Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Operations Management - Essay Example This is mainly due to the extraordinary resilience of Disney during economic difficulties. During the last world recession towards the end of the last decade, Disney reported extraordinary profits for a company during such a tough economic time (chase & Tansik, 1983). In 1992 Disney opened up a new destination in Paris. This was after much analysis and lobbying behind the scenes on the location of the continental Europe branch. Two choices to be considered for the location were Spain and France (Cox, Blackstone & Schleier, 2003). After much analysis and consultation the Disney management decided to locate their new park in Paris France. Despite having unsuitable weather for a park such as a Disney, Paris had all the qualities of a promising market (Flynn, et. Al 1990). Paris was centrally placed in the European continent. This position made it easily accessible to many European citizens eager to experience Disney magic. However as it turned out the project almost watered down to obli vion from its opening and was still performing dismally as late as 2006 (Flynn, et. Al, 1995). Despite various administrative and structural changes in the company Paris Disney park is yet to pick up (Fuchsberg, 1992). This paper is going to look at operation management issues facing Disney, and ways in which through various theoretical explanations the operational problems can be dealt with. The Walt Disney Company founded in 1923 has been credited for its creativity, quality of services and customer oriented service, culminating to high levels of satisfaction in Disney’s clientele. It is this good legacy that prompted Disney to open up a new destination in Paris given the interest it evoked among Europeans (Goldrat, 1984; Gupta et al., 2000). Due to this, the company opened its Paris destination in 1992. Reports from different analysts and the media were highly optimistic that the breakthrough by Disney into the European market would be easy and fast. Policy of the existing Disney parks was projected to aid a lot in the venture (Goldratt, 1992; Goldratt, 1994). These factors and the overall goal of Disney of maximizing exposure and growth worldwide were projected to lead Disney through this period. Disney is also a unique family entertainment park since its services are enjoyable for people (Goldratt, 1997; Goldratt & Cox 1984). In Disney parks, different areas are themed around various areas which contain different attractions and rides which are not as scary as other rides in other parks making them acceptable to people of all ages (Goldratt et al 2000; Heizer & Render 2008). The first detrimental operational issue in Disney is the conformity of its basic setup, despite the huge regional difference in all its parks locations (Hackman & Wageman, 1995; Krajewski, 2007). All its parks from Florida to Tokyo are similar in their basic setup. The setup is basically based on American methods and style which may be alien to international customers. The comp any had opened a Tokyo Disneyland in 1982 which was a great success. The success was reinforced by huge appetite for American themes in Japan. As it would be seen in Europe, different markets portray different appetites for American inspired themes. Europeans were resentful and critical to the introduction of American culture on their continent (Meredith et al 1989). At the opening of Disney Euro the French government played a very big role. Porter’

Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease Essay Example for Free

Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease Essay Periodontal disease is a disease that affects the gums which causes them not to hold on to the teeth as tight as is normal. The teeth are therefore detached from the jawbone as it (Dr. Pohlhaus, 2008). It has been found to be responsible for the majority of tooth loses among the adults especially if it stays unchecked over several years. The disease usually attack the tooth through a crevice referred to as sulcus that is found below the gum line. During the attack, the disease breaks down the attachment of the tissues with the tooth and this result into a pocket whose depth depends on the severity of the attack. There are two main categories of the periodontal diseases; the gingivitis, which is a milder form of the periodontal diseases and is usually reversible. The other category is the periodontists (http://www. ada. org/public/topics/periodontal_diseases. asp). The major difference between the two is that the latter affects only the connecting tissues and the bone while the former affects the gum and the bones without any interference whatsoever with the connective tissues. Periodontal disease is caused by a bacterium called plaque which attaches on the teeth surface. They produce some toxins the affect both the gums and its supporting tissues. If left for periods of up to two days, it hardens into a substance called tartar which then causes infection and inflammation of the gums, that is usually painless and can easily go unnoticed (http://www. emedicinehealth. com/periodontal_gum_disease/page2_em. htm# Periodontal%20(Gum)%20Disease%20Causes). Methods of Diagnosis of Periodontal Disease and their Impact During the diagnosis of periodontal disease, the qualified doctors do look at different parameters and are guided by some simple basic steps: He/She first seeks to know the medical history of the patient so as to know any present or past problems associated with the disease or any underlying infections that might be the contributing factor to the disease, and if the patient is under any medications. The doctor may also opt to inquire about the general home dental care quality. The doctor then proceeds to the part of physical examination where he inspects the gum for any abnormalities like redness and puffiness. This is then followed with periodic screening and recording, otherwise referred to as PSR, which helps to ascertain the severity of the infection after which the teeth movement is observed. Any movement shows loss of bone support. Finally, x-rays are carried out so as to see the structure of the bone supporting the teeth. In the modern times however, technological advances has not left behind the medical practitioners. The developments that have been experienced in the dental radiography have been on conventional radiography transmission that narrows down to the capture, enhancement, and analyses of images. This stands to correct the errors that were being committed by the human beings by their visual perception. These technologies therefore help in the improvement of the diagnosis, enhance the treatment procedures as well as streamlining of the transfer, storage and the retrieval of information. They also help provide backup to the data of the patient in case any unforeseen catastrophe like fire occurs. Over the years, focus has shifted to the use of subtraction radiography which helps to recognize any slight differences in terms of the densities and volumes of the bones over a period of time (Grondahl and Grondahl, 1983). This has been made possible due to the available digital imaging technology (Grondahl et al, 1983). When using this technology and for the results not to show any differences in the registration, the projection geometries need to be identical. Methods have also been developed that aim at reconstructing the images that do posses arbitrary geometric projections into projection geometry of the reference image (Dunn and Van der Stelt, 1992; Ruttimann et al, 1986; and Van der Stelt et al, 1989). Also, in hi report, they reported that some measurements of up to 16 mm translation errors with 160 angulation’s errors. It thus looked promising for the creation of important image pairs to be used in the subtractions radiology. Also, in 1986, Webber and Ohki et al (1988) found out about the use of software based, otherwise called â€Å"digital gamma correction†, as a corrective measure to the gray level image distribution which was a one major disadvantage of the subtraction radiography. Further improvement in technology helped make it possible to detect any changes in the density of the bones: using a calibration wedge whose attenuation properties are known, the density differences that are measured are changed into estimation volumes differences. Either hydroxyapatite or aluminum is used in this case due to the fact that their radiation attenuation positively compares to that of the bones in characteristics. When these anatomical abnormalities and other details as expressed on the radiographic images can be shown mathematically, then one can easily develop the computer algorithms which then will be able to automatically interpret the radiographs (Ruttimann et al.. , 1985; Van der Stelt et al.. , 1985; Benn, 1991). These procedures that are performed by the computers may be of great value to the medical practitioners in making their decisions since they add extra information to the assessment of the practitioners (Van der Stelt and Geraets, 1991).

In Love and War Essay -- essays research papers fc

â€Å"In Love and War† Abstract: Women of Afghanistan are forced to live under oppressive regulations set forth for them by the men of their societies. Women have virtually no rights to do anything for themselves. There entire lives are controlled by and lived for someone else. Through their songs, they lament the conditions of their lives and are able to convey a beauty in their verses that all people can identity with. (67 words) Key Words: Pashtun, women, honor, oppression, songs Love and war, two concepts that are so contradictory it is hard to believe they could ever coexist simultaneously in one society. War is a state of conflict, hostility and chaos which reeks havoc on civilizations as opposing forces struggle to defend their cause not matter what the price. Throughout history the world has seen the devastation such conflict can bring; from the gory conquests of the ancient Romans, to the horrific Nazi Holocaust in World War II, to the bloody battles between government forces that raged in Afghanistan. It is in this world of mayhem and cruelty that Pashtun women must carry on their lives. They attempt in whatever possible to find and salvage any kind of love and beauty amidst the turmoil of their warring nation. These women must find ways to stay strong and resist the oppression forced upon them by their patriarchal society which coerces them into hard physical labor as well as demeans their humanity as their status is reduced to nothing more than prope rty (Majrouh XIII, XIV). The song of the Pashtun woman is her escape, her release, and her joy as she unites with other women in her community and sings out against her oppression. Through these landays, or songs, one sees another dimension to the lives of Pashtun women as they transform the misery and grief of their everyday lives into a spirit of beauty as they lament against their oppressors and find ways to love even in a time of war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to fully appreciate and understand what is conveyed through the songs of these women, one must understand the historical, social and political context in which they are living. Afghan women have lived and continue to live in an oppressive patriarchal society where they are not even regarded as full fledged citizens, and where men control all political, social and economic powers. In the Saur Revolution in April 1978, civil war in... ...xists in the lives of Pashtun women, their songs live on to communicate a spirit of beauty amidst their helpless plight. Through careful analysis of her songs, we are able to see behind the veil and reach the rich heart of the Afghan woman. There is a joy in her songs that illustrates the perseverance of the human spirit. No matter how demoralized one’s life may be, there is a spirit within us all to survive; a spirit that cannot be crushed even in the bloodiest of wars or the most hostile of oppressions. It is this universal desire the endure and find quench the thirst for human happiness that connects us all the Pashtun women and their beautiful songs. (1915 words) Works Cited Majrouh, Sayd Bahodine, ed. Songs of Love and War Afghan Women’s Poetry. Paris:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Editions Gallimard, 1994. Moghadam, Valentine M. Revolution, Islamist Reaction, and Women in Afghanistan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ed. Mary Ann Tetreault. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1994. Works Consulted Moghadam, Valentine M, ed. Gender and National Identity Women and Politics in Muslim Societies. London: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Essay - Bridge Between Worlds in Virginia Woolfs To The Lighthouse :: To The Lighthouse Essays

To the Lighthouse - Bridge Between Worlds Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse illustrates a bridge between the worlds of the Victorian mother and the modern, potentially independent woman. The Victorian woman was to be absorbed, as Mrs. Ramsay is, by the task of being mother and wife. Her reason for existing was to complete the man, rather than to exist in her own right. Mrs. Ramsay certainly sees this role for herself and is disturbed when she feels, momentarily, that she is better than her husband because he needs her support to feel good about himself and the life choices he has made. Yet the end of the Victorian era saw the rise of women's rights and greater freedom for women to excel without men or children. Adrienne Rich, in Of Woman Born, says that To the Lighthouse is about Virginia Woolf's need to understand her own mother and to prove, through the character of Lily Briscoe, that a woman can be "independent of men, as Mrs. Ramsay is not" (Rich, p. 228). The trauma of this transition from Victorian to modern woman is portended by Mrs. Ramsay herself, at the beginning of the story. In the first chapter, as Mrs. Ramsay defends Charles Tansley against the criticisms of her children, she muses on her desire to protect men and the "trustful, childlike, reverential" attitude that her protection inspires in men. "Woe betide the girl. . . who did not feel the worth of it, and all that it implied, to the marrow of her bones!" she exclaims to herself, thinking of the way men respect and admire her. But Woolf shows us that as Mrs. Ramsay admonishes her children for ridiculing Charles Tansley, her daughters "could sport with infidel ideas which they had brewed for themselves of a life different from hers. . . not always taking care of some man or other." The issue of the change from one concept of womanhood to another is not as simple as the newer generation revolting against the older; at the same time that Mrs. Ramsay's daughters hope to be different, they admire and worship their mother for her beauty and power. Prue, the eldest daughter, proudly watches Mrs. Ramsay as she descends the staircase and feels "what an extraordinary stroke of fortune it was for her [Prue], to have her [Mrs.

Analyse and compare the ways in which Blake presents the contrasting ideas of ‘innocence’ and ‘experience’ in his poetry

William Blake was born on the 28th November 1757 and is considered one of the first ‘Romantic poets'. The Romantic era was a movement that began in the eighteenth century. Romantic poets who included Wordsworth, Keats and Coleridge believed in rebelling against society's values and the strict rules of poetry and art; these were the people who changed English poetry. At the end of the 1700's Blake published a book titled ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience: The two contrary states of the human soul' which contained poems on similar subjects but explored in the two states of innocence and experience. I shall compare four of Blake's poems in this essay: ‘The Lamb', ‘The Tyger' and ‘The Chimney Sweep' (which appears in both collections). ‘The Lamb' asks us to relate the lamb's image as the most innocent of God's creation, to that of its maker, the ‘lamb of God'. It begins with a question made by a child, who asks the lamb how it came to be and who made ‘thee'. ‘Thee' is the archaic form of the word ‘you' and Blake used it throughout the poem, which gives it a religious tone as this was a word used in the Old Testament. These first two lines are a rhyming couplet in tetrameter. When reading ‘The Lamb' magnificent images spring to mind, especially half way through the first stanza: â€Å"†¦ by the stream and o'er the mead† (meadow). This imagery is similar to descriptions made in the Old Testament book of Psalms. (Especially Psalm 23, â€Å"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want†) The second stanza starts in much the same way as the first, with two lines of tetrameter. This time, instead of a question, a statement is made, leading on to answer the query made in the first verse. Again, Blake uses the archaic form of ‘you': ‘Little Lamb I'll tell thee', to re-enforce the religious side of the poem. This stanza goes on to say that the lamb was created by the one ‘who calls himself lamb', in other words, Jesus. Jesus is seen as the figure of innocence in the Bible. Like most of Blake's work, God has been discussed about in this poem. Each stanza in ‘The Lamb' contains five rhyming couplets and the repetition at the start and end of each verse makes the poem sound slightly like a nursery rhyme consequently reflecting the child-like innocent qualities of the poem. It appears almost devotional and the rhythm helps to give it ballad-like qualities. The poem generally has a repetitive structure and rhyme scheme. Blake uses vocabulary similar to that of a pastoral poem. The answer to the question asked in the first stanza reveals the child's innocence and faith. It indicates that he accepts anything he is told without question. The child associates himself and the lamb with Jesus, and in the Bible Jesus shows kindness towards children. Imagery in the first stanza is descriptive and rural, for example ‘By the stream and o'er the mead'. This forces the reader to think of the happiness and innocence connected with the countryside. This contrasts with the second, which is more spiritual and straightforward. Although the question asked by the child in verse one is naive, it is also very significant. It is a simple question but one that can be thought about a little deeper. This quality is present in almost all of Blake's work – his poems can be read on a number of levels. ‘The Lamb' is a reminder of innocence in a time of war, revolution and industrial labour that was all taking place while Blake was writing. ‘The Tyger' is the experience counterpart to ‘The Lamb'; it too begins with a question. The narrator is asking who created the tyger: ‘What immortal hand or eye/Could frame thy fearful symmetry'. From then on each stanza contains more questions, which branch out from this first; the narrator suggests the creator of the tyger is like a blacksmith, using words such as ‘anvil' and ‘furnace' in his descriptions. He seems surprised that the creator of the lamb could also be able to create such an opposite character such as the tyger. Blake could be comparing the two sides of man; good and bad as well as innocence and experience. The poem is made up of six quatrains in rhyming couplets. It is in a regular, rhythmic tetrameter. The beat is very prominent and if read in a certain way could start to sound like a chant or a spell, this makes the reader feel entranced and in touch with the poem. Blake builds on the idea of comparing nature and art, suggesting that although the tiger is beautiful it is also very violent and this could perhaps reflect it's creator. An underlying question arises whilst reading ‘The Tyger': ‘what type of God could create such a scary beast but also a sweet lamb'. By evolving this question further the poem could be seen to be asking why God lets bad things happen, when he can also let such good things occur. It ends with a repetition of the first verse, but uses the word ‘dare' instead of ‘could'. Blake is suggesting that because the tiger is such a terrifying beast, it would take great daring from God to create it. The central question in both poems is similar, but unlike ‘The Lamb', ‘The Tyger' finishes without an answer. This could suggest that because ‘The Lamb' is in the innocence collection that the question more easily answered when thought about in a naive way. When thought about as it is in ‘The Tyger', at a more in-depth level, the question becomes more complicated. When ‘The Tyger' and ‘The Lamb' are directly contrasted they give a clear comparison of human nature, this shows that nothing is without its bad side, for example, there cannot be heaven without hell. In both poems Blake emphasises his main point in the first and last lines. ‘The Tyger' contains harsh verbs such as ‘grasp' and ‘seize' and also uses harsh sounding alliteration with the letters B, D and T: ‘Burning Bright,' however, in ‘The Lamb' Blake uses softer letters such as L and M: ‘Little Lamb' to show the gentle nature of the poem and creature being described. In both poems metaphors are used and reflect Blake's view on religion and God. In ‘The Lamb' Blake, through the eyes of a child, compares the creator, God, to the lamb itself: ‘For he calls himself a lamb. ‘ Here, Blake is describing Jesus, the ‘Lamb of God'. Blake often wrote about the same subjects in both collections, he sometimes named the poems identically, such as in ‘The Chimney Sweeper in ‘Songs of Innocence'. This poem deals with chimney sweepers and the effect being one takes on a young child's life. It tells of two little boys and their suffering. One of the boys, the eldest, narrates. On first glance, the poem seems full of joy and gives the illusion of ending happily. Looking deeper, it conveys a message of exploitation and child suffering. The poem in ‘Songs of Experience' tells of a boy grieving and how he has to go to work, to almost certainly meet his death, while his mother and father think they are doing the right thing. In the first stanza of the innocence poem, the narrator tells of how his mother died and how young he was. The juxtaposition of the words ‘died' and ‘young' cause tension in the first lines because death and youth are not often associated. The boy cries ‘weep, weep, weep' which has two meanings. At first it seems to be the boy crying, but to be a chimneysweeper you must advertise by shouting ‘sweep, sweep, sweep'. So by including this in the poem; Blake has indicated that the boy is so young he can barely pronounce words properly, yet he must go to work. In the next line, a second person pronoun is used which directly implies that the reader is directly responsible for the underage dangerous work being done; making the reader feel responsible and guilty. The second stanza tells the beginning of a dream had by a younger boy, Tom. He dreams that thousands of chimney sweepers are locked in coffins. The word ‘locked' links directly with the word ‘key' in the next stanza and causes tension between the two verses. Blake was said to have had many visions of various creatures and people. He claimed to experience them from early on. When he was nine years old he told his mother that he had seen â€Å"a tree filled with angels,† and not long after, in a field of workers gathering hay, a vision of â€Å"angelic figures walking†. He has incorporated his visions into this poem by using the idea of a dream. The third stanza contrasts with the second immensely. While the second is full of misery and contains words such as ‘black', ‘lock'd' and ‘coffins'; the third tells of freedom and hope. The phrase ‘their bags left behind' in line three is a metaphor for their troubles left behind on earth. Blake uses metaphors to conjure up imagery in the reader's head. The fourth stanza contains the main message of the poem. Tom awakes to an angel telling him that if he works hard on earth he will be rewarded in heaven. This is Blake ironically criticising the hypocritical society of his time. The experience poem is narrated in third person and the first stanza contains the same phrase as the innocence poem. The boy is crying ‘weep, weep' which again indicates his young age. The first line of the poem, ‘A little black thing among the snow', is a very significant one and brings to mind clear images of black against white. Again, Blake has used tension in the beginning of the poem to create strong imagery in the readers head at an early stage. In the second verse the child is speaking. He tells of how he was dressed in clothes of death and sent out to work as a chimneysweeper. Again, there is tension between the mention of ‘happiness' in the first line and the word ‘death' in the third. Ironically, the parents are being ‘good' by clothing the child, but on the other hand, they are clothing him in clothes of death to be a chimney sweep. The last verse is the boy telling of how he fools his parents. He dances and sings to make them think they are doing no wrong, when in fact they are sending their own child to his death. The last phrase, ‘heaven out of misery' is a very significant one. The concept of heaven only works if there is suffering as well. There would not be a heaven if there were not a hell. Blake tells how children are being exploited by the promise of eternal happiness for work on earth. Adult manipulation is very clear in this poem and Blake is being ironic by suggesting that suffering is the only path to happiness. Both poems contain clear messages. ‘The Chimney Sweeper' in ‘Songs of Innocence' shows that the children have a positive and naive outlook on life. They make the best of it and do not fear death; this is because they do not know the truth and are therefore innocent. An opposite message is conveyed in the poem of ‘Songs of Experience' in which the child blames his parents for putting him in such a dangerous position. He is less naive and blames ‘God & his Priest & King'. This is different from the innocence poem because the little boy has been influenced by society and has an ‘experienced' view. The theme of God runs throughout both poems. In the first, an angel appears and talks about heaven. The word ‘lamb' in the second verse links with the ‘lamb of God', representing Jesus and suffering. In the second poem, heaven is talked about and a church is mentioned in the beginning. Both poems play on the idea of how to get into heaven and the naivety of young children. The poems that I have analysed in this essay have all included the theme of God, as did nearly all of Blake's work. Blake hated organised religion, but on the other hand was a very spiritual and religious man. The times in which he lived forced church upon people, rather than leaving them to make up their own minds. Blake also had a hatred for formal education, which we can see in his poem from ‘Songs of Experience' titled ‘The School Boy'. He felt school was unnecessary and not having attended school himself thought that it ‘oppressed the soul's creative spirit'. Blake wanted his current society's attitude to change; he knew that sending innocent children out to work at such a young age was wrong. In some of his other poetry Blake concentrates on areas of society he would like to be changed, such as in ‘The Little Black Boy'. Blake thinks that the attitude white people have learnt to associate with black people is wrong and should be changed. Much of his inspiration came from the French and Industrial revolutions. In fact, he was so interested in the changes taking place in France, he wrote a poem ‘The French Revolution' in 1791. Blake was living in an ever-changing society, where traditional ideas and values were being questioned and new ones created – he wanted to be a part of it but in his own imaginative, visionary way. The ‘Innocence' collection could represent the way that the society of Blake's time thought and believed, and the experience collection, representing the way it really was. The people of Blake's time would just ignore problems such as child employment and education, hoping it would go away, but Blake knew something had to be done, and he talked about this in his poetry. Songs of Innocence' and ‘Songs of Experience' give comparative images of children, babies, religion and the general society. It shows how different everything seems when we are innocent. Although the two collections show ‘†¦ the two contrary states of the human soul', they seem to join together and weave the same themes throughout. Some of these ideas are included both collections of poems, but are talked about in contrasting ways, such as religion, children, education and death.

Street Pizza Essay Example

Street Pizza Essay Example Street Pizza Paper Street Pizza Paper Essay Topic: Main Street While driving to his office in Cabanas-e-Insist, Phase 6, Tanager Hussy was thinking about the good old days when he started 14th Street with his two best friends Invigilated and Maximum. Despite the amazing response that they initially got, the ship now seems to be quite in a bit of a lurch. Started by three best friends, 14th Street was supposed to be the next big thing. Being the pioneers of the 20 pizza they intended to knockout the pizza giants like Pizza Hut and Dominos and they were successful initially. But then woo of the partners, Navigated and Maximum jumped ship and went to Dublin to look after their other business and became the sleeping partners at 14th Street. Tanager now looks after all the operations alone and he is smart enough to know that things are not going as smoothly as he would like them to be. He is unable to control his costs and therefore he is forced to sell his pizza at a higher price than his other counterparts but he does not have much choice. Knee deep in payable he is unable to come up with a solution as to how to reduce his cost or justify the high price. He expanded his business to there major areas of Karachi thinking that that will help him in increasing his revenues but even that didnt work out as well as he expected due to growing number of pizza joints that offer similar product as 14th Street such as California, Broadway, and New York Pizza. The competition is really tough and the switching cost for the consumer is practically zero. So why should they buy, high priced, 14th street Pizza when they can easily go for a cheaper and similar brand? Adamant to not compromise on the quality of Pizza, Tanager is now looking for options that he can choose from to get back on firm grounds. He has assigned this task to his 6, highly qualified and motivated employees to come up with solutions to help this sinking ship get out of the thunderstorm and back on calm seas. They will be presenting their recommendations today and he is quite hopeful that their recommendations will be worth his time. Background Evolving from a traditional family recipe, 14th Street Pizza Co. Has come a long way. It was launched in Karachi, on 14th February 201 1 by three friends Tanager Hussy, Invigilated, and Maximum as partners sharing 40%, 30%, and 30% respectively. Two years before launching 14th Street Pizza, the friends had bought a franchise Of subway located at Shabby commercial DAD Karachi. The franchise is still up and running and has earned the reputation of the best franchise of subway all over Pakistan. 14th street pizza was the first brand in Pakistan to introduce 20 inch thick pizza, which was enough to serve maximum 8 people. They were also the Satirists joint to introduce customization of each slice of pizza. Before the launch of 14th Street Pizza, for 20 years, people only had few other options such as Pizza Hut and Dominos. People loved 14th Street Pizza and they got amazing response, more than they could handle. Initially 14th Street only got delivered in DAD and Clifton but after the amazing reviews and positive response they started their delivery operations in major areas of Karachi. Recently they have also started franchising. It was very hard to keep up with the thriving demand soon after its launch. Thats when the real test began, but they faced the challenge with gusto and were soon back on the table with a better team and a bigger kitchen. Today, more than three years later, 14th Street Pizza still tanks tall. The pioneers of the 20-inch pizza in Pakistan, 14th Street Pizza Co. Has grown from being a corner pizza delivery place in Karachi to one of the most recognized pizza delivery places, operating branches at 5 prime locations of Karachi: Cabanas-e-Shabby, Cabanas-e-Insist, KID, SMS, North Amazonian. 14th Street Pizza also operates in the Blue Area Of Islamabad and also recently launched in Manual. The first thing you notice about their pizza is the size. But thats just not it. Their motto is to use crust to give you fuller taste and an unforgettable flavor. Their aim is to use premium laity ingredients to give you a pizza that not only looks and tastes great but is also up to the highest standards of freshness and quality. They believe in providing their customers with an exceptional customer service and believe that their customers are their driving force and would like to make sure that they are 100% satisfied with their products. A passion for pizza and an unending devotion to keep delivering the biggest, yummiest pizza in town, fuelled by the love, encouragement and feedback of their fans, gives 14th Street Pizza co. He power to expand beyond belief. Pakistani Pizza Market Pakistani food industry has witnessed an exceptional growth over the years. Food industry in Pakistan shares 17% of the total GAP. A major chunk of this growth is coming from the local pizza market which includes big multinational names such as Pizza Hut, Dominos, and Broadway, as well as local pizza brands such as 14th street pizza, California pizza, Pizza next, Pizza point etc. Trends in the Industry The pizza trend has entered into mainstream. It all started when Pizza Hut introduced its business in Pakistan in 1993. Pizza hut is considered as the pioneer in the pizza market and has remained a dominant player since. To penetrate into the market further they have tailored their menu to local taste by introducing flavors such as chicken tike, shakable etc. After Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza and Papa Johns entered the pizza business and things psychoanalytically. Five to eight years later if we talk about the growth of pizza business in Pakistan there were only two established names in the business that were both multinational chains, Pizza Hut and Dominos. However, the market developed significantly in the last few years and to cater to the appetite of pizza lovers many new local players have launched their operations. Market statistics According to a recent statistics fast food industry is the second largest in Pakistan, with approximately 16. 9 million consumers. The consumption level of food mainly depends upon the number of consumers and their income level. Pakistanis total population is growing with a yearly population growth rate of 1. 67%. Out of the total population of Pakistan 37% are the urban and 63% rural with different income classes. Exhibit Shows the size of different classes In the urban population. About 17 million people are in the upper or upper middle class who can actually afford fast food. The average person spends 47. 7 percent Of his or her household budget on food consumed at home. Only less than 2% of Pakistanis total population spends on fast foods regularly. Current Market Situation We have recently seen the success ventures of food portals like EAT EYE and FOOD PANDA. The food portals have made the life of consumers very easy by providing them with both the discounts as well as quick delivery. Pizza companies got a huge benefit through this as consumers get more attracted towards their product. Country like Pakistan is still following the incept of cooking the food at home, if we observe countries like US and KICK their fast food market is far bigger than us because of the fact that their busy households now prefer to eat outside rather than cooking food at home. Slowly and gradually Pakistanis urban population is also adopting the same trend and this is the reason why these fast food chains earn massive profits with an even higher future revenue forecasts. STOW Analysis Strengths Weaknesses The high quality of the ingredients that are used in making 14th street pizza. Pioneers of the 20 Pizza category in Pakistan and have managed to build a potable brand name. High focus on customer service and on time delivery of Pizza. Highly customized slices to cater to the different tastes of the consumers. They dont have any service restaurants like Pizza Hut, Dominos and California Pizza. Lack of awareness about 14th street as it is still not a very known brand in some parts of Karachi. Opportunities The reads Opening kiosks in shopping malls and food courts. Open up service restaurants to attract consumers who want to dine out. Add more variety to their menu such as pasta and lasagna. Continuous innovation in tastes and sizes to keep the customers interested y offering them something new. Introduce customer loyalty program for brand loyal 14th Street lovers. An increase in the trend of online ordering because of food portals like Food Panda and Tattoo. Poor economic conditions forcing people to dine out less. Increased prices Of ingredients, which subset intently increases the cost Of product thus reducing the profit margins. Low switching cost for consumers between brands. Availability of Cheaper substitutes. Rise in number of competitors offering the same product. Competitors Analysis Competition for pizza takes into account direct competitors as well as indirect motorists (substitute products like burger, steaks,pastas etc. ). Pizza market has developed considerably in a last few years and several local and international players have come into play. 4th street pizza in the first few years of its business has received a great deal of fame and earned a name for itself mainly due to the ingenuity and uniqueness of their content. Let purely deals in home delivery and takeaway. Amongst local competitors its is the brand with highest market share but overall it ranks number 3 with 10% market share According to the CEO of 14th street pizza The daily intentions, the engaging interactions and t he high stakes giveaways are all proofs of the ways in which we seek to delight our customers and ensure that we stay the top of the mind brand when one thinks of ordering pizza. Pizza Hut Pizza hut first started its operations in 1958 and entered Pakistan in 1993. They are the pioneers of pizza in Pakistani market and are also the biggest player when it comes to dine in because of its delighting pizza and spacious restaurants with good ambiance and comfortable atmosphere. Being a pioneer it has got the largest share in market but its sales are plummeting cause of the prevailing trend of large pizzas. Their social media presence, stands at around 900,000 followers as compared to 14th Street Pizza reaching a million fans on their Faceable page in the same month. Since its inception Pizza hut is known to be the market leader even today it holds 35% of the total pizza market followed by another international brand, Dominos which stands at number 2 with 20% market share. Broadway Pizza It started its operations initially in Lahore after getting a positive response from there it recently launched in Karachi. With amazing sidelines, stirring labors and huge size Broadway is getting popular among scratchiest and the market share of Broadway pizza has reached 9% a little lower than that of 14th Street Pizza. It has got an active website and worth using Faceable page. It also offers the most lavish toppings. There is fierce competition been Broadway and Pizza Point, which also has a 9% of the total market share. The New York Pizza The New York Pizza is popular for its large thin crust foldable pizzas. They offer delicious toppings and sauces besides delivering Gingko pizza. New York is widespread and much known with much lower market share than Aziza hut and slightly lower than 14th street pizza. It has around 22,000 Faceable fans with 5% market share. California Pizza To know if California pizza is a good option one needs to go its main location that is next to Dominos in Abdullah. This outlet is always flooded withheld. It offers as big as 20 pizza and has good service restaurants besides having feasible rates. California pizzas user-friendly website and promotional activities on Faceable page with 1 90,462 likes helps surge its sales. In Exhibit ahoy can see the comparative prices of a standard large pizza of the competing brands. Comparison Between Competitors We took a sample size of 67th of which 29 were students, 30 jobholders, and 3 businessmen. After analyzing the results of our research, we found out that despite being a high priced product most of the respondents believe the price of 14th street pizza to be justified. We conclude that there are several reasons for this perception such as the quality, size, and taste of 14th street pizza. As an individual brand people have the following perception about dustsheet: 54% of the respondents think that the price of 1 4th street pizza is good, that is justified. % of the respondents think that the Quality of 14th street is excellent and 42% think it is good, which makes the majority of the respondent. 45% of the respondents think that the taste of 14th street is excellent and 37% think that it is good, which is again the majority of the respondents. 52% of the respondents think that their service is good, while 27% think that this it is excellent. We compared 14th street with the following pizza joints: Pizza Hut Dominos Broadway New York We compared these on the following attributes: Quality Price Taste Service Size And came to the following conclusion: QUALITY If we compare the result of 14th street with the rest of the Pizza joint we can clearly see that it surpasses all other brands in terms of quality according to the respondents. With Pizza Hut being the second best choice. PRICE At this the results were pretty much the same for all other brands but respondents believe that 14th street pizza is slightly high priced as compared to other brands as 31 % of the respondents ranked it at 4 and 22% of the respondents ranked it at 5 (5 being the highest). TASTE 14th Street got the highest ranking in terms of taste as 45% of the exponents ranked it 5 and 30% ranked the taste of 14th street at 4. While Dominos, California Pizza, New York Pizza, and Broadway Pizza got the highest ranking around 3, which signifies average taste. SERVICE 43% of the respondents ranked 14th street 4 for service and 30% ranked it 5 (5 being the highest). Again we can see that that Dominos, California, New York and Broadway got the highest ranking around 3, which signifies average service in comparison to 14th Street. SIZE From the result it is clear that when it comes to size, the first name that comes to people mind is 14th street. Although Broadway, New York and California pizza Offer the same product but 14th street got the highest ranking in comparison to all. Whats Wrong With 14th Street? 14th street pizzas biggest problem is their higher pricing compare to their competitors, and reason is not that it is a premium brand, but its because their food costs and their expenses are so high that they have to reflect some it in their prices. In Exhibit ewe kept their most selling product, which is Full 20 inch pizza as a benchmark, to estimate the rough impact of their costs on the prices. Currently the price of 20 full pizza is RSI. 899. By seeing Exhibit 3 one can infer that providing best quality of ingredients is the prime focus of 14th Street Pizza. Mozzarella cheese, which is the most expensive ingredient of all, gets 24% of the price. Mozzarella cheese is imported from France of the brand Aerial; it is one of the top used mozzarella brands all over the World. Even the chicken topping used in their Pizza is supplied by the top chicken quality providers KNs. The management of 14th Street is not at all in the favor of reducing the quality of the Ingredients they use in order to cut down their overall costs. Losing their current customer base as a result of using lower quality ingredients is something that they cannot afford. A brief detail of the rest of the monthly expenses can be seen in Exhibit 4. Number of Employees 14th street pizza currently has around 400 riders, 250 kitchen and commissary labors, and 30 professional employees. 5. Million rupees in monthly payroll is still a very high expense for a small local brand like 14th Street. Marketing Expenditure They are also keen on advertising their brand and products through appropriate channels they could use to reach to their target market, usually hey are spending on streamers, billboards, and most of all social media where their actual target market is present. Utilities Their utiliti es are supposed to be higher because big machineries like Pizza ovens and room size chillers, those all are running on electricity. Payable The other pressing problem for the management is their increasing payable. They owe their food suppliers around 25 million rupees and rest to equipment and oven providers. These payable also reflect on their pricing strategy. Outsourcers In order to make up for the lost revenues, 14th Street also started to outsource their marketing and IT services to other business. This might seem like a good move but can have long term implications. Recommendations In light of all the above-mentioned problems of 14th Street Pizza, the team of six came up with the following recommendations: 14th street needs to stop providing their services to other businesses as outsourcers. This will not only help them focus more on their own operations but it will also allow the top management to right size their business and only keep the employees who add value to the companys operations. This action will subsequently lead to a significant decrease in their monthly salaries, which is a massive burden on a company as small as 14th street. The management should clearly write down the objectives that they want to achieve through their pricing strategies. Since they are already selling their product at a loss, bringing down their prices is not an option that they can avail. The next best thing that they can do is to position their product as a premium Pizza brand. They can achieve this through proper communication and marketing strategies. According to Exhibit 2, the prices of the competitors such as New York and Broadway Pizza re exactly the same bringing the price any higher than this might result in loss of existing customer base since the cost of switching for a consumer is practically zero. Focus on market penetration so as to increase the entry barriers of new entrants. Make the most of the food delivery portals such as Food Panda and Tattoo to attract more and more customers towards their brand by offering different deals. Increase communication and communicate to the consumers why they should go for 14th street instead of Broadway, New York or California Pizza. Low-end Pizza joints such as Pizza Hut, Pizza Point, Pizza Max, etc. Are a serious threat. They are not only lower end but they also cater to a large population that cannot afford expensive pizza brands.

Examining The Definition Of Mental Stress Social Work Essay Example

Examining The Definition Of Mental Stress Social Work Essay Example Examining The Definition Of Mental Stress Social Work Essay Examining The Definition Of Mental Stress Social Work Essay Oppression is the exercising of authorization or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unfair mode. It can besides be defined as an act or case of suppressing, the province of being oppressed, and the feeling of being to a great extent burdened, mentally or physically, by problems, inauspicious conditions, and anxiousness. ( Merriam Webster, 2010 ) Oppression comes into drama when one individual or group has the power in surplus of another. It relates to the systematic seting down of people and their sentiments, behaviors and life styles utilizing negative exercising of power. It can be seen at both single and institutional degree, for illustration domestic force is single subjugation and the subjugation of the mentally ailment is subjugation at the institutional degree. There is no distinct definition of societal exclusion, nevertheless it is closely linked to constructs of societal want, poorness and inequality. Social exclusion is about going detached from the chances and normal ways of life of mainstream society apparently with small or no manner of of all time make fulling the spread. Social exclusion has been defined as a chronic scarceness of chances, entree to basic services of quality, labor markets and recognition, equal substructure, and the judicial system. ( IADP, 2003 ) This significance that societal exclusion affects an person s chance to derive stable employment, nice lodging, adequate wellness attention, quality instruction and safe and unafraid life conditions every bit good as their intervention by the legal and condemnable justness systems. The most of import feature of societal exclusion is that these jobs are all linked and normally reenforce each other, which combined can make a complex and barbarous rhythm. The complex job of societal exclusion appears to be intensified and more terrible for persons that belong to multiple excluded groups. The stigma and favoritism which users of mental wellness services face on a day-to-day footing make them amongst the most socially excluded groups in our society. In ancient Greece the term stigma referred originally to marks, cut or burned into the organic structure, to publicize and expose something unusual or bad about the moral position of the carrier. Although people with mental wellness jobs do non bear stigmata, they are marked out in society as other and are socially excluded from take parting in a scope of activities and establishments. Smith ( 2005 ) noted that the overview of the history of official responses to mental emphasis included the term moonstruck and demomstrated that, the differentiation was seldom made between mental capacity and mental unwellness in many of the legislative enterprises and policy arguments. Even though the first refuge for imbeciles in England was established in the mid 1840s, the 1890 Lunacy Act covered mental hurt and larning troubles. Section 341 of the statute law stated that the term moonstruck meant an imbecile or individual of unsound head. Mental hurt refers to a broad scope of experiences, from comparatively mild and ephemeral provinces to more chronic and terrible conditions. Changes defines mental hurt as a disturbing or unpleasant mental or emotional province, such as fright, anxiousness, depression, confusion, mood-swings, unusual thoughts, your senses playing fast ones on you etc, ( frequently bring forthing physical symptoms or behaviors ) frequently impairing your ability to get by with daily life. The huge scope of mental wellness jobs includes anxiousness, generalised depression, eating upsets, postpartum depression, dementedness, phobic disorder, obsessional compulsive upset, schizophrenic disorder, bipolar and personality upsets. Alongside these jobs others without a mental wellness diagnosing may confront neurotic symptoms such as kiping jobs, weariness, crossness, concern, deficiency of concentration and forgetfulness. All of which are categorised under mental hurt. Mental wellness jobs are common and wid ely misunderstood ; one grownup in six suffers from mental wellness jobs of changing badness which include a broad spectrum of conditions from anxiousness to psychotic upsets such as schizophrenic disorder. ( Cabinet Office, 2003 ) Changes website claim that one in four people suffer from mental hurt at some point in their and many more will be indirectly affected as their friends and loved 1s suffer. Once mental wellness jobs develop they can frequently hold a negative impact on employability, lodging, household income, chances to entree services and societal resources, which potentially lead to severe economic want and societal isolation, and see a broad scope of types of exclusion which can impact an person s quality of life, increase their societal exclusion and besides contribute to mental wellness. Public attitudes to mental wellness jobs surface in many different ways. They are evident in the linguistic communication people use to depict mental unwellness and in their reactions to those sing mental hurt. All societies have struggled with the impact of mental unwellness and rejection and turning away of mentally sick people are common. Even when the mad have been accorded a topographic point of honor as in civilization that believe mentally sick people have been touched by the Great Spirit, they have remained outside the group and have been feared ( Sussman, 1997 ) For many mental unwellness is an unmentionable topic, this can forestall people from seeking aid when faced with a mental wellness job. Negative attitudes are apparent in the favoritism users of mental wellness services face. Users frequently encounter troubles on affairs of employment and under the Mental Health Act 1983 may hold basic human rights denied. Peoples enduring from mental wellness jobs are frequently subjected to verbal and physical maltreatment. Over the old ten old ages at that place has been really small addition in the sum of grownups with neurotic or physic upsets peculiarly in the work force. This is in contrast to the important additions in the employment rate for the general population and for people with physical disablements. Datas about handicapped people from the labor Force Survey show that 628,000 grownups of working age in Great Britain respect mental unwellness as their chief disablement. Merely 21 per cent of these grownups are in employment, which is the lowest rate for any group with disablements. Consequences from the study An acclivitous battle shows that people with mental wellness jobs are double disadvantaged both by their unwellness and their poorness. They face important hurdlings in seeking to return to employment with many expecting favoritism and ignorance. Mind shows that merely 13 per cent out of people with mental wellness jobs are in employment compared with approximately a 3rd of people wit h long-run wellness job. A study completed by heads, non sticks and rocks, studies that a 3rd of the people with mental wellness jobs said they had been dismissed or forced to vacate from occupations, 69 per cent of people had been put off using for occupations for fright of unjust intervention and 38 per cent had been harassed intimidated or teased at work because of the psychiatric history. The little Numberss of people with mental wellness jobs who do work see their income as low. ( Read A ; Baker 1996 ) The effects of long-run unemployment and deficiency of chances to work travel beyond deficiency of money. It can non merely impact both physical and mental wellness but the loss of accomplishments and contacts can do it much harder to acquire back into the work force. In many ways people with mental wellness jobs are associated with the usage of street drugs, intoxicant and substance maltreatment, and they face the most unsympathetic public attitude because people see their jobs as self-inflicted, because of their status or dependence they become stateless or unemployed and the barbarous rhythm discussed antecedently has begun. Labels can do subjugation and favoritism. However, there is a demand to label a individual to enable them to have a service, but does the stigma attached to these labels encourage societal stereotyping? Goffman ( 1961 ) suggested that labelling creates aberrance or abnormalcy because the single adjusts his behavior to that label. ( Cited in Thomas and Wood 2003, pg 25 ) Mind s inquiry study Making Accepting Communities ( Dunn, 1999 ) has been described as the largest of all time UK enquiry into societal exclusion and mental wellness service users. It appears to take a social theoretical account of disablement position and while it discusses societal exclusion, the key job it highlights is favoritism. The enquiry panel received strong and consistent grounds of the favoritism people experience as a direct consequence of their mental wellness jobs and the study argues that this favoritism, the particularly in occupations and instruction, makes mental wellness service users vulnerable to utmost exclusion from virtually every facet of society. This state of affairs is seen to be exacerbated by sensational coverage in the mass media and the enquiry besides raised concerns about the impact of the new mental wellness measure, which may farther escalate exclusion by concentrating on public safety and compulsory intervention in the community. In add-on, the enquiry found that mental wellness services themselves bear some duty for making and perpetuating exclusion, partially because a psychiatric diagnosing frequently marks the start of societal exclusion, and because psychiatric services can be experienced as ghettoised and stigmatizing. As a consequence of the strength of their findings sing favoritism, the study s writer argues that any definition of societal exclusion that focuses entirely on the labor market is misplaced and partial and, every bit, any effort to turn to mental wellness jobs that does non take into history the stuff fortunes of service users will be critically undermined. While policy enterprises should concentrate on turn toing the hapless stuff fortunes of service users, the study maintains that they should besides work towards making greater societal coherence or societal inclusion. The first concerns the relationship between advancing inclusion and cut downing exclusion . ( APU/UCLAN Research Team 2005 ) The service users whom either at nowadays or in the yesteryear have suffered some kind of mental hurt want this exclusion to alter. They want to get the better of these barriers and have the same rights as those in mainstream society. One group in the state has fewer rights than the remainder of us. No 1 listens to what they say, they are mocked in harsh, ugly linguistic communication and some ca nt even vote. They can be discriminated against at work and locked up even when they have committed no offense. Comedians joke about them, headline authors demonise them and now the Government is set to gnaw their autonomy yet farther. They are the mentally sick, and their choler is turning driving what could go Britain s following great motion for civil rights. ( Freedland, 1998 ) Within the mental wellness country there are a assortment of user/survivor groups, some independent and some instigated by service-led user engagement enterprises. The independent groups constitute the user/survivor motion , although in pattern there is considerable convergence between groups of different position. The present twenty-four hours U.K. motion began in the early 1970s and constitutes political organising among those with ( frequently negative ) experiences of being a psychiatric patient or user of mental wellness services ( Rogers and Pilgrim, 1991, Campbell, 1999 ; Crossley, 1999 ) . Its political relations centre about opposition to, and overcoming of, subjugation and marginalization for mental wellness service users, and a challenge to the sensed position of the diagnosed mentally sick in society ( Campbell, 1999: 195 ) . Although embracing a scope of ideological point of views ( Wallcraft, 2003 ) , user/survivor action is characterised by a opposition to the medi calisation of hurt ( Campbell, 1999 ) and penchant for service responses closer to put ways of associating ( e.g. talking interventions ) ( Pilgrim and Rogers, 1997: 38, 43 ) . Holistic apprehensions and a recovery paradigm are frequently advocated ( Wallcraft, 2003 ) . Politicizing oneself by fall ining with other subsisters in political actions is an first-class counterpoison to the impotence that psychopathology induces in its topics. Becoming active in the battle against psychopathology ( and other signifiers of unfairness ) is a good option to the weakness psychopathology encourages.A ( Jeffrey Masson 1989 ) The struggle against psychopathology that Jeffrey Masson describes has a long history. Equally long as there have been psychiatric establishments at that place has been a motion against the unfairnesss suffered within them. ( Mind )

The Ionic Order essays

The Ionic Order essays Temples, palaces and other buildings make use of columns and entablatures as decoration and minimalist structure. Columns are vertical, cylindrical structures that help support the entablature. An entablature is a horizontal beam, consisting of several segments, that attaches to the pediment surrounding the gable of a temple. The combination of a column and entablature is known as an order. Different orders have certain characteristics and follow specific decoration specifications. Ancient Greeks developed three orders: the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Ionic order evolved and elaborated on characteristics of the Doric order and paved way for the intricacies of the Corinthian order. Ionic design was found on islands in the Aegean Sea and along the coast of Asia Minor. Temples utilizing the Ionic order were commonly built on low wetlands. Details of the Ionic order design are elegant and more effeminate than the solid, plainer look of the Doric order. Ionian columns are taller and more slender. Deep grooves decorate the surface of the column shaft. These grooves are known as flutes (24 flutes being a standard on Ionic columns), and they are connected by thin, flat sections known as fillets. This element of design creates a smoother, subtle look as opposed to the sharp edges formed by the connection of flutes on a Doric column. The width of an Ionic column was one-eighth of its height. Its base is wider and molded with simple curves that add to the graceful aesthetics of the column. The most identifiable features are found on the capital, located at the top of the column above the shaft. The bottom of the capital is perhaps the most ornamented part of an Ionian column. One may sometimes find simple depictions of plants and above the decorated band, or neck molding, lays the echinus. Most echini on Ionic columns use an egg-and-dart pattern. The pattern is modest but adds more elegance t ...

CIS 333 Week 10Technical Project Paper Coursework

CIS 333 Week 10Technical Project Paper - Coursework Example Both dangers and vulnerabilities need to be considered simultaneously. Dangers can give harm to the confidentiality, accessibility and uprightness of information present in the data frameworks. They investigate opportunities for security breaches to cause classified information intrusion by means of unapproved access, amendment of information, removal of data from data frameworks. Threats can hit the pharmacy system from different sources. These threats are confidential on the parameters of distinctive capacities and methodology including outer approaches by cyber-crimes, hackers, terrorists. For taking care of dangers of diverse nature for the pharmacy, distinctive risk alleviation and control techniques are needed in the connection of securing the organized information systems. Vulnerabilities are the shortcomings which are exhibited in the framework against the current dangers. Vulnerabilities can be recognized as security loop holes in the framework. If hackers discover these loop holes in the framework, results are wrecking including unauthorized access, revision or complete cancellation of the framework. A recent example is the hacking of wiki leaks site which affected the entire world furthermore influenced strategic and financial relations between nations as different classified documents were spilled out from the site. Vulnerabilities are fruitful be cause of approach shortcomings, deficient usage of security framework, and information of individual issues. For recognizing any conceivable threats, testing of the security framework including system parts, hardware and software is essential which may happen later on. The risk is characterized as the probability of diverse dangers by means of distinctive circumstances, which are influencing the system and data frameworks. The circumstances ought to consider the system,

The Role of Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

The Role of Marketing - Essay Example The intimate, and inextricable, connection between organisational success and marketing, insofar as the primary objective of the former is to ensure the latter through the creation and maximization of well-targeted demand, is a historically undeniable reality, amply supported by a wealth of empirical evidence (Church, 1999). The undeniable centrality of marketing communication to organisational success functioned as the basis for the embrace of marketing by academia and the evolution of marketing as an academic field within management sciences (Cohen, 1966). Earlier perceptions of marketing as interchangeable with advertising, with the former being defined simply as a strategy to attract consumer interest in a product, have fundamentally changed. Marketing has, ever since the mid-1960s, been recognized as a complex methodology for the fulfilment of an organization's strategic objectives, insofar as sales, the expansion of market shares, and organisational growth are concerned. As such, and within the context of the aforementioned definition for marketing, the former evolved into a science embracing methodologies for market analysis and study; strategies for the identification of the most susceptible consumer groups/target audience; and countless theories on effective communication strategies and tools f or the engendering of consumer interest and product/service demand (Cohen, 1966; Dibb and Simkin, 1994). In other words, the increasing recognition of marketing as the key to organisational success has led to its embrace by academia and its subsequent evolution into a science,' designed to articulate a set of strategies, tools and methodologies as would ensure organisational success through marketing. There is no doubt that recent technological innovations in communication sciences, bordering on the revolutionary, have significantly redefined marketing strategies and media. Marketing has not only expanded beyond the local to embrace the global but marketing media and strategies have undergone revolutionary transformations consequent to the evolution of variant forms of electronic media, from the radio to the internet (Wehner, 2001). Marketing, as a communications strategy designed to inform consumers of the availability of particular products and persuade the market of the utility of these products, has evolved into integrated marketing.'

Screening the Project with R-W-W Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Screening the Project with R-W-W - Essay Example This satisfied our curiosity on whether people actually need the service. We will be mostly focusing on UBC campus area where our market ranges from students to faculty members to visitors. The market for Cargo exist and is pretty wide, Umbrella2go won’t focus on a specific segment, but rather all who use an umbrella during the day (Statista 2015). Demand for umbrella is highest in a rainy season. However, the umbrella is becoming an all-whether necessity with changing lifestyle and fashion needs. University students are reported to take Umbrellas in a big way (Scaria 2015). There is a market for about 96 lakh pieces of umbrella that is not adequately met (Krishnakumar 2015). U2Go will mostly be competing with all umbrella sellers on campus, which range from the UBC bookstore, Sear shop, Shoppers, University Pharmacy, London Drugs shop, and the Umbrella Shop at Granville Island. However, as this service is new, there will not be any direct competition facing our organization, establishing a monopoly advantage. Those shops are located in fixed places and have single outlets. Our salespeople will be quite mobile and distributed in major streets where students are likely to pass through especially in the rainy or weather. Therefore, we will reach out to our customer and they will not look for us like the other shops (Vancouver Umbrella). The business will open 6.00 am in the morning and close 7.00 pm to cater for hours that students get in and leave school. However, the business will open overtime in rainy seasons when it is expected sales will be high when our competitors have closed. The price of an umbrella depends on the quality and durability. We are determined to provide all varieties to meet our customer’s interests. The average cost of an umbrella in Vancouver and particularly around UBC campus is $ 10-50.  

What role does sexuality play in Dracula Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What role does sexuality play in Dracula - Essay Example In the 19th century the position of women in the society left much to be desired. Women as well as sexual minorities suffered terrible discrimination as there was much prejudice around their reputation. If we try to imagine a woman of that time, our imagination will draw a rather shy, repressed creature whose head is full of rules she should follow in order to stay innocent. However, Stoker’s â€Å"Dracula† demonstrates that, despite all the prejudices, women still were curious about sex and the satisfaction of their secret desires. For example, Lucy is shown as an attractive young woman, who has a choice, because three men want to marry her. Lucy can’t choose between them as she is surprised: â€Å"Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her?† (Stoker 80). This phrase testifies about the difference between men and women: men had an opportunity to state their desires, but women should have kept silent about them. Lucy wanted to express her desire, but this was her fatal mistake. The character of Lucy showed that women have always had sexual desires, but in Victorian times these desires were strictly restrained and any attempts to express them were suppressed. In order to avoid humiliation and express her desire, Lucy had to transform into a vampire. This extremity testifies that it was absolutely impossible for women to show their feelings and the character of vampire transformed into the means of expressing secret emotions. The character of Mina is quite opposite to the character of Lucy, she is an innocent woman with strict principles, moreover she is a devoted wife: â€Å"I have been working very hard lately, because I want to keep up with Jonathan’s studies†¦I shall be able to be useful to [him]†. ... The character of Mina is quite opposite to the character of Lucy, she is an innocent woman with strict principles, moreover she is a devoted wife: â€Å"I have been working very hard lately, because I want to keep up with Jonathan’s studies†¦I shall be able to be useful to [him]† (Stoker 75). Women were considered weak creatures that needed protection all the time, thus it was necessary for women to be married. A man provided a woman with necessary protection, thus she had to be devoted and grateful to him for that. Needless to say that such an image of a woman is absolutely sexless, because a woman afraid of everything would never dare to express her sexual desires and if she tried to do that she would be severely punished and this attempt would turn into humiliation. The character of Dracula is very interesting in terms of sexuality, first of all because Dracula is bisexual. The sexuality of Dracula is also demonstrated through vampires’ transformations an d the rituals of blood sucking, which represent the realization of vampires’ reproductive function. â€Å"it is eminently notable, then, that male, not female vampires reproduce†¦Dracula alone reproduces his form† (Halberstam 7). Dracula is a creature without a particular gender that makes his character very interesting; he is a real embodiment of sexuality. According to Craft, Dracula’s sexuality is what the whole novel is based on: â€Å"a swooning desire for an overwhelming penetration and an intense aversion to the demonic potency empowered to gratify that desire† (Craft 109). Stoker presents us with a unique and interesting representation of human sexuality.

Argumentative paper on why Gun Control law should stay the way it is Essay

Argumentative paper on why Gun Control law should stay the way it is - Essay Example Many may argue that this will lead to an increase in the occurrence of such cases but on the contrary, if the students are taught how to handle the arms such as guns responsibly, they ought to access and carry them for their safety (Valdez, Angela & Ferguson 2012). This means that if students are allowed to own and carry their guns to their respective campuses, they will feel secure and comfortably learn. Another rampant case is that of sexual harassment (Bjorklund & Ruth 2013). This does not happen to the female gender only but also the male gender. When an individual fall a victim to such a case, it becomes easier to defend one-self when having a gun and also the know-how to handle it without basically killing the attacker. A student who has a gun, when he or she is attacked can put minor injuries on the attacker so as to scare him or her away. By doing this, students will be able to protect themselves against murder and any other illicit

What role does sexuality play in Dracula Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What role does sexuality play in Dracula - Essay Example In the 19th century the position of women in the society left much to be desired. Women as well as sexual minorities suffered terrible discrimination as there was much prejudice around their reputation. If we try to imagine a woman of that time, our imagination will draw a rather shy, repressed creature whose head is full of rules she should follow in order to stay innocent. However, Stoker’s â€Å"Dracula† demonstrates that, despite all the prejudices, women still were curious about sex and the satisfaction of their secret desires. For example, Lucy is shown as an attractive young woman, who has a choice, because three men want to marry her. Lucy can’t choose between them as she is surprised: â€Å"Why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her?† (Stoker 80). This phrase testifies about the difference between men and women: men had an opportunity to state their desires, but women should have kept silent about them. Lucy wanted to express her desire, but this was her fatal mistake. The character of Lucy showed that women have always had sexual desires, but in Victorian times these desires were strictly restrained and any attempts to express them were suppressed. In order to avoid humiliation and express her desire, Lucy had to transform into a vampire. This extremity testifies that it was absolutely impossible for women to show their feelings and the character of vampire transformed into the means of expressing secret emotions. The character of Mina is quite opposite to the character of Lucy, she is an innocent woman with strict principles, moreover she is a devoted wife: â€Å"I have been working very hard lately, because I want to keep up with Jonathan’s studies†¦I shall be able to be useful to [him]†. ... The character of Mina is quite opposite to the character of Lucy, she is an innocent woman with strict principles, moreover she is a devoted wife: â€Å"I have been working very hard lately, because I want to keep up with Jonathan’s studies†¦I shall be able to be useful to [him]† (Stoker 75). Women were considered weak creatures that needed protection all the time, thus it was necessary for women to be married. A man provided a woman with necessary protection, thus she had to be devoted and grateful to him for that. Needless to say that such an image of a woman is absolutely sexless, because a woman afraid of everything would never dare to express her sexual desires and if she tried to do that she would be severely punished and this attempt would turn into humiliation. The character of Dracula is very interesting in terms of sexuality, first of all because Dracula is bisexual. The sexuality of Dracula is also demonstrated through vampires’ transformations an d the rituals of blood sucking, which represent the realization of vampires’ reproductive function. â€Å"it is eminently notable, then, that male, not female vampires reproduce†¦Dracula alone reproduces his form† (Halberstam 7). Dracula is a creature without a particular gender that makes his character very interesting; he is a real embodiment of sexuality. According to Craft, Dracula’s sexuality is what the whole novel is based on: â€Å"a swooning desire for an overwhelming penetration and an intense aversion to the demonic potency empowered to gratify that desire† (Craft 109). Stoker presents us with a unique and interesting representation of human sexuality.

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 24

None - Essay Example In other instances, the error may be a result of omission or negligence. For a practice or occurrence to be considered a medical malpractice, the patient must prove certain elements, which include liability, direct causal link, and damages. For an occurrence to fulfill the requirement of liability, the patient must prove that there existed a professional relationship between the health professional and the patient. This is often easy to proof. However, the patient must also proof that the health care provider concerned offered substandard care or was negligent. Depending on the circumstances, substandard care is at times not considered a medical malpractice. The next element that the patient is required to prove is that there were injuries, which directly resulted from the negligence or substandard care (Mor & Einy, 2012). In Jose’s case, there was some of negligence since proper care was not provided in good time, which resulted in the injuries. It was clear that the permanent disability of his shoulder was due to the delayed surgery. In this particular case, the person who can be held responsible or liable is the emergency center physician since he understood the seriousness of the injuries. However, he failed to consider other measures since there was no anesthetist on call. He would have advised Jose’s parents on the seriousness of the problem and maybe they could have sought treatment elsewhere. The physician had foreseen the possible complications that could arise from the injuries but insisted that Jose’s waits until morning when the anesthetist would be available. Moreover, the physician did not inform Jose’s parents of the risks involved if the surgery was delayed. The parents could have opted for other options. Although the anesthetist who was not available, he wa s not on duty at the particular moment and was thus not

Feminism and Cultural Identity Essay Example for Free

Feminism and Cultural Identity Essay Barbie, a worldwide viral doll known for her interest in adult-fashioned roles, indirectly constitutes the way American girls should grow up to be. With the creation of this doll came the thirst and need to sell it. Therefore, just one version of the Barbie doll is not sufficient. Mattel Inc., famous for its numerous toy creations yet infamous for its many controversies, has made Barbie’s boyfriend, sister, cousin and even her dog. Consequently, Mattel created Barbie collectibles that included the â€Å"Barbie Dolls of the World†. In this collection, the creation â€Å"the notorious PR Barbie† as Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner states in Barbie’s Hair: Selling Out Puerto Rican Identity in the Global Market, has developed confusion, furiousness and also indifference in the Puerto Rican society. In Sandra Cisneros’ essay, Barbie Q, Barbie’s values are as she physically is, merely plastic. She is a â€Å"mean-eyed† fashionista boyfriend stealer with emphasis on the stealing part. Barbie has made society assume that girls and women’s interests are only based on their looks and men. At the same time, girls around the world are getting brainwashed into thinking that is what they were made to do and how they are meant to be. Because Barbie dolls are used by young girls who may be in the process finding who they are, these girls may grow up with these sexist values in their lives. With this being said, young girls are offered a very superficial way of life, the life of a Barbie, which may be pretty and cute from the outside but it’s a very fake one. With this, society has created a twisted way of how a girl or woman should be like. On this essay’s last paragraphs describes where the protagonists dolls come from; a flea market. The doll she had probably was damaged by a fire, but as she describes the damages it shows that in a way the child accepts not only the doll’s flaws, but her own. With this, she will not let society define perfection. And the search for perfection will be her own, not what society has taught. Another essay that embarks the same issue with Barbie dolls is the previously mentioned by Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner. In this essay, Negrà ³n, states that when Mattel brought the new Boricua personage to the â€Å"Barbie Dolls of the World† collection, Puerto Rican people from both the island and migrants in the United States had distinct yet connected opinions of the doll. Island intellectuals criticized the doll’s Americanized ideal of what a Puerto Rican should be and is like, this being a wavy-haired mulatta. Still, Puerto Ricans living on the island bought the doll and made it one of the most sold. On the other hand, Islanders now living in the United States considered the doll â€Å"straight-haired and white†. The Puerto Rican Barbie offers young girls a misconception of what a Puerto Rican really is. The Puerto Rican Barbie was conceived almost in the 21st century with the mannerisms of a 19th century jà ­bara (a country-side woman). The idea behind â€Å"Barbie Dolls of the World† was that American girls learned about different cultures in the world. Since Barbie’s are sold worldwide, there is an issue that is developed instantly. The American corporation Mattel has a big dilemma: making sure that the conception of the dolls is loyal to the culture it corresponds, an issue that they did not pay attention with proximity for the Puerto Rican Barbie doll. Thanks to this doll, people from around the world perceive Puerto Rican identity as country mulatto men and women. When in reality, Puerto Rico’s race is a mix of African, Spanish and Taà ­no (natives): â€Å"The lingering impression that the Puerto Rican Barbie was essentially white and that its â€Å"mulattoness† was a cultural masquerade was reinforced by the box’s ethnic â€Å"origin† story for Puerto Ricans: ‘My country was discovered in 1493 by Christopher Columbus who claimed it for Spain.’ In only mentioning that the island was discovered by Columbus, Mattel and its allies connote that all Puerto Ricans are fundamentally Europeans and banish the influence of Natives and Africans to the back of the bus.† The doll’s box, to a certain point, limits the explanation of the Puerto Rican race and the consumer to his or her understanding and knowledge of the Puerto Rican culture, or any culture for that matter. The owner of the Barbie doll, or society passes to believe what the box primarily says. Usually, stereotypes are a general knowledge of a country or a culture. This not being the case on the Puerto Rican conception of the Barbie doll, she is put as an olive skinned, jà ­bara with a bomba dress, that in reality looks like a European dress with encaje (lace). If the doll was a jà ­bara (low class countryside woman) with a bomba dress, why did it have lace when it is a sign of a high-class European wardrobe? â€Å"The doll’s main concern is for you to ‘like the special white dress I am wearing. It is very typical of a dress I might wear to a festival of a party.’† states Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner. The Puerto Rican doll is a complete stereotype of what a Puerto Rican is. If the box said that the doll is wearing a traditional outfit, or explained how our culture developed, it would be a different story. Nevertheless, the doll is put in a 19th century context when it was almost created within the new millennium. Clearly, Puerto Ricans must have passed through modernization or what Puerto Rican intellectuals call â€Å"Americanization†. Also, the doll’s features are the ones of a mulatto, when Puerto Ricans have a mixture of African, Taà ­no and Spanish. Puerto Rican’s ethnic background is omitted with this doll. However, the most controversial issue with this doll wasn’t its skin color or its â€Å"fiesta† wardrobe, it was its hair, as the essay’s title says: â€Å"Barbie’s Hair†. Frances Negrà ³n-Muntaner shows various Puerto Rican opinions on the doll’s hair but the most outrageous states as follows: â€Å"Lourdes Pà ©rez, a Puerto Rican Chicago-based, San Juan-raised interior decorator, was horrified at what she saw: ‘I don’t care that she’s white. Puerto Ricans come in all colors. But when I saw that hair, I thought ‘Dios mà ­o’, we just passed a terrible legacy to the next generation.â⠂¬â„¢ Despite exasperated responses from some Puerto Rico-based (white) men- â€Å"[t]his woman is saying that the prevalent lack of respect, the lawlessness, drugs, driving conditions, domestic and child abuse aren’t as terrible a legacy as a straight-haired Barbie† Lourdes Pà ©rez then was pointed out by Louis Aguilar as a Puerto Rican woman who probably spent countless hours straightening her hair before going to the office or school. She was described as a woman ashamed of her griferà ­a. Pà ©rez contradicts herself in the previous quote because she emphasized, â€Å"Puerto Ricans come in all colors† and yet criticized what big hair the doll had. Puerto Ricans, as previously informed, are a mix of 3 bloods: Taà ­no, Spanish and African. Therefore, the issue that the Puerto Rican Barbie’s hair provoked is illogical. What Mattel should have worked on better, were its features and the box historical background. Because Barbie is a globalized toy, it is impo rtant that the company portrays the culture correctly so people won’t generalize when in contact with another culture. The representation of Barbies as women helps re-create stereotypes because girls that play with these dolls are in the stage of life where they are in the process of formation as a human being. The doll’s profession or wardrobe will be what the child wants to grow up and be or know. Barbies as women are key to generalization and dolls should be what a kid wants it to be, not what a company wants women to be. In a way, Negrà ³n-Muntaner suggests in â€Å"Barbie’s Hair† that cultural stereotypes affect not only how people around the world view Puerto Ricans but also how Puerto Ricans view themselves. A sort of indifference has been created with this doll. Puerto Rican folk know that the doll’s historical background is completely disfigured yet they still go out and buy the collectible Barbie. That is to say, Puerto Ricans have passed to not care about how other people view them. People around the world see Puerto Ricans like the doll; peasants wearing bomba dresses with European lace, that meant the person is in a higher social class. It’s a bad combination of what we are. By reading these materials it has been clearly learned that it is very important that people know have a deep sense of they are and where they come from. Also, not to generalize a culture with a doll meant for a specific country. It is essential that we, as Puerto Ricans, become proud of our roots and get to know where we come from. We cannot limit our knowledge of what a Puerto Rican is and where he or she comes from to a doll. It is also necessary that girls own up to a Barbie, not the other way around. A Barbie is not a paradigm of what a girl should grow up to be. We are not perfect or plastic and we are not meant to be it either. This is where society fails. Most people don’t let their children know that they are perfect in their own way. It is most important that we let others know the wrongs that come from generalization and stereotypes. These, along with prejudice, paralyze and deactivate intelligence because people won’t let it flow or let he or she get influenced by other cultures and learn. [ 1 ]. Mulatto is the race mix of Spanish and Taà ­no. [ 2 ]. African-Puerto Rican dance that the lower class performed. [ 3 ]. Known as big kinky hair passed African folk.

The Effectiveness Of Performance Related Pay Commerce Essay

The Effectiveness Of Performance Related Pay Commerce Essay Impressive levels of staff performance are difficult to for many organizations to attain. Maintaining desirable levels of personnel performance is central to the objectives of most organizations. This is imperative as employee performance often translates to aggregate organizational performance. In a situation where employees are less motivated or less engaged to their job functions, there is a risk that such low employee morale will be reflected in an organizations overall performance. There are two main types of motivational mechanism that can be employed to induce staff to desired levels of performance namely; intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Perkins White (2008:8) defined extrinsic motivation as motivation that is derived from the use of tangible or transactional reward. Financial reward and incentive pay are examples of extrinsic motivation. Perkins White (2008:8) defined intrinsic motivation as the motivation of staff that is derived from the nature of the work itself. Armstrong (2010) added that intrinsic motivation is intangible in nature. Examples of intrinsic motivation are career development, career progression, training and development e.t.c. Armstrong (2002) argued that while intrinsic motivational mechanisms tends to have a sustained and positive impact on personnel morale, extrinsic motivational mechanisms tend to have minimal impact on personnel morale. For some organizations, they focus of their process of motivating staff is mainly extrinsic, while for some others, the focus is on use of mainly intrinsic motivational variables. In spite of this, Armstrong (2010) contended that both types of motivation can together be used to design mechanisms and processes for motivating important personnel. The use of performance-related pay (PRP) as a tool for motivating staff within organizations is what this research will be about. Before proceeding, it is essential to point out that PRP is an extrinsic motivational variable. Many firms, specifically firms that deal with financial services, use performance-driven pay to reward personnel for enviable performance. Before going into in-depth explanation of what PRP is, it is essential to gain an understanding of what employee reward is. In the words of White Drucker (2009), employee reward involves the tools used to compensate employees for their contributions to the achievement of organizationa l objectives. Employee takes into consideration how important it is to use the right reward schemes to compensate personnel, especially where there is above average performance. While employee reward mechanisms can be both tangible and intangible in nature, tangible reward schemes will act as the main emphasis of this research, most notably pay. The challenge of using pay to motivate staff is the difficulty of determining the right application of pay structures in a way that it enhances sustained and desired levels of staff performance. This difficulty has led to increased innovation in the use of pay to motivate staff. One of such innovations is the development of performance-related pay. Thorpe Homan (2003) suggested that PRP deals with the correlation of personnel performance with financial rewards. Again, IDS (1998) defined PRP as the different types of incentive mechanisms, in exclusion of direct payments based on outcomes achieved. Some of these incentive arrangements are pro fit sharing, employee share ownership arrangements, bonus arrangements e.t.c. PRP is widely used in the financial services industry in the United Kingdom. Bonus schemes are usually used to reward for employees for additional business or revenue generated. The recent liquidity crisis in the UKs financial services industry, in the wake of the subprime economic disaster, has stimulated a widespread debate on the effectiveness of (PRP) as an effective tool for influencing personnel behaviour. Most of these debates arose because of the role of bankers in fuelling the liquidity crisis which culminated into the recent global economic recession. Based on these observations, this emphasis of this study will be on assessing the usefulness of PRP as a mechanism for motivating employees, especially from the ethical perspective. 3. Preliminary Review of Literature PRP acts as an added way that can be used by firms to reward their employees in tangible terms. Again, performance-related pay also refers to individualized mechanisms or processes in which pay rises are relative to the outcomes of performance appraisal (Heery Noon, 2001). This is why CIPD (2009) referred to performance-related pay as appraisal-related pay or merit pay. A great deal of debate has arisen in recent times about the usefulness of performance-related pay as a tool for motivating staff to sustained and desired levels of performance. Most of the recent debates have been fuelled by the role of rogue bankers in the recent global economic crisis. While money or pay provides an avenue through which an employees value is assessed, there is a failure by most organizations to recognise that people tend to differ when it comes to being motivated by pay. Human beings are complex creatures and as such will respond to motivation through the use of pay in differing ways (Corby et al., 2009). Another problem derived from the application of PRP is the failure of most organizations to distinguish between awarding financial rewards based on behavioural criteria or based on the achievement of results. There is a broad difference between these two criteria. In most cases, the application of PRP by most organizations is more focused on the achievement of results and less focused on behavioural criteria. While result-oriented performance-related pay can be effective in terms of the achievement of an organizations objectives, there are pitfalls in the use of this particular approach. The role of bankers in the recent economic crisis acts as a useful example of how result-oriented performance-related pay can be damaging to overall organizational performance especially in terms of the intrinsic worth of a firm. The use of bonus schemes led to excessive risk-taking by most bankers, especially bankers in the investment trading arm of most banks. Such excessive risk taking wa s largely driven by the desire to earn bonus payments; as a result, proper risk management mechanisms were often ignored as most banks became excessively leveraged. The decision by RBS to acquire Dutch bank, ABN Amro, was done in ignorance of appropriate corporate governance mechanisms; a decision that would not have been taken in retrospect as it led to accumulation of huge losses by RBS in the wake of subprime bust in America (Owen, 2009). Most of the criticisms against PRP is derived from its failure to recognise the significance of the need to control behaviour. This is because the application of result-oriented performance-related pay process tends to encourage employees to engage in discretionary efforts and behaviours that are mainly based on their desire to earn additional pay incentives as opposed to engaging in behaviours that bring about added value for shareholders. Kessler (2005) noted that another problem with the proper implementation of performance-related pay mechanisms is the difficulty of measuring inputs as they are generally more qualitative in nature. On this specific note, performance-related pay is more likely to be based on individual targets than team or group targets. Another issue with the implementation of PRP is that since in most cases, it is reliant on individual targets, there is a potential for it to become discriminatory in nature. The banks in the United Kingdom again act as useful exa mples; bonus schemes tend to be given to bankers in the investment banking and trading arm of most banks while back office staffs seldom have access to such bonus schemes. What makes this appalling is the fact that most of the ill decisions taken by the bailed out banks was done by bankers in the trading arm of most these banks (FSA, 2009). Armstrong (2007) noted that discriminatory application of performance-related pay systems only leads to decreased intrinsic motivation and decreased co-operation between employees. This undermines every sense of an equality-based organizational culture. Again, Perkins White (2008:165) were quick to point out that discriminatory bonus schemes only leads to low aggregate employee morale. Such a scenario only serves to undermine overall intrinsic interests within the organization. These observations help to highlight the undemocratic nature performance-related pay schemes especially as it tends to leave little room for the protection of entrenched collective employee interests. In spite of the multiple criticisms against performance-related pay (PRP), it is only fair to acknowledge that there are also perceived benefits that can be derived from using PRP schemes. For one, Lawler (2005) argued that relating individual pay tom performance possesses a potent motivational effect since it creates room for differentiating between the behaviour of employees and how they are rewarded. 3.1 Need for this research Firstly, I decided to conduct this research because of one of the subjects of my international human resource management module. That topic, in particular, was about how culture determines the way people react to financial rewards and non-financial rewards. Again, this research will help to examine the rationale for use of PRP schemes as a way of influencing personnel behaviour. 4. Research Questions 1.) Can performance-related pay be used to create a dichotomy between the need to protect collective employee interests and the need to inspire above-average of performance among personnel? 2.) What are the most effective ways that organizations can employ to reduce the pitfalls of performance-related pay? 3.) Why did use of performance-related pay schemes fail to control the excessive ris taking attitudes of personnel in the investment banking arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)? 5. Research Objectives 1.) To establish the best way of implementing performance-related pay in such a manner that entrenched collective employee interests will always remain protected. 2.) To establish the value of performance-related pay as a tool for enhancing performance of key personnel. 3.) To establish veritable options to the application of performance-related pay systems as a tool for motivating personnel to sustained and desired levels of personnel performance. 4.) To ascertain reasons for broad criticisms against use of performance-related pay to reward employees, especially personnel in financial services institutions in the United Kingdom. 6. Research Perspectives The research philosophy that I will use in this research is interpretivism. Collis Hussey (2003) posited that, interpretivism suggests a broader philosophical paradigm and avoids misunderstanding with the phenomenological research paradigm. In some aspects, there appears to be a like for like similarity between interpretivism and phenomenology. Any research that employs interpretivism is often times than not inductive. The subject of pay-driven performance is a subject that entails qualitative information as both direct and indirect observations both by the researcher and other researchers will form the basis for most of the information collected by the researcher. The study of the effects of financial rewards on personnel performance, to a lesser degree, involves quantitative information except when measuring output-driven target for target-oriented jobs. Such measures can apply to certain jobs in the financial services sector, like investment banking jobs. The potential lack of ac cess to such quantitative or target-driven information has informed the decision to use more qualitative-oriented information. Previously conducted empirical research on this researchs subject matter will be used to create the theoretical framework for this study. 7. Research Design Collis Hussey (2003) noted that the research design serves the main purpose of giving focus and direction when conducting a research. The research design forms the skeletal framework of the different methodologies applied during the conduct of a particular research. The research design that will be used in this research is the case study research design. Saunders et al., (2003) noted that the usefulness of the case study research design is that it enables the researcher to narrow the focus and scope of a research such that unnecessarily work is prevented. In this research, the case study for examining the effectiveness of performance-related pay is the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). This bank will form a useful case for investigating the key variables of this study especially when taking note of the fact that the actions of some of its employees were culpable in some of the excessively risky decisions that almost contributed to its demise in the wake of the subprime market disaster ( Owen, 2009). As a result, findings from the cross-examination of RBSs PRP arrangements can be used to determine the best ways of implementing PRP schemes in other similar organizations. 8. Data Collection Methods In order to achieve the necessary requirements for this particular research, data or information will be obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Under-listed is a concise description of some of the tools that will be used to gather both forms of data. 8.1 Primary Data Collis Hussey (2005) defined primary data as raw data or information. The usefulness of primary data stems from the fact that it provides the researcher with original perspectives when investigating a particular problem. Primary data will be used to a considerable degree in this research. There are different ways for gathering primary data. In the context of this particular research, the researcher will gather primary data through three anonymous open-ended interviews with personnel of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The researcher expects that the interviews will take approximately forty minutes for each of the proposed interviewees. One of the proposed interviewees is a friend of mine and has promised me access to the other two interviewees. This friend of mine is a customer service representative in one of RBSs offices in London. Feedback from these three open-ended interviews will help the researcher to meet most of the objectives of this research and also conclude this resear ch. 8.2 Secondary Data Secondary data, on the other hand, will be obtained from academic textbooks and academic journals. Collis Hussey (2005) noted that secondary data is information assembled by other researchers and are available in public domains. Some of the peer reviewed academic journals that will be used in this research are the human resource management journal, CIPD articles and the reward management journal. These journals will be accessed from academic databases like the CIPD website, Ebscohost, and Emerald. Journal entries sourced from these databases will help to create the theoretical framework of this research. The value of the secondary data to be utilized in this research is derived from the assumption that it will also be used by the researcher as a support mechanism during analysis of the primary data gathered by the researcher for this researcher. 8.3 Analysis of Data Gathered by the Researcher Most of the data that will be analysed in this research will consist of the primary data gathered by the researcher. As mentioned earlier, the primary data for this researcher consisted of feedback from the three open-ended interviewees that will be carried out. The researcher will make use of content analysis during analysis and interpretation of feedback from the three interviewees. The content analysis will involve using the secondary data gathered as a support mechanism for analyzing feedback from the three interviewees. The use of secondary data during analysis of the primary helped to reduce subjectivity, which is one of the main limitations of the qualitative research approach. 9. Limitations of this Research One of the main limitations of this particular research is the fact that the researcher will only use one research approach as opposed to use of a mixed-methods research approach; in this case, only the qualitative research approach will be used. The qualitative research approach is not without its limitations. One of the main limitations of this particular research approach is that analysis of data gathered tends to be subjective since it is largely based on the researchers perspectives and viewpoint (Collis Hussey, 2005). To reduce subjective analysis and interpretations, the secondary data gathered will be used during analysis of feedback from the interviews that will be carried out by the researcher. Another constraint of this research is the fact that the sample size of just two interviewees may be regarded as too small to generate considerable primary data. To address this particular constraint, the researcher will ensure that considerable secondary data will be gathered so as to ensure that a concise analysis is conducted. Another constraint of this research is the use of just one case study; in this case, the Royal Bank of Scotland. The use of just one case study may make it challenging to generalize findings or results from this research. This is where the secondary data gathered by the researcher will be crucial; the secondary data will offer further perspectives on the underlying subject matter of this research, especially where the primary data appears deficient. 10. Ethical Considerations The process of conducting this research will be based on the stipulated requirements of Coventry University. In this regards, the Coventry University Ethics Manual will be studied by the researcher before inception of the research. All external information that will be utilized in this study will be properly referenced using Coventry Universitys recommended referencing style; in this case, the Harvard referencing style will be used by the researcher. The use of this particular referencing style appears to be in accordance with the plagiarism regulations of Coventry University.