Case Study Botswana: A Diamond in the Rough Essay

The Harvard Business School case study â€Å"Botswana: a diamond in the rough† deals with various reasons how Botswana became within 40 years the most successful economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. The case study leads through Botswana’s history before the colonization by the British Empire until today, stating several factors which made Botswana more successful compared to it’s neighbour countries in Sub-Sahara Africa. Within only 30 years a very rapid economical growth could be observed and in 2000 Botswana’s GDP growing rate reached a similar value as China. The political situation is stable since Botswana’s independence in 1966 and their corruption is, especially compared to other African countries, very low. The unemployment rate until 2000 never felt under 2%, which is even compared with countries outside of Africa very rare. Asking myself if Botswana is a success, I can definitely answer yes. Even if the country still has to struggle with the second highest HIV infection rate in the world and it is still a challenge for the government to diversify the economy, in order to be less dependent on the fluctuating diamond industry, Botswana is called to be the â€Å"African Miracle†. Taking into consideration that Botswana is a land-locked country and until 1968 there were no mentionable resources it seems quiet astonishing what they achieved in the short period of time since their independence. According to the case study there are several factors that made Botswana as successful as it is today. First of all, the fundament of Botswana’s highly democratic political system can be found in Botswana’s history in the 18th century. The Tswana tribe had less monarchical structures than other African countries, issues of public interest were discussed and decided by an assembly and criticisms of the policies were allowed to be expressed in public. Another reason for Botswana’s success today is, that even during the 80 years of British colony, Botswana was allowed to keep its political structures, as the British had only a limited interest in the resource-scarce country. As Botswana’s inhabitants were less oppressed by their colonial rulers, they were able to develop their democratically society more or less in freedom. In accordance with the case study Botswana’s biggest success factor was the discovery of gold and diamond mines in 1968. More mines were found in the following years and Botswana became number one diamond exporter worldwide. A very important but also controversial decision by Botswana’s government was the foundation of a Joint Venture with the South African multinational company DeBeers. As a contrast, other African countries with valuable resources decided to nationalize mines and oil fields and raised taxes unproportional. Due to Botswana’s decision to cooperate with DeBeers, they became the world’s most successful international cartel. In my opinion the discovery of the diamond mines in Botswana had a huge contribution to the country’s success today, but looking at other African countries which are rich in resources one will recognize that countries as Angola or Sierra Leone cannot document the similar successes as Botswana can do. Coming to the question if Botswana’s success is replicable on other African countries we have to remind, that only a few African countries are as rich in valuable resources as Botswana. But as I mentioned before, even countries that are provided with similar resources, weren’t able to channel the high revenues into physical, social and human capital infrastructures. Contrariwise, these countries have to struggle with civil wars and political conflicts, often initiated by the valuable resources. In my point of view the most important success factor of Botswana are the before mentioned democratically structures which were already founded in the 18th century. Most other African countries were ruled by absolutistic kings, which were replaced by dominant colonial powers. History cannot be changed, but a lesson that other African countries can learn from Botswana is the development and implementation of state institutions in order to achieve long-term oriented and sustainable governance.

Mintzbergs Model on Organisational Structures

Mintzbergs Model on Organisational Structures The Five Parts This note summarises the key features of Henri Mintzbergs theory on the structuring of organisations, which he presented in his book The Structuring of Organisations and Structure in 5's: Designing Effective Organizations in the early 1980s. According to Mintzberg organisations are formed of five main parts: Operating core Those who perform the basic work related directly to the production of products and services Strategic apexCharged with ensuring that the organisation serve its mission in an effective way, and also that it serve the needs of those people who control or otherwise have power over the organisation Middle-line managers Form a chain joining the strategic apex to the operating core by the use of delegated formal authority Technostructure The analysts who serve the organisation by affecting the work of others. They may design it, plan it, change it, or train the people who do it, but they do not do it themselve s Support staffComposed of specialised units that exist to provide support to the organisation outside the operating work flow Pressures Each of these five parts has a tendency to pull the organisation in a particular direction favourable to them * Strategic Apexes – centralisation * Support Staff – collaboration * Technostructures – standardisation * Operating Core – professionalisation * Middle Line – balkanisation Five Generic Structures There are five generic organisation structures which can be described in terms of the five-part theory: * Simple structure, Machine bureaucracy, * Professional bureaucracy, * Divisionalised form, * Adhocracy. Simple Structure The simple structure, typically, has * little or no technostructure, few support staffers, * a loose division of labour, minimal differentiation among its units, and a small managerial hierarchy. * The behaviour of simple structure is not formalised and planning, training, and liaison devic es are minimally used in such structures. Coordination in the simple structure is controlled largely by direct supervision.Especially, power over all important decisions tends to be centralized in the hands of the chief executive officer. Thus, the strategic apex emerges as the key part of the structure. Indeed, the structure often consists of little more than a one-person strategic apex and an organic operating core Most organizations pass through the simple structure in their formative years. The environments of the simple structures are usually simple and dynamic.A simple environment can be comprehended by a single individual, and so enables decision making to be controlled by that individual. A dynamic environment means organic structure: Because its future state cannot be predicted, the organization cannot effect coordination by standardization Machine Bureaucracy The design of a machine bureaucracy tends to be as follows: * highly specialised, routine operating tasks; * very f ormalised procedures in the operating core; a proliferation of rules, regulations, ; formalised communication; * large-sized units at the operating level; * reliance on the functional basis for grouping tasks; * relatively centralised power for decision making; * an elaborate administrative structure with sharp distinctions between line and staff. Because the machine bureaucracy depends primarily on the standardization of its operating work processes for coordination, the technostructure emerges as the key part of the structure Machine bureaucratic work is found, in environments that are simple and stable.Machine bureaucracy is not common in complex and dynamic environments because the work of complex environments can not be rationalized into simple tasks and the processes of dynamic environments can not be predicted, made repetitive, and standardized The machine bureaucracies are typically found in the mature organizations, large enough to have the volume of operating work needed f or repetition and standardization, and old enough to have been able to settle on the standards they wish to use The managers at the strategic apex of these organizations are mainly concerned with the fine-tuning of their bureaucratic machines.Machine bureaucracy type structures are â€Å"performance organizations† not â€Å"problem solving† ones. Professional Bureaucracy The professional bureaucracy relies for coordination on: * the standardization of skills and its associated parameters such as design, training and indoctrination. * In professional bureaucracy type structures duly trained and indoctrinated specialists -professionals- are hired for the operating core, and then considerable control over their work is given to them. Most of the necessary coordination between the operating professionals is handled by the standardization of skills and knowledge – especially by what they have learned to expect from their colleagues. Whereas the machine bureaucracy ge nerates its own standards the standards of the professional bureaucracy originate largely outside its own structure (especially in the self-governing association its operators join with their colleagues from other professional bureaucracies). The professional bureaucracy emphasizes authority of a professional nature or in other words â€Å"the power of expertise†.The strategies of the professional bureaucracy are mainly developed by the individual professionals within the organization as well as of the professional associations on the outside. Divisionalised Form Divisionalised form type organizations are composed of semi-autonomous units – the divisions. The divisionalised form is probably a structural derivative of a Machine Bureaucracy – an operational solution to co-ordinate and controls a large conglomerate delivering: 1. Horizontally diversified products or services 2. In a straight-forward, stable environment 3. Where large economies of scale need not app ly.If large economies of scale were possible the costs and benefits of divisionalisation would need careful examination. The modern, large holding company or conglomerate typically has this form Like the Professional Bureaucracy, the Divisional Form is not so much an integrated organization as a set of quasi-autonomous entities coupled together by a central administrative structure. But whereas those â€Å"loosely coupled† entities   in the Professional Bureaucracy are individuals—professionals in the operating core—in the Divisionalised Form they are units in the middle line.These units are generally called divisions, and the central administration, the headquarters The Divisionalised Form differs from the other four structural configurations in one important respect. It is not a complete structure from the strategic apex to the operating core, but rather a structure superimposed on others. That is, each division has its own structure. Most important, the Div isionalised Form relies on the market basis for grouping units at the top of the middle line. Divisions are created according to markets served and they are then given control over the operating functions required to serve these markets.Adhocracy Adhocracy includes a highly organic structure, with: * little formalization of behaviour; * job specialization based on formal training; * a tendency to group the specialists in functional units for housekeeping purposes but to deploy them in small, market-based project teams to do their work; * a reliance on liaison devices to encourage mutual adjustment, the key coordinating mechanism, within and between these teams The innovative organization cannot rely on any form of standardization for coordination.Consequently, the adhocracy might be considered as the most suitable structure for innovative organizations which hire and give power to experts – professionals whose knowledge and skills have been highly developed in training progra ms. Managers (such as functional managers, integrating managers, project managers etc. ) abound in the adhocracy type structures. Project managers are particularly numerous, since the project teams must be small to encourage mutual adjustment among their members, and each team needs a designated leader, a â€Å"manager. Managers are also functioning members of project teams, with special responsibility to effect coordination between them. To the extent that direct supervision and formal authority diminish in importance, the distinction between line and staff disappears. Structure/strategy fit Pan American airlines A mismatch between strategy and structure can lead to serious organisational difficulties. This was the case with Pan Am Airlines. An error in strategy In the late 1970s, the international airline Pan Am, decided to adopt a new strategy in order to capture some of the American domestic market.The company felt that if its foreign-bound American travellers could do business with Pan Am for the entirety of their trip, the airline could become and industry giant. In 1978, therefore, Pan Am purchased National Airlines, which had one of America’s best domestic route systems. The acquisition proved to be a poor strategic move. Just as the purchase was made, the entire domestic airline industry in the US was deregulated. With deregulation, Pan Am could have constructed its own domestic route system with the resources it had.Instead, it acquired a very expensive domestic route system and domestic carrier that quickly became unprofitable under Pan Am management because of a serious structural error. Structural error Pan Am decided to roll National and Pan Am into one airline, still trading as Pan Am. This is most closely associated with developing a functional organisational design. National’s regular customers were thereby disenfranchised and customer loyalty to the National ‘brand’ was lost. A name such as Pan Am National Airlines would have been more useful to the organisation.Philip Morris, for example, used a much more appropriate and savvy approach when it bought Kraft and General Foods: it kept both names, Kraft General Foods. It did not drop the names and call itself Philip Morris Foods, which had no pre-existing market association. Combining the two airlines, rather than keeping them separate under a divisional structure, resulted in the loss of the lower-cost workers of National. Under the new, uniform structure, the former National employees were paid higher wages. While this may have appealed to the employees, it was an error on the part of Pan Am management.This error was especially evident after deregulation, which brought about low-cost airlines that could profitably offer travellers cheap fares. With its higher cost, Pan Am was being beaten by its old and new competitors. A sounder management structure would have been to match Pan Am to its new strategy by the divisional structure, leaving the two airlines as separate divisions of the same organisation. The effects of strategy and structure errors Because of the strategic and structural errors Pan Am was losing money. In order to survive, the airline began selling its assets. In 1980, it sold its Pan Am building in New York.In 1981, it sold its company hotel chain. During the same decade, it sold many of its DC-10 aircraft to American Airlines. When airline transport boomed again, Pan Am was left with no capacity to take advantage of the increase in air traffic. The struggling airline even sold its prized Pacific routes, a move that many experts say was one of Pan Am’s management’s greatest mistakes. The airline’s survival became doubtful. Pan Am began looking for a partner in hopes of prospering again. Management and labour problems In the midst of strategic and structural problems, management and labour came into conflict. In 1981, C.Edward Acker, who had built tiny Air Florida into a nationally kno wn carrier, became chairman of Pan Am. He got off to a good start with the union, with some employees even wearing buttons proclaiming themselves as ‘Acker Backers’. But the relationship did not last long. In 1985, the Transport Workers Union struck Pan Am, costing it any possible profits that year. By the late 1980s, Pan Am’s unions were calling for Acker’s replacement. In 1988, Acker and four other corporate officers lost their jobs. William Genoese, director of the Teamsters’ airline division, explained that the company’s problem was that management didn’t realise that he airline was 20 years behind the times. Management was not in the marketplace merchandising or being more competitive. The problem continued under the next Chairman. Eventually, time ran out for the carrier. The airline filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on January 8, 1990 and went out of business on December 4, 1991. Required: Summarise the key strategic issues and th e link to structure. 3. By way of conclusion, identify and explain the changing approaches to organisational design and structure. Your answer must include an analysis of the reasons for these changes. Use examples either real or hypothetical to clarify your answer.

Highschool Grade Guides

Work 1 on 1 with a consultant from a top school on every aspect of your application, including your college essays. Get your college essay reviewed fast— as quickly as 1.5 hours — by our expert essay editing team. Improve your score and prepare for the SAT online with your own tutor and our proven curriculum. Build up your high school resume during 9th-11th grade by working with one of our mentors from a top school! Join thousands of students and parents getting exclusive high school, test prep, and college admissions information. Check out our guides for each year of high school. Don’t see your grade here? Sign up for our email list to get notified when we add it. We’ve outlined what high school freshman should focus on during this important year! All high school sophomores should read this guide to make the most of 10th grade. We’ll send you valuable information to help you strengthen your profile and get ready for college admissions.

Short answer questions about an economic article Essay

Short answer questions about an economic article - Essay Example Housing craze bubble occurred due to Goldman’s by reducing the standards of underwriting mortgages rates. They were able to trick pension schemes funds and insurance into buying into their idea. The mortgage package they offered had hidden irregularities meant to exploit the investors. Many rushed into investing thus creating a large real estate whose investment were being speculated by Goldman. Eventually, the housing bubble crumbled and investors were fleeced of their investment (Higgins 89). $4 a Gallon bubble came into being when Goldman influenced large investment companies to invest in the speculative oil market. When the world market prices declined, Goldman’s investors lost billions of investment. However, it was instrumental in manipulating pump prices rise to $4 a gallon thus continually robbing from the public. In the Rigging the Bailout bubble, Goldman’s caused the collapse of insurance and investment giants like AIG who remained deeply indebted to them. When the government chipped into bailout them, Goldman had to be paid fully despite them being behind the investment and insurer downfall. Global warming bubble occurred when Goldman covered up their bad deeds in the name of environmental conservation plan advocating for a bill that will limit carbon emission. Thus, they will trick companies into managing finances meant to reduce these emotions (Higgins 112). Goldman used its political influence to win over lucrative initial public offer deals. Its activities included bribery of executives of other investment institutions in order to be awarded future underwriting deals. Their top executives participated in a long-term greedy behaviour. They also manipulated the prices of shares to gain bonuses at the expense of its investors. Goldman’s behaviour led to shareholders and investors launching several lawsuits and it walked scot-free after manipulating the prosecution by paying a $60 million which is a small

The health effects of cannabis marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The health effects of cannabis marijuana - Essay Example This damage is similar in severity to the damage of those who suffer from lung cancer (Zimmer & Morgan, 2007, p. 20). The mildest respiratory effects of the consumption of marijuana include bronchitis, exacerbated phlegm production as well as emphysema. A study revealed that 36% of patients admitted to the hospital in the United States with flue-like symptoms were suffering from the side effects of consuming marijuana (Tashkin et al., 2004, p. 2). Moreover, in severe cases, heavy marijuana users may develop lethal complications. Hence, a massive Swedish study in 2013 has identified that 40 years of marijuana consumption double the risk of having lung cancer (Callaghan et al., 2013, pp. 1811-1820). Moreover, has a disastrous effect on cardiovascular system. Therefore, marijuana accelerates heartbeat and may provoke inflammatory processes in blood vessels. Moreover, a group of researchers from Birmingham, UK, has concluded that marijuana is likely to increase the risk of arrhythmias as well as causes dizziness and provokes falls (Krishnamoorthy et al., 2009, pp. 851-856). Furthermore, due to ethical concerns, the studies aimed to investigate the relationship between the consumption of marijuana and reproduction. The studies conducted on primates revealed that with the chronic consumption of marijuana sperm count decreased by a margin of 61% in males. Fertility in females decreased by up to 53%. Moreover, even with the surviving sperm cells their motility and ability to fertilize egg cells was significantly degraded (Zimmerman & Raj, 2007, p. 10). Krishnamoorthy, S., Lip, G., & Lane, D. (2009). Alcohol and Illicit Drug Use as Precipitants of Atrial Fibrillation in Young Adults: A Case Series and Literature Review.  The American Journal of Medicine,  122(9), 851-856. Zimmerman, S. & Raj, A. Y. (2007). Effects of cannabinoids on spremtogenesis in mice. In G. G. Nahas and W. D. M. Paton

How can we evolve through virtual augmentation Coursework

How can we evolve through virtual augmentation - Coursework Example Michael & Washburn outlines that technology is an improvement that is made on an already existing idea. Technology has greatly improved the intellectual and physical capability of human beings and has changed their lives, as well. The evolution of mankind has also changed people's attitudes, perceptions, and even lifestyle. For instance, life during the 18th century is very different from that of the 20th and 21st century. The main reason for this is because of people's needs, taste, and preference keep changing as the result of innovations and developments. According to Michael & Washburn, Change in worldviews is also evidence that mankind keeps evolving. In the ancient period, people always understood that they had a role to play in the society and everything they did was for the community. A child belonged to the community, and it was, therefore, the responsibility of every member of the community to take care of them. However, in the current society, individualism is the way of l ife and people seek to develop themselves rather than the society as a whole. Science fiction also has a role to play in man's evolution, and most innovations and inventions are attributed to science fiction. Science fiction has brought out the creativity in mankind as it prompted them to carry out experiments to prove the scientific concepts. In the process of carrying out these experiments, many other discoveries have been made some, which have been beneficial, and some harmful to mankind.

Students eye careers in creating mobile applications Research Paper

Students eye careers in creating mobile applications - Research Paper Example After analyzing the external environment, the business proposal focuses on the internal issues. The internal assessment requires different requirements such as business name and the products that shall be provided to the potential customers. In the similar fashion, the next part elaborates rationale and reasons that were used to select a particular business. Having entertained these objectives, the business proposal elaborates mission, vision, goals and objectives. Being strategic in nature, it was highly important to consider these factors before moving ahead. The PESTLE analysis The PESTLE analysis takes into account and evaluates external business environment. The political aspect of the analysis considers political dimensions of the external business environment. In the business proposal, the UAE’s political environment remains investment friendly and supports investment activities in the country. The economic analysis considers external economic factors which directly or indirectly affect businesses and their operations. It takes into account GDP rate, trade balance and so on. The social analysis considers social issues. It uses education, health, population and other indicators and evaluates them in the light of objectives. In the business proposal, the UAE education graph has been constantly increasing, showing the resolve of the UAE government toward the education cause. The technological analysis puts light on technology related issues. The UAE is experiencing a substantial growth in the IT and telecommunication industry. In this regard, the role and contribution of DSO has been remarkable towards the technological development of the UAE. The legal analysis takes into account the legal aspects that are prevalent in the external environment. The UAE has most efficient and competent judicial system. The environmental analysis describes environment-related issues. It takes into account pollution, CO2 emissions, green house gases and other issues af fecting local or international environment. The UAE government has introduced EIA program. The main objective is to assess environment and factors affecting the environment. For that purpose, the UAE government has put in place strong measures. Business name, products and services This segment includes business name, products and services that the company shall provide to potential users. U-Phone Mobile Company Limited has been proposed name for the company. The company shall be registered with this name and having patent rights attached with the name. The proposed business shall offer numerous mobile applications development that include iPhone, Android, BlackBerry OS shall be used to develop different mobile applications. Reasons for selecting the business The purpose of this section is to highlight the reasons behind the selection of the proposed business and the proposed industry. It takes into account different angles and measures which are relevant to the proposed business and the proposed industry. This segment has a considerable significance in comparison with the other segments of the business proposal. First, it highlights the specific industry and its current business, marketing, demand and supply aspects of the business. It not only focuses on the mobile users, but also indicates the changing trends and patterns from the traditional use of the mobile services to the

The scope and application of jus cogens Dissertation

The scope and application of jus cogens - Dissertation Example It is the objective of jus cogens and erga omnes to promote and preserve the common interests of nations to a much greater extent than the international law. These tenets constitute constitutional rules that describe the basic features of the international legal system. They are also quite influential in determining the manner, in which international law is developed, preserved and modified. In addition, these rules protect civil liberties and human rights that are central to the individuality of the international legal system. A norm is regarded as jus cogens upon being accepted by the countries of the world, in their entirety. However, this does not require unanimous acceptance. Importantly, a few subjects of international law, acting in isolation or in association with other subjects, do not result in jus cogens; nor can they veto a decision of the majority of nations. This research work proves that the principle of jus cogens is procedurally ineffective with respect to the international norms prohibiting torture. The best way to address this issue is for the ICJ to become more proactive and clarify, via its rulings, the inherent ambiguity. In addition, a convention should be framed that implements the peremptory norms in a consistent manner. Jus Cogens Introduction Jus cogens or peremptory norms are uniquely situated in the hierarchy of international law. These norms have a binding effect upon every nation, which is a major difference between them and conventional treaty and international laws. In addition, this binding effect is independent of the willingness of a nation to be bound by these norms.1 As such, Jus cogens can be regarded as a body of rules, when certain fundamental universal principles that have a binding effect upon all the States are created. In addition, these rules should prove to be crucially important for the entire international community. As there is no established international legislative power, implementing competent international peremptory norms has its own peculia r necessity.2 Article 53 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, enabled State Parties to implement the concept of jus cogens in positive international law; initiating the utilisation of this notion. Specifically, jus cogens safeguards overriding interests and values of the comity of nations, and averts their deterioration and selective modification. 3 Jus cogens, in the contemporary milieu, finds general acceptance by State practice, as a rule of the traditional international law. This research work comprises of five sections. The first of these relates to the historical development of jus cogens. The second section describes the methods for identifying

Gender in Asian Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender in Asian Studies - Essay Example They do this simply by following social systems that are dominant. She examined colonialism by Europeans in Asia, including areas in contemporary Indonesia, India and Malaysia (Rooy, 2000). The French, Dutch, and British were examples of colonialists that she used. She went on to claim that the status of women of European origin in the colonies had two main roles that were contrasting. These women oppressed the people that were indigenous, while also being oppressed by their European husbands and European men in general (Rooy, 2000). Stoler argues that colonialism by the Europeans was because of differences on the racial nature between non-whites and whites. They justified this prestige with the notion that they are a race superior to the colored people with darker skin (Rooy, 2000). While this distinction by race was of use in the creation of colonial authority, a pitfall in this system came up. This was the existence of children born of mixed race relationships, between local women and European men. The administrators of the colonies saw this as a worrying problem, as the existence of these children of mixed race would blur lines between the inferior and superior races (Rooy, 2000). During the early 20th century, there was concerted introduction of women from Europe to make the generation of children of mixed race cease. ... They also ensured their children did not take up customs from the local culture. These rules ensured a clear distinction between the natives and the colonialists. For the achievement of this goal, these women formed organizations for the preservation of European thought and lifestyle in the colonies. Her research showed there were two roles, very contrasting, for these European women: the oppressors and the oppressed. The women were subject to the strict rules aimed at placating their men not to wander, thus oppressed. They did this while enforcing actively segregation by race thus oppressing the indigenous people, who would, otherwise, been granted more freedom. 2. Faier, "Runaway Stories: The Underground Micro movements of Filipina Oyomesan in Rural Japan". Lieba Faier, a Geography assistant professor in the University of California, published this article in November 2008, in an issue of Cultural Anthropology. In it, Lieba tells us about migration of Filipinas, in large scale, int o Japan. They went as entertainers and were a section of a larger group of Marcos administration initiated emigrates. These migration patterns were initiated to increase foreign exchange and cut national debt in Philippines. Around 1980, Filipino unemployment had grown, and debt levels were critical. During this time, the Japanese economy was booming, and Filipinas looked to immigrate there. Brokers and managers began recruitment of women, both from rural and urban poor communities as bar hosts and sex workers. Women in Japan, on the other hand, removed themselves from this. Lieba brings to the fore stories of migrants of Filipina origin who, apparently, have escaped from their husbands in Central Kiso of Japan. He asked why these stories have become so significant, yet very few

Gone With The Wind paper 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Gone With The Wind paper 5 - Essay Example Thus, copyright law though protects originality and creativity of the authors, gives room for rewrites by providing exemptions under which they are not entitled to infringement.However, this has also created a room for copyright conflicts and other related issues. Numerous copyright issues have dominated the debate scene prompting the question as to what should be considered fair use and what should not. One notable copyright battle was between Gone With The Wind (GWTW) and The Wind DoneGone (TWDG). In this case, the author, Randall rewrote the GWTW by retelling the story through a slave’s perspective. This encompasses writing back to society and power, which has a rich contribution to the society. Nevertheless, the conflict here was whether TWDG violated copyright laws by copying GWTW. Through evaluation of free speech, fair use, parody and satire, it is clear that TWDG did not cause infringement of copyright laws. The infringement law allows rewrites based satire and parody. As a result, there was no infringement in the case of GWTW and TWDG since the rewrite was based on satire. Nevertheless, when solving the conflict, other concepts such as free speech and its application also came up. Thus, it is essential to understand how fair use, parody and satire, and free speech apply in rewrite cases. ... This marked the beginning of a long-term battle on TWDG’s infringement of copyright laws with regard to the rewrite of GWTW. Nevertheless, what arose from this case is that fair use sets the legal framework that accommodates both commercial and creative decisions. In analyzing a literary work or any other thing for fair use, there are four factors that play a key role in the determination of fair use. According to Netanel in Making Sense of Fair Use, these are provisions of Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act (Making Sense of fair Use 715). The first factor deals with character and purpose of the uses, for example, it considers whether the use is for nonprofit educational or for commercial nature purposes. The second factor provides for the nature of the work copyrighted. The third factor looks at the work copyrighted as a whole and determines the substantiality and amount of the portion used with respect to the entire work. Finally, the fourth factor provided for b y the US Copyright Act under Section 107 looks at the impact of the rewrite on the potential market, and how the copyrighted work is valued. Beebe notes that the four factors are a test that must be applied in every case to determine fair use, and there is no bright line rule that can determine the issue of fair use (558). The major goal of fair use is to provide a flexible approach of determining and making a decision as to whether fair use applies in a particular case. The major concern is whether the use of the original work that is copyright protected is fair or not. In addition, the fair use doctrine does not base its arguments on equity, but is rather a creature of the common law courts. Furthermore, in the application of fair use, the secondary user’s motives are generally

Factors that Relate to Student Persistence in a Two-Year Vocational Program at a Community College Essay Example for Free

Factors that Relate to Student Persistence in a Two-Year Vocational Program at a Community College Essay Student persistence is one of the many factors that educators try to consider in the goal making students succeed in their education. Schools cater to the academic needs of students and it is the primary role of schools to provide education to children, but nowadays there have been a number of children that have low interest in finishing an education (Smith, 2002). Community colleges are institutions that cater to those children who want to consider taking up a vocational course instead of a bachelor’s degree after graduating from high school. In institutions such as these, there have been a number of studies that shows that students enrolled in this program identified different factors that contribute to their success in the program. The references gathered in this study revealed seven thematic findings with regard to persistence of students enrolled in a community college. These first thematic finding that studies reveal relevant to the success of student enrolled in community colleges is support, this support comes from peers, family members and as well as support from mentors. The second thematic finding is financial support, wherein students saw that being able to be granting a support financially to cater to their education were beneficial for them to continue education. The third thematic findings discusses the different self-variables that contribute to their success, these factors include the determination of a child to succeed and the fear of failing as one of the important factors that made them continue schooling. The fourth thematic finding will discuss all about a student’s background or life experiences that contribute to their persistence in school. The fifth will tackle all about how different techniques that students use in coping with school are beneficial to their stay at school. The sixth will look into how students say that behaving in a professionally during their stay at school became beneficial for their success at school. The seventh and the last will dwell into the different challenges that students face in school, such as stress, as a major barrier in their success at school. All of these will be given corresponding analysis, discussion and interpretation as regard to their contribution to the success of students enrolled in community colleges. Thematic Finding 1: Support It has been well known that one of the factors that contribute to student success is the support which students get from educators as well as from their peers. Studies reveal that all participants believed that the support that they have received from mentors, peers and family members played a big role towards their success in school. Support from people surrounding a student is notably a factor to consider in ensuring success of a child at school. The first support that would surely boost student confidence in continuing their education comes from their own mentors. This is said to be true because if mentors or educators are providing support to their students, they would be able to have a sense of encouragement, and this encouragement boosts their determination and therefore makes the student persist school (Hu Ma, 2010). This kind of mentor-student support is viewed as a counseling support, wherein this kind of support is seen to be beneficial for student to persist school (Fralick, n.d). This type of support has been supported by mentors or educators as beneficial for student’s persistence in school. Aside from support that student’s get from educators it is also seen that peer support plays a big role in the persistence of students at school. The role that the peers of an individual play a big role is seen not only in the education of an individual but as well as in their own lives. This is why studies have shown how beneficial peer support plays in assisting a student not only in academics as well as personal matters (Quimbita, 1991). Peer support is also seen as a major factor that contribute to the persistence of a child at school because of the fact that students get to share the learning experience with their peers in other words, they experience shared learning (Holzer Nightingale, 2009). It is here that peer support is indeed a major factor that would contribute to the persistence of a learner. Aside from mentors and peers, the one and most special source of support would come from family members. Different studies have revealed that the support coming from parents and other family members have been beneficial for student success (Holzer Nightingale, 2009). It is in this kind of support that students would see that the people play a big part in their lives are supporting them, this kind of support provides encouragement, and this is what students take in order for them to succeed in school. The support that learners gain from these different types of groups evidently brings out one thing that is so important in one’s success at school, and that is encouragement that brings about determination. In analyzing the role of support in student persistence at school, it could be clearly seen that the one factor that students get from these support is encouragement. This encouragement from supports such as educators, peers and family members makes students determined to succeed academically because they know that people believe in them, this alone is big factor to consider in ensuring student persistence at school. Comments: Thematic Finding 2: Financial Support It is common that students that finish high school would not continue on going to universities and colleges, the primary reason for this is mainly on financial issues. This has been an issue especially among students that belong to poor families (Smith, 2002). Seeing financial issue as a barrier for children to acquire an education, different financial support is now granted to learners in order for them to acquire an education (Wan Ko, 2005). Different studies have revealed that majority of the total population of the participants saw financial aid or assistance as one factor that contributed to their success at school. Financial support or aid is said to be beneficial to student’s persistence at school because of the financial support it gives to cater to the different need of the students in the duration of their stay in the school (Wright, 2010). The various financial aids available primarily cater to the financial needs of individuals during their whole stay at school; this is especially beneficial for students that belong to poor families (Hu, 2001). Educators who avail such assistance are provided full financial support, from enrollment to different school related finances, they are provided with all of these things (Wright, 2010). Especially among students that belong to poor families, this kind of support is something that would really help them in their pursuit of obtaining an education (Scrivener, 2008). Financial support is evidently a need amongst students, because of the fact that as years pass, the price of education n also increases and the less fortunate are deprived of an education because of this (Li, et.al, 2008). Such financial support is evidently needed in community colleges, because of the fact that most of the population of students enrolled in community colleges belongs to financially challenged families (Wright, 2010). Some financial aid or services not only provides financial assistance, most services also provide rewards for academically high performing students (Holzer Nightingale, 2009). The additional perk from financial support makes students motivated to perform well academically (Holzer Nightingale, 2009). Such rewards are not only provided for financial sake alone, this kind of reward also provides learners with an opportunity to perform well academically (Holzer Nightingale, 2009). This shows that such financial assistance would not only provide the student with the chance to have an education, but as well as provide motivation to perform well in class. This kind of motivation brought about by financial support allows students to improve their grades, as well as provide enough motivation to bring about a sense of persistence in school. Studies and reports have revealed that indeed financial support plays a big role in student persistence in school. Financial support is seen to be one primary factor in student persistence in school because of how this service caters to the needs of students who are financially troubled and at the same time this service provides learners with an opportunity to do better at school and provide enough motivation for students to persist school

Marketing Strategies for the Shoe Industry

Marketing Strategies for the Shoe Industry They separate different type of these shoes can help the customers find the shoes they like quickly and clearly. And the sale can attract the customers buy their shoes. Let the customers buy the shoes have a quick way and lower price. Advertisings Sign up email face book twitter Sales discount Though this advertising, the customers can know the shop when they online. They can satisfy customers new demand. Sales discount always can attract customers. Though the online information they can know the news very quickly and they can tell the information to others. 2. ALDO: http://www.aldoshoes.com/uk Shoes categories Trends: military; Victorian; galactic; American; heritage Women: sandals; buzz worthy boots; mid heels; lace-up boots Men: shoes (plimsolls &trainers; moccasins; casual; smart lace-ups; smart loafers) Boots (casual boots; dress boots) Sandals Special size for big size New arrivals Colours They have special size for big size, so there are more people have special size can buy the shoes they like. Give the price level can help customers buy the shoes which the price they prefer. Advertisings Free delivery when you spend over  £75 Sign up email: get 10% off Face book Digital connect on homepage When customer need to have the delivery they can buy the shoes price over  £75 and they can have free delivery. This can attract customers buy the shoes price over  £75.Though sign up the email, for the shoe shop, customers get more information about the shop and can tell their family and friends. For the customers they can get 10% off, they would like to go this shop. 3. Schuh: http://www.schuh.co.uk/ Shoes categories Women: high heels, low heels, flats, boots, sandals, trainers. Mans: trainers, shoes, boots, sandals. Brands: womens brands(schuh/ugg/red or dead/irregular choice/nike/iron fist) Mens brand (converse/adidas/fred perry/base London/ikon/vans/) Junior: girls(low heels/flats/boots/trainers/sandals/new in/bestseller) Boys (shoes/boots/trainers/new in/bestseller) Advertisings Face book twitter Blog Schuh TV Sales gift card Free delivery They have free delivery, the customers buy their shoes no need to pay the delivery. More convenience to people and attract more customers. 4. Converse : http://www.converse.co.uk/ Shoes categories Shoes : Chuck Taylor/Star Chevron/one star/Jack Purcell Collections : Chuck Taylor All Star Slim/ Blondie/One Star 74/Star Player/Weapon Advertisings Blog (top 10) Videos for advertising Hot chip film on homepage Different types of converse and the homepage is very fashion, this can attract more young people to visit. The film and videos can show the new products directly to the customers. 5. Clarks : http://www.clarks.co.uk/ Shoes categories: Women: boots/ankle boots/pimps/sandals/shoes/winder styles/party styles Men: Boots/Gore-tex styles/waterproof/active air/workwear/modern style Kids: boots/waterproof/willies/casual/sports/cica/school/bootleg Sports : boots/shoes/ waterproof/walking/hiking/trekking/open air/free style Originals : shoes/boots/desert boot/classic/fashion style There are many types of the shoes can be chose by customer. Advertising: TV e-mail TV is the best way to introduce the products. Most people watch TV and can see the advertising, and know more information about this shoe shop. TASK 2 WEEK 1(01/11) Note taking from internet and text book WEEK2 (08/11) Essay plan for marketing plan short report WEEK3 (15/11) Marketing plan first draft WEEK4 (22/11) Short report first draft WEEK5 (29/11) Task 67 first draft WEEK6 (06/12) Presentation-PPT WEEK7 (13/12) Marketing plan Short Report Task 6 Task 7 Final draft TASK 4 BUSINESS VISION I prepare to expand my business and set up a website about sell hand-painted Special Shoe. The website can give many choices to the customer. Customers can choose the picture they like and we can help them paint the picture on the shoes. So the Special shoe will have USP (unique selling point), this means that your product and service can attract more attention from customers in the eyes and mind. Special shoes will sell these to people who want have their own style. The coverage of my shoe shop will be the UK. More and more young people want to aspire after new fashion and be different from others, so they favour original things to show their personality. I found some well-known companies also do the hand-painted shoe, like Nike and Adidas. Every year they launch a limited range of hand painted footwear. Our shop does the B2C (business to customer) part, B2C part can help us know what the customers want and can save money and time. Customers can buy their favourite shoes cheaply and quickly. We can use website, newspaper and magazine to attract customers and make people to know our Special Shoes. Analysis External analysis Everybody needs shoes and there are many kinds of shoes in our life. For the country footwear is an important part. There are  £6bn of shoes sold to UK and half of them sold around the world (Britfoot, 2010 ). Today, some companies do hand-painted shoe business, for example, Converse was very famous for its canvas shoes. In recent years, Converse put out hand painting shoes, but these shoes are limited. So this cannot satisfy most customers demand .Our hand-painteg shoes are having a rational price and when the customer want these shoes we can painted for them. Most people can buy a pairs of shoes they favour and show their individual. 2. Internal analysis Our on-line shop sell hand-painted canvas shoes, but for different customers we also sell the colour pen and no pattern shoes, so customers can paint the shoes in any way they like. For all the customers we will teach them how to wash the shoes and they can return of goods if shoes have any problem within three days. Because I have 4 physical shops in high street, so I have existing customers and I have enough money to set up my special online shoe shop. Start my business I need some people to help me. I structure them in three groups, first is the group who buy raw material, second is the group who painting the shoes, last one is the group who sell the shoes. 3. SWOT analysis a ¼Ã… ½Strengths My shop start a new style of shoes buying, there are three main strengths of my hand painting shoes. First, because I already have four physical Special Shoe shop in High Street, so we have the basic of the customers for my Special online shoe shop. I set up online Special Shoe shop can increase many new customers for my business and make more profit. Second we paint the shoes of the customers choice so the customers cannot find another pair of shoes like it. Third, because our online Special Shoe shop do B2C part, so we can communicate with customers quickly and clearly. We can know what the customer really want and satisfy their demand. Special Shoes have a reputation for giving advice about foot problems and they can use this knowledge to do the same on the Internet. We can find the health magazine talk about the podiatry service and put our online shoe shop website in. This can tell the people that our shoes are comfortable, and then attract more people to visit our website and buy our shoes. b. weaknesses First, we can not produce with a large number of hand painting shoes. Because we make these shoes by hand, this restricts our output, and we need more time and more labour to produce shoes. Second, because we sell the hand painting canvas shoes, so this not for all people. The hand-painted canvas shoes just one kind of Special Shoe. For example, customers will not buy these shoes when the weather becomes cold. c. opportunities Economy is recovering now, however The world economy is facing difficult and dangerous times (BBC News, 2010) that means economy will not grow much, companies sell goods not very high. And though economy grow slow, but economy not too bad. Companies sell goods not too low. I start business online must careful, we need prepare everything to face any problem. Today, more and more sellers choose start a business online in UK, and the customer in UK spend  £42. 7bn online in 2010 accounting for the CCR (Centre for Retail Research).(BBC New , 2010) I start an on-line shop, so I can increase many new customers who need special shoes and keep the existing customers. d. Threats Our threats come from other online hand-painted shoe shop. People prefer buy famous brand. So the famous in the world, like Adidas and Nike will attract more customers. We must buy the raw shoes from the factory. If the factory makes the mistake of the shoes or do not give us the raw shoes on time, we will face trouble, for example, we can not give the hand painting shoes to customer on time or the shoes have quality problem, these will make us lose trust from customer. Marketing and sales 4 ps Product We supply our products to the people who want to show personal style. We put the picture online and the customers can choice. The customers also can e-mail the picture they like and we painted for customers. . We also can sell the pigment and paint brush to customers, if they want to paint the shoes by themselves. We try our best have a good reputation and supply good products and service to customers b. Place We sell the hand painting shoes on-line. Customers can enter my online Special Shoe shop and buy shoes anytime and anywhere. And we no need to pay the rent of physical shops. It has a lower cost to set-up an online Special Shoe Shop. The customers around the world can know my online Special Shoe Shop and buy my products. The online shop is no geographic retractions. Pricing We have different level price of the shoes. The price of the hand-painted shoes will between  £80 and  £150. These prices are based on the brand of the canvas and the pattern. For example, the shoes have simple pattern will be cheaper than the shoes have complex pattern. Promotion The promotion brings the benefit to the products, and promotion will give the products a brand and an image that the customers will pay attention to your products. I choose online activities and offline activities to promotion my online Special Shoe Shop. I use online activities, first of all I need search engine registration, and search engines can help the customers find the information about our business and products. We pay fees let our online shops web site at the first page of the search engine. When the visitors enter our online Special Shoe homepage, they can sign in our webpage use e-mail address. So I can collect these visitors e-mail address and send the e-mail about our Special Shoes. We can make a video of shoes being painted and put this video to YouTube or other video website to introduce my online hand-painted shoes. Second, I will use newspaper and Magazine to advertising my online Special Shoe Shop; for example, is the most fashion magazine in UK, most people read this magazine, we put our hand-painted shoe in this magazine, so more people can know my Special Shoe. Newspaper and Magazine advertising are cheaper than the TV ad vertising. At same time we do direct mail. I will send the information about my online Special Shoe Shop to the customers who buy the shoes from my physical shops; let them to understand our online hand-painted shoes. Customers Existing customers My Existing customers are the people shopping in my four physical shops in High Street. We want to keep these customers so we need give these customers convenient and we need work hard and give better service to customers. And we must pay the attention to all the Special Shoes, so we can know what the customers really like and meet their demand. New customers I set up an online Special Shoe Shop and sell hand-painted shoes. So I have new customers who need have their own style and buy our hand-painted shoes. And I do the online and offline promotion to attract more new customers to know and buy my Special Shoes. Conclusion In conclusion, online shop has many benefit of my Special Shoe business. It helps me expand my business; increase the kind of Special Shoes. Thereby, increase the customers and profit. Nowadays, more and more people shopping online. There also have problems of my online business, we cannot do the batch production and our online shop is a new, so just few people know us. However, if we have good advertising and the best products, I believe that my online Special Shoe shop will have more customers and become famous in the future. Bibliography Schneider, G.P. (2007),eBusiness 7th edition, Thomson Learning, Inc: London Edwards,S. Economy, P. (2009), Home-based Business for Dummies, Dummies 3rd Chaffey, D (2004), E-Business and E-Commerce Management, 2ed edition, Inc: London www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11721010 www.britfoot.com http://ezinearticles.com http://www.clpstudio.com/ http://www.paradoxartistry.com/temp.htm Task 5 With the development of society, Internet becomes very important in our life. Internet has much information from the world and it becomes a global resource (ezinearticles, 2010). The definition of online shopping is that the act of purchasing products or services over the Internet.(www.businessdictionary.com). The Internet also becomes a popular way to buy products. Because people can find the products they want to buy very quickly and clearly. They can buy the products at home or office. Online shopping is very convenient, so more and more people choose online shopping. Search engine is important for a website. Sellers must make sure the customers can find your shop very quickly and easily. In this short report I will explain what search engine is positioning, how importance of search engine positioning to the online shop and enabling the customer to find the website easily. The definition of search engine positioning is that The process of obtaining high page ranking on Search Engine Results Pages, these results pages are a list of links pertaining to a specific user submitted search term. Positioning is only relevant for search engines with crawler technology (www.anduro.com/glossary.html ). Search engines have three main parts. First are simply bots, this can finding the website the customers interested in. When customers entering the information the result will give you page title, keywords in page text and the information from other website. Second is storage, when the customers stored the website, the computer has an index for stored the website. Third part is the search utility, search utility can help visitor take the term they find match the search term in index. Then the visitors can choose the links they will visit.(Gary P. Schneider, 2007) Search engine is the important part of online shop sell Special Shoes. We must make sure that the customers can find our website quickly and easily. Search engine is important for e-commerce. So, give the search engine a good positioning is also important. We make the search engine have a good ranking, so our website will go to the first page of the result. Just like Google, when you search information, you will find there are thousand results. If put the website in first page or the top, the visitors will find the website easily and quickly. And this can help us have more visitors and increase the click volume. Based on the importance of search engine positioning, find the good way to increase the ranking of the website is the basic thing we need to do. We can give the search engine money to buy a good positioning. We can put the title of the text as the search engine or put the keyword of my product. For example, I sell the hand painting shoes, these shoes include in special shoes. So I can put the special hand panting shoes as the description of the website. Now I designed three domain names for my Special shoes online shop site. 1. www.cnadyhandpaintedshoe.co.uk 2. www.canvaspaintedshoe.co.uk 3. www.specialdiyshoe.co.uk I prefer choose the first one to be my website domain name. I choose this name in many reasons. First, I open an online shoe shop but not normally, the shoes are special. Second, the shop domain name include my name and I have 4 physical shops in high street. For the old customers the can easily remember my name. The pattern on the shoes all painted by ourselves. The customers can find our website when the customers entering hand painting shoe. Attract visitor I need to attract the visitors to visit my website and buy my special shoes. At first, I need to build a brand of my shoe shop and give it an image; this will make the people remember it easily. And make the customers trust you. For all the seller and customer reputation is the most important thing. We must make sure the quality of shoes and solve the problem very quickly. And we need effective communication with customers, let them to know my shop and my products. We can e-mail them the information of our Special Shoe. The other important thing is that makes sure your homepage special, clearly, and has enough point to attack the customers. For example, if we have the discount, we can put the discount information in a full position. We can use the big title to introduce our main products and put some customers feedback on homepage, these can make visitor know more about our shop and trust us. Because I have 4 shoe shops in high street, so I can have an advertising to introduce my online shoe shop in these 4 shops. I can put the shop website on the wall and window. And give the customers some discount in these high street 4 shops if they go to my online shop. For example, when the visitors go to my online shop to download a picture and print it out, they can take these pictures to the high street shoe shop and then get the discount. In conclusion that many people choose online shopping, so it has a good benefit. However there are many online shops, so there also have strong competition. For online shop, search engine positioning is important; we must give our website a good ranking at search engine, so the visitor can find our online shop easily and quickly. We also have a easy remember domain name. We do many methods to attract the customers to buy our shoes. Bibliography Schneider, G.P. (2007),eBusiness 7th ed, Thomson Learning, Inc: London Edwards,S. Economy, P. (2009), Home-based Business for Dummies, Dummies 3rd Kent, P.(2008), Search Engine Optimization, 3rd Edition. http://ezinearticles.com, Why is the Internet important www.businessdictionary.com Supply chain management Make supply chain short Supply chain is composed by many parts. They are complex; include the manufacturer and suppliers, warehouses, retailers, transporters and customers. So when the customers want to get the products, it will have a long process. But we do e-commerce; we can use the internet to contact the renders, so we can make a short supply chain and we can save a lot of time and reduce the cost of some part, so we can get cheap products and can supply in time. At same time we can ensure the customers can buy cheap and good quality products. Transaction Transaction plays a point role; every part of supply chain will have the transaction. We do B2B system to the suppliers and B2C to the customer. These all need transaction. Transaction will finish on Internet, so this reduces the mistake and save time. We must make sure the transaction safe and quickly. We can find the transform company have the good quality, and cooperate with the company. It has highly accurate so it is safe and have many item can be scanned so it more flexible and save time. Also when the customers buy the shoes from our online shop, we must send the shoes to the customers as soon as possible. So express company also important, we cooperate with the express company we believe. Stock control Every shop has its own store; the seller must make sure they have enough stock to meet demand. We use Internet to understand the demand fluctuation, so we stock the right products to satisfy customers demand. For our special hand painting shoes, we make sure we have enough no pattern shoes. So when the customers order the shoes, we can paint the pattern they like on shoes and send them to customers at s short time. If we have enough stock, we can save much time and can attract more customers. Because we use online, we can use the internet to follow the stock, so can be check the stock from anywhere there is an internet connection. Use internet, we can control the stock directly. Information flow Information will affect the sellers decision. All the information we get on Internet. E-commerce technology gives a fast way to communicate and share information. Every time have its own need, the seller must understand what the customers need and catch the opportunity. We can build an information system and get the information from the internet. For example, we can ask the customers do the questionnaire online, so we can know the customers demand. Depends on the information we will do the right products and service. Special shoes can use an Information System that will help them know where deliveries are; what customers are buying; where customers are; what the best prices are for their suppliers. They can have a Just-In-Time system to use this. That way they can use the information flow to bring better service to the customer and make lower costs to make prices lower. E-Procurement We do not have our own firm to produce the raw shoes, so we must purchase these raw shoes from the firm and for our hand painting shoe, we need purchase the pigment and the painting brush. This is B2B system and we finish the procurement on Internet. E- Procurement helps us purchase the raw products quickly and reduce the error. Because use e-procurement we can communicate with the supplier online also can sign the contract online. Use internet are very convenient to contact if they supplier far away from us. Purchase online we have not the geographical limitations; this means we can find the supplier all over the world. We have a good supplier, so we can give our customers good quality and cheap products. Find a supplier firm we trust, so the customers also can trust us. Bibliography 1.Schneider, G.P. (2007),eBusiness 7th ed, Thomson Learning, Inc: London 2.Wiley, J. (2007), Supply chain management-best practices, Chapter 1 3. http://logistics.about.com/ 5. http://www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=scm http://www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/supply-chain-management-software.htm Task 7Returns policy As a good company, not only take care of its profit, but also has a good after sale services. When online shopping more and more popular, return policy become more important. A good return policy can help the shop attract more customers and make the customer trust you. So you can get a good reputation. I consider five parts to build my special shoes return policy. The circumstances of purchased shoes allowed to be return As a general rule, we allow the customers return in 14 days. If the problem is the size, the pattern they do not like or there is the quality problem we will allow to be return. Because, the customers buy the shoes online so they can not try the shoes, and some times the size of shoes will have a little difference. Due to the pictures of shoes on the website and the real shoes have the difference of colours, the customers also can return the shoes. The exchange policy If the customer is not satisfied with the shoe, they can order another one in exchange. However if they order another pair of shoes have different level of the price, we will return the remaining money if another pair of shoes cheaper, and the customer give us money if that one expensive. When the customers want to exchange, they must provide proof a payment, such as receipt. The refund policy By law, customers located in the European Union à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ have the right to withdraw from the purchase of an item within seven working days of the day after the date the item is delivered. (www.amazon.co.uk) We will use this as a basic refund policy and offer to pay for postage. The condition of the shoes must be return The shoes must be return when we find there are some quality problems we will call the shoes back and solve the problem. At the same time we will give the customers another pair of shoes and give them some discount. Responsible for postal charges If the customer wants to refund, we will pay for the postal charges. We can give pre-paid label for return. And customers no need to worry about the postal when they refund or return the shoes. This makes customers happy and trusts my shop. This point can attract more customers.

New Labours Policy for Childcare

New Labours Policy for Childcare Title: New Labours policies in relation to children and families maintain a focus upon control of family life rather than supporting families. Critically evaluate the statement with reference to at least two policy areas Introduction: The social policies of any government are aimed at welfare and protection of individuals and promote economic and social development with the aim of establishing a welfare state (Ellison and Pierson, 1998). Effective social policy also helps individuals to lead a fulfilling life and in turn promotes the growth and change of economies. Bad social policy retards the growth of a country and its individuals and leaves people in poverty or social exclusion. In this essay we discuss the labour government’s social policies with regard to families and children. We will discuss a few major policy areas in children’s issues and family welfare and will critically evaluate whether these new labour government social policies are aimed at supporting or controlling family life. Social Policies – Family and Childcare After Labour’s advent to power in 1997, there have been substantial increases in spending on family care aimed at helping families with formal childcare, early education and work life balance (Brewer et al, 2005). The three major reforms in this area are To increase the generosity of and entitlement to paid (and unpaid) maternity, paternity and  adoption leave To entitle all 3- and 4-year-olds to free part-time nursery education for 12.5 hours per week,33 weeks of the year; To increase the subsidies available to working parents for spending on formal childcare. We give labour’s policies on family and childcare as laid down in its manifesto for helping families. The key features are given as follows: Source: Brewer et al. 2005 Labour’s policies The main policies are in three areas of family life namely, maternity leave and pay, childcare element of the WTC and free nursery education. Maternity pay Increase paid maternity leave from six months to nine months in 2007 ( £329m) Enable the transfer of some paid maternity leave to the father (uncosted) Has set a goal of increasing paid maternity leave from nine months to 12 months by 2010 ( £195m) Childcare element of the WTC Increase the proportion of formal childcare costs that can be claimed from 70% to 80% in 2006 ( £130m) Free nursery Education Free nursery education for 3- and 4-year-olds for 12.5 hours a week, 38 weeks a year from 2007 ( £200m f) and 15 hours a week, 38 weeks a year by 2010 ( £300m) The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) analyses that labour’s policies of increasing paid maternity leave from 9 months to 12 months will cost a minimum of  £195 million per year, There are also possibilities of behavioural changes, which may increase above-inflation earnings growth and if this happens, the costs of the reforms will also increase considerably. The IFS further suggests that all main parties are committed to increasing the proportion of formal childcare costs that can be claimed under the childcare element working tax credit from 70% to 80% in 2006 at a cost of  £130 million per year. Labour is committed to increasing free nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds to 12.5 hours per week and 38 weeks per year by 2007 and this will cost  £200 million per year and if this is increased to 15 hours per week , 38 weeks per year by 2010, this will cost the government  £300 million per year (IFS report, 2005; also see Brewer et al, 2005). The Labour government’s focus on family and childcare policies has been on three areas: work–life balance child care and nursery education; the affordability of childcare. Since coming to power, Labour’s emphasis on family issues have focused greatly on increased maternity paid leave. The trend has been to increase the right to time off for new mothers and pregnant women and to compensate them during this period. The legislations brought into place for implementation of these policies included the Employment Relation Act (1999) in the first term of Labour’s power and the Employment Act (2002) in the second term which increased length of ordinary maternity leave and relaxed employments conditions related to additional maternity leave. Statutory maternity allowance and pay levels were also increased. Issues related to household expenditure and child care and the influence of parental poverty affecting children have been major concerns for the government. The government has put reducing child poverty as its focus in improving child welfare policies since 1999 and reduction of child poverty is an important aspect of the domestic policy agenda that has led to increases in children’s benefits and tax credits for families with children. According to Goodman et al(2005), although these increases in tax credits and benefits for families help the government to meet proximate policy aims and help reduce income based measures of child poverty, by 2004-05 and by 2010-11 it will be questioned whether and how much these financial transfers and benefits have affected measures of well being , especially improved conditions of children despite increase in income. A new measure of child poverty as identified by the Government is material deprivation. Studies have indicated the relationship between family income and material deprivation in children and have highlighted how poverty and deprivation influence both parent and child health (see Daniel and Ivatts, 1998). However, Blow et al (2005) attempted an analysis of the child benefit system or the CB which is a transfer payment depending on the number of children in the household. The study indicated that Child Benefits do seem to have considerable impact on household expenditure patterns although the cash received as child benefit has been found to be spent not on child assignable goods but disproportionately on alcohol. This obviously is a shocking piece of information but the government’s new policies of relating family income with material deprivation or poverty of children needs to be analysed beyond just how the benefit system is used. Government’s policies towards childcare are aimed at reducing material deprivation due to family economic condition (Berridge, 1999). Information on material deprivation is however often collected as an alternative basis for measuring poverty, and poverty measures based on this type of information are often referred to as â€Å"consensual† poverty measures (Goodman et al, 2005). Material deprivation is however a vague term as the absence of certain items of consumption in the household is usually described as material deprivation of children. However, governmental definition of deprivation may not be tenable as the presence o certain consumable in the household can be matter of choice or preference. Goodman et al (2005) correctly points out that low family incomes may be a reason for material deprivation, yet the other possible reasons have to be considered. The government policies of providing increased support on the basis of the number of children in household can also be flawed. Health levels have been found to vary according to changes in income levels although Goodman concludes that if properly studied, material deprivation can indicate long term measure of family income. Goodman and associates suggest that ‘there is still a lot to do in terms of developing a methodology for analysis of material deprivation which would be consistent with economic theory and guided by stricter ‘scientific’ rules’ (p.11). Government policies of promoting family welfare and childcare, providing benefits in proportion to the number of children in the household, using family income levels as a measure of material deprivation and making provisions for increased paid maternity leave and increased nursery care have been criticised as more controlling measures to regulate family life rather than providing support. Hills and Stewart (2005) have criticised New Labour policies as although helpful in reducing child poverty is completely ineffective in promoting economic equality in society. New Labour has taken poverty issues, especially in children very seriously and aims to halve this problem by 10 years and abolish it in another generation. Yet Hills and Stewart point out, despite these moves, Britain continues to remain an unequal society. A study by LSE suggests that child poverty has been reduced considerably through tax and benefits reforms (also see Berridge, 1999). Yet, although low income families with many children seem to have benefited from the policy, poverty levels among childless adults have reached record levels since Labour’s policies in 1997. Yet a one sided approach is not the only criticism against Labour’s policies. As claimed by analysts, controlling rather than supporting, by providing benefits to only a category of people seems to justify the increased resist ance of Labour’s policies regarding family issues and child welfare. In fact, Giullari and Shaw (2005) emphasise that as far as social policy on families and children are concerned, teenage pregnancy has been the subject of attention in recent social policy. Whether teenage parents should get supported housing and other kinds of support from the government and the family has been a controversial and problematic issue. The authors suggest in their paper that New labour’s construction of teenage parents’ housing needs as an issue to be considered is in isolation from support. The paper focuses on family support and suggests that New Labour’s supported housing strategy ignores its fragile and individualised nature and also tends to disregard teenage parents need for independent housing and capacity for autonomous living. New Labour seems to show more control of the teenage parents who are perceived to be at risk of welfare dependency rather than a genuine concern for support. The paper argues that if New Labour is to show genuine sup port to teenage parents, then providing independent housing to these parents should be a primary strategy. Conclusion New Labour’s policies seem to have concentrated on abolishing child poverty, maintaining family as a unit, providing increased maternity paid leave, and implementation of legislation that seem to support governmental decision on family issues. The families with more children are given many benefits and financial support whereas the childless adults seem to have been neglected and show record levels of poverty or loss in income with no government help after Labour came to power. Abolishing child poverty by focussing on income levels of family that apparently seems to determine material deprivation again seems to be a flawed policy biased in judgement. This is because material deprivation of children, an issue taken seriously by the government may be a question of personal choice and preferences and some children who are provided with certain consumables may not need certain others. This policy thus seems to be flawed as the government may not be the right institution to decide material deprivation in children and stress the separation of children into deprived or non-deprived categories based on assessment of family income levels. Finally we have discussed the direct control of government in issues of teenage parents to prevent them from taking benefits from the government which suggest that arguments against government control in social policy initiatives with regard to child and family issues may just be valid. Bibliography Allan G Crow G (2001),  Families, Households and Society.  Basingstoke.  Palgrave Berridge D. 1999,  Child Welfare in England: Problems, Promises and Prospects,  International Journal of Social Welfare,  Volume 8,Number 4, October 1999, pp. 288-296(9) Blackwell Publishing Laura Blow, Alissa Goodman, Greg Kaplan, Ian Walker and Frank Windmeijer, 2005,  How important is income in determining childrens outcomes? A methodology review of econometric approaches,  Mimeos , IFS publication. August. Laura Blow, Ian Walker and Yu Zhu, 2005,  Who benefits from Child Benefit?,  Mimeos, IFS publication Mike Brewer, Claire Crawford and Lorraine Dearden, 2005,  Helping families: childcare, early education and the work-life balance Election Briefing Notes, IFS publication Daniel P and Ivatts J (1998),  Children and Social Policy,  Macmillan Fox Harding, L (1997),  Perspectives in Child Care,  Longman 2nd ed. Ellison N. Pierson C. (1998),  Developments in British Social Policy.  MacMillan. Garatt D, Roche J Tucker S (1997),  Changing Experiences of Youth.  London. Sage Giullari , S and Shaw, M (2005),  Supporting or controlling? New Labour’s housing strategy for teenage parents,  Critical Social Policy, Vol. 25, No. 3, 402-417 Alissa Goodman and Michal Myck, 2005,  Parental income and child outcomes: what can we learn from material deprivation?  Mimeos, IFS publication John Hills and Kitty Stewart,  A More Equal Society? New Labour, Poverty, Inequality and Exclusion,  The Policy Press, 2005 Muncie, H, Wetherall, M, Langan M, Dallos, R Cochrane, A (1997),  Understanding the Family,  Open University Press Carol Smart Equal shares: rights for fathers or recognition for children? Critical Social Policy, Nov 2004; 24: 484 503. Websites: www.childpoverty.org Institute for Fiscal Studies website. www.ifs.org http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications.php www.childrights.org.uk www.sosig.ac.uk http://www.labour.org.uk/familiesandchildren04 New Labour report LSE http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/newsAndEvents/archives/2005/John_Hills_NewLabourReport.html

Student Assesment :: Assessing Student Learning

Strengths: Rob Geis is a respectful and polite student. When he interacts with others his verbal abilities are excellent, he looks like a clever student. Rob seems very responsible because his attendance is consistent and his homework is stable. Needs: He may need to increase his social skills and interact more with others. He needs to ask for help when he does not understand the math concepts. In addition, it is imperative that he builds his self-esteem, experiments success, and feels that he is a valuable member of the class. Rob needs to be encouraged to achieve success relative to his personal potential in a positive learning environment. Interests: Rob has an interest in mechanics; he works at a car dealership after school that seems not interfering with school homework. Therefore, Rob interests are kinesthetic and physical. Preferred Way of Learning: Rob learns and process information in a kinesthetic manner. He likes to use graphics and visual objects such as graphs in math. He might learn better watching how to resolve math in presentations than lectures. Rob is a tactile student and he likes mechanics; therefore, his preferred way of learning is personal. Rob may respond positively to one-on-one attention by the teacher and he may definitely respond to an instruction when he can use grids, graphs, or other tools. Given the data provided about this student which of the family of models of teaching and / or theorist would you primarily draw on for help? Why? Support your ideas with citations from your text, and from other materials you have read. First, I will apply the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, â€Å"Maslow (1970) suggested that humans have a hierarchy of needs ranging from lower-level needs for survival and safety to higher-level needs for intellectual achievement and finally self-actualization†¦ each of the lower needs must be met before the next higher need can be addressed† (Woolfolk, 2013, p. 434). Consequently, I have to discover why Rob is not engaged in learning or why his motivation in school is so low; besides, I would like to know why he has a job after school. Are his physiological, safety, and social needs not met with his family? Why his self-esteem and lack of belonging in school are not in place? That is why, I need to investigate his family roots, and I will interview them to learn more about Rob .

Raising an authentic child in an unauthentic world Essay -- American S

Certainly, most parents’ today have the desire to raise healthy, happy, successful, well-rounded, children with good character. Parents are following the vast amounts of ‘how-to† advice that society continues to generate, believe they are doing everything â€Å"right†, but do not seem to be achieving the desired outcome (Boteach 1). Parents are left with more questions than they began with, children continue to encompass the negative characteristics and the divide between what is desired and what is produced continues to grow. Therefore, this paper will examine the cultural, societal, parental, and communicative causes to why this is happening. An overall explanation would be that it seems that the more we progress technologically and educationally, the more we digress socially and individually. American society has gone from families living in close proximity to one another, having weekly gatherings and a genuine bond, to families scattered across the country only coming together every other Thanksgiving or Christmas, and possibly a few weeks in the summer, with a mind-set of obligation instead of one of devotion. Family friendships that used to span generations have been replaced with chains of multiple lifestyle enclaves that simply do not provide roots for families today. And parenting that was once based on instinct, logic, and generational advice is now fueled by a need to find a â€Å"how-to† manual to provide the appropriate answers in a search to produce the perfect child. To better understand how these cultural, societal, parental, and communicative elements have an effect on parenting children today, this paper will explore the messages parents create and communicate to their children in relation to want is actually being co... ...t they are in contact with. In other words, parenting has evolved into something that is done for other parents, not for children. American Children In the article, The Demise of Child-Rearing, Lyric Wallwork Winik paints a picture of modern day American children: In many respects, not since four- and five-year-old children were sent down into the mines or consigned to the factory floor has it been harder to be a child. Children are more medicated than ever. They are routinely exposed to sexual situations sooner, as well as to violence, illicit drugs, and alcohol. With the rise of sexual predators, they are for the most part no longer free to hop on their bikes and explore the suburban world; many are not allowed even to walk an urban or suburban block alone. Spontaneous play time has given way to scheduled play dates and organized pint-sized soccer leagues.

Warfare in Polygamy Essay -- Marriage Spouse

Warfare in Polygamy Introduction Marriage is a universal trait of human kinship and social organization. It probably developed very early in the course of human social history. In human society, several cultures have used marriage to carry out some widespread functions. Some people are married because of love or romance. Yet, others are married for economic security, economic contribution, heritage, or political reason. However, in spite of these general features, different cultures have developed different pattern of regulations and customs that determine prohibitions and preferences for marriage partners. These regulations and customs are also helped to shape expectations between spouses and in-laws Monogamy is the major form of marriage and is closely associated with most societies of Europe and Asia, while polygyny is found in traditional societies such as Africa. According to "The History of Human Marriage," monogamy, always the predominant form of marriage, has been more prevalent at the lowest stages of civilization than at somewhat higher stages; whilst, at a still higher stage, polygyny has again, to a great extent, yielded to monogamy" (Westermarck, 505). Yet, some polygyny can be found in more advanced societies such as Eurasia. Other regions that are associated with polygyny include Circum-Mediterranean, Insular Pacific, North America, and South America. However, the percentage of occurrence is very different in each society. Because polygyny in different society serves a different purpose, the causation for participation in collective fighting in polygyny of different society will be different. For instance, in Africa, plural marriage is far more general. According "the Factors of Polygamy in African... ...ly support that the causation for women to participate in collective fighting will differentiate across societies and countries. Reference DorJahn, V. "The Factors of Polygamy in African Demography." Continuity and Change in African Cultures.In Herskovits, M., and Bascom, W. (eds.), Chicago: 1959, p. 125-158. Goody, Jack. "Polygyny, Economy and the Role of Women." The Character Of Kinship.Cambridge University Press, London: 1973, p.175-189. Spencer, Paul. "Polygyny as a Measure of Social Differentiation in Africa." ASA Essay in Social Anthropology.Institute For the Study of Human Issues Publisher, Philadelphia: v.3, 1980, p.117-160. Westermarck, E. the History of Human Marriage.London, 1893. White, Douglas R. "Rethinking Polygyny" Current Anthropology.The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, The U.S., V 29, No 4, 1988, p. 529-571.

John Proctor Tragic Hero Essay

In society today, most people can be themselves. Most do not feel the need to hide who they truly are anymore while some still can only â€Å"half express [themselves]† because they are embarrassed of the â€Å"idea which each of [them] represents† (186). I feel as if there is still too little emphasis on self-reliance and individualism in America today, because some are still ashamed of themselves and rely on others too much. As the years pass, fewer people discriminate, but there are still many that still do, causing others to â€Å"half express [themselves]† (186). Gays and lesbians are afraid to come out of the closet because they were told that it wasn’t right to be anything but straight. Society made them feel ashamed of themselves. They might give off hints and their friends might be able to tell, but they would never actually come out. If individualism was stressed more, gays or lesbians would no longer need to hide who they truly are. Even worse, proposition 8 restricts the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples only. They would be accepted, but as of now, they are not because there is not enough emphasis on individualism. â€Å"No kernel of nourishing corn† will just appear out of thin air; only â€Å"through [their] toil bestowed† will something of that sort happen (185). People can’t expect to receive something when they didn’t work for it. For example, homeless people depend on other people’s sympathy and donations to survive. Rather than getting off their butts and finding a job, they sit around waiting for help to come to them. If self-reliance was strained some more, maybe we’d have less homeless people standing in corners begging for money in the world. They’d be out looking for jobs, but in the meantime, there are homeless shelters and soup kitchens to help them, until they can get back on their feet because there is not enough emphasis on self-reliance. If Emerson were still alive today, he would be disappointed, but he would feel as if he got most of his message through. Even though some are still a little uncomfortable with whom they are and too dependent on others, most people aren’t afraid to show off their individuality or depend on themselves. In society today, there is not enough emphasis on self-reliance and individualism because people still depend on others for help and are afraid to show their true colors. If life was based on Emerson’s ideas, the world would be full of hardworking citizens and discrimination would not exist.

Antigone vs. Juliet

Written by Sophocles, Antigone is an ancient Greek tragedy that discusses two girls’ decision to bury their dead brother despite the fact that the king will execute anyone who tries to do so. Should they honor the god’s laws, but risk their own lives in the process? On the other hand, Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare about two young lovers from feuding families. The play ends in much grief as both of the lovers die due to unfortunate circumstances. While these two pieces of text are very different, they still share certain commonalities. For instance, the two main female characters, Antigone and Juliet, possess similar personality characteristics, such as rashness, loyalty, and courage, which help classify them in the archetype of a tragic heroine. To begin with, both Antigone and Juliet are very brave and rebellious. They are strong characters who fight for what they want and what they feel is right. For example, Antigone is willing to bury her brother Polyneices even though she knows that she is putting her own life on the line. Her sister Ismene warns her of the risks, but Antigone knows that she will put into action what she feels she is morally obligated to do. Similarly, Juliet shows these daring personality traits. During Shakespearean times, parents arranged marriages for their children, and daughters were expected to be obedient and respectful towards their parents. However, Juliet goes against her father because of her love for Romeo. She openly disrespects her authority, which leads to her being threatened of being left out on the streets; these actions certainly take a lot of bravery. Additionally, both of these characters use their fearlessness to rebel against fate when they commit suicide. Antigone is caught for burying Polyneices, but Antigone kills herself first so that she can die at her own hand. Juliet stabs herself with a dagger so that she can die with Romeo, her one true love. Both of these stubborn and defiant women refused to accept their fate, so they took it into their own hands. Clearly, these two ladies are strong and act on their own terms. Added to that, Antigone and Juliet are both impatient in their behavior. Their reckless and impulsive choices lead to misery in their lives. For example, Antigone is being rash when she decides to bury her brother. Instead of thinking of a logical and practical plan, she wants to immediately break the law to get it done. If Antigone had talked to Creon about her thoughts, she might have swayed his decision. After all, they are family, and Creon does understand that it would be the moral thing to do. Unfortunately, Antigone acts too quickly, and the tragic events unravel soon afterwards. Furthermore, Antigone kills herself in the tomb before she can be saved by Creon. She makes the hasty choice to end her life, but is unaware of the fact her life could have been saved just a few moments later. Comparatively, Juliet also shows that she is an impatient person. Firstly, her love with Romeo was very rushed. They meet, pronounce their love, and marry all in just a couple of days. The rational thing to do would be to slow down their relationship; Friar Lawrence advises them to do so because long love prospers. However, Juliet and Romeo disregard his advice, and they quickly profess to each other and become husband and wife. Their hurried actions create problems in the future. Sadly, both of the characters must suffer for the choices that they make. Lastly, Antigone and Juliet are very loyal. While they are rash and rebellious, they are still very honorable people. Being a tragic heroine, it’s important to be respected by the audience. Antigone shows her loyalty when she wants to bury her brother. Firstly, her strong desire to honor her sibling displays the love that she has for her family. Furthermore, she shows how noble she is because she wants to do the right thing no matter what. She chooses to honor the god’s laws instead of King Creon’s law. Juliet is also a loyal character because she always stays true to Romeo. Her love lies with her husband, and she does everything she can to be with him and she never betrays him. For instance, she disobeys her parents by choosing not to marry Paris, and she also takes a potion to fake her death despite her many fears. She fears that she will be killed by the potion, wake up before Romeo arrives to her in the tomb, or go insane because of it, but she throws her fears away and drinks it anyways because of her loyalty to Romeo. This shows a lot of her character and who she really is. Furthermore, she even goes as far as killing herself to be with her husband, even in the afterlife. No one can say that these two characters don’t stay true to what they believe in. In summary, these two characters’ rashness, bravery, and honor demonstrate how they are perfect examples of a tragic heroine. Their flaws have led them to mistakes in judgment and other future complications. In this case, both of these females are rash and impatient. However, they are still respected and are good people despite their faults, so they are still liked by the audience. These qualities, found in Juliet and Antigone, represent the epitome of the tragic heroine archetype.