Strategic Management Business Case Study for Insight Magazine

{draw:frame} {draw:g} {draw:g} INSIGHT’s MISSION, VISION & PHILOSOPHY {draw:text-box} Insight is a local social magazine founded to satisfy different appeals in the Egyptian society. It are committed to face our challenges by embracing and creating change, through innovative solutions to extend the overall content distribution and marketing model to include websites, digital magazines, virtual events, and other new technologies to establish positive relations and credibility between the magazine and its readers. It is committed to providing an informal yet professional working environment that encourages and rewards creativity, teamwork and enthusiasm. Insight’s operation is environmentally friendly. {draw:text-box} ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING When setting the mission, Insight had to first understand the â€Å"big picture† of the environment, in which it is operating, and the opportunities and threats that lie within. Such understanding of the surrounding environment will enable us to take advantage of the opportunities that will come in our ways and minimize the threats that will face us along the way The Big Picture (PEST ANALYSIS) PEST Analysis helps understanding the â€Å"big picture† of the Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural and Technological environment, it ensures that what we are aiming for in our mission is aligned positively with the powerful forces of change that are affecting the press media. Political factor: Understanding the political environment in Egypt is almost the most important step in the scanning phase, the freedom of press in Egypt is not â€Å"as free† as it may seem because of the following: The political environment might not be stable within the next five years due to the presidential election which may negatively influence the market. Egypt's state security investigation apparatus empowered to interfere in almost every area of public life under the state of emergency in force for the last 28 years which forms a barrier for writers to speak up their minds freely. On the other hand, there are some positive changes in the political environment such as the reform program that is a work in progress. Egypt has made substantial progress in developing its legal, tax and investment infrastructure, over the past five years; Egypt has passed, amended and admitted over 15 legislative pieces one of which was the reform of the country's presidential election law, paving the way for multi-candidate polls in the upcoming presidential elections. Economical factor: The financial crisis and the recession which has recently struck the world all over definitely had an impact on the Egyptian job market in many versatile ways such as: The downfall of the western economy forced the expatriates working abroad consider twice before asking for a high salary, this made the hiring of foreign calibers easier and resulted in the layoffs of many local employees and the increase of unemployment and job market instability. Unemployment in the Egyptian society has aggressively increased during the last five years affecting indirectly the press industry. Many organizations started to adopt the policy of cost cutting and benefit minimization; this as well had the same effect as the precedent point resulting in unemployment and instability. The worsening state of the global economy makes 2009 a â€Å"horror show† for advertising-dependent newspaper and television companies, with some analysts predicting that businesses may have to wait until 2011 to see positive ad growth. It must be noted as well that the Egyptian economy has been gaining, thanks to the wide-ranging amendments & reforms that the country began implementing in 2004 and due to such amendments and administration of many legislative pieces the economy is expected to grow by about 4% to 6% in 2009/2010. Technological Factor: We are living the technology era, every day, a new invention, revolution or innovation strikes the market in every business, if Insight is not open to apply new operational strategies that can help to address the effects of both technological streamlining and better developing meaningful ways of generating an exchange of ideas, it won’t last before its competitors, with a daily increasing pace in the world of technology. The rise of online media presents another challenge: reliability. The internet has become the fastest and easiest way for the readers to get the type of info they claim, low-priced and as diverse as they want, and this rise is obliging the media world to give attention to online advertisement as much as or even at a higher interest that normal printed magazines. Socio-cultural Factor: A cultural change has came into the surface, with he increase of the coffee shops outings, the topics that were point of interest to readers have been changed , Insight carried out new researches to cover a broad range of topics to attract readers. Over the last 5 years, the interest in football, politics and religion ruled over many areas in life, Insight being a social lifestyle magazine it has to cope with the new interests in our society. Given that English is the language of the magazine in an Arabic speaking country; this has enlarged the difficulty of the magazine’s distribution in the Egy ptian market. Environmental Factor: Global warming that became perhaps the most complicated issue facing the world of magazine production after study showed that the carbon dioxide emissions caused by the production and distribution of one copy of an average sized 0. 39 pound magazine total about 0. 95 kilograms including paper from trees, materials, production, shipping and customer use; henceforth, the loss of natural habitat potential from the 0. 39 pound magazine is estimated to be 0. 3 square meters. This has led to a huge increase in the prices of the papers which is the most important element of the magazines industry. {draw:frame} The Small Details (SWOT ANALYSIS) SWOT Analysis is a simple but powerful framework for analyzing the magazine’s Strengths and Weaknesses, and the Opportunities and Threats it faces. Thus, helping Insight to focus on its strengths, minimize threats, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available. Strengths: Insight magazine enjoys a very good image that has a business idea and credibility amongst its competitors. It has an extensive advertising and good promotions that withhold good value and quality. The magazine enjoys good cash flow through advertising which provides space for innovation and expansion. Most of Insight’s staff is between 20-25 years, at these young ages the ability to cope with new challenges of life is much more flexible than older generations and this provides the space to innovate & improve in many fields. Weakness: Any organization has its weaknesses; Insight suffers from the lack of a good distribution plan compared to its rivals. Another weakness facing Insight is the fact that the teams are self managed by junior staff which lack knowledge and experience leadership of its junior staff. Threats: Insight’s main threat is the strong competitors dominating the market and how quickly they can adapt to market changes. The inability to cope with new technologies may also lead to the magazine’s failure. Opportunities: Giving that Egypt is in a state of transition and economic growth, our good cash flow will enable us to seize any opportunity of hiring excellent calibers and adopting new technologies. {draw:frame} STRATEGY FORMULATION Strategy formulation is the process of determining appropriate courses of action for achieving the organizational objectives and thereby accomplishing organizational purpose. The strategies formulated should reflect environmental analysis previously discussed, lead to fulfillment of the mission, and result in reaching our organizational objectives. TOWS MATRIX The TOWS Matrix is a relatively simple tool for generating the strategic options, using it, will enable us to look intelligently at how Insight takes the best advantage of the opportunities open, at the same time that we minimize the impact of weaknesses and protect ourselves against threats. By analyzing the external environment (threats and opportunities), and the internal environment (weaknesses and strengths), we can use these techniques to think about our corporate, business & functional strategies. Corporate Strategy Corporate strategy is one, which decides what business the magazine should be in, and how the overall group of activities should be structured and managed, it is as well a description of the magazine's overall direction in terms of its general attitude toward growth, stability or Retrenchment and the management of its various businesses and product lines. Following the change of the external major forces as well as the declining performance of the distribution unit and the marketing department, the top management had to consider formulating an alternative strategy other than the previously followed growth strategy. A stability strategy is now the new corporate strategy followed by Insight, it is decision of doing nothing new in the worsening situation but instead to act as though Insight’s problems are only temporary, and it is an attempt to artificially support profits when sales are declining by reducing short term discretionary expenditures. Insight magazine is currently following the stability strategy as its corporate strategy knowing that it will be temporarily adopted until Insight settles its weakness in the marketing area and regains a significant position in the Egyptian market. Business Strategies In light of the ongoing economic crisis besetting the world, many business leaders had to consider just exactly how they are going to put together a winning business strategy to help overcome the hard times. Insight’s business strategy is a competitive one, it involves making the right choices in order to achieve cost leadership, differentiation and focus; this is achieved by invest our money and strategies in this area as well as coordinating properly Insight’s distinctive competencies in the provision of the service we provide. In order to sustain our competitive advantage, Insight has to determine the durability and imitability of its main distinctive resources which are the human and the financial resources. Business Model Insight serves English reading customers in Egypt by providing them with the latest lifestyle information; Insight’s Insight sustains a competitive advantage through recruitment through the strong cash flow from advertisements made by top class brands, young calibers who adapt easily with any changes in the external environment, thus allowing diversity in writing materials and articles. draw:frame} Functional Strategies Functional strategy is the approach taken by Insight’s functional departments to achieve corporate and business unit objectives and strategies by maximizing distribution. In each functional area, the manager is concerned with developing a distinctive competence to provide Insight with the competitive advantage that it aims to obtain. Marketing & Sales Strategies After 14 years Insight is still struggling and to maintain, capture larger market share, and continues market penetration. It is very hard to achieve now days especially in our case and similar to many magazines and newspapers in the region and world wide. Insight relies heavily on advertising money for revenue since the price consumers pay when they purchase a copy of the magazine has never been sufficient to cover the production costs much less creating any profit. Insight Magazine’s marketing strategy consists of market and product development as well as dealing with pricing, selling and distributing the magazine through the following: Creativity Launch new campaigns with developed layout and logo. Distribution Generate new distribution plans to cover different venues; hotels, bookshops, newsstands, supermarkets, airports, cultural centers, advertisers, numerous Egyptians and international business peoples and VIPs. Make a deal with a well known distribution agency to circulate the magazine on a wider scale on one hand, and on the other hand to put booths in many different areas and offer special gifts to people in order to attract the readers. Sales Give free issues on special occasions in order to encourage and attract customers Instead of selling space to marketers for print ads, we started selling services that marketers want to have. Diversification To focus more on topics that have overwhelmed people lately especially football. Emphasize profitable material and realign their content production costs with where the revenue is generated. A publisher will need to find the unique and defining material that attracts their readership. Go Green Despite the economic state and the rapid increase of paper prices, the Marketing head suggested to the top management to use recycled papers and environmentally friendly materials in order to save cost and maintain same quality of the product that the customer got used to and at the same time to cope with the green trend of the world. Technology & Innovation Digital marketing media and web publishing have become a very tangible area for improvement and market enlargement, Insight’s strategy for development in print media magazine world is mainly based on enriching Insight’s website, with new means of advertisements such as online purchasing of a wide range of products starting from pictures all the way to specific non published exclusive articles. HR Strategies Giving that a good human resources management practice enables organization to achieve higher profits and better survival rate than do firms without these practice, Insight’s strategies towards its most valued asset-the people had to be reviewed and amended to the following: Insight being owned and managed by a sole proprietor, have always followed a top-bottom strategy, as a new practice, the top management is now opening the door for a bottom-top strategy thus taking advantage of any new ideas, innovations and changes that can increase the magazine’s share in the Egyptian Market. Insight magazine is considering the hire of a mix of young generation, skilled reputable writers and foreign calibers as well, no matter how high they get paid. This mixture will help the different teams at Insight to properly manage themselves and thus achieving high productivity to the magazine. Encouraging the hire of part time employees and free lance writers; it will save cost since they will not be paid for health care benefits, pensions and many allowances offered to the full time employees. Promote new company traditions such as family outings, annual dinners. Improve the communication level between the top management and staff by involving employees in decisions that affect their jobs and the overall direction of the company whenever possible. Recognize excellent performance by implementing new exercises such as employee of the month, additional rewards for high performers. Promote career & personal growth perspectives such as succession planning, trainings, education, challenging, assignments and more. Assign a development team to cope with the recent technologies. Insight’s Culture & Behavior Insight enjoys a very friendly and supportive work environment, everyone is free to speak up their minds, and all new ideas are being appreciated, but giving that the top management of the magazine is being held by the owner, the last word is always up to them. This gives Insight’s a mix of Supportive and Autocratic behavior, any suggestions are being carefully interpreted but the final decision is always up to the owner. Insight’s culture is a Multi-directionalone, being a relatively small organization that has only four distinct function, each department member considers themselves as a part of his function only forgetting that they are a member of a whole body. Insight’s Organization Structure Insight’s organization was structured based on functional groups centered on clusters of titles each led by chief function officer with complete responsibility for their respective business unit as per the below chart. draw:frame} STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION The implementation of organization strategy involves the application of the management process to obtain the desired results. Particularly, strategy implementation includes designing the organization's structure, allocating resources, developing information and decision process, and managing human resources, including such areas as the reward system, approaches to leadership, and staffing. Strategy mplementation skills are not easily mast ered, unfortunately. In fact, virtually all managers find implementation the most difficult aspect of their jobs – more difficult than strategic analysis or strategy formulation. Marketing & Sales Strategy Implementation: Implementing a rock-solid marketing strategy is probably the most important factor contributing to the long-term sustainable success of any business and the one that will set Insight ahead of its competitors. Insight’s main task is to get its message across the market, make sure that its unique selling proposition is articulated in all of its marketing messages, campaigns, and sales channels through the following implementation: HR Strategy Implementation The HR Strategy has at its core maximizing the potential talent of Insight’s staff. Each of these strategic themes are interlinked and are the strategic objectives for each of these themes facilitates the delivery of the Institutional Strategy, the Financial Strategy, enhanced organizational performance and Operational Plans. This is illustrated as follows: {draw:frame} In implementing the desired strategy of Insight to resolve the sales and distribution, The HR function have done the following: â€Å"Get the big picture â€Å" of the whole company, to provide the readers with the ultimate life experience through lifestyle magazine and becoming No. 1 magazine the Egyptian market; Recruit a mix of the young generation and skilled reputable writers and employees who receive high pay and are trained to participate in self managing teams. By implementing this strategy it will result in employee satisfaction and high productivity to the magazine. Hire part time employees and free lance writers; it will not save cost since they will not be paid for health care benefits, pensions and many allowances offered to the full time employees. Encourage diversity in nationality, and age as in aligning with the Egyptian labor law, this strategy has proven higher productivity inside the magazine. Respect employees at all times. Listen to them deeply; use their ideas. Offer performance feedback and praise good efforts and results. Involve employees in decisions that affect their jobs and the overall direction of the magazine whenever possible thus increasing the loyalty and sense of belonging to the magazine Recognize excellent performance, and especially, link pay to performance. Value and encourage the magazine traditions through events and gatherings like Family day and annual company dinner. Increase the employees’ skill by providing them with the best training opportunities to enhance their competencies and develop their skills. Outsource professional distributors in an attempt to reach the target. EVALUATION & CONTROL Although the term â€Å"monitoring and evaluation† tends to get run together as if it is only one thing, monitoring and evaluation are, in fact, two distinct sets of organizational activities, related but not identical. Monitoring is the systematic collection and analysis of information as a project progresses, aimed at improving the efficiency of organization. If done properly, it is an invaluable tool for good management that provides a useful base for evaluation. Evaluation is the comparison of actual project impacts against the agreed strategic plans. It can be formative (taking place during the life of a project or organization, with the intention of improving the strategy or way of functioning of the project or organization). It can also be summative (drawing learning from a completed project or an organization that is no longer functioning) During the planning and implementation phases, it was crucial to conduct a reporting mechanism to monitor whether the right milestones have been taken towards the targeted goals or not as well as to ensure that employees are keeping pace with the progress. This monitoring was done by Chief executives submitting a monthly report to the Chairman as well as scheduling a quarterly meeting to continually keep an eye on the sales, client feedback, foresee what could be done for improvement of any new ideas that would help in increasing the sales of upcoming editions, and finally to ensure that the business and functional levels are keeping track with the corporate objectives and goals. On the other hand, daily meetings are held in each functional department to continually monitor and evaluate work quality and business progress. After an extensive monitoring process the HR strategy was found week in the following points: No HR interview was made any manager interviews his calibers from his own aspects and cultural background. Huge cultural gaps between foreign and local employees No relatively clear difference between the full time and part time employees in term of salaries and benefits which creates unfairness and injustice among them. The rewards were not given in great value and are not fairly given to all employees. Trainings were not fairly distributed among employees. In order to evaluate the magazine performance we have found the following diagnostic checklist items: CONCLUSION Insight is a local English magazine which has been in the Egyptian market for more than a decade. Although Insight enjoys good cash revenue from the top class advertisements it provides, it is struggling with a marketing and distribution setback which gave the top management the sufficient motives to alter the current strategies followed in order to reclaim its top position in the Egyptian market. Insight’s top management first steps of creating new strategies started by setting a new mission of developing the marketing function followed by an external and internal scanning of all possible threats and opportunities that could in a way or another affect the strategies. The scanning that was done helped Insight distinguish its competitive advantage which consequently assisted in the formulation of new corporate, business and functional strategies. After implementing the previously formulated strategies precise monitoring and evaluation were done in order to conclude the gap areas that resulted in the implementation. One of the gap areas that were found was the wrong implementation of hiring foreigners without giving them a proper induction on the Egyptian culture which lead to a huge conflict in ideas between the local and foreign staff. As a final conclusion to the previous report, Insight top management should investigate what went wrong during the implementation of the HR strategy that lead such gaps and how to overcome these gaps to properly implement the functional human resources strategy that will ultimately reflect its success in Insight’s overall performance. {draw:frame}

Heritage assessment Essay

Kizlik [2014] argues that the purpose of a learning objective is to communicate, and that a well-constructed behavioral learning objective should have little room for doubt about what is intended. Health professionals in designing educational programs to engage both patients as well as families, should be able to taper the task or objective to the specific patient and their family; for them to be able to explain what you taught them and for them to be able to demonstrate it. On the Euromed Info website, on Developing Learning Objectives. Retrieved from http://www.euromedinfo.eu/developing-learning-objectives.html/ [n.d.] state that â€Å"a simple and practical way of developing learning objectives is to start with the words, WHO, DOES WHAT, HOW and WHEN.† For the purpose of this exercise the learning objective will be for the patient and the family to be able to change an ostomy bag in a patient with a newly formed colostomy. It is important to find out from the patient and th e family which learning styles work for them, example whether reading of pamphlets, one on one teaching or visual aids. Also the condition or ability of the patient to perform the task, e.g. is the patient strong and well enough to perform the task or are they too weak from being ill. In using the learning objectives cited above, WHO- will be the patient and family DOES- list the components needed WHAT-changing a stoma bag HOW – by performing task or stating how to WHEN- by discharge The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations [JCAHO] as cited on the Euromed Info website on Family Structure and Style, retrieved from [http://www.euromedinfo.eu/family-structure-and-style.html/] defines the family as â€Å"the person or persons who play a significant role in the individual’s life including persons not legally related to the individual. â€Å"How a family functions influences the health of its members as well as how the individual reacts to illness† retrieved from http://www.euromedinfo.eu/family-structure-and-style.html . In the light of this , having the family understand the rationale behind the treatment and steps on how to help the patient change this stoma bag will assist the  patient to be more confident in changing their stoma bag and also in dealing and coping with this new health change. REFERENCES http://www.adprima.com/objectives.htm http://www.euromedinfo.eu/developing-learning-objectives.html/ http://www.euromedinfo.eu/family-structure-and-style.htm

Narrative Report Essay

On the October 4, 2013. we held our 5th annual convention in CHMT function hall. At 2:30am in morning ,I woke up early because Am assign in kitchen assistant of Ms. Buduan for food preparation, mam Buduan ask me to check the LPG to change the` other LSP because it look like empty,I accidentally break the host of the LPG that’s why the LPG leak, am shocked, I don’t know what to do,but I don’t panic I covered my hand in the hole of the LPG to stop the leak and I call the attention of mam Buduan because am scared,I though that the leak will continue it will explode, mam Buduan call the Security Guard to fix the LPG but me and the guard can’t fix the LPG, so we decided to move the LPG outside the HMB to avoid any accident we put the LPG in open area and we assemble fast the LPG, am scared my hands shaking while I remove the host, because the gas is smell bad. Mam Buduan assign me to cut all the carrots, after I finish cutting the carrots, she told me to cook rice. That’s is my first time to cook rice more than 10kilo. after I cooked rice, I stir the pancit bihon because it’s heavy that’s why itâ€℠¢s assign to me. At 8am me and jez went to sioland to buy banana in the market and plaque. And I went to store of the mineral water to told them that the order of mineral water 200 is 100 bottles only, im` tired so I took asleep in the HMB.

Oceanography Discussion Short Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Oceanography Discussion Short - Essay Example The pH of the ocean does not change much because ocean water acts as an acid-base buffer. When acidic substances are added to seawater, they result in increased H+ ions. These ions react with bicarbonate ions (HCO3-) in seawater, yielding carbonic acid (H2CO3), which further dissociates into CO2 and H2O. Thus, the pH does not change on addition of acid because neutral products are formed. Similarly, when basic (alkaline) substances are added to seawater, the bicarbonate ions (HCO3-) dissociate into CO32- and H+. The production of H+ ions thus neutralizes the OH- ions of the base and pH remains constant. The bicarbonate ions in oceans are produced as a result of volcanic eruptions and burning of fossil fuels that add carbonic acid to the seawater (Desonie 19). Goiter is a disorder in which the thyroid gland or any one of its two lobes enlarges and appears as a swelling in the front region of the neck. It results from hypothyroidism, i.e. inadequate production of the thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. This disorder results from iodine deficiency. Iodine is the precursor of thyroid hormones and its deficiency leads to their inadequate synthesis, thereby inducing the production of thyroid stimulating hormone by the pituitary gland. This hormone causes the enlargement of the thyroid, resulting in goiter. Goiter can be prevented by incorporating trace amounts of iodine in the diet. All products originating from seawater are good sources of iodine, as seawater contains dissolved iodine (Trujillo and Thurman 141). Consumption of natural sources of iodine such as seafood, fishes, sea vegetables, etc that originate in seawater are helpful for the prevention of goiter. Although both temperature and sea water affect the density of oceans, only salinity has a major influence on the density of the Polar Ocean. This is because of the extremely low temperatures at the poles. The temperature of the

Intervention letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Intervention letter - Essay Example It helped. You were my strength then and so many other times, too many to count. At home, you would usually take the blame for me knowing I would be more severely punished. My life would have been much more difficult without you. 3) It was me who wasnt there for you when your baby died, when your husband beat you, when you spent time in the homeless shelter. Each step of the way alcohol and drugs became your escape, your only friend, because you have no one else to lean on like I did in you. These crutches have made your life worse nut the downward steps into addiction can be reversed by taking steps upward. 4) Drugs and alcohol have taken your strength and is preventing you from being the magnificent person you were before. They prevent you from going back to school, finding someone who really loves you and having the family you wanted and deserved. 6) We have located a women-only drug and alcohol treatment center. It specializes in womens specific issues such as abuse and grief. Its comfortable, clean place that provides room and board and it already paid

13sp2 Rebuttal Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

13sp2 Rebuttal Argument - Essay Example I firmly believe that the U.S. government, on issues that involve the safety, welfare, and national security of its citizens, is entitled to impose the most effective means of waging war on terror especially that from the very beginning, the state enemy has clearly not followed any fair rules of engagement. NY Times editor/s agreed to a statement released by the American Civil Liberties arguing that every American citizen has their â€Å"constitutional rights† that the judiciary â€Å"must respect† (â€Å"To Kill† par. 6). That stance must be agreeable to any American citizen who commits a crime. However, history has taught us that even President Lincoln needed not issue an executive order announcing he allowed thousands of Confederates to be killed simply because there were sufficient evidence to support that they were threats to the growth and progress of the New World. There are a lot of differences between an American transgressor who commits a crime of theft and robbery compared to any Al Qaeda member who brutally killed thousands of people all over the world, or helped suicide bombing and hijacking to be possible. If there are sufficient evidence pointing out that that person is an authentic Al Qaeda operative, it gives the federal authority the discretion to exert whatever means it sees fit for the situation. Furthermore, the Constitution entitles the authority to declare war or allowed an act of violence against a defined enemy, and for no other reasons, the CIA and other related agencies know exactly who the enemies are. However, that principle alone does not also entitled the executive or the authority to make fast decisions in killing an alleged terrorist member or ally. There must also be consensus and coordination between the executive and the legislative branch, the latter being responsible for the Constitution. Lastly, fair rules of engagement in waging war against

Comparing (FASB) Financial Accounting Standands Board vs. GASB Research Paper

Comparing (FASB) Financial Accounting Standands Board vs. GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) - Research Paper Example ard is an autonomous body that works for the establishment and improvement of the financial reporting and accounting standards for the United States of America and its local governments. It was founded in 1984 through the agreement of Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) along with other 10 national organizations as well as local government. It is recognized by the accounting industry and the government alike for being the source of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for the local and federal government. (Board, 2010) It brings in to use the useful information for decision making for users of government while and issues communications and standards for guidance. Some of the government users of its information and standards are: Furthermore, the GASB provides services to educate the people involved in preparation of the financial statements, auditors and other users of the financial statements regarding the government requirements to be presented in the financial statements. The Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council also advices the GASB which constitutes of a group of 30-members that are chosen by the Financial Accounting Foundation Trustees which are characterize a variety of the GASB’s elements. Managerial costing must apply a foundation of recognition, accounting and calculation concepts as suitable for the purpose that it is intended. The information pertaining to costing which is build up for diverse purposes must be extracted from a source that is common and reports of the production must be reconcilable to one another. The costs of a particular item may be accounted for in different manner and can be analyzed and reported in different ways. The cost accounting principles suggest that managerial cost accounting must supply costing information utilizing a basis of recognition and measurement which is suitable for the intentional application of the information. In case when the cost and managerial cost accounting is employed

Cath Kidston Marketing Strategy for the U.S Hispanic Market Essay

Cath Kidston Marketing Strategy for the U.S Hispanic Market - Essay Example The feel of the products sold by the store carried a classic British feel because of which, the store soon became a success (Kidston, 1999). The brand grew into a  £75 million entity over two decades. Te brand of Cath Kidston has a wide assortment of products which belong to different categories but all the items which are used in home furnishing, homeware, and fashion accessories. Cath Kidston is distinctively known for its subtle floral designs. The brand has presence in about six countries physically and has online presence in the market of the United States (Kidston, 1999; CathKidston.com, 2012). Cath Kidston plans to mark its presence physically in the United States especially in the market of U.S Hispanics. The market environment of Cath Kidston is highly competitive as there are many competing brands which impose a threat to Cath Kidston. Each brand is distinctively positioned in the market, carrying its own unique brand image and competitive advantage. Major competitors are Bath and Body works, The Body Shop and other fashion brands in different categories which give Cath Kidston indirect and direct competition. The Hispanic market tend to be highly brand loyal and are more receptive to Cath Kidston’s brand image of being in the up market as Valle, (2005) mentions in his book:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hispanic marketing & public relations: Understanding and targeting America's largest minority† (Kidston, 1999; Valle, 2005). Cath Kidston does not have exclusive presence in the market of Unites States which is already cluttered with established brands therefore it will have to position itself very accurately in accordance with the market’s specifications (CathKidston.com, 2012). 2. Marketing Objectives Cath Kidston will need a clear vision and a line of process which it will follow while developing this strategy. The marketing objectives will clarify a path which Cath Kidston will have to follow in order to successfully market the brand in the Hisp anic market of United States. These

Railway shipment of hazardous cargo, Safety, and homeland security Essay

Railway shipment of hazardous cargo, Safety, and homeland security - Essay Example The law provided various guidelines on packaging and operational rules safeguarding the shipment of such commodities using the railway line (Downey, 2014). After the 1975 Act, various laws and bills have been adopted to control the conveyance accorded to hazardous products within the country. Through these improvements, there has been reduced number of accidents and spillage of dangerous materials and gases into the atmosphere. These transportations of the materials through railway line are gradually improving and in the future, there will be limited or no cases of accidents or destruction of property through this form of transport. The United States Railway system is used for moving various types of hazardous cargo across the country. The system is responsible for transporting toxic gas cargos across the state. Twenty percent of all of the gases transported in the country are done through the railway system. According to Spraggins (2015), this percentage is equivalent to 1.7 million carloads of toxic gases moved by rail. The perfect example of gas transported by rail is chlorine, which is essential for both the public health and major private laboratories. In addition, chlorine is necessary for purifying water. Due to its importance and its hazardous nature, twenty-two percent of chlorine is transported through railways (Spraggins 2015). It translates to 35000 carloads of chlorine annually. In addition, the railway system is utilised for freight of crude oil across the country. Approximately millions of gallons of highly flammable oil are hauled by rail to various destinations in the country. Reports and statistics by the American Association of roads in 2009 indicated that there were 9500 railcars that moved across the country in 2008 carrying crude oil (Mark, Seely, & Barrett, 2006). The high number crude of oil moved was because of its use

A Critical Analysis of Examination in Assessing Psychology Students at Coursework

A Critical Analysis of Examination in Assessing Psychology Students at University - Coursework Example Students are assessed for a variety of reasons such as for motivation of students, producing learning opportunities, enabling feedback to students and teachers, grading and for improving quality of education provided and institutions (Rust, 2002). Teachers design assessment and examination techniques to facilitate learning of students and give feedback of the conduct of the students during the course. It is essential to fully understand the real purpose of assessment and the assessment method used should be critically analyzed and evaluated, for the assessment technique to be effective in achieving its purposes. As according to Broadfoot, â€Å"Assessment is on the agenda because change is on the agenda; because there is growing pressure in many countries for the education system to do more and different things; because it is felt that assessment is key to achieving these changes†. This paper identifies the purpose of the assessment and indicates what should be assessed. It fu rther analyzes the attributes of an efficacious assessment. There are more than one examination methods used in assessing students at educational settings, and this paper analyzes those methods and further describes the strengths and weaknesses, and advantages and disadvantages of the examination method to assess the students. ... Assessment of examination can include giving grades as a part of it, but it does not limited to this act. It is a subjective process of evaluation as well as objective one (Rust, 2002). The main purpose of assessment of students is the most important consideration before analyzing and evaluating the assessment and examination methods. Assessment through examination is considered as a dynamic process having multiple aspects and diverse intentions. Such diverse intents include providing the examination criteria on the basis of which students are graded and promoted to next higher level. In assessing students, proper feedback is enabled so as to highlight the quality of student learning, and also teachers are capable to evaluate the the extent to which their teaching is effective. The assessment through examination method is crucial in maintaining academic standards (Brown et al., 1996). The deep understanding of purpose of assessing students facilitates the teacher in establishing a mo del which defines the assessment method to use in particular educational setting. But before moving to that step of developing assessment framework, the facets of student learning that are to be assessed or examined should be considered. The assessment content majorly depends on the course objectives as both of these assist to achieve the same educational goals for student learning. This is the basic element of an effectively-designed curriculum. The extensive classification of educational and learning objectives covers three critical areas that are knowledge, skills, and attitudes. For the knowledge domain, Harden has illustrated that cognitive measures are addressed by knowledge objectives (Harden, 1979).

International and Non International Armed Conflict Essay

International and Non International Armed Conflict - Essay Example Humanity has witnessed wars since time immemorial and the ancient civilizations were observed as being particularly horrific in their conduct of war. However, the numerous conflicts of the relatively modern era are likely to cause many to question if any restrictions do exist to the behavior of parties involved in a conflict. In the present day and age, the law of war is known as the ‘international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflict’ or ‘humanitarian law’. International law has now evolved and attempted to prescribe rules that govern the resort to force and an attempt is also made to try to regulate the conduct of hostilities (Shaw, 2003, Pp. 1054 – 1055) and (Bouvier, 2006, Chapter 1). The law of war has been shaped by customary rules and conventional or codified rules. A long history of evolution is to be observed in the development of the law of armed conflict. Military leaders or those in political authority used to issue instructions a bout the treatment of civilians or enemy soldiers that tried to restrain excesses and these gradually developed into customary rules of war (Kalshoven, 2001, Pp. 15 – 17) and (Carrillo Salcedo, 2005, Chapter 1). However, the scope and the content of the customary rules of war had generally remained elusive and uncertain. The development of the law of war as treaty law can be traced back to the early 1860s when international conferences at The Hague and Geneva resulted in international treaties related to humanitarian aspects of armed conflicts.

Employment Law Essay Example for Free

Employment Law Essay Early this year, there are reports that the number of employees calling in sick has risen to staggering levels. According to an absence management company, there are about 3. 6 million employees who called in sick the first week of January (Pitcher, 2008). The United Kingdom ranked as second as having the most number of employees with long term sickness in a survey conducted by the European Community (Tehrani and Rainbird, 2005). The level of absence for UK was 27. 2% as against an average of 16. % of the European Union (Tehrani and Rainbird, 2005). An approximate figure of 14. 1 million days ‘were lost to stress and anxiety in 2001† (Tehrani and Rainbird, 2005). Absences due to stress and mental problems significantly affect both the employer and the employees. This matter apparently has been taken for granted and unaddressed for sometime until the enactment of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), Employment Act 2002, Employment Rights Act 1996, and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. This paper shall show the manner by which the pertinent provisions of these pieces of legislation are applied to a hypothetical case and it shall also seek to identify and explain the remedies of an employee in case of violation of the provisions. Disability—Sickness Absence The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines disability as one having a ‘physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’ (Section 1(1), Part 1, DDA 1995). The Industrial Tribunal has applied the definition to the different cases brought before it. For instance, in the case of Greenwood v. United Tiles Limited; the employee concerned was suffering from diabetes and was held to be disabled by the Tribunal (Greenwood v. United Tiles Limited 1101067/97/C). In the case of O’Neil v Symm Company Limited, the Tribunal considered ME or chronic fatigue syndrome as a disability (O’Neil v Symm Company Limited, 2700054/97). Even abdominal pains which had no medical diagnosis with respect to its origin was declared as a disability by the Tribunal in the case of Howden v Capital Copiers (Edinburgh) Limited (400005/97) (Thompsons Solicitors web site, 2007). Anent mental disability, Walton v LI Group Limited case involved an employee who had learning difficulties. The Tribunal ruled that the employee is considered disabled under the DDA basing its conclusion on the testimonial evidence of the employee’s parents and the fact that the employee was receiving disability living allowance (Walton v LI Group Limited, 1600562/97). The increased awareness for mental health and issues associated with it has accelerated in time, clinical depression is in fact already considered as a disability. Clinical depression is a ‘common mood disorder in psychology and psychiatry in which a person’s enjoyment of life and ability to function socially and in day-to-day matters is disrupted by intense sadness, melancholia, numbness or despair’ (Farlex Free Dictionary web site, n. d. ). In the recent appealed case of OHanlon v Commissioners for HM Revenue Customs, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that clinical depression is considered a disability and therefore falls within the coverage of the DDA 1995 [OHanlon v Commissioners for HM Revenue Customs (2007) EWCA Civ 283]. Applying the above discussed legal principles to the given hypothetical case, Vangeer has been diagnosed to be suffering from clinical depression. This was brought about by the incident when she accidentally pricked herself with a needle which she picked up while cleaning a bus in the depot of her employer. This caused panic attacks and anxiety and for which she was given a year off from work. At this juncture, it is important to stress that the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires the employers to ensure the health and safety of its employees in the place of work. Towards its realization, the law imposes upon the employer the duty to make ‘the provision and maintenance of plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health’ (Section 2 (2)(a), HSWA 1974). This means that Snail Pace Bus Company should have provided a system of work including protective gear for those who clean their buses (Health Safety Executive, 2006). In addition, the employer is also supposed to take measures to protect their employee who may return to work considering that there is more likelihood that the employee may be weak because of the injury or disability (Health Safety Executive, 2006). Vangeer went on sickness absence for about a year. Sickness absence may be short term or long term. A long term sickness absence connotes serious medical reasons such as in the case of Vangeer. Long-term absence is ‘usually defined as a period of absence in excess of two weeks’ (Corcoran, 2006). When she returned for work, a new team leader made discriminatory remarks about her race. In hindsight, this may be considered as a violation of the Race Relations Act 1976. It may be shown that there is direct discrimination of Vangeer because she is black such as when she is treated less favourably than another (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. ). Moreover, it may be shown that there is some form of harassment under the Race Relations Act 1976 as amended by the New Regulations of 2003 (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. ). Harassment is broad as to include ‘abusive language, excessive monitoring of work, excessive criticism of someone’s work etc. ’ (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. ). It may be claimed that Vangeer suffered by because she was degraded, intimidated and her dignity violated. The violation of her dignity is subjective and the Tribunal would need to rule using the ‘reasonableness’ standard (Thompsons Solicitors, n. d. In this case, the effect of Bob’s conduct has caused Vangeer to go on sickness absence for three weeks more based on the recommendation of her psychiatrist. Her transfer to another team was also suggested. Even before the period of sickness absence has lapsed, Snail Pace Bus Company was bought by Slow Coach Ltd. and Vangeer was called to a meeting about her absence. Thereafter, she was dismissed from her employment with pay. Her dismissal is illegal. ‘In relation to long-term sickness absence, the employer who dismisses an employee faces three potential legal risks’ (Lemon Co. 2008). Vangeer may file for a claim for unfair dismissal, for disability discrimination and for violation of her contract of employment. It is axiomatic that there exists between the employer and the employee, a contract of employment. It is an agreement whereby the rights and obligations of both the employee and the employer are specified (Direct. Gov web site, 2008). When the employee accepts employment, there is an automatic contract of employment that is created regardless of whether this has been reduced into writing (Direct. Gov web site, 2008). Generally, employment contracts contain the following clauses: ‘commencement, term, job title and duties, place of work, hours of work, pay, holiday entitlement, pension, sickness absence, intellectual property, confidentiality, termination disciplinary, dismissal and grievance procedures, and collective agreements’(Clickdocs web site, n. d. ). The terms of employment in respect of hours of work, pay, termination of employment and other benefits are provided by the statutes. This being the case, the employer is mandated to comply with the provisions of the statutes. For instance, dismissal procedures should be observed. In the instant case, Vangeer was invited to a meeting to discuss her absence and after a day she was dismissed from employment with pay. The Employment Act 2002, Part 3, Section 30 (1) provides that, ‘Every contract of employment shall have effect to require the employer and employee to comply, in relation to any matter to which a statutory procedure applies, with the requirements of the procedure’ (EA 2002). The law requires that the employer observe the procedure in cases of dismissal as provided for under section 29, Schedule 2 Statutory Dispute Resolution Procedures, Chapter 1 and 2. Substantially, the employer is required by law to put into writing the circumstances and acts of the employee which he led him to initiate disciplinary or dismissal steps and invite him to discuss it in a meeting. The employee must have notice and reasonable opportunity to be apprised of the same. After the meeting, the employer must inform the employee of his decision and inform him of his right to appeal. Should the employee opt for an appeal, another meeting should be scheduled before the dismissal or the disciplinary penalty shall have been effective (Section 29, Schedule 2, Chapter 1, EA 2002). In the instant case, Vangeer apparently may have been given an unfairly short notice and was not informed of her right of appeal if she was not satisfied with the decision. In retrospect, the jurisdiction over wrongful dismissal cases were lodged in courts until 1994 when jurisdiction was given to the Employment Tribunals which were authorised to grant only up to GBP25,000 (British Employment web site, 2007). A contrary rule is observed with respect to unfair dismissals and discrimination cases, where the courts can award greater amounts of monetary damages. Wrongful dismissal results when employer fails to give the employee notice in accordance with the employment contract and without appropriate pay (British Employment web site, 2007). It has been observed though that it is better for the ‘employee to sue if the contract provides a fairly long notice period’ (British Employment web site, 2007). Monetary damages in these cases are computed based on the amount of loss in terms of compensation and other benefits. Unfair dismissal occurs when the employee is terminated from employment and the employer in doing so had no valid and justifiable reason (Direct. gov web site, 2008). The Employment Rights Act 1996, specifically Part X sections 111 to 132 provide for the remedies in case of unfair dismissal. In a nutshell, there are three options: an order for reinstatement, an order for re-engagement or an order for compensation. Reinstatement is when the Tribunal orders the employer to put the employee back to work with the same position and assigned tasks. There is re-engagement when the employee is placed back to work with a new post and tasks but under the same employer ((British Employment web site, 2007). In cases where the Tribunal issues an order for reinstatement or re-engagement, it cannot also order compensation [Wilson (HM Inspector of Taxes) v Clayton (2003) EWCA Civ 1657]. In the instant case, Vangeer was unlawfully dismissed because of her long absence. The Employment Rights Act 1996 provide for the employer’s responsibilities in case sickness absence and dismissal are due to ill-health (Mace Jones web site, 2007). Bad health may be considered a good basis for dismissal of an employee because it affects the ability and capacity of the employee to perform his assigned duties and tasks. The law mandates that in order for a dismissal based on ill-health can be considered as fair, the employer must observe and comply with the legal requirements (Mace Jones web site, 2007). The employee must be given the reasonable opportunity to recover and return to work before they can be dismissed’ (Lemon Co. web site, 2008). In the instant case, Snail Pace Bus Company gave Vangeer about a year to recover from her clinical depression. A return to work programme was drawn up for her. Her relapse was instigated by her new manager. She was given a three week off from work and before the lapse of that time she was dismissed after the discussion with Slow Coach Ltd. Vangeer apparently was not given a reasonable opportunity to even use her three week off when in fact, the relapse was caused by management. However, it should be pointed out that not in all cases shall the employer be liable even if he partly or wholly was responsible for the incapacity of the employee. In the case of McAdie v Royal Bank of Scotland [2007] EWCA Civ 806, the Employment Appeal Tribunal reversed the decision of the Employment Tribunal when it ruled that the dismissal was justified even if the employer, partly or wholly caused the employee’s incapacity because based on the medical evidence obtained ‘there was no prospect of the employee returning to work’ [McAdie v Royal Bank of Scotland (2007) EWCA Civ 806]. Another requirement would be is for the employer to seek evidence of the medical status of the illness of the employee. The employer must request for medical reports from the employee’s physician upon the authorisation of the former (Lemon Co. web site, 2008). The employer may also request for the examination of the employee by the employer’s own physician. The meeting should be for purposes of assessing the current medical state, the existing medical advice and medical evidence. In the case of Vangeer, Slow Coach Ltd. ailed to request the medical reports from her physician. Moreover, the employee must be consulted through a series of meetings for purposes of exploring ways and issues for alternative options and reasonable adjustments (Lemon Co. web site, 2008). Albeit, there is one meeting conducted with Vangeer, no exhaustive discussion seemed to have been made. Finally, ‘The employer must consider the possibility of making adjustments to the working environment in order to permit the employee to return to work’ (Lemon Co. eb site, 2008). When Vangeer was ill the first time, the employer made a programme which allowed her to start work late and go home early. However in the case of relapse, the suggestion that she be re-assigned to a different team was not deliberated upon and carried out by Slow Coach Ltd. It is the responsibility of the employer to seek and accept suggestions from the employee on how she can work when she returns. In a complaint for unfair dismissal, the Employment Tribunal shall take the following factors into consideration: ‘nature of the employees illness, the likely duration of the illness, the nature of the job, the needs of the employer, the employees length of service, the type (and amount) of sick pay paid to the employee and alternative employment’ (Lemon Co. web site, 2008). The most important factor that will be considered is whether the employer took measures in gathering information and ascertaining medical reports from which he would base a fair and reasonable conclusion and decision. There must be recent, comprehensive and competent medical findings (Direct. gov web site, 2008). He must also comply with the procedures in dismissing an employee in accordance with the Employment Act 2002 and the Dispute Regulations 2004 (Direct. gov web site, 2008). Failure to follow the â€Å"statutory minimum dismissal and disciplinary procedure† shall make him liable to ‘a minimum basic award of 4 weeks pay. Furthermore, any compensation awarded by an Employment Tribunal may increase by 10-50%’ (Direct. gov web site, 2008). There is no distinction between sickness absence and disability. In the case of Clark v Novacold (18901661/97) ‘the Industrial Tribunal concluded that there should be no distinction between the two, and dismissal for sickness absence does in fact relate to the disability and accordingly is prima facie unlawful’ (Thompsons Solicitors web site, 1997). According to Solicitor Michael Corcoran, if the disability is the cause of the long term sickness absence and the employee was in fact dismissed, such dismissal is tantamount to discrimination unless it is shown that dismissal is justifiable (Corcoran, 2006). The lack of knowledge of Slow Coach Ltd. may have on the disability would be irrelevant and immaterial to the issue of whether Vangeer was treated less favourably (Corcoran, 2006). Under Section 20 of the Discrimination Disability Act 1995, direct discrimination is committed when the employee is ‘treated less favourably’ than another not suffering from such disability and that such treatment is by reason of the employee’s disability (DDA 2005). Moreover, the employer shall also be liable if he failed to make reasonable adjustments so that the disabled employee can continue his or her employment (HSE, n. d. ). The law requires that the employer ‘go an extra mile’ for the disabled employee, albeit the law does not set parameters of its extent. However, case law has laid down legal principles based on each of the precedent-setting case (HSE, n. d. ).

The Relationship Between Culture And The Media Media Essay

The Relationship Between Culture And The Media Media Essay The relationship between sport, culture and the media is a flourishing field of investigation, especially so when examined from the perspective of Cultural and Media Studies. Although relatively unseasoned in its capabilities as a topic of enquiry, the subject matter has recently been addressed as being a dynamic, fascinating subject of underestimated sociological significance, with the ability to convey a strong sense of a field of study with its own history and intellectual trajectory (Rowe 2004: 2) The Media Sports Cultural Complex, as described by (Rowe 1999) analyzes the relationship between media and sport within contemporary culture, and discusses specific media sports texts within a theoretical framework, while addressing debates concerning methods of production, reproduction, and transformation. This manages to signify both the primacy of symbols in contemporary sport {and} the two-way relationship between the sports media and the great cultural formation of which it is a part'( Rowe 2003: 4). This concept, manages to embrace all the media and sports organizations, processes, personnel, services, products and texts (Jacobson 2003) which can amalgamate in the creation of the broad and dynamic field of contemporary sports culture (Rowe 2004: xx). The scope and scale of this theory, and its culture, means that within modern day society, it is invariably impossible to escape its impact. In this paper I plan to discuss the issues and significancies surrounding the topic of Sport and media, and in particular, Sport Fishing, and its relevance as a matter of investigation. Focusing on how relationships between sport fishing and the media have been approached by both contemporary practitioners and scholars alike. This paper will carry out debates into the notion of socio-cultural enquiry in Media sport. Concepts such as representation and ideology can bring to light the vast range of discernible aspects of the production, circulation and consumption of sport fishing, and both its immediate, and long lasting cultural consequences. When looking at Sport Fishing as a focal point for culture and media, it must be stated that choosing a subject matter on which to concentrate from a large, growing and diverse body of topics is a taxing activity, but I have done so on the grounds that although seemingly controversial, Sport fishing remains the most popular participant sport in the world. Recent studies have supported this notion, reporting that in the US alone figures of 60 million anglers generating over $45 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nations economy creating employment for over one million people (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report, 2006) To accompany this, growth in Angling popularity has embraced a vast array of media texts, namely books, painting, photography, statistical databases, television and radio broadcasts, video, DVD, films of both fiction and non-fiction varieties, photo-essays and the internet. Throughout the following chapters I will refer to all media forms as text s. Through analysis of these various texts, sport can be applied to a vast array of age groups, and pose a constant opportunity for representation and commercialization: When considering the nexus of sports fishing as a Media Sport, those who have emerged as key players in this enormous industry, have carefully and cleverly used the media as a mode to communicate, demonstrate, market and commercialize the sport. Media Sport is now perceived as being closely- knitted with the lives of both fans and non followers uniformly. Much of this is due to the fact that Media and Sport are now widely seen as becoming mutually dependent, and with this allegiance has come an explosion of media sport publicity, taking up enormous amounts of electronic, print and cyber-space. This has permitted opportunities for large numbers of businesses and workers to generate the production of goods and services. This grants absorbance of substantial public resources in the form of programs, subsidies and tax exemptions and is in turn strategically used by the political apparatus in the name of the people (Rowe 2004: 3) When considering Sports fishing, the Wal-Mart FLW Bass fishing tour in the USA is a spectacular example of where sport acquires vast tracts of Media coverage, and is responsible for the production and consumption of everything from soft drink to clothing, {and} is heavily subsidized by corporate groups (Roche 2000). From here, it becomes of vital importance, to come to terms with the intricacies of Sport fishing (in Cultural and Media studies) by understanding, probing and criticizing it in order to be in a position to intervene in its operations, where necessary, in the name of cultural citizenship (Murdock and Golding 1989; Murdock 1997). In essence, Sport fishing, as a Media sport, is particularly important to contemporary cultural citizenship {because} there are no more culturally and economically prized texts, with correspondingly high rewards for controlling them, than live televised media sports texts (Rowe 2003). This paper functions firstly as an introduction to the research and scholarship surrounding Sport, culture and the media, and the relationships that are created by this allegiance. As an ever growing field of inquiry, this topic is explored by generating critical and academic discussion from the perspective of Cultural and Media studies. This aims to highlight the importance of examining the various dimensions of this conspicuous yet elusive analytical object (Rowe 2003) by examining both Sport (Fishing) and the Media, and the ways in which the two have become merged. The evolution and union of sport and media, is deciphered by analyzing the respective histories, whilst delving into matters of social structural changes. These changes are in turn responsible for a rise in mass consumption and cultural economy of sport through channels such as the exchange and manufacture of images, information and ideas. Once these concepts have been explored, this paper progress toward notions of denotation and connotation of media sport. For example when considering a sports text, that text must be read by a sentient being {and} in reading that text, the reader will interpret it and obtain direct and indirect meanings from it (Murdock 1992). By comparing and contrasting the formal properties of essays, photography, television, film and the internet respectively, its is possible to examine the effect semiotic and textual relations have upon a variety of readers. This creates a void for academic debate surrounding social issues such as ethnicity, age, gender, nationalism, and class: theoretically, conceptually and empirically informed analysis enables a critical understanding of the institutional context within media sports texts, in their many forms and uses (Rowe 2003) {which forms} specific viewerships, ideologies, myths and other texts in a way that makes them important components of contemporary culture (Rowe 1999: 144)

Role of the Media in Political Conflict Resolution

Role of the Media in Political Conflict Resolution An Analysis of the Media’s role in Political Conflict Resolution   Abwino Kumchenga CHAPTER THREE  III. METHODOLOGY The study was aimed at analyzing the role that the media can play in efforts to resolve conflicts incited by politicians. It was based on the Libertarian theory of  Ã‚  Communication  to vary what the media has to do in times when the conflict has risen to try to bring about mutual understanding among the various groups that may not be in good terms at a particular moment. Studies were conducted that involved people working in the media sector both private as well as public media houses including the actual people affected by such conflicts on the ground. Theoretical Framework This research was centered on media houses and personalities role in resolving political conflicts through their various ways that they can play in the process of resolving such conflicts, therefore it will focus on the communication theory of Libertarianism. Media has absolute freedom of expression, media as a watchdog, the press’ attacks on government policies are accepted and even encouraged but it is accountable (Roderick Long: philosopher). Other studies have shown how the state abuses the broadcasting sector in Malawi especially the two state broadcasting entities, MBC radios 1, 2 and Television, situations that eventually lead to political confusion as it is the norm among the different parties that have so far run the Malawi government. This development has seen to it that the state broadcaster usually becomes the mouthpiece for the party ruling the country at any particular time. This has been observed through the kinds of programming and how the content in such progr ams is perceived by the public. However, private media houses are not exempted in this matter, as far as the state broadcaster has to a larger extent been pro government in terms of programming, there have been others that have been highly anti government and have done their work to address political needs of opposition parties that are either affiliated to such stations or simply because the general public has in mind the fact that even if they may try to approach the public broadcaster for political advertisement, they cannot be treated just the same as private media houses can. â€Å"The obstacles facing journalism in Malawi are many, but by far the largest problem is that of political interference in the work of the media. Politicians currently control over 90% of Malawi’s media. The sole television station is state-owned and is very much under the control of politicians from the political party in power. Not surprisingly, the news content on TV Malawi is biased towards the ruling party. For example, the station runs a weekly programme called â€Å"Know your Member of Parliament†. Ever since it started last July, only MPs from the party in power have been featured, though the present Malawi Parliament has about the same number of MPs on the ruling side as in the opposition. The national radio station is worse. On it, low key party functionaries from the ruling side are allowed to castigate their opponents and glorify the Head of State. Opposition parties are not allowed a similar chance, thereby denying them the right to reply.† (Kumwe nda, 1999)  All this should not be part of METHODOLY. Find  another section appropriate for this information. Am thinking  Liturature  Review. Type of Design and the Assumptions that underlie it This study was based on qualitative research design and partly utilized the quantitative method to achieve the results of the case under study. It was the researcher’s assumption that since the study was on the role that can be played, it highly involved views of such personalities from different media houses like Zodiak Broadcasting Station’s political department, former employees of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, and on the other hand were some employees from Blantyre Newspapers Limited. Not only were the views of such personalities utilized but also the views from the public at a selected site in Lilongwe Rural for validation purposes to the expected results. It is in this line that the quantitative research approach found its sole importance in the study as it was used to vary the figures arrived at in the process of coming up with the results through the various interviews that were conducted. Role of the Researcher The researcher is a qualified personality as far as conducting of this study was concerned. The main role of the researcher was to find out through this study, the role that the media can play in the process of political conflict resolution in regard to the fact that it is through the media that different political parties voice out their ideas to the public. Hence the media has a better stand when it comes to contact with such people and can be the right choice for intervention on political conflicts or misunderstandings. It should be noted that the researcher conducted this study as a partial fulfillment for obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication at the African Bible College. The researcher assumes that the people who were interviewed or asked to fill prepared questionnaires gave the necessary information since they were believed to be professionals in the field. And also the other group that was questioned from the general public was also expected to give the de sired information as they are the ones affected mostly by the issues that arise due to the misunderstandings that the main players in the political arena undertake. Selection and Description of the Study Sites and Participants The researcher intends to conduct structured interviews, at the highest level of the interviewees were several media house personalities in a bid to collect the necessary data for the study. The other level of interviews will be in a form of Questionnaires that will be prepared to collect data from groups with varying ages at Church level at Kaning’a CCAP in area 47. This is the way most of the data was collected through people’s participation in their responses to the questionnaires. The age groups were structured in terms of youths and adults and their gender inclusive, in order to determine the impact that the work of Journalists, media houses and the main players the politicians themselves that they have incited which has led to conflicts. Data Collection Strategies The interviews were conducted with different media house personalities ranging from those with Radio and Television work experience with private and state run stations to print media personalities to share their experiences in their work. Such data together with the data that was collected through the questionnaires that were produced and handed out to different age groups at Kaning’a CCAP Church formed the largest part of the data for this research. The data collected from the people at the church was treated as first hand information from the public itself hence not only getting the facts from the media itself but also those people on whom all those actions determined by politicians and the media falls on, that is those that get affected by the decisions made by those with the power to speak out in whatever way they can through the media, be it through the Radio, Television and also the print media and in this case the newspaper in particular. Data Analysis Strategies To analyze the data that was collected, SPSS statistical software will be utilized, in addition to that, Microsoft Excel will also be used to assess the findings. Basing on the outcomes of the findings, the researcher dwelt much on analyzing and eventually interpreting the data as collected from the respondents both at the highest and the second level of interviews. It is from the analysis of the collected data that conclusions will be made about the opinions and facts as heard from the respondents through the interviews and questionnaires that were prepared in the course of conducting this study. Methods of Achieving Validity To prove the validity of the data collected in this study, the statistical software used in this research (SPSS), (Microsoft Excel) will be fed with the data. After feeding the computer software with the information, it will therefore with its capability prove whether the collected data will be valid or not, be it in terms of its collection or the approaches used to arrive at the desired data in this process.  Sort out your margin for this section REFERENCES Kumwenda Peter(1999). Politics and the Media in Southern Africa. Durbun, South Africa.  Konrad Adenaeur Foundation. CHAPTER FIVE  V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Discussion In this section, the researcher’s emphasis is on the incorporation of what other writers have written about in their books and papers as recorded by the researcher in the literature review section of this study with the information that was found and decisions arrived at in the process of data collection for this study. From the responses given both by the general public as well as the people from the different media houses with regard to the guiding question that the researcher had in mind when conducting this study;  which was:  Ã‚  What  role can the media in Lilongwe play in times of political conflict  to  help  resoluse  matters  ?. It has been the researcher’s observation from the responses that yes there is a role that the media can play in trying to resolve conflicts among politicians and also help to avoid inciting conflicts. The general public touched on areas like being biased and not reporting fairly as some of the issues roaming around the media circle which brings about misunderstandings and confusion among the general public but the people themselves hoped that things can change for the better if the media practitioners can conduct themselves in a proper manner and also through fair means of reporting whatever they may be expected to report. Looking at what the media practitioners themselves commented when they were given a chance to speak about this topic, most of them indicated that indeed there are several roles that the media is expected to play in times when conflicts among politicians arise and they further talked about what they can even do to avoid such issues from emanating within the society because of their influence. Most of the respondents that participated were people with Radio, Television, and Print experience, these were media practitioners from the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, Zodiak Broadcasting Station, Nkhoma Radio Station and Blantyre Print and Packaging Limited. The practitioners were most ly in agreement with each other in terms of their comments, for example the issue of reporting without taking sides and regardless of any political affiliation. This is in line with what others have written before as indicated in the literature review as Puddephatt (2006) in his  Voices of War:  Conflict and the role of the media  book writes â€Å" in addition to the representation of the groups they are reporting on – in this case parties to the conflict – journalists also present their own views and interests†, from that it has to be noted that media practitioners as human beings also have their say on whatever issues they may come across with but they need to be professional in these issues and that implies reporting matters just the way they are as they happen and keep their opinions to themselves. One interesting side that the media practitioners touched on that was related to what is in the literature reviewed by the researcher was about consulting the media ethics and code of conduct first which is a challenge for most journalists practicing their services in a country where politicians own some of the media houses. Nymnjoh (2005) in his book,  Africa’s Media, Democracy and the Politics of Belonging  added that in Southern Africa it is particularly true of Malawi, where most of the so-called independent papers that were established before the 1994 elections ‘are privately owned by opposition parties, the state, government ministers or other politicians in their personal capacities’, with the sole aim of smearing political rivals. This development may be a good one but very tricky for someone working with such media houses owned by politicians because the people in politics may indeed in some instances influence their workers in this case journalists inclusive to write or broadcast that which is of interest to them hence promoting hate journalism. In situations as such it is very crucial for an individu al working in such kind of media to stick to the codes of ethics and conduct but the issue seems to be very different with regard to Malawi where most of the times others have just given in to the needs of their bosses. The researcher was of the view that this may be so sometimes simply due to the fact that not all of the media personalities may be well trained in these issues, but as a professionally trained journalist, the researcher believes that a journalist without knowledge of the media code of ethics and conduct may not be viewed as a  well-trained  practitioner and one who is ready to go into that field. On the other hand, the researcher was of the view that of course they may have undergone such training, but since it is a job and one tries to be submissive to his or her bosses and that is why it is easy to give in and simply do as the boss wishes yet knowing from deep down their hearts that what they are doing is not right. However the researcher thinks that that can a lso be another topic of study on its own if the readers can view it well and deeply think about it. Almost all of the media practitioners that participated in this research took the view of fair reporting, reporting issues just the way they are, without exaggerating and not putting words in people’s mouths but just to let the respondents answer the way they want and not to judge things on their own but to leave it up to the audience to come up with conclusions on what they have heard through the media. Conclusion This study was conducted in order to find out the role that the media can play in times when there is already a conflict in the political arena in the city of Lilongwe and what they can do to help resolve such disputes, and specifically it was aimed at getting the views from the members of Kaning’a CCAP church and also various media practitioners from different media houses with a varied range of media experience. The results according to the responses given to the researcher through the questionnaires that were prepared showed that indeed there are several roles that are there that the media can play in trying to resolve conflicts among politicians in Lilongwe. Not only did the general public confirm that the media really stands a better chance to bring about solutions in political conflicts, but the main players, the media practitioners themselves also agreed that indeed to a greater extent there are bigger roles that people in the media can play looking at them as the bridg e between the politicians and the general public. This according to the researcher proved to be a success in itself in that what the researcher was looking for through conducting this study as guided by the main research question came to light through the responses that the people themselves gave. The correlation of the responses from the general public with those from the people practicing their services in the media showed that really there is a lot that the media is expected to work on Recommendations Having conducted the study, collecting the necessary data, analyzing the data and coming up with conclusions basing on the findings in this paper, the researcher however has several recommendations to the various media practitioners and the different media houses in Lilongwe. In as much as everybody has his or her own view in a particular story or event as it may occur, there is a greater need for the people in the media to weigh the issue at hand and present it in a manner that will be appropriate to the audience regardless of their gender, race, occupation and even political affiliation. This will help to prevent cases of violence and not only that but also the media practitioner him or herself may also end up tarnishing their own image in the industry and being someone famous this can also ruin one’s career as people will definitely associate that particular individual with such kind of behavior. It should hereby be understood that the role of a journalist is to get informa tion as quick as possible to help boost the station’s popularity, but one thing that has to be put into consideration is the fact that putting words in people’s mouths is as costly as killing someone, it has to be noted here that should one report something not factual, if the people involved in that story end up not receiving the issue well, then your own words would surely come back to you and be dealt with accordingly. It is therefore of significance to be professional in the conduct of duties as media personalities. Working in the media should never be taken as an act of simply working in order to please one’s boss but to work with an aim of serving the needs and aspirations of the intended audience at large. Media bodies that watch the actions of media houses and personalities in general need not to look upon such kind of practitioners and houses that practice their work in manners that are not professional as they are expected. A good example is what the M alawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is currently doing as the country is drawing closer to this year’s tripartite elections, calling upon the general public to report to the body if they suspect that any media house’s conduct seems to be leaning towards the interest of specific political parties, that development is a good one since the media would thereby be held accountable for their actions as in accordance with the stipulations of the communication Act. REFERENCES Nyamnjoh Francis B (2005).  Africa’s Media, Democracy and the Politics of Belonging. Pretoria,  RSA, UNISA Press. Puddephatt Andrew (2006).  Voices of War:  Conflict and the role of the media. International  Media support.

Essays --

Introduction Teaching is a crucial profession because it is designed to empower students; to give them more freedom, more power and more prestige. Teachers hold in their hands the success of our country and the wellbeing of its citizens; they are the key to help every person to realise his/her full potential. In teaching process, teachers use the target language to promote their communication with learners. They use this language so that they could encourage the communication between learners and themselves. This language is called teacher talk. Teacher talk is the exact words that teachers say to their students (Dickson, 2005; Crawford, 1999). In the other word, it is the content of lesson each teacher taught during each period of the class. Although teachers use same textbook as their teaching materials, each teacher has his/her own methods and words for their teaching process. "Teacher talk is used in class when teachers are conducting instructions, cultivating their intellectual ability and managing classroom activities" (Qican, 1999, p.23). In the other word, teacher talk is a kind of communication-based talk. Teacher talk is considered as an important element in language teaching (Cook, 2000). Researchers (Cook, 2000; Chaudron, 1988; Xiaohong, 1998) believed that teacher talk makes up around seventy percentage of classroom language. In the teaching process, teachers organize their teaching activities and consequently help students practice through their teacher talk. In English classroom, teacher’s language is not the only objective of the course, but also the medium to achieve the teaching objectives. Teacher talk has some features. One feature refers to the teacher talk's form such as speed, pause, repetition and modific... ...s such as positive reinforcement, encouragement, trusting, caring and accepting, toward students in the classroom. Communication: Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics defines communication as "the exchange of ideas, information, etc., between two or more persons. In an act of communication there is usually at least one speaker or sender, a message which is transmitted, and a person or persons for whom this message is intended (the receiver). Communication is studied from many disciplinary perspectives, is often viewed as a discipline in its own right, and is central to sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and information theory". Learning Attitude: It is expressions of positive or negative feelings towards learning which may cause ease or difficulty of learning a language. Language attitudes effect on second/foreign language learning.

Oil In America Essays -- essays research papers

Oil in America America has many problems with it's environment. The facts are clear that most corporations won't take the blame for them. These companies try to find ways out by stating that they are not the ones responsible for these problems. They try to protect themselves from the mistakes they made in the oil industry and the country. The facts are clear that there have been disasters in the oil field industry in the past ten years and they stand out in history. The article "Myths We Wouldn't Miss", by the Mobil Corporation, states that there hasn't been a major off shore oil disaster in past years. That may be true and it tries to get Mobil out of a jam but the underlying fact is that there have been oil spills and pollutants put into the environment and that cannot be excused. There have been facts which prove that there have been decreases in the fish population and in the aquatic life in the regions where the oil companies have been. The negligence of these companies can be shown in different fields. There have been many incidents in the oil field industry dating back to January 28 1969, in Santa Barbara. This may have been a long time ago but this was a disaster this country has never seen. On the 28 a well burst on the Santa Barbara Channel. It "raged for ten days and killed 3 crewmen".(Easton,10) There were major problems stopping this rig and no matter what happened there was already enough damage done. On February 23, the well erupted again. The environmental consequences were evident. As the oil spilled down towards the south the numbers were staggering of how much oil actually was pouring out into the ocean. By the month of march 3,000,000 gallons of oil escaped into the ocean.(Easton,251) Here is where the story is corrupted by the oil companies. Union Oil, the company responsible for this stated that their facts "only showed 250,000 gallons".(Easton,256) There were presidential tests and discovered the oil company was wrong. The most damaging evidence to theses oil companies was the discovery that was made when the government sent a diver under the spill to investigate the well. The source showed that more oil leaked than the oil co... ...panies realize the impact they have on the public and realize they all need the business of the American public. The companies act irresponsibly and do not use the appropriate machinery which is not up to standard. In my own opinion these companies know the consequences of using what they have. There is no excuse for the problems that they have. Human error is not calculated right and there is a disaster. We know the kind of damage that is done in the marine life. Why do we insist on doing this then? Is there any other way to get the oil here and back? Why do the oil companies also try to cover up for the damage that they have done? The Mobil Corporation states it's facts well. Every company shows that their facts make sense and gets them out of any trouble that they might be in. They have cited sources in research books and in the article mentioned in the beginning. These sources are all well and good and they dug up these facts to protect themselves from the truth. It is not something we can pull out of by excuses, but by facing it head on and making it easier on our planet and those who will be there for years to come.

My Personal Theory of Counseling Essay

The important ingredients in counseling are: understanding of theory, process and skill. There are many theories of personality. Moreover, we will notice that within each theory, there are other theorists who slightly differ in their views from those of the exponent of the theory. More often, counseling is based on how the proponent of the theory views personality. Burrhus Skinner’s behavioral approach did not go deep enough while; Sigmund Freud’s theory on personality went too deep. Gordon Allport’s theory of individuality and functional autonomy also lack the foundation I need. My personal theory is more on the source of traits in describing personality, are deeper and more significant. It is however different from the factorial theory of Raymund Cattell. I admire Carl Rogers’ self-actualization; however I believe a person is capable of it only if his brain is structured for self-actualization. Analysis/Discussion I was contemplating to structure my personal theory on counseling on the various theories that we have learned so far; however, I find it illogical to base my theory on another theory of unproven facts. I want a concrete foundation of my theory. Do you suppose inconclusive studies of Frued, Skinner, etc. provide solutions to problems? Definitely not! I have read some articles about Sigmund Feud and I doubted whether he had treated his clients with success. It is my belief that psychotherapy can only help to remove the symptoms and prevent early recurring of these symptoms, however when triggered in the future, the symptoms again manifest. .Professionally, I opted to base my personal theory of counselling on pragmatisms, that is, â€Å"genetics. The conclusion of the study just completed by Dr. David Reiss on adolescent development was a surprise even to the doctor himself. Genetic qualities of a person make him unique and different from other people. It is the brain’s genetic components that determine the personality of a person and since no two persons have exactly the same genes, no two people have exactly the same brain structure. Even identical twins have different personality (â€Å"How does the brain works? †). Identical twins have different fingerprints when they come forth from a single fertilized egg. Personality does not begin during infanthood as theorized by Frued but at conception, that is, fertilization of an ovum by a spermatozoon, to be exact. Genetics influences proved that relatively, parents have little influence on child development, that genetic is responsible on how children do well in school, how these adjusted individuals turn out, whether they develop delinquent behaviors in their interactions with other people. â€Å"It’s a radical revision of contemporary theories of child development,† says Reiss. â€Å"I can’t even describe what a paradigm shift it is (Paul, A. M. 005). â€Å" This is the reaction of a George Washington University psychiatrist, Dr. David Reiss as described in a recent article in Psychology Today Magazine, after receiving the results of his more than 12 years of study on genetic and personality development (2005). Researches say that the genetic composition of a person brings forth peculiar responses from others, which suc cessively shape his personality. It cannot be denied that a baby or a child with a bright and pleasing disposition attracts other people’s attention and affection, thus creating self-image and importance. Studies proved, children in their interaction with the environment would pick experiences and opportunities that befit their genotype or genetic qualities. They make decisions in his choices in life, like choosing his friends, jobs, etc which determine their personality as they grow older. The children are in control of their own development through the choices they made. The genes lay the foundation of personality; the environment provides the color and refraction, the accent and significance. That is the correlation of â€Å"nature and nurture (2005). † Moreover, where there is conflict between nature and nurture, problems arise. This happens when society does not permit or support the child’s expression of his natural propensities or where the environment is unable to provide enough opportunities to develop his inner potentials as when he was born to a poor family or where the child’s genetically- determined inclination collides with that of the parents. Such conflicts may result in anti-social behavior, diminished motivation and poor mental attitude. The philosophy of genetics is consistent with my view about personality and humanity. The world is a great plan, a program where everything has a purpose, an essence. The seas are what they are, to contain other living things to live. Animals survive by instincts and conditioning, no need to be counseled. A building did not exist without a reason. It was planned and erected for a definite purpose. Man came to existence by essence of choice. We are not totally free to get want we want, to act what we want to do. There is always a choice. We are only free to choose. If we want to fly, we cannot, because we are not programmed to fly. However, we are free to do something about it. However, what we willed is subject to the will of nature and chance. Chances are, our wishes and desires will not be realized. We choose our attitudes towards the things around us and give meaning to our life. We try to understand things in life but our understanding is limited. Being raised in a Christian environment, I find it in accord with my spiritual beliefs as a person, in the sense that before we came to this world, we already existed in the spirit with God. Allow me to quote a Bible verse, in Jeremiah 1:4-5: â€Å"Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, before I formed thee in the belly I knew the; and before thou camest forth of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations (cited in Richards, L. l979). † This may sound unscientific; however there is truth to it. It is true that even inside the womb; the baby has already his own unique personality. Darwin’s theory of evolution until now remains a theory and every theory on personality continues a concept. Structure of Therapy and Choosing Goals In choosing goals, initial assessment is very important because this is where the problems lie and where the outcome of the treatment ultimately depends. The therapist must go deeper into the root cause of the problem. Freud’s structure of personality centers on the id, ego and superego which are interrelated and based his psychoanalytic treatment on this structure. Sigmund Freud missed the foundation of the id, the genes. My structure of counseling will be based on the philosophy of genes, that no people are alike. It shall be dependent on the nature of the client’s personality. What a dilemma! I have to search for the genes that determine personality to go deeper, realization of which is next to impossibility. However, if science is unable to provide the truth about reality, philosophy can do that and spiritual beliefs do the same with the special job of construing the significance of otherworldliness within this structure. Before starting the therapy, I should consider determining the nature of the client. Knowing the client is a very important aspect of counseling. Of course I have to inquire about my client’s childhood, if feasible talk with the mother or the baby-sitter, the father and siblings. Gather all the information about the client from birth to adolescent, his fears, traits, attitudes, beliefs, desires, likes and dislikes. From there, the nurturing of the client must be dealt with also. Collect information about her/his peers, playmates, school, teachers and the environment. More or less, there is now a clearer picture of nature and nurture. After the history-taking session, the source of conflict will now be easy to determine by applying the â€Å"right brain† technique to the client. The â€Å"right brain† refers to the brain systems that fix or adjust the power to interpret, direct and get ahead in the world and also ascertain the quality and security of relationships with others. Right brain counseling centers on emotion and creativity. To bring this emotion and sensations into play, the â€Å"left brain† is used. The therapist must make use of both sides of the brain to optimize counseling. This is an approach to healing with a goal to balance the emotional, physical, moral, social and spiritual nature of a person called holistic and integrative approach. This is addressing a person as a whole in all aspects (Lacombe, S. McGraw, T. 2007). Both the therapist and the client must be comfortable with each other to arrive at a desired goal. The client must be made aware of the facts of life; that not everything we desire is attainable; that our understanding of the world is limited and that there is free will of choice; that we should not regret if we fail in our choice; that everything will pass naturally if there is acceptance. That there is always a chance to do better and the future is still fruitful and bright. That desires can be shifted to other endeavor. Learning produces alterations in gene expression. Genes contribute to behavior; in turn behavior feedbacks action on the brain and modify expression of the genes. â€Å"Thus all of nurture is ultimately expressed as nature (Kandel, E. l998)† However, I still believe that under extreme circumstances, nature predominates. Summary/Conclusion A psychotherapist must formulate his own unique standpoint based on profound precepts of knowledge. In doing so, it is necessary to be cautious about formulating a personal theory. Counselors must come to understand the nature of people and deeply look into their values, attitudes and beliefs about existence and good life. In going about choosing goals, a therapist must key out a substantially mature and functioning individual as a model. My personal theory of counseling is based on pragmatism that genetics provides the foundation of one’s personality, nurtured by his experiences and choices thereby reflecting and defining his personality development. Problems and symptoms arise as the genetic traits or characteristics of a person are in conflicts with his environment, where nature and nurture do not coincide. In learning, expressions of genes are modified thus nurture ultimately is expressed as nature.