Transformational Leader Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transformational Leader - Case Study Example Gandhi respected the Hindu religion that he observed through out his life. His values and principles had basis on religion and the understanding of basic human rights, gained from his career in law. To Indians, Gandhi is the founding father of their nation. Gandhi lived according to his philosophy of creating harmony of thought, speech, and action (Allen, 2008). His philosophies are still worthwhile and applicable today. Mohandas was the last-born son of karamchand, from his fourth wife. Mohandas got into marriage at an early age, marrying his age mate. Theirs was an arranged marriage reflecting the Indian culture instilled in Gandhi. In his childhood, there was nothing peculiar, Gandhi lived to respect his parents and was an ordinary student in school (Jegen and Deats, 2005). In 1888, Gandhi left India for London, to further his studies. He spent three of his years studying law in London. Gandhi spent the first three months of his life trying to accustom himself to fit in the English culture but gave after he realized that he could handle a simple life better. He gave up on the English sophistication. He settled down to concentrate on his studies and obtained his degree in law. Gandhi travelled back to India after his studies to rejoin his wife and kids. Gandhi returned to India only to face disappointment because he could not get a job. Fortunately, an opportunity opened up in South Africa. He set out to South Africa, and his stay there transformed the soft-spoken Gandhi to a more assertive individual. In his first formal trip, he faced discrimination for being Indian. South Africa was under the British rule and the colonialists discriminated all other races. Gandhi chose to fight for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Therefore, he extended his stay in South Africa. The oppressing system did not allow Indians to vote and Gandhi wrote petitions concerning this issue. However, Gandhi was a man of his own kind in philosophy and he decided to fight

Creative Writing Essay Example for Free

Creative Writing Essay He didn’t look anything like I’d expected. That was when I realised something was wrong. Bad thoughts were rushing through my head at a million miles an hour. I could hear and see nothing for miles except for his dark outline. Confusion and worry was all I could think and I could feel myself shaking. The footsteps were getting louder so I slowly backed away, trying not to make it obvious. Why had I agreed to this, it had been spur of the moment when I’d been upset over that stupid boy from math class. I should have known better than to be so stupid. Then he realised what was happening ‘Sweetie it’s fine. Don’t move I’ll look after you.’ his voice was deep but somehow reassuring. For a second it calmed me down. He sounded so nice, had I jumped to conclusions? Maybe he was just worried about the age gap. I started to walk towards him and he got a beer out of his bag. ‘Have some of this darling.’ He offered it to me but that was one thing I knew to reject. I wasn’t going to be even stupider and drink alcohol in this situation. He turned towards the car and signaled for me to follow. Slowly I trailed behind with my feet scuffling along the floor as I considered my options. I was scared but I didn’t want to believe he would be horrible after how well we had got on before we had met. So I followed him along the path towards what I supposed was his car at the end of the street. I felt in my pocket, my phone was there safely, it would all be fine. I can look after myself I remember thinking. If only I had known. When I reached the car we both got in, with not a word uttered from either of us. He started the car and I plucked up the courage to ask where we were going. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know’ he laughed. He revved the car and off we went through the streets. My heart started to beat faster and faster, it was out of control. I started to shake. My conscience kicked in. Stop Amber, Take control. ‘Please I don’t think this is a good idea, I want to go home’ I stuttered quietly. He laughed in my face. ‘Please, Please.’ I shouted louder but he wasn’t listening. We carried on driving. I noticed where we were driving to; it was towards the abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. I was angry with myself especially for agreeing to meet in the middle of no where, that should have been the first sign of something not being right. Who would have wanted to meet there unless they weren’t who they said they were. What shall I do? How do I get out of here? So many thoughts were swirling round my head. Then the car stopped. He started to get closer, his hand was moving down my thigh and his face was getting closer and closer to mine. I tried to move away but I could feel his warm breath on my face. He had his hand clenched tightly onto my arm so I couldn’t move. I kicked and he grabbed me even harder. I could feel his sweaty hand moving up my skirt and under my tights. I couldn’t talk, I was frozen with fear. Then I don’t know what came over me but suddenly I wasn’t scared anymore. I spat as hard as I could in his face. His shock made him pull back, this was my chance to get out. I hit him as hard as my arms would let me, moved back and then kicked him in the face. I saw his hand move towards the lock button on the car. As quick as I could I pushed the door open and fell to the street floor. Grabbing my bag I got up and ran as fast as my legs could go. I could hear shouting and screaming from behind but I daren’t look back. He was running after me, I could hear his feet pounding against the street floor. I felt a hand grab my shoulder and push me against the floor. ‘I think she’s waking up’ I heard people whispering around me. Slowly I opened my eyes and above me I could see what seemed to be a doctor and a man dressed in a suit. ‘Amber, are you okay? Do you remember what happened the other day?’ The other day? Last thing I remember was lying on the street floor looking into those dark brown eyes. Then I looked to the side and I could faintly make out the body of a man asleep on a bed next to me. As they saw me look over they started to draw the curtain around him but not before I saw them. Handcuffs locking him to the bed. It was him.

China Rise: A race to the top or bottom and the impact on the world’s p

Chinas rise: A race to the top or bottom and the impact on the world’s players Introduction Chinas open reform period is characterized as one without a blueprint but by ‘groping for stones to cross the river’, based on an incremental, gradualist approach to reformation. China is still a developing country, with pockets of industrialized regions. While China relishes in the fruits of its labour, there is an increasing disparity between the urban and rural areas due to this disequilibrium of development. China’s presence on the world stage has drastically increased and has left many researchers perplexed about the consequences of its rise. There exists a plethora of studies, debating whether Chinas current path is one that is headed to the top, or whether China is at the precipice of its development with looming declines in the near future, plagued by weak institutional reforms. While there are many features that characterize Chinas direction, this paper will primarily analyze Chinas wages and regional disparities and how this as impacted the world. The Effects of Chinas Wage Increases Chinas cheap labour has been a prominent economic advantage since opening its market. However, according to government published data, average annual real wages have tripled from 1997 to 2007 from 3,285 to 24,932 Yuan. The Institute of Population and Labour Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), reported that the rural surplus labour is decreasing to a level that continued industrialization cannot be supported cheaply (Cai, 2007). Additionally there has been increasing reports about China losing its appeal as a manufacturing base for exports (Yang, Chen, Monarch, 2010). Chinas US foreign direct investments (FDI) have ... ...has by no means leveled. Conclusion Explanation for Chinas rise is one that is usually polarized between profound optimism and an impending doomsday tale for the global economy. The research suggests that China’s rise embodies characteristics of both a race to the top and bottom. Additionally, as examined in this paper its integration has varying effects across regions. However both scenarios are not solely dependent on China but how countries like the United States adjust. Aborting the transition due to fear by introducing trade barriers will not beneficial economically in the long run due to an already interdependent relationship between China and the world. China’s transition is a path-dependent based journey unfolding in the present, therefore an analysis on Chinas rise is speculative at best, but serves as a looking glass to capitalism, Chinese style.

Coca Cola in Africa Essay

1. Why is Coca-Cola so interested in Africa, which is typically regarded as part of the base of the global economic pyramid? Coca-Cola is an organization that has been around since 1892. Coca-Cola is looking for new emerging growth markets and Africa has proven to be that. Combined, 12 of the African countries have a GDP greater than that of Chine. Coca-Cola has 29% of the market share in Africa. 2. What unique resources and capabilities does Coca-Cola have that will help it compete well in Africa? Coca-Cola has the ability to conduct street by street campaigns, to reach the towns and villages. This will assist in improving it marketing and distributions to areas off the beaten path. The manual distribution centers will also assist to grow sales, by coaching and directing small bottlers and residents to own their sales and delivery. 3. What are the drawbacks of making such large scale commitments to Africa? Yes there are drawbacks. There are still many areas in Africa where the government and physical infrastructure is not stable. With Coca-Cola investing large amounts of money in Africa, the instability could prove disruptive to Coca-Cola operations. 4. Do stakeholders in the United States and Africa who criticize Coca-Cola have a reasonable case against it? Yes, it is a valid criticism that Coca-Cola is depleting fresh water, and encouraging environmental harmful refrigeration. Coca-Cola needs to find a way to create sustainable manufacturing that will not pillage natural resources. Why go to Africa Coca-Cola was founded in 1892, but began business in Africa in 1929. Despite the belief that Africa is unstable government, lacks infrastructure, and great conflict and turmoil, Coca-Cola decided to enter Africa and is the largest private sector employer in Africa. $12 billion was allocated towards building distribution centers and plants in Africa. Sales in the United States are declining due to the public concern over sugar. Sales in Europe and Japan are flat, while markets in China and India offer up strong completion for Coca-Cola. Africa’s middle class population is growing at a steady rate, so the disposable income is increasing. This creates an opportunity for Coca-Cola to tap into growth opportunities (Natalia Cheverri 2012). How does it work? Although there are areas in Africa lacking infrastructure, Coca-Cola operates in every country. Coca-Cola utilized a franchising manufacturing model that works perfectly for operating in Africa. Coca-Cola partnered with local licensed bottling groups to help create the product. Coca-Cola manufactures the syrup concentrate and sells to the bottlers. The bottlers add filtered water, carbonation, and sweetener to make the final product. With this model, Coca-Cola is sharing the wealth with local investors/community members. This creates sustainable business and improves community buy-in with Coca-Cola’s existence in Africa (Maritz Jaco 2010). Because partnerships are formed with local bottlers and local members of the community, there is a vested interest by the locals to keep Coca-Cola’s business successful. Through these partnerships, Coca-Cola is able to help build the socio-economic system in different towns. Distribution Coca-Cola was having difficulty distributing product to different area of Africa with no roads. In 1999, local bottlers came up with the idea to cover off the beaten path areas by any means necessary. This included distribution by bicycle, pushcart, hand-carry and even donkey-cart. This distribution method is called manual distribution and has been adopted by many organizations all over the world (Maritz Jaco 2010). Manual distribution method was even adopted by an innovative non-profit named Colalife. This organization distributes medicine all over the continent of Africa. Summary Coca-Cola took a gamble in making the decision to enter Africa. This gamble has paid off, because Coca-Cola is now one of the largest organizations in Africa and sees growth profits. References: Maritz, Jaco (2010), â€Å"Report: Doing Business in Africa, the Coca-Cola way† http://www.howwemadeitinafrica.com/doing-business-in-africa-the-coca-cola-way/2433/. Date accessed May 17, 2013. Steakley, Lia (2013), â€Å"Using the Coca-Cola supplier network to distribute medicines in Africa,† http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2013/04/26/using-the-coca-cola-supplier-network-to-distribute-medicines-in-africa/. Date accessed May 17, 2013 Cheverri, Natalia (2012) â€Å"Coca-Cola in Africa,† http://www.thepolisblog.org/2012/03/coca-cola-in-africa.html

Lean Six Sigma in Hrm

1 Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry Alessandro Laureani University of Strathclyde United Kingdom 1. Introduction The business improvement methodology known as Lean Six Sigma is rooted in the manufacturing industry, where it developed over the past few decades, reaching widespread adoption worldwide.However, according to the World Economic Outlook Database, published in April 2011, by the International Monetary Fund (IMF, 2011), the distribution of PPP (Purchase Power Parity) GDP, in 2010, among various industry sectors in the main worldwide economies, reflected a decline in the industrial sector, with the service sector now representing three-quarters of the US economy and more than half of the European economies. PPP GDP 2010 Agriculture Industry Service European Union 5. 7% 30. 7% 63. 6% United States 1. 2% 22. 2% 76. 7% China . 6% 46. 8% 43. 6% India 16. 1% 28. 6% 55. 3% Table 1. PPP GDP Sector Comparison 2010. In light of the increasing importance of the service sector, the objective of this chapter is to discuss whether the business improvement methodology known as Lean Six Sigma is applicable to the service industry as well, and illustrate some case study applications. 2. What is Lean Six Sigma? Lean Six Sigma is a business improvement methodology that aims to maximize shareholders’ value by improving quality, speed, customer satisfaction, and costs.It achieves this by merging tools and principles from both Lean and Six Sigma. It has been widely adopted widely in manufacturing and service industries, and its success in some famous organizations (e. g. GE and Motorola) has created a copycat phenomenon, with many organizations across the world willing to replicate the success. www. intechopen. com 4 Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management Lean and Six Sigma have followed independent paths since the 1980s, when the terms were first hard-coded and defined.  Control Key and Word – Text and Graphics.The first applications of Lean w ere recorded in the Michigan plants of Ford in 1913, and were then developed to perfection in Japan (within the Toyota Production System), while Six Sigma saw the light in the United States (within the Motorola Research Centre). Lean is a process-improvement methodology, used to deliver products and services better, faster, and at a lower cost. Womack and Jones (1996) defined it as: †¦ a way to specify value, line up value-creating actions in the best sequence, conduct those activities without interruption whenever someone requests them, and perform them more and more effectively.In short, lean thinking is lean because it provides a way to do more and more with less and less—less human effort, less human equipment, less time, and less space—while coming closer and closer to providing customers with exactly what they want. (Womack and Jones, 1996:p. ) Six Sigma is a data-driven process improvement methodology used to achieve stable and predictable process results, reducing process variation and defects. Snee (1999) defined it as: ‘a business strategy that seeks to identify and eliminate causes of errors or defects or failures in business processes by focusing on outputs that are critical to customers’.While both Lean and Six Sigma have been used for many years, they were not integrated until the late 1990s and early 2000s (George, 2002; George, 2003). Today, Lean Six Sigma is recognized as: ‘a business strategy and methodology that increases process performance resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and improved bottom line results’ (Snee, 2010). Lean Six Sigma uses tools from both toolboxes, in order to get the best from the two methodologies, increasing speed while also increasing accuracy. The benefits of Lean SixSigma in the industrial world (both in manufacturing and services) have been highlighted extensively in the literature and include the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Ensuring services/products conform to what the customer needs (‘voice of the customer’). Removing non-value adding steps (waste) in critical business processes. Reducing the cost of poor quality. Reducing the incidence of defective products/transactions. Shortening the cycle time. Delivering the correct product/service at the right time in the right place. Antony, 2005a; Antony, 2005b) Examples of real benefits in various sectors are illustrated in Table 2. One of the key aspects differentiating Lean Six Sigma from previous quality initiatives is the organization and structure of the quality implementation functions. In quality initiatives prior to Lean Six Sigma, the management of quality was relegated largely to the production floor and/or, in larger organizations, to some statisticians in the quality department.Instead, Lean Six Sigma introduces a formal organizational infrastructure for different quality implementation roles, borrowing terminology from the world of martial arts to define hierarchy an d career paths (Snee, 2004; Antony, Kumar & Madu, 2005c; Antony, Kumar & Tiwarid, 2005d; Pande, Neuman & Cavanagh, 2000; Harry & Schroeder, 1999; Adams, Gupta & Wilson, 2003). www. intechopen. com Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry 5 Table 2. Benefits of Six Sigma in Service Organizations (Antony, Kumar & Cho, 2007). 3. Lean Six Sigma and the service industryThe service industry has its own special characteristics, which differentiate it from manufacturing and make it harder to apply Lean Six Sigma tools, which can be summarized in the following main areas (Kotler, 1997; Regan 1963; Zeithmal, Parasur and Berry 1985): Intangibility: Although services can be consumed and perceived, they cannot be measured easily and objectively, like manufacturing products. An objective measurement is a critical aspect of Six Sigma, which requires data-driven decisions to eliminate defects and reduce variation.The lack of objective metrics is usually addressed in service organizations through the use of proxy metrics (e. g. customer survey). Perishability: Services cannot be inventoried, but are instead delivered simultaneously in response to the demand for them. As a consequence, services processes contain far too much ‘work-in-process’ and work can spend more than 90% of its time waiting to be executed (George, 2003). Inseparability: Delivery and consumption of service is simultaneous.This adds complexity to service processes, unknown to manufacturing. Having customers waiting in line or on the phone involves some emotional management, not present in a manufacturing process. Variability: Each service is a unique event dependent on so many changing conditions, which cannot be reproduced exactly. As a result of this, the variability in service processes is much higher than in manufacturing processes, leading to very different customer experiences. www. intechopen. com 6 Advanced Topics in Applied Operations ManagementOwing to these inherent differences, it has b een harder for service organizations, such as financial companies, health-care providers, retail and hospitality organizations, to apply Lean Six Sigma to their own reality. However, there are also great opportunities in the service organizations (George 2003): – – Empirical data has shown the cost of services are inflated by 30–80% of waste. Service functions have little or no history of using data to make decisions. It is often difficult to retrieve data and many key decision-makers may not be as ‘numerically literate’ as some of their manufacturing counterparts.Approximately 30–50% of the cost in a service organization is caused by costs related to slow speed, or carrying out work again to satisfy customer needs. In the last few years, successful applications in service organizations have come to fruition and we will illustrate three possible applications: in a call centre, in human resources, and finally in a healthcare provider. 4. Case study 1: Lean Six Sigma in a call centre (Laureani et al, 2010a) The two major types of call centres are outbound centres and inbound centres. The most common are inbound call centre operations.Almost everyone in their daily life has had to call one of those centres for a variety of reasons. Outbound centres are used more in areas such as marketing, sales and credit collection. In these instances, it is the call centre operators who establish contact with the user. Although there are some differences between outbound and inbound call centres, they each have certain potential benefits and challenges, with regard to the implementation of Lean Six Sigma. Benefits Some of the benefits that Lean Six Sigma can deliver in a call centre are (Jacowski, 2008; Gettys, 2009): . 2. 3. 4. 5. Streamlining the operations of the call centre: Lean strategy helps in eliminating waste and other non-value added activities from the process. Decreasing the number of lost calls: Six Sigma’s root-cau se analysis and hypothesistesting techniques can assist in determining how much time to spend on different type of calls, thus providing a guide to the operators. Better use of resources (both human resources and technology), thus leading to a reduction in the cost of running such centres.Unveiling the ‘hidden factory’: establishing the root causes of why customers call in the first place can help in uncovering trouble further along the process, providing benefits that go further than the call centre itself, improving customer service and support. Reducing employee turnover: call centres are usually characterized by high employee turnover, owing to the highly stressful work environment. A more streamlined operation would assist in reducing operators’ stress, particularly in an inbound centre. ChallengesSpecific challenges of applying Lean Six Sigma in a call centre environment (Piercy & Rich, 2009): www. intechopen. com 7 Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry 1. 2. 3. The relentless pace of the activity (often 24/7) makes it more difficult for key staff to find the time to become involved in projects and Lean Six Sigma training. The realization of an appropriate measurement system analysis (MSA) (Wheeler & Lyday, 1990) is difficult because of the inherent subjectivity and interpretation of some call types, failing reproducibility tests of different call centre operators.High employee turnover, that normally characterizes call centres, makes it more difficult for the programme to remain in the organization. Strengths Weaknesses ? ? Root cause analysis can determine major reasons for customers’ calls, helping to unveil problems further along the value stream map of the company Lean Six Sigma deployment requires significant investment in training, that may be difficult from a time perspective in a fastpaced environment such as a call centre Opportunities Threats ? ? ? ? ? Decrease number of lost calls Reduce waiting time for calls in t he queue Improve employee productivity (i. . number of calls dealt with by the hour) ? Lack of metrics Lack of support from process owner Preconceived ideas Table 3. SWOT Analysis for the Use of Lean Six Sigma in a Call Centre. Overall, the opportunities far outweigh the challenges. Call centres nowadays are more than just operations: they are the first, and sometimes a unique, point of contact that a company may have with its customers. Their efficient and effective running, and their timely resolution of customers’ queries, all go a long way to establishing the company’s brand and image. Project selection is a critical component of success.Not all projects may be suitable candidates for the application of Lean Six Sigma, and this needs to be kept in mind in assessing the operation of a call centre. Also, different tools and techniques may be more suited to a specific project, depending on the nature and characteristics of the process it is trying to address. Projects that better lend themselves to Lean Six Sigma share, inter alia, the following characteristics: ? The focus of the project is on a process that is either not in statistical control (unstable) or outside customer specifications (incapable).As already mentioned in the introduction, Six Sigma techniques focus on reducing the variation in a process, making them the ideal tools for tackling an incapable but stable process, whereas Lean tools focus more on the elimination of waste and would be the first port of call for streamlining an unstable process. Priority should be given to unstable processes, using Lean tools to eliminate the waste and simplify the process. Once it has stabilized, more advanced statistical tools from the Six Sigma toolbox, can be used to reduce variation and make the process capable. ww. intechopen. com 8 ? ? ? Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management The root reason(s) for this has not been identified yet. It is important to start work on the project wit h an open mind and without any prejudice. Data and hard facts should guide the project along its path. Quantitative metrics of the process are available. A lack of measures and failing to realize a complete measurement system analysis (MSA) (Wheeler & Lyday, 1990) can seriously jeopardize any improvement effort. The process owner is supportive and willing to provide data and resources.This is critical for the ongoing success of the project; the process owner’s role is discussed in detail in the Control Phase section. Potential areas of focus for Six Sigma projects in call centres (Gettys, 2009): ? ? ? ? Lost call ratio out of total calls for an inbound call centre; Customer waiting/holding times for an inbound call centre; First-call resolution; Calls back inflating call volumes. Call centres are increasingly important for many businesses and are struggling consistently with the pressure of delivering a better service at a lower cost.Lean Six Sigma can improve the operation o f a call centre through an increase in first-call resolution (that reduces the failure created by failing to answer the query in the first place), a reduction in call centre operator turnover (leveraging on training and experience), and streamlining the underlying processes, eliminating unnecessary operations. Given the large scale of many call-centre operations, even a relatively small improvement in the sigma value of the process can dramatically reduce the defect rate, increase customer satisfaction and deliver financial benefits to the bottom line (Rosenberg, 2005).By focusing on eliminating waste, identifying the real value-adding activities and using the DMAIC tools for problem-solving, it is possible to achieve significant improvements in the cost and customer service provided (Swank, 2003). 5. Case study 2: Lean Six Sigma in HR administration (Laureani & Antony, 2010b) In the late 1980s, when Motorola implemented Six Sigma originally, obtaining astonishing results, the compa ny was then faced with the dilemma of how to reward its employees for these successes (Gupta, 2005).This was the first time Six Sigma and HR practices came into contact, and a more accurate definition of HR practices was needed. If, in the past, the term HR was related only to administrative functions (e. g. payroll, timekeeping, etc. ), the term has increased substantially, in the last few decades, to include the acquisition and application of skills and strategies to maximize the return on investment from an organization’s human capital (Milmore et al, 2007). HR management is the strategic approach to the management of all people that contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the business (Armstrong, 2006).As such it includes, but it is not limited to, personnel administration. In effect it includes all steps where an employee and an organization come into contact, with the potential of adding value to the organization (Ulrich, 1996). www. intechopen. com Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry 9 As such, and merging terminology from Lean and HR, we define the following seven points as the Human Capital Value Stream Map: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Attraction Selection Orientation (or induction) Reward Development Management Separation Fig. 1. Human Capital Value Stream Map.The Human Capital Value Stream Map is a Lean technique that identifies the flow of information or material required in delivering a product or service to a customer (Womack & Jones, 1996). Human capital is the accumulated skills and experience of the human force in an organization (Becker, 1993). The Human Capital Value Stream Map is the flow of human capital required for an organization to deliver its products or service to customers; the objectives of which are briefly described below: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Attract: to establish a proper employer’s brand that attracts the right calibre of individual.Select: to select the best possible candidate for the job. Orient: to ensure new employees are properly trained and integrated into the organization. Reward: to ensure compensation packages are appropriate and in line with the market. Develop: to distinguish talent and ensure career progression. Manage: to supervise and administer the day-to-day jobs. Separation: to track reasons for voluntary leavers and maintain a constructive relationship. It is possible to apply Lean Six Sigma tools to each step of the Human Capital Value Stream Map, in order to eliminate waste in the HR process Wyper & Harrison, 2000). For each step in the Human Capital Value Stream Map it is necessary to establish proper quantitative metrics that allow objective assessment and control of the process step (Sullivan, 2003). This makes use of the more quantitative statistical tools from the Six Sigma toolbox possible. Establishing HR metrics can be controversial, with different parts of the organization having different objectives (Jamrog & Overholt, 2005), but the answer to these simple ques tions may help to focus on the real value each step can provide. 1. 2. 3.What is the expected deliverable of the step? What are the relevant metrics and key performance indicators of the step? What are the opportunities for defects in the step? www. intechopen. com 10 Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management For recruitment, for example, the answers to the above questions may be as follows. 1. 2. 3. Hire, in the shortest possible time, new members of staff to fulfil a certain job. The number of days to fill a vacancy (also define the acceptable norm for the organization). Any job remaining vacant for longer than the acceptable norm.Similar thought processes can be performed for other steps: having set metrics for each step of the Human Capital Value Stream Map, an organization is now in the position to apply Six Sigma DMAIC to it. Six Sigma can be used to improve administrative processes, such as HR processes. Implementing the Six Sigma DMAIC breakthrough methodology in HR f ollows the same path as implementing it in any other part of the organization. However, there are some specific key learning points and challenges for the HR area, such as: ? ? ?Difficulty in establishing an appropriate measurement system analysis and metrics; Data collection can be extremely difficult, as the project team is dealing with very sensitive issues; and Difficulty in performing any pilot or design of experiment. Any of these is going to impact on the behaviour of staff, making it difficult to measure its results accurately. As a result, projects may last longer than the standard four to six months and the wider use of tools such as brainstorming and ‘Kaizen’ workshops with domain experts may be necessary (Lee et al, 2008).Examples of potential Six Sigma projects in the HR function are: ? ? ? ? ? ? reduction of employees’ turnover reduction in time and cost to hire a new employee reduction in training costs reduction in cost of managing employeesâ€⠄¢ separation reduction in administrative defects (payroll, benefits, sick pay, etc. ) reduction in queries from the employee population to the HR department. Every area of an organization needs to perform better, faster and more cheaply, to keep the company ahead of the competition, and be able to satisfy ever-increasing customer expectations.HR is no exception: more cost-effective and streamlined HR processes will create value for the organization, instead of just being a support act for management (Gupta, 2005). 6. Case study 3: Lean Six Sigma in health-care delivery Health care is a complex business, having to balance continuously the need for medical care and attention to financial data. It offers pocket of excellence, with outstanding advances in technology and treatment, together with inefficiencies and errors (Taner et al, 2007). Everywhere in the world, the financial pressures on health care have increased steadily in the last decade.While an ageing population and technolog ical investments are often cited as culprits for these financial pressures, unnecessary operational inefficiency is another source www. intechopen. com Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry 11 of cost increases, largely under the control of health-care professionals (de Koning et al, 2006). Lean Six Sigma projects so far in the health-care literature have focused on direct care delivery, administrative support and financial administration (Antony et al, 2006), with projects executed in the following processes (Taner et al, 2007): ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? increasing capacity in X-ray rooms reducing avoidable emergency admissions improving day case performance improving accuracy of clinical coding improving patient satisfaction in Accident and Emergency (A&E) reducing turn-around time in preparing medical reports reducing bottle necks in emergency departments reducing cycle time in various inpatient and outpatient diagnostic areas reducing number of m edical errors and hence enhancing patient safety reducing patient falls reducing errors from high-risk medication educing medication ordering and administration errors improving active management of personnel costs increasing productivity of health-care personnel increasing accuracy of laboratory results increasing accuracy of billing processes and thereby reducing the number of billing errors improving bed availability across various departments in hospitals reducing number of postoperative wound infections and related problems improving MRI exam scheduling reducing lost MRI films improving turn-around time for pharmacy orders improving nurse or pharmacy technician recruitment mproving operating theatre throughput increasing surgical capacity reducing length of stay in A&E reducing A&E diversions improving revenue cycle reducing inventory levels improving patient registration accuracy improving employee retention The focus has been on the improvement of clinical processes to identi fy and eliminate waste from the patient pathways, to enable staff to examine their own workplace, and to increase quality, safety and efficiency in processes (e. g. Fillingham, 2007; Silvester et al, 2004; Radnor and Boaden, 2008).The barriers specific to the deployment of Lean Six Sigma in health care, in addition to the ones commonly present in other industries, are: ? Measurement: it is often difficult to identify processes, which can be measured in terms of defects (Lanham and Maxson-Cooper, 2003). www. intechopen. com 12 ? Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management Psychology of the workforce: in the health-care industry it is particularly important to not use jargonistic business language, as this has a high chance of being rejected or accepted with cynicism by medical professionalsThe application of Lean Six Sigma in health care is still in its early stages. Therefore early successes in simple projects will pave the way for tackling more complicated initiatives in the f uture, initiating a positive circle of improvement, bringing clinical change on a broad scale. Appropriately implemented, Lean Six Sigma can produce benefits in terms of better operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness and higher process quality (Taner et al, 2007), as the case studies presented in this paper illustrate.The spiralling costs of health care means that unless health-care processes become more efficient, a decreasing proportion of citizens in industrialized societies will be able to afford high-quality health care (de Koning et al, 2006). Continuous process improvement is needed to ensure health-care processes are efficient, cost-effective and of high quality. The five case study applications we have examined in this paper provide examples of how Lean Six Sigma can help to improve health-care processes.The adoption of similar programs in other hospitals across the health-care sector will help the delivery of high quality health care to an increasing population. 7. Conc lusion Lean Six Sigma is now accepted widely as a business strategy to improve business profitability and achieve service excellence, and its use in service organizations is growing quickly. However, there are a number of barriers to the implementation of Lean Six Sigma in services, such as the innate characteristics of services, as well as the manufacturing origins of Lean Six Sigma that have conditioned service managers to consider them as physical products only.On the other hand, as shown in the case studies, there are a number of advantages for the use of Lean Six Sigma in services (Eisenhower, 1999). Overall, the applications so far have showed the benefits (such as lowering operational costs, improving processes quality, increasing efficiency) to outweigh the costs associated with its implementation. 8. References Adams, C. , Gupta, P. & Wilson, C. (2003) Six Sigma deployment. Burlington, MA, Butterworth-Heinemann. Antony, J. (2005a) Assessing the status of six sigma in the UK service organizations. Proceedings of the Second National Conference on Six Sigma, Wroclaw, pp. -12. Antony, J. (2005b) Six Sigma for service processes. Business Process Management Journal, 12(2), 234-248. Antony, J. , Antony, F. & Taner, T. (2006), The secret of success. Public Service Review: Trade and Industry, 10, 12-14. Antony, J. , Kumar, M. & Cho, B. R. (2007) Six Sigma in services organizations: benefits, challenges and difficulties, common myths, empirical observations success factors. International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, 24(3), 294–311. www. intechopen. com Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry 13 Antony, J. , Kumar, M. & Madu, C. N. 2005) Six Sigma in small and medium sized UK manufacturing enterprises: some empirical observations. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 22(8), 860-874. Antony, J. , Kumar, M. & Tiwari, M. K. (2005) An application of Six Sigma methodology to reduce the engine overheating problem in an automot ive company. IMechE – Part B, 219(B8), 633-646. Armstrong, M. (2006) A handbook of human resource management practice. London, Kogan Page. Becker, G. S. (1993) Human capital: a theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. Chicago, University of Chicago Press. e Koning, H. , Verver, J. P. S. , Van den Heuvel, J. , Bisgaard, S. & Does, R. J. M. M. (2006) Lean Six Sigma in health care. Journal for Healthcare Quality, 28(2), 4-11. Eisenhower, E. C. (1999) The implementation challenges of Six Sigma in service business, International Journal of Applied Quality Management, 2(1), 1-24 Fillingham, D. (2007) ‘Can lean save lives? Leadership in Health Services, 20(4), 231-41. George, M. L. (2003) Lean Six Sigma for service: how to use Lean speed and Six Sigma quality to improve services and transactions. New York, McGraw-Hill. George, M. L. 2002) Lean Six Sigma: combining Six Sigma quality with Lean speed. New York, McGraw-Hill. Gettys, R. (2009) Using Lean Six Sigma to improve Call Centre operations. [Online]Available from: http://finance. isixsigma. com/library/content/c070418a. asp [Accessed 22nd January 2009]. Gupta, P. (2005) Six Sigma in HR, Quality Digest, QCI International. Harry, M. and Schroeder, R. (1999) Six Sigma: The breakthrough management strategy International Monetary Fund (IMF), (2011) World Economic Outlook Database. [Online] Available from: http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/weodata/index. aspx. Accessed 7th August 2011] Jacowski, T. (2008) Maximizing call centre resource utilization with Six Sigma. [Online] Available from: http://ezinearticles. com/? Maximizing-Call-Centre-ResourceUtilization-With-Six-Sigma&id=1014905. [Accessed 22nd January 2009]. Jamrog, J. J. & Overholt, M. H. (2005) The future of HR metrics, Strategic HR Review, 5 (1) 3-3. Kotler, P. (1997) Analysis, planning ,implementation and control, 9th ed. Prentice-Hall. Lanham, B. & Maxson-Cooper, P. (2003) Is Six Sigma the answer fo r nursing to reduce medical errors? , Nursing Economics, 21(1), 39-41. Laureani, A. & Antony, J. 2010) Reducing employees’ turnover in transactional services: a Lean Six Sigma case study, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59(7), 688-700 Laureani, A. , Antony, J. & Douglas, A. (2010) Lean Six Sigma in a call centre: a case study, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 59(8), 757-768 Lee, Y. , Chen, L. & Chen, S. (2008) Application of Six Sigma methodology in human resources to reduce employee turnover rate: a case company of the TFT-LCD industry in Taiwan. International Journal of Operations and Quantitative Management, 14 (2), 117-128.Milmore, M. et al, (2007) Strategic human resource management: contemporary issues. Prentice Hall/Financial Times. www. intechopen. com 14 Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management Pande, P. , Neuman, R. & Cavanagh, R. (2000) The Six Sigma way: how GE, Motorola and other top compa nies are honing their performance. New York, McGraw-Hill. Piercy, N. & Rich, N. (2009) Lean transformation in the pure service environment: the case of the call centre. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 29 (1), 54-76. Radnor, Z. & Boaden, R. (2008) Editorial: does Lean enhance public services? Public Money and Management, 28(1), 3-6. Regan, W. J. (1963) The Service Revolution, Journal of Marketing, 47, 57-62 Rosenberg, A. (2005) Six Sigma: the myth, the mystery, the magic: can Six Sigma really make an impact in your call centre? [Online] Available from http://www. callcentremagazine. com/shared/article/showArticle. jhtml? articleId= 59301130 [Accessed 22nd January 2009]. Silvester, K. , Lendon, R. , Bevan, H. , Steyn, R. & Walley, P. (2004) Reducing waiting times in the NHS: is lack of capacity the problem? Clinician in Management, 12(3), 105-11. Snee, R. D. 2010) Lean Six Sigma: getting better all the time, International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 1(1), 9 –29. Snee, R. D. (2004) Six Sigma: the evolution of 100 years of business improvement methodology. International Journal of Six Sigma and Competitive Advantage, 1(1), 4–20. Snee, R. D. (1999) Why should statisticians pay attention to Six Sigma? Quality Progress, 32(9), 100–103. Sullivan, J. (2003) HR metrics the world class way, Kennedy Information. Swank, C. (2003) The Lean service machine. Harvard Business Review, October, 123-129. Taner, M. T. , Sezen, B. & Antony, J. 2007) An overview of Six Sigma applications in the health-care industry. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 20(4), 329-340 Ulrich, D. (1996) Human resource champions. The next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Boston, Harvard Business School Press. Wheeler, D. J. & Lyday, R. W. (1990) Evaluating the measurement process. 2nd ed. SPC Press. Womack, J. P. & Jones, D. T. (1996) Lean thinking. New York, Simon & Schuster. Wyper, B. & Harrison, A. (2000) Deployment of Six Sigma methodology in human resource function: a case study. Total Quality Management, 11, (4/5/6), 720-727. Zeithaml, V.A. , Parasuraman, A. & Berry, L. L. (1985), Problems and strategies in services marketing, Journal of Marketing, 49 (Spring), 33-46. www. intechopen. com Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management Edited by Mr. Yair Holtzman ISBN 978-953-51-0345-5 Hard cover, 200 pages Publisher InTech Published online 16, March, 2012 Published in print edition March, 2012 The chapters in Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management creatively demonstrate a valuable connection among operations strategy, operations management, operations research, and various departments, systems, and practices throughout an organization.The authors show how mathematical tools and process improvements can be applied effectively in unique measures to other functions. The book provides examples that illustrate the challenges confronting firms competing in today's demanding environment b ridging the gap between theory and practice by analyzing real situations. How to reference In order to correctly reference this scholarly work, feel free to copy and paste the following: Alessandro Laureani (2012). Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry, Advanced Topics in Applied Operations Management, Mr.Yair Holtzman (Ed. ), ISBN: 978-953-51-0345-5, InTech, Available from: http://www. intechopen. com/books/advanced-topics-in-applied-operations-managem ent/lean-six-sigma-in-theservice-industry InTech Europe University Campus STeP Ri Slavka Krautzeka 83/A 51000 Rijeka, Croatia Phone: +385 (51) 770 447 Fax: +385 (51) 686 166 www. intechopen. com InTech China Unit 405, Office Block, Hotel Equatorial Shanghai No. 65, Yan An Road (West), Shanghai, 200040, China Phone: +86-21-62489820 Fax: +86-21-62489821

My Ophidiophobia Essay Essay Example

My Ophidiophobia Essay Essay Example My Ophidiophobia Essay Essay My Ophidiophobia Essay Essay I don’t think that I’ve neer had a clip in my life when I was non afraid of serpents. To me there is nil more freighting than this creep. scaly. unblinking reptilian that adult male has abhorred since the beginning of clip. The subfield that is chiefly connected with phobic disorder is psychoanalytical psychological science. behavioural psychological science and physiological psychology. Harmonizing to our text. Psychoanalysis is a method of therapy based on Freud’s theory of personality. in which the healer efforts to convey pent-up unconscious stuff into consciousness ( Baron A ; Kalsher. 2008 ) . Behavioral psychological science is a school of psychological science that clarifies all mental and bodily activity in footings of reaction by secretory organs and musculuss to external factors ( stimulation ) . Neuropsychology surveies the construction and intent of the encephalon as they transmit to fixed emotional procedures and behaviours. It is seen as a clinical and experimental field of psychological science that aims to analyze. buttocks. understand and dainty behaviours straight related to encephalon operation. The intent of this paper is to discourse how biological bases of behaviour have contributed to this fright. I besides will analyse my reactions when I came into contact with the physical presence of a bogus reptilian. And. eventually. discourse the function that larning has had on the fact that I fear and hate serpents. Our text provinces that anxiousness is an increased rousing accompanied by generalised feeling of fright or apprehensiveness. When this fright becomes inordinate or enfeebling. this is known as a phobic disorder. Findingss by Ohman and Mineska have suggested that we may possess a biologically determined faculty in our encephalons for fright of serpents because this fright is good for our endurance ( Ohman A ; Mineska. 2001 ) . The inquiry has been asked. what are the beginnings of phobic disorder? One possibility involves the procedure of classical conditioning. A stimulation is introduced that was non supposed to arouse strong emotional reactions. in my instance came to make so. I will discourse this in my physical reaction subdivision. It could be surmised that worlds learned to fear serpents early in their development and the 1s who distinguished the being of serpents really quickly would hold been more likely to go through on their cistrons. It is painful to analyse my reactions to serpents because. even thing about them make it really hard to type. I truly have a deep fright of them. The most awful experience that I remember is a really barbarous gag that my cousin played on me. He knew I was afraid of serpents but one twenty-four hours I was over his house and he called me into his room because he was hearing sounds. I walked in his room and he had a fantastic devise hidden in his room and I heard it but did non tie in it to a rattler because there was no ground for one of them to be in the room. He reached under his bed a pulled out a realistic reproduction of a Crotalus adamanteus rattlesnake and I instantly urinated all over myself while frozen in fright. When he saw what I had done. He abundantly apologized he assist me clean up the muss that I had made. Since this incident I feel that I have post-traumatic emphasis upset because sometimes a dream about serpents for no ground. I refused to watch the move Anaconda and neer have been in the serpent house at the public menagerie. The impact of foundational larning about my fright of serpents helps to give me an apprehension of some of the grounds why I hate serpents so much without neer truly coming in contact with any deathly one in my whole being. I have learned the beginnings of my phobic disorder may come from some profoundly frozen repressions deep in my encephalon and that serpents may stand for something other than the physical animal that I detest and utterly apprehension. Harmonizing to this theory. my phobic disorder may be based in anxiousness reactions of the Idaho that have been repressed by the self-importance. The presently feared object is non the original topic of the fright. Besides. harmonizing to larning theories. phobic disorders develop when fright responses are reinforced or punished. My experience with my cousin reinforced the thought that serpents are to be terrified of. The medical theoretical accounts of psychological science provinces that mental upsets are caused by physiological factors Neuropsychologists have acknowledged that certain familial factors that may play a function in the progress of phobic disorder. Although the probe is still in its early phases. it is recognized that certain medical specialties that affect the brain’s interaction are helpful in handling phobic disorder ( Ohman. Flykt. A ; Estevez. 2001 ) . In decision. at that place seems to be legion options available for me to seek aid if I decide to turn to my ophidiophobia. If one takes the psychoanalytical attack. if may take old ages of depth psychology to dig deep into the deferrals of my encephalon and draw out pent-up memories that were the foundation of my fright of serpents. Following. from a erudite behaviour attack. I may be re-programmed non to see the triggers that lead to the enfeebling feeling that I have when I come in close propinquity of serpents. Finally. if neuropsychology holds the reply to my job. I may take the path of taking experimental medicine to find it helps my fright. I think that I am more afraid of experimental drugs than I am of serpents. so. if I had the resources. I would likely take the first two options.

Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education

Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education The 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education ended with a Supreme Court decision that helped lead to the desegregation of schools throughout America. Prior to the ruling, African-American children in Topeka, Kansas were denied access to all-white schools due to laws allowing for separate but equal facilities. The idea of separate but equal was given legal standing with the 1896  Supreme Court  ruling in  Plessy v. Ferguson. This doctrine required that any separate facilities had to be of equal quality. However, the plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education successfully argued that segregation was inherently unequal.   Case Background In the early 1950s, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) brought class action lawsuits against school districts in several states, seeking court orders that would require the districts to allow black children to attend white schools. One of these suits was filed against the board of education in Topeka, Kansas, on behalf of Oliver Brown, a parent of a child who was denied access to white schools in the Topeka school district. The original case was tried in a district court and was defeated on the grounds that the black schools and white schools were sufficiently equal and therefore segregated schooling in the district was protected under the Plessy decision. The case was then heard by the Supreme Court in 1954, along with other similar cases from around the country, and it became known as Brown v. Board of Education. The chief council for the plaintiffs was Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first black Justice appointed to the Supreme Court. Brown’s Argument The lower court that ruled against Brown focused on comparisons of basic facilities offered in both the black and white schools of the Topeka school district. By contrast, the Supreme Court case involved a much more in-depth analysis, looking at the effects that the different environments had on the students. The Court determined that segregation led to lowered self-esteem and a lack of confidence that could affect a child’s ability to learn. It found that  separating students by race sent the message to black students that they were inferior to white students and therefore schools serving each race separately could never be equal.   The Significance ofBrown v. Board of Education The  Brown  decision was truly significant because it overturned the separate but equal doctrine established by the Plessy decision. While previously the 13th Amendment to the  Constitution  was interpreted so that equality before the law could be met through segregated facilities, with  Brown  this was no longer true. The  14th Amendment  guarantees equal protection under the law, and the Court ruled that separate facilities based on race were ipso facto unequal. Compelling Evidence One piece of evidence that greatly influenced the Supreme Court decision was based on research  performed by two educational psychologists, Kenneth, and Mamie Clark. The Clarks presented children as young as 3 years old with white and brown dolls. They found that overall the children rejected the brown dolls when asked to pick which dolls they liked the best, wanted to play with, and thought were a nice color. This underlined the inherent inequality of a separate educational system based on race.

How To Make A Telemarketing Complaint

How To Make A Telemarketing Complaint    The Federal Communication Commission has released specific steps consumers should take if they have put their phone numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry and are called by telemarketers on or after October 1, 2003. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) share responsibility for enforcing the National Do-Not-Call list.   If You are Called by Telemarketers, You Can Do the Following If you have registered your telephone number on the National Do-Not-Call list, tell the telemarketer that you are on the list. Make a note of the time and date of the call, and the identity of the telemarketer for your records. You will need this information if you elect to file a complaint; OR If you are not registered on the National Do-Not-Call list, you can still instruct the telemarketer to place you on its company-specific do-not-call list if you do not want to receive further calls from that company. For your own reference, make a note of the date and time you asked to be put on the company-specific list. Having this information may be helpful if you get called again by the same company and wish to file a complaint with the FCC; OR Explore whether your state has its own do-not-call list. Contact your State Attorney General or State office that administers the list for more information. Filing a Complaint The FCC and the FTC will both accept complaints and share information, so consumers may file complaints with either agency. In addition to complaints alleging violations of the do-not-call list, you may also file a complaint against a telemarketer who is calling for a commercial purpose (e.g., not charitable organizations). The telemarketer calls before 8 AM or after 9 PM; OR The telemarketer leaves a message, but fails to leave a phone number that you can call to sign up for their company specific do-not-call list; OR You receive a telemarketing call from an organization whom you have previously requested not call you; OR The telemarketing firm fails to identify itself; OR You receive a pre-recorded commercial message or robocall from someone with whom you do not have an established business relationship and to whom you havent given permission to call you. (Most pre-recorded commercial messages are unlawful, even if no do-not-call request has been made). How to File a Complaint For consumers who registered their numbers before September 1, 2003, those registrations have taken effect, and consumers may file a complaint at any time if they receive telemarketing calls. For those consumers who registered their telephone numbers after August 31, 2003, the registration takes 90 days to become effective, so those consumers can complain about calls that they receive three months or more after their registration. Complaints should be filed online on the FCCs Telemarketing Complaints web page. Your Complaint Should Include name, address, and telephone number where you can be reached during the business day; the telephone number involved with the complaint; and as much specific information as possible, including the identity of the telemarketer or company contacting you, the date on which you put your number on the national Do-Not-Call registry or made a company-specific do-not-call request, and the date(s) of any subsequent telemarketing call(s) from that telemarketer or company. If mailing a complaint, send it to: Federal Communications Commission Consumer Governmental Affairs Bureau Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division 445 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20554 Consumer Private Right of Action In addition to filing a complaint with the FCC or FTC, consumers may explore the possibility of filing an action in a state court. Preventing Unwanted Calls In the First Place Filing a complaint after the fact can help, there are steps consumers can take to at least reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing phone calls they receive. According to the FTC, adding a phone number to the more than 217 million numbers already on the Do Not Call Registry should stop â€Å"most† unwanted sales calls. The Telemarketing Sales Law allows political calls, calls from charitable organizations, informational calls, calls about debts owed, and phone surveys or polls, as well as calls from companies consumer  has done business with in the past or given permission to call them. What about â€Å"robocalls† - automated recorded messages pitching a product or service? The  FTC warns that most of them are scams. Consumers who get robocalls should never press phone buttons to â€Å"request to speak to someone or be taken off the call list.† Not only will they not get to speak to someone, they will just end up getting more unwanted calls. Instead, consumers should simply hang up and report details of the call to the Federal Trade Commission online or call the  FTC at 1-888-382-1222.

THE RHETORICAL SITUATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

THE RHETORICAL SITUATION - Essay Example ance with the author of the piece under consideration, the main reason why students fail at learning English is associated with their teachers’ inability to get their knowledge of the language across because of their incompetence as well as outmoded approach to teaching English. At the same time, the author claims the situation is improving, even though the changes take place randomly and do not promise immediate results. Throughout the article, the author uses Aristotelian type of argument. First, he makes an argument that many counties fail at teaching English and then uses a range of examples, mostly statistical data, to persuade the audience and confirm the position. Therefore, the major technique to reach the audience, which is used by the author, is the appeal to reasoning. In particular, it is inductive reasoning that is utilized: the author starts with an example of the specific case and then passes on to broad

Benefits of a Private School Education Research Paper

Benefits of a Private School Education - Research Paper Example According to the research paper "Benefits of a Private School Education" findings, many public schools which are located in affluent areas can be just as focused and just as well funded as private schools; it is in the urban areas where the most differences can be seen. Private schools also generally have fewer incidences of drugs, dropouts, and violence, most possibly due to the increased level of commitment of parents who send their children to private schools to have every advantage. Private schools have far fewer disciplinary issues to contend with, and the number play a very significant role. With fewer students, there are going to be fewer problems, but there are other reasons as well. Since private schools are not required to accept students or retain them, they can simply expel disruptive students. Only those unerringly meeting their standards both academically and behaviorally are benefited to stay. Public schools are not as privileged since public education is considered an entitlement. Further, since parents are aware that they pay for their children’s tuition, then they also play a part in making their children behave and do school work. Students in private schools are more focused on particular projects and school activities because of the diversity in the curriculum and so they tend to become well-balanced individuals. There are far fewer reports of drug abuse and violence per student in private schools. Public schools also tend to deal with students as a whole, rather that on an individual basis.

Electronic Commerce (Frank Sissons LTD) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Electronic Commerce (Frank Sissons LTD) - Essay Example At Franke-Sissons Ltd, the company has fully integrated internet technologies as a business strategy by adding the latest ICT architecture to develop a full-fledged website that has an online E-commerce facility enabling online transactions and marketing facilities. The Franke-Sissons Ltd website has also started an online order tracking system that enables clients keep abreast of the movement of their purchases (Franke Sissons, 2009). Franke Sissons Ltd is a UK based European stainless steel sanitary and catering equipment manufacturer. It was started in Sheffield, UK in 1784 as the W & G Sissons Ltd dealing exclusively in sanitary equipment [see Appendix Figure:7]; it merged with Swiss Franke WSS family group in 2002 to becoming Franke Sissons Ltd (2007) adding catering ware to its catalogue [see Appendix Figure:8]. The company employs over 100 staff with most of them engaged within the production division the firm specialising in complimentary sanitary and catering products that are retailed internationally (Franke Sissons, 2009). The term E-commerce has been simply defined as ‘doing business electronically’ (Timmers, 1998). Andam (2005) however defines electronic commerce as ‘The transformation of an organization’s processes to deliver additional customer value through the application of technologies, philosophies and computing paradigm of the new economy’ (Pg. 7). Andam (2005, Pg.5) argues that electronic commerce has levelled the playing field in marketing for goods and services whereby with skilful careful approach, small and medium scale enterprises are able to compete efficiently with the larger more established enterprises. According to a Forrester Research estimate, global e-commerce trade for 2008 stood at $204 billion with a projected growth of up to $335 billion by 2012 [see Appendix Figure: 6]. Within

Life of Taking Risks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Life of Taking Risks - Essay Example In a real sense, risk-taking may provide an excellent opportunity for changing a life. Many successful stories of businesspersons, for example, tell how a significant risk is, to the overall prosperity. Therefore, it is crucial to understand, the benefits of taking a risk, when to take the risk, how, or even the challenges of taking a risk, as this paper will try to illustrate. By nature, the risk is scary and sends fear in many people. It exposes a person to uncertainties since it is difficult to tell what the results may be. On the other hand, equals a walk into unpredictable vastness where anything can happen, even the loss of life. There are many scenarios in life that involve risk-taking. While others are explicit, some simple, daily life things are hard to notice. When a person laughs, that person risks the perception to be a fool. When a person exposes his or her feelings, there is the risk of exposing the true self. Loving a person, on the other hand, is a risk since it is no t necessary to get love in return. Ultimately, living in this world is risking death. All these examples are primarily, meant to illustrate the sheer fact that life is full of risks to take. However, the question that should follow is, ‘Should risk be taken?’ Benefits of Risk Taking To get a life of desire, it is imperative to take positive risks. It is also equally beneficial to plan on how to take those risks. Negative risks are typically impulsive and driven by emotions. Before making a positive risk, it is necessary to take time to weigh events of risk-taking and its significance. The series of thoughtful events made before taking a risk act as a cushion from unnecessary and unforeseen repercussions. Firstly, risk-taking gives an opportunity to explore the talents and abilities of a person.  

The current debate and developments in accounting for leases for Essay

The current debate and developments in accounting for leases for lessees - Essay Example This report provides the discussion regarding the reasons behind aforesaid changes in standards. Maintaining focus from the lessee point of view, this report puts together the new proposal for lessees regarding the ‘right to use’ model. Moreover, it will discuss the impact of proposed changes on the companies worldwide using international standards in the preparation of their financial statements. INTRODUCTION Lease is essentially a form of rental agreement where the owner (lessor) receives rentals from lessee. Corresponding to mentioned rentals, lessee gains right to use the assets (EZ Technical, 2009). Lease is a major source of finance for business and to give the correct picture of business, it must provide the source of this important information in the financial statement (Roberts, Weetman, Gordon, 2008). Currently, lease under operating category does not provide this information (Melville, 2011). Therefore, to ensure the financial statements represent lease transa ctions in harmony with commercial essence and not in according to the legal form only, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) proposed new approach to lease accounting (Cotter, 2012). ... Hence, factors determining lease as finance lease are further mentioned below (Kelly and Kelly, 2009): The ownership of the asset is finally transferred to the lessee at the end of agreement term. Risks such as cost of maintenance, obsolescence due to technological advancement etc are all transferred to lessee. Rewards pertaining to right on profit from the usage of asset as well as gaining benefit for its whole useful life are transferred to lessee. The lessee can purchase the asset at a price notably below than its fair value. Or it has right to extend the lease for secondary term at rent considerably below market value. The major portion of useful life or the economic life of assets is accounted in lease term. Usually 75% of asset life is accounted in term. At the time of lease agreement, present value of the minimum lease payments represent the substantial fair value of the leased asset. In case of cancellation of agreement the charges are to be borne by lessee. In the light of t hese factors, agreement can be defined as finance. In case of the lease agreement does not account for the discussed conditions it shall be then regarded as operating lease. PROPOSED STANDARD- EXPOSURE DRAFT ED/2010/9 LEASES International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) on 17 August 2010 published proposal Exposure Draft ED/2010/9 Leases (Hales, Venkataraman, and Wilks, 2012). This draft suggested new approach to lease accounting for lessees and lessor. The new draft suggested replacement of IAS 17 and change in accounting treatment of lease considerably (Eames, 2011). Specific to lessee, ED/2010/9 Leases proposes â€Å"right of use† model where the lessee would

Injustices against Slaves in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Injustices against Slaves in America - Essay Example e ends her speech by saying â€Å"cried out with my mother’s grief† and one repetition of â€Å"ain’t I a woman.† This leaves her audience with a clear image of the violence she faced during slavery. The audience, especially women is able to relate to her suffering more emotionally. Irony is used in her opening remark where she calls her audience â€Å"children.† This refers to the biblical reference to all human beings as God’s children. This is in bid to campaign for equality for all races and gender. She also refers to the first woman in the bible by saying â€Å"if the first woman God ever made.† This calls for unity for all women despite of the race to unite and avoid injustices against blacks. Anaphora is used when he says welcome infidelity! Welcome atheism! Welcome anything! The repetition of the word ‘welcome’ in these phrases signifies the injustices that have been encouraged by religion. The law has gone against the religion it should protect. He finishes the speech with a climax by reciting a poem to give hope to the blacks in America. The poem encourages the slaves by saying that God will bring justice to the country. This justice will liberate them from oppression. Douglass uses sarcasm by referring to the declaration of independence as â€Å"that.† This shows the difference between the free white people and the oppressed black slaves. He uses irony when he refers to America as young. He says â€Å"your nation is so young, seventy six years.† The use of â€Å"your† in the statement shows the difference between the whites and the black slaves. He uses personification by saying â€Å"America is young, and she is still in the impressible stage of her existence.† This gives the country the personality of a woman. According to the declaration of independence... Douglass uses sarcasm by referring to the declaration of independence as â€Å"that.† This shows the difference between the free white people and the oppressed black slaves. He uses irony when he refers to America as young. He says â€Å"your nation is so young, seventy-six years.† The use of â€Å"your† in the statement shows the difference between the whites and the black slaves. He uses personification by saying â€Å"America is young, and she is still in the impressible stage of her existence.† This gives the country the personality of a woman. According to the declaration of independence, â€Å"all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights†. This is ironic since the whites in America had more rights than the blacks. He uses cacophony to refer to the British government for the injustices against the black people in America. He refers to them as blind tyrants that have persisted with injustices since pharaoh and his people drowned in the red sea. Personification is seen when he refers to Washington to live until he has broken the chains of his slaves. Washington had broken the frame of the founders by enslaving others. Rhetoric questions appear when he asks â€Å"what have I to do with your national independence?† he separates himself and other black slaves from the independence of America. According to him, only the whites can celebrate independence. The phrase â€Å"fellow-citizens† has been used in several paragraphs. This repetition refers to all Americans to push for equality for all races in the country.

The current debate and developments in accounting for leases for Essay

The current debate and developments in accounting for leases for lessees - Essay Example This report provides the discussion regarding the reasons behind aforesaid changes in standards. Maintaining focus from the lessee point of view, this report puts together the new proposal for lessees regarding the ‘right to use’ model. Moreover, it will discuss the impact of proposed changes on the companies worldwide using international standards in the preparation of their financial statements. INTRODUCTION Lease is essentially a form of rental agreement where the owner (lessor) receives rentals from lessee. Corresponding to mentioned rentals, lessee gains right to use the assets (EZ Technical, 2009). Lease is a major source of finance for business and to give the correct picture of business, it must provide the source of this important information in the financial statement (Roberts, Weetman, Gordon, 2008). Currently, lease under operating category does not provide this information (Melville, 2011). Therefore, to ensure the financial statements represent lease transa ctions in harmony with commercial essence and not in according to the legal form only, International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) proposed new approach to lease accounting (Cotter, 2012). ... Hence, factors determining lease as finance lease are further mentioned below (Kelly and Kelly, 2009): The ownership of the asset is finally transferred to the lessee at the end of agreement term. Risks such as cost of maintenance, obsolescence due to technological advancement etc are all transferred to lessee. Rewards pertaining to right on profit from the usage of asset as well as gaining benefit for its whole useful life are transferred to lessee. The lessee can purchase the asset at a price notably below than its fair value. Or it has right to extend the lease for secondary term at rent considerably below market value. The major portion of useful life or the economic life of assets is accounted in lease term. Usually 75% of asset life is accounted in term. At the time of lease agreement, present value of the minimum lease payments represent the substantial fair value of the leased asset. In case of cancellation of agreement the charges are to be borne by lessee. In the light of t hese factors, agreement can be defined as finance. In case of the lease agreement does not account for the discussed conditions it shall be then regarded as operating lease. PROPOSED STANDARD- EXPOSURE DRAFT ED/2010/9 LEASES International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) on 17 August 2010 published proposal Exposure Draft ED/2010/9 Leases (Hales, Venkataraman, and Wilks, 2012). This draft suggested new approach to lease accounting for lessees and lessor. The new draft suggested replacement of IAS 17 and change in accounting treatment of lease considerably (Eames, 2011). Specific to lessee, ED/2010/9 Leases proposes â€Å"right of use† model where the lessee would

DISNEYLAND IN QATAR Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

DISNEYLAND IN QATAR - Case Study Example Market segmentation and target market have been analyzed as part of market analysis. These will form the basis for the development of positioning strategies that are necessary for the appropriate marketing mix to be achieved. The 4ps, which represents Product, Place, Price and Promotion, have been discussed as part of the marketing mix that will be significant for the theme park to establish a unique position in the Qatari market. The strategic fit between the company’s capabilities, resources and the opportunity has been discussed. These are indicators of competitiveness that justify the need for expansion in to the Qatari market. The implementation plan highlights the chronology of events that will lead to the establishment of a fully functional theme park in Qatar. It has been included in the marketing plan as a significant lead to the implementation of proposed activities to accomplish particular objectives over a particular period of time. Each activity corresponds to an objective and output. The implementation plan indicates that establishment and functioning of the theme park will take a period of 14 months. The control strategies that will be employed have been highlighted. These are the actions that the management will be involved in to ensure that the objectives are accomplished according to the implementation plan. Introduction... Disneyland will establish a 500 hectare park with 10 divisions offering different entertainment activities including horse rides, music, live plays, video and wildlife viewing as well as nature trails. This marketing plan aims at maintaining annual revenue of $3 billion. This will be equivalent to 30% of all revenue generated by all five existing Disney’s theme parks in 2011 (White, 2004). Objectives 1. Maintaining 24 hour services during peak season to maintain high sales 2. Increasing the time customers spend in the park through offering half day free for every two days spent at Disneyland during off-peak 3. Promoting institutional visitation by offering special cost reduction during off-peak 4. Encouraging visitation by locals through discounts 5. Establish customer relation management (CRM) to enable the management to keep in touch with clients 6. To increase income by taking advantage of increased number of customers and tourists as a result of Qatar being the host for FI FA Word Cup in 2022 Mission The overall mission of the organization is to maintain leadership among the global providers of entertainment, and more specifically to establish an ultra modern theme park that will outshine any other theme park in the Qatari entertainment industry. The new theme park in Qatar will offer customer focused services to ensure that people get the best value for their money. Market Analysis Market Segmentation Market segmentation has been an important tool for the success of Disneyland theme parks. It involves division of the market in to various segments that consist of groups of consumers with common characteristics. This practice allows the management to know the

Architecture As My Major Subject Essay Example for Free

Architecture As My Major Subject Essay I would like to take up Architecture as my major. I find Architecture interesting because it enables me to use my individual creative taste to create structures that other people will also love, and possibly admire. My interest in Architecture first developed during my sophomore year. During that year, I was able to speak to architects on field day. They shared with me their experiences and, in the process, I found myself sharing their aspirations and visions of enhancing and using my artistic capabilities in creating a beautiful community and environment and providing a better quality of life through Architecture. This experience opened my eyes to the possibility of obtaining a new language that can transcend cultures, people and places, and which I can use to express myself spiritually, emotionally and creatively. That language is the language of designs. Therefore, I decided to pursue the field because I believe that the best career path a person can take is that which he loves and enjoys.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I have been exposed to several activities involving architecture. I have volunteered as a teacher assistant for Architecture Graphics I. I also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and became a member of an Architecture organization in my school. Lastly, I was employed in Design Perspectives, an interior design company, for one year. These activities exposed me to various aspects of architectural work and helped me acquire some needed skills. For example, through teaching, I was able to review my previously-acquired skills and test the limits of my knowledge. Habitat for Humanity gave me practical experiences in construction and exposed me to the humanitarian side of my chosen career. Working in an interior design company exposed me to the people-side of Architecture and taught me how to discover the client’s needs and to match our designs with these needs. All in all, these experiences helped me gain a basic grounding in architecture and a deeper respect for its art. Being an architect entails a big responsibility. I have begun to develop my own set of values and have identified the issues that I find most important. Most importantly, I have found a path in which I know I will gain not only money and success, but also fulfillment and satisfaction.

The Guilt of Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Guilt of Macbeth  Ã‚   There is guilt throughout the play that motivates Macbeth. This guilt drives Lady Macbeth to insanity, which in the end causes the death of Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play Macbeth's deeds do no good his for conscious and his inheritance of the throne. There have been several occasions that Macbeth had experienced his guilt of the crimes he committed and the feeling of the fact that he was to be overthrown. After Macbeth kills King Duncan he feels guilty after committing this crime. Throughout the play there are several times where Macbeth is fallen guilty of his crimes, as well as his lady. after killing Duncan. Macbeth says, Methought I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep...(act2, scene2) to Lady Macbeth after he killed Duncan. As he hears this you tell that Macbeth is starting to feel guilty of the horrible deed he has done. I'll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on't again I dare not.(act2, scene2) Macbeth says this during the conversation between him and Lady Macbeth after Macbeth killed Duncan. At this point in the play Lady Macbeth still hasn't had any guilt to the crimes she's been apart of. The second appearance that Macbeth becomes guilt stricken is in act three scene one. The scene starts off with Macbeth talking with Banquo. Macbeth is planning on killing Banquo because he fears that Banquo is becoming quite suspicious. So Macbeth plans on killing Banquo, while Banquo goes out for his night ride with his son Fleance. Due to this Macbeth starts to regain the guilt of him killing Duncan. For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered, put rancors in the vessel of my peace...(act3,scene1) Macbeth states this before he commands Banquo's death. At this point Macbeth seems to be as if he is in quick sand; the more he tries to get out the deeper he falls. Lady Macbeth has finally reached the end of her sanity, she starts to do some really odd things during the night. I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon't, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast

Comparing John Cheever’s The Swimmer and The Five-Forty-Eight Essay

Comparing John Cheever’s The Swimmer and The Five-Forty-Eight Two stories by John Cheever, The Swimmer and The Five-Forty-Eight (5-48), will be explored in terms of how the characters, genre and point of view in these stories give rise to classic fiction. The Swimmer is of a suburban man, Neddy Merrill, who decides to return home from work by swimming eight miles through all of his neighbors' pools along the way. At each pool he encounters a former mistress, distant and unfriendly neighbours and other symbols of a bitter, frustrated life. To Neddy, this is his epic day's journey. However, when he arrives home, his family has left him. The swimmer has made it home; but too much has changed. While 5-48 is about the protagonist, Blake, having an affair with the emotionally weak Dent. The story begins with Blake firing Dent and she in turn stalks him to the 5-48 with a gun. She gains her revenge by making him kneel before her. Blake’s humiliation is complete when she forces him to rub his face in the dirt. 5-48 is developed as a typical story with the two principal characters, Blake and Dent, very well developed. There is constant tension from the point where Blake (depicted as egotistical, insensitive and in control) leaves the office to the train 5-48, all the while being pursued by Dent (the victim, who is emotionally weak, manipulated and cheated). Its chronological form simplifies the story and makes it a fast paced and delightful read. In addition, there is realism injected by actual places like the 5-48 train and Shady Hill, tired and cold relationships, betrayal, revenge and affairs that are so commonplace in society. Swimmer seems to be a painful reflection of his own life that was blighted by serious al... ...s request for a drink or the idea of entertaining him or give him money. In retrospect after analyzing Cheever’s The Swimmer and The Five-Forty-Eight, I think that isolation stands out as the underlying theme for both stories although they are markedly different in plot and genre. Also these stories seem to be a poignant reminder of Cheever’s personal life and to an extent a chapter of life in that period, although poverty, discrimination and adultery are still present today and affect both you and me. Works Cited Cheever, John. â€Å"The Five-Forty-Eight.† The Stories of John Cheever. New York: Knopf, 1978. ---------------. "The Swimmer." The Stories of John Cheever. New York: Knopf, 1978. Works Consulted Slabey, Robert M. "John Cheever: The Swimming' of America." Critical Essays on John Cheever. Ed. Robert G. Coolins. Boston: Hall, 1982. 180-90.

Distracted Driving Kills Essay

It is not uncommon today for driving crashes to be in our daily evening news. Almost every day, there are reports and newspaper articles about drivers who were distracted or under the influence of something. Most of us have probably seen drivers swerving in their lanes or barely dodging a pedestrian because they are not focused. In fact, each day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that â€Å"more than 15 people are killed and more than 1,200 people are injured in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver†. Some victims sustain minor injuries while others suffer from permanent damage, or possibly even die. Drivers are putting those around them at risk when they whip out their phone and began to text while driving. The Tiger’s Roar talked with Kiera Gold ’15 about her opinions on multitasking while behind the wheel. â€Å"So many people think they can multitask,† Gold comments. â€Å"Sure, maybe with testing and hom ework, or texting and cleaning, but driving?! That’s crazy.† It is not uncommon for people our age to multitask on almost everything. The biggest problem with this issue is that the most serious offenders are us. WE are the ones who are most at risk. Yet many of us continue to assume that we can drive and text or talk simultaneously. Some kids and adults do get away with it, but there are many more that do not. Distraction.gov is a website created by the U.S. government to address the problems of distracted driving in general. Ray Lahood, secretary of transportation, states that â€Å"any time you take your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, and your mind off your primary task: driving safely†, distraction occurs, increasing your risk of crashing. â€Å"Some people still don’t know how dangerous distracted driving is. Others know about the risks of texting†¦while driving, but still most choose to do so anyway. They make the mistake of thinking†¦that they can defy the odds† (D istraction.gov). They incorrectly think that the statistics do not apply to them. The most surprising of all is that there are all sorts of distractions that may be experienced. Texting, calling, eating, drinking, fixing your makeup, reading, adjusting music players, you name it. These are all potential factors that can put your life at risk. To ban texting and driving may sound like a reasonable action to take, but there may be difficulty enforcing such laws. To make texting while driving illegal will encourage drivers to hide their phones when they are texting instead of having it in front of them. This may make situations worse because some drivers will divert their eyes and attention to the phone instead of the road. In addition, it will be problematic for officers to know if someone was actually texting. â€Å"One Text or Call Could Wreck It All.† This is the message the U.S. Department of Transportation when it reaches out to millions of Americans. It is likely that a TV ad appeared while watching a favorite show about the consequences of texting while driving. They include the disabled and injured victim of a car crash due to distracted driving along with the one, simple text message that completely flipped their world upside down. This is reality, people. The purpose of the ads is not to depress you or give your something to laugh about. The way that person is now could be how you will end up living the rest of your life. In fact, if the trend of texting while driving continues just to disprove this article, you are only playing with your life and those around you. If you want to live your life to the fullest, then maybe that one text message does not need to be replied right away. Maybe it can wait until you have arrived at a resting place or your destination. Perhaps you won’t be involved in a fatal crash and film a texting while driving advertisement to make the public more aware. But that will depend on how you will deal with a ringing phone when your hands are on the wheel, your eyes focusing on the road. Stop the texts, stop the wrecks.

Psy 375 Senior Interview Essay

1. What is the environment of your home like? Busy, before they got guardianship of their grandson, life was quiet and there was not very much that had to be done around the home. Once their grandson came to live with them at age 3, life became â€Å"a buzz† again. â€Å"Before our grandson came to us, we usually would get up in the morning, sit and relax as we drank our coffee and had a quiet breakfast together. Now, we (her and her spouse) are up early to get our grandson ready to go to school. † She also says â€Å"We had time for the things that we wanted to do in our later years of life, visiting family, traveling and such. Now our time is dedicated to raising our grandson who keeps us going and on our toes but we would not change the situations we are in now for the world. † 2. Has aging changed the home environment? Yes, when they were younger, they had the energy and health to do the things they wanted to. Sally says â€Å"With age came some small struggles to stay at the pace we had always had when we were younger. Things that were always easy slowly became more time consuming, housekeeping used to be something that I could complete pretty quickly; now, I am a little slower (with the help of my grandson). Otherwise, she says â€Å"life keeps us all busy. † 3. Do you rely on others for help with any activities in the home? Sally answers â€Å"No, we are still able and willing to do our chores and keep up with the necessary tasks that we have. Although, we do have â€Å"John† (grandson) visit family a few times a month so that we have time to recharge. † 4. Do you still drive? If so, how has aging changed how you drive? Sally answered, â€Å"Yes, we both (her and her husband Mike) still drive. Driving is something that you would think would stay the same as you grow old until you get old. When I am driving now, I feel like everyone is in a rush to get where they want to go and here I am taking my time, trying to be safe while all around me are probably cursing me and saying â€Å"Damn old lady is driving so slow. † (She laughed as she made the last remark. ) 5. What changes in your home do you face as you get older? Sally answers, â€Å"As my husband and I get older, we are starting to be slower at things that once took us very little time. I think as we continue to get older, we will continue to get slower. † She also says, â€Å"With having our grandson home with us, he is helping us when he sees us even struggle a little with even small things. I think as we get older, he will be the one to help us more than anyone else. Recreational Activities: 1. In the past, what did you do for recreation? What do you do now for enjoyment? Sally answers, â€Å"When we were younger and our children were at home with us, we would spend a lot of time outdoors. We loved to go camping, fishing and hunting as a family. As our children got older, they all had things that they were involved in that took that time away that we had for the fun things. † She then explained that as her and her husband grew older, that they became more focused on the things that they wanted to do like traveling and visiting family. Sally then explained â€Å"Now that we have our grandson, I go to the movies, library, and toy shopping an awful lot. † But then she explained that she takes pleasure in spending time with her grandson doing the things that he likes to do because she â€Å"loves to see the smile on his face. † Sally also explained that they are active members of a church that they go to twice a week (Wednesdays and Sundays) and they get great pleasure out of the service. 2. How often do you participate in these activities? Sally says â€Å"When â€Å"John† is a good boy at school and does what he is told here we usually take him out about once a week to do something special. † She then explains, â€Å"Church is a large part of our lives. We go to church not only to worship but also to have time with people that are around our age with and are like-minded. † 3. Have the things that do for recreation changed as you aged? As stated above, in their younger years, their recreation revolved around their family. As they got older, she says â€Å"The things we did slowed. We were not out all the time we possibly could have been. † Sally says, â€Å"We now spend time where we feel most comfortable, church and doing things with our grandson are what we do most now. † Social Support and Interactions: 1. Who do you interact with on a regular basis? Is this the same amount of contact you had in younger years of life? Sally says, â€Å"On a daily basis, my husband and grandson. I usually call my sister every couple days and see how she is doing and on a weekly basis the brothers and sisters I have at church. † She also says, â€Å"In the past, we had friends and neighbors that we were in contact with on a daily basis but as time went on, the friends we have kept are passing away or just losing contact with them all together. It is hard getting older and watching the friends you have start to pass away, it make me think that I will not always be here and then it makes me worry about who will keep our grandson when we are gone. † 2. Do you participate in any social clubs? Sally says, â€Å"The only real structured social club, if you can call it that, would be church activities. On Wednesdays, we go to church for bible study and social time where we talk with our friends there and on Sunday, we go to service that provides us with God’s word and time with our church brothers and sisters. † Meaningful Activities: 1. What gives your life meaning? Sally says, â€Å"My family is what gives my life meaning. I try to do as much as possible to stay in the loop of what is going on with my children and grandchildren. My children have always been the reason that we have worked so hard. We always wanted them to have the better things in life and we wanted them to be happy. † She also says â€Å"Now, my life revolves around taking care of â€Å"John† and making sure he feels that everything is okay and that he has a stable home to grow up in. † 2. Do you still engage in these activities as you did when you were younger? Sally says, â€Å"When we were younger, we had a lot more activities when our children were young. As they grew up, moved out on their own and had families of their own, our lives quieted down and the activities we were always doing changed into activities that â€Å"Mike† and I wanted to do until we got â€Å"John† and once we got â€Å"John† life became busy again with all of his activities. † Mental Stimulation: 1. In the past, what did you do to keep your mind sharp? Sally says, â€Å"In the past, I had my work to keep my mind sharp. I was a secretary at the middle school in the town we live for almost 20 years and was always busy with the tasks that were I had to do. My children also kept my mind going and I loved helping them with their homework because this helped me keep my mind working and remembering how to do problems like math and science. † 2. What do you do now to keep your mind sharp? Sally says, â€Å"Now to keep my mind sharp I do a lot of word and number puzzles. I love to do Sudoku puzzles and word find puzzles. Sudoku puzzles really keep my mind working because sometimes I feel like my hair is on fire when I am done with them (she chuckles.) I also spend time with â€Å"John† to helping him with his homework and I think this helps to keep me learning still because I have noticed that the way children are taught now has really changed from when I had my children in school. † Physical Activities: 1. In the past, what did you do to keep physically fit? Sally says, â€Å"In the past, when my children lived at home, we were always on the go. We would go places where we would walk and hike through the woods like when we would go hunting or fishing. We lives close to the corner store so we would also just walk to the store when we needed a few things instead of get in the car and drive. † She also says â€Å"I never was a really big health nut who was always worried about exercise because my weight was never an issue. I felt that is my weight was good then I was getting plenty of exercise. † 2. What do you do to keep physically fit now? Sally says, â€Å"Nowadays we love to take â€Å"John† for walks at the local trails. It’s nice to be out in the fresh air and be able to not only spend time with â€Å"Mike† and â€Å"John† but to get a little exercise because I have noticed that the older I get the less muscle I seem to have. † â€Å"It seems like the little things are more of a challenge than they were in previous years. Even just opening a jar is sometimes a challenge. † 3. Are you able to keep up with the daily physical stresses that you are tasked with on a daily basis? Sally says, â€Å"Yes, it seems like I am still doing a pretty good job keeping up with everything I have to do on a daily basis (as she looks around her living room. ) She also says â€Å"Keeping a house clean is a chore in its own when you have a grandson to pick up after everywhere he goes. † She also says, â€Å"I get around to the things I need to do now when I get to them. I used to try to make sure the house was perfect when my children and â€Å"Mike† would come home each day and thought that having a clean house for them, food cooking and clothes laid out for them daily was what I was supposed to do. Now that I think about it, I would have much rather of been having fun with them instead of being worried about the house. † Ending the interview, her last statement is, â€Å"Life now is a little bit harder than it was when I was younger. It seems like the older I get, the slower I am. † She then tells me, â€Å"Make sure that you spend your time doing what makes you happy. †