Computers Are Replacing More and More Jobs

Living today in the most advanced age of technologies, humans have benefited from computers. We cannot deny the fact that computers play a crucial role in the various aspects of our lives. We get a lot of help from computers and believe that computers could make people’s lives and jobs easier. But on the other hand, we forget the other fact that computers would eliminate jobs too. For example, Manufacture of all kinds of office products the computer easily does, like typewriter, adding machine, photocopier or even CD player, DVD player, and radio. In publishing, a lot of jobs are gone, many in layout and production, since computers do layout and design faster and more accurately. Even in hotel and travel industry, there have been significant losses in administration in hotels because of significant advances in the way people book and check in. Nowadays, most bookings for hotels are made through websites instead of phoning up and having your name written in a book. Additionally, management and running of a hotel can now be done all by one person. One person can have a computer with powerful hotel management software on it which can control all functions of a hotel and allocate when and where people will arrive. Moreover, as computers take over people’s jobs, social and economical problems increase. Lack of human interactions can cause social problems. People can do banking and shopping without contacting people. It will bring less bondage between people and less respect for human beings. Furthermore, there are economical problems. Even though low payment job positions disappear quickly, high payment job positions, such as high technology based job positions, are increased. The gap between these two groups will become wider. The economical unbalance can cause a lot of economical problems as well as social problems.

The Rivalry Among Existing Firms: Strong

The Rivalry among existing firms: strong The office supply industry has a large number of players with a high diversity of rivals. Competition is very furies between them because the office supply industry is so divers in product and services they provide; they include high volume office supply, warehouse clubs, online retailers, copy and print businesses, discount retailers and local and regional contract stationers. The large number of competitors in this industry, along with a lack of product differences, with low switching coast for buyers and the ability of the buyers to shop around the internet for the best price.Had made this industry growth to become very slow. source http://360. datamonitor. com/Product? pid=4CA55D31-18F9-44E1-BB86-D1E5E5306887 Rivalry Figure 9: Drivers of degree of rivalry in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010 Players range in size and product diversity; they include high-volume office supply providers (e. g. Staples), warehous e clubs (e. g. Costco), copy and print businesses (e. g. FedEx Office), online retailers (e. g. Amazon. com), ink cartridge specialty stores, discount retailers, as well as several local and regional contract stationers. Related article: Evaluate External Corporate CommunicationsThe large number of players, along with low-cost switching for buyers, low product differentiation, easy expansion by utilizing the internet, and poor market growth in recent years, intensifies rivalry amongst incumbents. This is ameliorated somewhat by the diversity displayed in the product portfolio of some players, such as online retailers and discount retailers, who operate in other markets and are therefore not solely reliant on the revenues generated from the office services and supplies market.Relatively low storage costs and the non-specificity of players’ assets lowers barriers to exit and eases rivalry. Overall, rivalry is strong. FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS The office services & supplies market will be analyzed taking retailers of paper, storage, stationary, and office services, such as photocopying, printing and binding as players. The key buyers will be taken as businesses, and manufacturers of paper, storage, st ationary, and equipment for photocopying, printing and binding as the key suppliers. SummaryFigure 4: Forces driving competition in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010 The market is highly fragmented with players ranging from multinational high-volume office supply providers to local stationers. The abundance and diversity of buyers weakens buyer power, whilst low-cost switching, low product differentiation, and high price sensitivity strengthen it. Such factors, along with low brand loyalty and easy access to suppliers and distribution, also contribute to the high likelihood of new entrants.Suppliers are numerous, and low differentiation, along with some backwards integration by players who sell their own branded goods, weakens supplier power. The large number of players, along with low-cost switching for buyers, low product differentiation, easy expansion by utilizing the internet, and poor market growth in recent years, intensifies rivalry amongst inc umbents. Buyer power Figure 5: Drivers of buyer power in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010 Buyers are numerous and diverse.This, along with the importance of the products and services provided by players to buyers, weakens buyer power. Buyers can range in size from sole proprietors to multinational corporations and buyer power is boosted by larger buyers with greater financial muscle. Large businesses put office services and supplies out to tender bids while smaller businesses can negotiate discounts through trade associations. However, buyer power is sustained by low customer loyalty, low switching costs, low level product differentiation and high price sensitivity, giving customers a wide choice of retailers.The internet has made cost comparison easier, raising price transparency and increasing competition. Overall, buyer power is moderate. Supplier power Figure 6: Drivers of supplier power in the office services & supplies market in the United State s, 2010 Suppliers are numerous and diverse with a large array of goods. This scale of competition from low cost economies in the Asia-Pacific places restraints on other suppliers. Players tend to have several suppliers, and this, along with low switching costs, weakens supplier power, particularly in instances where larger players have greater negotiating power.On the other hand, suppliers can offer their products to a wide range of customers, and this serves to increase their supplier power. There are elements of integration within the industry as global players sell their own branded goods. For example, Staples own branded goods represented about 23% of their sales in 2009. The lower pricing of such activities undercuts the power of other suppliers. Overall, supplier power is moderate. New entrants Figure 7: Factors influencing the likelihood of new entrants in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010Most office supplies are commoditized products, which hav e little brand loyalty. This, along with low enduser switching costs, little government regulation, and easy access to suppliers and distribution channels, is conducive to the entry of new players into the market. Larger players benefit from scale economies that allow them to compete with high-volume office supply providers that lead the market. Larger players with greater financial muscle would be able to negotiate better contracts with suppliers and therefore achieve better profit margins.Entry can be achieved on a smaller scale by focusing on a specific product range (e. g. an ink cartridge specialty store) or by developing an online retail shop. Poor growth in recent years, with stagnant growth forecast for the 2010-2015 period, decreases the threat of new entrants into the market somewhat. Overall, the threat of new entrants is strong. Substitutes Figure 8: Factors influencing the threat of substitutes in the office services & supplies market in the United States, 2010Many mode rn companies are taking strategies to minimize costs and the environmental impact of their operations by moving towards a paperless office format: switching costs are not excessive, as most companies have already invested in appropriate ICT systems. This, therefore, constitutes a serious challenge to those operating primarily with paper-based office products. Storage and stationary may also be influenced by switching to a paperless office format. Office services such as photocopying, printing and binding may be substituted by electronic forms of communications.Overall, the threat of substitutes is moderate. Same source Office Depot, Inc. Table 10: Office Depot, Inc. : key facts Head office: 6600 North Military Trail, Boca Raton, Florida 33496, USA Telephone: 1 561 438 4800 Fax: 1 800 685 5010 Website: www. officedepot. com Financial year-end: January Ticker: ODP Stock exchange: New York Source: company website D A T A M O N I T O R Office Depot is engaged in the supply of office pro ducts and services. The company offers national branded and private labeled office products which includes business machines, computers and office furniture.Some of the private brands are Office Depot, Niceday, Foray, Ativa, Break Escapes, Worklife and Christopher Lowell. The company conducts its business through three business divisions: North American retail, North American business solutions and international. The North American retail division sells a range of branded and private branded merchandise including office supplies, business machines and computers, computer software, office furniture and other business related products and services. These products are sold through the company's chain of office supply stores in the US and Canada.The stores operated by the division also contain a copy, print and ship center which offers graphic designing, printing, reproduction, mailing, shipping, and other services. In 2008, Office Depot started PC support and network installation servi ces to provide in-home, in-office and in-store support for the technology needs of the customers. By the end of 2008, the company operated nearly 1,267 office supply stores in the US and Canada. Store replenishment is handled through cross dock facilities and the bulk merchandise is sorted and shipped within a day. By the end of 2008, the company operated 12 cross dock facilities.The North American business solutions division sells nationally branded and private brand office supplies, technology products, furniture and services through various channels: dedicated sales force; catalogs and internet sites. The division's direct business is tailored to service small and medium sized customers. These customers can order products from the catalogs through phone or through the company's websites. The North American business solutions division employs a dedicated sales force for the contract business which serves predominantly, medium sized to fortune 100 companies.The sales force LEADING COMPANIES United States – Office Services ; Supplies 0072 – 2115 – 2010 Â © Datamonitor. This profile is a licensed product and is not to be photocopied Page 29 offer customers allied services of providing information, business-tools and problem solving. In addition, the division undertakes government contracts through a multi-state contract available to local and state government agencies, school districts, higher education and non-profit organizations across the US.The division operated 20 distribution centers at the end of 2008 and it fills in the contract and direct business orders through inventory maintained in these distribution centers. The international division offers office products and services in 48 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Central America. Office Depot offers its products through wholly-owned and majorityowned entities or other ventures in 38 countries. This division sells its products and services through direct mail c atalogs, contract sales forces, internet sites and retail stores. Office Depot operated 162 retail stores in France, Japan,Hungary, Israel, Sweden and South Korea, as of January 2009. In addition, the company operated 98 stores under licensing and merchandise arrangements in South Korea and Thailand. Office Depot participates in the joint venture Office Depot de Mexico which operates 186 stores in Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama. This division established regional headquarters for Europe/ Middle East and Asia to support its operations in these geographies. The company offers its products in the international market through more than 35 websites which cater to various geographical locations.It offers products through catalogs in 14 countries. Office Depot operated 43 wholly owned and majority owned distribution centers by the end of 2008 for providing inventory to fill in the orders of its international division. Source http://www. community. officedep ot. com/envpolicyqa. asp Clarifying Q ; A | Who are Office Depot's Stakeholders? | | Office Depot is committed to working with its stakeholders – our suppliers, employees, customers, shareholders and the conservation science community – to promote and advance environmental stewardship.This said, Office Depot will maintain an open communication channel with other organizations that wish to contribute to our process of continual improvement – a communications channel and process in which contributions are considered within the framework of conservation science, so that we may continue to strengthen our environmental performance by internalizing appropriate, scientifically based improvements to our environmental policies and programs.Office Depot's work with the conservation science community reflects our desire for a collaborative, scientific approach to identifying and addressing the issues of environmental stewardship. | | | Why Does Office Depot engage its Stak eholders and what is Office Depot's approach to stakeholder involvement? | | Office Depot's approach is one of inclusion and consultation for the mutual benefit of the environment and our stakeholders.Office Depot actively promotes the responsible use of our natural resources by working with these stakeholders in the ongoing pursuit of improvements and innovation that promote and advance the principles of environmental stewardship in ways that: * Produce solutions with integrity and purpose; * Are responsible, transparent, accountable, realistic and actionable; * Produce results that are tangible, measurable and reportable; and, * Reward innovation and leadership. |

REGULATION, COMPLIANCE AND GOVERNANCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

REGULATION, COMPLIANCE AND GOVERNANCE - Essay Example When the derivatives were distributed, it created an opportunity of basic training and helped in exploiting the difference in prices in future and spot markets. The gas trading of Enron had allowed it to be a market maker and acted as counterparty by trading on both sides and made profits as spreads between the offer and the bid price. Enron was under residual risk after it accessed both the markets and was able to overcome the same by entering into swaps and other such arrangements with dealers. As Enron owned physical plants and took charge of operating those, it had a comparative advantage over the competitors. The company was also able to protect itself from the market price movements for the same reason. Being an industry insider, it also had advantages of acquiring information needed for forecasting shocks related to particular region or sector. Therefore, besides being a market maker, Enron was also a creator of new products. The business strategy used by Enron, in 1990s, was asset light and vertical integration, after it became too leveraged due to the merger. The asset light approach indicates combination of the development of sophisticated risk management techniques with the least amount of ownership and operation of plants. Virtual integration system helps to maintain the reliability of a product with less capital investment. Enron took advantages of deregulation of the US energy markets, as later on, it can be noticed that they enjoyed the experience of steadily rising profit from merger of two utility based companies. Additionally, besides owning several gas pipelines, it also ran a natural gas as well as electricity transmission business. After 1985, Enron even started trading in gas and offered various types of derivates to interested customers, when the gas pipelines business met an end. When the derivatives

Course Project-Research Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Course Project-Research Proposal - Assignment Example to be protected by their respective governments from such fraudulent individuals but they also have a responsibility to take all the necessary precautionary measures to minimize their exposure to identity theft. 1) Having one’s identity taken away by individuals with wrong motive is one of the most difficult things for the individual to deal with. It could interpret to inability to pay bills or even worse, inability to obtain credit besides exposing the person to more destructive eventualities. 2) Although am not an expert in the field of identity theft, it is self-evident that everybody is a potential victim of such occurrences. This implies that it is necessary for all to be equipped with the appropriate information on how to deal with such modern realities. Through the exploration of some experts’ work within the field of identity theft, I am able to establish my credibility in responding to the issues surrounding identity theft. Such experts include Saleh (2013), Mulig, Smith and Stambaugh (2014), and Biegelman (2002). 2) My secondary audience will be my professor in this course as well as fellow classmates, some of whom have been victims of identity theft and who would desire greater exposure on precautionary measures to protect themselves from such future recurrences. 3) Except for some few individuals who believe there is nothing much one can do to protect themselves from identity thieves, majority of my audiences share in my school of thought that it is possible to create a wall between oneself and such fraudulent individuals. From exploration of a number of literatures, it is evident that identity theft is often a crime of opportunity, which implies that precautionary measures can go a long way in reducing risks. Most of the attacks have been made possible because of negligence and loopholes created by the victims themselves, thus they have a significant role to play in ensuring that they are safe. It is a fact that both technology and hackers

Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Discussion Questions - Essay Example s is to assist others in the provision, and management of self-care to improve human functioning at home level of effectiveness (NursingCrib.com, 2008). A nurse by following this theory can help his/her patient perform certain activities on their own so as to maintain their health, life and well being until when a patient is unable to conduct the activities on their own. As a result, a nurse comes in to take wholesome, partial or supportive-educative support for the patient. Concerning wholly compensatory nursing, a nurse provides all necessary care for the client as the patient lacks capacity to do so on their own. On the other hand, for partial, the nurse and patient share the duties of performing self care activities, while in, supportive-educative, the nurse works towards helping the patient. This is in the form of developing their own self care abilities, and is one through imparting knowledge, supporting and encouraging the

Women's Rights in Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women's Rights in Islam - Research Paper Example Social responsibility among Muslims originated from the Qur’anic scripture which says: â€Å"And [as for] the believers, both men and women—they are friends and protectors of one another: they [all] enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and are constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and pay heed unto God and His apostle. It is they upon whom God will bestow His grace: verily, God is almighty, wise.†i The above Qur’anic verse indicates that men and women are to cooperate with one another in the educational and political sphere (they should understand God’s commandments and have an influence in society to actualize God’s wisdom), in the social sphere (helping the poor and the disadvantaged), and in the religious sphere (prayer). These required tasks mentioned in the verse reveal that both men and women are to actively take part in society instead of simply being submissive or indifferent. Participation in the political realm is a way to accomplish one’s duties to society. Political participation can be carried out in various ways, from voting, to occupying a position as a magistrate or lawmaker, to being a national leader. Islam offers examples for each of these positions, roles, and duties for women. Within the spiritual realm, Islam does not distinguish between men and women. According to the Qur’an, men and women have to fulfill the same objective—both will receive rewards or punishments based on their personal deeds, both will be tried by God, and both have an obligation to live up to their religious duties. Every time the Qur’an specifies those blessed people who will be accepted to the Garden of Bliss due to their goodness, piousness, and virtue, it cites both men and women: â€Å"And whoever does righteous good deeds, male or female, and is a (true) believer [in the Oneness of Allah (Muslim)], such will enter Paradise and not the least injustice, even to the size of a Naqira (speck on the back of

Rousseau's Influence on the Critical Theory of Karl Marx Essay

Rousseau's Influence on the Critical Theory of Karl Marx - Essay Example This led to the movement of some sociologists. Theory of Karl Marx is an important milestone in this fightback for the poor and lesser privileges sections of the society. The critical theory of Karl Marx was another fine example in the series of thought provoking ideas of how the sociologists desired the world to be. It was in June 1844 that the critical theory emerged with the Economical and Philosophical Manuscripts of Karl Marx. He continued to work towards symbolizing the class struggle with the Hegelian philosophy as a guiding principle and came out with the first volume of his critical analysis of capitalism, Das Capital in 1867, which was a treatise of the economy and politics prevailing in the the 20th century1. Born on 5th May 1818 in Trier, Prussia (now Germany) Karl Marx was a highly influential thinker and revolutionary who started following the philosophical tradition of G. W. F. Hegel, but turned develop his system of thought mainly on the political aspects of economy (Jones, 2001). While working on the critical theory, Karl Marx took inspiration from a number of contemporary and earlier social thinkers. Jean Jacques Rousseau, a Swiss born political theorist was one such writer which finds an influence in the propounding of the critical theory. ... In the critical theory it was suggested that the class conflict would end up destroying the capitalism and lead to socialist society in which the resources would be equitably distributed instead of benefiting a selected few (Griffiths, 2005). Rousseau was a leading writer who is often considered as one of the earliest torchbearer of the modern socialism and communism. This very thought is echoed in the works of Karl Marx as well. Rousseau too criticized the tendency amongst the individuals towards amassing wealth at the cost of further impoverishing a large section of our society. He postulated man in a 'state of nature', in which he depicted how the man is divested of his social and cultural aspects (Zeitlin, 2000). In his 'Discourse on the Origin of Inequality' Rousseau argued that human beings by nature do not indulge in irrational behavior, but the social inequality becomes the root cause of injustice and moral corruption (Adams and Dyson, 2003). In fact, it has been argued by ma ny sociologists that failings of social structure result in alienation. The failings can be pinpointed as weaknesses in the moral fiber of the social organs or as a deliberate manipulation of social relations. Thinkers like Rousseau and Marx suggested adopting ways and means so that the effects of alienation can be minimized on the masses and the social fabric can be reconstructed for creating a better world. Rousseau suggested that in order to harmonize the social equality concept, the natural man need to be discovered. He stated that conducting experiments for such discoveries might prove to be difficult and therefore he suggested some alternatives to approach the problem. These alternatives included (Zeitlin,

Film Critique on the movie Gladiator (Russell Crow) Essay

Film Critique on the movie Gladiator (Russell Crow) - Essay Example The film Gladiator was a hit at the box office fetching largely positive reviews. However, Elvis Mitchell from The New York Times did see the movie in a negative light and commented eloquently about the film as â€Å"grandiose and silly† (Mitchell, 2000). Nevertheless, the audiences and the fraternity completely disagreed with the cynical critic, and the picture won five Academy Awards at the 73rd Academy Awards including the Best Actor award for Russell Crowe in the leading role and Best Picture award, which was definitely a note of acceptance and accrediting for the entire crew and cast. Apart from captivating an adventurous life of a historical hero, for which the American audience have always shown a special fascination, the film had stolen the show for its â€Å"appealing plot, with distinctive characters, inspired acting, breathtaking cinematography, and a haunting musical score,† as Emily Albu very rightly commented in her epoch making essay â€Å"Gladiator at t he Millennium† (Albu, 2008, p. 185). ... The Final Critique: Gladiator Story Line Plot structure, narrative framework or the screenplay of a film, by whatever name it is called, mostly forms the basic ingredients enabling the success of a film. The narrative framework of a film therefore cannot be undermined at all. The film Gladiator is the brain child of David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson. The film Gladiator is conceived keeping in mind the 180 AD Rome; the film tries to admit historical personages. The presence of the historical figure such as Marcus Aurelius, who was an emperor-philosopher, and his son Commodus indicates much of the sources drawn from the history. However, it is evident that when the plot of the film Gladiator is judged on a comprehensive scale, it is inferred very easily that the film is a loose adaptation of the history and cannot be treated as a direct conversion of chronicle into drama. The plot of the film is tremendously fictional. Moreover, as the history of Rome or, on the contrar y, any ancient history bases upon the quest for power and throne, the elements of politics, romance, drama, emotion, and action become quite inherent in the stories developed keeping the ancient empires and their stories in the backdrop. The story of the Gladiator revolves around the protagonist of the story, Maximus Decimus Berilius, played by Russell Crowe. Maximus is one of the finest generals of the emperor and is the deserving candidate for the throne. Nevertheless, before the official succession, Commodus played by Joaquin Phoenix brutally murders his father and takes the position of his father and complete control over his throne ordering

Chinese new year Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chinese new year - Essay Example An analytical explanation of the Chinese New Year festivities establishes the validity of this statement. The Chinese New Year is lunar, commencing on the first day of the new year containing a new moon and concluding fourteen days later with the Latern festival. Years rotate in accordance with both a 12-year cycle of animal zodiacs and a 10-year cycle of heavenly stems, in addition to bi-annual rotating stems. The animal zodiacs are comprised of the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. The elements consist of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water and the heavenly stems are ying and yang. This means that depending on the date, the new year assumed the name of an animal, a particular element and is categorized as ying or yang. Within the context of Chinese culture and religious belief, the nature of a year determines one's fortunes, depending on whether or not it is in harmony with one's birth year (Ki, 2005). As earlier noted, the Chinese new year unfolds over a fourteen day period, calculated by some as fifteen since preparations commence on the day before.

How Nursing Informatics has Affected the Telehealth Industry in the Research Paper

How Nursing Informatics has Affected the Telehealth Industry in the Past 5 Years - Research Paper Example Telehealth technologies also have both clinical and nonclinical uses. Few clinical uses for telehealth technologies include transmitting images for assessment and diagnosis, transmitting clinical data for assessment, diagnosis, or disease management, providing disease prevention and promotion of good health, using telephonic health advice in emergent cases, and using real time video (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2009, p. 290). These can be applied in numerous cases, from health education down to consultation and management. Clinical application of such technologies is seen to greatly benefit the client and the care providers as well. Telehealth technologies are also used in nonclinical settings. For instance, distance learning through such technology is now offered by several academic institutions around the globe. Conferences among telehealth workers can also be done, as well as information gathering and data management. Telenursing: Nursing informatics in Telehealth When nurses use telehe alth technology in providing care to patients, the term â€Å"telenursing† comes into place, which is defined by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) as â€Å"the use of telecommunications technology in nursing to enhance patient care; involves the use of electromagnetic channels to transmit voice, data, and video communication signals† (as cited in American Telemedicine Associtation [ATA], n.d.). This modernization has changed the delivery of nursing care and interventions to certain clients. The presence of telenursing has given impact to several areas in practice of the field, and seeing its benefits, nursing organizations have expressed their encouragement in the use of such... This essay approves that the presence of telenursing has given impact to several areas in practice of the field, and seeing its benefits, nursing organizations have expressed their encouragement in the use of such technologies. Both informatics nurses and telenurses are now seen as rising nursing opportunities that could improve the practice. Several hospitals nowadays have telemonitoring equipments, bedside terminals, and automated clinical records being used by nurses, with systems varying depending on the complexity of the unit, needs of the patients, and the resources of the hospital. This report makes a conclusion that technology has innovated so many systems in the modern world, that it has invaded even the health care system. The telehealth industry is used in both clinical and nonclinical areas through several ways that would foremost benefit the clients and the health providers as well. Nursing informatics used in the delivery of care has been further enhanced by telehealth, in what is now known as telenursing. Telenursing allows nurses to care for more clients in a lesser amount of time despite distance through telemonitoring and tele-home care in communities. Formal education is also offered by some schools nowadays in order to enhance nursing competency in IT-based patient care. Indeed, the merge of nursing informatics and the telehealth industry changes nursing care delivery to clients, and will continue to change as the field advances.

Ibm Case Essay Example for Free

Ibm Case Essay History By the 1950’s, IBM became the dominant vendor in the computer industry with the release of the IBM 701 along with many other series of mainframes, which are large central processors. Then in the1960’s and 1970’s, the company had to diversify to get on the same level as smaller companies, such as Digital Equipment Corporation, who were introducing microprocessors. This threatened IBM’s position in the computer industry. Their response was coming put with a personal computer, software, and services. In 1981, IBM officially introduced the IBM PC with a compatible hardware platform. This was a large accomplishment for the company. A few years later, on May 1st, 2005, IBM sold its PC division to the Chinese company Lenovo for $655 million in cash and $600 million in Lenovo stock. Then on January 25, 2007, IBM sold their printing systems division for $725 million to Ricoh and created a new Ricoh subsidiary called InfoPrint Solutions Company. Ricoh will now own a 51% share and IBM will own a 49% share. Also in 2007, IBM’s yearly revenue was $98. 8 billion and they had a net income of $10. 8 billion dollars. IBM is run by about 427,000 employees. There are three main people who keep the business running smoothly. The most important one is Samuel J. Palmisano, who is the Chairman, President, and CEO. Another important associate at IBM is Mark Loughridge, who is the SVP and CFO. And lastly, Douglas Elix, who is another SVP, a Group Executive, and is in charge of Sales and Distribution. These three men are vital to the company’s success. Besides them, most of the employees at IBM are IT Specialists, Application Services Consultants, and Managing Consultants. Every company has to have competitors. Competition makes a healthy industry. Some of the top competitors IBM runs against are EDS (Electronic Data Systems Corporation), Hewlett Packerd, and their biggest competitor, Microsoft, whom they are ranked right behind in second place in their industry. IBM has many recent accomplishments within that last few years. One of the major ones was the development of the world’s tiniest nanophotonic switch, which is a device for routing light on a chip scale. Another project they have completed wasweb 2. security concerns with â€Å"SMash,† which is one of their development tools. Another very large project they completed was the design of the microprocessor for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii. All three of those were a good addition to the list of products they already design. This opened up their age range of consumers as well since a lot of children play these video systems. Besides recent accomplishments in their elec tronic field, IBM also had many of their employees win multiple awards for their achievements. They have had three of their employees win Nobel Prizes, which are achievements in either physics, chemistry, literature, peace, economics, medicine and physiology; four have received a Turing Awards, which are awards for technology; five have National Medals of Technology; and five more have received National Medals of Science. These are all very big accomplishments that IBM is very proud of. IBM is currently working on many projects. One of its big ones is Eclipse, which is a platform-independent, Java based software framework. Another is developerWorks, which is a website run by IBM for software developers and IT professionals. It contains large numbers of how-to articles and tutorials, software downloads, code samples, discussion forums, podcasts, blogs, wikis, and other resources. Then there is alphaWorks which is IBM’s source for emerging software technologies. They are also working on more semiconductor designs and manufacturing for them. Open client offering is another project they are working on. It is to run on Windows, Linux and Apples. Used for word processing, presentations, Lotus Notes, instant messaging, blogging, etc†¦ UC2: Unified Communications and Collaboration is an IBM and Cisco joint project. It will offer numerous Eclipse applications developers a unified platform for an easier work environment. Examples of this would be click-to-call and voice mailing. SWOT on Management IBM holds more patentsthan any other U. S. based technology company. IBM’s Project Management Center of Excellence, or PM COE, is first-rate. PM COE is considered IBM’s â€Å"Think Tank†. It is a program that has been set up to define the steps needed to strengthen IBM’s project management capabilities. PM COE combines external industry trends and directions with IBM business, organizational, geographic requirements and insight. Using PM COE, IBM has developed project management policy, practices, methods, and tools (Wikipedia, 2008). For someone to be considered for a management position, they must complete IBM certification or accreditation. To be accepted in to the certification or accreditation process an individual must have done the following. Successfully passed PMI exam (i. e. be a certified PMP). Verifiable documentation and approval for mastery/expertise in a well-defined set of PM skills. Several years of PM experience spanning at least 3 verifiable projects within the immediate 5 years (including specific role, team size, and budget requirements). Verifiable documentation and proof of at least one area of specialty. Demonstrated the use of IBMs Worldwide Project Management Method (_WWPMM_). Completed extensive classroom and online education and testing. To become a Junior Project Manager, you must go through self assessment and get supervisors authorization to be accredited. Becoming a Senior Project Manager requires going through the rigorous IBM certification process, which involves Candidate preparing a detailed package with proof of above requirements. Package review, approval, and support by at least two levels of Senior Management. Package review and re-verification by PM COE expert. Personal interviews with the PM COE Certification board. Candidates whose experience, skills, knowledge and education are deemed valid, verifiable and accurate, are certified by the board as either Certified Senior Project Manager (CSPM) or Certified Executive Project Manager (CEPM). Senior Project managers must validate their skills and expertise against IBM’s worldwide standards. It is a deliberately long process with multiple checkpoints designed to ensure the integrity, fairness and legitimacy of the certification. This helps IBM maintain customer confidence in their products (Wikipedia, 2008). Since IBM is such a large, diversified, and established company they do not have many weaknesses. One weakness is they have a tendency to â€Å"strong arm† clients that are highly dependent on IBM products (Bradley, 2004). In the future this reputation could lead companies to be hesitant to rely on IBM’s merchandise. This reputation could also create bad enough relationships with current clients to make them transfer to a competitor’s product. IBM has also been known to â€Å"over promise† (Bradley, 2004). Since they are such a large corporation, with many capabilities, they tend to promise unrealistic deadlines to their customers. Businesses don’t like losing money, and opening later then planned is a good way to do that. These delays in their customers start-ups, could also lead to unfavorable relationships that could cause clients to move their business elsewhere. IBM is constantly looking for new opportunities to expand their share of the market, or start a new market. IBM is looking into revolutionizing the prevention of traditional and online fraud and Identity thefts. They are working on a comprehensive anti-fraud program that is going to help banks protect themselves and their customers, while continuing to offer their products and services (IBM, 2006). IBM is also conducting case studies for the automotive industry. The case studies are going to help them change the industry, and become more innovative (Lunani, 2006). Hopefully, the innovations will alleviate some of the stress the industry is under. Management Practices ; Theories SWOT analysis is a very important part of finding out a lot of information pertaining to current management functions within the company. However, it is what the management does after they find their strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats that are the most relevant part of determining a company’s success. The theories and practices the company uses to take advantage of their strengths, try to combat their weaknesses, use opportunities to their best interest, and to defend themselves from threats are the key determinant on what the company’s future looks like. IBM as one of the top companies in the world clearly knows what they are doing. They have taken into careful consideration their SWOT analysis and their management theories and practices are derived from their analysis. Being involved in competitive global competition, the company’s workforce is an essential part to IBM’s success. In knowing of this, IBM has created a list of seven key core workforce capabilities. These capabilities include: Understanding the demographics and capabilities of the workforce, predicting future labor supply and demand, utilizing social networks to increase the visibility and application of knowledge across the organization, enabling individuals to perform work regardless of location, facilitating collaboration across traditional organizational boundaries, driving the rapid development of skills and capabilities to meet changing business conditions, and evaluating employee performance and providing appropriate feedback. IBM has implemented these guidelines so their workforces can constantly adapt to the ever changing global business environment. In addition, workers are paid incentives for their input to keep the employees with a sense of involvement which is important to keeping them excited about IBM. At IBM, the managers believe and in a workforce that is diversified. According to Ron Glover, VP for Global Workforce Diversity at IBM, focuses on what it means to retain a true culture of diversity is IBM’s greatest competitive advantage. From all the way back to World War I, IBM has romoted workforce diversity when they hired disabled veterans to work for the company. Even when no one was using diversity IBM was. Way back in 1953, CEO at the time Thomas Watson sent out a very controversial stating that IBM needs to hire the best people, regardless of their race, ethnic origin, sex. In addition, the company added sexual orientation in 1984. He knew that this would give IBM a competitive advan tage because IBM would then be able to hire talented people the it’s competitors would turn down. (hrmreport. com, 2008) Another way IBM tries to get the best workers is using their program called Extreme Blue. This is an internship program for graduate and undergraduate students. This internationally known program is great for getting students prepared to work for IBM. IBM believes this will give students interested in working for a IBM a realistic perspective on what it would be like to work for them. IBM runs this diverse workforce under a classical management perspective. Money is assumed to be the primary motive and have a traditional compensation plan. The main forms of pay to employees are base pay and valuable other forms of benefits such as retirement plans and insurances. According to the company’s website, â€Å"cash compensation opportunities include base pay, commissions, performance bonuses, awards and other forms of earnings. † In addition to these forms of pay, IBM also offers generous paid vacation and holidays. There are also some benefits to relieve stress and just get away from the company for a little while. These benefits include reduced-prices, cooking lessons, and fitness centers. This management style has worked for them and we think they should stick with the classical approach to management and not move to a behavioral perspective. IBM uses an analyzer strategy which most large companies use. An analyzer strategy is a strategy in which the firm attempts to maintain its current businesses and to be somewhat innovative in new businesses. They use this strategy because they want to produce some new product opportunities while protecting their base of operations. (Griffen, 2007) Management Structure â€Å"The management structure that IBM maintains is an effective internal control structure. This structure has clearly defined lines of responsibility, as well as comprehensive systems and control procedures. This structure is beneficial because it assures customers that their transactions are put through correctly and efficiently. â€Å"(http://sec. edgar-online. com) An important part of IBM’s management structure is a good internal audit program. IBM takes a good amount of time to train its workers correctly. Each employee receives written policies and procedures to ensure that each employee knows exactly what to do under any circumstance or problem that may arise. By doing this everyone is on the same page and everything is done the way they want it done. IBM is now thinking about cutting 13,000 jobs most of which should be mostly in Europe and other headquarters around the world. Ethics With all of the diversity that exists within the company it would be hard for IBM to conduct any work without ethics on their minds. As in any large company there is some sort of unethical behavior going on, however these behaviors have not been detrimental to the company thus far. So far it is obvious that IBM wont make any large scale unethical decisions such as the like of Enron. The ethics are very important in the business process and will be discussed more in an interview with a former employee. Interview With a Former Employee Flat or tall management structure? â€Å"The structure tends to be taller than most companies, especially within the consulting group. † Management Style? â€Å"The managers take a very classical by the book style to their decisions. Everything that had happened before was documented and later considered protocol, if there was success. † What ethics does IBM use in decision making? â€Å"IBM has well defined guidelines on many ethical issues, and it is required that all new employees review these guidelines. Employees are also required to take an annual review test to comply with IBM corporate policy. In my experience IBM relies on individual managers to make judgment calls on grey areas, and the managers I worked with all took ethic approaches to handling the issue. † What are the areas for improvement? â€Å"IBM has had difficulties integrating its consulting division, since the acquisition of Price Waterhouse Coopers consulting in 2002. Much effort has been focused on getting full value from this acquisition, and at least initially the purchase was viewed as a misstep. With changes over the last few years, the consulting division has become the bulk of IBM revenue, but there are still opportunities to better leverage the consulting division in light of other IBM business units. IBM has also been severally criticized for its outsourcing practices, and has taken very proactive measures to combat this public criticism. † Any alliances? â€Å"IBM has numerous alliances with companies, all the way from suppliers to working with competitors. The number of alliances in likely in the thousands. † What makes IBM so successful? The ability to solve large scale business problems, especially in the IT sector, by combining various internal specialties and partnerships to create and implement end to end solutions. † Have you witnessed any unethical behavior throughout the company? â€Å"I have not personally witnessed any unethical behavior, but have spoken to a former VP who was put in a position to take an unethical action by someone who wa s very senior in the organization. † Hiring procedures? Promotions procedures? â€Å"Hiring is done at the group level, based upon target numbers that are established at the top of the organization. Final hiring decisions are made at the senior manager level. Promotion decisions occur annually with promotions and compensation based upon the outcome of the decision. Promotion is granted if the employee can show sufficient evidence that he/she is operating at the intended promotion level, and that the results are sustainable (ie. , results must be shown for a relatively long time and consistent time period, in various situations) . The implementation of the corresponding compensation typically occurs six months after promotion decisions are made. The timing of promotions and compensation increases are an area which many employees feel needs to be corrected, and IBM has stated it intends to reduce the total time of the process. † Relationship between managers and subordinates? â€Å"Varies greatly based upon individual relationships. IBM offers many channels to discuss issues, but the design of the promotion/compensation/staffing structure makes it imperative to have a successful working relationship with direct and next level management. † Is there a lot of management restructuring? Yes, at the lower levels, especially in consulting, management roles are very fluid and change frequently in comparison with other companies. Some of this is based on market changes, some on promotions/exits, and some on business results. † What kind of fringe benefits do workers receive? â€Å"Discounts with partner companies, cell and broadband reimbursement, 401k contribution, pension (eliminated in 2006), corporate educatio n, annual bonus (consulting division), extensive health care coverage at low rates. † Is there a lot of communication between the different headquarters? Conclusion It is obvious that IBM is successful because their values and the way they conduct business. This is a direct reflection upon their management structure, style, and practices. They will surely stay on the same track of success for many years to come. As they push forward in their business they are becoming one of the most well known businesses whether it be for technology or consulting around the world. No matter what kind of work a person is in one thing is for certain, everyone can learn from the way IBM conducts their business.

Pros And Cons Of Electric Power Engineering Environmental Sciences Essay

Pros And Cons Of Electric Power Engineering Environmental Sciences Essay Electric power has becoming a necessity in our daily lives. As the use of fossil fuels are slowly running out and phasing out, the use of environmentally friendly energy is now becoming popular and cheaper too. Electrical power is then transmitted after an electric charge has been generated and converted into electricity. It is then distributed to substations then to the homes at a level of voltage, which is safe for us to use. And that is how scientists and engineers have made electricity such as a success to date. Electric power is the use of electric energy to do work. Through electric power, machines are run, and through the running of machines electricity can be generated. Electric power is used in all industries and therefore become an essential tool in our lives. No-one is certain as to where the future of transmission and distribution of electric power lies, but scientists are certain that the energy sources of the future definitely lie in the emission-free sources. Over the years of electric power production various energy sources have been used to produce electric power across the world. These energy sources have been used according to its availability in that specific area, the cost to build and maintain the station, how it will be transmitted and distributed and lastly its affect on the environment. Engineers are trying to find an alternative of clean and cost effective energy to produce electric power. These are some of the electric power used from the past, to date. Hydro-electric power Hydroelectric power is the conversion of energy from free falling water into electrical energy. It uses the water stored in dams. The water flows through a tunnel pipe to the power plants hydraulic turbine. As water rushes through the turbine, it spins the turbine, which drives the electric generator.[1,2] [see figure 3.1 and 3.2]. Pro: It costs less to operate than fossil-fueled stations. There are no emissions produced. Cons: There is generally a deterioration of fish spawning in the areas when dams are used. This process of producing hydro electric power is limited to availability of water and suitable locations for dams and reservoirs [1,2,3] Nuclear power Nuclear power uses a device called nuclear reactor to produce enormous amount of heat by fissioning the nuclei of atoms of a heavy element like Uranium. The heat converts water into steam, which drives the turbine that runs the electric generator. After the steam has turned the turbine, it is left to be condensed in the cooling towers and then later recycled in the plant [4]. Pros: It is carbon-free electricity as it hardly emits any carbon dioxide. It requires much less fuel than fossil-fueled stations to produce an equal amount of electricity. Cons: It produces tons of radioactive waste annually, which is a health hazard to all living organisms. Uranium mining scars the land and pollutes the water supplies as all types of mining do [4,5,6]. Geothermal power Geothermal energy is generated wherever water comes into contact with hot rocks below the Earths surface. The rocks give off heat that makes the water hot enough to turn it into steam. The energy is captured by tapping into earths crust through a process called hydrothermal convection, where a cooler water seeps into the Earths crust, is heated up and then rises to the surfaces. When the water is heated it turns into steam. The steam is then captured and used to drive electric generators [7]. Pros: It releases no harmful emissions as it is a natural source of energy. It is far more efficient than heating and cooling and can move 3-5 times more energy Cons: Geothermal heat pumps have higher up-front costs. Theres a risk that while trying to drill into earths crust, it might trigger seismic activity fracture rock stability, thus resulting in the collapsing of infrastructures.[7,8] And now it is rumored that the use of biofuels might be the energy source for the future as they are the third generation biofuels (made from algae and other microbes). Despite the type of energy source used, the bottom line is they all have to create enough force to turbine a turn a turbine that will then run a generator. The generator has a rotating electromagnet called a rotor and a stator. A separate generator called an excitor powers the rotor creating a magnetic field that produces an electric charge in the stator. The charge is transmitted as electricity [1,7].[see Figure 3.3 and figure 3.4] Electric power transmission There are mainly two ways electric power can be transmitted either overhead or underground. As electric current moves along transmission lines, the lines resist the current flow. The resistance within the lines causes the current to lose energy. Power stations therefore limit energy losses by transmitting electricity at high voltages. As the voltage is increased, the amount of current needed to transmit a particular amount of electric power decreases. Because there is less energy lost due to the resistance. Electric current may either be DC or AC. Direct current flows in only one direction. Alternating current is therefore easier to transmit than direct current [1].[see Figure 5]. The history behind the way electric power is transmitted today. In 1878, Thomas Edison [see Figure 6:] developed and sold commercially viable replacement for gas lighting and heating locally generated and generated direct current electricity. He opened the worlds first public electricity supply in the late 1881.this system was powered from a water wheel , which drove a Siemens alternator that supplied a number of arc lamps with electricity within the town as well as shops and premises. As the years went by Edison opened more power stations in various parts o the world. All his methods of supplying electricity were using direct current (DC). Later on that year it was discovered that there was a demand for electricity, so Edison decided to increase the voltage so that the high demand for electricity could be supplied, and also because the increase in voltage reduced the resistive losses in the cable. But it was after a series of fatal accidents that he also realized that increasing the voltage increases the danger from direct contact and also incre ases the required insulation thickness. Furthermore some loads were difficult or impossible to make for higher voltages. Nikola Tesla, who worked for Edison for a short period of time and appreciated electricity in a way that Edison did not, devised a alternative system using alternating current. Tesla realized that while doubling the voltage would halve the current and reduce losses by three quarters, only an alternating current system allowed the transformation between voltage levels in different part of the systems. This allowed efficient high voltages for distribution where their risks could be easily migrated by good design while still allowing fairly safe voltages to be supplied to the loads. He went on to develop alternative for DC appliances. In 1888, Tesla worked with George Westinghouse, who owned a patent for type of transformer that could deal with high voltages and was easy to make. They both built a power system for a gold mine in Colorado. Almarian Decker finally inve nted the whole system of the three-power generating in California. Edison was force to sell his deal with General Electric to Teslas new system. Thus Teslas alternating current system remains the primary means of delivering electric power to consumers throughout the world. While high-voltage direct current is increasingly being used to transmit large quantities of electricity over long distances.[9] Electrical power distribution Some large industries require high voltage current and receive it directly from transmission lines. But high voltages are unsafe in homes, offices and most factories. The voltage must therefore be decreased before the electricity is distributed to them. High voltages are carried by the transmission line to sub transmission substations near the substations to 12500 to 138000 volts. The voltage is then further reduced at the distribution substations to 2,000 to 34,000 volts. Distribution lines may carry this medium voltage current voltage to commercial, industrial or institutional users. Distribution lines may also carry electric power to distribution transformers on poles , on the grounds , or in under ground vaults. Distribution transformers are what reduce the voltage to the levels needed by most users. Wires from the transformers run to homes, stores, offices, and other users. Nearly all consumers receive electric power at a level of 110-240 volts. And we use it to run our daily li ves [1] [see Figure 7:] . Conclusion Electricity has evolved over the years for it to be where it is today. The electric power demand continues to grow. Power companies as well as engineers must plan carefully for expansion to meet the ever-increasing demand. However, construction of new power plants is costly and takes several years. Many planned nuclear power have been cancelled due to the soaring construction costs and public concern over safety and nuclear waste [see Figure 8 ] :. Extensive research is being carried out into nuclear fusion, but it may take decades to succeed. If the consumption of fossil fuels continues as at present, then the supply will eventually run out. However, many scientists believe that energy from the sun, earth, wind and oceans can be used more extensively to produce electric power cheaply and efficiently in the future [1]. References : electric power. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol. 1995, 1994, 1993, 1992 pp 159. Hydro electric power. The World Book Encyclopedia. International Edition. 6th vol. 1995,1994,1993,1992 .pp 159. United States geological Survey. (n.d.). Retrieved 11 09,2010, from Water Science for Schools: http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html nuclear power stations. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol.1995,1994,1993,1992.pp159. Pros and Cons of nuclear power http://www.greenenergyhelpfiles.com Pros and Cons of nuclear power http:// timeforchange.org. Geothermal energy. The World Book Encyclopedia. International edition. 6th vol.1995, 1994, 1993,1992.pp 245. Department of energy-Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).2008. Geothermal (Ground-Source) Heat Pumps: Market status, Barriers to Adoption, and Actions to Overcome Barrers. Report ORNL/TM-2008/232. http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/electric_power_industry.

Impact of Globalization on the Employment Market

Impact of Globalization on the Employment Market 1. Explore briefly the major contemporary debates about globalization and the impact of globalization on employment markets and practices. There are several recurring issues related to the contemporary debate on globalization. One of this issues is the competitive pressure globalization is exerting on the European Unions industrial sector. In this sector the topic most debated on is the effect on welfare systems and national economics. Global shareholders and competitors exert increasing pressure on industrial corporations while on the other hand policy makers major concern is on producers (taxpayers and job-providers) who are outsourcing work overseas or closing domestic production sites. This is what has made policy makers and companies to have a mutual interest where each seeks to ensure there is company competitiveness in global competition context. There are also debates on social demands with policy makers advocating for environmental protection since globalization has contributed a great deal to global warming and environmental depletion. Under globalization, debates assert that social, economic and political fac tors have changed the position of many nations. Some regions are said to be more globalized than others and cultures are being spread across the world with the speed of communication being affected. There are different effects of globalization that most countries are not happy with especially nation-states having a diluted power required to coordinate economic and social policies. There are global organizations and events that have been affecting the role of individual states. Globalization pessimists claim that it is a practice that is eroding working conditions and wages for workers for both emerging and advanced economies. Globalization has affected the quality and quantity of employment for example in the automotive industry. For the past ten years, the quantity of employment has remained less constant. For example, there was an addition of only 103,000 workers for the period between 1993 and 1996. At this period, there was an erosion of job quality major as a result of work shi ft from workers to suppliers and pay in this case is lower. Potential for downsizing is also higher since in most countries, vehicle manufacturing is shifting to new locations. Globalization has lead to an increase in the number of low quality jobs that have minimal advancement options. There is growth of insecure causal employment. Recent technological advancement in the global industry has affected employment patterns. For example, women mostly work in insecure and undercapitalized production sectors and these are areas with inadequate access of services, land, production inputs and credit. 2. Appraise processes by which your organization identifies their goals and values touching on how it interacts with any three (3) of its stakeholders. Rolls -Royce employees are one of the major stakeholders as it is the case in every organization. This is hinged on the fact employees are a very vital part of every company because they are the means through which it attains its objectives. In this regard, every business must endear to make sure that it has the right team of employees capable of steering it to the held of business success. Renowned successful companies are known to have effective and equally efficient human capital policies which are partly responsible for their success. Human resource department is the faculty charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the organization has the right team of employees in reference to skills, number and other aspects pertinent to good performance. Organizations should also continually ensure that its employees are appreciated in various ways to motivate them. They should be made to feel part of the organization to make them work hard not just for their own financial objectives but also for the success of the organization. In crafting its goals, an organization should consider the employees and how the goals crafted augur with those of the employees. This means that a relevant framework of gathering information on the relationship between the organization goals and those of the employees should be employed. Different organizations have different methods of achieving this end depending on the existing policies. For a company of Rolls-Royce stature, its important to ensure that they deliver excellent products to its customers who are also one of the major Rolls- Royce stakeholders. However, this will not be possible if there is no cooperation with the employees or where employees are not involved or made to understand their importance in helping achieve this goal. To lobby for this support Rolls -Royce strives to recruit and retain the best individuals by fostering an all inclusive work environment. This environment is also very conducive for enhancing capab ility, flexibility, and involvement and performance improvement. The prime process used to create understanding between the two parties (Rolls-Royce and its employees) is consultations. The company has created a Global Council which is charged with the responsibility of enhancing employees engagement and consultations. Employees representatives are chosen (40) and meets with the council twice per year (Rolls-Royce, 2009, p. 52). There are also regular meeting involving an executive committee of 8 delegates who are elected with the sole objective of supporting constant dialogue and consultations which are timely between the meetings of the council. General meetings which are delivered face to face to the company employees in the globe ensures that they have an excellent understanding of the companys key objectives and the contribution each individual employee should make. Another goal of Rolls- Royce which is also a goal for every organization operating in the market place is to be a socially responsible business. Businesses must be socially responsible to ensure acceptability in the communities where they are operating. This also reinforces their future expansion efforts. General public is a vital stakeholder because the success of the business is partially determined by its image. On the other hand, what a business does in reference to the public or the surrounding community mars or builds its image. A company may have fantastic products but they may never attain marketing success if the general public is not contented with its image. In Rolls- Royce, corporate responsibility is a basic part of its business strategy. Its an integral part of its operations which is not conducted as a self contained activity or separately (Rolls-Royce, 2009, p. 42). This aspect of conducting business has contributed significantly to the overall success of the company. The company strives to carry out its business operations in a responsible and ethical manner which in turn helps it build a competitive advantage. The competitive advantage is brought about by the ability to attract and keep the best individuals, to maintain excellent working relationships with suppliers, customers and governments and build goodwill as well as supporting the diverse communities. The process used in achieving is adhering to the Global Code of Business Ethics (Rolls-Royce, 2009, p. 46). This structures the stakeholders relationships in various parts of the world and has greatly reinforced its ability to create a good reputation. Its corporate responsibility goal is concentrated on four areas, these are business ethics, employees, health, safety and environment and the society. This brings two main stakeholders together (employees and society). 3. Explore the business external and contextual environment, technological developments and their potential impact month strategic business environment of the organization Through its corporate responsibility functions, Rolls-Royce has managed to foster excellent external and contextual (social) environments. This has enabled it to create mutual business benefits, reduce environ metal impacts on the operations of the business, encourage high ethical behavior standards and support human rights. One of the players in the external and social environment of Royce is its suppliers. Through its quality system, the company has ensured that they (suppliers) have maintained a rigorous performance standard. It also employs Suppliers Advanced Business Relationship (SABRs) which uses a supplier code of conduct (Rolls-Royce, 2009, p. 56). This code of conduct is further complemented by the companys purchasing code of conduct with the objective of ensuring that employees and suppliers adhere to the same standards. Royce aims at integrating sustainable procurement into its sourcing decision course. This has greatly helped it build a good external and contextual envir onment. The other factor in the external and social environment which Royce has paid close attention to is in environmental issues. In this regard, it has always ensured that its carbon emissions are declared publicly and voluntarily. This is done by taking the data for analyses by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). It has also gone a step further by encouraging its suppliers to follow its example of declaring their carbon emissions. The initiative (carbon emission declaration) has been very successful since it was initiated. It goes a long war in creating a favorable external and social environment especially at this age when there is a great emphasis on cleaner and greener environment. Royce has also joined hands wit its suppliers to eradicate waste. This has been coupled with recycling of metals to minimize the waste output. It has also taken some measures to help its suppliers follow the same course. Its customers have also been drawn into the initiative by asking them to take their time expired engine parts to the company for recycling. Royce has also ensured adherence to local sourcing policies in order to support disadvantaged and small businesses (Rolls-Royce, 2009, p. 56). Another important factor in the external environment which Royce had continually sought to address is community investment. The company has always strived to support the local communities through community investment. This has been achieved through sponsorship contributions, gifts in kind, employee time and cash. For example in 2009 Royce contributed a total of 6.7 million Euros across the above named areas. The main focus in sponsorship and donation is mainly on causes which are mainly related to engineering, educational and scientific objectives as well as other social objectives linked to Royces business and position in the larger community. A total of 2.3 million Euros in charitable donations was made. One such donation was to a homeless people and benevolent funds. Royce also seeks to work closely with institutions and the government to underpin the numerous career opportunities available in the earth and science field. It has also instituted a flagship education program which s eeks to recognize innovative and excellent teaching of science in the United Kingdom (Rolls-Royce, 2009, p. 57). From another social perspective, the company also extends employees time to the welfare of the community. This is provided by allowing them to participate in community projects and other team building affairs with some societal benefits. Royce has also developed a scheme via which employees are allowed to make some donations to their preferred charities. These donations are tax free and are deducted from the employees salary voluntarily. Technological development poses as a threat to many companies especially those unable to keep pace with the current rate of technological advancements. One of the care characteristics of Royce is technological superiority where it seeks to gain a competitive advantage via constantly investing in technology. This is very significant in the light of future growth considering that competition is building up daily. An operational capacity nee ds to be increased and this is catered for by ensuring that it continually remains innovative and alert to technological changes in the outside environment. This kind of involvement in the community has played a very pivotal role in shaping the companys external and contextual environment. Its dedication to adhering to the regulations set by the government has provided it with ample time to work towards its set objectives. The involvement has built its image among the local communities enhancing acceptability. This is important in facilitating its expansion objectives as well as sourcing initiatives. For example focusing on local sourcing goes a long way in ensuring that the company thrives with no conflicts with small and disadvantaged companies. This enables it to focus on major issues pertinent to the company instead of being involved in issues like legal struggles brought about by unfair overtures aimed at these small companies. Investing in the community has greatly impacts crucial areas which act as a locus of the companys success. Some of these areas are employees recruitment and retention particularly by investing in the skills t he company needs, employees engagement by fostering loyalty, motivation and pride in the organization, personal and professional skills development including leadership, teamwork ethical behavior and adaptability and lastly reputation through encouraging mutually beneficial and proactive relationships in the local communities within which Royce operates. 4. Apply and assess SWOT, PEST and PESTEL tools and change management to differentiate the organizations development and their potential impact on the strategic business environment After carrying out a SWOT analysis of Rolls-Royce, one is able to understand why its such a force to reckon with in the industry. The following analysis provides information on Rolls-Royces strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. One of the strengths possessed by this company is the strong entry barriers which bars new entrants into the industry. This has consequently reduced competition which has allowed the company to focus on its growth and expansion objectives unperturbed by any impeding new competition. The other strength is its focused RD (Market Research.com, 2009, p. 1). This has enabled to keep pace with the advancing technology to make sure that its products do not become obsolete. It also has a great degree of operational efficiency which has greatly boosted its ability to operate profitably. Its presence in the market also poses as a strong hold considering its market share. The other strength is its supply chain which is very well established. This has provided it with the ability to distribute its products to the end consumers very effectively thus increasing customer satisfaction and reducing costs. It also enjoys the advantage of skilled workforce which has enabled it achieve its present day success. The other strength is its long term growth and high demand of its products which has always increased sales. Long term growth strategy has provided it with the financial stability for future growth. Among the weaknesses are high leverage and decline in net profit margin. One of the opportunities available for Rolls-Royce is environmental pressure which is continually gaining momentum on the global fronts. Seeking to be on the fore front to lobbying for a cleaner environment will go a long way in improving its image. Maintain a healthy backlog is also another opportunity capable of improving its stand in the market. It also possesses the potential to improve its supply chain to further facilitate its distribution efforts. Notably, a key opp ortunity at the disposal of Rolls-Royce is the emerging market especially the current increment in spending on defense and the US aerospace industry which is projected to grow highly into the future. The difference between organizations today and in future is determined by its ability to capture the emerging market. Rolls-Royce has a great opportunity of addressing the needs of the emerging markets to enable it stay ahead of competition and facilitate growth efforts. Rolls-Royce can also aggressively invest to enlarge its scope and potential. It has also made an agreement with Dell computers which is a potentially promising market opportunity. There is also the rise in the demand for energy obtained from renewable sources which is a promising opportunity for Rolls- Royce. One of the threats facing Rolls- Royce is substitutes for the renewable energy sources. In the event of this threat, the company is bound to lose it strength as stated in the strengths section above. There is also the competitive pressure and the declining economic indicators. PEST/PESTEL Analysis Rolls-Royce is affected by numerous political forces in United Kingdom which in one way or the other may reduce its ability to exploit its full potential. One of such forces is European Union harmonization laws like employment and euro. This definitely limits its ability to execute its recruitment and retention policies based on the organization requirements (Wiseall, Kelly Kelly, 2001, p. 2). It has adherence to the set guidelines. There has also been a greater emphasis on education, mobility and training. One of the economic forces facing Rolls-Royce is globalization as discussed in the first section. There is also a reduction in manpower and productivity. Strategic partnerships are very prevalent today as well as revenue and risk sharing partnership. The number of suppliers is reducing who are also joining hands together. There is also frequent organizational change. Among the social factors the environmental issues, multi-skilling, ageing population and multicultural work enviro nment. Technical factors include knowledge management and e-, growth and application of computing power, common and standardization methods, integration as well as knowledge re-use and internet and internets. Environmental factors are increasingly gaining references in the business circles as climatic changes become more rampant. This has put many companies under pressure on the same scale. Royce has not been excluded either as such forces has demanded for more environmental friendly products like environmental friendly engines. Legal factors have also affected Royce especially on local sourcing and recruitment issues. Legislation of laws which requires the company to exercise its business in a given predetermined way forces it to revise its policies and growth objectives. It has to strive to make sure that these objectives are achieved within the context of the stipulated laws. The above detailed analysis directly impacts the way Royce conducts is business. It has to use its strengths to overcome is weaknesses and its opportunities to subdue its threats. Rolls-Royce also has to consider all the forces highlighted in the PERST and PESTEL to ensure that its operations are successful. The ability to relate a company with its external environment is a key ingredient of success. Failure to do that is the beginning of failure which culminates with a business exiting from the market. 5. How the organization apply new technologies and their impact on people and process. Critically analyze the impact on the business strategy of the external business environment Rolls-Royce has reported a shift on technological advancement by launching tunnel thruster in a bid to capture greater market share for competitive reasons. This new brand will see the firm target and entrench marine market niche by introducing an advanced level of rim drive as form of integrated system that combines hydrodynamic, mechanical and electrical component for efficiency purposes. There two greatest impact that the new technology will have on the firms capacity to meet the dynamic technological needs as well as the perceived divesture capacity in the changing technological world. First, the firm will record an increase in market share and subsequent increase in electronic and mechanical components sales volumes. Its worth noting that the technology comes at time when the need for business unit expansion is evident in Rolls-Royce Plc. As such the firm moves in by including viral features aimed at providing advantages to various consumers. As confirmed by Gunnar Johnsen the firms RT project manager, the numbers of trials subjected to the new invent guarantees consumers good quality product not only in Sweden but across cultures. Secondly, consumers being key external stakeholders will greatly appreciate the introduction of efficient fuel vessels aimed at reducing running costs associated with their work, and possibly increase their profit margins. For example, with the introduction of Olympics UT 712L, consumers have repeatedly identified with the product as one of the modernized DP2-dynamic positioning as well as efficient equipment/system that has considerably made work at the dock safer. As drawn from fiscal 2009, the firm has considered an improvement on civil nuclear business segment by establishing a modernized firm in UK to center on testing as well as assembling nuclear components for various nuclear power stations. Additionally, the new technological advancement will see the firm advance in the supply of assorted digital instrumentation as well as control systems. With the new shift in technology more operational procedures at engineering level will advance in meeting civil aerospace business requirements. 6. Look into the current and likely future demographic trends in the UK and internationally. Also explore the causes of key social and ethical management trends in the UK. According to the UK social institutions and policies are based on the supposition of a nuclear family with a male who is the breadwinner. Marriage is viewed as a contract between the two parties (male and female) and roles are divided between the two principals (Finch, n.d, p. 1). However, women are deemed to be more dependent on their husbands as well as the marriage institution for their economic sustainability. It is also viewed as a circle within which sex, love and childbearing occur. However, this has all changed in the last century spurred by the emergence of contraceptives, equal opportunities liberation, broadening of white collar jobs, rise in individualism and the availability of jobs for the subsistence earners. Women have now assumed a moirà © instrumental role in the society especially in education and labor market. Gender equity in these areas has greatly improved as women continue pushing for their rights. Besides the changing role of women in the society in UK, the population has also increased (Finch, n.d, p. 2). This has been complemented by changes in family composition with an increase in the number of ethnic minority groups. According to the current demographic trends marriage is continually losing its importance where its role as n economic essential for women is waning. This is because they now able to work away from home thus gaining independence. This has reduced the number of marriages occurring in the UK. Particularly, first marriages are rare to in the current and economic and social environment characterized by independence. Divorces are also on the rise which has been attributed to privatization and individualization of marriages (Finch, n.d, p. 2). Separations have also increased in the last decade. There has also been a decline in remarriages as people now prefer to seek their happiness elsewhere outside the marriage institution. However, a notable demographic trend in UK is the low birth rate. Its believed that the current fer tility rate is incapable of replacing the population for the next 30 years (National Statistics, 2005, p. 1). Its imperative to note that the birth rate surpasses the death even the fertility rates are low. This is an echo of the international scenario where population is increasing exponentially especially in the third world countries. Into the future, there is a projected increase in the number of household. This will result from an increase in population in the next ten years being projected to clock 65 million. The number of immigrants is also set to increase while emigrating and retiring Britons are also set to decline in the future. Marriages are bound to decrease as women gain economic liberation more and more. The changes in the social and ethical management trends in the UK has been prompted by changes in issues like globalization, changes in competitive environment, demographic trends, regulation, social trends and government policies. These changes have created a very tur bulent environment and volatile. In this regard, they have been forced to come up with measure and strategy to ensure their survival. 7. Evaluate the evaluation of regulation of business activity and discuss enterprises corporate governance concept Regulation of business activity is an ancient exercise which has been practiced for years. It is done to ensure that business activities are carried out in the right way. Its importance increased with the onset of industrialization as the scope of business activities enlarged. Industrialization led to emergence of big business and small businesses alike. Ensuring that every business had a fair playing ground was important. This was ensured by making social reforms and laws which regulated how business activities should be conducted. Being a form of government involvement, it continued to increase as complex business activities emerged and as cross trade affairs increased. Along the way enroute to the current level of government regulation, the general public and the business have been forced to lobby for reduced business activity regulation at times. This is in cases where the government has tightened the regulations too much. Massive changes in the economies which characterized the 21st century prompted the government to play a more vibrant role in overseeing business activities. This is the period when numerous business scandals rocked the corporate world. They had devastating impacts on the larger economy and that is why the government had and has to continually intervene. Today, business activity regulation is equally effective and that is why the todays business environment stable and promising. Rolls- Royce has a strong reference to corporate governance. This is the contextual framework through which it is managed, directed and controlled in the best interests of all involved stakeholders. It has a combined code on corporate governance which lays down the standards of good practice (Rolls-Royce, 2009, p. 66). These issues relate to remuneration, board composition, accountability and audit as well as relations with stakeholders. The company board is comprised of a chairman who is non executive, CEO, 4 executive directors and 7 non-executive directors. The non executive directors are independent of the companys management and are appointed by the board. The Group Executive runs the company within the strategy which is determined by the board. There are also principal board committees which includes nomination, remuneration and audit committees.

Historical Analysis On 1920s :: essays research papers

"Wedding Band" by Alice Childress is a story of a love/hate interracial relationship between two lovers in the south. The play is set in South Carolina in 1918. "Wedding Band" truly captures the essence of the time and place in which the play was set in. That era (1915-1931) is one of the most significant in the history of this young nation. The decade of the 1920's is often characterized as a period of American prosperity and optimism. It was the "Roaring Twenties," the decade of the bath tub gin, the model T, the $5 work day, the first transatlantic flight, and the movie. It was a high point in African-American history as well. The Harlem Renaissance took shape; it was a time when African Americans began an intellectual movement. Harlem became the center of African-American culture. Most African-Americans began a movement to rethink their values and appreciation of their roots and Africa. The "Great Migration" began at this time. Approximate ly two million Southern blacks move to northern industrial centers in hopes to escape the oppressive nature of the deep south. However, for every upside their is a downside. The decade was a period of rising intolerance and isolation. Americans retreated into a provincialism evidenced by the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the anti radical hysteria of the Palmer raids, restrictive immigration laws, and prohibition. Influenza and the first world war brought an alarming amount of Americans to an early death. Racial motivated riots spread throughout the country and protests endorsing and condemning racism were the norm. Life in the south was at most times unbearable for the blacks, and many felt that the southern atmosphere had such a suffocating affect on them that escape was the best option. African-Americans were showing their pain inside, little by little proving themselves to the racist whites in the south that they were somebody, not a property, but a human being with self worth and dignity who should be treated equally. The main place that the black southerners were blinded of was the urban places in the north. These were the places that captured their attention. Many of the southerners who were enslaved or sons and daughters of enslaved Africans began to migrate in the northern cities. These were the places where they began to live a life of independence and freedom. The migration of the black southerners was a success.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury :: Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ray Bradbury Guy Montag is a fireman in the future in charge of burning books. On his way home from work one evening, he meets his new neighbor, an inquisitive 17-year-old girl named Clarisse McClellan. She asks him about his job and tells him she comes from a strange family that does such peculiar things as talk to each other and walk places (being a pedestrian is, like reading, against the law). She asks him if he is happy and then disappears into her house. The meeting disturbs Montag, who is not used to talking with people. He goes home and realizes he is not happy, that his appearance of happiness up to this point has been just a mask. He finds his wife, Mildred, in bed listening to earplug radios, just as he has found her every night for the past two years. He finds an empty bottle of sleeping pills by her bed and calls the emergency hospital just as a sonic boom from a squadron of jet bombers shakes the house. The hospital sends out two workers with machines that pump Mildred's stomach and replace all her blood with fresh blood. Montag goes outside and listens to the laughter and the voices coming from the McClellan house. Montag goes in again and considers all that has happened to him that night and feels terribly disoriented as he takes a sleep lozenge and dozes off. The next day, Mildred remembers nothing about her attempted suicide and denies it when Montag tries to tell her about it. He leaves for work and finds Clarisse outside walking in the rain, catching it in her mouth. She rubs a dandelion under her chin and says it means she's in love when the pollen rubs off on her. She rubs it under his chin, but no pollen rubs off. She asks him why he chose to be a fireman and says he is unlike the others she has met, who will not talk to her or listen to what she says to them. He tells her to get along to her appointment with her psychiatrist. After she is gone, he tilts his head back and catches the rain in his mouth for a few moments. Montag reaches down to touch the Mechanical Hound in the fire station, and it growls at him and threatens him. Montag tells Captain Beatty what happened and suggests that someone may have

Fear in Macbeth :: essays research papers

No Fear Fear motivates many people to act upon matters, right or wrong. This emotion has been important in many events in both works of literature, and in the real world. It has forced military geniuses into retreat, and influenced them to plan another method of attack. Fear can be both a positive and a negative acting force in one’s life, a quality that can motivate one to success as well as to downfall. In the play Macbeth fear was a major motivating factor in character’s actions. Macbeth was fearful of being caught and having to pay for the wrongs he had done – this led to the murders that followed he killed King Duncan. Macbeth's actions were also partially driven by fear of the witches' last prophecy, about the line of kings spawning from Banquo. He was afraid this would come true attempted to prevent it from happening. Lady Macbeth was also plagued by fear as made apparent by the constant washing of her hands while sleepwalking and her speech during her troublesome sleep. Her fulfillment by the direst cruelty and pure evil has worn off, leaving her somewhat of a basket case, ridden by fear and guilt as a result of her actions. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he is too scared to even carry the daggers back into the king’s chamber. When the king’s body is discovered, he kills the two guards that were in Duncan’s room, and places the blame for the murderous deed upon them. His fear forces him to act this way in order to make him seem innocent. Macbeth’s fear of being caught acts as an indicator of his guilt; however at first none of the other characters are able to realize this. As Lady Macbeth becomes consumed by fear and guilt, she is slowly losing her sanity. This is a result of her not being able to handle what she has done to Duncan. In one scene, Lady Macbeth is trying to wash out what she sees as being blood on her hands, even though she is sleepwalking, though the doctor and woman in the room dare not blame her for anything, for fear of being accused and executed for treason. At the start, Lady Macbeth was pushing the fearful Macbeth to kill Duncan. Now, late in the play, their roles have reversed, and it is Lady Macbeth who is fearful, not her husband.

Breeder’s Own Pet Foods, INC Essay

Central issue: Breeder’s Mix is a new kind of dog food and it is totally differ from traditional types dog foods, people are not familiar with this product at all. In addition, it is very difficult to predict the trend of this product. Dog food industry is considered highly potential in a mounting trend. Firstly, the dog food industry has benefited from increasing dog ownership. Secondly, pet owners continue to invest their animal companions with human qualities. Thirdly, the premium and superpremium dog food is increasing. Supermarket distribution is focused on the single largest retail channel for dog food and Boston market is ideal for launching a new dog food. There are about 50 dog food manufacturers and 350 dog food brands in the US. 5 of them accounted for 75 percent of the market share. The company is supposed to face a series of problems introducing the Breeder’s Mix to the general market, mostly due to its new form of the packaging. In addition, the price is also a big issue to be considered. Solutions: When entering the retail market, the market segment that Breeder’s Mix should be high and dog raisers who would spend more on their dogs than those dog owners who buy dry/canned/treats. The description on potential buyer scope is too large, and it can be narrowed down to niche group among those purchase expensive dog food buyers. According to the case, we can find that Boston market has a large potential. We suggest the entire campaign should be designed to accommodate product introduction inside the Boston market area. So the campaign can affect not only Boston but also the area near Boston. It’s a good preparation for our next step for geographic market extension. Recommandation: We think that target market is the most important. We segmented where  Breeder’s should be. And When it entering the retail market, we can find our position. And in this position, we can use good strategies to get more market share in Boston Market.

Current provision and practice Essay

Each one of the proto(prenominal) geezerhood educators has touched an fundamental role in put the stern garments that is the basis of the primary(prenominal) computer programs and groundwork theoretical accounts in tames to mean solar daytime sentencetime. maria Montessori believed in indep closeence in nurseries and that clawren should be taught to use their thoughts graduation rather than lull educating their intellect with subjects untold(prenominal) as math and science. These of course came later in the boorrens study merely the main cogitate inside her nurseries was to begin observational skills finished the environment and tuition exposedoors, and to provide the kidskinren with guardedly nonionised preparatory activities rather than repeat as a means of ontogeny competence in skills. Montessori believed chel atomic consequence 18n should be encourage to take responsibility for their proclaim tuition, modify them to expire much tha n than independent.The t all(prenominal)ing makes of female horse Montessori sop up been highly prestigious on reli sufficient institutionalise as closely specializedised Montessori nurseries atomic number 18 topically racecourse up and d accept the country. They promote her political program of independency and use some of her approaches to give more than(prenominal) as the thinker that the boors freedom, dignity and independence be of paramount importance. In a characteristic Montessori glasshouse there is a frequent atmosphere of clawren doing things for themselves c atomic number 18 fully and competently carrying furniture, alineting t up to(p)s, pouring drinks, washing their gifts and following(a) activities which absorb and interest them. This is, in some focussings, a very contrastive method acting to the practices employ in government dominate nurseries etc. as they follow a more standard programme where instruction and writing be enc ourage more formally and information projects set out at an proto(prenominal) age. Some of this practice is reflected within my current placement through the tiddlerrens revive such as tidying outside one by one at the end of activities and creation liable for qualification accepted toys ar put outside(a) ahead a new activity is begun. In my placement, when the tiddlerren atomic number 18 told it is tidy up sentence they realise they adopt to put everything away and must assist clear up until the room is tidy. The practitioners join in with the tidying unless do non do it for the baby birdren, so they atomic number 18 leading by frame cast but are still allowing the tikeren to recover for themselves and take responsibility for putting away their suffer piddle away equipment. During snack date I involve too witnessed the small fryren carrying their accept chairs through and through if they are a hardly a(prenominal) chairs short in the hall. Thisg ives the boorren a sense of independence and is as well a heavy way of ontogenesis their gross push skills and co-ordination. In the unwrap stratum 1 cleares tikeren are support to pour their own drinks and are granted miniature jobs such as handing out the lunchboxes and folders at lunchtime and the end of the day. These are just a few ways that the children are encouraged to be independent within the school day as hale as managing their own hygiene and dressing/ despoiling independently for a visible commandment activity. wear of the stepping stones within the foundation stage allege that children should be encouraged to dress and undress independently and select and use activities and picks independently, which is on the button what I drive witnessed in my preceding(prenominal) and current placements. The birth to tercet matters frame tap has a similar view on independency as the emotional offbeat guidelines for a child focuses on maturation healthy independ ence e.g. activities which provide small steps to be bring kinsperson the bacond lead comport all children, including those with disabilities, thus reducing defeat and backup them to become independent. These clear guidelines from the various(a) role models and programmes undoubtedly memorialize the electropositive effect Maria Montessori has had on current practice, and that her theories progress to been widely adjudge within teaching practice forthwith.Rudolf Steiner set up the Waldorf schools where the main consideration is virtually interoperable activities that generate the mind and the imagination. The types of activities that Steiner introduced in his schools were things such as knit stitch, weaving, mulcting a musical instrument, woodcarving and painting. These are very a great deal practical based activities and many are still carried on in schools today such as training to tender an instrument. This is seen as an important activity for children in the f ormer(a) course of studys and lessons and clubs for this are seen as mainstream activities. Steiner believed that education should be radiation diagramed to event the changing postulate of a child as they develop mentally, physically and emotionally.This posterior be seen in the current practices and nutriment as there are different levels and stages of which a child feces go along through at their own pace, such as the stepping stones in the birth to three matters and foundation stage political program. Each mortal child is encouraged within their own abilities to progress with their education and onto the next levels of ontogeny and defrauding withintodays practices, and Steiners approach has therefore been influential on many areas of the previous(predicate) twelvemonths education. His ideas on allowing children to be taught by the same teacher for up to septenary geezerhood cook been adopted in some ways by subsidiary schools as a class is given up the same form tutor for up to five years and then a nonher(prenominal) for two years if they progress to higher(prenominal) education. He believed this was an in force(p) way of swelled children stability within schools, and the tutors would al approximately be like main carers for the children until they left school.Friedrich Froebels harmingergarten is the modern day nursery, conveygroup or fire and toddlers group. He valued bring ups to be fully refer with their childrens encyclopedism and play an active role in their childs educational ripening. This was an important feature of Froebels vision and tidy sum be seen in current practices through conjure/teacher evenings and the various newspapers and progress keep ups that are sent home to parents from archaean years settings.The placement I am currently with send home termly reports explaining to parents and carers how their child is doing with shams to education and too to their social, emotional and physical well-being. Fro ebel believed the role of the convey was to recognise their childs capacity for schooling and wanted to encourage the parents to support the children with this, and as you abide see from the current approaches to this in primeval years settings his croak has helped to develop the appreciation of the importance of the role of a childs family in their goldbricking and nurturing. This is outright very much reflected in the governments upstart every parent matters agenda.He similarly believed children agree through unified play at their readiness, in an organised and prepared skill environment. This is similar to the guidelines of the curriculums and frameworks we use today as children are taught through unified activities that are carried out in stimulating environments. The occurrence that activities and play is structured wellbeings the teachers immensely as they will always harbour a clear view of what they need to be teaching the children, and when and where they s hould be coping particularized things. They are too able to plan the day potently and help each child reach their primaeval nurture goals. Structured play arrive ats thechildren as they need routine so they know what their day will consist of, and are also able to develop their independent learning skills within a structured, focused and adjunct environment. If a childs day has routine or structure to it they are able to feel in tick of themselves as they will always know what they are going to be doing, and how much time they have for certain activities.The special materials that Froebel developed to assist his activities were things such as shaped wooden bricks and balls, with which he had a linking set of theories. These types of play resources are used passim early years settings today. The foundation stage framework states that well plotted play is a bring out way in which children learn with purpose and challenge. This clearly shows that Froebel and Isaacss theori es have been influential towards current practice and benefit children and teachers through the education policies. I have seen these benefits first hand within my placement. The teachers have the prospect to plan their lessons and the activities ahead and so are able to plan time for their own personal work and set for other lessons into the day, and support inform the children exactly what they will be doing that day, thus gravid them a clear, structured routine they set up easily follow. Children are able to select freely within play activities to that degree each play resource is chosen carefully and all of them tummy relate to either a certain offspring they are doing ect. so the childrens learning of a certain subject fucking be carried on through their play.The foundation stage curriculum states that well planned play, both indoors and outdoors, is a key way in which novel children learn with enjoyment and challenge. Froebels theories have, from this example, be en the basis of many of the curriculums ideas on play, and making it structured also allows the teachers to plan and resource a challenging environment that will guide the childrens learning. The curriculum also states that practitioners should be supporting childrens learning through planned play activities, extending and supporting childrens spontaneous play and extending and developing childrens language and communication in their play.Many of these requirements would not be come-at-able if play was not planned or structured, as practitioners would not know what resources the children would be using during the day, and so would not be able to makeassessments effectively or develop and extend the childrens learning to their full potential. Froebels theories and early years work mean practitioners and children can benefit from play immensely. Children in all areas of their development, and practitioners as it enables them to focus their assessments thus communicate future tens e planning to go against meet the needs of the children.Margaret McMillan was another early years educator who has inspired and influenced many of the current provisions and practices used today. Her main dialect was on fresh air, exercise and nourishment, and still influences some aspects of current English nursery practice. Many early years settings regard outdoor play as an important aspect of a childs learning, and gardens and play areas are available for the children at either frequent intervals end-to-end the day, for a substantial amount of time (as can be seen in the placement I am currently at), or aeonian access is given. McMillan recognised that imagination is full(a) for society as a whole, an idea that is seen in the educational reforms of the 20th century, and can be clearly seen in the practices within her nurseries today.She believed that children are active learners, meaning they learn whilst doing something (usually playing), a concept that has been brought int o current practices as practical activities that involve moving near or using some kind of resource, and especially general play, is now much more emphasised in early years settings than it previously was. Rudolph Steiner also believed that practical play activities were a good developer of the imagination. His Waldorf schools severe on activities such as wood-work, knitting and playing musical instruments, which are now mainstream subjects in secondary and primary feather schools e.g. design technology, which covers all creative areas, and music.Children can develop their creativity, imagination and emotional development through music as well as many other areas of personal learning. Teachers are able to apply their own skills in these creative areas and demonstrate to the children how they can achieve what they are aiming for. By seeing their teachers own personal skill first hand the children will be able to compliance and learn from practitioners in a more understanding way. Susan Isaacs was also a believer that play is exchange to learning, and alsothat parents/carers are seen as partners, working with teachers and their child to develop and support their childs abilities. This is similar to Froebels theories on parent/teacher relationships in the way that he saw parents as the main educators of young children. This concept is still clearly seen in the practices of early years settings as parents are encouraged to be tough in every aspect of a childs learning, and have the opportunity to work with the teacher in developing their childs abilities. This benefits the children and the parents as both can create a tie down with each other through the education of the child, and the parent will be able to understand more fully how their child learns best and how to encourage and support them if they are struggling.Play is still seen as exchange to learning and parents/carers are seen as partners in helping their child progress through the stepping stones . In my current placement children are given ample time throughout the day to have free play and guide to do whatever interests them. The day is structured (as Froebel believed it should be) so they still have time set aside for number work and writing activities, but are not pushed to complete the more cerebral side of the work as play and active learning are the around emphasised activities throughout the childrens day. This benefits the child in the way that they will have a break from concentrating on the more intellectual side of things and be able to relax, whilst still learning through structured play and various activities. Having the ability to choose will keep them interested in learning about writing and denotation as they will feel they are not being forced to learn about them.Friedrich Froebel introduced the idea of structured play and fully involving parents with their childrens learning. His work has been extensively influential on current practice in early years settings today as the basic framework and curriculums that guide children through their learning are based around his ideas about how children should be working with their parents and how carers should be elusive in all aspects of their childs learning and development through school, and how children should learn at their own pace and be guided instead of pushed towards their learning goals. The internal curriculum states that teachers are required to reportannually to parents on pupils progress through their learning goals. Parents also have a say in whether their children are included in spiritual education classes and sex education, and are given the right to withdraw their children from it or go to the classes with their children to guide them through it. Secondary and primary schools send home letters to parents informing them when classes such as these will be taking place, and permission slips are wrap so the school know which children can take part in the classes and whi ch cannot.My current placement sends home a mundane report on each child so the parents can see their childs routine for the day including what they play with, how long they slept for, what and how much they ate during the day and generally how they got on. This gives the parents a clear understanding of how their child is getting on in the nursery and allows them to give feedback to the practitioners so they can work together to en original the child is reaching their full potential in all areas of development. This clearly shows that Froebels ideology of parents being involved in childrens learning has been taken into early years settings today and has had a positive effect on current learning and the guidelines in the curriculum.Parent and toddler groups are also a popular class for parents to attend when their children are young. They allow parents to be fully involved with their childs play, and as children learn most comfortably through play this gives the parents a better i nsight as to how their children learn and what stimulates them most effectively. They can then use this familiarity to help progress their childs learning at home.The foundation stage has the same principles as the national curriculum in the way that parents are encouraged to become involved with their childs learning throughout and to work with the practitioners to extend the childrens learning both in the classroom and at home. According to the foundation stage curriculum, when parents and practitioners work together in early years settings the results have a positive impact on the childs development and learning, therefore each setting should seek to develop an effective partnership with parents. This was one of Froebels main theorieswithin early years and so current practice has clearly been influenced by this and has spread out on his views to make sure parents, practitioners and children can benefit from his work. Practitioners can attend to any concerns parents have over t heir childs development and then work with them to find an appropriate solution to the problem.Froebel also recognised the importance of specific training for early childhood teachers. He believed that early years teachers needed more focused training as the early stages of a childs development and education formed the basis of their personalities and cockiness to learn in the future. This may have some contribution to the fact that early years practitioners must undergo specific training in order to become qualified to work in early years settings, such as NNEBs, NVQs and BTECs.My opinion of Froebels work and the research I have done on his theories is that his work has been the most influential on current practice receivable to the fact that most of his work has been have with, and been the main basis for many of the guidelines in the curriculums and frameworks used in early years today. The emphasis on active learning is well schematic within early years settings, but combine d with the current guidance from central government upon meeting targets, it is indicated by the care of early years settings that play-based learning is not a priority, though the training of practitioners, which Froebel believed was essential, has accredited considerable attention in recent years, and current practice is now laborious to catch up with the ideas Froebel proposed.The role of the mother in childrens learning is not as Froebel expounded due to mothers of young children being encouraged to work rather than hang on at home. Teaching and nurturing children in the home is regarded as less effective or desirable than education in more formal, out of home settings, though the parents as partners scheme initiated by the government throughout the curriculums gives parents and practitioners a way of communicating and working together to help the child, so in this way I think his ideas on parents being involved in childrens learning has been responsible for this being put i nto practice.Friedrich Froebels theories have, in my opinion, been the most influential on early years practitioners, and their approach to practice is guided by many of his ideas and concepts on how children should be learning. His work surrounding the kindergarten (the first form of modern day nursery) produced the framework and theories that practitioners work with and expand on in current practice and so in my opinion his work has had the most effective influence on todays early years educators and their practice, and this evidence suggests his work will continue to be explored and expanded on within the curriculums and frameworks for years to come.BibliographyBruce T learning through play babies, toddlers and the foundation years, (2201), Hoddler and StoughtonTassoni P, BTEC early years (2nd edition), (2006) HeinemannBruce T, Time to play in early childhood education (1991), Hoddler and Stoughton