Conflict in the Most Dangerous Game Essay

Have you ever wondered how authors create or compose conï ¬â€šict into their stories? An author uses a method or way of developing conï ¬â€šict into the story using plots. Most stories follow a plot to construct the unique events of the story. Conï ¬â€šicts are very important in a story to help make the story more interesting and entertaining in itÊ ¼s own way. Authors use conï ¬â€šicts in all genres of writing and storytelling. When authors write a story with a conï ¬â€šict they usually build upon the story with some smaller problems called rising conï ¬â€šicts. They use these small encounters or problems to help amp up the story and make it more interesting. In some genres of writing the rising conï ¬â€šicts help the reader to understand and predict what will happen in the main conï ¬â€šict of the story. They hint and tease the reader into thinking what will happen by making that environment with the rising encounters. When the main conï ¬â€šict hits in most stories it feels like a slap in the face because you most likely had no idea what was going to happen. The conï ¬â€šict is supposed to surprise the reader and change the story completely. Once the conï ¬â€šict hits its over very soon and often there is no looking back. Thats one of the reasons that writers chose to include conï ¬â€šict in their stories. In â€Å"The Most Dangerous Game† , Richard Connell provides one way of rising conï ¬â€šict called; Human vs Nature. This form of rising conï ¬â€šict shows a struggle between the character and the situation the character is put into. When Rainsford fell off of the yacht, and stumbled onto sand, that was a example of Human Vs. Nature in the story. Next, after the conï ¬â€šict the story will take one of two paths, it could suddenly end, but it could continue on into the story using falling conï ¬â€šicts.

Gorn Chapter Essay

What powers awarded to congress in the Constitution of 1787 would an Anti- Federalist be most likely to oppose? Anti- Federalist were against the Constitution all together but most of all, I think the Anti-Federalist were against the fact that the state government’s would no longer have as much power like it did with the Articles of Confederation. The constitution supported the idea of a powerful and strong central government. The congress had the power to tax people, and make rules and regulations as it says in document two. With liberty being the Anti-Federalist’s biggest argument, the federalist got the idea that with all the power congress had, their freedom and rights would be threatened or even taken away and that’s what they feared most. 2. According to the Constitution of 1787, what are the eligibility prerequisites and selection processes for a) members of the House of Representatives Members of the House of Representatives are chosen every two years by the people and the number of representatives each state gets is proportional to the population. The members has to be twenty-five years of age or older, has been a citizen of the United States for at least seven years and shall not be, when elected, an Inhabitant of the State in which he is representing. b) members of the Senate, and Each state has two senators serving a six year term. In the Constitution of 1787, the senate was appointed by the Legislature and must have at least one vote. Members of the Senate must be 30 years of age, been a citizen of the U. S. for nine years, and should not be an Inhabitant of that State. ) the president and vice president? Both the President and Vice president serve in the same term of four years. The person running for president and vice president had to be a citizen of the United States for 14 years and naturally born in the U. S. and they had to be at least 35 years of age. The president had to have a majority vote for a guarantee to be president if not the House of Representatives chose in other situations. 3. Critique the provisions co ntained in the Constitution of 1787 from the point of view of each of the following groups: I think all together the only people who felt they would benefit from the Constitution was the smaller populated states and the African Americans. The smaller States would gain more of a say then being overlooked by the larger States, although in the Constitution they would only have a few representatives for their state, it still was a good outcome because they would at least have some sort of say and opinion in what laws were passed due to the power of their representative’s votes. The Constitution’s main goal was to make sure all states were equal and with that being said, it led up to the African American’s being free and gave a sense of something they had never felt, which was equality. The Anglos and Native American’s had to have a sense of anger because not only did they feel like their territory was being taken away, they also now had to have treaties with America if they were beyond the boundaries of the States, in order to trade or do any business with the U. S. The larger states were probably not as approving of the Constitution because with the greater amount of population in their states’, their governments got to do whatever and all the people had to follow their rules they set for themselves. In the Constitution, Congress is given the power over the whole Country, if a state wanted to make something a law or tax people, they had to get the approval of congress. 4. In which of the six objectives designated in the preamble has the Constitution of 1787 lived up to its promises? In what areas has it not fully achieved its goals? The Constitution was truly meant to be looked upon as a good thing, it was not suppose to cause any harm or uneasiness in the States. I think out of the preamble, the Constitution did eventually achieve success in all six objectives but the biggest issure that most Anti-Federalist had was the constitution not establishing justice or secure the blessings of liberty. If you really think about how the Constitution was made, it was illegal. The writers were only allowed to fix the Articles of Confederation, not make a whole new Government. I think that’s why Anti-Federalist were not convinced about the Constitution because it was done out of secrecy and the writers did not allow for the Anti-Federalist to make a common ground and make the Constitution mutual on both sides, that alone made it seem like the writers were just trying to take over America and make rules that seemed to take away the rights that were important to them. In the Constitution there were specific laws for people’s safety, different forces were to be formed in case of any attack or just to promote general welfare. Although, the army had not been figured out yet on how each state’s army would form together, the idea of the forces coming together for safety was in tact. 5. If you were a delegate to a state ratifying convention, would you have voted for or against the Constitution of 1787? Explain the reasons for your vote. If I was a delegate to a state ratifying convention, I would have voted for the constitution of 1787. The United States were at the point of time were reformation was needed. Although many people at the time were against the Constitution, I think overall it put the United States in a more successful path compared to the problems they were already facing as a nation. At the time prior to the Constitution, State’s had set there own laws that were to be abided by which made the outlook on the country as a whole, unorganized. The United State’s needed a more stable government, with the Articles of Confederation, it was basically like there was no government or any uniformed army in place in case of any attacks from other countries. The Constitution made the United States come together in the long run and a good authority with a fair amount of power was needed in order to get America straightened out. 6. Did the writers of the Constitution of 1787 desire to create a democracy or aristocracy? According to what I read, I think the Constriction of 1787 was desired to be a aristocracy government. It was not until the Bill of Rights came into Constitution that made the United States a democracy. The constriction was first made with no checks and balance system which made the strong central government, have more power than it has today. The government in the Constitution had the power to do many things that the Anti-Federalist felt shouldn’t have the right to have. Many of the people living in the state’s felt their unalienable rights were being taken away slowly so many Anti-Federalist decided to push and continue to get the Bill of Rights passed so the government wouldn’t gain too much power, that everyone felt they wanted.

Synopsis of “The Corporation”

Sypnosis Sypnosis of â€Å"The Corporation† The documentary, â€Å"The Corporation† was written by Joel Bakan, Mark Achbar, and Jennifer Abbott. It starts off by describing corporations as jig saw puzzles, saying that if one piece of it is removed or lost, it will not function properly. The documentary describes that everything in a corporation has a place and a common purpose. It states that everything and everyone works together for a common end. Corporations are then compared to â€Å"monsters† trying to obtain as much profit as possible.In the film, corporations are defined as â€Å"one form of business ownership† and as â€Å"a group of individuals working together to serve a variety of objectives. † A corporation’s most important objective is profit and it will not let anything stand in its way of getting it. The documentary explains how the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution created enormous growth in corporations. Corporate lawye rs started to realize they wanted more power. The 14th amendment was passed to give every â€Å"person† equal rights.This amendment was meant to free slaves, but corporations manipulated it in a way to apply to capital and property. Corporations were given rights as â€Å"special persons’ that were designed to be concerned only for their stockholders. All they want is to make as much money as possible at any given time. To corporations, there is no such thing as enough profit. All of them are designed to complete certain characteristic to deliver results as soon as possible.The characteristics of corporations are callous concern for the feelings of others, incapacity to maintain enduring relationships, reckless disregard for the safety of others, deceitfulness: repeated lying and conning others for profit, incapacity to experience guilt, and failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors. These faults of corporations have put life of all species i n a constant decline. Most CEO’s of corporations do not realize the bad that their companies are doing to the world. Many have not even been to the sites of their main actories to have the opportunity to see the horrible conditions of workers. Corporations manipulate our minds through media to buy their products starting at a young age. It is a terrible thing for them to do, but unfortunately it works. Most children start begging their parents for toys they see on television at a very young age. Parents seem to give in as their children explain that they just â€Å"have got to have† the new toy. Towards the end of the documentary, it starts to reveal some real life situations where corporations have tried to break the law.It shows when the RGBH hormone was being put into milk without consumers knowing the true health issues it could cause. Another corporation was trying to charge citizens in Bolivia a fourth of their income for water, even though they only made two dol lars a day. In order for Coca-Cola to continue making money during Hitler’s dictation, they came out with a new drink called Fanta Orange. They continued to make millions of dollars even while millions of people were being killed. During the same time, IBM, along with other United States corporations were trading with Germany to make profits during the Holocaust.Many corporations have grown global and the government has lost total control over them. Capitalism has become the new â€Å"high-priest† of all systems. In order to have more power, industries and the government work together. As everyday people we do not realize how the things we do can harm our environment. Even just doing our jobs can be hurting the people around us, depending on the companies we work for. The best thing to do is if you do not agree with the actions of a corporation, then stand up to them or do not buy or use their products.

The book Breakout Nations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The book Breakout Nations - Essay Example To recognize the countries that will emerge as economic winner in the future, it is important that one should abandon the habit of making assessments from past events and putting diverse countries in one bracket. It is required that emerging markets be treated separately and one should remember that economic success is not an everyday issue. The new â€Å"breakout nations† may jump from the darkness and Sharma identifies the nations they probably will be and attempts to explain the reason behind his speculation. Through this book, Sharma looks at the world from the glasses of a veteran market player. His book is based on his experiences and studies on developing countries that he gained after twenty years of travelling around the world. This book defines a breakout nation as the one that exceeds expectations or that develops faster than other countries having the same per capita income. Sharma has explained the reason behind this definition. He says that there is a circulating myth that if China’s economic growth gets reduced from its previous rate then it will make no difference as China will still be progressing faster than many western nations. Sharma, however has two views on this. According to him if China’s growth rate declines, then it will be considered as recession within the nation, and also for the rest of the world because people are accustomed to the previous growth rate of China. Sharma explains that other than growth rate, it is also important from where the growth starts. With two nations having same growth rates, it is the country with more per capital income that will be making a huge achievement. He said â€Å"per capita income is the critical measure because a growing pie doesnâ⠂¬â„¢t change a nation’s circumstances if the number of mouths it needs to feed is growing just as fast.† (Sharma, 19) Sharma attempts to speculate as to what factors contribute towards some nations that can

An Investigation Into E-marketing Strategies That Could Be Applied to Literature review

An Investigation Into E-marketing Strategies That Could Be Applied to a Failing DVD & Rental Company - Literature review Example However this could be done by the promotion of the company through e-mail messages. The company has to structure a proper opt-in list through e-mail and make awareness to receipt of the emails. Network marketing is the fourth form in which the relationship would develop only within a specific network of people, both individuals as well as the company people. There would be less scope for this in case of the DVD rentals. Blogs may also be written about the brand to make awareness about the products or the various kinds of services so that the people get necessary feedback about the brand (McQuail, 2005, pp. 45-67). E-marketing on the other hand would be the new entrant in the group in which the marketing would take place by means of the internet, through the social websites or the other popular websites that people access. There are several reasons are contributing to the success of e-marketing. The authors like Davis and Abhor have recognised the worldwide acceptance of the credibili ty of information technology. The firms that are operating on a large scale find it easier to integrate their processes with information technology (Davis and Arbor, 1989, pp. 318–340). Studies have proved that the companies that have that have taken the help of the Database Marketing and Network Marketing and have integrated it with the e-marketing strategies have performed in a much better manner. The e marketing strategies can be best implemented depending on the age group that would access a particular website. For example the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter would have acceptability among the young as well as the old people and therefore particular advertisements should be on the specific pages to... This paper stresses that Marketer’s around the world use a number of Technologies for their E-marketing strategies. Social Media is a powerful tool for E-marketing their products or services to specific groups. Business use different social media marketing platforms like Facebook, Twitter etc. to help their product reach the customers. This report makes a conclusion that nowadays most of the markets use Facebook online Marketing platform to target their customer segments. Facebook keeps updating their features year on year to improve their advertising portal, so that the business community adopts the platform for their marketing strategy. Over the year Facebook has been the most successful social media Technology. The e marketing strategies can be best implemented depending on the age group that would access a particular website. Pinterest is a content sharing service which allows their members to pin videos, images to their pin boards. It reminds us of the importance of such pictures and videos in reaching out to their customers. Text may convey a messed abut it is said that a picture has more impact as compared to text. The author of the report declares that E-mailing for E-marketing is not new in the Internet. Nowadays most of the companies try to avoid sending emails to their target customer because they donâ⠂¬â„¢t eventually grab attention of them. They either fall in the spam box or the customers delete them with a degree of annoyance. But using this company can gain information from them and do research on their part to know what works on their subscriber and what does not.

House for Rent Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

House for Rent - Research Paper Example The aim will be to identify models that will work on the differences and create room where a smooth negotiation will take palace. The final decision making process remains an integral part in any negotiation. Identifying nagging issues between the two parties and working towards a mutual agreement. An agreement is essential in any negotiation. Alfredson and Cungu’ (2008) identify goals as essential in any negotiation as they play part in agenda setting. Agenda setting remains the major objective while negotiating. In our case, the goals will be set based on the lease agreement. Information from a third party indicates that the prospective client has the same agenda. This means he is willing to lease the house for two years which is the anticipated expiry period. The client’s goals will be to minimize the overall cost of the house. His aim will base on ensuring the cost matches his valuation. The leaser in this case will be aiming at ensuring the terms match his valuation and that he maximizes on the benefits that accompany leasing of the property. The cost should be enough to ensure he affords a new property in his new location. The initial stage would be to ensure common elements are utilized while initiating any negotiation. The common elements between the two parties initiate a process which will be aimed at working on differences and concern in an effort to reach an agreeable solution. The motivating factor will be the two agree on the time period in which the lease should last. This hence triggers a meeting that will design a model that would be agreeable to both parties. The two parties depend on each other in that each has different objectives from the property. The interdependent nature of the two parties is what triggers a negotiation (Moore, 2005). The two parties should acknowledge that without the other party any process will not be achieved. This will motivate the two parties

Fire Accidents Due to Electrical Code Violations Essay

Fire Accidents Due to Electrical Code Violations - Essay Example The foremost activities of National Electricity Energy Board encompass electrical installations. It requires immense care procedures to be followed to prevent accidents caused by electricity. Although the electricity codes are followed but some violation of this, results in the fire accidents accounting for 3-4% of annual accidents. On analysis it was theoretically postulated that the causes of these accidents could be eliminated in 90% situations (Comini, R., Pontorieri, L., Fanello, G, 1989). Electrical appliances are designed to carry elated load. The current carrying capacity of every instrument or machine is limited and defined depending upon the size and material of which it is made and also on the type of insulation and manner of installation. If they are compelled to carry loads greater than their capacities they will overheat. The excess current will heat the electrical conductors and a point is reached where they will break causing fire hazard. It first causes the insulation to bur, exposing live parts (Martin and Walters). The fatalities in which electricity according to CFOI and SOII data, shows that 2,287 U.S. workers died and 32,807 workers persistently stayed away from work due to electrical shock or electrical burn injuries between 1992 and 1998 (Cawley, Homace, 2003). Major groups were sorted out to categorize electric fatalities: 1. Industries: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) inspected at Progressive processing of Ohio Steel Firms and found OSHA violation. The fatality encompasses entangled employee's clothing in rotating part of the machine. There was not only willful violation of the machine guarding regulatory standards but also found that steel processing firm failed to protect the hearing loss (Smith, S, 2003). 2. Construction Industry: 44% of electrical fatalities occurred in the construction industry (Cawley, Homace, 2003). 3. Overhead power lines caused 41% of all electrical fatalities (Cawley, Homace, 2003). Case: A tree lopper received a fatal electric shock when carrying out vegetation control work from the bucket of an elevated work platform. His pole mounted chain saw contacted 22,000 volt power lines (Electricity related serious accidents and fatalities). 4. Electrical shock caused 99% of fatal and 62% of nonfatal electrical accidents (Cawley, Homace, 2003). Case: An electrical contractor was electrocuted when he mistakenly identified a power circuit cable and isolated the wrong circuit when checking live cable junctions in a roof space (Electricity related serious accidents and fatalities). Case: A person was electrocuted

Effective communication skills are essential when facilitating Essay

Effective communication skills are essential when facilitating learning for nurses and clients. With refernce to your area of clinical practice, critically dis - Essay Example It is not merely enough to identify the daunting nature of communication challenges in nursing. The training should have strategies in place to ensure that the nurses are trained and equipped to meat the challenges of their career. This will call for an evaluation of present training and practice of nursing career in the light of significant literature on the subject. This will naturally result in the need for qualitative changes in the area of training and practice of nursing profession. It is good to have an overview of the nature of human communication to understand its broad implications in successful health care practice and its particular importance in mental health care. All health care involves an appreciable amount of communication. There are three main components in the process of communication. They are the sender, the message and the receiver and the process is usually a two way process with the sender and receiver intermittently changing their roles between them to respond to the messages. In the process of communication the message that is developed in the mind of the sender is coded into a sound, letter, picture or gesture and transmitted. The message is understood if the receiver is able to decode the message and able to grasp the intended meaning of the sender (Ellis 1995). The process of human communication is very complex as it involves both verbal and non-verbal aspects. Now the practice of health care is exercised in a multilingual and multicultu ral milieu and the demands of modern health care task can be daunting and nurses need to be well trained to face the challenges of our complex world. The verbal aspects of human communication are very well understood to a large extent and it can be acquired by the proficiency in the language used in a place. When it comes to the non-verbal aspects of

Kingdom of Heaven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Kingdom of Heaven - Essay Example Several skirmish between Muslim and Christian forces occur, like when Guy and Raynald kill everyone on a Muslim caravan. Saladin, the Muslim leader, retaliates. Balian is captured, then freed by the servant he had turned loose. The Muslims and Christians reach a tentative truce. The Christians murder Saladins sister, causing Saladin to siege Jerusalem. Balian leads the defense, but has to surrender. Saladin allows them free passage back to their countries. When King Richard I ask Balian to crusade with him, Balian refuses. At the end, subtitles explain King Richard I failed, and fighting for Jerusalem continued over the centuries, even today. The film states â€Å"Peace in the Kingdom of Heaven remains elusive" (Kingdom of Heaven). There was not too much spiritual content in this movie. Balian wanted to go the crusade to gain redemption for him and his wife. This is a Christian trait. Repentance, penance, and forgiveness is a Christian concept. So his motives for going on the crusades were religious. Most of the Christians in the movie have no religion, or were hostile to religion. Good and bad Christians were portrayed in this movie. Good Christians like Balian left the Muslims in peace, but bad Christians wanted to kill all Muslims. A Christian crusader is someone who was planning to go there and come back. Crusaders were alright with individual Muslims, but a Muslim state would have been unacceptable. They would have wanted to conquer the Holy Land for Christians. There were no churches in this movie, save for in the knighting scene. That was odd, because in the Middle Ages religion and churches were very important to Muslims, Jews, and Christians. There was crosses, but no crucifixes. The closest religious symbols were during the knighting ceremony where Balians father gives his oath, and Balian is knighted. During his knighting ceremony Balians father gives him his oath. Behind him there is an

The CEO of WRSX Has Asked You to Write a Short Educational Piece That Essay

The CEO of WRSX Has Asked You to Write a Short Educational Piece That Will Be Given to the Board Of Directors - Essay Example They operate in United States, Europe as well as in Asia pacific. In a survey conducted on the marketing communications and advertising industry the score of the company was below average. Though the customer retention and attraction capability of the company is pretty good, but in other areas of business the performance of the company is not attractive for the investors. This report is an attempt to analyze the reasons of underperforming of the shares of WRSX group and recommend about the changes that may be undertaken by the company management to gain more market shares. The researcher will conduct internal analysis of the company and describe the benefits of internal analysis to the board of directors of the company. Internal Analysis For conducting the internal analysis of the company the researcher will use the SWOT analysis tool and the resource based view analysis (Snell and Bohlander, 2012, pp.53-54). Resource Based View The resource based view analysis of a company is conduc ted to analyze the resources available to the company which can be profitable when it is used strategically. For analyzing this, VRIN framework has been made by the researchers. This framework identifies the valuable, rare, in-imitable and non substitutable resources of the company (helfat, 2007, p.45). For the resource based view analysis the VRIO framework is used to identify the valuable resources and utilized them at their best (Peng, 2008, p.71). The analysis of WRSX using the VRIN framework is as follows. Valuable: The valuable asset of the company is the capability of the team to perform locally. They understand the local customer needs more. Rare: The capability of the company to attract the customers and retain them is the best in the concerned industry (Sanchez, 2008, p.34). This capability will provide them above average return if they use the resources strategically. In-imitable: There are no such in-imitable resources of the company. Other companies in the industry can imitate these resources available to them (McKinney, 2008, p.2). As the advertising and marketing communications is a fast moving industry, so there is enough chance for the company management to develop such resources. Non-Substitutable: The non-substitutable nature of the asset of a company means that the company owns such asset that cannot be imitated by the competitors by any means, and meet the customer needs (Carter, Clegg and Kornberger, 2011, p.87). WRSX doesn’t have such assets which can be substituted by some other asset. Though the company has some valuable resources but they are not using those strategically at present. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis of the company is a popular tool for the analysts as it describes the strength, weakness, opportunities and threat of the company (Handlechner, 2008, p.10). Using this tool the management of the company can improve in the areas of their weaknesses, use the opportunities and can take effective steps for facing the thr eats for the company (Mello, 2003, p.43). The SWOT analysis of the company is as follows Strength: The Company prefers to provide service locally. They followed the ‘

The Human Genome Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Human Genome - Assignment Example Other countries and their respective genome research departments involved in the project include The Australian Genome Research Facility, Beijing Genomics Institute, Japan Science and Technology Corporation Sequencing Projects, and other companies located in France, Germany, and other countries sich as Mexico, Spain, and others across the globe. Through this international collaboration the following milestones were achieved by the project in record time ( 2008): Although various scientific fields tended to benefit from the results of the research there were still ethical and legal concerns among various sectors due to societal concerns such as the â€Å"fairness in use of genetic information, privacy and confidentiality of genetic information, Psychological impact and stigmatization due to an individuals genetic differences, including reproductive and clinical issues (2011) as well. The Human Genome Project does not end with the results of the DNA Sequencing. Thanks to the results of their experiments and discoveries, we now have an updated periodic table of elements and an unprecendented increase in medical breakthroughs related to unlocking the connection between the human DNA sequence and illnesses / viruses. It is expected that these research projects and medical developments will continue well into the future and result in a longer life span for human beings regardless of age and

Same Artist, Different Pictures Essay Example for Free

Same Artist, Different Pictures Essay The way artists can look at a scene in many different lights is very similar to what Earle Birney did when he wrote January Morning/Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Lights. An artist can paint a picture of a given setting and then come back and paint a totally different painting of the same subject. The two poems share similarities but where the description of January Morning/Downtown Vancouver ends, the theme for Vancouver Lights begins. The two poems based on the same setting create entirely different ideas in the readers mind. Evidently, Birneys poems both contain very powerful descriptions, but the two descriptions have different effects on the reader. January Morning/Downtown Vancouver beautifully describes exactly the title of the poem. However, the poem missing meat or substance, does not require the reader to analyze it in any way. In contrast, the first paragraph of Vancouver Lights is also a description, but this only sets the tone and allows the reader to get a feeling of the poems future. For example, when Birney says, to look on this quilt of lamp is a troubling delight( Earle Birney, January Morning/Downtown Vancouver ) implies a hidden meaning where as, The streets wait outside / chained to their hydrants( Earle Birney, Vancouver Lights) only describes. Although the poems are written about the same city, the descriptions Birney writes differ and imply different meanings. Similarities in the two poems are hard to find because they both have different agendas. The immediate understanding of January Morning/Downtown Vancouver completely contrasts the intense thought process required to fully understand Vancouver lights. Birneys wants the reader to think about mankinds insignificance and that mankind can create and destroy itself in Vancouver Lights where as January Morning/Downtown Vancouver needs little analyses, therefore extracting the theme appears difficult because of its simplicity. When Birney writes, These Rays were ours / we made and unmade them Not the shudder of continents / doused us the moons passion nor the crash of comets ( Earle Birney, Vancouver Lights) he acknowledges the fact that mankind are creators and destroyers, but in January Morning/Downtown Vancouver the reader can not find a phrase that has a  deeper meaning. Also, Vancouver Lights has numerous references to ancient symbols such as: Phoebus, Nubian, Prometheus, Nebulae and Aldebaran. This puts Vancouver Lights on a different level from January Morning/Downtown Vancouver because it requires the reader to have some pre-conceived knowledge to understand the theme and meaning of the poem. The simplicity in January Morning/Downtown Vancouver and complexity of Vancouver Lights makes similarities of the two difficult to uncover, yet the reader can see a direct link between the two because of the setting. These two poems paint completely contrasting pictures because January Morning/Downtown Vancouver only describes while Vancouver Lights requires previous knowledge and in-depth thinking to unlock the theme. The simplicity of January Morning/Downtown Vancouver creates detailed images but Birney leaves little to the readers imagination. On the other hand, Vancouver Lights about the same setting, forces the reader to think and discover the theme on their own. Like an artist can paint different pictures of the same subject, Birney accomplishes this in his poems, January Morning/Downtown Vancouver and Vancouver Lights

Are networks important to entrepreneurs when starting new business

Are networks important to entrepreneurs when starting new business In this essay, I have chosen to write a report about why networks are important to entrepreneurs when starting a business. In this essay, I will analyse and describe the use of social relations in the business establishment process, and the benefits behind networks in entrepreneurship. I will write this essay using my findings in books, articles, newspapers and the internet. I will try to not only produce a logical argument concerning why networks are important, but try and apply theories to back up my view and points. I will also use my personal understandings of why networks are important to entrepreneurs, but reflecting understandings and knowledge I gained by interviewing an entrepreneur. Main Body An entrepreneur is an individual who has a new idea, or enterprise who accepts the financial risks to capitalising on that idea and undertakes a new financial venture. The word entrepreneur derives from the French language, which applies to any individual who is starting a new project or business. (Hisrich, Peters, Shepherd, 2006). To some economists, an entrepreneur is someone who is willing to take the risks of starting a new business if there is an opportunity for them to make profit out of the idea. The concept of entrepreneurship was first created in the 1700s, and the meaning has evolved ever since. There are hundreds of different theories and explanations for defining entrepreneurship. However, all economists and business academics agree entrepreneurs posses behaviours like: initiative taking, the structuring and restructuring of social and economic social mechanisms to turn resources and situations to practical account and lastly the acceptance of risk or failure (Hisrich, Pe ters, Shephard 2006). My definition of an entrepreneur is someone who has an idea, and the idea progresses from just being an idea, to becoming a passion, something that an entrepreneur would sacrifice a lot to see succession in. So why are networks important to entrepreneurs? People usually develop relationships with people like themselves. Athletes develop ties with other athletes, wealthy people develop ties with other wealthy people, and educated people develop ties with other educated people. Its part of our nature, we tend to be attracted to those who are similar to us. So what is the reason for this? Perhaps we feel more comfortable when around those who are similar to us? I believe the answer is yes. Socially similar people, even when competing against each other, spend time in the same locations, which cause relationships to occur (Swedberg, 2000). Having a large network range matters. People with larger contact networks gain better paying positions than people with smaller networks . Network range, indicated by size, is the primary measure (Cosson, 2010). Its simple, the more people you are in contact with, the quicker you will learn the tricks and shortcuts. Dragons Den is a television show, broadcasted on BBC, on which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas in pursuit of securing an investment from one of the dragons (the investors). However, most of the entrepreneurs arent exactly interested in the investment, but the network of contacts that the investor can offer the business. Whenever an entrepreneur secures an investment, they ask the dragons a series of questions concerning whether they have the right contacts which the entrepreneur could use in their business. Having social networks is important, full stop. In any type of activity you take part in, there are advantages of having acquaintances who possess knowledge in that. Being a student, I know the advantages of building friendship with those who are on the same degree scheme as me. At times if I struggle, there are always people that I can turn to for guidance. Its the same concept with an entrepreneur. No matter how clever you are, or how academically brilliant you are, you will always face problems, and at times, these problems could have major impacts on the whole business. Networks help you Accomplish a positive relationship with people who are knowledgeable in a specific field, not only will it strengthen your option of networks, but it can help the entrepreneur enlarge their networks to get important information and resources from their contacts (Wiklunk, 2006). The next advantage is positioning, entrepreneurs position themselves within a social network to shorten the route the more experienced others took to get what they need. Its about finding shortcuts, and possessing a selection of experienced contacts can help you find these shortcuts faster (Burt, 1992). Networking between entrepreneurs is a very effective tool, it various advantages (Cosson, 2010): To improve commercial acumen Encourage collaborations between similar businesses Support one another, help to enlarge the specific market that youre involved in A personal network, consists of all those individuals whom the entrepreneur has direct relations to, this includes individuals like employees, suppliers, partners etc. Strong tie relations are those that the entrepreneur can count on and trust weak tie relations are only casual; people rarely have emotional investments in them. So what is the importance of sustaining weak ties?. Reflecting on Granovetters (1973) reasoning, which links weak and strong ties together, states that entrepreneurs are typical to be found in positions where centrality is high, this allows them to many diverse sources of information (Landstrom, 2009). To explain Social Networks in basic terms, the acquaintances of our friends, are also our friends (Aldrich and Kim, 2005). However, a personal network is a high density network, due to all the persons involved in that network being well known to each other. My interpretation of this is that it is important to sustain a balance of weak and strong ties. In basic w ords, its word of mouth, which plays a crucial role in starting or operating a new business. You might not know the contacts, but perhaps maybe your strong ties are in some form of relation to those weak ties, and that creates a flow of information which the entrepreneur could benefit from (Cosson, 2010). . The social network concept is the relationship between an entrepreneur and the networks of contacts they have who provide them the resources that are important in starting a business and most importantly successfully running the business (Carsrud, Brannback, Brannback 2007). These acquaintances usually have some form of experience and knowledge concerning that specific field. Every entrepreneur, has, or believes to have some kind of knowledge to be capable of running the business, but they also need complementary resources to produce or improve their products (Casson, 2010). The contacts dont necessarily have to be formal, they can be informal, such as friends, family or people who studied on the same degree scheme as you in university. These networks are absolutely crucial in obtaining a successful business (Ross and Brown, 1993). Those acquaintances who guide the entrepreneur to success are their social capital, and one of their key elements of their networks (Casson, 2010). Social Capital is a concept which means the connection and relationship between social networks, in this case, between the entrepreneur and their network. This can be seen as an investment for the entrepreneur. The word investment shouldnt necessarily mean financially investing in a product or company, but, anything that you establish and become part of that is beneficial to you in the long term (Burt, 1992). I personally believe formal networks are as crucial to an entrepreneur as informal networks are. The entrepreneurial process has many lonely and difficult times. Its part of becoming successful. There will be times when establishing a moral-support network is critical. The moral-support network is your friends and family, in simple words, people who make you happy (Hisrich, Peters, Shepherd, 2006). There will be times where even a single phone call from a friend or family will make you feel better, someone to encourage you to pick yourself up and carry on in pursuit of succession. Friends are a critical part of moral-support network, not only can they provide you with honest advice, the form of advice and opinions that others might not be so comfortable in delivering, but they can also provide you with assistance and you can confide with them without the fear of criticism (Cosson, 2010). Although not necessarily true, most entrepreneurs have parents who also own their own businesses or small firms (Cosson, 2010). Young entrepreneurs are able to take advantage of the experience a nd knowledge their parents possess and use it when developing a business of their own. However, a problem comes with this scenario. Off course family members are helpful at particular aspects when giving advice and feedback, however, too much dependence on family members may impact and restrict the entrepreneurs network. Economists stress that dependence on family members may limit an entrepreneurs networking circle. Entrepreneurial parents are a great source of information, there is no doubt about that, but knowing the limit of how much information to acquire from them is critical. You have to interact with the real world, the hard world, to be able to substance a successful business. Sooner or later your parents will be incapable of giving you information, and in that situation, you have no choice but to turn to networks outside your family zone (Birley, 1985). A study by Aldrich, Rosen and Woodward (1987) has suggested that those entrepreneurs with variable networks are more like ly to experience better results. The applicants of the research, reported to have a higher than average number of contacts per week with core network members (Landstrom, 2010). A close friend of mine, Irfan Patel, after 4 years of planning and research, owns his own business, Citybeat53. Citybeat53 is a business that offers young talented musicians events and advertisement through its own channel of networks. it provides opportunity to those who need guidance and help. Irfan is a Music Engineering graduate from the University of Leeds. After graduating, he successfully secured an internship to work for SONY BMG. As he explained, whilst being an employee for Sony BMG, he learnt an ocean of information and skills. He believes it was due to the people he worked with, all of whom had side activities and businesses. Whilst working at the company, he formed a relationship with a colleague who specialised in organising concerts, book signings and formal events. And he began a string of net works for Irfan. Using those networks, Irfan managed to gather enough information and resources to create this incredibly unique business. As he explained, when the business established, the first year was the loneliest and most difficult time he has ever experienced. He explained that if it wasnt for the relationships he formed whilst working for Sony BMG, he would have never made it this far. He values the network he established in London, more than achieving his degree. At times, he believe that maybe he should have done things differently, maybe taken different routes, but he believes everything that has happened to him counts as experience. To conclude this essay, I have learnt that to be a successful entrepreneur, its critical to obtain a variety set of networks for yourself. To set up a successful new business, you must make relations with those who you believe can help you gain better results. By reading through this essay, I have learnt that not only the entrepreneurial experience is a hard and at times, long process, but it can affect an individual mentally. By carrying out a research about this field, I have learnt that those entrepreneurs who constantly try and expand their networks, and use their social network contacts to learn about new opportunities, often find a shorter route to success than those solo entrepreneurs (Wiklunk, 2006). Trying to expand your network of contacts is like investing in a flow of information, at a cost of putting the effort of finding those contacts and maintaining a positive relationship with them. By looking at different types of theories and stories from entrepreneurs, I learnt th at the majority of experienced entrepreneurs advice those younger entrepreneurs to expand their range of networks, and most importantly, maintain a diversified network. Weak ties are as important as strong ties. Entrepreneurship is about change, its about offering the market something unique, and throughout the entrepreneurial process, the entrepreneur will face environmental changes, changes which can be extremely challenging, hence the entrepreneur needs to be prepared to face these challenges. Having a network becomes like mechanism, a device created to help you to successfully respond to these changes.

Supply Chain Management Creating Competitive Advantage

Supply Chain Management Creating Competitive Advantage According to extensive Christopher (2005) the supply chain can basically be described as a triangular relationship between three Cs, the customer, the company and competitors. Christopher and Hines (2004) both suggests that the term chain should be replaced by network as the number of inter-connections between suppliers can be extensive. A well-managed supply chain can be a resource that enables an organisation to develop and sustain competitive advantage in a global market in a volatile economic environment together with industry re-organisation and increases in internet driven sales. Supply chains compete not companies is Christophers motto on his web page and summarises how competition is a key issue for organizations. With the advent of internet shopping there is an abundance of competitors ready to provide ever demanding consumers with the products they desire. Consumers want better quality, faster delivery and at a lower cost. Individual businesses cannot function alone, but have an inter-dependent relationship with integrated supply chains, whose success or failure is ultimately determined in the marketplace by the end consumers (Christopher and Towill, 2001; Monczka, Handfield, Giunipero Patterson 2009). Organisations that focus on developing the most cost effective and efficient supply chains will be the market winners and achieve a competitive advantage. A companys competitive advantage can be defined as the ability to make a higher profit than competitors through differentiation of products or services from those of competitors and better products or services in terms of quality and cost than competitors. Good supply chain management (SCM) enables quick response from supply chains to meet customer demands. In order to maintain competitive advantage dynamic businesses need short lead times, the ability to manage the peaks and troughs of demand (Sabath, 1998), and incorporate time-based competition (Stalk, 1988; Droge, Jayaram Vickery 2004). The aims of the literature review are to examine what contributes to a dynamic company in respect to a sustainable competitive advantage, responsive supply chain management (RSCM) with relation to dynamic industries including the fast fashion industry. The literature review will examine the factors that contribute to a companys strategy development for product differentiation and competitive advantage. Porters (1990) five forces analysis provides organisations with a framework to identify competition and market position will be discussed. The relevance of time-based competition and a review of different types of supply chains including supply chain management will also be presented. The different types of supply chains to be examined include value supply chains, agile and lean supply chains and Responsive Supply Chain (RSC). The literature review concludes with an assessment of the apparel industry in the UK and implications and impact of the supply chain. Is the supply chain as effe ctive as the literature depicts? Internal analysis of an organisation An internal analysis of a company provides managers with an insight into the success of the business for example how effective are its current strategies? Are its resources deployed effectively to support its strategies? In addressing such questions it is the business itself that determines it competitiveness. If a company undertakes an internal analysis it can identify competencies and core competencies which can be developed the importance of which will be discussed again later in this review. The internal analysis can also examine value-added activities and again these will be discussed in more detail later. Managers can also evaluate financial performance particularly in relation to competitors and identify areas of weakness. In many companies the majority of products go through the following stages; research and development prototyping, and then introduction of the new product, if the product is successful there will be market growth and profitability and competitors will become apparent. There will be a period of growth during which the product matures and this is the stage of product differentiation where the product dominates the market. Eventually the product declines as either new products are developed or improved upon by the competition. Management should know what stage their products are in as they can then develop their strategy. Business strategy analysis Business strategy is a process consisting of three phases; strategic analysis, strategic selection and strategic implementation. Strategic analysis evaluates the companys position in the market, the strengths and weaknesses of the product, and evaluates other companies who represent the main competitors. Strategic selection and implementation involves obtaining the goals identified as a result of the strategic analysis. Porter (1990) developed a framework known as the five forces model which assists with the analysis of factors contributing to a competitive advantage and to develop a competitive strategy based on positioning in the market. In a similar way to a SWOT analysis the five forces analyses competitive intensity and the attractiveness, in terms of the profitability of a company. Figure 1: from The five competitive forces that shape strategy by Michael E Porter Harvard Business Review 2008 The five factors illustrated in Figure 1consist of; the risk of entry into the market by potential competitors; the bargaining power amongst buyers; the bargaining power of suppliers; the closeness of substitutes to an industrys product all four of which contribute to the final factor which is the intensity of competition amongst established companies within an industry There are factors that moderate the threats firstly; the threat of new entry competition may be moderated by factors such as economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, or switching the cost to buyers. Second, the buyers power may be moderated by the number of buyers relative to sellers, product differentiation, buyers profit margins, switching costs to other products and how important the product is to the buyer. The third force is the threat of substitute products moderating factors includes the relative price and quality of the substitute product and switching the cost to the buyer. The fourth force is the determinants of supplier power, supplier concentration, availability of substitute inputs, importance of suppliers input to buyer and suppliers product differentiation. These factors all contribute to the fifth force the competition and rivalry amongst existing firms which depends on the diversity, size and number of competitors, how quickly the industry i s growing and the range of product differentiation. Porters views have been disputed by Booth and Philip (1998) and Edwards (1997) who suggest that organisations should be flexible and unite both cost leadership (lowest production cost or higher rate of return) and differentiation in order to give customers unique value. Other criticisms include Porters emphasis on analysis and little information about formulation or implementation as van den Bosch de Man (1994) argue diagnosis does not necessarily lead to health (p. 14). According to Mintzberg (1990) the organisation must gain market power diminishing the buyers and suppliers power which although the five factors may mean economic power it could be mistaken for political power and finally bias towards large, established businesses as new companies or industries can only be analysed once they are established (Hamel and Prahalad 1989). Other critics (e.g. Sharp Dawes) have also labeled Porters conclusions as lacking in empirical support; have been justified using selective case studi es to support his perspective and for inconsistent logical argument in his claims. The sources-position-performance model (SPP) (Day and Wensley, 1988; Hunt and Morgan, 1995) is also a strategic framework for competitive advantage and reflects Porters 1985 proposal of positional advantage in respect of either cost or differentiation. The SPP model proposes that an organisations sources (for example superior skills or resources) can be maximised to achieve a positional advantage (for example differentiation in lower costs or higher value) which finally results in a superior performance outcome (for example an increased market share and/or higher profitability). Day and Wensley (1988) suggest that a differential positional advantage can be achieved with the brand name, features that are innovative and a product that is of high quality. These factors contribute towards the potential for obtaining a secure market position and a profitable market performance. Doyle and Wong (1998) support this viewpoint reporting that successful companys differential advantage was acqui red through product differentiation, services and the reputation of the company. Competitive advantage can also be maintained by re-investing some or all of the profit back into the company. For better customer satisfaction and market understanding, companies are striving to achieve the best performance from their supply chains by three key components (Fisher, 1997) these include responsiveness of the supply chains, accurate demand forecasting and inventory management. In a dynamic, globalised and competitive environment, companies are under pressure to improve their supply chain strategies in order to be more responsive to customer demands. Christopher (2000) defines responsiveness as the ability of a supply chain to respond rapidly to changes in demand, in respect of amount and variety. (Fisher, 1997; Christopher, 2000, 2005) Uncertainties in demands are unavoidable due to the changing market conditions and customer expectations. In supply chains, inventory is the currency of service that helps deal with uncertainty and provides flexibility, though it can be costly (Chase and Aquilano, 1995; Bernard, 1999) Time-based strategies In current competitive markets if customers cannot get what they want from one company they will go to the competition. Leading companies such as Federal Express and Honda have demonstrated that if organisations are able to implement time-based strategies in areas such as production, developing new products, selling goods and the supply chain this can represents a powerful competitive advantage. In a survey of American companies Davis (1995) found that a high priority for the majority of organisations was time-based competitive strategy. Customers appreciate receiving their products promptly and this also encourages market growth as prompt delivery is a competitive advantage. It is not necessary to have a large stock of goods because efficient manufactures can deliver an order on the day it is received. The concept of time-based competition was introduced by Stalk (1988) and emphasises time as an important factor in developing and maintaining a competitive advantage. A time-based str ategy aims to reduce time in the stages of product proposal, development, manufacture, marketing and delivery. The business cycle time can be defined as the total time between receiving an order and getting the product to market which is particularly relevant to the fast fashion sector. If a company adopts a time-based strategy there appear to be a few strategies that can be implemented. Examples include starting afresh as it is not sufficient to just attempt to speed up existing activities. Another approach is to use a systematic framework to evaluate the requirements of customers and suppliers and then only undertaking only those tasks that fulfil the requirements. This strategy could reduce cycle time and could be implemented as part of the Total Quality Management (TQM) process. Another area that could be re-assessed is the approval process which means that the number of times a product or service needs internal approval before reaching the customer could be reduced. Stalk and Hout (1990) reported that successful companies that utilise time-based strategies will be able to offer a wider variety of goods at low cost and faster delivery times in comparison to the competition. Stalk and Hout also argue that there are a number of myths in business concerning increases costs when reduced lead times and response times are reduced however, when offered together with an increase in the variety of products which customers have requested there can be a very profitable upsurge for a time-sensitive company in comparison to the competition. It is also argued that time-consumption is quantifiable and therefore manageable. Successful companies focus on reducing delays and perhaps eliminating them altogether in order to gain a competitor advantage. Stalk and Hout argue that the majority of businesses can use time in a positive and constructive way and increase profitability. An example of flexible manufacturing and rapid response systems is presented by Ruch (1997) reports that in the past Motorola used to take three weeks to complete an order for a pager whereas an order is now completed in two hours. In relation to the fast fashion industry distribution is a major factor as the demand for current fashion trends require an efficient distribution system and competitive advantage will be lost if products are delayed in the distribution chain. There are two time-based strategies used; fast to market and fast to produce. Companies that are competitive regarding the to-market speed emphasise reductions in design lead-time. The company has the ability to minimise the time it takes to develop new products or make rapid design changes. Fast-to-product companies emphasise speed in responding to customer demands for existing products. Wal-Mart has been able to dominate its industry by replenishing its stores twice as fast as its competitors (Stalk 1998). Vickery, Droge, Yeomans and Markland (1995) found that new product introduction was the most consistent predictor of business performance. Development cycle time was second and production lead time and delivery speed were not as significant predictors of success as the first two. However this research is now quite old and it is possible that it is not relevant to the fast fashion business in terms of speed of delivery not being such a strong predictor of success As an example of a fast fashion company using time based-competition Gunasekaran (2001) cites Benetton an Italian company which produces distinctive casual wear for children, men and women and is a good example of an agile organisation using time compression. Benetton has centralised management and operations for a global market using more than 400 sub-contractors. The company has found that the fastest way to utilise a distribution system was through rapid feedback from over 400 travelling sales representatives, producers and the warehouse. If an item is selling the producers will work in fast-turnaround which has had a huge impact on reducing the time for replacement items. In order for this to be successful there needs to be a flawless flow of materials to allow agility in the production stage and this is organised by the production division. Benettons competitive advantage is the customer ordering system and the companys advance use of IT (p. 389-390). Gattorna and Walters (1996) report that Benetton delay dyeing their jumpers until the end of the supply process so standard jumpers are customised at a late stage and therefore allows some customer choice but without long lead-times and the risk of the product being outmoded. Davis (1995) states that Benettons system cost $30 million to build yet only eight people are required to operate it and the company can move 230,000 items of clothing each day. The warehouse is mechanised and the bar codes are scanned, goods are selected and transported. From order to store the overall cycle time for goods in stock is one week, if not in stock four weeks. Getting the right products to the customer at the right time, cost, place, condition and quantity, information technology and logistics networks are very dependent on the supply chain management and the type of supply chain used which will now be discussed in the following sections. Supply Chain Management The logistics involved in providing the consumer with the required products is complex. Issues such as time (as discussed above), outsourcing, off-shoring and global competition are a few examples and this means that the supply chain has taken on increasing importance (Monczka, Handfield, Giunipero and Patterson 2009). The supply chain is defined by Mentzer, Dewitt, Keebler et al (2001) as a group of three or more companies connected by an upstream or downstream flow of goods or services. Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the strategic organisation and proactively management of all the inter-related activities. The activities can be internal or external to an organisation and may also be across international and cultural boundaries. Supply management is defined by Monczka et al (2009) as a strategic approach to planning for and acquiring the organizations current and future needs through effectively managing the supply base à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..with cross functional teams (CFTs) to achieve the organisations mission (p. 8). SCM includes operations such as the evaluation and selection of the supplier; New Product Development (NPD); ensuring the implementation of the customers order; and maintaining demand and supply. According to Gattorna and Walters (1996) there are five basic functions required for a balanced supply chain which include procurement (maximum purchasing discounts); inboard logistics (low transportation costs); operations (low production costs), marketing and sales (wide product variety and high availability); and outbound logistics (low transportation costs). In order to develop an integrated supply there also needs a flow of information at three stages, strategic, tactical, and operational SCM differs from purchasing or procurement as Kalakota and Robinson (2000) state they much broader concepts, Purchasing is often described as the five rights; right quality, right quantity, right time, right price and right source (Baily, Farmer, Jessop, Jones 1994). SCM is a more dynamic and strategic approach than purchasing which is also referred to as strategic sourcing in the literature (e.g. Gottfredson, Puryear and Phillips 2005). The phrase strategic sourcing originated as a buzz word in the 1980s from management consultants such as PricewaterhouseCoopers when working with Blue Chip companies however the development of the term raises an significant and relevant issue concerning the emphasis that sophisticated, world-class leaders (WCL) place on SCM (Kasul, Motwani, 1995). Other companies may aspire to be WCL and this drives competition. An organisation particularly a newcomer to the market might benefit from trying to identify characteristics in WCLs as it might provide an opportunity to implement and improve their internal and external processes, core manufacturing strategies and develop a global strategy to achieve company-wide improvements towards WCO status and global competitiveness. A starting point could be the strategic management of the supply chain and there are four main factors that characterise supply chain management these are information, time, customer demand, and response strategy for problems. Firstly, there must be a good flow of information between groups or individuals who may be culturally diverse. Good communication promotes good relationships and reduces time delays in the chain. Cost and accessibility are issues that management must consider. The second factor is time, whether the supply chain is efficient which, as previously discussed, is seen as competitive advantage. As the amount of competition in both the domestic and international markets increases organisations must have an efficient supply chain in order to compete. The third point also previously discussed involves the increasing demands and expectations of consumers and also the range of alternative options available to them therefore management may also want to consider customer loyalty. The final point in supply change management is the organsations response strategy to any major disruptions in both supply and downstream production which will the lessen the impact on lost sales. SCM necessitates good team work as it involves those who are purchasing the goods, the supplier, quality assurance and other associated roles the relationship is not adversarial as may have been the situation in traditional purchasing but in business SCM encompasses a win-win situation for the supplier and the company purchasing the goods. The relationship needs to be beneficial for all parties to allow for rapid change which is particularly relevant for the fast fashion industry. When developing a supply chain strategy Fisher (1997) stated that in order to implement the optimal approach the relationship between supply and demand must be coordinated to take into account the type of product, demand and sales predictability. Products can be categorise into two generic types, fashion and commodities. Fisher states that fast fashion has a short life-cycle and high demand uncertainty, and that there is the risk to the supply chain of both stock out and outmoded products. Popular, trendy clothing requires a management strategy that can co-ordinate the supply and demand and allow companies to respond faster to the marketplace. Commodities that are basic products, such as tinned food, they have comparatively long life cycles and have a low demand uncertainty usually because they are well-established products with a known consumption pattern. The driving force for commodity supply chains is the reduction of cost. Hills (1993) manufacturing strategy metrics, notes that the main difference between the two groups of products for fashion products is the emphasis is on availability, while for commodities is the emphasis is on price. Supply chains and value chains A business can be considered as a system that converts inputs (resources or materials) into an output (goods or services). All of the internal actions of a company add value to the inputs. The value of the completed product is equal to the price a consumer is prepared to pay. The activities of a business can be broken down into a sequence of activities know as the value chain. Porters value chain model was developed in the 1980s and proposes that an organisations supply chain can lead to a competitive advantage (Porter 1985; 1996). Porter original model proposed that the value supply chain was focused on the companys internal employees. Porter stated that a supply chain is a subset of a value chain, for example all personnel within the organisation are part of a value chain whereas they are not part of the supply chain. A diagram of Porters model is shown in Figure 2 two components are shown the Primary and Support activities. Support activities are shown in the horizontal flow and are the operational part of the value chain (the supply chain). Primary activities directly add value while support activities add value indirectly by supporting the effective implementation of the primary activities. At an organisational level the value chain is depicted as being broader than the supply chain because it includes all activities in the form of primary and support activities. The difference between the end value and the total cost is the margin. Figure 2: The Value Chain (Porter 1996) The value chain has developed and expanded from Porters original concept (the internal employees of an organisation) to include suppliers and customers and is referred to as the extended value chain or extended enterprise. This development has occurred because progressive companies acknowledge that successful management of cost, quality and delivery may depend on suppliers that are located several levels away from the producer. Porters value-chain analysis provides an explanation of how much value is added to an organisations final products or services in comparison to the original cost of the materials or resources. There is a clear relationship between value-adding activities, such as the core competences and competences which provide knowledge and skills necessary to undertake the value adding activities and resources which form the inputs to a companys value adding activities. In order to maintain a competitive advantage a company should be able to undertake an analysis of the value chain which should enable a company to obtain a breakdown of all the activities the organisation undertakes and to identify the core activities and their relationship to core competences. A competence is a quality or a collection of qualities which the companies in a particular industry possesses A core competence or distinctive capability is a quality or collection of qualities which is specific to a particular organisation which enables it to produce above the average performance of the industry as a whole. As a result of a distinctive capability is an output that customers value more highly than those of competitors, the competitive advantage. In order to be successful in business companies certain competencies are necessary but the core competences are the differential. The company should be able to identifying areas where the cost of adding the value is greater than the value added; the identification and assessment of non-value adding activities. A good TQM process involves defining the process for producing products or services, using mapping or flow-charting techniques to identify non value-added tasks these tasks are then either improved or eliminated. Management can develop strategies to find new ways to acquire value (for example a new production plant near to the companys head office with add value because transportations costs will be less). In respect to SCM the amount of the value added by teams within an organisation should be assessed and periodically reviewed and any blockages that reduce a companys competitive advantage must be identified. The assessment of the organisations value chain should not be undertaken in isolation but considered together with its association with suppliers, distributors and customers. It is also necessary to verify whether the value chain supports the organisations current strategy for example if strategy is to cut costs the analysis should focus on this. If strategy is the production of high quality goods the focus should be on strategies to improve quality outcomes. Outsourcing is an activity that can be used as part of the overall sourcing strategy for services. Outsourcing entails the transfer of staff and assets to an external or third-party company which then provides them back as a service. Outsourcing is an example of companies concentrating on their core activities and competences while getting the support activities done by someone else as such outsourcing has the potential of giving both parties a competitive advantage. The role of SCM is to evaluate which activities the company should undertake and which should be outsourced. An important consideration is that there will be different value chains for different organisations because not all activities within a company are of the same importance in adding value to its products. Activities that do add value are the core activities and are usually linked closely to the core competences. An organisations value chain will also be part of the value chains of other companies, for example the suppliers and distributors and customers. It is unusual nowadays for a solitary organisation to undertake all the value-adding activities ranging from design, production, delivery and service provision for a product. Three different types of supply chains will now be discussed in the following section, agile supply chains, lean supply chains and RSC Agile supply chain Supply and demand has been identified as the Increasing volatility in demand and competitive pressures force more frequent product changes (Gattorna and Walters 1996) agile supply chains are usually dominated by surge (Fisher 1997). An agile supply chain has to be created to manage uncertainty, satisfy consumer demand and ensure profitability. The definition of agility Agility means using market knowledge and a virtual corporation to exploit profitable opportunities in a volatile marketplace (Naylor, Naim, Berry, 1999 p. 62) Todays consumers demand variety and companies need to demonstrate customer responsive behavior with suppliers, being able to adjust quickly to meet market demand and to replace one product for another. In a genuinely agile business the strategy and supply chain relationships are developed to such an extent that volatility of demand is dealt with (Christopher 2000). Uncertainty is characteristic of todays markets as a result of a combination of factors which include the globalisation of the supply chain, concurrent inexpensive IT and communications; increased ability to develop product variety and reduce product life cycles while remaining cost competitive. These drivers promote end-consumers promote these drivers to demand greater choice and improved value (Li 2009). These dynamics are especially relevant in the context of the fashion industry and clothing retail in general (Sparka and Fernie, 1998; Jones, 1998; Jones 2002). With economic changes in recent years and greater global co mpetition responsiveness is essential throughout the supply-chain (Gattorna, 1998; Pine, 1993; Goldman, Nagel, Preiss 1995; Christopher, 2005) with such significant changes, successful organisations have to remain competitive while adapting to changing marketplace conditions (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998). A significant feature of an agile organisation is flexibility (Christopher 2000) and this idea originates from flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). Agility is necessary in environments that are not predictable with volatile demand and consumers require variety. If a product is highly fashionable then, by its very nature, its demand will be unpredictable (Mason-Jones, Naylor, Towell 2000) Agile supply chains are market sensitive which means there is a quick response to consumer demand. This is quite different to many organisations which are forecast driven rather than demand driven. Technology can assist in demand driven organisations as data can be quickly accessed from the point of sale. As mention in the section on SCM communication between the members of the supply chain is an important factor in its success. Shared information between supply chain partners requires collaborative working and process integration between buyers and suppliers, joint product development, common systems and shared information. This form of co-operation in the supply chain is becoming ever more prevalent as companies focus on managing their core competencies and outsource all other activities. Mason-Jones and Towell (1999) undertook a simulation model of the fashion trade supply chains and corroborated that enhanced agility resulted from enrichment information along the supply chain. Lean supply chain The agile supply chain is closely connected to the lean supply chain although they are separate and have different purposes. Lean supply chains work well in environments where demand for variety is low and the environment is predictable whereas agile manufacturing is implemented where demand is volatile, and lean manufacturing is put into effect where there is a stable demand. Mason-Jones et al (2000) offers a further third option which they term the Leagile Paradigm a hybrid mixture of both types of supply chain. Responsive Supply Chains

The Mathematical Abilities of Women Essay -- Math Mathmatics Women

The Mathematical Abilities of Women Tests have proved that women have the same mathematical abilities than men do. Since there is no difference in ability, you would think that the field is equally occupied by both genders. Many people have thought about a seemingly simply asked question and have failed to come up with a practical answer why it is so. The question, "How come you know more male mathematicians than female?" is one that I, previously uninformed on this subject plan to supply data that may help to lead to one clearly defined answer. One reason why women are out numbered is that the females were shunned from society throughout history. The men did not allow women to do certain things. For example, girls growing up weren’t allowed to obtain the same education as the boys because the girls were supposed to grow up to take care of the house. In most cases, the women were just taught the essentials for around the house work, cooking, sewing, and taking care of the children to name a few. Furthermore, some universities weren’t coed until the mid to late 19th century. The university of Virginia, which was established back in 1819, did not allow girls to attend college there until 1970. This example helps illustrate the point I am trying to make. Men have had all of the opportunities to do well in their chosen fields. They have been receiving all of the proper schooling that helps them move on to be the best they can be. If a woman had the potential to be the best mathematician ever, she would not have bee n able to accomplish that. Some studies have shown very conclusive evidence to why women are not in the field of mathematics. One researcher blamed the teachers during K-12. People have said that the girls weren’... ... conclusion, there is no exact answer that remains from all of the studies. The fact that women are outnumbered in the field just may be because that is how it always was. Although it is changing, it is a slow process that hopefully will taper off. We do not know exactly why, but suppose the evidence is yet to be unmeasured? It could be out there but yet to be analyzed. Or could it be that this whole topic has been blown out of proportion? A big question still remains whether the practical discrepancies in the fields are important and whether it is a problem that needs to be fixed. Bibliography [1] Dalmedico, Amy D. Scientific American, "Sophie Germaine" Dec 1991, v265 n6 p116 (6) [2] Holden, Constance Science, "Female Anxiety on the Wane", May 8, 1987 v236 p660 (2) [3] Agnes Scott University, http://www.agnesscott.edu/ (Pictures and biographical data.)

Good Advice is Difficult to Define :: Definition Essays

Good Advice is Difficult to Define Advice is hollow, if you don’t know the history of the problem, or the amount of discomfort it is causing. When an expert relays advice or information they will not know the history or comfort level of their reader and will tend to try to generalize or speak to every possible situation. When the class considered the expert’s advice on contractions it was impossible for these authors to speak to their concerns and individual situations. I have very little experience in dispensing advice through writing to a large audience. My experience as an adviser has been restricted to verbal advice usually given one on one and face to face. When I am receiving advice this is also how I am most comfortable. I am also most comfortable giving advice about subjects that I have had formal training in. For example, I am comfortable giving advice about car mechanics, and sobriety. The former I have had over twenty years of training in and the later I had a year of formal and on the job training in a detox unit. I also have the life experience of being an alcoholic, but was not as comfortable about giving advice on this subject, until I had the formal training. I believe in order to give advice or hear advice, the adviser’s opinions or bias on the subject should be shared with the advisee up front. I have found this saves time for both of them because as in the case of my classmate who raced snowmobiles and ignored his parent’s advice, if you are not ready for or do not need information, it is seldom of benefit. I think in the case of the written advice examined in class, it was easier for the class to dismiss much of their expertise, because we were evaluating their opinions rather than being required to use their expertise by our professor. If the class had needed this information to receive a passing grade the reaction may have been different. This brings me to my next point, which is, the advisor is more effective when they understand what the advisee needs the advice for, and what their level of understanding is on the subject. If the advisee has some knowledge of the subject it is not helpful to talk down to them, but if they have little knowledge of the subject it is not helpful to delve into an in-depth discussion of every detail, using terms they don’t understand.

Group Paper Analysis: the Effects of Culture in Patient-Provider Interaction

Group Paper Analysis: Group #3 The Effects of Culture in Patient-Provider Interaction and Means for Dealing With It Shawn Burke, Shin-Hyung Lee, Siamak Mahdavi, Thuan Nguyen, Brittany Oswald, Teasha Walters As a culturally diverse country discrepancies in health care have been documented and continue to serve as a threat to satisfactory patient care. Data has shown that minority groups suffer more greatly from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, amid other ailments. In 1998, the Health Resource and Services Administration Health Disparities Collaboratives was designed to provide proper care and treatment for citizens that are uninsured and/or medically vulnerable, such as certain racial groups. This organization is aimed at lessening racial and ethnic disparities presented in health care and improving the quality of care for this population (Grossman et al. (2008). Although this progressive system aids in eliminating health care disparities, there is still an evident effect of culture on patient-provider interactions. With an increasing change in the demographics of our country, it is imperative to improve patient-provider interactions among various races and ensure proper treatment for all. In order to counteract these disparities and promote appropriate care for all races, health care systems formed the subject of cultural competence. According to Betancourt et al (2003), in a culturally competent health care system, the significance of culture and implementation of services to properly meet culturally necessity needs are integrated within and focuses on the health beliefs for different cultures and specific treatment for different patient populations. In order to function properly as a culturally competent health care system, specific requirements are mandated. The health care system needs a diverse staff reflective of the community surrounding the institution, translators to communicate with patients, specific training for health care providers, and valuable signs and information available in different languages (Betancourt et al. 2003, Anderson et al. 2003). Implementation of a culturally competent health care system increases the potential for improving patient care and efficacy and helps to eliminate health care disparities among culturally diverse ndividuals. It is very important to understand cultural values in order to improve patient-provider interactions. Many foreigners face difficulties when they are faced with seeking medical attention mainly due to only having limited vocabulary skills as well as not being familiar with medical terms commonly used in the United States. These main cultural differences lead to many peop le having great difficulty when trying to communicate their symptoms to a medical professional. It is comprehensible that health care providers have a hard time giving a diagnosis if a patient cannot correctly describe their symptoms. However, this can be improved by respecting cultural values such as courtesy, empathy, and harmony. According to the study â€Å"Patient satisfaction in Japan† written by Elluch, the author states that health care providers should emphasize cultural values such as courtesy, empathy and harmony to improve foreign patient satisfaction when delivering medical services. This is because satisfied customers are an important asset for the healthcare provider as satisfied customers tend to reuse the service and recommend it to their families and friends. In order to reduce the threats which are the discrepancies in health care, respecting and considering cultural values and differences will be useful to improve patient-provider interactions among various races. Moreover,by emphasizing those cultural values it will help to maintain long-term relationships between patient and providers. There are numerous documentations describing the consciousness of physicians towards health beliefs and values of their patients. As previously mentioned, barriers in communication between physicians and their patients due to differences in cultural stance can lead to interruptions in care and undesirable patient outcomes. Research by Street and Haidet (2010) states â€Å"current evidence indicates that physicians often have a poor understanding of their patients’ perspectives with respect to patients’ preferences for involvement in decision-making, desire for information†¦beliefs about treatment effectiveness and prognosis†¦and emotional states† (Street & Haidet, 2010). It is imperative for physicians to understand patients’ cultural perspective because treatment care plans are based off the communication that doctors have with their patients. Street and Haidet conducted a cross-sectional observational study that used the CONNECT instrument to asses the â€Å"6 domains of an individual’s perceptions about a particular health condition†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Street & Haidet, 2010) within a â€Å"convenience sample of 207 patients and 29 primary care physicians from 10 outpatient clinics† (Street & Haidet, 2010). The key results indicates â€Å"Physicians' perceptions of their patients' health beliefs differed significantly (P

Aligning Elementary School to Middle School Curriculum Essay

There has been an upsurge in curriculum alignment actions among educational institutions in an attempt to reinforce the efficiency and effectiveness of instructions and assessment programs (Marsh & Willis, 2003). The need to eliminate the differences in both learning and teaching has compelled leaders in educational settings to examine the concepts and skills taught in educational institutions (Marsh & Willis, 2003). Also, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program of 2002 justifies the significance of curriculum alignment activities (Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, 2006). In curriculum development, there are three essential areas that need great considerations. One, the curriculum document needs to â€Å"give direction, focus, and accountability in the learning environment. (Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, 2006). Two, the curriculum document should be revised on a regular basis by at least two educational leaders and three; student outcomes that recognize what the learners acquire prior to graduation should align with the standards set by the state. According to Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, (2006) many educational institutions have not yet integrated successfully the essentials standards within their curriculum nor maintained a written document to guide instruction. Again, the important role of leaders in educational setting to develop and implement curriculum is evident with the alignment of taught, written and tested curriculum. Clarke, Kayona, Ruebling & Stow, 2006) also affirms that the lack of curriculum alignment can result to lower achievement where educators teach contents that is not part of the curriculum document and nor is it part of assessment material. This dissertation will analyze the curriculum articulation and alignment between elementary school and middle school social studies, specifically, fourth and seventh grade. Inclusive of this dissertation will be a plan to improve curriculum articulation and alignment between elementary school and middle school social studies as well as improve the academic progression of student and the consistency of the curriculum. Summary of Original Analysis The curriculum for the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction is a standards-based design that lays emphasis on the student’s ability. The curriculum is divided by subject, grade level and standard. It explains the core contents for each subject with proficiency descriptors. The curriculum document is relevant to the mission of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction as well as the objectives for the subjects. The Social Studies curriculum document for North Dakota Department of Public Instruction has five major themes for both elementary school and middle school as well as benchmark expectations in each category. The main ideas and academic expectations are the same for both schools. The design of subject matter for adjoining educational stages includes concepts, skills, understandings, and the core content useful in assessment. The curriculum documents of North Dakota Department of Public Instruction for the elementary and middle school comprise vertical alignment between the adjoining educational levels. The concepts, skills and understandings become more complicated amid the two educational levels. Therefore, learners should understand the concepts and skills of the elementary school before learning the concepts and skills of middle school. The concentration of the elementary school is narrower than that of middle school. The curriculum documents of both elementary and middle school do not exhibit horizontal alignment. Improvement of curriculum alignment, student progression and curriculum consistency Curriculum alignment is necessary to guarantee harmony between the curriculum’s intentions and the instruction of the curriculum by testing what is taught. In effect, there is little or no space left for differences in curriculum implementation. The educational leaders thereafter, assess educators by the degree in which the learners meet the set standards through standardized examination (Marsh & Willis, 2003). The vertical alignment links subjects that express a relationship and a particular order and then match the curriculum to the particular order. In this, students will gain vital knowledge prior to the next subject. The alignment aids in material reinforcement and offers teachers knowledge in relation to students’ ability. In addition, Melvin (2007 notes that vertical alignment enhances learning for students as well as communication between teachers at various educational levels. Horizontal alignment transversely brings together curriculum objectives between subjects. Horizontal alignment benefits learners in that learning transmits to new situation where students realize the significance of the knowledge gained (Wraga, 1999). The social studies curriculum within the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction between elementary and middle school, puts emphasis on standards and outlines objectives needed by students to learn. So as to improve curriculum alignment, it is necessary for curriculum at adjoining educational levels to lay emphasis on these objectives at every appropriate occurrence but not only within a particular grade. Glatthorns (1999) suggests it is important that the curriculum contain objectives for constant development, which can center on learning as well as testing when probable. Again, the curriculum should include enhancement units for all learners. Educators can then assess the standards and align the taught, written and tested curriculum. By gathering the acknowledged state standards and applying resourcefulness, tutors can develop unit which, will be interesting to the students. Teachers’ flexibility can also be put in play where the curriculum can be adjusted to meet the requirements and capability of the learners. In this strategy, educators align the written curriculum with the tested curriculum and the taught curriculum with the written one. As they implement the curriculum, In addition, teachers can include objectives for ongoing development and enhancement units. This process will allow learners to achieve high grades on tests while the ongoing students will have units of study that are comprehensive and thus will get their interest (Glatthorn, 1999). The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction maintains a standards-based curriculum that contains list of fundamental details and abilities at the lower end of Bloom’s Taxonomy, with no intention for connecting the fundamental details into more important outcomes of learning. Marsh and Willis (2003) contends that the progression that has been mandated by state would then be trussed by practical and fundamental knowledge with minimal consideration of lasting learning competency that is necessary to life as well as other areas of learning. A curriculum that lays out the necessity to address all students and concentrates on cognition development at a higher-level whilst keeping the standards-based curriculum is the most suitable to put into practice for the two adjoining educational stages (Wraga, 1999). A combined curriculum that is integrated, inclusive and student centered with holistic and multicultural aspects will enhance curriculum alignment both horizontally and vertically. In addition, this kind of curriculum will enhance learners’ academic progression and assist in curriculum consistency. Wraga (1999) admits that the standards-based curriculum must contain curriculum alignment of a larger curriculum that ensures lifelong learning. A curriculum that contains intrapersonal improvement encourages the learners to discuss learning and associate in relation to the learners’ life. Teaching and nurturing social skills through the curriculum allows cooperation of learners with other individuals, builds conflict resolution skills, and assists in team building. The curriculum within the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction shall integrate multicultural aspect so as to align the curriculum with the today’s society. Learners will get to value diverse culture and as a result develop communication among cultures. An all grade inclusive curriculum which is also adaptive is valuable to all learners; it will offer equal learning opportunities to students with disabilities as well as allow all students to embrace diversity among individuals. A student-centered curriculum focuses on the learners but not the curriculum materials, content to be covered or written goals. When there is implementation of a standards-based curriculum in association with a combined curriculum and high-stakes testing, students are assured of quality education. Layton & Lock (2007) asserts that student assessments are vital and in an effort to assist in academic progression of student educators should build tests that assess student learning correctly and adjust tests for the at-risk learners. Educators can unearth better ways of evaluating test results so as to identify learning needs of students and revise instruction. In addition this plan integrates authentic assessment. Authentic assessment demands the relevance and integration of skills vital to solve complicated problems and allows enhanced substantiation of the students’ ability to prosper in all situations. Learners have a chance to explain themselves allowing teachers to better understand the learning process and get instant feedback for learners. Furthermore, the application of authentic assessment sets up teacher collaboration and collegiality as well as expands the reflection and inquiry by the teacher. Conclusion Curriculum alignment involves matching a curriculum’s content to the use of tests so as to assess the learning of student (Marsh & Willis, 2003). Curriculum alignment calls for educational institutions to ensure consistence in the objectives, guides, textbooks, and tests that make up the curriculum (Marsh & Willis, 2003). Leaders in educational settings determine academic achievement through standard testing as a means to find out what happens in schools. Institutions of education emphasize effectiveness through increasing academic achievement where they term decline in academic achievement as a problem in the quality of the curriculum. Thus, aligning the intended curriculum with the taught curriculum seems to resolve this problem (Marsh & Willis, 2003). By integrating the previous aspects into the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction curriculum, a more significant learning experience can be achieved by both educators and students. Lastly, curriculum alignment will be seen, student academic progression as well as curriculum consistency will improve (Marsh & Willis, 2003). References Alexson, R. G. & Kemnitz, C. P. (2004): Curriculum articulation and transitioning student success: Where are we going wrong and what lessons have we learned? Educational Research Quarterly, Retrieved from ProQuest Education Journals database. Accessed on September 26, 2007 Biessman, J. B. (2006): An examination of curriculum articulation in Wisconsin high school and post-secondary introductory biology courses. Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. Accessed on September 25, 2007. Carnoy, M. (2005): Have state accountability and high-stakes test influenced student progression rates in high school? Educational Measurement, Issues and Practice, 24. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 26, 2007. Clarke, N. A. , Kayona, F. , Stow, S. , Ruebling (2006): Developing standards-based curricula and assessments: Lessons learned from the field. Retrieved from EBSCO host database. Accessed on September 26, 2007, Cumming, J. J. & Maxwell, G. S. (1999): Contextualizing authentic assessment. Assessment in Education, 6. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 26, 2007 Hodgkinson, H. (2000). Educational demographics: What teachers should know. Educational Leadership. John, B. (2003): Curriculum audits: achieving alignment for student success. Education Today. Retrieved from CBCA Complete database. Accessed on September 26, 2007. Odden, A. (2000): The costs of sustaining educational change through comprehensive school reform. Ornstein, A. C. & Levine, D. U. (1990): School effectiveness and reform: Guidelines for action. Porter, A. C. (2005): Getting the Content of Instruction Right. Retrieved from CBCA Complete database. Accessed on September 25, 2007 Layton, C. A. & Lock, R. H. (2007): Use authentic assessment techniques to fulfill the promise of no child left behind. Intervention in School and Clinic. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 25, 2007 Marsh, C. J. , & Willis, G. (2003): Curriculum: Alternative approaches, ongoing issues, 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Wraga, W. G. (1999). The educational and political implications of curriculum alignment and standards-based reform. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision. Retrieved from ProQuest database. Accessed on September 25, 2007 Young, M. L. (2004): High-stakes assessment and school accountability: A multicase study describing and comparing the best practices of five K–6 elementary schools that have demonstrated significant increases in student achievement as measured by the norm-referenced SAT-9 assessment and the Academic Performance Index of California. Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. Accessed on September 25, 2007