Thursday, October 31, 2019

Analysis of Small Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Analysis of Small Business - Assignment Example a) Indirect competitor: 17 b) Future competitor: 18 Recommendations 19 i. Systematisation: 20 ii. Web presence: 20 iii. Customers: 20 iv. Plan: 21 Conclusion 21 Reference 23 Bibliography 27 Introduction Small business enterprises play an important part in the economy if a country. Small businesses constitute the maximum business establishments in any country where the number of employees is less than 500. In developed countries the major portion of the business is occupied by the small business entities, whereas in developing economies it is seen as an opportunity to eliminate unemployment and poverty (Unido, 2004, p. 17). A small business enterprise is defined as an independent business entity. The small business entity is found not to be dominating the operations in its own field. A small business is different from the large business in context to its functionality and way of approaching the business market. The main objective of this research is to provide an insight about the small business. An analysis based on the strength and weakness of the small business enterprise will be part of the research. Moreover, the contribution and affect of the small business enterprises to the economy of a country will be analysed. Literature review Literature review plays an important part in any research based on a particular topic. The main focus of this research is to analyse the small business enterprises and their role in shaping the economy of a country.... The study on small businesses reveals that the owners of such enterprises do not prefer innovation or change in their functioning of business. Most of the small businesses are founded based on the established business models and practices (Stokes & Wilson, 2010, p. 34-35). Small firms are believed to have added large share of employment to a country’s economy. Most of the new jobs are added in services such as leisure and hospitality. In the study of small businesses it has been noted that most of the large enterprises faces stiff competition from the smaller firms. Though the competitions will not be matched in every aspect, still competition helps the small business firms to enhance their efficiency in terms of productivity (Pride, Hughes & Kapoor, 2011, p. 143-144). The small business enterprise is found to have certain important features which make it a different entity. The characteristics can be discussed below: Small businesses are managed in a personalised manner by th e owner of the business entity. The market share for such enterprises is small in comparison to the large business enterprises (Needham & Dransfield, 1994, p. 135). The owner holds all the power for making decision and implementing the same. The small business enterprises do not have any specific shape and size as they range from a coffee bar to a retail outlet. The large enterprise has no control over such enterprises which makes them independent in their operations. It has been noted that the number of employees in small business enterprises are significantly less than 500 or even lesser for construction business. The small business enterprises are no more confined to a particular location, but are rather going global. Globalisation has become the need of the hour and with the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Reliability Essay Example for Free

Reliability Essay The most known and widely used types of reliability are: parallel forms, test-retest, interrater, and internal consistency reliability. Reliability is important because it gives precision, accuracy and dependable answers in researches. Consistency of measurement means there is a reliable measurement. If a method or particular piece of research is not reliable, researchers will and should lack confidence that the results obtained would be obtain again, and can thus hardly be confident that they reflect reality. Even though that several examples of research, which reach similar results, even if the research is not strictly replicable, may still help researchers to increase their confidence in reliability, and perhaps also guide them toward appreciating the range of applicability of a theory (Kurpius Stafford, 2006). Standard scores are the scores that are comparable because they are standardized in units of standard deviation while percentile or a percentile rank is a point in a distribution of scores below which a given percentage of scores fall. It is a particular point within an entire distribution of scores. Percentile ranks have one major disadvantage in comparison to standard scores: percentile ranks have unequal units along their scale. Percentile ranks in the middle of the distribution tend to overemphasize differences between standard scores, where as percentile ranks at the tails of the distribution tend to underemphasize difference performance. The measure of central tendency is a statistical technique wherein a single number is used to represent a group of numbers. Three different central tendency measures that are usually applied in researches are the mean, median and mode. These central tendency measures are significant because they have their own importance in measuring the central tendency. Mean provides the best estimate of average. However median is more reliable because it is clear and fixed on the other hand, mode is used when a quick and approximate measure of central tendency is required.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Health Promotion Care: An analysis

Health Promotion Care: An analysis Health Promotion Care Module 2 Discussion Question Health promotion refers to the process of providing health care services to the public for increasing their awareness towards health education. Health promotion policy focuses on the prevention of health care problems in non-health care sectors and renders different ways to remove them. The health promotion techniques are based on different principles. The principles are: fundamental requirements of health, quality of life, fairness in health, building healthy policies for public health care, societal health care, educating for health improvement, making better life skills and effective community actions. The main aim of health care sector is to provide clinical and curative services to the communities for living healthy life (Marmot, 1996). Discussion and Analysis In Australia, there is a large population of aboriginal people and it is a colonized country. The government of Australia has implemented various health care policies for the improvement of health of people. But, the health of people does not improve with the divestment of health care promotion services. The aim of the government should be focused on continuously improving the health of the people, it should not be affected by the rational economic thought and health resource allocation. With the increasing expenditures in the health facilities, the public government is curbing many health care activities which in turn results in increasing malnutrition problems among the people. This can further result in increasing the death rate in the country and it will suffer from potential loss of people which can affect the productivity and growth of the country (Marmot, 1996). The government authorities should focus on improving the mental and physical health of the people. It should plan the health budget in such a way that gives maximum output with minimum expenditure but should not reduce the health care facilities for people. Government should appoint psychologists for understanding the mental state of the people. It should also pay attention towards health care facilities for children. It should introduce special child development programs and should have child care providers that increase immunization rates and create healthy child care environment (Louise Parker, 2008). The resource allocation for health care programs should be according to the health care requirements and also after a detailed cost benefit analysis. The government should have a strategic planning for introducing such health system programs. It is the responsibility of the government authorities to take care of public health and introduce plans and policies for their growth and development. There should be special health promotion plans for the deprived or disadvantaged people. Health promotion programs have reduced deaths due to circulatory diseases, unintentional accidents injuries, infectious diseases, and poisonings due to cancers. Australia is known for its health promotion programs and policies, so the government authorities should maintain the standards and continue such programs by maintaining a balance between the expenditure and benefits rather than divesting from the principles of health promotion. The programs should be well planned and implemented to avoid health promotion failures. The health promotion program should aim at healthy lifestyle with an evidence based wellness system. Government should introduce open information health program along with family centered health promotion plans (Louise Parker, 2008). Conclusion Thus, the concerned authorities should introduce health promotion programs which aim at the equal development of all the people and provide health facilities to children, adults as well as old people. It should also aim at multicultural health promotion programs to reduce cultural imbalances and inequalities and satisfy all people equally (Magnusson, 2008). References Marmot,M.(1996). The socialpattern of health and disease in blame. Health and social Organisation, London: Routledge, 42-70. Magnusson,R. (2008). Prevention is a good thing. Australia and New Zealand Health Policy. Sydney Law School Legal Studies Research Paper, 08 (57), 1. Louise, M Parker, E. (2008). Health Promotion: Principles and Practice in the Australian Context (2nd edition). Australia: Allen Unwin Publishers.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge Essay -- Terry Williams Refuge Essays

Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge Adaptation is the source and story of a species’ survival. Human beings’ journey across and habitation of the earth’s surfaces demanded resilience to change. As a result each race is a product of the land in which they inhabited. We have grown with the land. Our physical traits tie us to a particular region, a particular place, but what of our emotions? Are they another link to our homelands or do they orphan us, forcing us to seek refuge? Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge, is the story of her adaptation to change, her struggle to weather changes. The emotional maturity of her relationship with the Great Salt Lake is a subset of her wider community’s relationship to their homeland. This emotional separation from the land is characteristic of modern societies, not the archaic ones. For a Native American tribe like the Sevier-Fremont, the land is ---. In order to successful adapt to the changes in her life, Williams combines the present day idea of owner ship of the land with the Sevier-Fremont people’s example of reaction to changes in the land to form the skills necessary for her survival. In 1982 the Great Salt Lake had begun to rise once more and Williams’ mother’s cancer had returned. As naturalist-in-residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History, she was interested in the effect this rise in the lake would have on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as well as the measures implemented by the state to control this unprecedented rise. The Great Salt Lake preserved many of Williams’ childhood memories in its briny waters. Its rising waters threatened to destroy everything that had grown from it and depended on its stability. Williams believed that left on its own the lake would right itself. ... ...d and selflessly relinquishes her mother to death. She comes to realize the cycles involved in life and enters a new relationship with her mother and the Great Basin. Her mother although she’s dead is always with her and the Great Basin has now become her home. In an act of civil disobedience Williams goes to protest at a testing site armed with her pen and paper. Wlliams shows her understanding of the natural cycle of death by leaving an injured bird she could have saved to be with her dying mother. Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge is an illustration of human beings deteriorated relationship with nature. Nature is no longer our life source but something for us to own and control. Although we might recognize its life giving potential we do not see it as part of ourselves in that whether we were molded from its clay or evolved from bacteria. We grew from the earth. Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge Essay -- Terry Williams Refuge Essays Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge Adaptation is the source and story of a species’ survival. Human beings’ journey across and habitation of the earth’s surfaces demanded resilience to change. As a result each race is a product of the land in which they inhabited. We have grown with the land. Our physical traits tie us to a particular region, a particular place, but what of our emotions? Are they another link to our homelands or do they orphan us, forcing us to seek refuge? Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge, is the story of her adaptation to change, her struggle to weather changes. The emotional maturity of her relationship with the Great Salt Lake is a subset of her wider community’s relationship to their homeland. This emotional separation from the land is characteristic of modern societies, not the archaic ones. For a Native American tribe like the Sevier-Fremont, the land is ---. In order to successful adapt to the changes in her life, Williams combines the present day idea of owner ship of the land with the Sevier-Fremont people’s example of reaction to changes in the land to form the skills necessary for her survival. In 1982 the Great Salt Lake had begun to rise once more and Williams’ mother’s cancer had returned. As naturalist-in-residence at the Utah Museum of Natural History, she was interested in the effect this rise in the lake would have on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge as well as the measures implemented by the state to control this unprecedented rise. The Great Salt Lake preserved many of Williams’ childhood memories in its briny waters. Its rising waters threatened to destroy everything that had grown from it and depended on its stability. Williams believed that left on its own the lake would right itself. ... ...d and selflessly relinquishes her mother to death. She comes to realize the cycles involved in life and enters a new relationship with her mother and the Great Basin. Her mother although she’s dead is always with her and the Great Basin has now become her home. In an act of civil disobedience Williams goes to protest at a testing site armed with her pen and paper. Wlliams shows her understanding of the natural cycle of death by leaving an injured bird she could have saved to be with her dying mother. Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge is an illustration of human beings deteriorated relationship with nature. Nature is no longer our life source but something for us to own and control. Although we might recognize its life giving potential we do not see it as part of ourselves in that whether we were molded from its clay or evolved from bacteria. We grew from the earth.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Han and Roman Attitudes toward Technology

From the around second century B. C. E. to the third century C. E. the Han and Roman attitudes toward technology were different in how they took pride in some of their inventions with the Han accepting the role of the craftsmen and their technology they created showed in documents 1-4. However, the Romans did not do as much of this and did not care as much about the technology and how it could be utilized. This was shown in documents 5-8. Both Han China and the Romans did show a similarity in how their technology, even though it was viewed differently, helped to develop their Empires. Throughout these eight documents, everyone one of these had male from the upper class writing the document. I think an additional document that could be useful in answering the question of what the Han and Roman attitudes toward technology were would be a person from the lower class. This document would be useful because that the upper class did not show interest about the technology that a commoner might have used such as hand tools and other common working items. The Han utilized their technology more to the fullest and took pride in what they invented. In Document 1 it shows that technology was not just used as a luxury, but was used a necessary way to help prevent disaster. In this case the Han were trying to prevent flood and had walls canals and pools. There were also people assigned to inspect and repair these technologies to help their people by preventing floods. The Han took pride in ability to keep their people safe from floods and other disasters. Document 2 focuses more on how the government monopolized the making of tools and made them more cheaply and with less quality than the actual workers themselves did. Then the government raised prices on iron and some of the poor had to digress to older technology. Two examples of this is iron became too expensive and wooden plows were now being used instead of iron. Another example is that salt was too expensive and they couldn’t afford to season their food. Huan Guan takes pride in the technology and feels that the government is not utilizing it proper and feels that the technology is going to waste. Document 3 shows pride in their invention of the pestle and the mortar and how it helped to create very useful technology where, â€Å"The efficiency was ncreased ten times† then later on, â€Å"Benefit was increased a hundredfold. † Document four commends the technology and its usefulness directly contrasting with Document three’s point of view. A reason this may be is that it is government-sponsored and the government is trying to make itself look good. The Romans, however, were not as interested and shows little regard with how technology can affect them. Document five shows this where Cicero shows no admiration of craftsmen or any of their inventions. He says, â€Å"All craftsmen spend their time in vulgar occupations. Cicero and the upper class don’t really have interest in craftsmen technology. Document seven suggests craftsmen did something that anybody could have done and does not really respect them. He is implying that if the upper class doesn’t need the technology, it isn’t important. Now, Plutarch, on the other hand, was very satisfied with the technology of the roads and how nice they are in document six. He brags of Mile Markers and how this technology can be used by eve rybody. Frontinus was also very proud of the technology in Rome. He specifically boasted of the aqueducts and said that they were better than the pyramids of Egypt. This opinion may be a little bias though, because he is the water commissioner for the city of Rome. Even though the Hans and Romans had different views on the use of technology, both of these empires benefitted greatly from the technology that was invented in this time. Plutarch was very excited about the roads in document six, and he had very good reason to be. The roads were kept in very good condition that allowed them to travel throughout their entire empire. This was useful for delivering food across the empire in time of famine and also helped them to travel easier and quicker in time of battle. The Han’s technology also helped them to grow as an Empire and keep their people safe as shown in document one. They had walls, canals, and workers specifically designated to prevent floods. What is shown in these documents is that the Han and Romans have different values placed on technology, but also shows how they view the craftsmen and the people that may benefit from the technologies. The Han valued their technology more and therefore placed more respect on the people who invented, whereas the Romans didn’t not value the technology or the craftsmen nearly as much.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Dowry System in India Essays

Dowry System in India Essays Dowry System in India Essay Dowry System in India Essay The dowry system is an age old system and a peculiar phenomenon of the Indian society. It is, as today, a curse to the society. Dowry is the name given to all that, the parents of a girl give to her when she gets married. At the face of it, the system seems quite appropriate, healthy and logical, for, in this simple way, the parents of the girl help her in setting a new home. So far, so good and, originally also the purpose of dowry was very justified and understandable. Let us now analyze how and why this system took birth at all? In the earlier times of Indian society, the daughter had no share in the fathers property so, by way of dowry the girl would get at least some portion of her share. Besides this, in those days, the girls were not educated so, this dowry could serve the girl as a back up support system in case of any emergency after her marriage. Seeing this as the ground reality and the reason for the system for having taken birth, no right thinking people would call the system wrong or unjustified. However, with the passage of time this same fine system has taken the ugly shape of begging for dowry, bargaining for dowry, auctioning the boy to the highest bidder and finally suicides. This is because, taking advantage of the system, the parents of the boys, have started demanding dowry. This was never done in the original shape of the system. The girls parents would give whatever they could and, there would be NO yes, NO demands from the boys side. Besides demanding items of dowry, now parents of the boys family keep items of the dowry for their own use. This was also not in the original system for, whatever was given was for the girl only and never for the boys family. These two additions in the original system have converted the blessing for the girl into a curse for her. The parents who cannot afford to meet the demands of the boys family are forced either into taking loans that they can never return, or use unfair means of corruption to make money to meet the demanded expenses. In turn, this has led to even committing suicides by the girls or murders of girls by the in-laws. At times even before the marriage, the girl is led to kill herself to save her parents from the trauma of collecting money for her marriage. Thus, we see that, a system that was at one time very wise and discreet, has taken an ugly shape just because of the greed of men and women in to-days world. This system of dowry has become a slur on the Indian society. Besides being a shame, in to-days scenario, the system as it was even in the initial stages of its existence, has become quite irrelevant. This is because, both the reasons for its birth are now not in vogue. These days, girls are usually educated and can earn a livelihood if need arises, and, they now also have a share, an equal share as the brothers have in the fathers property. That means the necessity of the girl having an amount to reach out in the days of crisis or emergency does not hold good any more. So, when the very basis of the system does not exist, the system should be scrapped altogether. This is because, the system instead of bringing solace, only generates greed and even crime in several cases. My view is that, the system as it exists should be put to an end and all those who indulge in it should be punished severely.

Monday, October 21, 2019

INTRODUCTION Essays (3328 words) - Mercury, Law, Foreign Relations

INTRODUCTION Essays (3328 words) - Mercury, Law, Foreign Relations INTRODUCTION The Minamata Convention on Mercury is named after Minamata, a city in Japan where serious health damage occurred as a result of mercury pollution in the mid-20th Century. Minamata is known worldwide due to Minamata disease, a neurological disorder caused by mercury poisoning. The disease was discovered in 1956. It was caused by the release of methyl mercury in the industrial wastewater from a local chemical factory, which continued from 1932 to 1968. This highly toxic chemical bio-accumulated in shellfish and fish in Minamata Bay and the Shiranui Sea, which when eaten by the local populace resulted in mercury poisoning. The disease caused deaths of humans along with cat, dog, and pig. The animal effects were severe enough in cats that they came to be called "dancing cat fever. The Minamata disease is included in the four Big pollution diseases of Japan. The Minamata Convention The Minamata convention provides controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted. These range from medical equipment such as thermometers and energy-saving light bulbs to the mining, cement and coal-fired power sectors. The convention was has been four years in negotiation and will be open for signature at a special meeting in Japan in October. It will take effect once it has been ratified by 50 countries. SCOPE OF THE TREATY: The scope of the new treaty which puts in controls and also reduction measures in respect to mercury is as follows. It has been agreed that production, export and import of a range of (Not all) mercury containing products will be banned by 2020. These products to be banned include: Batteries, except for button cell' batteries used in implantable medical devices Switches and relays Certain types of Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) Mercury in cold cathode fluorescent lamps and external electrode fluorescent lamps Certain kinds of non-electronic medical devices such as thermometers and blood pressure devices are also included for phase-out by 2020. EXEMPTIONS: The devices which have been given exemptions are some large measuring devices where currently there are no mercury-free alternatives. Vaccines where mercury is used as a preservative have been excluded from the treaty as have products used in religious or traditional activities The dental fillings using mercury amalgam are exempted from the 2020 ban. Countries agree to a phase down of mercury in fillings by promoting alternatives, creating dental programs to minimize the need for fillings or taking other steps Soaps and cosmetics containing more than 1 part per million of mercury will be banned by 2020. Mascara and other eye-area cosmetics are exempt because of concerns that there are no safe substitutes. Religious, traditional activities : Mercury used in religious or traditional ceremonies are exempted from the treaty. Gold mining Mercury is be allowed in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, where it is used to separate gold from rocks and sediment. The treaty encouraged nations to reduce or phase out its use, but no targets or dates are included. Though the recent studies have documented that peopl e in communities near artisanal mining areas in Peru and Brazil are highly exposed to mercury. What are sources of mercury? The most common ore of mercury is Cinnabar or vermilion (HgS). To produce liquid mercury (quicksilver), crushed cinnabar ore is roasted in rotary furnaces. Pure mercury separates from sulfur in this process and easily evaporates. The top sources of anthropogenic emission of mercury include: Coal-fired power plants (largest aggregate source of mercury emissions). This includes power plants fueled with gas where the mercury has not been removed. Gold Production: This is the second largest source of mercury emission. Non-ferrous metal production, typically smelters. Cement production. Waste disposal, including municipal and hazardous waste, crematoria, and sewage sludge incineration. Caustic soda production. Pig iron and steel production. Production of batteries. TOXIC-EFFECTS OF MERCURY The toxic effects of mercury depend on its chemical form and the route of exposure. Methylmercury [CH3Hg] is the most toxic form. It affects the immune system, alters genetic and enzyme systems, and damages the nervous system, including coordination and the senses of touch, taste, and sight. Methyl mercury is particularly damaging to developing embryos, which are five to ten times more sensitive than adults. Exposure to methyl mercury is usually by ingestion, and

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Fix a flat essays

Fix a flat essays Most people who drive cars experience a flat tire at least a few times throughout their lives, I have twice already. What makes it difficult is a lot of these people have no idea how to change a flat tire, so they call for assistance or for a tow truck. The first time somebody attempts to fix a flat tire it may seem daunting, but it is not difficult at all. Almost any driver can do it in less than fifteen minutes, which can be faster than it takes for a tow truck to show up. The first step when somebody gets a flat tire on the road is their safety. They should turn on the flashers to warn other motorists and then slowly and safely pull off of the road. The car should be parked away from traffic but someplace where it is still visible. Soft shoulders and inclines should be avoided. Next, put the transmission in park or in gear and apply the handbrake so that the car will not roll. To indicate to other drivers that you are in mechanical distress, open the hood of the car, place a warning triangle on the road, or set a few flares on the road if it is dark out. The spare tire can usually be found in the trunk of the car, along with a leverage pipe, jack, and a lug-nut wrench. Some vehicles might have the spare tire underneath the car and can be lowered usually from inside the trunk. A flashlight should be used if it is dark out. The leverage pipe is just a hollow pipe that can be used to help loosen a lug-nut that was previously tightened with an air ratchet. The rest of the wheels that are not flat should be chocked with a large rock or a log to help prevent the car from rolling. If the flat tire has a hubcap on it, it should be removed with a screwdriver to allow access to the lug-nuts. A lot of the newer types of cars have hubcaps that do not require a person to remove them for access to the lug-nuts. The lug-nut wrench should now be used to loosen the lug nuts on the flat tire, but do not totally remove them. This is...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

A good (or bad) parent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A good (or bad) parent - Essay Example A child’s first school is his home and it is the teaching of the parents which forms the first stage of learning for children. The role of parents in shaping the character and the future of a child cannot be ignored. But a good parent would truly be one who would be able to nurture their child by instilling all the good qualities that are needed to make a good person. A good parent is defined as one who shows understanding for the needs of their children, supports them to boost their confidence and at the same time teaches the importance of ethics and values to the child. For effective parenting, it is essential that a parent is aware of the needs of their children. A good parent is considerate and understands the needs of their child and helps them accordingly. A perfect example is that of the children who are slow and do not outshine in their academics due to different reasons which may include lack of concentration or poor learning skills. It is the duty of the parent to be thoughtful towards the need of their child rather than scolding the child for not being able to achieve the best grades in class. A parent should be able to assess where their child stands and they should have an effective communication with their children to improve understanding of the physical as well as psychological demands of the young growing mind. This would provide for a healthy upbringing for the children as they would not be under stress and exertion.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The role of SHIPPING BUSINESS in the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT of a country Assignment

The role of SHIPPING BUSINESS in the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT of a country is important. Hence, MARITIME TRANSPORT plays a significant role in that development. Discuss - Assignment Example e significant for the movement of the goods and services are fixed infrastructures, means of transportation and organizational system which is quite significant for ensuring that ships and fixed infrastructures are used in an effective and efficient manner (Samija, n.d.). Since its foundation in the 3200 BC as Egyptian coastal sail ships, it can be observed that the maritime transportation has endorsed in the global trade. It was during 1200 BC, most of the Egyptian ships were found to trade as far as Sumatra which has been observed to be one of the lengthy maritime routes of that particular time. European regal powers, generally England, Netherlands, Spain and France were the first countries to develop a worldwide maritime trade network. Maritime transportation can be considered as a derived demand. It has been noticed that seaborne trade led to 89.6% of the world business and 70.1% in terms of value in 2006 (Tamiotti & et. al., 2009). When considered in terms of ownership, maritime shipping is found to be a globalised industry. Maritime transportation is geographical by its physical characteristics, strategic in terms of control as well as commercial in terms of usage and thus tends to run on its own space similar to land and air modes. Rivers and oceans are considered to be the two main components of physiography of maritime transportation. Modifications made to the water canals, augmentation of the size and specialization of vessels have been because of the technological alterations that had a major impact upon the water transport. It has been noted that the significance and configuration of maritime route has altered with economic developments as well as technical developments (Rodrigue & et. al., n.d.) A noteworthy characteristic of the economies of shipping is mainly focused upon its capital costs thereby demanding financing. It is due to their size, ships demonstrate a noteworthy capital outlay. One of the crucial benefits of maritime transportation is

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 91

Essay Example The methodology includes quotations, plagiarism, citation, parody, textual, imagery, and metaphor. The drive behind adopting intertextuality can be varying and diverse. It can be used to propagate an acclaimed theory, quote someone’s exclusive thoughts to make a point, or to promote and popularise cultural orientation and fashion/ lifestyles of different regions. Intertextuality is also applied to explain certain ambiguous concepts of any literary or artistic work. Furthermore, it can be adopted to present a brand-new perspective on an existing work. Sudha Shastri provided a perfect example of intertextuality by pointing out the fact that Jean Rhys wrote â€Å"Wide Sargasso Sea† (1966) to present a neutral and modernized take on Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel â€Å"Jane Eyre† (1847). (2001, p.3) Steven Pressfields The Legend of Bagger Vance (1995) borrowed its plot from the epic Hindu verse Bhagvad Gita. (Byrd, 2007, p.3) Similarly Jane Austen’s m asterpiece literature Emma was the influencing factor behind Amy Heckerling’s year 1995 movie Clueless. (Baker, 2008, p.534) Story sack is an innovative concept to make kids learning process at school fun-filled and effective (Browne, 2007, p.76). It is an over-sized cloth bag that contains additional props related to a story such as audio-visual sources like CDs or DVDs, toys and models of the characters, games, and entertaining activities like jigsaw puzzle or painting related to the story. Chris Dukes writes that it is an interesting way to â€Å"illustrate the story and make shared reading a memorable experience† (2007, p.84). It not only enhances the process of story-telling but teachers, and parents can also aptly utilize the concept of intertextuality to teach kids about numerous other aspects of life like positive virtues, beliefs, and values by opting for making story sacks on intertextual books. For example, biblical stories and their adapted cinematic

Report on Public Relations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Report on Public Relations - Assignment Example PUBLIC RELATION Public relation is concerned with reputation of the company. It is the result of the organizations’ perception that is developed from the organization’s conduct, attempt of an organization to derive certain perception and behavior towards its products and services. Also it is aimed at extracting the perception of stakeholders about the organization. This in turn enables organization to build the mutual understanding and goodwill with stakeholders. Stakeholders include customers, employees, suppliers, investors, regulators and journalist (Green, 2009). Nowadays the competition in every industry has been highly increased. Every company in the industry seeks to get the competitive advantage by differentiation and reputation management is considered as one of the most effective tool to get the competitive edge. Two factors are very important in public relations i.e. communication with all the stakeholders and the relationships with all stakeholders which is also the central idea of above definition. The comments and opinion of stakeholders actually defines the company’s reputation. ... This advertisement was designed with the purpose of reducing the impact of the rising debate regarding the public health concerns over soda products (Daily News, 2013). The message was conveyed about the Coca-Cola’s record of giving drinks with smaller amount of calories since it is available in the market. It also lobbied against comments that gaining weight is the outcome of consuming too many calories of any type-it’s not just soda (Daily News, 2013). Similarly, Apple, tech giant of USA, is lobbying with government and other politicians for zero percent tax rate (Steimle, 2013). Hence, PR plays has gained critical position in business. PUBLIC RELATION CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANIZATIONS The stiff competition in all the industries has made the companies to focus on its public image to get the competitive advantage. The following are the functions of public relations that can impact on any kind of business or organization. The application of public relation is discussed in t he general view. DEVELOPING IMAGE AND RELATIONS Public relation employees works with the top level executives of the company to formulate an overview of how the organization desires to be perceived in the consumers’ perception, suppliers, government and other regulatory bodies as well other pressure groups.. This focused engagement develops on precise the accurate message or communication. Organizations make a plan on the extensive yet focused outlines of a reputation building campaign to spread that message in to the desired set of group (L'Etang, 2006a). OUTREACH STAKEHODLERS COLLECTIVELY THROUGH EVENTS AND EXPAND CUSTMOER BASE The professionals of public relations organize events to lift up the image or profile of the organization

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Corporate Responsibilities to Ensure Work and Family Facilitation Essay

Corporate Responsibilities to Ensure Work and Family Facilitation - Essay Example Without these conditions, transitions in the workplace would be high and the quantity as well as the quality of outputs for the corporation would suffer. This paper shall discuss the corporate responsibilities which help ensure work and family facilitation. This paper is being undertaken in order to assist corporations in identifying their responsibilities and in order to assist them in the improvements they need to make for their operations. Body Work design Corporations have a major role in ensuring work and family facilitation and they can certainly do this by concentrating on their corporate work design. Work design has been identified as a major cause of various issues in work-family facilitation; and it also has been considered as an essential means in ensuring work progress (Heymann, 2000). In order to achieve the success of this design, the broad and dual agenda coverage has to be considered. The problems which corporations face must be assessed not according to how organizat ions can achieve strong performance in their workplace, but on how the workplace can be built to secure high quality work and a satisfying family life. 1. Sharing control and responsibility with the workers One of the means by which the work design can be re-imagined is for the corporation to share control and responsibility to their workers (Eaton, 2000). Sharing control in the policy and work management of employees as well as their representatives is important because the front-line workers as well as their managers are often already familiar with their work practices. The contribution of workers is therefore incorporated into the redesign activities in the workplace. It is also incumbent upon corporations to adjust the work culture and make the work hours more flexible while still maintaining strong outputs. Corporations must also encourage their employees to participate in the some decision-making activities of the corporation. Without these options, the flexible work policies will not be used well. Corporations also need to coordinate and dialogue with their workers in order to prevent resistance among supervisors and managers as well as work resentment from other employees (Bailyn, et.al., 2001). Through these activities, corporation can create a culture of being available for their workers. Corporations and workers need to discuss who can work together equitably based on family needs and personal circumstances. And in most cases, the most appropriate solution to various issues for employees is often to allow them to make choices and to allow them to assist in designing and administering firm practices as well as benefits. 2. Give more women opportunities in high-level corporate positions Corporations also have the responsibility of providing opportunities for women to occupy high level corporate positions. The most efficient means to ensure work-family facilitation is for corporate leaders to provide a balanced gender demographic among their supervisor y and rank-and-file staff (Blair-Loy, 1999). Since women often have multiple responsibilities, they often experience work and family life differently from men and they would likely prioritize their home life above their work life. Corporations therefore need to make accommodations for women in their supervisory staff, in higher corporate positions in order to portray a picture of women being given at least

Shakespeare's play-King Lear Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shakespeare's play-King Lear - Research Paper Example In the words of an advertiser, publicizing a performance of the play: â€Å"He achieves a life without ‘lendings’ – the accumulated material possessions we cling to for meaning – or the need of them† (Bardeweb.net, Date Unknown). Throughout the play, the inversion of good and evil so apparent in Lear’s mind comes to permeate the characters and the action of the play. Only in the very final scenes is order restored, the evildoers punished, and at least for the time being, can good triumph. But good and the restoration of order have come too late for Lear and Cordelia (from: Theatrehistory.com, Date unknown). As a comment on the social context in which Shakespeare wrote the play, this restoration of order was threatening not to arrive, until the ascension of James I to the throne of England, and presenting the hope that England and Scotland would be unified (Jones, 1977: 212-215). Before the ascension of James I, the threat of civil war was widespread. Shakespeare alludes to this several times in â€Å"King Lear†. Muir (1947:64-66) comments that Shakespeare believed that personal immorality in the ruling class is a disease that spreads evil throughout society, in extreme cases causing it to fall apart. By the close of the play, Britain is rescued from the evil in its leadership, represented by the two sisters, civil war in Britain is avoided, and the French invasion caused by Lears lack of judgment is defeated by Albany. While Shakespeare does not oversimplify the state of society, it may very well have been that an Elizabethan audience would have understood the positive end of the play to reflect the future under James I. The unfolding of Lear’s story, however, serves to emphasize Shakespeare’s understanding of human psychological, social and political events. Lear’s mistake is to divide his wealth, land and power between his

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Report on Public Relations Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Report on Public Relations - Assignment Example PUBLIC RELATION Public relation is concerned with reputation of the company. It is the result of the organizations’ perception that is developed from the organization’s conduct, attempt of an organization to derive certain perception and behavior towards its products and services. Also it is aimed at extracting the perception of stakeholders about the organization. This in turn enables organization to build the mutual understanding and goodwill with stakeholders. Stakeholders include customers, employees, suppliers, investors, regulators and journalist (Green, 2009). Nowadays the competition in every industry has been highly increased. Every company in the industry seeks to get the competitive advantage by differentiation and reputation management is considered as one of the most effective tool to get the competitive edge. Two factors are very important in public relations i.e. communication with all the stakeholders and the relationships with all stakeholders which is also the central idea of above definition. The comments and opinion of stakeholders actually defines the company’s reputation. ... This advertisement was designed with the purpose of reducing the impact of the rising debate regarding the public health concerns over soda products (Daily News, 2013). The message was conveyed about the Coca-Cola’s record of giving drinks with smaller amount of calories since it is available in the market. It also lobbied against comments that gaining weight is the outcome of consuming too many calories of any type-it’s not just soda (Daily News, 2013). Similarly, Apple, tech giant of USA, is lobbying with government and other politicians for zero percent tax rate (Steimle, 2013). Hence, PR plays has gained critical position in business. PUBLIC RELATION CONTRIBUTION TO ORGANIZATIONS The stiff competition in all the industries has made the companies to focus on its public image to get the competitive advantage. The following are the functions of public relations that can impact on any kind of business or organization. The application of public relation is discussed in t he general view. DEVELOPING IMAGE AND RELATIONS Public relation employees works with the top level executives of the company to formulate an overview of how the organization desires to be perceived in the consumers’ perception, suppliers, government and other regulatory bodies as well other pressure groups.. This focused engagement develops on precise the accurate message or communication. Organizations make a plan on the extensive yet focused outlines of a reputation building campaign to spread that message in to the desired set of group (L'Etang, 2006a). OUTREACH STAKEHODLERS COLLECTIVELY THROUGH EVENTS AND EXPAND CUSTMOER BASE The professionals of public relations organize events to lift up the image or profile of the organization

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Shakespeare's play-King Lear Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shakespeare's play-King Lear - Research Paper Example In the words of an advertiser, publicizing a performance of the play: â€Å"He achieves a life without ‘lendings’ – the accumulated material possessions we cling to for meaning – or the need of them† (Bardeweb.net, Date Unknown). Throughout the play, the inversion of good and evil so apparent in Lear’s mind comes to permeate the characters and the action of the play. Only in the very final scenes is order restored, the evildoers punished, and at least for the time being, can good triumph. But good and the restoration of order have come too late for Lear and Cordelia (from: Theatrehistory.com, Date unknown). As a comment on the social context in which Shakespeare wrote the play, this restoration of order was threatening not to arrive, until the ascension of James I to the throne of England, and presenting the hope that England and Scotland would be unified (Jones, 1977: 212-215). Before the ascension of James I, the threat of civil war was widespread. Shakespeare alludes to this several times in â€Å"King Lear†. Muir (1947:64-66) comments that Shakespeare believed that personal immorality in the ruling class is a disease that spreads evil throughout society, in extreme cases causing it to fall apart. By the close of the play, Britain is rescued from the evil in its leadership, represented by the two sisters, civil war in Britain is avoided, and the French invasion caused by Lears lack of judgment is defeated by Albany. While Shakespeare does not oversimplify the state of society, it may very well have been that an Elizabethan audience would have understood the positive end of the play to reflect the future under James I. The unfolding of Lear’s story, however, serves to emphasize Shakespeare’s understanding of human psychological, social and political events. Lear’s mistake is to divide his wealth, land and power between his

A critical assessment of 2 pieces of drama around the theme of Space Essay Example for Free

A critical assessment of 2 pieces of drama around the theme of Space Essay In this essay I will be writing about how I performed to pieces of improvised drama based around the subject of space. One of the pieces had to be done in a realistic style and the other an abstract. Initial Reaction to Stimulus When we were first told that are stimulus would be space, we all sat down I and had what could be called a brain storming session. This was to consider how such a broad subject could be perceived in two pieces of drama. First of all we had to consider how space could be identified. There are many kinds of space, which can be made into forms of drama, and we would need to select one that could produce the most gripping. For this we identified just how space could be used, and came up with the following ideas for realistic or abstract piece (we could the ideas into abstract drama later): Space, as in the final frontier, could be used to great effect. Space and the entire notion of the great beyond could be used. Maybe having characters interacting with character not of this planet, maybe contrasting views or morals. Maybe having the outsider coming to earth from space. Using space in this way opens the door to all sorts of personification of space using a science fiction spin. This could be done in some sort of Star Trek, thought provoking scene involving space. Personal space, or the lack of it. For a realistic piece, maybe something to do with the prison system or freedom infringements. If we set it in a cell (an area where there is little space), not only would there be a direct physical relation to space but also the characters will be able to show space in there speech and movements. Taking this idea further, we could show how the lack of space mentally. Instead of the characters talking about space directly, it could be implied indirectly by their psychological flaws. These psychological flaws would have been caused by space, either too much of it or not enough. These are all ideas in their early stages and all need developing. But even at the early stage, the idea of psychological flaws caused by space was very appealing. For the abstract piece of drama, these initial ideas will have to be developed in an entirely different way. It will need other dramatic techniques to fit the criteria A surreal piece would allow us to incorporate more style and personalization in to piece. When thinking about abstract and surrealism in drama, the first thing that comes into my head is to have situation of drama instead of a continuous story. This would allow us to show the subject matter, space, in a number of different ways. Freeze-frames could be used while each character explains information about them and their situation (character monologues). This would show to the audience character depth that could not be seen in just a one short scene. As for the content of this abstract piece, I had some ideas of separate pieces revolving around the subject space. This would allow us to put a lot of imagination in each piece without needing to worry about what would follow it. Groups For the first piece I worked with the following people: Alain Branson Stuart Mulrany Chris Jones Hussian Kerian For the second piece, we decided to split up and work with different. The main reason for this was to keep all the drama fresh with fresh ideas. Although we thought that we were capable of producing another piece drama, tensions were building in the group and we agreed to spilt. For the second piece I worked with: Alain Branson Plot The first piece we worked on had a plot that I think was well structured. It allowed character depth and development. The first two lessons after we formed are group were spent on structuring a plot which could show off are acting talents and incorporate the idea of space. First we decided that it should be based around a main character. An idea that has always interested me was personifying a character subconscious. This might sound a little far fetched but it would give the character more substance and the audience something to relate to. This would not be his conscious or a good or bad angel but a version of himself that is not usually seen. With that starting point we went ahead and considered how the space theme would fit into this idea. We thought a family clash about space would put this character in the right frame to create good drama around him. This could be mirrored with a character that is in a way opposite him. We all thought that it would be a good idea to have a visual conscious for him like with the other character. This would allows us to show the differences in these characters and it would fit in with the number of people in are group. How these conscious would look actually on stage would be greatly influenced by Stuart, who put in a lot to the actual conscious theme. Taking all this we constructed a story which we split up into scenes. This is the first draft of the scenes and what they would contain: Scene 1: This scene would contain an argument between the main character and his Dad. It has to be his Dad because I do not believe any of us could pull of a convincing woman. This argument would be about space, and the childs lack of it. This will end in the character storming out to see his friend. This will show the trouble space has already caused. This will be set in the house. Scene 2: This would be an interlude where the audience gets some in sight into the relationship between him and his conscience. It will be the main character complaining to himself with the conscience talking around him. This will show how the character relates to something, which in essence, him cannot see or hear. This will be set in the walk between his house and the park. Scene 3: This will be conversation between the main character and what appears to be his opposite. This conversation will uncover some back round information about each character and will explain their personality faults. It will also set up the events for the next scene that involves criminal activity brought on by conversation. This will show the parallels between two characters who see and treat space in different ways and how it has effected them. This will be set in a peaceful place, a park Scene 4: In this scene the two main characters will get involved in major arson. This will result in an explosion off stage and the two running off. This shows what space problems can result in. This will be set in the other end of the park. Scene 5: This will be like the first scene, with an argument between the Dad and the main character. This will be a lot fiercer than the first and will increase in tension as it progresses. This is the finale of the drama and will bring out all the aspects of space we have been trying to portray. This will be set back in the house. In terms of evaluating the plot, I am proud of it. I played a big part in crafting it and personally I feel happy with it. Problems with it may be finding enough for the consciences to say and do since they are simply other version of the characters that already present. Casting We found casting very difficult, particularly a part for Hussian. First of all, we thought it would be best if he had the role of the Dad. But we found a stern sort of character wasnt suited for him. We then had the idea of changing the Dad to a Mum. But Hussian playing a woman in my opinion, and on previous acting experience, seems to be type cast and contrary to some people opinion he was cast in a role that would highlight his acting talent. The other characters were relatively easy to cast. Here was the final cast list: Leigh Turner The Dad Alain Branson Gary (the main character) Stuart Mulrany Gary conscience Chris Jones Damien (the character opposite to Gary) Hussian Kerian Damien conscience Set Above is the set we choose to use. It is fairly basic with the stage being split into three sections, one representing the house, one the park and the other the journey in between. The props were also very simple, with a table and chairs representing the house interior and a bench representing the park. Lighting Area of lighting for scenes 1 and 5 Area of lighting for scenes 2, 3, and 4 Costumes The costumes we used were authentic of the parts we played. I played the Dad, so I wore clothes that represented a Dad. I just wore a black T-shirt and jeans, which is what my Dad would wear. Gary wore typical teenage clothes, a bit scurfy to help show the difference between him and Damien. Damien will also were typical teenage clothes, but nothing like Garys. The consciences wore suits. This would show how they different from the other characters and yet still an important part of the drama. We would also be able to visual show aspects of there personality. This means Garys conscious is good, so he wore a white suit and Damiens conscious a black suit. Rehearsals Rehearsal started well with Alain and myself going though the first argument many times. The first argument we thought needed to build in aggression as it went on. We found this hard at the beginning because we found that we got very angry very quickly and needed to take it slower. This was a small problem and was easily overcome. After we had the basic of this scene, we moved on to the bench scene. This scene was hard to rehearse, and certain members of the cast did not help. Small arguments in the group made rehearsing slow and grinding. Out of all scenes, this one was the one that never really was rehearsed to maximum affect. Chris and Stuart, to major parts in this scene, had moments of inspiration that helped give a fuller picture of are story. About half way though the rehearsal time the group came to a discussion that the story needed a more conclusive ending. We needed to change the story and keep the scenes the same so it would not interrupt rehearsals too much. We decided that in scene 4 that Gary would die in the explosion and the final argument would be between Damien and the Dad about the blame. This would show the consequences of space and add to the drama. The explosion would be a red strobe light operated of stage and Damien and Gary would be blown on stage, with only Damien getting up and running any. This means we would have to put in new spin on the final argument so Damien would fit into the ending. We decided that if Damien were to come to see the Dad so it would be Damien trying to explain himself. This would allow Chris to show of his talent (which may not get shown in previous scenes) and allow me to say something different to a different person. The more rehearsal went on, the more we touched up the scene. Stuarts contribution to the way consciences move and talk was a big help. Hussian, Alain and Chriss determination helped finish the scenes kept it all going. Still, I dont think we really got the park scene nailed. Piece 2 After we changed groups, the first thing we did was to decide how to make this piece abstract and surreal. Most of these ideas were covered in the Initial Reaction to the Stimulus. Sam and Alain played a major part in deciding how the play would actually work. We wanted to consider all the ways we could show space in a surreal way so this took quite a bit of time. Instead of just repeating what I said at the beginning the essay, basically we decided to have pieces of drama (with monologues and freeze frames) linked by a tableaux. Admittedly, I would have liked to try something a bit more, well adventurous but this seemed to fit the bill and with the right characterization would create gripping drama. The pieces of drama would involve to 2 conflicting character. The third person in the group would give a monologue while the others are in a freeze frame. After this the characters would return to a platform at the back of the stage and do a tableau reflecting what has just happened. There were 4 pieces if drama and to save confusion, we named the characters with one name, no matter what scene there in. Alain Branson Tony (Gangster, Brother, Teacher) Sam Jordan Harry (Gangster, Dad, Pupil) Leigh Turner Jack (Barman, Brother, Son) Scene 1: Jack is arguing with his Dad (Harry) about space. Jack is child that has had his own way most of his and it is only recently that his Dad had not been allowing him to go out. This sparked the argument. His dad is not over protective, but wants the best for his son. Jack is a typical teenager that is over emotional and arrogant. Sam played the Dad with depth and sternness, just like a real Dad and dominated the scene. I think I played the teenager well, remembering my constant arguing with my folks. The problems with playing a teenager is that in and argument they have limited vocabulary and generally say the same thing over and over. Anyway, I think this was a strong scene that set the standard for the rest of the play. Scene 2: Harry (a schoolboy) is arguing with his teacher (Mr. Tony) about a detention. Harry has been having a few family problems at home and this has crossed over into his schoolwork. This has lead to Mr. Tony having to give him a detention. The argument consisted of Harry trying to explain the situation to the teacher. Sam once again pulled of a very good portrayal of character, but due to the nature of the role was not the dominant character. Alain played an excellent teacher character, really showing talent a presence on stage. Once again, teachers are stubborn so not repeating yourself would have been hard, but Alain was very believable. Scene 3: Tony starts an argument with this brother, Jack. This is over how Jack gets more space and time off of their dad. This is the first time they have had an argument like this one and Tony is unsure how his brother will react. This leads to an argument, which neither of them gain the upper hand until the end, where Jack hits Tony. Alain was very convincing as the somewhat confused Tony, adjusting to the tone of the argument accordingly. I was not so good. I had trouble adapting to the level of aggression I should use in the argument. Scene 4: Two rival gangster have an argument over, wait for it, space and end up shooting each other. The two have a violent history and this is the final straw. The initial meeting takes place in a bar where Tony is enjoy a drink with barman. Harry walks in and the argument between the two eventually leads then to a shot out. Once again Sam and Gary where very convincing drawing on there past experience of gangster roles. I really took a minor part in this scene, letting the gangster create the drama. I did show a friendship with Tony, but this was short lived and explored. This I think was the weakest of the 4 scene and was performed for the wrong reasons (i.e. they were both involved in gangster related drama during the writing stage). Set As you can see, we used a very Brecht set, with very few props to speak of. This minimalist stage meant we had more space for acting and movement. Brecht played a part in designing the stage because we all felt that a performance like this one needed a strong style so it separates it from other abstract pieces. Special lighting was not needed, so full house lights were used. Costumes We all decided to wear suits in all the pieces. This would make it more abstract and they a very versatile to the parts we played (teacher, gangster etc.) Rehearsals We had many rehearsals, which we managed to fit into a very short time space. We went through every scene in order constantly with very little variation. I would like to put a lot more detail into this but there was little else we did. We looked at the tableaux and changed them a few times till they represented each scene perfectly. The monologues were rehearsals a lot till everybody knew what everybody what going to say. Evaluation (of both) Both the performances went very well and very few mistakes. In comparison the two piece are different but with one on going theme. This is that they all show a single characters problem with space. This allowed us to show how different people can react to space. This, however, lead to some of are character sounding the same. I terms of actual work, I think the last group I worked was dedicated than the first and wanted to get the work done more. As is said earlier, some scenes in the first performance I would have liked to go over a few more times. This I think can be related to the size of groups. Think you can get more work done if there is a smaller number in your group. You can concentrate more and work more in a complete group. In terms of plot, I think are first piece was better. This is not that the second piece had no plot, but I think the first performance was more gripping and kept attention better.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Samsung electronics success by design

Samsung electronics success by design INTRODUCTION: A Technology-driven company like Samsung Electronics uses product design as a tool to improve their products characteristics helping them to achieve a competitive edge within the market. For many of the world leading companies design plays a fundamental role in their success, for them to have a good design will make their products better, quicker and cheaper. If a company can achieve this, they can keep their production costs down, but this can also allow them to charge a higher premium price for the successfully designed product. Consumer Purchase Decisions Do consumers make their purchase decisions solely based on the design aspect of a product? Does having a good designed product in the market place encourage the consumer to buy? Successful design is a way to exceed the users expectations, keep them happy, this will encourage the consumer to purchase, come back again and recommend products to others. Design makes a persons life better by improving the quality of their interactions with the environment. Design is a reflective conversation, a dialogue with a situation that involves people and their needs for artefacts that arise in their relationship with the global environment. (Gowen, n.d) Consumers purchase products that interest them, products that they are aware of, products that get their attention. Good design can improve the visual appeal, functionality or usability for a product delighting the consumer who merely expects to have their functional requirements fulfilled convincing them to purchase the product. A designed product can also appeal to the consumers emotional needs. People want fast cars: Ferrari, Lamborghinis, designer watches: Rolex, Breitlings that they will likely want to open their wallets and buy the product, but only a few will as this type of product is a luxury item in a niche market. The consumer is emotionally attached to the product but will be less likely to buy these types of items because of the cost. Consumers buy based on the benefits the product brings them, a product that they perceive as having a value, a product that meets their needs. Design can also allow the control of an outcome. Will the consumer buy the product or not? A good design will arouse desire, engenders loyalty and forms indelible emotional bonds with the consumer. Once the consumer is emotionally interested in a brand they are convinced that they cant live without it. A Consumer is more likely to buy a product that appeal to both their functional and emotional sides. To achieve this companies brand their products through their design to make them sell, offering customers something extra. A successfully designed product applies the power of the brand. One of Samsung Electronics initiatives was to globally brand their products through their Global Brand Communication Strategy. A strong brand identity encourages consumers to trust existing products and to try new ones. The brand gives a consistent message about the company and its products and services to the end user. A Consumer is more likely to purchase a product or range of products which have a reliably design, a good brand. The awareness of a brand in the design process enables the effective translation of the company brand into the retail environment and customer experience. A good example of a product that appeals to both their functional and emotional sides of the consumer is the iPod from Apple. In the market place there are many hard-drive based MP3 players available to the consumer. Apple is able to dominate the market through their product design whilst selling its products at a significant price premium. Apple to date consistently produces a sleek and luxurious iPod design that portrays the power of their brand. Apple have made the MP3 player be more than a functional purchase, they have made it an emotional purchase. A consumer is constantly engaged with design, sometimes without even realising. Every time a consumer carries out a task, checks their emails, go to their local supermarket someone has designed the experience you are having whether you have purchased a product or not. Successful design improves our day to day experiences by going beyond somethings functionality to make things look, feel, sound and work better. The design of a product has values, beliefs, and the opportunity to make a difference to the life of the consumer and will always be an important aspect in their purchasing decisions. But the design will not always be the main reason for the consumer to choose which product they purchase. The cost and quality of a product and the technology used will always be a huge factor for the consumer to consider and will almost always be defined by the type of product and the purpose for buying the product. But as we advance into the twentieth century will not consumers expect a good design product? Walter Herbst, CEO of the product-design firm Herbst LaZar Bell, once said, Good design is not good enough anymore. (The Power of Design, 2007) Design and Technology Samsung Electronics is a global leader in more than sixty different products with their main business focus in the areas of Digital Media, Semiconductor technology, the telecommunication Network, and LCD Digital Appliances. As a business Samsung Electronic centre their efforts on producing these types of high technology products. The consumer uses the design of a product as one their main influential factors when purchasing these types of products. But does the consumer again apply the same thought process when buying a low technology product? A product that is referred to as having a low level of technology will usually have been developed many years ago. Low-tech products can be purchased today but will work in the same manner as product that was manufactured 25 years ago. A good example of this is a manual tin can opener. Consumers everyday are still buying low-tech products. The manual tin can opener can be found in the kitchen in many of our homes, but for a product that has a simplistic design does the consumer still base their purchase decision on the design of the tin can opener or is it the cost that sways their decision? Is it the operation of the tin can opener that the consumer is interested in? But can not the way that the tin can opener function be referred to as the design? In todays modern society ascetics sensibilities are relevant to all products, regardless of their function (Holbrook, 1980; Holbrook and Anand, 1992; Holbrook and Zerlin, 1985). When a consumer is in the market for a low tech product the price must surely be an important reason for purchasing a product. If is understandably when a consumer purchases a high-tech product that they will pay a premium because of its technology. When given a choice between two products, equal in price and function, target consumers buy the one that they consider to be more attractive (Kotler and Rath,1984; Nussbaum, 1988). When a consumer purchases a product do they understand the difference between a high-tech and low-tech product. Low-tech products are not highly differentiated (Shapiro, Slywotzky and Doyle, 1997) and a differentiated product is evaluated and understood buy the consumer differently than undifferentiated products. This may suggest that the consumer evaluates low-tech products, which are likely to be undifferentiated, differently than they evaluate high-tech products. When the consumer makes their buying decision they evaluate high and low technology products differently to one and other but for both will usually make design the differentiator between competitor products. The design plays an important role in the success of a product and generates desirable consumption experience and favourably influences subsequent consumer behaviour. Consumers do not buy products for sensible, value-for-money reasons. The consumer purchases a product because they like it and the product appeals to them and makes them feel good. Therefore this changes the way in which a business advertises their product with less focus on product features and more on the design and lifestyle that the user can enjoy. Purchasing a designed product is more than buying its function. It is buying into a vision of one self as one would like to be. Samsungs Design Delivery Process and Design Capabilities Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd is a Korea-based consumer electronics company that has worked hard to refine its focus and alter its business strategies. Today, Samsung is one of the most successful global corporations, with high sales and earnings through its innovative technological design. In the 1990s Kun-Hee Lee (Group Chairman) made the decision to adopt design and use design as a differentiator and for competitive advantage. To do this Kun-Hee Lee (Lee) wanted to redesign Samsungs systems and processes to improve their design delivery process. This initiated a new management era for Samsung to open digital frontiers all over the world. The leadership of Lee has been a key to Samsungs success making Samsung one of the fastest growing brands. Samsung started its journey towards design excellence in 1993 and had its first design revolution in 1996. At the beginning of Samsungs design initiative they sent 17 of their designers to the Art Centre College of Design in California USA. This would broaden the designers ideas about design and help them to be creative. For Samsung this will help their employees to provide design solutions and to understand the process of product design commercialization. Samsung later hired the service of two consultants to help them start a design school to train their designers. In a constantly evolving, consumer electronics business Samsungs survival depends on their employees having the right skills to keep their products at the cutting edge of design and technology. The in-house school gave its designers the tools and confidence to risk think differently, it was vital for Samsung to pinpoint the right training for their employees through their own design school. Samsung also tried to incorporate Korean values into their designs. A cultural identity was important for Samsung to meet the emotional needs of their customers. Cultural values are, regarded to as the governing ideas and guiding principles for thought and action in a given society and a powerful force shaping consumers motivation, lifestyles and product choices (Tse, D., R. W. Belk, et al. 1989). Further to this Samsung introduced a common design language where all product characteristics were to have consistent features and high levels of convenience. This would give the designers a common goal and help them to speak with fellow designers about their designs. In 1996 Samsung engaged the services of Design Consultant, Tom Hardy to help improve their design capabilities. Hardy would assume the role of Corporate Design Advisor. Hardy was a design strategist and the creator of the Verbal-Visual Framework (VVF) methodology, his consulting work involved strategic brand design direction for Samsung intergrading business strategy to improve the customers desire for the product. To Improve Samsungs design capabilities the company also started sending their senior designers abroad to expand their knowledge and help them to come up with new ideas. They sent their designers to different diverse industries such as cosmetics, furniture and fashion to encourage different thought patterns enabling them to think outside of the box. Samsung also opened six design centres worldwide which included research centres and design labs to help improve their design capabilities and encourage a global perspective. This changed Samsungs engineering-driven culture; the designers had to find a way to put their boxes around the engineers devices. In todays environment, designers often come up with product innovation, who then asks engineers to put their devices inside the designers boxes. Lees design vision for Samsung was to create a design friendly culture to improve customer services and corporate spirit that contributes to the well being of society. This helped to change Samsungs management and employees mind set of their product design from quantity to quality. To improve Samsungs international design capabilities they also sent their designers on a world wide tour to help them understand the global market and expand their way of thinking. An overseas specialist course nurtured for the excellence of their employees. Lee also broke down the Confucian hierarchies at Samsung. Designers were freed from dress codes and other constraints that hinder creativity. Lee also let younger designers take a larger role and encouraged them to challenge their superiors. All designers worked in common areas with hardly any segregation; functions were collaborated to improve functional communication. This improved team building and encouraged individuals to speak their mind and discuss their design ideas, team meetings were regularly held to assess new products and evaluate designs. The company also introduced the new position of Chief Design Officer to give greater voice for the design function. Since re-designing Samsungs systems and processes to improve their design delivery process, Lee had more than doubled the ranks of Samsungs designers by bringing more than 300 new recruits which was helped with a vastly increased design budget. Samsung brought a lot of change to its people, processes and systems to improve its design delivery process to have greater design capabilities and a better design philosophy, since this change the Korean company has won 19 citations in the prestigious Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). Samsung spend a lot of time and money to achieve design excellence but which part of Lees new management design initiative had the greatest impact on improving their design capabilities? Before Samsung could become a world leader they needed good designers and the right people to achieve this, hence Samsungs educational approach to improve their design capabilities. Training their employees to be capably of good designs defiantly gave them an advantage over the competition which also helped them to develop and attract new people to the organisation. The design school could help their employees to learn and understand the company core values and the vision that Samsung were trying to portrait. The design school would have had a critical impact on Samsungs successful product design; it would have enabled the designers to learn from other designs and each other. The designers would have learnt how to evaluate the quality of the product and how to maintain the quality throughout the design delivery process. If is important for the designer to identify the characteristics of a product that make it either a failure or a success. By educating in house Samsung would have also been able to control its quality assurance process better and reduce warranty issues. The design school would have helped the designers to study different products with similar features, through identification, analysis and evaluation before starting their design making the design capable of success with a competitive advantage of the competition. The design school would of increased experience and knowledge of Samsungs designers through the broad educational background of Samsungs design consultants which w ould have helped to educate and provide answers to diverse technical design problems. The design consultants would provided invaluable experience to the design delivery process. A part of Samsungs educational program was to also send their designers on a world wide tour. This was the start of Samsung becoming a global company. It is important for Samsung to have key personnel with global competencies giving them the ability to understand foreign cultures and design. Another key part of Lees new management design initiative which had a huge impact on improving their design capabilities was the change in design culture of the company. Lee achieved this by incorporating Korean values into their designs to meet the emotional needs of their customers, and broke down the Confucian hierarchies at Samsung. Samsung also introduced worldwide design centres to change Samsungs engineering-driven culture. Business Culture brings together the techniques and strengths of a business helping it to think with the creativity and dynamism of the cultural world. Having a good culture at Samsung would have exploited their full potential and help to realize their aspirations. In todays social and economic market there is a huge advantage in having business culture to develop greater communication and global strategies to achieve good design capabilities. Samsung brought a lot changes into their design delivery process and all would have played a vital part in their success. To improve a companies design capabilities people, the designers, is key to the success. Nothing can be achieved in todays climate without good people. For a company to have good people they need skills and education. Having a dedicate Design School to educate your people also had a great impact in helping the company improve its design capabilities. The Future of Design The term design recently has become the buzz word for many people. Consumers are increasingly assessing products they buy on the basis of the design. In Corporate businesses like Samsung and even in small firms design is increasingly understood to give a company a competitive edge. A good design will also aid in improving production processes. But as we move into the future will there be a time where design would cease to be a useful differentiator? There is an Increasing awareness of the meaning of design and what design actually is and what can the design industry offer. In todays economy many managers of business organizations need to be convinced of the business case for making investments in design. Many managers believe that the costs of the initial design investment will not be paid back through sales. But a designed product is usually matched sufficiently by increased revenue and sales paying back the initial costs. The graph below represents a study carried out by the British Design Council of the share prices of 166 UK design-led companies. The companies were grouped; Design Portfolio represented 63 companies who were chosen for their consistent showing in various design award schemes and Emerging Portfolio represented 103 companies whose awards success approached that of the Design Portfolio. If can be seen from the graph that both outperformed the FTSE All Share and FTSE100 which represent about 81% of the market capitalisation of the whole London Stock Exchange. Companies like Apple and Samsung that use design for there future initiatives would greatly help the business case in making design investments and back the employing of professional designers. The design process can be very complex and successful design rests upon future investments in methods, techniques, education, people and time as seen from Samsung. The start of the design era is relatively resent and the future of the design industry itself can take many forms and may be likely to develop. Many global manufacturers carry out their design work internally in their own design departments and are the leaders in the design industry. As they carry out their design work in house there may be no need for them to hire designers from outside which may have an effect on the future of smaller designer firms. But on the other hand this will cause the global corporations to build up larger in-house design departments and increase their staff. As we move into the future surely design will become more complicated and can no longer be simply or a product add-on. Instead design should be seen as having a good competitive characteristic for all products and services. All businesses want to compete in the market place and thrive on huge sales and profits, they want to sell the best product and want their customers to be amazed by their design. If this carries on happening at a global scale the design industry will grow to extend where design will always be the differentiator to the consumer. This would also create more jobs in the design sector. Many companies carry out research on consumer spending and analyze future technologies, this helps anticipate future consumer needs and to determine future design requirements. While regular market and research data can help to identify consumer needs and future trends in order to determine future design requirements, specific future focused trend analysis is often used. This type of analysis will intend to include consumer behaviour, product preferences, new service needs and social, economic or environmental changes. For design to be a useful differentiator in the future, consumers need to be spending money on new products and the development of new technologies is needed to be able to design new products. As years pass more products will start to become the same, and then it will become more important for products to be different. Good product design can help manufacturers to differentiate their products from their competitors and also define and reinforce the companys brand. Norio Ohga, Chairman and CEO, Sony said At Sony, we assume all products of our competitors will have basically the same technology, price and performance, and features. Design is the only thing that differentiates one product from the other in the market place. In the future things will start to change, tighter regulations will be put upon companies to design products to tighter requirements that are recyclable and reparably. Due to the environmental issues with pollution longer product lifetimes will be needed through more advanced design giving a better quality product. In the Future businesses must be able to take new design platforms to the next level and provide product life-cycle management and operational project execution. Businesses must be in the position to accept new technology and be able to integrated new methodologies, processes and systems. Failure to do so will low down the new and modern future of design. Today and in the future design will always offer considerable benefits to businesses, consumers and products and will help them to:  § Increase the perceived value of the product  § Increase the aesthetic and visual quality of the product  § Improve the ease of manufacture for the product  § Reduce impacts on the environment  § Improve the ability for business to market their product  § Enhance corporate vision and successful branding for the product Design will always be a useful differentiator for the consumer as Design is the planning that lays the basis for the making of every object or system. For design to cease as a useful differentiator the world would have to stop producing products. In price sensitive industries the design will act as a differentiator but may not be the main differentiator for the consumer. In the future design will not cease to be a useful differentiator, but design will change as technology becomes more advanced. REFERENCES: Active Knowledge Modelling (April 2009) The Future of Product Design and Life Cycle Management, [www] Available: (www.activeknowledgemodeling.com/2009/04/24/the-future-of-product-design-and-life-cycle-management/) [11 December 2009] Bloch, Peter. H (1995) Seeking the Ideal Form: Product Design and Consumer Response, Journal of Marketing, July 1995, Vol.59, pp. 16-29. Fast Company, (Dec, 2007) The Power of Design [www] Available: (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/95/open_design-index.html) [9 December 2009] Gowen, Melanie (n.d) To Make a Difference by Design, [www] Available: (http://blog.genuinedesign.com/?p=34) [11 December 2009] Kellar, Gregory M. (Feb, 2003) An information theoretic approach to modelling customer satisfaction for low-tech industrial offerings, Journal of Academy of Business and Economics, Feb, p. 1. Kester, David (2004). The Impact of Design on Stock Market Performance, an Analysis of UK Quoted Companies 1994-2003, Design Council (http://www.designcouncil.org.uk) [13 December 2009] The Free Library (n.d) An information theoretic approach to modelling customer satisfaction for low-tech industrial offerings, [www] Available: (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/An+information+threoretic+approach+to+modeling+customer+satisfaction+-a0113563622) [11 December 2009] Tse, D., R. W. Belk, et al. (1989) Becoming a consumer society: A longitudinal and cross-cultural content analysis of print ads from Hong Kong, the Peoples Republic of China, and Taiwan Journal of Consumer Research, 15, March, pp.457-472. Chitturi, Ravindra (2009) Emotions by Design: A Consumer Perspective International Journal of Design, Vol.3, No.2, 2009.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Essay on Downfall and Denial in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menage

Downfall and Denial in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams allows the main characters in the plays, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie, to live miserable lives, which they first try to deny and later try to change.   The downfall and denial of the Southern gentlewoman is a common theme in both plays.   The characters, Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Amanda from The Glass Menagerie are prime examples.   Blanche and Amanda have had, and continue to have, many struggles in their lives.   The problem is that Williams never lets the two women work through these problems and move on.   The two ladies are allowed to destroy themselves and Williams invites the audience to watch them in the process (Stine 474).     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The downfall, denial, and need to change of the two women are all quite evident in these two plays. First the troubles of Blanche and Amanda need to be recognized. Blanche has apparently had practice hiding her drinking problem. When she arrives at Stella’s home, she sneaks a shot of whiskey (Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene1. Page 18. Lines 12-17). When she is later offered a drink, she acts as though she has no idea where the alcohol is kept (Williams, A.S.N.D. 1.19.12-15).   Amanda cannot accept the fact that no gentlemen callers are coming for Laura, her daughter, thus making that reality more difficult for Laura to accept (Williams, The Glass Menagerie, 1.28.1-5).   Neither Blanche nor Amanda allows herself to recognize her problems and work them out.   They both deny the existence of these problems, thereby enabling their difficulties to become larger and even more complicated.   When Stella offers Blanche a second drink, Blanche states, "One's m... ...Blanche and Amanda.   Tennessee Williams wrote very similar plays along common themes, plays that both disturbed and aroused sympathy for the characters as well as the real life counterparts that they represented.    Works Cited Baym, Nina et al, eds.   The Norton Anthology of American Literature.   New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1995. Hassan, William.   Tennessee Williams: Parallels in Frustation.   Boston: Cambridge University Press, 1979. Krutch, Joseph Wood.   Modernism in Modern Drama.   New York: Cambridge University Press, 1953. Stine, Daniel.   Tennessee Williams: An Interpretation.   Chicago: University Press, 1977. Williams, Tennessee.   A Streetcar Named Desire.   New York: Signet, 1947. Williams, Tennessee.   Anthology of American Literature:   From Realism to the Present.   Ed. McMichael, George et al. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.    Essay on Downfall and Denial in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menage Downfall and Denial in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams allows the main characters in the plays, A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie, to live miserable lives, which they first try to deny and later try to change.   The downfall and denial of the Southern gentlewoman is a common theme in both plays.   The characters, Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Amanda from The Glass Menagerie are prime examples.   Blanche and Amanda have had, and continue to have, many struggles in their lives.   The problem is that Williams never lets the two women work through these problems and move on.   The two ladies are allowed to destroy themselves and Williams invites the audience to watch them in the process (Stine 474).     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The downfall, denial, and need to change of the two women are all quite evident in these two plays. First the troubles of Blanche and Amanda need to be recognized. Blanche has apparently had practice hiding her drinking problem. When she arrives at Stella’s home, she sneaks a shot of whiskey (Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Scene1. Page 18. Lines 12-17). When she is later offered a drink, she acts as though she has no idea where the alcohol is kept (Williams, A.S.N.D. 1.19.12-15).   Amanda cannot accept the fact that no gentlemen callers are coming for Laura, her daughter, thus making that reality more difficult for Laura to accept (Williams, The Glass Menagerie, 1.28.1-5).   Neither Blanche nor Amanda allows herself to recognize her problems and work them out.   They both deny the existence of these problems, thereby enabling their difficulties to become larger and even more complicated.   When Stella offers Blanche a second drink, Blanche states, "One's m... ...Blanche and Amanda.   Tennessee Williams wrote very similar plays along common themes, plays that both disturbed and aroused sympathy for the characters as well as the real life counterparts that they represented.    Works Cited Baym, Nina et al, eds.   The Norton Anthology of American Literature.   New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1995. Hassan, William.   Tennessee Williams: Parallels in Frustation.   Boston: Cambridge University Press, 1979. Krutch, Joseph Wood.   Modernism in Modern Drama.   New York: Cambridge University Press, 1953. Stine, Daniel.   Tennessee Williams: An Interpretation.   Chicago: University Press, 1977. Williams, Tennessee.   A Streetcar Named Desire.   New York: Signet, 1947. Williams, Tennessee.   Anthology of American Literature:   From Realism to the Present.   Ed. McMichael, George et al. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000.   

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Investigation Into Osmosis :: Papers

Investigation Into Osmosis Aim === The aim of this experiment is to compare the change of mass of potatoes when they are in a Starch and water solution. The reason the mass would changes is due to osmosis. Introduction ============ [IMAGE] Osmosis is the process of water passing from a region of high concentration of water, through a semi-permeable membrane to a region of low water concentration. Osmosis occurs when there is more water on one side of the cell than the other. In the example to the right the small blue particles represent water. There are more of the small blue particles on the left-hand side so the number of water molecules on each side would even out until the water cells are in equilibrium. The experiment we are doing is to see how much of the water has diffused and how much mass the potato lost or gained. Variables ========= I chose to investigate the mass of potato and volume of solution lost or gained when potato is put in water/ sucrose solution. The variables I didn't change were:  · Start volume of solution  · Start mass of potato  · Surface area of potato  · Amount of sunlight  · Length of time  · Type of potato  · Temperature The variables that I changed were:  · Concentration of sucrose/ water solution. Preliminary work ================ We did a preliminary experiment to check that the measurements and amount time would give us clear enough results. Method ====== We took three test tubes with 10ml solution in each. One with 0M sucrose One with 0.5M sucrose and the other with 1M sucrose, a test tube rack, three bungs and three pieces of potato. We weighed the three pieces of potato and cut them down to make them the same mass to make it a fair test. Then we made the water/ sucrose solution using these measurements:

Friday, October 11, 2019

Physical Activity

CYPOP 4: Promote young children’s physical activity and movement skills 1. 1 Explain why physical activity is important to the short and long term health and well being of children Physical activity is important to the short term and long term health and well being of children. In the short term physical activity helps children to build muscle, develops the skeletal frame, develops the heart and lung function and helps prevent obesity. If children have enough physical activity a day which is said to be up to an hour it can help children get to sleep easier and sleep for longer periods of time.This can lead onto long term benefits as if the activity is outside it will also help to build up a good immune system so they are less likely to fall ill to the common cold or the flu. The outdoor environment helps the overall well being of the children as the outdoors makes them feel free which helps their emotional and social development, as it allow them to learn new skills and develo p confidence in playing alongside others. In the long term physical activity helps the children to become interested in sports and outdoor activities.This is a good foundation to build when the children are young because as they grow older children and young adults start to become less active so early physical activity is more beneficial for the child in the long term. If when children are young and do not take part in physical activity it is more likely that they will become obese later on in life which in turn could end up with them getting more serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer or heart diseases, it could also result in girls having osteoporosis later on in life. Physical activity does not mean expense.This could be that you go for walks in the local area and make it fun by having skipping/hopping/running races between lampposts etc and taking a ball so you can call at the local park for a kick around. This could also incorporate a nature trip to collect and see th ings, so children may not realise how far they are going. Indoor activities could include wii fit hour, which I incorporate as every child can have a go. There is also ‘keepy uppy’, which is a balloon that you pass around so it doesn’t touch the floor or musical statues for movement and balance. 1. Explain the development of movement skills in young children and how these skills affect other aspects of development. 89 CYPOP 4 1. 2 In order to achieve the physical skills required for the areas in the spider diagram, a mixture of movement skills need to be acquired in the right order. They include the following: Hand-Eye Coordination. Many activities require hands and eyes to work together. To catch a ball, for example, the brain needs to take information from the eyes and use it to inform the movements that have to be made with the hands. Foot – Eye coordination.Children have to learn to guide their feet. Climbing stairs and kicking a ball require this type of coordination. Balance. Balance is a complicated skill. Although it is one that most people take for granted. The ability to balance develops with age, with most children relying on visual input to balance. The development of these skills follows the development of the central nervous system (principally the brain and spinal cord) in babies and young children. The central nervous system is responsible for collecting, interpreting and sending out information to all parts of the body.Information is constantly collected via the body’s senses of taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. This information is then transformed into electrical pulses that are carried by the nerves, up through the spinal cord and into the brain. From the information received, the brain then responds and sends out instructions to muscles, glands and organs using the network of nerves again. The whole process is surprisingly quick, which means the body can take action against possible danger, for exampl e, a person will instantly withdraw their hand from something that is very hot.In babies and young children the central nervous system has to mature. At first babies are reliant on the many survival reflexes they are born with. These are automatic reactions, but in order to gain control, the central nervous system has to learn how to interpret and control these responses. Gaining physical control. The rate at which babies and children gain control over their bodies varies enormously, but it is recognised that there are three key principles that underpin the gaining of control. Development follows a definite sequence.Movements and control develop in a certain pattern, which means that babies cannot walk before leaning to sit unsupported. Development begins with the control of head movements and proceeds downwards and outwards. Babies first gain control of their head and top of the spine before other parts of the body. This is thought to be a survival mechanism as it is important for babies to be able to turn their heads to feed. 90 CYPOP 4 1. 2 Development begins with uncontrolled gross motor movements before becoming precise and refined.Babies gain control over their arms before managing to control their hands and fingers. This principle is an important one to remember when teaching children new skills, such as handwriting, as it means that they will need to start making large letter shapes before using pencils to make much smaller ones. |AGE |HAND-EYE COORDINATION |MOVEMENT SKILL | |3 months |Can find hands and bring to mouth. Looks |Kicks legs strongly and moves arms. | |at and plays with fingers |Movements less jerky although not | | | |coordinated Can lift and turn head from | | | |side to side when laying on front | |6 months |Grasps objects |Begin to roll over Pulls up legs with | | |Follows adults movements |hands when on back Pushes head, neck and | | | |chest off floor when on front | |9 months |Bangs objects together |Sits up well unsupported reaches out for | | | |toys may be crawling or shuffling on | | | |bottom | |12 months |Picks up objects with thumb and |Mobile either crawling, shuffling or | | |forefinger points to objects holds cup |rolling Sits up unsupported for long | | |with help |periods walks with assistance tries to | | | |crawl upstairs | |15 months |Holds and drinks from cup with two hands |Crawls downstairs feet first Walks | | |Builds tower of two bricks |independently Seats self in small chair | |18 months |Threads four large beads |Bends down from waist to pick up objects | | |Turns door knobs and handles |Squats down to look at objects, Rolls and| | |Pulls off shoes and hat |throws a ball, Walks downstairs with | | | |adult help,Pushes and pulls toys while | | | |walking | |2 years |Uses a spoon to feed themselves |Kicks a ball that is not moving, Climbs | | |Puts on shoes |on low climbing frame, Walks up and | | |Builds a tower of 5/6 blocks |downstairs confidently | |3 years |Us es a spoon and ford, puts on and takes |Walks and runs forward, Walks on tiptoes,| | |off coat, Turns pages in a book one by |Throws large ball, Kicks ball forward, | | |one |Jumps from low steps, Pedals and steers | | | |tricycle | | | | | | | | | |4 Years |Buttons and unbuttons own clothing, puts |Walks on a line Aims and throws a ball, | | |together 12 piece jigsaw |Bounces and catches a large ball, runs | | | |changing direction, Hops on one foot, | | | |Pedals and steers a tricycle confidently | |5 years |Forms letters Dresses and undresses |Skips with a rope, Runs quickly and is | | |easily, Cuts out shapes with scissors, |able to avoid obstacles, Is able to use a| | |Draws round a template |variety of equipment, e. g. swings and | | | |slides, Hits ball with bat or stick | The development of movement skills gives children independence. Over time, they are no longer reliant on adults to physically feed them, clothe them and move them from one place to anothe r. This gives children great confidence and also allows them to learn because they can now explore. Children are also able to use their new found skills to play more challenging games and also play together.The diagram below shows physical skills link to other aspects of children’s overall development. Griffin S 2010 Children and Young Peoples Worksforce 1st Ed Portsmouth Heinemann92 ———————– Travel (travelling movements where the child moves from one point to another such as running, jumping, skipping) Object Control (movements such as throwing, catching, dribbling which involve objects being sent, received, travelled with) MOVEMENT SKILLS Balance & Coordination Cognitive Development Much of children’s learning is linked to practical activities. This requires movement skills. There seems also to be a link between early physical movements and brain movements Physical SkillsLanguage Development Language develops wh en there are things to talk about. This is made easier when children can do things or move themselves to explore or see things. It gives them a reason to talk. Social Development Play in children’s early years is quite active rather than language based e. g. playing in sand, dressing up. Children can join in if they have developed the physical skills Emotional Development Builds children’s confidence. When children can do things for themselves, they are more likely to gain confidence. They can do things how and when they want. Children can also use physical skills to explore themselves e. g. draw, paint, dance