With reference to relevant academic & practitioner literature, write a Essay

With reference to relevant academic & practitioner literature, write a report on the role of HR in equality & diversity in the work place - Essay Example Therefore, the human resource function is most likely to hold the main responsibility for the individuals planning within an organization as well as policies concerning equality and diversity issues. The HR functions are believed to be the main driver of progressive change regarding equality and diversity issues. Arguably, HR is responsible for fostering and promoting workforce diversity through recruitment and selection processes, training programs and policy development among others. This paper discusses the role of human resource in equality and diversity in the workplace. Diversity plays a significant role in the workplace and it reveals that organizations can greatly benefit from developing and maintaining a more diverse workforce. Diversity in the workplace enables organizations to secure a competitive advantage given that the markets are becoming increasingly global and so it assists organizations to discover opportunities in new customers and products. In addition, it attracts a wider talent pool and assists in understanding the needs of a wider customer base. More so, ensuring that there is equality in the workplace is also a very important as it also helps in determining the success of an organization. It is important to treat individuals equally for an organization to be effective and productive. Therefore, it is very important for equality and diversity to be promoted in an organization so as to have a more diverse and motivated workforce. HR is responsible for ensuring that there is equal opportunity and diversity management in the organizat ion. Equal opportunity is about eliminating any form of discrimination in the workplace, especially during the job recruitment process. On the other hand, diversity management involves cultural transformation of the organization to promote the value workforce diversity. When addressing equality in the workplace, the main focus in on gender, ethnicity, age, and disability among

Tap Dance in America Essay Example for Free

Tap Dance in America Essay According to Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, â€Å" tap dance [is a] style of American theatrical dance, distinguished by percussive footwork, [which] marks out precise rhythmic patterns on the floor.† Also, â€Å"Tap is an exciting form of dance in which dancers wear special shoes equipped with metal taps. Tap dancers use their feet like drums to create rhythmic patterns and timely beats,† Treva Bedinghaus, graduated from Holli Barrons School of Performing Arts and The Ballet Academy, writes in Tap for beginner, â€Å"The term tap dancing is derived from the tapping sound produced when the small metal plates on the dancers shoes touch a hard floor or surface. † In 125 Years of Tap, Jane Goldberg, a dancer-writer who is considered as one of the most prolific voices in the filed of tap dancing, writes: â€Å"What distinguishes tap [dancing] from most other dance forms is that it is two arts in one: music and dance. The dancers are ‘playing their feet’ and moving at the same time.† In another article The Art of Tap Dancing, Amy Brinkman-Sustache, artistic director of Dance-works on Tap (DOT), describes, â€Å"A step is a word. You put steps together to make a sentence. Questions are raised and answered through rhythm. It’s like listening to a conversation.† Literally, tap is America’s unique contribution to dance. â€Å"Tap history is mostly an oral tradition,† Kikelly, performer/scholars from Virginia Tech, says, â€Å"and a single definitive history has not yet been written.† Still, Kikelly and many other people like her are working hard to reveal the truth about how this art form developed. Tap is believed the double of diversity. â€Å"The history of tap has been a story of survival, revival, renaissance and innovation,† Jane Goldberg indicates in her 125 Years of Tap article, â€Å"the controversial roots of which arc still being debated, though the primary sources are usually considered to be Irish and African-American.† According to Constance Valis Hill, Ph.D. in Performance Studies from New York University, â€Å"tap dance is an indigenous American d ance genre that evolved over a period of some three hundred years. Initially a fusion of British and West African musical and step-dance traditions in America, tap emerged in the southern United States in the 1700s. The Irish jig (a musical and dance form) and West African gioube (sacred and secular stepping dances) mutated into the American jig and juba. These in turn became juxtaposed and fused into a form of dancing called â€Å"jigging† which, in the 1800s, was taken up by white and black minstrel-show dancers who developed tap into a popular nineteenth-century stage entertainment.† Furthermore, â€Å"early styles of tapping utilized hard-soled shoes, clogs, or hobnailed boots. It was not until the early decades of the twentieth century that metal plates (or taps) appeared on shoes of dancers on the Broadway musical stage,† Hill summarizes, â€Å"in the late twentieth century, tap dance evolved into a concertized performance on the musical and concert hall stage. Its absorption of Latin American and Afro- Caribbean rhythms in the forties has furthered its rhythmic complexity. In the eighties and nineties, tap’s absorption of hip-hop rhythms has attracted a fierce and multi-ethnic new breed of male and female dancers who continue to challenge and evolve the dance form, making tap the most cutting-edge dance expression in America today.† Yet, according to theatredance.com, â€Å"no one really knows when the phrase ‘tap dance’ was first used – perhaps as early as 1900 – but it didn’t appeared in print until around 1928.† â€Å"Unlike ballet with its codification of formal technique, tap dance developed from people listening to and watching each other dance in the street, dance hall, or social club where steps were shared, stolen and reinvented. ‘Technique’ is transmitted visually, aurally, and corporeally, in a rhythmic exchange between dancers and musicians. Mimicry is necessary for the mastery of form,† Hill points out. Moreover, she continues indicating, â€Å"The dynamic and synergistic process of copying the other to invent something new is most important to tap’s development and has perpetuated its key features, such as the tap challenge. [†¦] The oral and written histories of tap dance are replete with challenge dances, from jigging compe titions on the plantation that were staged by white masters for their slaves, and challenge dances in the walk-around finale of the minstrel show, to showdowns in the street, displays of one-upsmanship in the social club, and juried buck-and wing-contests on the vaudeville stage.† Indeed, Jane Goldberg also writes, â€Å"one documented fact is that many tap legends began performing any place they could — especially street corners — before the discipline Invaded vaudeville shows and, eventually, the silver screen. In a contest by the performers to outdo one another, tap kept evolving, transforming into an art form of self-expression as well as highly stylized production numbers.† For such a long time, tap was considered â€Å"a man’s game† or even â€Å"a largely black, male-dominated form.† People easily notice various famous male tap dancers in history like Bill Bojangles Robinson (1878-1949), John W. Bubbles (1902-1986), or Sammy Davis Jr. (1925-1990). Female dancers, in contrast, were not very honored in history books. Yet, Jane Golden presents, â€Å"a number of young white women got into the act starting in the mid-1970s. These women studied and often performed with their male mentors,† even though the fact Stacie Strong has noted in History, Herstory, OUR STORY article: â€Å"While male tap dancers acted as headliners, women tappers filled out the chorus lines. Though many of their names have been lost, these women were incredibly versatile and talented. Headliners often did the same act week after week (or even year after year), but the chorus had to learn a new routine every few weeks, often working with props and in outlandish costumes, performing as many as four shows a day.† Professor Constance Valis Hill’s inclusive history is the first to also highlight the outstanding female dancers, she wrote in Tap Dance in America: A Very Short History, â€Å"In 1986, La Mama presented Sole Sisters an all woman, multi-generational tap dance show directed by Constance Valis Hill that brought together high-heeled steppers and low-heeled hoofers, the veteran grande dames of tap and younger prima taperinas.† Next, she indicates, â€Å"Soul Sisters was not the only production to open the door for the recognition of female jazz tap dancers. On the West Coast Lynn Dally, who founded the Jazz Tap Ensemble in 1979, combined her extens ive experience in modern dance with jazz tap to organize a group of dancers that insisted on performing and interacting with a live jazz ensemble. On the East Coast, singer, jazz and tap dancer Brenda Bufalino, formerly a partner of Honi Coles, founded the American Tap Orchestra, and set about experimenting with how to layer and orchestrate rhythmic groups of dancers on the concert stage.† â€Å"Today the type of tap that mostly closely resembles the style current during Robinsons era is jazz or rhythm tap. These dancers concentrate on improvisation and choreography that incorporate the complicated rhythms of classic jazz music. Often they look crouched over, listening to their feet — and thats exactly what theyre doing. While some rhythm tappers have begun choreographing for their upper bodies, the emphasis is still on the dancers hearing themselves. The mentors of todays leading rhythm tappers have often been called ‘hoofers’,† writes Jane Goldberg. In addition, The Basic Characteristics of Tap Dancing shows, â€Å"Tap dancers make frequent use of syncopation. Choreography typically starts on the eighth or first beatcount. Another aspect of tap dancing is improvisation. This can either be done with music and follow the beats provided or without musical accompaniment, otherwise known as acappella dancing.† This article also points out another major variations on tap dance, besides rhythm tap: â€Å"Early tappers like Fred Astaire provided a more ballroom look to tap dancing, while Gene Kelly used his extensive ballet training to make tap dancing incorporate all the parts of the ballet. This style of tap led to what is today known as Broadway style, which is more mainstream in American culture.† Specially, the article give some examples of common tap steps and how professional tap dancers make their new steps: Common tap steps include the shuffle, shuffle ball change, flap, flap heel, cramp roll, buffalo, Maxi Ford, single and double pullbacks, wings, Cincinnati, the shim sham shimmy (also called the Lindy), Irish, Waltz Clog, the paddle and roll, the paradiddle, stomp, brushes, scuffs, and single and double toe punches, hot steps, heel clicks, single, double and triple time steps, riffs, over-the-tops, military time step, New Yorkers, and chugs. In advanced tap dancing, basic steps are often combined together to create new steps. Timesteps are widely used in tap and can vary in different areas. These consist of a rhythm that is changed to make new timesteps by adding or removing steps. The images of tap dancer and their shoes has also changed, especially for female dancers: â€Å"Boundaries have shifted dramatically since the 1970s, when high-heeled tap shoes were reserved for Broadway-style tap and flat oxford-style shoes were associated with rhythm tap,† according to Darrah Carr MFA from New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts. Additionally, Carr notes that â€Å"Introductory high-heeled taps range from 1†³ to 1 ½Ã¢â‚¬ ³ high, while more advanced heels can be up to 3†³ high. [†¦] Dancing in heels also forces you to hold your body more upright, which can change your stage presence. [†¦] ‘Heels encourage you to incorporate your hips and your shoulders into your dancing and wearing heels makes you think about extending the line of your leg’. In contrast,  "many tap dancers find that nothing beats the comfort of flats,† Carr reveals, â€Å"Flat tap shoes are made in the same oxford style for women and men, and many dancers feel that the shoe looks best when paired with pants or jeans. And flats have larger metal taps than heels, so the sound produced is a deeper, heavier bass tone. (The smaller metal taps on high-heeled shoes create sounds that are higher in tone.)† Another ideas showed by Carr are: â€Å"A dancers body placement in flat tap shoes is centered between the toes and heels. [And] certain steps, such as side shuffles and toe stands, are easier to execute in flats because your weight is more evenly distributed.† Still, â€Å"Whether youre a heels lover or forever committed to flats, its important that you become comfortable with both shoe styles,† she advises. Indeed, according to Elena North-Kelly, â€Å"High heeled, low heeled, soft leather, hard leather, split soled, and full soledall tap shoes are not created equal. Different styles of tap shoes facilitate different styles of tap dancing. When shopping for a shoe, you need to consider comfort, flexibility, aesthetic, shape, and, of course, sound.† Also, North-Kelly quotes a statement from Lynn Schwab, who teaches tap at New York Citys Steps on Broadway, to help people with choosing tap shoes: While part of a tap dancers sound is a product of technique, it also relates to the material of the shoe. For rhythm tapping, the best sound comes from a harder shoe with a wider heel. Finally, North-Kelly says, â€Å"Dancers hoping for a career on Broadway, however, have a little more leeway, partly because most Broadway dancers use different tap shoes for performance, classes, and auditions.† Briefly, with a relatively brief but rich history, the tap tradition is growing bigger, better and broader every year. In fact, holding an enormous respect for the past, Jason Samuels Smith, the first tapper to win an Emmy award for choreography since Hermes Pan in 1958, used to say: â€Å"Tap culture is all about celebrating the past and accumulating its vocabulary over time. If we don’t maintain our history, we lose what’s valuable about tap.† He is not the only person who thinks that way, Donna-Marie Peters – professor at Temple University, also express her ideas in Passing On: The Old Head/Younger Dancer Mentoring Relationship in the Cultural Shpere of Rhythm Tap: Respect for the artistic tradition of tap is the value that humbles even the most seasoned performers. This value demands subservience to the art that is seen as bigger than the individual and takes a lifetime to master. By honoring the art over the individual, the tap dancers become servants to the art, working to the best of their ability to execute it well. The long-term survival of this struggling art form is dependent on a cot munity of individuals with a sense of purpose, dedicated to keeping the art form alive and moving forward. Works Cited TAP DANCE. (n.d.): Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. Bedinghaus, Treva. Tap for Beginners. About.com n. pag. Web. 26 Oct 2011. http://dance.about.com/bio/Treva-Bedinghaus-32821.htm Carr, Darrah. Heels vs. Flats. Dance Spirit 14.8 (2010): 98. MAS Ultra School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. Hill, Constance. â€Å"Tap Dance in America: A Very Short History.† (2002): n. pag. Web 26 Oct 2011. http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/55/node/70581 Holmes, Vance. All ABout Tap Dance. TheatreDance.com n. pag. Web. 26 Oct 2011. http://www.theatredance.com/tap/. Goldberg, Jane. â€Å"125 Years of tap.† Dance Spirit 7.5 (2003): 34. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. North-Kelly, Elena. Tap Shoes Meet These Dancing Feet. Dance Magazine 79.3 (2005): 68. MAS Ultra School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. Peters, Donna-Marie. â€Å"Passing On: The Old Head/Younger Dancer Mentoring Relationship in the Cultural Shpere of Rhythm Tap.† Western Journal of Black Studies 34.4 (2010): 438-436. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 26.Oct.2011. Schneider, John. â€Å"The Art of Tap Dancing.† n. pag. Web. 26 Oct 2011. http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-11832-the-art-of-tap-dancing.html Strong, Stacie. â€Å"History, Herstory, OUR STORY,† Dance Spirit 11.10 (2007): 62. MAS Ultra – School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct 2011. The basic characteristics of tap dancing. Ballet Shoes n. pag. Web. 26 Oct 2011. http://shoes-collection.net/2011/10/05/tap-shoes-capezio/.

Views on Sex Education in Schools

Views on Sex Education in Schools Introduction Sex education is possibly one of the most talked-about topics nowadays, especially among concerned citizens and the government. Sex is a natural thing for all of us and it is just right for the researchers as well as the readers to know and learn more about it. But the question is, is it right for sex education to be taught in primary schools? This research paper tackles the different issues about sex education. It contains the pros and cons of teaching sex education in primary schools. Opinions from different sides such as teachers in primary and secondary schools are considered. With such divisions, the reader can approximate their own comprehension of the topic and thus contribute ways to assist the primary students regarding this matter. In this research paper, the researchers would like to show the readers the importance of teachers perception on teaching sex education in primary schools. The researchers are convinced that this paper will be of great value to students and teachers. Conceptual Framework Sex Education Teachers Secondary Primary Perception Statement of the Problem The study aimed to find out the teachers view on teaching sex education in primary schools. What is the general profile of the respondents in terms of: Age Civil Status Gender Subject teaching What are the teachers views of teaching sex education in primary schools? What are the issues/concerns of teachers in the teaching of sex education primary schools? Is there a significant difference on how the teachers view the teaching of sex education when compared by primary and secondary schools? Hypothesis There is no significant difference between the perspectives of the teachers from primary and secondary schools. Assumptions of the Study The researchers assume that the questionnaires distributed to the respondents are answered honestly and truthfully, and that all data that will be gathered is reliable to the study. The researchers also assume that the personal values may affect the respondents reaction to the questions given and personal experiences may influence the response to the question. Research Locale The study will be conducted in Southville International School and Colleges located at 1281 Tropical Ave. cor. Luxembourg St., BF International, Las Pià ±as City, Philippines. The school will be the focus of the study because it is more convenient to the researchers, it has a big population and it is suited for the study. Significance of the study Parents: They will be guided on making the decision of letting their children study sex education in the school where their children are studying. Students: They will have an idea about what they can get from learning sex education. They will be aware that the very heart of this issue is for their future. Scope and Limitations: The research focused on the perceptions of the teachers towards teaching sex education in primary schools. The respondents are the teachers in primary and secondary level of school year 2010-2011, from Southville International School and Colleges. Definition of Terms Curricula- are the courses offered by an educational institution. It is also a set of courses constituting an area of specialization. Mandatory- can also be compulsory the teaching of sex education is obligatory. Optional- the teaching of sex education for young people is not compulsory. Perception- is a result of perceiving, observation, a mental image, or concept. Primary school- includes grades one to six. Secondary school- a school usually including years 7 to 10. Sexuality- is an expression of sexual receptivity or interest especially when excessive. Sex wise- it is a 12 part series which discussed sex education, family life education, contraception, family life education, contraception and parenting. Sex Education- is an education about human sexual anatomy, reproduction, and intercourse and other human sexual behaviour. Young people- are also referred to as teenagers or children ages between to 10 to 12. Review of Related Literature Sex Education It is sometimes called sexuality education or sex and relationships education, is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. Sex education is also about developing young peoples skills so that they make informed choices about their behavior, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. It is widely accepted that young people have a right to sex education. This is because it is a means by which they are helped to protect themselves against abuse, exploitation, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV and AIDS. It is also argued that providing sex education helps to meet young peoples rights to information about matters that affect them, their right to have their needs met and to help them enjoy their sexuality and the relationships that they form. It aims to reduce the risks of potentially negative outcomes from sexual behavior, such as unwanted or unplanned pregnancies and infection with sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. It also aims to contribute to young peoples positive experience of their sexuality by enhancing the quality of their relationships and their ability to make informed decisions over their lifetime. Sex education that works, by which we mean that it is effective is sex education that contributes to both these aims thus helping young people to be safe and enjoy their sexuality. (http://www.avert.org/sex-education.htm, 2010) Beliefs Young people can be exposed to a wide range of attitudes and beliefs in relation to sex and sexuality. These sometimes appear contradictory and confusing. For example, some health messages emphasize the risks and dangers associated with sexual activity and some media coverage promotes the idea that being sexually active makes a person more attractive and mature. Because sex and sexuality are sensitive subjects, young people and sex educators can have strong views on what attitudes people should hold, and what moral framework should govern peoples behavior these too can sometimes seem to be at odds. Young people are very interested in the moral and cultural frameworks that bind sex and sexuality. They often welcome opportunities to talk about issues where people have strong views, like abortion, sex before marriage, lesbian and gay issues and contraception and birth control. It is important to remember that talking in a balanced way about differences in opinion does not promote one s et of views over another, or mean that one agrees with a particular view. Part of exploring and understanding cultural, religious and moral views is finding out that you can agree to disagree. Effective sex education also provides young people with an opportunity to explore the reasons why people have sex, and to think about how it involves emotions, respect for one self and other people and their feelings, decisions and bodies. Young people should have the chance to explore gender differences and how ethnicity and sexuality can influence peoples feelings and options. They should be able to decide for themselves what the positive qualities of relationships are. It is important that they understand how bullying, stereotyping, abuse and exploitation can negatively influence relationships. . (As also stated at the website: http://www.avert.org/sex-education.htm, 2010) Sex education worldwide Africa Sex education in Africa has focused on stemming the growing AIDS epidemic. Most governments in the region have established AIDS education programs in partnership with the World Health Organization and international NGOs. These programs were undercut significantly by the Global Gag Rule, an initiative put in place by President Reagan, suspended by President Clinton, and re-instated by President Bush. The Global Gag Rule required nongovernmental organizations to agree as a condition of their receipt of Federal funds that such organizations would neither perform nor actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations. The Global Gag Rule was again suspended as one of the first official acts by United States President Barack Obama. The incidences of new HIV transmissions in Uganda decreased dramatically when Clinton supported a comprehensive sex education approach (including information about contraception and abortion). According to Ugandan AIDS activists, the Glob al Gag Rule undermined community efforts to reduce HIV prevalence and HIV transmission. Europe Finland In Filand, sexual education is usually incorporated into various obligatory courses, mainly as part of biology lessons (in lower grades) and later in a course related to general health issues. The Population and Family Welfare Federation provide all 15-year-olds an introductory sexual package that includes an information brochure, a condom and a cartoon love story. England and Wales In England and Wales, sex education is not compulsory in schools as parents can refuse to let their children take part in the lessons. The curriculum focuses on the reproductive system, fetal development, and the physical and emotional changes of adolescence, while information about contraception and safe sex is discretionary and discussion about relationships is often neglected. Britain has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Europe and sex education is a heated issue in government and media reports. In a 2000 study by the University of Brighton, many 14 to 15 year olds reported disappointment with the content of sex education lessons and felt that lack of confidentiality prevents teenagers from asking teachers about contraception. France In France, sex education has been part of school curricula since 1973. Schools are expected to provide 30 to 40 hours of sex education, and pass out condoms, to students in grades eight and nine. In January 2000, the French government launched an information campaign on contraception with TV and radio spots and the distribution of five million leaflets on contraception to high school students. Germany In Germany, sex education has been part of school curricula since 1970. Since 1992 sex education is by law a governmental duty. It normally covers all subjects concerning the growing-up process, body changes during puberty, emotions, the biological process of reproduction, sexual activity, partnership, homosexuality, unwanted pregnancies and the complications of abortion, the dangers of sexual violence, child abuse, and sex-transmitted diseases, but sometimes also things like sex positions. Most schools offer courses on the correct usage of contraception. A sex survey by the World Health Organization concerning the habits of European teenagers in 2006 revealed that German teenagers care about contraception. The birth rate among 15- to 19-year-olds was very low only 11.7 per 1000 population, compared to the UKs 27.8 births per 1,000 population, and-in first place-Bulgarias 39.0 births per 1,000. Poland In the Western point of view, sex education in Poland has never actually developed. At the time of the Peoples Republic of Poland, since 1973, it was one of the school subjects; however, it was relatively poor and did not achieve any actual success. After 1989, it practically vanished from the school life it is currently an exclusive subject (called wychowanie do Ã…Â ¼ycia w rodzinie/family life education rather than edukacja seksualna/sex education) in several schools their parents must give consent to the headmasters so their children may attend. It has much due to the strong objection against sex education of the Catholic Church; the most influential institution in Poland. It has, however, been changed and since September 2009 sex education will become an obligatory subject in the number of 14 per school year unless parents do not want their children to be taught. Objecting parents will have to write special disagreements. North America United States Almost all U.S. students receive some form of sex education at least once between grades 7 and 12; many schools begin addressing some topics as early as grades 5 or 6. However, what students learn varies widely, because curriculum decisions are so decentralized. Many states have laws governing what is taught in sex education classes or allowing parents to opt out. Some state laws leave curriculum decisions to individual school districts. Two main forms of sex education are taught in American schools: comprehensive and abstinence-only. Comprehensive sex education covers abstinence as a positive choice, but also teaches about contraception and avoidance of STIs when sexually active. A 2002 study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 58% of secondary school principals describe their sex education curriculum as comprehensive. Abstinence-only sex education tells teenagers that they should be sexually abstinent until marriage and does not provide information about contraception. In the Kaiser study, 34% of high-school principals said their schools main message was abstinence-only. The difference between these two approaches, and their impact on teen behavior, remains a controversial subject. In the U.S., teenage birth rates had been dropping since 1991, but a 2007 report showed a 3% increase from 2005 to 2006. From 1991 to 2005, the percentage of teens reporting that they had ever had sex or were currently sexually active showed small declines. However, the U.S. still has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest rates of STIs among teens in the industrialized world. Public opinion polls conducted over the years have found that the vast majority of Americans favor broader sex education programs over those that teach only abstinence, although abstinence educators recently published poll data with the opposite conclusion. On the other hand, proponents of abstinence-only sex education object to curricula that fail to teach their standard of moral behavior; they maintain that a morality based on sex only within the bounds of marriage is healthy and constructive and that value-free knowledge of the body may lead to immoral, unhealthy, and harmful practices. Within the last decade, the federal government has encouraged abstinence-only education by steering over a billion dollars to such programs. Some 25 states now decline the funding so that they can continue to teach comprehensive sex education. Funding for one of the federal governments two main abstinency-only funding programs, Title V, was extended only until December 31, 2007; Congress is debating whether to continue it past that date. The impact of the rise in abstinence-only education remains a question. To date, no published studies of abstinence-only programs have found consistent and significant program effects on delaying the onset of intercourse. In 2007, a study ordered by the U.S. Congress found that middle school students who took part in abstinence-only sex education programs were just as likely to have sex (and use contraception) in their teenage years as those who did not. Abstinence-only advocates claimed that the study was flawed because it was too narrow and began when abstinence-only curricula were in their infancy, and that other studies have demonstrated positive effects. According to a 2007 report, Teen pregnancies in the United States showed 3% increase in the teen birth rate from 2005 to 2006, to nearly 42 births per 1,000. Virginia Virginia uses the sex education program called, The National Campaign to prevent teen and unplanned pregnancy. The National Campaign was created in 1996. The program focuses on preventing teen and unplanned pregnancies of young adults. The National campaign set a goal to reduce teen pregnancy rate by 1/3 in 10 years. The Virginia Department of Health ranked Virginia 19th in teen pregnancy birth rates in 1996. Virginia was also rated 35.2 teen births per 1000 girls aged 15-19 in 2006. The Healthy people 2010 goal is a teen pregnancy rate at or below 43 pregnancies per 1000 females age 15-17. Asia The state of sex education programs in Asia is at various stages of development. Indonesia, Mongolia, South Korea have a systematic policy framework for teaching about sex within schools. Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand have assessed adolescent reproductive health needs with a view to developing adolescent-specific training, messages and materials. India has programs aimed at children aged nine to sixteen years. In India, there is a huge debate on the curriculum of sex education and whether it should be increased. Attempts by state governments to introduce sex education as a compulsory part of the curriculum have often been met with harsh criticism by political parties, who claim that sex education is against Indian culture and would mislead children. (Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan have no coordinated sex education programs.) In Japan, sex education is mandatory from age 10 or 11, mainly covering biological topics such as menstruation and ejaculation. In China and Sri Lanka, sex education traditionally consists of reading the reproduction section of biology textbooks. In Sri Lanka they teach the children when they are 17-18 years. However, in 2000 a new five-year project was introduced by the China Family Planning Association to promote reproductive health education among Chinese teenagers and unmarried youth in twelve urban districts and three counties. This included discussion about sex within human relationships as well as pregnancy and HIV prevention. The International Planned Parenthood Federation and the BBC World Service ran a 12-part series known as Sexwise, which discussed sex education, family life education, contraception and parenting. It was first launched in South Asia and then extended worldwide. Acrimonious Debate over Sex Education in the Philippines The educational module Adolescent Sexual Health, though not yet released to all high schools in the Philippines, has already drawn heavy criticism from the Roman Catholic Church, pro-life activists, and some parents. The way it is being taught lacks the reverence, the refinement that the subject matter demands, said Jo Imbong, legal officer of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. Deciding when to teach children about sex should be left to their parents, he said. But Professor Corazon Raymundo, director of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI), said sex education in schools is necessary because it is not in the nations culture for parents to discuss sex with their children. The education department, which presented the module as a response to the nations booming population growth, emphasized it is not a sex manual but rather a teaching guide dealing with family planning, reproductive health, and the dangers of early and pre-marital sex. According to a UPPI survey, 23 percent of Filipinos ages 15-24 engaged in pre-marital sex in 2002, up from 18 percent in 1994. The prevalence of high-risk sexual behaviors among adolescents rose from 20 percent in 1994 to 27 percent in 2002. Further, this age group now accounts for 17 percent of all induced abortions in the nation. Its high time that the ignorance of adolescents be addressed in a way that will allow them to make an informed choice, said Solita Monsod, former economic planning secretary. Now, however, education officials have responded to the criticism by withdrawing the module for further communications among stakeholders. Before it is returned to schools, some sections will be revised, said Lolita Andrada, the modules editor and the director of the Bureau of Secondary Education. In particular, the section on safe sex, which some viewed as a promotion of promiscuity, will be rewritten, Andrada said. (http://www.thebody.com/content/news/art23803.html, 2010) Dep.Ed. sued over sex education plan MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) The former legal officer of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines on Monday sued the Department of Education for incorporating sex education in the curriculum of elementary and high school students. In an interview, lawyer Jo Aurea Imbong said she filed the case in behalf of 30 concerned parents who opposed the sex education plan. She described the sex education program as a form of contraceptive imperialism that assaults moral sensibilities and values of young people and actually encourages sexual promiscuity. We have examined the modules being used by DepEd and found that it promotes family planning, reproductive health and demographic development in subjects such as Mathematics, Science and English. It is specifically designed to transform the attitudes, behavior and social norms of young people based on a foreign model, she told abs-cbnNEWS.com. Imbong said the class suit aims to stop DepEd from implementing Memorandum No. 26, which integrates sex education in the curriculum for private and public schools. She said the program changes the attitudes and values of children especially in Christian families. Imbong said sex education was already being implemented in the basic education curriculum 12 years ago, and the new DepEd memo only updates the modules. She said adopting the sex education plan will fast-track moral decay among young people who are exposed to sex at an early age. While curiosity is normal for young people, it is still the primary responsibility of the parents and families to inform their children about sex, she said. She also noted that the sex education program is receiving funding from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). In response, Education Secretary Mona Valisno said the sex education program is still being pilot-tested and that the discussions will focus on the science of reproduction, physical care and hygiene, correct values and the norms of interpersonal relations to avoid premarital sex and teenage pregnancy. She said the Deped consulted different sectors about the program including the CBCP and the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas. She said parents who were consulted about the program were very happy with it especially since it provides relevant information to children. She also questioned why a court case was filed especially since the program does not contradict the mandate of DepEd to protect childrens rights to quality education. Our curriculum doesnt talk about condoms and such. Its only exposure to the children to the right information in order for them to make the right decisionKung hindi natin kailangan, then the new secretary of education can change it, she told ANC. She said the sex education plan seeks to battle the high percentage of unwarranted pregnancies in the country, which is one of the 10 highest in the world, and prevent dropouts as a result of teenage pregnancies. She said the topics integrated into the modules will be scientific and informative and are not designed to titillate prurient interest. In Science, sex education topics will cover the reproductive system, parts of the body, reproductive cycle, and puberty. Under Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP), proper behavior among and between peers of different genders will be discussed. In Health classes under MAPEH (Music, Arts, PE and Health), personal hygiene and reproductive health will be part of the lessons. In Heograpiya, Kasaysayan, at Sibika (HEKASI) classes, discussion will include the position of religion on premarital sex and the norms when people of opposite sex interact. In Math classes, data on issues like premarital sex, teenage pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections will be used in studying mathematical analysis and statistics. (Dizon, 2010)

MIC :: essays research papers fc

MIC   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Products and machines made of steel have long been considered to be solid, strong, and very durable. The effects of general corrosion, â€Å"rust†, were considered to be the only factor limiting a steel product’s ability to last forever. It is thought that the general corrosion of steel is recognizable and its effects are easily limited by the application of various coatings and paints. Only in more recent years have the destructive effects of Microbiological Influenced Corrosion, â€Å"MIC† been discovered. Today MIC, whether it is on the bottom of a barge, in a water pipe, or in a nuclear power plant’s cooling tower, has evolved into a billion dollar problem. To cure this problem, I have created a device that cleans MIC out of the bilges of barges operated on the Mississippi River system. The bilges or confined void spaces have never been able to be cleaned due to the extremely tight or inaccessible area in which you would have to work. I found that most barges have a coating on the steel which provides a food source that the MIC bacteria absorbs (eats) and the bacteria’s resulting acid actually can penetrate the steel barge. Businesses that clean these barges to rid them of the MIC and the organic coating can charge as much as $10,000 to do just the ends of the barges, which is an area less than a tenth of the entire barge. The inner bottom void spaces which take up the remainder of the barge’s area are only 15† high, 27† wide, and 28’ long. Some barges have as many as 90 of these confined spaces, and none of them have been cleaned because their limited size makes them inaccessible. With the completion of my product it will be the first time the inner bottom void spaces of a barge can be cleaned. This will mean the MIC and its food source, the organic coating; will be completely removed from the barge for the first time since its original construction at the ship yard. For many years, MIC was incorrectly identified as the corrosive effects of saltwater on steel in ocean going vessels. Although salt certainly does have a corrosive effect on steel, it was not until more recent years that the term MIC was originated, and its effects are only starting to be discovered. MIC is responsible for the accelerated corrosion in ocean going ships, water storage tanks, fire protection sprinkler systems, commercial and military aircraft, and most recently discovered affecting the inland river barge fleet.

Solution of Chapter 8 Operations Mangement by Jay Heizer

Service location decisions tend to focus on the revenue function, whereas manufacturing/industrial location decisions tend to focus on costs. The service sector uses techniques such as: Correlation analysis Traffic counts Demographic analysis Purchasing power analysis The industrial decision uses: Transportation method Factor-weighting approach Break-even analysis Crossover charts 8. Factors to consider when choosing a country: Exchange rates Government stability Communications systems within the country and to the home office Wage rates Productivity Transportation costsLanguage Tariffs Taxes Attitude towards foreign investors/incentives Legal system Ethical standards Cultural issues Supplies availability Market locations 9. Factors to consider in a region/community decision: Corporate desires Attractiveness of region Labor issue Utilities Environmental regulations Incentives Proximity to raw materials/customers Land/construction costs 10. Site location factors: Size and cost Transpo rtation systems Zoning Proximity of services/supplies needed Environmental impact END-OF-CHAPTER PROBLEMS 8. 1(a)Six laborers each making $3 per day can produce 40 units. b)Eight laborers each making $2. 50 per day, can produce 45 units. (c)Two laborers, each making $64 per day, can make 100 units.China is most economical, assuming transportation costs are not included. 8. 2Malaysia China Montana China is most favorable. 8. 6Atlanta Charlotte Charlotte is better. 8. 7| | Suburb B has the highest rating, but weights should be examined using sensitivity analysis, as the final ratings are all close. 8. 8| | Location| | | Present Location| Newbury| Hyde Park| | Factor| | Wgt| | | Wgt| | | Wgt| | | 1| 40| 0. 30| 12| 60| 0. 30| 18. 00| 50| 0. 0| 15. 0| | 2| 20| 0. 15| 3| 20| 0. 15| 3. 00| 80| 0. 15| 12. 0| | 3| 30| 0. 20| 6| 60| 0. 20| 12. 00| 50| 0. 20| 10. 0| | 4| 80| 0. 35| 28| 50| 0. 35| 17. 50| 50| 0. 35| 17. 5| | | Total Points| 49| Total Points| 50. 50| Total Points| 54. 5| It appe ars that Hyde Park represents the best alternative. 8. 9(a)Chicago = 16 + 6 + 7 + 4 = 33 Milwaukee = 10 + 13. 5 + 6 + 3 = 32. 5 Madison = 12 + 12 + 4 + 2. 5 = 30. 5 Detroit = 14 + 6 + 7 + 4. 5 = 31. 5 All four are quite close, with Chicago and Milwaukee almost tied.Chicago has the largest rating, with a 33. b)With a cutoff of 5, Chicago is unacceptable because it scores only 4 on the second factor. Only Milwaukee has scores of 5 or higher on all factors. 8. 10| Location A| | Factor| Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| | 1| 5| 100| 500| | 2| 3| 80| 240| | 3| 4| 30| 120| | 4| 2| 10| 20| | 5| 2| 90| 180| | 6| 3| 50| 150| | Total weighted score:| 1210| | Location B | | Factor| Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| | 1| 5| 80| 400| | 2| 3| 70| 210| | 3| 4| 60| 240| | 4| 2| 80| 160| | 5| 2| 60| 120| | 6| 3| 60| 180| | Total weighted score: | 1310| | Location C | Factor| Weight| Rating| Weighted Score| | 1| 5| 80| 400| | 2| 3| 100| 300| | 3| 4| 70| 280| | 4| 2| 60| 120| | 5| 2| 80| 160| | 6| 3| 90| 270| | Total weighted score:| 1530|Based on the total weighted scores, Location C should be recommended. Note that raw weights were used in computing these weighted scores (we just multiplied â€Å"weight† times â€Å"rating†). Relative weights could have been used instead by taking each factor weight and dividing by the sum of the weights (i. e. , 19). Then the weight for factor 1 would have been . Location C would still have been selected. . 11| | Site 3 has the highest rating factor, 86. 65, and should be selected. 8. 12(a)The following figure indicates the volume range for which each site is optimal. Site 1 is optimal for production less than or equal to 125 units. Site 2 is optimal for production between 125 and 233 units. Site 3 is optimal for production above 233 units. (b)For 200 units, site 2 is optimal. 8. 13| (a)| | (b)For 5,000 units, Perth is the better option. 8. 14| | V–A: A–B: B–C: 8. 15| (a)| | The total cost equations are: (b)Denv er is preferable over the range from 0–3,570 units.Burlington is lowest cost at any volume exceeding 3,570, but less than 25,000 units. Atlanta is never lowest in cost. Cleveland becomes the best site only when volume exceeds 25,000 units per year. (c)At a volume of 5,000 units, Burlington is the least-cost site. 8. 16| | The proposed new hub should be near (5. 15, 7. 31). 8. 17| | | City| Map Coordinates| Shipping Load| | A| 2, 1| 20| | B| 2, 13| 10| | C| 4, 17| 5| | D| 7, 7| 20| | E| 8, 18| 15| | F| 12, 16| 10| | G| 17, 4  | 20| | H| 18, 18| 20| | | | 120| 8. 19| | The proposed new facility should be near (7. 97, 6. 69).

Terrorist Attacks 911 Essay Example

Terrorist Attacks 911 Essay Example Terrorist Attacks 911 Essay Terrorist Attacks 911 Essay The September 11 attacks were a series of suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States. On the morning of the attacks 19 of Al-Qaeda’s terrorists hijacked four jet airliners. The hijackers then crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, killing everyone on board and many of those who were working in the buildings. Both of the buildings collapsed within two hours of the collisions. Because of the collapse nearby buildings were damaged, even destroyed. The hijackers crashed the third airplane into the Pentagon which is located in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth plane was crashed into a field near Shanksville in Pennsylvania after some of its passengers attempted to retake control of the plane. Unfortunately there were no survivors from any of the flights. Among the 2752 victims who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers from New York City. Over one hundred people were killed in the attacks on the Pentagon. The majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over seventy countries. There was also at least one secondary death; one person was examined to have died from lung disease due to the dust from the collapsed World Trade Center. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the â€Å"War on Terror†. Invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban. Many other countries also strengthened their anti-terrorism by expanding law enforcement powers. Some American stock exchanges stayed closed for the rest of the week following the attacks, and posted enormous losses when reopening. Especially in the airline industries. The destruction of billions of dollars worth caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan.

Inequality Concerns of Healthcare Systems in China, the UK and the US

Inequality Concerns of Healthcare Systems in China, the UK and the US In the long run, it behooves a countrys administration to be responsible for the progressive performance of its healthcare system. Thus, the state of health care is a reflection of the stewardship provided by an administration towards health care development.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Inequality Concerns of Healthcare Systems in China, the UK and the US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Health care is as old as regimes of human civilization. The health care is a reliable indicator on social inconsistencies. Gutià ©rrez, Mizota and Rakue (937) demonstrate that there exist inter-regional inequalities in China’s healthcare system, while, in the US, these occur across different races and social groups. Furthermore, it is emerging that the extent of the GDP growth and the size of the budget and subsequent allocations have become debatable indicators of the public health. It is becoming evident that the future of better public health will be demonstrated through the influence of robust policies that cross-cut health and other social security sectors. The US is in the spotlight for the prolonged absence of reforms towards a public medical security system that universally cushions every citizen. In the absence of a comprehensive healthcare scheme, there are palpable health care differences across races, origins and income brackets. And now that the Obama Healthcare Bill has recently been passed, its consequences are of pertinent concern with regard to public financing, access to medical care and health insurance packages, thereof. The demand for healthcare insurance and the cost of health care services are projected to rise. Contrastingly, China operates on public health system for all. There are scheduled major adjustments focusing on enhancing training and practitioner fraternity. China remains the only country that advances the use of conventional and traditional medicines. Its medical insurance system is packaged in three programs targeting workers, public employees and village populace. China’s economic policy reforms have tended to advance the health care interest of the village populace through fiscal decentralization and financial responsibility systems. The National Health Services is vested with managing the healthcare scheme in the UK. The Issues on healthcare in the UK replicate those of the US, though approaches differ. Research lacuna exists on whether most national healthcare regimes consider solutions such as an equal-chance approach to use of processed and natural medicines. Moreover, the political class has dismally demonstrated their will to bridge inequalities and injustices within the social and health systems. Thus, health services are disproportionately distributed.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Squires (1) argues that f iscal spending on health care is high in the US; emerging discrepancies and disproportionate outcomes result from exorbitant prices, obese population and readily disposable technology. Wagstaff, Doorslaer and Paci (91) recommend that the government administration to rethink their goals based on the resource redistribution and equity concepts. Squires (1) exonerates higher income, aging population and increased supply and use of physicians and medical facilities as likely negative causal factors. While out-of-pocket spending in the US is at US$ 976, in the UK, it is approximately three-times less; yet the budgetary allocation in the US has been higher than the UKs both in per-capita and percent GDP (Squires 3). Out-of-pocket spending in China is 56% of the total health care spending. The Figure 1 below shows health care spending in China. Exworthy et al. (78) view that the initial difference in addressing healthcare begins with the policymakers approach. In the US, the focus is on di sparities; while, in the UK, it is about inequalities. Figure 1: The Trend on National Spending on Healthcare in China Source: EUSME Centre (4) In the last 5 years, the US has focused on finding solutions on access and providing insurance cover scheme; resolving racial differences and settling any political ends. The UK has concentrated on harmonizing the socioeconomic status. China has focused on industrial growth of healthcare through meeting the demands of the urban populace and improving the social welfare of the rural folks by upgrading medical facilities. China s approach is market socialism that embraces organizational arrangement, philosophy and financing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Inequality Concerns of Healthcare Systems in China, the UK and the US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In a cross-country assessment, Wagstaff, Doorslaer and Paci (90) note that the ultimate goal of achieving a robust syste m lies with settling the imbalances of inequality through harmonized policies. Exworthy et al. (75) share similar views particularly on disparities and inequalities. Pertinent challenges to the ultimate milestone include bridging differences in perceptions among lawmakers. The US is among the industrialized states that have worrying disproportion on practicing physician per-capita (at 2.43) well below the recommended 3.00. Nevertheless, the UK is just above the US at 2.62. There are no automatic or inexpensive exit strategies for the healthcare concerns across nations; however, the most preferred systems will have to best demonstrate quality service to all; adequately meet expectations and cushions against costs of ill health. The immediate divergent paths taken on healthcare solutions by China, the UK and the US amidst inequality concerns were the driving-force for this scholarly inquest. While the US is on the verge of a complete overhaul, the UK has overtime revised hers and Chin a is on a socialist drive for its health care. These different transitions provide vital lessons about the past for charting solutions into the future, considering health care has multi-sector crosscutting baseline. EUSME Centre. 2012. The Healthcare Sector in China. PDF file. 13 Jan. 2013. www.eusmecentre.org.cn/system/files//Healthcare_SectorReport.pdf. Exworthy, Mark, Andrew Bindman, Huw Davies, and Eugene Washington. â€Å"Evidence into Policy and Practice? Measuring the Progress of U.S. and U.K. Policies to Tackle Disparities and Inequalities in U.S. and U.K. Health and Health care.† The Milbank Quarterly, 84.1 (2006):75–109. Mighealth. Web. Gutià ©rrez, Susana, Tsutomu Mizota and Yasuyuki Rakue. â€Å"Comparison Of Four Health Systems: Cuba, China, Japan and the USA, an approach to reality.† Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 34.4 (2003):937-946. Mahidol. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Squires, David. â€Å"The U.S. Health System in Perspective: A Comparison of Twelve Industrialized Nations.† Commonwealth Fund pub. 16 (2011):1-13. CommonwealthFund. Web. Wagstaff, Adam, Eddy Van Doorslaer and Pierella Paci. â€Å"Equity in the Finance and Delivery of Health care: Some Tentative Cross-Country Comparisons.† Oxford Review Of Economic Policy. 5.1 (n.d.):89-112. Oxford University Press. Web.

The Highwayman Essays - Animal-powered Vehicles, Carriages

The Highwayman Essays - Animal-powered Vehicles, Carriages The Highwayman subject = english-creative writing title = The Highwayman The Highwayman Their journey to London was not a long one, but in the night, it was a treacherous one. A rolling fog covered the land, one couldnt see twenty feet ahead, but in the still, quiet night, sound carried for a mile. They began their trek in the early evening, the sun had yet to dip below the horizon. The passengers needed in London, could not wait for the next morning. The stage driver was the best to be found, his fee large, but his experience was priceless. He was accompanied by another man with a large rifle. The Rifleman had keen eyes and his ears were at attention, listening over the horses for oncoming riders; for the Highwaymen who prayed on the stages. Long after the sun had set, not a sound had been heard over the consistent clip-clop of the horses. Their hooves hit the dirt road, broadcasting a message for nearly a mile of the nearing prey. The sound alerting all the nearby predators to keep a good watch, to be ready, for the prize will soon be in their grasp. The fog, like a blanket spreading it self out on the land, concealed all stars, the only light was from a lantern suspended above the stage driver. The passengers nervous, expecting to hear shots fired. The jumped at every bump in the road that the wheels struck. Clutching their baggage close, they prayed that the night would pass quickly. The Highwayman, alerted to the approaching stage, was hidden by the road, and concealed by the fog, he was not yet able to discern the light from the quickly approaching lantern. Clutching his pistol, his only weapon, he planned to take all the that he desired from the stage. His family was at home, sitting by the fire. His late night occupation provided their home, food and clothing. During the day he works in a stable for the nearby English noble. Feeding and grooming their horses, only he knows the stable well enough to "barrow " a horse. Not every night, but often enough for his family to live better than most. Passing through a small wooded area, the stage continued at its rapid pace, the horses sweating, pulling the large stage coach and its five passengers. The Rifleman, ever intent, tenses, telling the driver to push the animals even harder. The two horses, running as fast as they can, try to comply, but they gain no speed. The passengers, jumping at every bump in the road, wishing the ride over, holding fast to the coach, expecting any minute for the stage to roll on its side. They were waiting for the Highwayman to strike. Behind a wall of fog that hides him from the stage, not making a sound, he waits. He is waiting for the right moment to ride forth. He knows that quickly he will see the light and the stage that brings it. And then they will be able to see him. His rifle is ready in his arms, ready to rise to his shoulder, take aim, and fire. The lantern throws ghostly shadows as the coach rushes by the surrounding trees. The experienced eyes of the Rifleman, watching everything as it flies by, waits for that movement, that shape, that does not belong. He listens to the sound of air rushing past, the sound of the horses, listening to their hooves as they strike ground and gulp for air in the night. He listens for the sound that does not meld with the others, the of beat of a third horse. He can see the light now, his anticipation building, his heart beating, over powering the sound of the stage, smothering the sounds of the horses pulling it. His pistol ready, in his shaking hand. His other hand holds the reigns, his feet ready to propel the horse onward, to overtake the stage. Waiting for the right moment, waiting to strike. The Rifleman waits, scanning the forest as it streaks past, his nerves building a lump in his throat. The Highwayman can now see the stage in its entirety. The Rifleman ready, will see him. Now is the time to strike. He is surprised at the speed of the coach, the cargo must be must be important. The passengers pray that they complete the trip, curse the driver for the speed. Not knowing of the dangers out side, clutching to each other, they sit on the floor of the coach. Scared,

Becton Dickinsonproposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Becton Dickinsonproposal - Essay Example The primary concern of all these people at HMC is reducing the budget deficit through price reduction and Joanne is charged with a specific task. She will make all efforts to reduce prices without considering other factors. The other divisions report rapport with end-users but the key persons at HMC are obviously Stan Delaney and Judy Koski who have the authority and capacity to look beyond mere prices and weigh the value of services offered by BD. Ted Barber, of City Surgical, has worked at HMC and is today has a 'strong lock' on supplies to HMC, supplying 80% of their requirements of medical supplies. Though he is out of the organization he wields considerable influence on HMC. His concern, naturally, is the good of his own distribution company. Becton Dickinson (BD) is faced with the threat of global competition and must change to meet it. Ed Haire was wrong; the competitor is no fly-by-night organization. Terumo products were being used earlier and the needles and syringes have also been approved. Terumo has a product portfolio of more than 1000 products and has 28% share of the overall world market and 33 % share of the market in syringes and needles. They have recently begun production in the US any misgivings the customers have will be allayed through a product manufactured in the US. BD shall also have to compete in the international market, especially once the Singapore plant commences production. Driving this change has to be the CEO, Raymond Gilmartin. The chief of Supply Chain Management, Alfred Battaglia, is one of the few people in BD who has hands-on experience of the advantages of consolidation of marketing, sales and distribution and will be vital for forming new policy and help to convince other personnel of the advantages of multidivisional marketing. Any change in marketing structure has to involve Mark Thordahl who is charged corporate planning. Noah Gresham and his team of Deelo and Gormally who handle national and key customers will be the key players in change implementation. Bette Weber, Corporate Marketing Manager and Naz Bhimji shall also have important roles to play since they head the 'largest opportunity' areas. The primary concern of this guiding team has to be the challenge BD faces in adapting to the changing market scenario. Smaller players will continue to emerge and compete against individual divisions through price reductions and other marketing efforts. The divisions will find these situations difficult to handle by themselves. HMC is just one case that reminds the management of the urgency of the situation. Giving a price reduction to HMC is an exercise in fire fighting; BD must strategize its options to stay ahead of the competition. BD has correctly identified the path - multidivisional marketing. However, BD needs to retain HMC in its customer portfolio. BD must prepare an overall plan based on its range of products and advantages accruing from multi-division marketing where HMC has to be demonstrated the advantages of buying BD products. Given HMC's financial position the advantage has to be measurable in money terms and must be shown to be much more than the 15% discount offered by Terumo. Expertise for making such a presentation exists in the company and 10 days is adequate. Question 3 A tremendous marketing opportunity presents itself to BD. It can use this chance to improve its market share and profitability.

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 175

Essay Example It is important for a company to line up its information technology system with this software application because it offers a platform for business incorporation. This can be effective if a company adopts a good strategy that can absorb both the existing and new elements. Adopting in this context means that a company has to change its traditional mode of doing business by introducing new practices. These practices include employing competent human resource and establishing principles that can be used to manage it. As a result, Service-Oriented Architecture acts as a joining tool for a business because of its ability to unify and streamline information technology processes. Service-Oriented Architecture works when structures in use are in smaller bits rather than a whole. Therefore, for it to work effectively, it has a set of unified services which require support from the web service. These services for a company can be based on data communication which must coordinate with different activities that ensure sufficient exchange of information. Therefore, there are certain benefits that a company can get when it puts this application in use. These benefits include the following. First, SOA software can be used again and again if an individual is not able to acquire another one because of the objects that make it up. One thing that the management of a company has to be keen with is the connection between the objects of this software while making these changes. And secondly, it is easy for a company to put into practice this software application within a specified period of time because it allows the management team to meet its goals. Contrary to the benefits above, this software also has its own limitation. One advantage of using this software is that it depends on goals that a company wants to achieve. Therefore, a company can invest in it as an independent vendor because it can deliver

IT and Strategic Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT and Strategic Systems - Research Paper Example Currently, competitive advantages mainly originate from technological enhancements as well as innovation regarding business models and processes. This makes support activities like information systems along with research and development the most important sources of advantage in terms of differentiation. Additionally, primary activities are mainly the sources of cost advantage making the costs easily identifiable for every activity and thus properly managed (Harvard Business Publishing, 2008). The main aim of value chain activities is offering the customers value that will surpass the costs of the activities so that it can lead to profit margins. The primary activities associated with the value chain include inbound logistics that involves receiving and warehousing materials that will be used for production as well as distributing them to the manufacturing department when they are needed. Other activities are operations, which entail the process of transformation of inputs into finished commodities, and outbound logistics that involves storing the finished goods in warehouses and distributing them when needed. Marketing and sales, involving identifying the needs of the customers and generating sales as well as service that supports customers after they have bought the commodities are also activities that are associated with the value chain. These activities are supported by among other things technological development, which comes up with various technologies that support the activities of creating value (Netmba.com, 2010). Porter’s five forces assume five significant forces that define the level of competition in a business environment including supply power that evaluates the ease with which suppliers can increase prices depending on the number of suppliers on every key input, how unique the commodity is and the costs associated with

Cultural Issues Faced by Operation Managers in Global Environment Essay

Cultural Issues Faced by Operation Managers in Global Environment - Essay Example Operation management can be defined as the structure, operation and systems improvement that establish and deliver the major products and services of an organization. Global operation managers face several ethical problems in organizations. For an example, ethical issues related to workplace diversity can create huge problem for the operation managers in global business environment (Miller 741). These workplace diversity issues can create huge tension in the workplace. This can ultimately affect the business productivity of an organization. If an organization tries to transform from a homogeneous organizational culture to diverse workplace culture then the old or senior employees of the organization can oppose this process. It can affect the workplace environment. Therefore, it is important for the operation managers to set team goals and values before implementing this workplace diversification process. It is true that several global organizations are suffering from critical ethical issues. These issues are affecting the business process of an organization. Increasing green house gas emission and lack of sustainable business practices are creating huge challenge for the organizations. The governments are trying to implement several environmental ethical codes for the organizations to reduce the emission of deadly green house gases. On the other hand, the organizations are trying to avoid these policies in order to maximize business profits.

Industrial Relations Negotiations and Commercial Negotiations Research Paper

Industrial Relations Negotiations and Commercial Negotiations - Research Paper Example A negotiation process cannot be successful if both parties only look after their own benefits and do not come towards a win-win situation in which both the parties benefit from the negotiation process. Negotiation, in general, is of two types that are industrial negotiation and commercial negotiation. These two types of negotiation are different from each other in terms of their focus and the parties to the negotiation. Negotiation as a process also differs in different cultures. In the course of this essay first negotiation as a concept is defined and then the process involved in negotiation are taken into account. After this part differences of the negotiation in two types of a setting are discussed. In the end, the effect of culture and other elements that are specific to countries on the negotiation process is discussed. The effect of culture on negotiation is important to note in view of the concept that when people of different cultures sit to negotiation this is the most impor tant factor that has to be taken into consideration. According to the authors, Frow, Marginson and Ogden negotiation means discussion or agreements between two parties for making an acceptable and joint decision. Sometimes in this process, legal documents and rules are involved. In this process, people settle their differences. The authors say that the interests of parties are solved by making effective negotiation. The conflict also arises in the process of negotiating any matter. Two main elements are involved in the negotiation. One is constructive compromise and another one is purposeful persuasion. The main purpose of negotiation is to make an agreement by solving debates. Various factors of the parties are taken into consideration for establishing an agreement. Effective negotiation provides several advantages to all the parties involved in the process. As per these authors by discussing and solving different issues, best possible

Strategic Management of Toyota Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Management of Toyota - Case Study Example The information for this paper will be retrieved from internet databases, online libraries, newspapers, journals, and books. This will ensure that the information is succinct and relates to the strategies of Toyota and all the aspects of strategic management that are in the firm. The key concerns will be the environmental scanning, strategy formulation, levels of strategies, the production levels strategy and the latest developments in strategic management. Environmental scanning is one of the most significant components of the strategic plan of any company. This is because a business does not exist in a vacuum and will often suffer from the effects of its environment. A company like Toyota has set shop in parts of the world and continues with its strategy of expanding so as to provide the whole world with the safest and most responsible means of transport. For this company environmental scanning is one of the most significant environmental global analysis. It involves activities in environmental monitoring, forecast, and assessment. The global environment includes that macro environment, which is made up of industries, markets, companies, clients and competitors. There is also the micro level's environment, which is made up of customers, suppliers, and competitors. In the environmental scanning, the firm mainly concentrates on the macro environment as the microenvironment is best dealt with at the industry or business level analysis. Environmental scanning refers to the study and interpretation of the political, economic, social, technological developments, legal issues and other tends in the business world that are likely to affect the company’s operations. The primary factors, which the firm needs to consider in the environmental scanning are events, expectations, and trends of the different groups that have an interest in the firm’s operations. These issues are mostly the forerunners in a company’s trend break. A trend break, in this ca se, refers to a shift in the value people lay on the business or technological innovation that paradigms a change. A firm like Toyota needs to constantly analyze its business environment so as to keep up with the trends and changes in the market. Trends seem to reoccur and change often, whereas issues in the business environment may either be temporary or permanent (Freeman 2010). The execution of s strategy in any organization goes through three phases, these are diagnosis, formulation and implementation stages. For Toyota strategic management is a continuous process to develop and revise the future-based strategies that allow the organization to continue being in the lead in the car production industry in the world for many years to come. The strategy allows the firm to achieve both its short term and long term objectives.

Cultural Issues Faced by Operation Managers in Global Environment Essay

Cultural Issues Faced by Operation Managers in Global Environment - Essay Example Operation management can be defined as the structure, operation and systems improvement that establish and deliver the major products and services of an organization. Global operation managers face several ethical problems in organizations. For an example, ethical issues related to workplace diversity can create huge problem for the operation managers in global business environment (Miller 741). These workplace diversity issues can create huge tension in the workplace. This can ultimately affect the business productivity of an organization. If an organization tries to transform from a homogeneous organizational culture to diverse workplace culture then the old or senior employees of the organization can oppose this process. It can affect the workplace environment. Therefore, it is important for the operation managers to set team goals and values before implementing this workplace diversification process. It is true that several global organizations are suffering from critical ethical issues. These issues are affecting the business process of an organization. Increasing green house gas emission and lack of sustainable business practices are creating huge challenge for the organizations. The governments are trying to implement several environmental ethical codes for the organizations to reduce the emission of deadly green house gases. On the other hand, the organizations are trying to avoid these policies in order to maximize business profits.

Strategic Management of Toyota Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic Management of Toyota - Case Study Example The information for this paper will be retrieved from internet databases, online libraries, newspapers, journals, and books. This will ensure that the information is succinct and relates to the strategies of Toyota and all the aspects of strategic management that are in the firm. The key concerns will be the environmental scanning, strategy formulation, levels of strategies, the production levels strategy and the latest developments in strategic management. Environmental scanning is one of the most significant components of the strategic plan of any company. This is because a business does not exist in a vacuum and will often suffer from the effects of its environment. A company like Toyota has set shop in parts of the world and continues with its strategy of expanding so as to provide the whole world with the safest and most responsible means of transport. For this company environmental scanning is one of the most significant environmental global analysis. It involves activities in environmental monitoring, forecast, and assessment. The global environment includes that macro environment, which is made up of industries, markets, companies, clients and competitors. There is also the micro level's environment, which is made up of customers, suppliers, and competitors. In the environmental scanning, the firm mainly concentrates on the macro environment as the microenvironment is best dealt with at the industry or business level analysis. Environmental scanning refers to the study and interpretation of the political, economic, social, technological developments, legal issues and other tends in the business world that are likely to affect the company’s operations. The primary factors, which the firm needs to consider in the environmental scanning are events, expectations, and trends of the different groups that have an interest in the firm’s operations. These issues are mostly the forerunners in a company’s trend break. A trend break, in this ca se, refers to a shift in the value people lay on the business or technological innovation that paradigms a change. A firm like Toyota needs to constantly analyze its business environment so as to keep up with the trends and changes in the market. Trends seem to reoccur and change often, whereas issues in the business environment may either be temporary or permanent (Freeman 2010). The execution of s strategy in any organization goes through three phases, these are diagnosis, formulation and implementation stages. For Toyota strategic management is a continuous process to develop and revise the future-based strategies that allow the organization to continue being in the lead in the car production industry in the world for many years to come. The strategy allows the firm to achieve both its short term and long term objectives.

Different illicit drugs Essay Example for Free

Different illicit drugs Essay Janis Joplin’s experimentation with several different illicit drugs led to her overdose of heroin at the age of 27. Joplin began her fascination with the drug culture as part of the beatnik generation in coffee houses and bars across her home state of Texas and in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Joplin developed a love of speed and alcohol that rivaled man of hermale counterparts of the day (Rock n’ Roll Heaven, 2007). She had a heroin habit that she indulged in for years, but kicked until she began working on her final album â€Å"Pearl†. During the making of the album, Joplin began using heroin again. Friends and family members report that Joplin was always careful with her heroin usage. â€Å"She made every attempt to be cautious when using and made sure to buy from only one dealer who always had his stuff checked by a chemist. It turns out that the bag Janis bought that Saturday, October 3rd afternoon was not checked by the dealers chemist who was out of town at the time. The heroin was 50 percent pure and would prove to be a fatal mistake. (Rock n’ Roll Heaven, 2007). Official investigations into her death tried to blame on everything from a CIA conspiracy to silence the voice of her generation to an intentional suicide, but the coroner ruled that her death came as a result of heroin overdose complicated with alcohol use. Her death was a seriously tragic error. The dealer gave her heroin that was simply too good. Joplin’s alcohol use was legendary. She was rarely seen without a bottle of Southern Comfort and she appeared on national television drunk in 1970 not long before her death. Appearing on the Dick Cavett show, Joplin was so drunk she was slurring her words when she said she would be going to her 10 year high school reunion to face her demons and those who tormented her in high school. â€Å", They laughed me out of class, out of town and out of state; so Im going back. This was in response to her return home to attend her 10 year high school reunion, her first visit back to Texas since rock and roll stardom had struck. This would be the last time Janis would see her family. † (Rock n’ Roll Heaven 2007). Even before she achieved fame, Joplin was well-known as an alcoholic. Once she achieved fame, her drug use was just as well known. Joplin’s choices of drugs were influenced by her upbringing and her generation. Psycotropic drugs and mind-expanding substances were everywhere in the rock scene in the 1960s and Janis Joplin made a meteoric rise to the top of that scene. After being an outcast in high school, Joplin wanted desparately to fit in and would do whatever it took to get there. Unfortunately, according to the biography written by Laura Joplin, Janis found too quickly that it was lonely at the top and turned to heroin and alcohol as a cure. Joplin discovered the hard way what too many other celebrities have also found out: drug use is no substitute for good mental health. Joplin’s choice of drugs is especially damning considering what she was trying to escape. Alcohol, though a disinhibitor, is also a depressant and the long-term effects of heroin include depression as well. In short, she was trying to fight off the loneliness and depression of her situation by adding more depressants. Heroin, at least short term, may have made the loneliness appear less stressful. The short-term effects of heroin is an immediate rush of energy caused by the release of endorphins and then depressed respiration and the desire to sleep for several hours. In her already depressed state, and with the alcohol effects in place, Joplin regularly used the drugs as a way to â€Å"rest† between recording sessions. The problem was that on the night of her death, both the alcohol and heroin lowered her body’s metabolism and it fell so low that the body could not recover. Joplin’s pattern of substance abuse began when she left high school and began performing in coffeehouses, bars and anywhere else that would let her sing. She had been an outcast in her high school and looked for a way to fit in with the cool crowd of musicians and those who loved them. She found her answer in drugs. In the 1960s, the drug culture was so prevalent that almost everyone literally was doing it and Joplin found her niche right away. She began with alcohol, a reasonably well accepted drug of choice and then moved on to stronger drugs as she gained more fame. Joplin’s primary drug of choice, besides Southern Comfort, was speed. Like heroin, speed provides an immediate â€Å"rush† for the user and can act as a mood enhancer, making people who are lonely or depressed feel better about their situation. It is likely that Janis Joplin used it for this reason and because users report feeling more creative while using speed. This effect is a result of the hyperactivity of the nervous system and people who are taking speed often appear twitch or jumpy. There are no known indications that it does make a person more creative, but that was the message of the drug culture at that time. The curious question about Janis Joplin is whether her substance abuse began before her music career or after it. Though the legend of Janis Joplin as a hard-living rock star would indicate that she began indulging in drugs after becoming famous, her life would tend to indicate either that she had substance abuse problems dating back to high school or that she had other emotional and psychological factors present in her pre-fame life which mimicked the social repercussions of substance abuse. Prior to leaving high school, Joplin was an outcast, unable to fit in socially with her peers. She reportedly had behaviorial issues and was eventually kicked out of school for those problems. These issues may have been related to her role as a political activist in the turbulent times of the early 1960s, including her activism on behalf of African American rights in Texas. However, these issues are also consistent with alcohol abuse and other substance abuse. It is completely within reason to believe that Joplin may have developed her dependence on alcohol at a much earlier age than previously acknowledged and began supplementing that addiction with harder, illegal drugs as she gained fame. Unfortunately, most biographies of the rock superstar are written by friends, family or adoring fans and no one appears to have any desire to make the rock star culpable for any of her own behaviors. Instead, her drug use and sexual excess is put down to the era and the need for self-expression. The saddest realization is that in reality the use of drugs and alcohol probably stunted Joplin’s creativity and most definitely shortened her lifespan.

Board Committee Organization Structure Of Starbucks Marketing Essay

Board Committee Organization Structure Of Starbucks Marketing Essay In 1971, four people fill with passion of coffee open their first coffee retail store-Starbucks in Seattle, Washington. By 1981, the company had 4 retail stores, which were sale whole bean coffee. Howard Schultz, who is the chairman and CEO of Starbucks, was hired and join the marketing team in 1982. At that time, Schultz wanted to create an idea that Starbucks become Americans third place to go, which is a place people can enjoy, relax themselves and not far away from work or home. Hence, Schultz suggested company set up an espresso bar in the retail, hence, the idea was allow to test in the sixth store in 1983. From then on, the development of company increased significantly. Few years later, Schultz bought Starbuck. After Schultz took over the company, Starbucks turn into high-speed expansion stage. By 1992, Starbucks already had 140 stores, which serviced coffee, beverage, cake and some stores even sold jazz CDs (Tuck business school, 2002). Now, Starbucks is worldwide company wi th 17,800 stores in 49 countries including more than 10000 stores in US, 1000 in Canada and 800 in UK (google map, 2010) Methods Data collection methods Methodology As members of Group 8 (ASB 4431 Organisations People Assignment Groups 2010-11) perusing a Masters degree in Bangor University, have done a report on Starbucks critically evaluating the organisations structure, strategy, culture, and management/leadership style. Data collection method The research strategy that the study utilized is the explanatory or Analytical research approach. As this study is based on our analysis of Starbucks, structure, culture, leadership and other issues would be explored; questions will need answering thereby a need to understand the phenomena. The use of a Qualitative data analysis will be employed since the data we use will all be non-numeric data. Saunders et al, (2009) Source of data Secondary data was obtained from already existing data mainly from Starbucks website, other Internet sources, journals and textbooks. Issues and challenges There are three issues considered in this report, first is the resource constrains, most of the articles we found are all available online, however not all of them are free to assess, especially for those authoritative articles that always need to pay to assess, for example, the book named Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, which written by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is a good reference for our report, however, we can not assess it without buying it. Second issues is the lack of critical review for Starbucks, most paper we found was regard Starbucks as the positive example in explaining organisational behaviour, there is no doubt that Starbucks doing a great job in rewarding their employees, however it brings challenges to be critical in our report. The final issues is the ethical and legal issues, as all the article we found can published publicly, and we all using appropriate reference, as a result, there is no ethical and legal issues to co nsider for our report. Analysis In this study, qualitative data analysis has been conducted to evaluate the organisational feature of Starbucks Corporation rather than using quantitative analysis such as statistical analysis.   In order to gather the data, remote data collection, such as Internet search and literature review about has been mainly conducted.   The purpose of this study is to critically evaluate the organisation structure, strategy, culture and management or leadership applications of Starbucks Corporation, therefore all information are gathered by internet search and literature review.   In order to analyse gathered data to evaluate feature of Starbucks Corporation, observed data analysis method has been practiced.   Comprehensive search for several facts related to structure, strategy, culture and management/leadership applications of Starbucks, has been executed by using Internet search and literature review.   Afterwards, critical evaluation has been conducted to link all information or ganically.   Finally, all analysis results were integrated and final conclusion has been created. Results Overview of corporate strategy business goals Mission statement A mission statement is a brief description of an organisations fundamental purpose, which is steered in outlining the existence of the organisation; this is to enable members of the organisation to be aware of the companys purpose as well as the general public. (David, 2009) A mission statement should be a short and brief declaration of goals and objectives. The primary goal of any business is to maximize stakeholder worth, which includes shareholders of the business, business employees and clients or customers who purchase business goods and services. (David, 2009; Abell, 1980) Diverse works have outlined what should be covered in a mission statement (Abell, 1980; Pearce and David, 1987). It is not the content of the mission statement that really matters but rather the process used to prepare the document and the principles employed to fulfil the prepared document (Mullane, 2002). In the mission statement of Starbucks which talks about inspiring and nurturing the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighbourhood with principles to live out every day as an organisation to fulfil their mission statement. The principles below are what Starbucks employ in achieving their mission statement; Our Coffee; It has always been, and will always be, about quality. Were passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done. Our Partners; Were called partners, because its not just a job, its our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard. Our Customers; When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. Its really about human connection. Our Stores; When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. Its about enjoyment at the speed of life sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity. Our Neighbourhood; Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbours seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility and our potential for good is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead. Our Shareholders; We know that as we deliver in each of these areas, we enjoy the kind of success that rewards our shareholders. We are fully accountable to get each of these elements right so that Starbucks and everyone it touches can endure and thrive. Environmental Mission Statement; Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of our business Our Starbucks Mission Statement; Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. (Starbucks: Our Mission Statements) Business strategy To understand and analyse corporate strategy and business goal of Starbucks, we firstly need to have a clue of what corporate strategy is. By Johnson and Scholes, corporate strategy is defined as: Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. In the case of Starbucks, the organization is employing Porters Differentiation Focus Strategy. This strategy provides a product or service to a specific market niche and differentiates from competition in specific areas. (Rebecca Larson, 2009) Starbucks does not exist as a low-cost company to the competitors. It focuses on the specialized selections, provides specially tailored lines of coffee and tea related products for a premium price. Starbucks does not promote itself by using traditional means; they generally concentrate on high-level marketing and branding by word-of-mouth, as well as alliances and partnerships. They try not to promote the company, however automatically they are promoted by providing customer support and also their excellent works in which up to now has becoming a successful strategy. By the companys hard work, focusing on details and ethical decision-making, customers have experienced a wonderful service, as a result, the company gradually built up its reputation and becoming one of the most valuable global brands.(Theodore,2002,p.62) It is incredible that Starbuckss achievement with very few commercials, ads or any other kind of marketing means. Starbucks could not become a coffee-related products giant retailer and remain long-term success only by selling coffee on its own. One important part of the companys strategy is strategic alliances, which could also be called joint venture approach. This strategy leads the globalization of the company with higher recognition and reputation of the brand also exposing the brand to other potential customers. The variety of companys products is relatively being expanded demographically and geographically. For example, in order to advance social and economic equality, the company allied with NAACP, the company donated and together with NAACP organized events for social equality has becoming a great success. It showed that Starbucks is no longer a simple business organization, it also exists as a charity and that brings the company higher reputation. They also partnered with Barnes and Noble bookstores to be the in-house coffee shop in 1993, (Isidro, 2004) co-produce coffee-related drinks such as Starbucks Frappuccino with PepsiCo from 1996, formed alliances with ice-cream manufactures and hotel chains to offer Starbucks brand and flavored ice-creams and Starbucks coffees within the hotels (Rebecca Larson, 2009). Explanation of organisational structure Board Committee organization structure of Starbucks The structure of Starbucks Company is shown in Figure 1.   As mentioned by Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Annual Report (2009), as group member of the Board of Directors, Howard Schultz was appointed to Companys chairman and chief executive. Barbara Bass, William W. Bradley, Mellody Hobson, Olden Lee, James G. Shennan, Javier G. Teruel, Myron E. Ullman and Graig E. Weatherup were appointed to director individually. Kevin R. Johnson and Sheryl Sandberg were appointed to Chief Operating Officer individually. Additional, Starbuck Corporation consisted of 38 members of Senior Officers. Board Committees are composed of Audit and Compliance Committee, Corporation Compensation and Management Development Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Composition Job Design Board of Director The Board of Director inclusive twelve members, independence of each member are requested to meet of the NASDAQ Stock Market efficiently. When Board getting direction about recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the Board of Directors will appoint a new member in case of there is a vacancy occupation occur on the Board. The Board of Directors of Starbucks Company are responsible for monitoring company powers and ensuring that the company business meet goals which is requested by shareholders. The Board have responsibility to select nominees for the Board of Directors who have appropriate qualifications and diversity of backgrounds experiences. And also, it is in charge of appointing chief operating officer.   (Starbucks Corporation Fiscal Annual Report, 2009) Composition Job Design Audit and Compliance Committee The Audit and Compliance Committee are in charge of financial reporting and internal, external audit processes. The Committee assists the Board of Director reviewing financial issue. The Committee was appointed from the Board of Directors. The Committee have three members at least and all of them shall match The NASDAQ Stock Market requirements independence. The Committee be recommended by the Corporate Governance Committee, and finally appointed by the Board of Director. The Committee has authority to investigate any financial activity and free access to members of management. It is retain independent legal counsel. All employees have responsibility to assisting members of the Committee investigation (Starbucks Corporation Audit And Compliance Committee Charter, 2010) Composition Job Design Corporation Compensation and Management Development Committee The Compensation and Management Development Committee has responsible for working with management to establish appropriate compensation practices for the Company. There are deciding the benefits and compensations for senior officers of the Company. The Committee consists of three members at lease, which one member be required come from Board of Director. The members of Committee will be pointed from Board as well. The Committee conducts an annual review of companys compensation for Senior Officer instead of president and chairman. Together with the Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee, the Chair of the Committee shall annually review the performance of the president and chief operating officer and meet with them to share the findings of such review when after discussing with the member of independent directors of the Board (Starbucks Corporation Compensation and Management Development Committee Charter, 2010). Composition Job Design Corporation Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee The Corporate Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for developing and implementing policies and procedures of the Board of Directors. They are intended to constitute and organize appropriately to meet its obligations to Starbucks Company and its shareholders. The Committee will be comprised of at least three members, all of whom have to meet the independence requirements of the NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC as well as. Under Board of Directors direction, members of the Committee and a Chair of the Committee shall be appointed. The Board of Directors shall appoint a new member or members, which is a vacancy on the Committee. The Committee have professional capability to assist Board identifying candidates personality. Reviewing the Companys Corporate Governance Principles and Practices annually according to changing shareholders interests and suggesting appropriate modifications to the Board of Directors. And evaluate the overall effectiveness of the organization of the Board Committees performance. Evaluation of the organisation structure of Starbucks According to SeaZone (2009), organisation structure of Starbucks Company is Matrix structure.  Ã‚  This is one type of organisation structures that is presented by Gareth Morgan.   The organisation structure is quite important to manage organisation, it plays important role for organisations activities.  Ã‚  Moreover, the organisation structure is related to its business purpose and aims. (Mullins, 2005)   Matrix structure is the organisation structure that has both of vertical structure and strong horizontal structure.   It requires employees to have two reporting relationships concurrently.  Ã‚  In this structure, employees work in provisional group constituted by employees from different function.  Ã‚  There are two lines of authority in this structure and employees have two bosses in their team namely boss for their project and boss for their function. (Mullins, 2005) Specific future of matrix structure Matrix structure provides organisation flexibility, and contributes to keep security and control of project information.  Ã‚  Moreover, organisation can have a possibility to develop stuff well.  Ã‚  (Mullins, 2005)  Ã‚  However, there are some disadvantages of matrix structure.  Ã‚  At first, there is limitation of number of employees who report to the project manager directly, because most of all stuffs are assigned from department managers.  Ã‚  This situation may lead uncertainty in organisation and employees may be unwilling to accept that their situation is changed constantly and willing that they establish in their functional group.  Ã‚  Next, matrix structure has a possibility that organisation make more complex.  Ã‚  Thirdly, extension of the authority of manager to the stuff coming from other sections can be a course of problem in organisation.  Ã‚  Finally, it is expected that functional group may not attention to their normal tasks and role.  (Mullins, 2 005)   What is required in matrix structure? Matrix structure strongly deeply rely on teamwork spirits, it demand culture of co-operation.  Ã‚  In this structure, managers are required high level of behavioural and management ability and organisation needs culture of collaboration.  Ã‚  It is necessary to educate employees to support other stuffs and to create the teamwork spirits.  Ã‚  Moreover, stuffs must have a special competence to solve the conflict in their team in the matrix-structured organisation.  Ã‚   How organisation structure works in Starbucks There are some disadvantages in matrix structure as mentioned before, however, Starbucks, especially Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Company, may have understood these problems.   Therefore he gave special statement to employees when he expanded Starbucks structure to reinforce their internal and external communication in 2008.  Ã‚  He has explained the difficulties of doing business in situation in those days and strongly suggested change of not only structure but also employees in order to enhancing the customer experience.  Ã‚  In that message, he also stated that structure of Starbucks Company faced the revolutionary  change, however it was necessary to improve customers and stuffs experiences and recapture the vigour and benefits in the company.  Ã‚  As he explained in that message, he recognised or realised that this structural modification was hard for some stuffs owing to increase and complex of their tasks, however he also described that he made this decision unde rstanding these kinds of issues.  Ã‚  He explained that he had decided this numerous change of structure with speculation and he respected for stuffs concerned.   (Starbucks, 2008) Analysis of organisational culture With the development of economy, the competitions between companies not only aim at the product they offered but also their internal organisation culture. Deal and Kennedy researched organization culture for 15 years and they found that organisation with weak culture always beaten by organisation with strong culture (1999). Edgar Schein who is generally consider the father of organization culture defined that organization is a pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problem (1985). Organization cultures pay attentions to individuals in a organization that it establish an appropriate platform make individual join in the organization quickly and help people work together toward the same organizati on goals. In addition, organization culture help employee improve their personal ability and knowledge to maximum. In the meantime, organisation culture forms the external performance and reputation, which are important to decision making during purchasing Starbucks is one of the successful chain coffee stores. It is because it has a unique organisation culture. In order to understand internal culture in Starbucks, we will use the Great Holsfedes cultural framework. Holsfedes used different five aspects to evaluate culture, which are power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation (Holsfedes, 1991). . Base on this model, it can reveal that Starbucks have long power distance, because every employee in Starbucks have the same basic rights no special treatment. In addition, for the gander issue, Starbucks view all the employees the same regardless of their gender, thus, Starbucks has high masculinity and femininity. And it also has low uncertainty avoidance; due to it have a vast number of brunch stores abroad, Starbucks has to take huge risk for that. In terms of collectivistic, Starbucks belongs to high collectivistic, although it have branch store everywhere, but there is a core team to conduct the whole company. Starbuck still pay attention to environment and other charity event, so Starbucks is long term oriented. The strong power of Starbucks organisation culture appeals a great number of people, including both consumer and potential employee. Great quality of coffee and well service make Starbucks become a global company with hundreds of chain stores. Its organisation present a great service, consumer always be expected to be confronted with enthusiastic well trained employees with a great number of coffee knowledge and their service always base on consumers need. Starbuck also appeal people because of its values. As we talked above, Starbucks support many organisations in a long term, such as Conservation International, The Earthwatch Institute, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, the African Wildlife Foundation, and Planet Green. Starbucks convey a message that corporations need to concern about the society and environment around them. And then, Starbucks establish diversity internal working environment in order to satisfy the entire consumer. The strong organisational culture in Starbucks also embodied in the way they treat their employees. Starbucks hold a job fairs every year in different places, and there are also some guidelines for manager to interview the candidates and test whether they have full knowledge about the companys product, and who are adaptable, dependable and passionate in interacting with customers. Starbucks also need to deal with hundred of thousands of online applications using software developed by Taleo, this software help to screen out the candidates by answer the basic information and skills-based questions (Weber G. 2005). After recruiting people, Starbucks will also offer 24 hours of trainings to their employees, and learn how to use espresso machines, how to interact with the customers, the process and production of coffee beans. During the training, employees also need to understand the companys mission statement, and bring company culture to their customers (Cesario Minor, Jr. 2009), Starbu cks spends more on recruitment and development than on advertising which in 2004 is $68.3 million (Weber. G.2005), the mangers and assistance mangers also have trainings in computer, leadership and coffee knowledge. As Starbucks offers both product and services, people become an important factor in maintaining the quality, Starbucks treat their employees as partners by connecting their contribution to companys market value, and give the opportunity to share the success in the company, their employees are highly involved in companys activity by reporting their concerns to companys Mission review team, each employee will receive a comment card when they newly hired, and they can write down some suggestion, advice or disagreement in management decisions, the managers will response and sign for all the comment cards within two weeks, and their CEO Howard Schultz also review all the comments every month(Cesario Minor, Jr. 2009), the high involvement also increase the level of responsibil ity to the company. Starbucks also well known in retaining and rewarding their employees by good salary, stock options and health cares, according to Thompson Strickland (1999), the store employees were paid $6 to $8 per hour that is above the average minimum wages, their employees can also paying the initial years price and receiving the current years price by cashing in one-fifth of the shares granted each succeeding year. Part-time staffs is the major workforce in Starbucks, and they receive the same health insurance as full-time employees, the insurance including preventive care, crisis counselling, dental care, eye care, mental health care and treatment for chemical dependency. Howard Schultz also been invited to white house and meet with president Clinton to brief the Starbucks health care programme in 1994. Starbucks have a relative low turnover rage compare with the other companies, the turnover rage for Starbucks was about 65% compare with 150% to 400% for other retailers and fast-food chains, and the turnover rate for store manager was much lower, which is 25% compared with 50% in other retailers. Starbuckss organisation culture, especially the strong spiritual culture appealing lots potential employees, employees not only attracted by the salary, stock plans and health care, they would like to work for Starbucks because the trust, power and autonomy given by the organisation, Starbucks promotion for fair trade and environmental contributions also bring positive image and reputations. Critical evaluation of Management Leadership practices CE for business goal CE for organisational structure Critical evaluation of Management and Leadership practices As we have described previously, the organisation structure of Starbucks is the matrix structure. This structure influence management style and leadership style, too. The matrix structure strongly relies on the teamwork and relationship between employees and managerial stuffs. In the matrix structure, a line of command and report is complicating and the line is changed frequently. Therefore, employees are required more complex work rather than in other organisation structures. Moreover, organisation must provide employees good education system to create teamwork spirits in organisation. Additionally, in order to lead employees in the matrix structure, strong leadership and well-organised management style is necessary. (Mullins, 2005) It would appear that Starbucks Company might be able to overcome with these problems coming from disadvantage of the matrix structure and achieve to create good working relationship atmosphere. Therefore, they have been awarded a prize of 100 Best Compan ies to Work For by Fortune during 1998 to 2009, except 2001. (Starbucks 2010) CE for organisational culture There are two critical issues to discuss in Starbucks culture, firstly, David A. Pace, who has been an Executive Vice President of Partner Resources of Starbucks Corporation since 2002 said that, even company were to hit hard times, the strategy of above-average investment in training and rewarding employees isnt going to change (Weber G. 2005). Starbucks now is an successful company, and Paces announcement really help to build a good reputation on taking social responsibilities, however, once the company suffer from the crisis, can they still keep the promise, if they can, it helps to gain more support from their employee, but if they cant, the employees will feel disappoint and may break down the reputation. Secondly according to Weber G. (2005), Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks on October told Business week Online that, for the following two years, Starbucks would spend more on employee health care costs than it does on coffee. What Schulze said may have both impacts on their employees and customers. For their employees, they will feel appreciate and proud to work for Starbucks, and it may also attract more people desired to work for Starbucks. For Starbucks customers, some may feel Starbucks is a responsible and ethical company and feel comfortable to buy coffee from Starbucks. However, spending less on coffee may misleading other customers that the company will pay more attention on employee health care rather than coffee, customers may feels they are not regarded. Conclusions recommendations Conclusion Business goal Organisational structure As previously mentioned, Starbucks adopts matrix structure for their organisation structure. (SeaZone, 2009)    Matrix structure has a complex aspect owning to the characteristics of that structure, namely it has both of vertical structure and strong horizontal structure.   Matrix structure provides organisation flexibility, and contributes to keep security and control of project information.   Moreover, organisation can have a possibility to develop stuff well. (Mullins, 2005)   On the other hand, matrix structure has disadvantages, for example, it has limitation of number of employee who report to the project manager directly, moreover, matrix structure has a possibility that organisation make more complex. (Mullins, 2005)   However, Starbucks seems to have good relationship and well-organised education system for managerial stuffs to overcome with these disadvantage and they seems to convert these disadvantages to advantages of matrix structure.   Moreover, Howard Schu ltz, CEO of Starbucks, has strong leadership and he is trying to encourage stuffs in order to achieve their business well. (Starbucks, 2008)   In reality, the fact that Starbucks have been awarded a prize of 100 Best Companies to Work For by Fortune during 1998 to 2009, except 2001 gives evidence that many stuffs who are working for Starbucks satisfy to work in this circumstances. (Starbucks 2010) Organisational culture To conclusion, the Comprehensive and thoughtful organisation culture is Starbucks core competitive strategy, which is not only appeal potential employees but also the customers. Almost all the customers satisfied Starbucks services because they are treated very well. At the same time, they are faced with passionate employees and high quality coffee. For employees, they have well trained before they participate in the work formally, which allow them to introduce customer professionally. In addition, employees are satisfied with the wage and even part-time employees have the insurance as well. Feedback makes Starbucks culture special then their company. Their employees have the rights to write down their disagreement or suggestion to company. Recommendations Business goal Organisational structure(included in conclusion) Organisational culture As we know, Starbucks turnover rate is low, because their rewarding system attracts a great number of employees. We recommend company could change its rewarding system to performance base system, which means employees rewarding base on their personal working performance (e.g. set up best employee of the month/year). In terms of health care of employees in Starbucks, it is excellent to treat their employees in such a good way. However, consumers need an image that Starbucks devote itself to improve the quality of coffee and develop the environment in stores. Hence, we recommend Starbucks could increase spending on retail store decoration and offering more kinds of food.