be made during the service time. So the average making time of the first class drink is approximate 45 seconds, while the second, third, and fourth class needs 37, 30, 25 seconds separately. The higher the class, the more time is spent on making the drink. The serving time of the first class demands one staff, which is required to make from zero to five cups of drink alone. It is allowed to make only two cups one time in this procedure. More importantly, it is a need for the staff to contact with waiting customers during the making time of the drink. This rule makes good contributions to the customers’ satisfaction, because it alleviates the impatience of the waiting customers. Service is unable to be stocked and is needed to be created immediately when customers come. Queues are caused by variable arrival and processing rates(Cochran, 2008). According to this, the likelihood of increasing the customers’ demands is accumulated. In terms of the second, third, fourth class, the difference relays on the number of required staff and beverages to be made. However, these four-class procedures share a common factor that the staff is required to have a contact with waiting customers. It is a core idea associated with culture of Starbucks. This idea has positive influence to increase customers’  satisfaction of the brand, thus raising the demand of customers. As more customers coming, the supply of the Starbucks should be added in order to balance the relation between supply and demand. Quality is the soul of a company, and the author can not agreed any more about this. This essay clarified the elements which are needed to balance the supply and demand in a hospitality organisation. Starbucks, the world leading coffee retail company, did a great job to balance the supply and demand in service quality aspect by using the 5B principle. The Starbucks applied some operations and services management theories which are already talked about in this essay, such as TQM and the SERVQUAL to balance the supply and demand between company and customers. Also according to author’s experience and observation, quality and capacity management is very important in the operations management indeed. WHY USING THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE: By using the model SERVQUAL which proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1985), the author can clearly clarify the characteristics of Starbucks combine with the author’s own experience and observation. It also helped the author to systematic describe how Starbucks manipulate their quality management. TQM can be seen as a basic measurement of quality,which is widely adopted by the service industry. The author thinks Starbucks also used this to justify their goods and services. Quality is the soul of a company. The author can not agreed any more about this. The servicescape theory is widely accepted and used by many people, and many operations strategies are emerged based on servicescape. REFERNCE: Brown, S. W. And Swartz, T. A.(1989), A gap Analysis of professional service quality, Journal of Marketing, 53, (2), pp. 92-96. Christopher, L., Jochen, W. and Jayanta, C. (2006), Marketing of services, people, technology, strategy, Pearson education, pp. 393-395. Cochran, J. K. and K. Roche. (2008), A Queuing-Based Decision Support Methodology to Estimate Hospital Inpatient Bed Demand, Journal of the Operational Research Society 59, No. 11 Crandall, R., Markland, R., 1996. Demand management: today’s challenge for service industries. Production and Operations Management 5 (1), 106-120. Feigenbaum, A.V. (1986) Total Quality Control, McGraw-Hill. Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons (2011) Service Management: Operations, Stratehy, Information Technology, 7th Edition, McGraw-Hill. Greasley (2010), Operations Management, 2nd Edition, Wiley, Chapter 11. Gross, Donald, John F. Shortle, James M. Thompson, and Carl M. Harris., (2008) Fundamentals of Queuing Theory, 4th edition. New York. Hayes, D. K. & Miller, A.A. (2011), Revenue management for the Hospitality Industry, John Wiley, Chapter 6. Heizer, J., Render, B., (2007), Operations Management, Prentice Hall, pp. 571-582. Parasuaraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A. And Berry, L. L (1988), A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality, Journal of retailing, 64(1), pp. 12-40. Parayani, K., Masoudi, A. And Cudney, E. (2010), QFD application in hospitality industry – a hotel case study, Quality Management Journal, Vol. 17 No. 1, pp. 7-28 Prabhu, N. U., (1997), Foundations of Queuing Theory, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands. Ptak, Carol & Smith, Chad (2011). Orlicky’s MRP 3rd edition, New York, McGraw-Hill, 2011, p. 31 Robledo, M. A.(2001), Measuring and managing service quality: integrating customer expectations, Managing Service Quality, 11, pp. 22-32. Slack, N., et al (2010), Operations Management, 6th Edition, Wiley, Chapters 1,3,5 and 7 Valarie A. Zeithaml, Mary Jo Bitner, and Dwayne D. Gremler, (2006), Services Marketing. 4th ed., New York, McGraw-Hill, p. 4. Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L. and Parasuraman, A. (1996), The behavioral consequences of service quality, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 60, No. 2, pp. 31-46. Zeithaml, V. A. And Bitner, M. J. (2003), Service Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus across the Firm, McGraw-Hill, New York.