The General Perception Of CEO Compensation Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1984 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? Its general perception that CEOs compensation is very high and in recent years significant attention has been given to rising pay level of chief executive officer. Lot of researches has been done to explore the determinants of executive compensation. In most of studies positive relation between pay and performance has been investigated. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The General Perception Of CEO Compensation Finance Essay" essay for you Create order Shareholder desire maximization of their wealth and wish that the board of directors should design compensation system which motives senior executives to make policies that maximizes shareholders wealth. Stockholders returns are closely associated with accounting profitability in long run, so usually compensation system depends upon maximizing accounting profits. In most large companies managers are not owners, they are support to work in away that in the best interest of the shareholders who are owners. Agency theory argues that executives only goal is not the same as of wealth .executives other may include control, power and increase in their compensation level. In order to achieve their other goals they might avoid attractive but risky investments because they worried more about their safety of jobs than healthier and attractive profit. These problems arise because managers who are hired as agent of principals (owners) have their personal interest. Theses conflicts between p rincipals and agents are called agency problems. 1.1 THE COMPONENTS OF CEO PAY 1.1.1 Base Salaries Base salary is the standard yearly pay of the executive. Base salaries for chief executive officers are usually pre calculated through competitive benchmarking, even though job evaluation is also used to determine executive pay in organizations as well. Normally executives base salaries are frequently influenced by the judgment of the compensation committee consisting companys board of directors. The committee actually analyzes the gathered information from salary surveys usually from same or similar industry and then reach a conclusion to set the executive compensation. There can also be some other factors while determining executive compensation such as size of the organization in terms of employees, assets and revenues and whether the company is making healthier profits or going into losses. 1.1.2 Annual Bonus Plans Annual bonus plan is a variable pay usually fluctuating and tied to the performance of the organization. The main objective of executive bonus compensation is to motivate senior executives in order to get maximization of shareholders wealth, which is ultimately the main goal of organizations. Shareholders are basically owners and investors of the company but they not participate in management and day to day operations. Executives are decision makers of the operations of the firm hence they manage the business on the behalf of shareholders and get their remuneration and reward for their expertise and services they provide to the firm. According to agency theory executives only goal is not the same as of the shareholders that is the maximization of the wealth of shareholders; their other goals include power, Control ad increase in their personal compensation. Therefore, to bend the executives motive and decision making in the best favor of share holders, some flavor of bonus compo nent in added to executives compensative. Given below are five basic types of executive bonus compensation plans. 1.1.2.1 Stock Options Stock Options provide the executive with the right to buy company stock at a fixed price at some future date. Compensative is determined by difference between exercise price and option price of the stock (Initial and selling price of the stock).It means an executive will only be able to receive the bonus in the case when share prices increase. If the share price goes down than the option price, then the options become valueless. The shortcoming of the stock options is that rise and fall in share prices do not explain all dimensions of executives performance .It is not widely practiced in Pakistan. 1.1.2.2 Restricted Stocks The rational of the restricted stock is to promote longer executive tenure. In restricted stock executives or employees are given certain number of company share and they are prohibited from selling those shares for a period pre defined, it means they cannot sell those shares before a certain defined time period. If an employee or executive having restricted stock leaves the company on his own wish before date pre defined date the shares are forfeited. Thats how the restricted stocks are used to promote the longer tenure of executives, which is ultimately beneficial for the firm and shareholders in the sense that there will be consistency in the strategies and policies and executives remain with the firm for the longer period of time. The shortcoming of the restricted stock is that there is no downside risk to executive who always get profits like other shareholders. 1.1.2.3 Golden Handcuffs Golden handcuffs can be either a restricted stock in which the stock compensation is delayed until resting time provisions are fulfilled or to a bonus income that is series of annual or semi annul installments . It may also involve paying an executive any amount at the retirement time or any other predefined age. Compensation is forfeited in a case where executive resigns or is fired before time. The rational of golden handcuffs is to offer an incentive to executive to keep him with the firm. Short coming of this bonus plan is that it may promote risk a verse decision making due to downside risk borne by executive. Executives are considered to be valuable by the firms and most of the firms take great care of them. Executives are very much aware and use to cost cutting techniques and existing strategies that are formulated by them. When executives and changed, new comers bring in a lot of discontinuity in current strategy .Thus golden handcuffs are congruent with long term strate gies plans. Firms may adopt golden handcuffs when stability of executives or management is crucial to firms growth. 1.1.2.4 Golden Parachutes The rationale of golden parachutes is to talented executives with the firm. Golden parachutes involves compensative an executive with substantial amount if he retires, is fired or quiets the job. It means executive have right to get the bonus if they loose their position due to resignation, retirement firing or takeover. The shortcoming of the golden parachute is that it is rewarded regarded regardless of success or failure that means whether the wealth is created for shareholders or not. The difference between golden handcuff is paid in series of annual installments while in the case of golden parachute payment of bonus is made at the time of retirement, firing, takeovers or resignation. 1.1.2.5 Cash Its the type of bonus compensation paid in cash usually quarterly or annually based on accounting performance measures such as return on assets, earning per share, net income, return on equity. This type of bonus plan is introduced to offset limitation of market based measures of performance and to compensative on the basis of accounting measures of performance. There are some factors that are beyond the control of managements that causes firms share prices low despite really good performance by executives. In the above cases deserving executives are not paid bonus compensation due to undervalued share price. So cash compensation plan corrects that issue by compensating an executive on the basis of internally measured performance. Lot of criticism has been made on compensating an executive on the basis of accounting measures as there are flaws in accounting system and argue that these figures do not represent actual managerial performance and they believe that compensation shoul d be given on the basis of financial or market based measures which truly represents executives performance and maximizes share holders value 1.1.3 Executive Benefits and Perquisites As there is a huge difference between pay level of executives and low level employees, same way benefits provided by company to executives also vary from those of lower level employees. Executives receive many benefits like life insurance, pension plans and health insurance. Executives perquisites Perks are unique services and benefits provided by firms to executives. It includes membership in clubs; company maintained automobiles, executive dinning room special reserved parking, company aircraft use, physical exam, financial counseling, home security, sports tickets and many more. 1.2 WHO SETS CEO PAY CEOs are the policy makers in the organizations. There is a question that if chief executive officers are leaders and head the organization who formulate rules and regulations then do they set their own pay level themselves and who decides that whether they should be given bonus or not, if yes then how much? If we go through the controversial issue of chief executive officer compensation we will come to know that there is a strong perception that chief executive officers sets their own salaries, but usually this is not the real case. Normally chief executive officers compensation is set outsiders (Board of directors) who are very much aware about the conflicts between stockholders and managers (executives) and luterests of both parties. But we san not reject the fact that top level executives exert some influence on Board of Directors in setting their compensation (Both Base Salary and Bonuses). Usually committee of two or more than two outside directories is formed to set the d ay level of CEOs in most of the countries. The committee conducts market studies in the same industry and set the pay level. Then those recommendations about pay level are sent to human resource department and top level manages for approval ad revision before being presented to Full Board of Directors to Final Approval. 1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Considerable attention has been given to high and rising pay levels of chief executive officers. Critics argue that chief executive officers compensation is very high and it reduces the value creation of stock holders who are actual owners of the firm. They believe that compensation level should be accordance with the performance of the firm and senior executives pay level should be set in a way that motivates them to make strategies that are in the best interest of shareholders. So, there is a need of precise relationship between chief executive officers compensation and those variables that can play a significant role in determining the executive compensation. The variables used in this study and their justification have been discussed in greater detail in chapter 3. 1.4 OBJECTIVE As mentioned above, abundant research has been carried out to find out the determinants of chief executive officers compensation but there is a lack of precise investigation to analyze the determinants of chief executive officers in Pakistan. In this way the objective of this study is to investigate or evaluate the relationship among the chief executive officers compensation, performance and size of the firm. For this purpose accounting based measures such as return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), Income before tax etc will be used as predictors while CEO compensation (Both cash and non cash) will be used as dependent variable to find out the impact of predictors on CEO compensation in Banking industry of Pakistan. 1.5 RESEARCH SCOPE/LIMITATIONS The scope of this study is to analyze impact of size and performance of the firm on chief executive officers compensation. Few limitations of this study has been given below. This research would just restrict to secondary data and no primary data will be used. The access of data would be restricted to public information and all organizations do not share their information. As data is collected from annual repots so annual reports are only available for last few years (Normally 4-5 years) on the websites of the organizations. 1.6 THESIS STRUCTURE The report is systematized as follows. Chapter (1) contains introduction of the thesis, which includes the statement of problem, scope and limitations, objective and some of the theoretical perspective regarding the executive compensation. In chapter 2 relevant literatures would be discussed. In chapter (3) methodology will be described that constitutes the data and justify the choice of the variables used in our analysis sample, technique and also estimate model used in analysis. In chapter (4) results would be analyzed after the data processing. Chapter (5) will conclude the thesis and will contain discussion and recommendations.

Positive And Negative Effects Of Maquiladora Industry

Nuvia Marquez Contemporary Issues Ersela Kripa 04/13/2016 Positive and Negative Effects of the Maquiladora Industry Being a neighbor to the maquiladoras industry for a very large portion of my life, never stopped to wonder what was the purpose of the maquiladoras? How do maquiladoras relate to cheap labor and low economic opportunities? Can the pros and cons of the maquiladora industry affect the global economies? Could our health be affected by the maquilas? Also, regarding the placement of these industries- does it affect the infrastructure of our border cities? The maquiladora industry has had a major impact on the lives of its employees. A documentary from 2006 Maquilapolis, by Vicky Funario and Sergio de la Torre, show different women talking about the type of products they assemble, from filters, toys, batteries, and electrical parts to automobile parts. In 1960, when maquiladoras emerged in border cities, it changed people’s perspective for better opportunities and a better future. The majority of people working in the maquiladoras were women. The reason for that was because women were considered to have smaller hands and could assemble the parts faster and more efficiently than men. Some of the women in the interviews talked about having to work double shifts and even night shifts, leaving their children home alone without sufficient care and the attention children require. All done in order to surviveShow MoreRelatedPositive And Negative Effects Of The Maquiladora Industry2366 Words   |  10 Pages Positive and Negative Ef fects of the Maquiladora Industry Nuvia Marquez Contemporary Issues Ersela Kripa 05/11/2016 Being a neighbor to the maquiladoras industry for a very large portion of my life, never stopped to wonder what was the purpose of the maquiladoras? How do maquiladoras relate to cheap labor and low economic opportunities? Can the pros and cons of the maquiladora industry affectRead MorePositive And Negative Effects Of Maquiladora Industry2110 Words   |  9 Pages Positive and Negative Effects of the Maquiladora Industry Being a neighbor to the maquiladoras industry for a very large portion of my life, never stopped to wonder what was the purpose of the maquiladoras? How do maquiladoras relate to cheap labor and low economic opportunities? Can the pros and cons of the maquiladora industry affect the global economies? Could our health be affected by the maquilas? Also, regarding the placementRead MorePros and Cons of NAFTA Essay1603 Words   |  7 Pagesinvestment. Before NAFTA, businesses had a more difficult time trading with partners just across the border to Canada or Mexico. Tariffs prevented the trade between these nations from reaching their zenith, and NAFTA has helped curtail this trend. Some industries are simply more profitable to pursue in the other two countries. Because of this, the rise in large numbers of companies using foreign investment over the border to boost profits has greatly increased the value of American stocks, thus benefitingRead MoreEssay about Farmington Industries984 Words   |  4 PagesFarmington Industries Case Write-Up Farmington Industries is a small, publicly traded U.S.-based corporation, which produces programmable control instruments. With high interests in Mexico, the company has expanded to four Mexican-related businesses, which are listed below along with their specific function: †¢ The Maquiladora Assembly Facility – This facility is used to assemble imported U.S.-manufactured components into final products for sale mainly in the U.S. Seeing as the majorityRead MoreThe Connection Between Western Capitalism And Mexican Femicide1614 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughout North America. Since the beginning of the Border Industrialization Program in 1965, Juarez has played a key role in the overall the reformation of Mexico’s financial capital. The factories that produce these goods are known in Mexico as maquiladoras, and are generally owned and controlled by foreign corporations, including Panasonic, General Electric and Nike. The purpose of these manufacturing operations is to import duty and tariff-free material, which is to be processed and then assembledRead More1.Introduction. This Report Addresses Different Types Of1597 Words   |  7 Pages1. Introduction This report addresses different types of trade used internationally. It will discuss trade agreements e.g. NAFTA, TPP, and the effect they have had on individual countries. It will also focus on the WTO and their role in international trade. There has been significant secondary research in order to write this report such as reading articles, blogs and speeches. 2. Types of trade There are two types of trade; invisible and visible. Invisible trade is when a business transaction occursRead MoreA Binational Economic And Environmental Detriment2006 Words   |  9 PagesSunny Park Helmiere UCOR 3100 09 June 2015 Maquiladoras: a Binational Economic and Environmental Detriment Carcinogenic and corrosive chemicals coupled with poor air ventilation, dangerous heavy machinery with inadequate safety information or training, and noise levels high enough to damage human hearing, along with numerous other health hazards, are what the underrepresented Mexican workers of the maquiladoras are constantly exposed to. For these maquiladora laborers, workdays can be longer than 12Read MoreRatification Of Nafta1824 Words   |  8 Pagesspeculations on how NAFTA would affect the nations – be they positive or negative assumptions. Now 23 years later, the effects of this treaty binding the United States, Canada Mexico are being fully felt and can be examined in depth. One area of major concern for the United States during the negotiations for NAFTA – immigration from Mexico – has continued to garner attention nationwide throughout the years the treaty has been in effect. How did the ratification of this tripartite agreement for freeRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement Essay1818 Words   |  8 Pagesof globalization, NAFTA ensures Mexico’s economic dependency on its â€Å"trading partners,† Canada and the United States. Ironically, NAFTA does not facilitate the easy movement of people (Kunnie 36). The inability for people affected by NAFTA and the negative consequences on their land makes for worsening environmental trends in cities like Mexico City that take in migrant workers because there are no jobs in the towns they lived in before. While NAFTA allowed for free trade in North America, Mexico becameRead MoreNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)1764 Words   |  8 Pagesof the member countries. Impact of NAFTA over the years: The signing of the NAFTA was a controversial issue, even before it came into existence. Many people still debate whether this was a good move and many have contemplated on the treaty’s effects on human rights, the environment, as well as the culture of the three countries a. Impact on the United States Economy Perhaps the only sector of the United States economy that seems to be influenced the most by the NAFTA happens to be the labor

Change Management in Dynamic Health Care Systems Implementing the Str

Question: Discuss about theChange Management in Dynamic Health Care Systemsfor Implementing the Strategies. Answer: Introduction Change occurs continuously, it may be that we are indifferent to it, support it or be passive to it. The complexity in these changing surroundings is managing the change efficiently. It is all about planning, evaluation and implementing the strategies, tactics and operations that make sure that the changes are relevant and worthwhile. According to Kotter, change is both situational and emotional and therefore he proposed a multi step model. The model has 3 phases that can be used to change a technology that ensures the provision of efficient, safe and high quality care for the patients. Kotter change management model involves why the organisation needs the change, why the changed state would be better for the patients and the hospital, what changes are necessary, what new skills will be required along with the technology, and how the staff will be trained regarding these new skills (Chappell,et al.,2016). Managing change in any setting is a challenging, complex and dynamic process. C hange is never a choice between people oriented solutions or technology but it is a combination of all. Healthcare organisations around the world have a continuous and sustained push to implement electronic records based on the promise that the technology will improve productivity, function and quality of the healthcare organisations and for the patients(Al-Abri RK, 2007). One of the main concerns in the health care sector is the management of change. It is difficult to ensure that the health care professionals acquire and maintain the change. Reform driven changes or disruptions; continue to impact the healthcare industry in cost control efforts and its transparency. Changes in health care sector are moving at a fast pace, as practices strive to implement policy requirements and regulatory requirements. (Menachemi N, 2011),( Stewart, et al.,2007) Understanding new models like PCMHs that is patient centered Medical Homes and EMR electronic medical record deployments are not only about technology. They are about equipping the organisation to reach business objectives by enabling people with technical knowledge and capability that make things possible (Reed, et al.,2012). In Maryland State University the change that is going to take place is the implementation of the certified electronic health record technology or CEHRT. This is an academic medical centre that has hospitals, 2 campuses, and 40 outpatients sites that are located on the campus of the university. EMR implementation is beginning this year with the introduction of the ambulatory EMR. This will be followed by implementation phases which will include outpatient sites and lastly will be followed by a BIG BANG implementation process all across the campus. We will replace the numerous systems for revenue cycle management, scheduling, registration, and orders and compile all of them in a single record for ambulatory and inpatient documentation. This year in October we started the meaningful use reporting for professionals that are eligible for supporting the change. This change will happen simultaneously when providers are attending to patients and are trying to maintain a work life balance. Electronic medical record keeping create a lot of oppurtunities for the healthcare sector as they transform the way in which the care is delivered. Medical errors are reduced therefore increasing internal efficiency for administrative and clinical users. This in turn increases the revenue along with other critical benefits (Rouette, et al., 2016). Times like these can be stressful for the staff and the providers as electronic medical record implementation can be disruptive. Therefore to oversee a smooth transformation in the organisation it is crucial that the change management process is well developed. In the case of Maryland State University there are several reasons why switching to EMR will be quite useful. Some of these reasons are paper records are limited and it cannot be shared or stored. In spite of the fact that the hospital has a template for the clinicians the handwriting does not allows for the documents to be shared(Rodriguez-Vera FJ, 2002). Hardcopy of each record is quite expensive to copy by the photo copier machine when the numbers are quite high(Menachemi N F. E., 2007). The records are not private as files can be seen by someone who has access to the storage. Electronic medical records in Maryland State University will add to the organised way that is needed to record details of the patients. Through the use of EMRs the clinicians will be able to navigate through the history of the patient easily which will help in reducing time that is wasted in finding a specific detail about the patient(Blumenthal D, 2010). Another goal that the management is aiming for is increase in productivity and efficiency which EMRs will be able to provide. Through the use of EMRs redundant paper work will be decreased but it could be achieved only when the templates provided are used judiciously. (Erstad,2003),( Attieh, et al.,2013) The approach that we would use in Maryland State University is a gradual rollout which is followed out with a BIG BANG approach that is for all the locations. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. As for some it would be easier to implement and install everything at one place, which works best for hardware. However if we thing about the user perspective a physician wants the same workflow at any location. Same goes for the patient who wants that his records should be shared with all providers and locations. For us the physicians preference was the top priority therefore we choose the specialty focused rollout for each location keeping in mind the specific need for that location (Kokkonen et al., 2013). This enabled us to meet the needs of all locations and our planning involved representatives leaders from all the locations. This approach will also help the medical record department as they have to choose dates for orders and documentation for the transition from ha rd copy (Paper) to electronic format. (DHuyvetter, 2014) The key elements that we have to manage during the change process are ensuring leadership support. Leadership communication and support is a key factor for successful implementation therefore leaders have to be identified at each level whether it is division, system, department, hospital or unit. In this we would also include the medical school as it is also associated with the organisation. The areas of compliance that would be closely monitored are patient safety, privacy, legal, and security. For this we would implement a scorecard system for feedbacks, this system will enable the leaders to identify areas that are lagging in compliance and are addressed easily. We appointed a physician leader in each location who was trained in the use of the application and would encourage the staff to accept the electronic records and its implementation (Noble, et al.,2011). Another key element that we have to manage during the change is the training. Training would be provided at regular inter vals during the implementation process (Bossen et al.,2013). We had already decided that training will be continuously provided till two months after the go-live. Training is necessary for the users to learn about the system and to practice the relevant components. It is crucial that the training should not be done beforehand as we want that the material should be fresh in users mind at the time for go live. This also maintains a sense of impending activity and urgency. We would train similar users and would tailor content accordingly as it is more effective (Sung, Choi, 2013). Users are found to be more attentive when the training material is tailored specifically for their needs. Training can only provide a preparation for the EMR use but it in the go-live phase that the users actually interact with the system in their daily work environment. Therefore it is critical to provide well planned support at the go-live phase. The most important part in this planning is deciding the pro portion for support personnel per user which determines the timing the intense support will go on. We would take the ratio of 1:1 for providers and 1:3 for the remaining staff (Campbell, 2012). The length of the timing after the go live is taken as 4-6 weeks which will depend on how frequently the user interacts with the system. Initially we would provide at the elbow intense and active support which will allow the user to use the maximum tools in the EMR application. This will also allow them to explore options for the patient care which will only enhance the system use. Through this the users will gain confidence which will allow us to taper the support gradually. The gradual removal of trust will reduce the feelings of being deserted . Therefore the transition will be from direct support to calling the helpdesk if they need any help. We are prepared that implementation process will be overwhelming even after the prework and training. A plan is also needed to ensure that support s taff and trainers are able to return regularly in order to help users. Therefore it was decided that trainers would return in intervals of 2-3 months in the first year after go live and then in six months the next year. We need to keep in mind that there is a people side of any change management and same goes for implementing electronic medical records. The main issue during transition is the messiness of it and when in case of a hospital the staff can have issues with numerous factors. Some of these factors are their comfort with use of computers, fear from change and commitment to the hospital. The enhancements and the new system are determined by the users who have different backgrounds, experiences with technology and references. Therefore managing the change needs an adoption plan that ties workflow harmonization, reinforcement, sponsorship, communication and training with the business part of the organisation. The key elements that have to manage during this change process are changing the way how the people work, the technology, and the processes. Changes create uncertainty in the minds of the people even when they are not happy with the current state. This is due to the fear of loss which in this case could be fear of losing their jobs, social position and loss of self esteem. Team pressure is another element the staff has to deal with as, not all would be happy with the change. These people would try to influence other to not accept the change as well. These people will resist the change as they think that change is not in their best interest especially when they would have heard negative stories about IT implementations in health sector. The only remedy to overcome these issues is to involve the staff in all planning and implementation at all levels. Just as people have to change their way to work because of the EMR addition, many existing organisational processes and practices would also be changed. This would require that the staff responsible for these processes is able to implement the changes that are required to deal with the organisational changes taking place. They are experts in their respective processes therefore they can recommend and head changes that ar e needed for desired outcomes. The best move is to rely on your staff as they are able to pilot changes to achieve desired goals. The transition from paper to EMRs will be tough as many practices will not transition from paper to electronic record. This would require implementing other initiative to improve patient care. This stage cannot be understated. Technology is another key element that has to be managed as the staff has to meet the patient engagement measures simultaneously with the change taking place. This means that many factors such as security measures for patients personal data, additional storage, patient portal access and secure messaging application have to be taken care of. It is also crucial that the patients are informed about the new technology and the implications associated to it. This could be attained by developing a one page poster or handout in the office that explains the changes and the planned benefits from the change. This implementation would engage th e patients into discussing about their quality of health with the care they are achieving. Keeping track of the progress is equally important to fix problems throughout the implementation process. Implementing change can be hard and stressful for everyone in the hospital but identifying some success factors is a strategy that can help in determining which management interventions are needed (Chaudhry et al.,2006). Measurement of the success of change process has to be planned during the planning of the change process. This measurement serves numerous purposes as it guides towards the goal achievement and also alerts the managers about the mid course correction. There are many ways in which the success of the change process can be measured. Some of these ways that are applicable in case of a hospital are individual employee assessments which include how the staff is handling the change and how it is progressing. This can be done with the help of utilization and usage reports, proficiency measures, adoption metrics, employee or staff feedback, observations of the behavior ch ange, surveys for employee satisfaction, error logs, issue and compliance logs(Walker et al.2005). These ways also measure the performance of the change by checking the business and change readiness, checking if the change is adhering to the timeline, and how it has improved the performance of the organisation. It is also important to measure the effectiveness and success of change process. To measure this we would check for trainings effectiveness. This could be easily tracked by checking for training participation and through skill tests. Another way to measure change process success is by knowing that how many stakeholders approve and understand the reason for change. A project can be unsuccessful if it has project delays due to decision delays and low commitment from the stakeholders. The approach that we would follow to incorporate the learnings from this change management would be an empowerment approach for any future change management. This approach enables collaboration between the staff, managers and leaders in the implementation of any new system or technology. High staff involvement is primary to this approach that involves the staff in decision making at levels (Farnham, 2003). Sharing of responsibilities and power is practiced in this approach. The core of this approach is empowerment which provides the employees with control, redistributed authority, adaptability, increased organisational flexibility and shared decision making and all of these are required for successful change whether it be in IT industry, manufacturing or any other sector or industry. EMRs have tremendous potential to improve productivity, outcomes in patient care, and quality but they also require a major change in the healthcare sector (Hillestad et al.,2005). A well planned change process and implementation of the process requires leadership support and involvement from the staff. With the help of effective training along with optimization the process of transitioning can be made smooth and can reduce the effects on the organisation productivity. References Al-Abri RK, Al-Hashmi, IM (2007). The Learning organization and healthcare education. SQUMJ , 89-96. Attieh, R., Gagnon, M.-P., Estabrooks, C. A., Lgar, F., Ouimet, M., Roch, G., Grimshaw, J. (2013). Organizational readiness for knowledge translation in chronic care: A review of theoretical components.Implementation Science,8(1), 1119 Blumenthal D, Tavenner M (2010). The meaningful use regulation for electronic health records. N Engl J Med , 501504. Bossen, C., Jensen, L. G., Udsen, F. W. (2013). Evaluation of a comprehensive EHR based on the DeLone and McLean model for IS success: Approach, results, and success factors.International Journal of Medical Informatics,82(10), 940953. Campbell, B. W. (2012). Effective change management in a regional sub-acute ambulatory care services setting.Australian Health Review,36(1), 39 Chaudhry B, Wang J, Wu S, et al.(2006). Systematic review: impact of health information technology on quality, efficiency, and costs of medical care.Ann Intern Med, 144(10), 742752 Chappell, S., Pescud, M., Waterworth, P., Shilton, T., Roche, D., Ledger, M., Rosenberg, M. (2016). Exploring the process of implementing healthy workplace initiatives.Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine,58(10), e341e348 DHuyvetter, C., Lang, A. M., Heimer, D. M., Cogbill, T. H. (2014). Efficiencies gained by using electronic medical record and reports in trauma documentation.Journal of Trauma Nursing,21(2), 6871. Erstad T.(2003). Analyzing computer based patient records: a review of literature.J Healthc Inf Manag.17(4):5157 Farnham, D., Horton, S., White, G. (2003). Organisational change and staff participation and involvement in Britains public services.International Journal of Public Sector Management,16(6), 434445. Hillestad R., Bigelow J., Bower A., Girosi F., Meili R., Scoville R., Taylor R.(2005). Can Electronic Medical Record Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings, and Costs.Health Affairs.24(5),110317 Kokkonen Erik W., Davis Scott A., Hsien-Chang Lin, Dabade Tushar S., Feldman Steven R., Alan B., Fleischer Jr (2013). Use of Electronic Medical Records Differs by Specialty and Office Settings.Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.20, e33e38 Menachemi N, Ford EW, Beitsch LM, Brooks RG (2007). Incomplete EHR adoption: late uptake of patient safety and cost control functions. Am J Med Qual , 319326. Menachemi N, Prickett C, Brooks R (2011). The use of physician-patient email in Florida 20052008: a follow-up examination of adoption and best practice adherence. J Med Internet Res , 23-36. Noble, D. J., Lemer, C., Stanton, E. (2011). What has change management in industry got to do with improving patient safety?Postgraduate Medical Journal,87(1027), 345348 Reed, P., Conrad, D. A., Hernandez, S. E., Watts, C., Marcus-Smith, M. (2012). Innovation in patient-centered care: Lessons from a qualitative study of innovative health care organizations in Washington state.BMC Family Practice,13(1), 5669 Rodriguez-Vera FJ, Marin Y, Sanchez A, et al (2002). Illegible handwriting in medical records. J R Soc Med , 545546. Rouette, J., Gutierrez, E., ODonnell, J., Reddeman, L., Hart, M., Foxcroft, S., Brundage, M. (2016). Directly improving the quality of radiation treatment through peer review: A cross-sectional analysis of cancer Centres across A provincial cancer program.International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics,(10),28-32. Sung, S. Y., Choi, J. N. (2013). Do organizations spend wisely on employees? Effects of training and development investments on learning and innovation in organizations.Journal of Organizational Behavior,35(3), 393412 Stewart, J., ODonnell, M. (2007). Implementing change in a public agency.International Journal of Public Sector Management,20(3), 239251 Walker J, Pan E, Johnston D, et al.(2005). The value of health care information exchange and interoperability. Health Aff, (10), 15-18.

Working Conditions in the Industrial Revolution free essay sample

Machinery was not always fenced off and workers would be exposed to the moving parts of the machines whilst they worked. Children were often employed to move between these dangerous machines, as they were small enough to fit between tightly packed machinery. This led to them being placed in a great deal of danger and mortality (death rates) were quite high in factories. Added to the dangers of the workplace also consider the impact of the hours worked. It was quite common for workers to work 12 hours or more a day, in the hot and physically exhausting work places. Exhaustion naturally leads to the worker becoming slow, which again makes the work place more dangerous. Positive Effects There were some positive effects of the Industrial Revolution. The improved production made products available to the people at cheaper prices. The population of industrial cities grew and this created more communication of ideas. We will write a custom essay sample on Working Conditions in the Industrial Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These were positive effects, as well as the important reforms made in education and health and working conditions in factories as a result of the Industrial Revolution. The reforms helped improve living standards as a large number of people lived in reasonable comfort. It is certain that the impact of the changes that occurred were different for people of different classes and geography. As a whole, the benefits outweighed the problems of the Industrial Revolution. Britain changed from a country to an urbanized society as factories brought former farmers together to one spot for the purpose of production. People began not to depend on only their own resources as farmers. Jobs were much easier with area of labor. They had only to concentrate on one specific task as a worker in a factory. The threat of starvation was small, which as a farmer, had never been far away if a harvest didn’t work out as planned. Also, bringing people together who had been traditionally isolated brought more attention and action politically. Negative Effects Although it seems like there were a lot of positive effects it didn’t compare to the negative effects that took a drastic hurt on working classes. One of the most crucial negatives was child labor. These factory owners had 8 years old kids working in their factories for about 16 hours a day. Keep in mind that the breaks given were extremely short! Their lunch breaks were so short that they couldn’t go home and get something to eat. They had to eat a little snack or something in that category that they had brought with them to work. Many accidents occurred injuring or killing children on the job. Also many of these children were orphans and had no actual home to go to after work. The treatment the children in factories were often cruel, and the childrens safety was generally neglected. The people who the children served would beat them, verbally abuse them, and had no concern for their safety. The view of the work being done meant that the workplace had to be very hot, steam engines creating the heat in this and other industries. Machinery was not always fenced off and workers would be exposed to the moving parts of the machines even as they worked. Another issue was education. Many of these minors had no type of education because they were given no to time to go to school. Also many women weren’t permitted to teach. This was a big issue because these people (kids) would have little to no type of reading or writing skills for now or the future mainly because of demand of child employment or in other words, work. Opinionated Fixtures From my point of view I feel that these young children should have been allowed a childhood education. In addition to that statement, I feel that should be given the opportunity to grow up and make better of themselves. This would have been a better method than to just have children at six years old locked in factories doing the unbearable. Another suggestion is to allow the women with the appropriate amount of knowledge to teach. If the knowledge is there why let it sit there and rot. It is very cruel and inconsiderate to not allow someone teach just because those people are females. These factories were extremely hazardous and unsafe. They caused a vast amount of deaths, which is not a good look at all. Instead of these factory owners being all gassed up about their success economically and politically they should have used some of the money to secure their employees by purchasing merchandise that will favor their health more than basically damage and kill them. At least they could have made sure that all the machinery was fenced off at all times. All in all, the Industrial Revolution was somewhat for better when it came to the economic or political category but on the other hand dramatically for the worst when it came down to health of the people. ~Interesting Fact~ Not all factories were as bad as this. Robert Owen and Titus salt for example were both regarded as good employers in this respect. They were amongst a group of people who were known as reformers. These people wanted changes to the way that factories were run. They faced opposition from other mill owners who knew that reforms would cost them money and give the workers more rights.

The Rise of Socialism in the American Economy Essays

The Rise of Socialism in the American Economy Essays The Rise of Socialism in the American Economy Essay The Rise of Socialism in the American Economy Essay This economy allows people to somewhat do what they want to do in business. If you want to open a business, and have the money and knowledge to do so, the freedom is there to do so. The same way for the consumers (us); we somewhat have the freedom to buy and sell in our economy. This system embraces the private sector, which is the people, rather than the public sector, the government. However, in recent years, this economy has started to embrace views that command, socialistic, and communistic economies embrace. There has been more government control in the economy, which means less freedom or people to start their own business or less to gain from workmanship. Without entrepreneurship and workmanship, an economy cannot survive well. A socialistic economy (or a command economy as commonly referred to) is an economy in which the government has control over all that deals with the economy. In other words, the government controls the wages of the people, determines where the people can and cannot work, controls the businesses. The people dont have the freedom to choose, and therefore, have no motivation to work and to gain profit or make business. IOW advantages to a socialist economy are governmental services Tort all teen people (healthcare, education, military, etc. ), and the people are often guaranteed a Job. But with advantages come disadvantages. Some of the disadvantages include: little or no freedom, what people say and do are usually controlled, and no matter how long or how hard the person works, everyone gets paid the same. Those services that everyone is provided, like healthcare for everyone, are inefficient and ineffective. People that have diseases or need medical attention will usually die before they get latherer because they have to wait for a long time, and when they do receive healthcare, the doctors are often times under skilled or under equip to treat a disease. Those are the disadvantages, and they out weigh the advantages. Here is another example of a socialistic economy. The picture to the right side shows a satellite image at night of the Korean Peninsula. The lights represent industrial production. There is clearly a difference between command/communist nation North Korea, and the free economy nation of South Korea. Freedom of business and production equals a better and flowing economy. North Koreans economy now has a poor record of exports, an enormous amount of debt, and trade agreements only to communist nations. That is what happens to a nation that embraces the views of a socialistic economy. What does this have to do with America, the free market nation? Well, America, in recent years, has adopted some policies that dont work well in a free market, or in any market for that matter. One good example is the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NONFAT. NONFAT eliminates the tariffs (taxes on imported goods) and other restrictions between the countries of the US, Canada, and Mexico. This put a burden on our nation, because we ended up giving billions of dollars to the World Bank. Other programs include Social Security, which takes money out of the taxpayers pocket and put its back into the government for the benefit of the taxpayer. However, upon retirement, its not guaranteed that this person would get it. Another form of these socialistic programs is Medicare, where a person who is elderly, or has been disabled for two or more years gets their healthcare covered by the government. This seems like a help, but, in reality, its more harm than help. The Medicare recipient receives his/hers healthcare and medications covered, which is good, but he/she is only limited to so many treatments and a certain amount of medications due to constant changes in the system. Also, there are many healthcare providers that do not cover Medicare. If you find a healthcare provider that takes Medicare, often times the quality of the healthcare goes down because he/she is on Medicare. What does this do to America? The economic system in America is the free market, and in a free market economy, the private sector (businesses, etc. ) make the majority of decisions in economy. When the government has these programs, they require teen taxes Trot tense Duskinesss. I en private sector takes teen appearance AT the goose in the fable The Goose That Laid the Golden Egg. They take advantage of the success and worth of the private sectors golden eggs in that they become too dependent and greedy. Eventually, as the story ends, the owners of the gold laying goose cut open the goose because they thought it was completely gold inside, and it wasnt. This could be the outcome of the private sector. Another problem that we have in our country is outsourcing, which is sending a many to another country. The reason for doing this is because technically it is cheap labor. The people of the country in which the company outsourced labors cheaper than Americans and America will get the productivity of the company. Because of the increase in Jobs of the outsourced company, the country economy benefits from outsourcing, but this harms our economy because then there are fewer jobs for Americans. This hurts the economy by stopping the circular flow of money. It stops the wages and profits from coming into the household, therefore slowing nonuser spending, which goes to the businesses, as shown in this diagram. If we cut businesses to provide the wages and profits for household, then how can the household have consumer spending? Getting rid of programs such as Medicare and Social Security would cause America to go into a riot because the many people are so dependent on these programs. These programs have good intentions, because not everyone can afford private insurance, or basic healthcare. These people, who have no way of working because of a disability, need a way to survive, and so do elderly people. If the government can Just make these programs more reliable then maybe they would work. The economy is in bad shape. Today, there is much talk about universal healthcare, which is socialism at its finest. If we adopt this form of healthcare, then we could turn out like Canada, waiting days, weeks, month, or even years for treatment for something simple. And as time without treatment progresses, then those diseases worsens when all we needed in the onset was a simple shot. If we embrace these and other forms of socialism and communism, then this nation would o in a downward spiral to the second Great Depression. There is a simple solution that some economists are finally figuring out; the Bible has great economic views. In the Bible, money is mentioned 2,350 times, which is more than love, peace, prayer, or even faith. Throughout the Bible, God tells us how to handle money. Here is a good example of how money is important to God. The last book of the Old Testament is Malachite. One of the main points of many in Malachite is how to tithing and not to rob God (Malachite 3:8-15). The people were not tithing and God told them that what they were doing was robbing Him, and they were not going to prosper if they dont stop. Then, in the New Testament, Jesus told a parable (Matthew 25:14-30) about the tenure men, won nave Eden given talents (money). I en TLS man was given Twelve talents, the second was given two, and one was given to the last according to their ability. Then it goes on to show how the two men who were given five and two talents double their talent but the one that has buried lost his talent and was cursed. God takes money very seriously, and I think two of the main reasons we are having a hard time n the field of economics is because we have robbed from God and buried our talents. We have stepped away from Gods plan for money, and now we are suffering from it. If we would Just step back into Gods intentions for money then Im sure our country would be in better shape economically, not to mention spiritually. America has had a great economy for quite a while. Even with the wrongs and flaws this nation has, it still seems to be successful. God has surely blessed this nation, but we need to get back under His laws and choices, then the economy, as ell as the nation, will be even more prosperous.

Inspirational Quotes from Mother Teresa

Inspirational Quotes from Mother Teresa These quotes from Mother Teresa would be great additions to graduation or other classroom speeches. Use these in conjunction with themes and speech writing techniques. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness.Little things are indeed little, but to be faithful in little things is a great thing.We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.If you judge people, you have no time to love them.Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.God doesnt require us to succeed, he only requires that you try.We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. More Information: Inspirational Quotes for Speeches

Leadership and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Leadership and Management - Essay Example Let us discuss both concepts in detail in order clarify that leadership and management have no clear differences. Leadership refers to the act of guiding people towards the achievement of goals and objectives. Leaders within organizations are people who encourage followers to utilize their full potential and get new opportunities to learn (Cherry, 2010). Leaders view the need for change as an opportunity for individuals to grow in their professional lives and increase their levels of productivity (Elkington, 2010). Leaders motivate people to put all of their efforts to achieve their goals. The goals can be personal, social, political, or organizational depending upon the circumstances. The role of leaders in the whole process of achievement of goals is to identify the need of the followers, making them aware of the need to fulfill those needs, giving followers a well-designed and effective strategy to follow to achieve those goals, and motivating people to continue their efforts in case of any problem. Leaders are the people whom their followers believe. Followers have full confidence in the ac ts and thoughts of their leaders and they do exactly what their leaders ask them to do in the process of achieving goals and objectives. On the other hand, managers manage the activities of their employees. They do so to achieve organizational goals without any delay and in an effective manner. As Simmons (2012) states, â€Å"managers always realize that effectiveness is the real goal, and efficiency is necessary but not sufficient for sustaining a healthy organization†. Managers guide their employees whenever they feel some difficulty in their assigned job tasks, plan activities, do proper scheduling of tasks, organize the activities of employees, lead and motivate them, control all issues related to workplace so that no delay occurs in the achievement of goals. Management generally deals with doing things

Cross Cultural Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cross Cultural Management - Research Paper Example The accused had raped a second teen in 2005 where he forced himself to the teen’s home pretending that he was delivering her salary. The plaintiff of this case is a sixteen-year-old teen, who with the assistance of her mother reported the abuse predicament to the police. The arrest of the manager found him guilty of attempted rape and crimes of sexual abuse. Another plaintiff, a sixteen-year old working in the same position as the first claimant, experienced rape from the accused in 2005. The EEOCs made an addition to the already existing suit after discovering the same crime from the accused (Lopez 2009). The court had charged the accused with sex abuse plus battery charges. EEOCs discovery of another abuse subjected to another teen working at the same company, led them to add the suit, which culminated to a consent verdict of 2 years for the accused. The plaintiffs received compensation worth 350, 000 dollars from the accused (Lopez

Sound and Purely Physiological Activity Essay Example for Free

Sound and Purely Physiological Activity Essay How do hearing and listening differ? Hearing differs from listening in that hearing is a purely physiological activity, while listening also involves the psychological processing of sounds. †¢ When we hear what is being said, those words are transferred from our ears to our brain and then we often nod in agreement or disagreement or do nothing at all. Hearing is passive, only involves our ears and involves little to no passion. We simply take in what has been said and then go on from there. In addition, hearing is often emotionless, involuntary and shows little feeling for another. Basically, hearing is the way we understand the meaning of sound, the vibrations that come from it. Hearing is also having the ability to perceive and interpret sound. It is a special kind of sensation that delivers to us, what is being said, no matter where or who is giving off the sound. To clarify, hearing is a bodily element of listening and happens when sounds waves approach our ears at a certain loudness and frequency. †¢ Listening is the absorption of the meanings of words and sentences by the brain. Listening leads to the understanding of facts and ideas. But listening takes attention, or sticking to the task at hand in spite of distractions. It requires concentration, which is the focusing of your thoughts upon one particular problem. A person who incorporates listening with concentration is actively listening. # 3/ What are three major elements that complicate listening? Give customer service related examples of each. The three elements that complicate listening: †¢ the internal elements within the listener’s mind, †¢ environmental elements surrounding the communication, †¢ interactional elements that arise especially from listener self-centeredness and self-protection.

The Pros and Cons of Technology Essay examples -- Term Papers Research

The Pros and Cons of Technology As far back as I can remember my family and I have taken advantage of technology. The types of technology have changed over the years, along with our usage and dependence on it. Technology is a fundamental part of our lifestyle, including both work and play. What is interesting is that we also have many friends who use very little technology in their day-to-day living. This drastic difference makes one wonder how necessary the technology really is, and whether or not our dependence on it is healthy in the long run. It is really easy to just get caught up in using technology without thinking about the pros and cons. I was born in the 80’s, so technology as, I know it, was beginning to take aim at the mainstream United States and the world. I grew up in an era of change, whether or not this change is good is yet to be determined. When I talk about technology I am making reference to computers, automation, and most â€Å"new age† technology. My first exposure to computers was at my dad’s lab at the University of Michigan Dearborn. The computer was ancient by today’s standards, but at the time it was a marvel of technological triumph. When I was five we bought a home personal computer (pc) for my mother to write papers and utilize the Internet. I became increasingly fascinated with the possibilities the computer brought be and I was hooked. In school we had little Apple 2Es that only worked when they wanted to but we still used them every day. My mother had a large influence on my relationship with technology. First of all, she felt strongly enough to ban video games and most television shows the first ten years of my life. I started to test educational software for children when I was five because my... ...r, not batteries, because we were out in the woods for weeks on end. I settled on a small solar panel that could accommodate the digital device. The problem was that it didn’t work reliably, so just the use of the camera alone ate up my time that could have been better spent. Progress? I think not. Now, as I bash technology for some of its downfalls, I am still reminded about its benefits for medicine, and transportation. Isn’t that kind of progress beneficial for our civilization? Again the answer is, well, yes and no. Sure, we can get from point A to point B faster, but we pollute the environment and rely heavily on nonrenewable resources, which we can’t afford in the long run. I foresee my generation having to confront this. I see myself using new technologies, but, like Gomez-Pena, continuing to maintain balance, and staying grounded in a less â€Å"virtual† world.

Ryanair Pestel

Complete a PEST(EL) analysis as preparation for a scenario planning exercise next week. POLITICAL: †¢Due to severe security measures, they had to cancel 279 flights and refunded 2. 7mâ‚ ¬. A loss of 1. 9mâ‚ ¬ in reduced bookings †¢Aer Lingus was fundamentally opposed to a merger with Ryanair, even if it raises its price †¢12. 6 % of the shareholding controlled by Aer Lingus, whose members rejected the offer by a 97% majority vote †¢Opposed to the BAA airport monopoly plans to build a 4bn gold plated Taj Mahal at Stansted SOCIAL: †¢Europe’s leading budget airline August 2006, Air Transport World magazine- most profitable airline in the world †¢72% negative response from a poll of readers of the Financial Times for one of its initiatives †¢In 2006, its employees count by more than 700, to 3. 500 people, comprising over 25 different nationalities †¢In 2006, it was voted the world’s least favourite airline because of the unfrien dly staff, delays and poor legroom †¢The airline formerly refused to provide accommodation or meal vouchers when flights were cancelled or delayed, until it became illegal to do so in 2005ENVIRONMENTAL: †¢Deploying more efficient aircraft that use less fuel and produce less pollution †¢Concerns about greenhouse gases from carbon emissions †¢Replace its fleet of old aircraft with new, more environmentally-friendly aircraft, reducing the average age of its fleet to 2. 4 years †¢New aircraft produced 50% less emissions, 45% less fuel burn and 45% lower noise emissions per sea ECONOMIC: Its average paid was 49612â‚ ¬, a higher figure than any other major European airline †¢August 2006, Air Transport World magazine- most profitable airline in the world †¢Cost-cutting/yield-enhancing measures for passenger check-in and luggage handling could save more than 1â‚ ¬ per passenger †¢Web based check-in and priority boarding, save costs on check-in s taff and airport facilities, as well as time †¢By tailoring rosters, they maximised productivity and time off for crew membersTECHNOLOGICAL: †¢Web based check-in and priority boarding †¢Fleet of over 100 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft and firm orders for a further 138 new aircraft to be delivered over the next six years †¢Stronger passenger safety: body searched, banned from carrying liquids and gels in their carry-on luggage LEGAL: †¢Complying with EU regulations which impose a ceiling on pilot flying hours to prevent dangerous fatigue †¢In litigation with various airport over landing charges Accused it of misleading passengers on its website by exaggerating the prices of its competitors in making comparisons †¢Following flight cancellations due to increase in security measures, they decided to file two legal cases against UK government †¢In 2005, new legislation that offered compensation cost to passengers affected by delays, cancellations or d enied boarding

Presentation of Portnoy’s Complaint

Phillip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint is a part of a cultural movement of the 1960s, a raucous man’s story of his sexual obsessions, the plight of a son who has been dominated by his smothering mother and attempts to release his anxieties through masturbation. This story became famous overnight, receiving both wide acclaim and contempt. Roth is described as a product of the 1950s, the last decade in history when education, family values, high culture and high principles were still held in esteem—until demolished by the sexual and psychedelic revolution that followed. There are notable similarities between Portnoy and Roth himself, and the debate whether the novel is a thinly veiled autobiography still ensues among literary critics. A particular type of Jewish humor can be traced to the activities of Portnoy. Such humor, which features so prominently in the novel, has been effectively identified as a separate kind by Sigmund Freud, who wrote that Jewish jokes were usually directed inwards and characterized by profound self-criticism. The protagonist in Portnoy’s Complaint confesses that his entire life reminds of a Jewish joke, although it is not a joke. Thus, Alex Portnoy seems incapable of escaping any of the downsides of his cultural predicament. Immediately after the book was published, the novel quickly acquired a scandalous flavor, and Roth had to cope with a lot of newly acquired celebrity which he despised so much. This hymn to self-stimulation and liberation of repressed sexuality got reflected in both social sciences and popular culture of Roth’s era. Shades of Portnoy can be seen in Woody Allen’s films. Portnoy’s Complaint was attacked multiple times by the Jewish community for ridiculing their culture and heritage. Norman Podhoretz and Peter Shaw used their positions as editor and associate editor of the conservative Jewish journal, Commentary, to revile at Roth’s alleged hatred of Jewish history and identity. However, the most scathing vilification of the novel came in 1972 from Irving Howe in an essay titled â€Å"Philip Roth Reconsidered†, who accused the author of Portnoy’s Complaint of lack of taste, vulgarity and, above all, homeliness. Despite its central thematic preoccupations, which appear to be embattled Jewishness and masturbation, the novel’s popularity can be explained by the universalism of the issues author strives to explicate, such as the growth and decay of big cities, the difficulty of reconciling the sex urge and the love urge over time, and the painful need to outgrow one’s parents. While many literary influences can be traced in the novel, by far the greatest and the most important is that of Sigmund Freud. The views on Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis as expressed by Alex Portnoy are interestingly controversial: on the one hand, Freud is often alluded to as a source of wisdom; on the other hand, Portnoy seems to implicitly blame Freud for trivializing complex human relationships by his excessive and exclusive focus on sex. Essentially, the revolt against parental authority was very characteristic of the decade: the hippie culture, hitchhiking, and experiments with mind-altering substances were all manifestations of this revolt. Like many of his contemporaries, Alex struggles for his right to be bad, together with the entire generation that won the right to misbehave for their descendants. In this struggle, there were many obstacles Portnoy had to overcome, mostly of internal psychological nature, such as the fear of retribution, especially in the form of castration. It is necessary to note that Portnoy’s Complaint is a perfect illustration of the notion that literature cannot be fully understood without immersion into the cultural realities of the age when a certain work was created. Subtly autobiographic, the novel ought to be analyzed based on knowledge of Philip Roth’s own life and background. Although critics concur that there are notable differences between the loving and caring family Roth grew up in and oppressive and neurotic parents of Alex Portnoy, beyond reasonable doubt, Roth’s experiences with the mainstream American culture and the opposite sex have been reflected in the novel.

Reviews Essay Example

Reviews Essay Example Reviews Essay Reviews Essay Assessment. Com provides customized essay writing by the most skilled essay authors that could ever be discovered. Essays master has been offering expert essay writing ever since 2001 , and it doesnt look like they strategy on ending their essay writing support in the near future. Assessment is aware of that sometimes learners are going to need help due to certain conditions. So, Assessment. Com creates It their company to be their whenever a student may find themselves In a bad scenario when It comes to getting their documents finished promptly. Currently, Essays master requires pleasure in being the only essay writing organization for learners that reveal them a totally free set up before they make them pay for any service. This definitely places Assessment. Com a phase before the other entire essay writing service, Also, Essays master requires pleasure In being able to offer their clients with their set up document In two time or less. Then If the student chooses they are satisfied with their set up they will be given an cost-effective amount that they cannot anticipate room any other essay writing support for learners. Assessment. Com has two workplaces available one in the U. S and one in the (J. Both of the workplaces client care associates can be achieved 24 / 7 all season long. Their client care associates are always very courteous and they are always more than satisfied to help any client or prospective client with whatever it is that they may need or have issues about. Depending on opinions that have been remaining about Assessment. Com it seems hat all of their clients have been satisfied with their service and some of them use them on frequent fundamentals. Overall, Assessment. Com is an organization that has been in company for quite a while now. They have become acquainted with what learners anticipate when it comes to their essay writing service. Over the decades Essays master has been able to create and develop while simultaneously becoming more powerful at what they do. Based on several Assessment. Com Reviews, No doubt this is absolutely a best essay writing service on internet.

Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice

Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice Of Muscles, Mussels, and Mice By Maeve Maddox The use of the word mouse to mean computer device began in 1965, but the appearance and movement of mice have influenced language for a long time. The Latin word for mouse is mus. The Romans got the word from Greek mys. The word mussel,( a bivalve mollusk) derives from the Latin diminutive musculus (little mouse.) The little sea creature was thought to resemble a mouse in size and color. The word and spelling muscle to denote contractile tissue dates from the late 14th century. The movement of a muscle, especially the one in the upper arm (biceps), can be compared to that of a mouse moving about under something. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the analogy of mouse/muscle already existed in Greek, and double-duty words that can mean either mouse or muscle exist in modern languages as well. Old English spelled the word for the sea animal various ways: mucxle, muscell, muscelle, muscule, musscel, muxle. As might be expected, the spellings of mussel and muscle collided for a while. The spelling mussel to distinguish seafood from bodily tissue was first recorded about 1600, but the distinctive spelling was not fully established until the 1870s. The prefixes my and myo that occur in many medical terms also derive from Greek mys: myalgia: pain in a muscle or group of muscles. myocarditis: inflammation of a a muscle layer of the heart myoplasty: plastic surgery of muscular tissue. The medical terms relate to the muscle connection, but mouse origins are clear in the word myomancy:divination by interpreting the behavior of mice. Finally, just for fun, the Greek letter M is spelled and pronounced mu in English. The Greek vocative form of mys is also spelled mu. This is what happened when an English-speaking curate tried to teach his cat the Greek alphabet: There was a kind curate of Kew †¨ Who kept a large cat in the pew, †¨ Which he taught every week †¨ alphabetical Greek, †¨But got no farther than mu.* *Thanks to Rod Decker Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)Conversational Email

Critically explore the strengths and limitations of case study Essay

Critically explore the strengths and limitations of case study research with children and young people in exploring issues of race and ethnicity - Essay Example y looking at past works by Ince (2004) that focused on a small group of young black people leaving care as well as Maniam’s et al (2004) study on various methods that can be used in exploring issues of race and ethnicity. Research with children and young people is critical. It can advance understanding of how they develop and live, can contribute to theoretical debates, and its outcomes can impact directly and indirectly on the lives of those researched and others in similar situations. In this case, the study focuses on young people as well as children in reference to issues of race and ethnicity. The function of case study method in research becomes more outstanding when social issues such as drug abuse, racial segregation, poverty and ethnicity are considered. Prominence of case studies as a research technique gained recognition when researchers started raising more and more concerns regarding the limitations of quantitative methods. This was particularly in availing holistic and in-depth explanations for social and behavioral conditions. Superiority of case studies lies in the fact that the research approach incorporates both quantitative and qualitative data; these sets of data are utilized to elucidate both the procedure and result of a phenomenon through comprehensive observation, reconstruction and analysis of the case study under scrutiny. Ince (2004) carried out a qualitative research with a small group of black care leavers, through the research she demonstrated the young blacks’ identity problems resulting from their limited contact with their families and community. The research also brought to the forefront the impacts of racism as well as open and indirect discrimination in these children’s lives. Maniam et al (2004) seemed to favor use of case studies as he stated that bringing forth qualitative data on racism would be one way of researchers wittingly colluding with racism. He cited that to overcome inadequacies that have resulted due to a

Film analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Film analysis - Essay Example The scenes of verbal and physical conflicts between Ciki and Nino happen. They physically injure each other and also get to know a little about each other. In the course of this multilingual film, Tanovic portrays intentions of peacekeeping forces and media in somewhat negative but realistic manner through UN Sgt Marchand and journalist, Jane (Tanovic, 2001). As the Ciki and Nino wait with a what seems almost eternal entrapment, nature makes visit through Tanovic’s camera as a piece of blue sky, some trees and feeble sound of birds and insects. But the contrast of this little peep of nature and soldiers confinement to a trench clearly deconstructs war and highlights the beauty of freedom and peace. The sense of wait is depicted strongly as viewers expect something to happen every time but it never does. Ciki finds a gun in the trench and shoots Nino. The shot is taken from a high point to show Ciki’s view point. The camera zooms at low angle to show Nià ±o’s viewpoint who is bracing for the worst to come and looking up at Ciki with blue sky behind him. As Nino closes his eyes camera lingers on him but no shots come. When Nino opens his eyes all he sees is a patch of blue sky and no Ciki. There was no climax such as Ciki putting his gun down and sparing Nino’s life. The incident fades without ending. While vie wer’s curiosity is answered by a long shot of Ciki who has moved to other part of the trench. Tanovic has depicted the unending wait for war to be over. The war is waiting for something to happen but it never happens. It is our and Nià ±o’s viewpoint. One more example, explosion of the mine under Cera is awaited but that does not happen. Ciki and Nino are killing time while Cera is forced to have bowel movement in his pants. A war simply ends when world and media puts their attention somewhere else. . Once Jane approaches the trench and bribes soldiers with cigarettes. The camera shot shows her position high up while Nino’s

Percieved control and academic achievment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Percieved control and academic achievment - Essay Example They totalled to about 19 respondents. The findings also show that majority of the respondents have poor mental ability. Using the value 0.05 level of significance, F-statistics, and an Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, the df num value is k-1, or 2 -1, or 1 and the df den value is T-k, or 50 - 2, or 48. So, with = 0.05, the critical value of F in this analysis of variance test was F0.05 (1, 48) = 251. Since computed F (FC) is less than Tabulated F (FT), Ho is accepted, which states that the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores and the Average GPA of the selected respondents has no significant relationship. In other words, the result of the "Analysis of Variance" (ANOVA) shows that the computed F, 0.103 is less than the tabular values of F-statistics, 251 at 0.05 degrees of freedom, 1, 48. This denotes that the GPA has no significant effect on the Rotters LOCUS of Control survey results. The resultant R square value is 0.002. This is very far from the point of reference value 1. This shows that the correlation is not on the normal curve distribution. So, it is interpreted as very small positive correlation. In percentile (%), it is 0.2 which indicates that the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores and the Average GPA of the selected respondents has very minimal similarities. Furthermore, because the R square value of 0.002 is not close to the adjusted R square value of -0.019, this signifies that the regression model is not fit for the data. The very small positive correlation denotes that the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores is uncorrelated with the Average GPA of the selected respondents, it may be either large or small when the scores or frequency is large and vice versa. This further implies that there is no systematic trend in the Rotters LOCUS of Control scores and the Average GPA of the selected respondents. Appendices Score Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 6 1 2.0 2.0 2.0 7 3 6.0 6.0 8.0 8 4 8.0 8.0 16.0 9 3 6.0 6.0 22.0 10 9 18.0 18.0 40.0 11 7 14.0 14.0 54.0 12 5 10.0 10.0 64.0 13 6 12.0 12.0 76.0 14 3 6.0 6.0 82.0 16 2 4.0 4.0 86.0 17 1 2.0 2.0 88.0 18 5 10.0 10.0 98.0 19 1 2.0 2.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 Note: Column 2 and 3 were used for figure 1 Average GPA Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1 2 4.0 4.0 4.0 2 7 14.0 14.0 18.0 3 10 20.0 20.0 38.0 4 13 26.0 26.0 64.0 5 6 12.0 12.0 76.0 6 6 12.0 12.0 88.0 7 3 6.0 6.0 94.0 8 3 6.0 6.0 100.0 Total 50 100.0 100.0 Note: Column 2 and 3 were used for figure 2 Scores versus Average GPA Regression Variables

Review and Analysis Of The Movie The Blind Side

Review and Analysis Of The Movie The Blind Side John Lee Hancocks film entitled The Blind Side describes the struggle of a Black man to become part of the White society. Michael Oher, the main character in the story shows the audience how a black man experiences mistreatment and discrimination from his white community which is the common trend of American mainstream. However, the film also wants to deconstruct the traditional perceptions towards White Americans through the Tuohy family. In this movie, the director shows how White Americans like the Tuohy family accept Michael for who he is and what he wants to be. The Tuohys become Michaels enduring power, armor, and salvation as he faces his new path of transformation, social acceptance, and immersion. From this sense, it can be perceived that Hancocks film depicts the notion of popular culture as it emphasizes the different issues of the society such as race, racism, cultural differences, cultural interaction, and other ideas about culture and society. The films goal is to show how Michael is being accepted in a social norm through his new found family. For many years, Michael has lived with different foster families, but ends up leaving them. He feels that he does not fit because of the different family situations, status, and lifestyle. However, Michael is not just a common individual, he has a unique character that leads him to popularity. In the beginning of his life with the Tuohys, he detaches himself from them. This is primarily because of the fact that he is a Black American while the Tuohys are White. Throughout the discussion of Michaels life, the film is presented with minimal flashbacks-only if there is a need, such as the depiction of Michaels mother and other important details that help establish the main characters personality. The film tries to express the situation that happens when a Black American becomes part of a White American family. The conflict of the story is, Will Michael fit into his new found home? Having an extreme difference in terms of race, lifestyle, social background, and social status, the two races are combined together under one roof to describe the possible repulsion that might occur as well as the attraction that can happen between them. However, it is not only this internal repulsion or attraction that is presented as a conflict of the film, but also the people within the Tuohys social surroundings. Since Leigh Anne and Sean are influential individuals because of their profession, people around them think that adopting Michael taints their good reputation. This is one of the major struggles of the Tuohy family along with Michael, but they stand up against their foes and prove to these people that Michael is more civilized than those who continue to criticize him. The concept of popular culture emerges in this film in three distinct themes: racism within the football team, the lifestyle of the socialites, and when an upcoming superstar is made, people keep an eye on this individual. According to John Storey (2009), race and racism are not natural or inevitable phenomena; they have a history and are a result of human actions and interactions (pg. 168). Logically, racism occurs in television, radio, movies, and other types of media. Most of the time, these industries use racism as a form of stereotyping. That is why common people utilize these ideals, they think that it is accepted in the society. This is what happened to Michael. He faces discrimination inside his own classroom. Even his teacher demonstrates the differences of how a White teacher interacts with a Black student like him. It is a form of stereotype that the media continues to express towards its audience. Another example of popular culture that exists in this film is the lifestyle of the socialites. For example, Leigh Annes lifestyle is totally extravagant. She can wear any clothes she wants. She can eat at any restaurant because she can afford it. This is a form of popular culture because it is how a rich woman is perceived in television or movies. Her lifestyle is similar with Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. They are both perceived as extravagant women who can achieve everything they want-because they have money. Both characters share the same culture. Storey (2009) explains that the social definition of culture- culture as a particular way of life, culture as expression of a particular way of life, and cultural analysis as a method of reconstituting a particular way of life helps us to establish an understanding of the shared values of a group or class of people (p. 45). This is a common depiction of a rich woman in every movie. A rich woman is not perceived as a sad and unhapp y individual when it comes to her personal satisfaction. She is described as a flawless and sophisticated character that has special powers when it comes to her personal needs and luxuries. The last example of popular culture in this film is when Michael begins his football career. When the football coach, Burt Cotton sees Michaels potential, he accepts the main character as a student of Wingate Christian School. This is also the beginning of Michaels popularity. People, even the coaches and owners of different universities, want Michael to become part of their school. That is why despite Michaels academic records and race, they are interested in him. This scenario is common in American culture and it is common in Western culture to portray such situations in television and movies. People begin to keep their eyes on Michaels actions and achievements because he becomes popular and he soon becomes part of their lifestyle. When Michael becomes popular, people suddenly start to observe and scrutinize his actions. Michael needs to prove that he is worthy to become a student of Ole Miss. Everyone starts to take an interest in his academic transformation because he needs to have a 2.50 GPA to be able to get the NCAA Division I scholarship. Some people are trying to scrutinize him, like the interviewer of Ole Miss. This interview is done to prove that his decision to attend Ole Miss is based on his personal judgments and ideologies and not by the Tuohys simply because they are alumni and members of the boosters for the university. It only proves that because of his popularity, he experiences scrutiny and sometimes immoral judgment from other people-which is part of society. Culture plays an important role in establishing the character of a person. People have different culture, but through cultural relativism, they become connected. According to Storey (2009), cultural relativism is the acceptance and appreciation of cultures or ways of living different from your own; not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms. The Tuohys accept and appreciate Michaels culture-despite the fact that his social and family background seems unacceptable because it contains negativities. As these individuals share their thoughts and identities, they become related to one another-and soon become part of each others lives. There are a set of laws in the society that people can not change. This is called norm or the rules of society based on their values; standards of behavior governing specific social situations that are established by societys values (Storey, 2009). The Tuohys society or community has specific sets of moral values. They believe that Black Americans are unacceptable within their community or surroundings because they are the root of negativities. This is also an example of high culture being looked at as a superior culture. The Tuohys do not change this norm, but they create their own values by accepting Michael and believe in him and his capabilities as a person. A persons ideology makes the culture more sophisticated. According to Storey (2009), Ideology differs from culture, in that it adds a political dimension to the discussion on culture. It suggests that relations of power and politics shape the cultural and ideological landscape. The Tuohys ideology is different from the standard culture of the society, but because they are part of their community, they have to express their ideology. It is hard in the beginning to show their different point of view, but they win the battle against their foes because Michael shows that he is different from the stereotypic character of a Black American.

The Love Poems of Rich, Marvell and Campion :: Adrienne Rich Andrew Marvell Essays

The Love Poems of Rich, Marvell and Campion Adrienne Rich’s â€Å"Twenty-One Love Poems,† which explore the nature of lesbian love, differ strikingly from classic love poems written by a man to a woman, such as Andrew Marvell’s â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† and Thomas Campion’s â€Å"There Is a Garden in Her Face.† Rich’s poems focus on the â€Å"us† aspect of love, the concept of two strong, yet imperfect women facing all oppositions together, while the love poems written by men are far more reverent, almost worshipful of their subjects. The lesbian poems have a sense of love being â€Å"real†, a connection based on far more than physical attraction, whereas the men’s poems focus on an idealized view of the woman: beautiful, pure, distant. The women in Marvell and Campion’s poems are lovely faà §ades, storybook figures without any real depth or imperfections. Perhaps the lesbian love poems could be seen as less eloquent, or less flawlessly romantic, bu t the romance in them is found in the genuine nature of the love. Rich is doubtlessly writing about experiences she has had, real people she has loved, whereas Marvell and Campion could ostensibly be writing about any beautiful, but otheriwse characterless, woman that they’ve seen. The stress that Rich places on the two members of the couple as equals is a striking contrast to Marvell’s and Campion’s poems, in which the female subject is placed on a pedestal and kept at a distance. There is little sense of a real-life relationship between the man and the woman. The men’s poems are mere descriptions of the woman and their love for her, with little discussion of how they interact, or how they may feel about her personality. Rich, however, creates an atmosphere of â€Å"us against the world†, writing â€Å"I touch you knowing we weren’t born tomorrow, / and somehow, each of us will help the other live, / and somewhere, each of us must help the other die† (Rich 237). Certainly, this discrepancy is at least partially a product of the different eras in which the poems were written; Campion and Marvell were writing in the 16th and 17th centuries, respectively, while Rich’s â€Å"Twenty-One Love Poems† was written in the mid-1970’s. Victorian and Elizabethan culture dictated that the woman be far more removed from the often vile realities of life – revered, but not seen as an equal partner in a relationship. Sexuality would not have been a topic to be openly discussed.

Delivering Customer Value Though Marketing Essay

Assignment: i) Describe and analyse the brand’s product, market positioning, pricing strategies and its target segment. ii) Critically evaluate if the brand’s marketing activity is delivering values to its customers. Why? iii) Suggest ways in which the brand can improve in its marketing strategies or activities. i) Describe and analyse the brand’s product, market positioning, pricing strategies and its target segment About UNIQLO: UNIQLO is a Japanese causal wear retailer. It is also a wholly owned subsidiary of Fast retailing Co. Ltd. The first UNIQLO was opened in Japan in 1984. Across years, successful brand strategies enable UNIQLO to be the fourth fashion retailer in sales volume in 2013, just right after Zara, H&M and Gap. Marketing mix is a useful tool to analyze UNIQLO’s strategies and its product development direction among competitors. Marketing Mix (4P): Overview UNIQLO’s product: UNIQLO provides a wide range of clothing, including Men’s, Women’s, Children’s, and even in Baby’s wear. UNIQLO manages this range of products  in order to satisfy the needs of different age groups and genders. Especially children and baby wear, not all its competitors provide these two lines, this can satisfy customers’ need. UNIQLO has their own R&D team, to design the latest fashion and life-style wear to customer. Also, its materials sourcing team help to bring the most suitable and sometimes the luxury materials into product development in order to give the best wearing experience to customers. Such as premium down, cashmere sweaters and premium cotton are the good examples. UNIQLO gain customer’s trust in quality guaranty. UNIQLO’s price: UNIQLO’s products are not expensive comparing to its competitors, such as Gap, Zara, etc. Although UNIQLO’s clothing requires similar price with other fast fashion retailers, its quality is relatively higher than them. It is due to the most fundamental UNIQLO’s direction, â€Å"Low price, high quality†. UNIQLO’s Place: UNIQLO’s strategies are for both local (Japan) and international. Stores are all over the world, including Japan, America, Euro, China, East and south Asia. This can show the determination of UNQLO to expand its business and build the brand internationally. All the stores of UNIQLO, are in central area, or popular district in the cities. Take Hong Kong UNIQLO as an example, there are totally 21 UNIQLO stores in Hong Kong. The flagship UNIQLO store is in causeway bay Lee Theater, which is the most popular shopping area in Hong Kong. UNIQLO apply the same store strategy internationally, such as Tokyo, Osaka store in Japan, Shanghai store in China, New York 5th ave in USA. Another strategy to make UNIQLO a good place to shop is their total sale-floor method. UNIQLO tries to enlarge the floor area in every shop and include as many departments and clothing display as they can in the store. That can provide the convenience to customers to buy their favorite things in only one station. And the big display area can attract customer’s focus to their products and give a confidence that UNIQLO can provide everything that they need. UNIQLO’s promotion: New product development process in many other companies is very simple. Usually, from idea generation, testing, product producing and so on. However in UNIQLO, the first step of product development is customer feedback. That means all products in UNIQLO are responding to customer. This is also the concept they are promoting to the potential customer. â€Å"Cheap, simple design, but is perfect fit for daily use with a good quality†. This sentence shows that UNIQLO is promoting their image to public. Another way is UNIQLO promotes their products by sport sponsorship. Take Japan market as example, football league is extremely hot among Japanese. So, UNIQLO make good use of this opportunities to sponsor the uniform for a football team in J.League to increase visibility and exposure. Also, UNIQLO is the uniform sponsor for Japan’s Olympic athletics in 1998, 2002 and 2004. They also sponsor uniform for tennis players in high rank tennis competition. Exposure in different sport events can successfully promote UNIQLO as a very good ready-to-wear clothing brand to public. Market positioning: The clothing concept of UNIQLO is very strict forwards, which is â€Å"Low cost, and high quality†. They produce clothing with simple but fashionable design and good quality for wearing in every day. Their tremendous business expansion can prove that they successfully build their concept to customer and this represent that their business is on the tract. There are four factors that can help to analyze UNIQLO’s positioning, they are: 1. Product quality 2. Prices 3. Distribution 4. Image 1. Product quality UNIQLO is always proud of their products’ quality. Their CEO Tadashi Yanai had said that, they are a technology company rather than a fashion company. Their high quality clothing enables them to be worn every day. UNIQLO is positioning their product in a relatively higher quality compare to other fast fashion companies, such as Zara , H&M. These company concern fashion trend more than quality. However, UNIQLO is not a luxury brand, so their quality is not comparable to other luxury brand, such as LV, Gucci, etc. 2. Prices UNIQLO’s concept is â€Å"Low cost, but High Quality†. UNIQLO’s price is fair, but they offer a better quality of clothes at the similar price compare to other fast fashion companies. UNIQLO’s price is not the cheapest one, but quality is the highest among its market competitors. 3. Distribution All the products UNIQLO selling are in their own stores. They do not have franchises or displays in department stores. So they can control all the promotion or logistics without third parties’ constrain. It is known as â€Å"SPA† (Specialty-store of Private-label Apparel), selling their own product in their store and exclusively. Take Hong Kong UNIQLO as an example, they have 21 stores in Hong Kong, which has a broader coverage than its main competitors. Zara only have 7 stores in Hong Kong. However, comparing to the local competitors like Bossini and Giordino, UNIQLO does not have a greater advantage in store numbers, but their number of stores are already much higher than other international fast fashion brand in Hong Kong market. 4. Image UNIQLO is selling clothes with their functionality rather than fashion style. So, their image to customer is very simple, which is basic, simple, cheerful and comfortable. Comparing to Zara, and H&M , UNIQLO’s image is linked to quality and simple to mix and match for every day while the former two competitors focus more on trendy and fashion but sometime not easy to carry. Position Map: In this part, I am going to simply illustrate UNIQLO’s position with the position map by considering only two factors, Quality, and Price. LV & Gucci surely come to the top rank in both quality and price because they are luxury brands which have a very different position comparing to UNIQLO. UNIQLO, Zara and H&M can be grouped together due to their fast fashion nature. The price of their products is similar, but UNIQLO provides the highest quality while H&M is the last one. Bossini or other local fashion chains usually don’t provide a very high quality, but they have local network and channels to sell their product. They sell their product in a lower price comparing to other international brands in order to sell more and earn more. Local small bountique is the bottom one, in both quality and price. They target those people who concern money only but not quality. Target segment & Pricing Strategies: In this part, we need to identify UNIQLO’s target segment and then to anaylse it’s price strategies. Target segment: Few background recall: UNIQLO’s concept is â€Å"low cost, high quality† as mentioned above. Its products are sold within a reasonable range. It provides a wide range of products including men’s, women’s , children’s and babies’ . Its style is â€Å"simple but trendy, easy to mix and match† . Then we can analyse the market segment by parts. Targeting: a) Demographics Age: Babies – Right target of it’s babies line Children – Right target of it’s children line Adolescent – Right target of it’s Men’s and women’s lines Adult – Right target of it’s Men’s and women’s lines Mature – Non-target , due to less fashion requirement of this group Elderly – Non-target , due to less fashion requirement of this group Gender: Both female and male are their targets Income: The target customers’ income is low to medium, due to its cost and its pricing level. b) Psychographics Value: For people who have a basic requirement on trend and pursuing good quality on clothing. Lifestyle: UNIQLO’s clothing is simple and comfortable. It is suitable for people who always have light exercise and sports in their living habits. Pricing strategies: After analyzing UNIQLO’s target segment, we found that their target population is very large. In order to enlarge the target group, a penetration price strategy is adopted by UNIQLO. Their target’s income is not high, they must have a price sensitive characteristic. So, UNIQLO try to maintain the products in a low to reasonable price to match the target’s income. In this sense, UNIQLO can make profit only when high volume of sales has been made. ii) Critically evaluate if the brand’s marketing activity is delivering values to its customers. Why? Customer value is the benefit that people will derive from their purchase of the goods or service. In this case, it means if UNIQLO’s marketing direction can generate benefit to customer after they bought the products. Overall, I think the existing brand activities of UNIQLO can deliver value to their  target customers because of the below reasons. 1. Technology focus: UNIQLO owns many technologies that its competitors do not have, such as Heat-tech, anti-smelling, lighting down, anti-UV, etc. These are the material advantages from competitors, indeed it gives extra value to customer and more attractive to buy UNIQLO but not buying other brands 2. Simple â€Å"trendy† design, There are not many fashion pioneers in the world. Most of the people in the world are relatively simple, especially UNIQLO’s target. UNIQLO hires some famous designers to develop a hybrid type of clothing that perfectly merge basic into trendy. It makes their â€Å"basic† wear easily to be carried and extra â€Å"fashion† value added onto it although people originally is seeking for basic style. 3. Convenient store location, Take Hong Kong UNIQLO as an example, it owns 21 stores in Hong Kong. All of the stores are in population area, such as Kowloon Tong, Causeway bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sha Tin, etc. Convenient stores location means customers can enjoy service or purchase easier. And after-sell service, such as goods return, can be accessed easily to customers. It is an intangible value. 4. Pricing strategies UNIQLO produces all the products by its manufacturing sites. So it can minimize the cost , and then sell them in a lower price. Its penetration strategy enables more people to access their products. Also, with their advanced technology and materials choosing, the ratio of price to quality can be utilized greatly to customers. 5. Excellent store visual merchandising, UNIQLO did very well in visual merchandising. First of all, different styles are well organized and distributed in distant area. In some multicolor basic shirts sectors, they make the whole sector to be more cheerful and colorful by folding the shirts subsequently and orderly. It can let customers to find  the color they want more easier and enhance visual conditions. Also, UNIQLO can let your family to buy clothes for all gender and age groups in only one stop. Every store of UNIQLO sell men’s, women’s and children’s at the same site. Their professional store visual management can increase buyer experience and enjoyment in shopping. All these marketing activities from UNIQLO can perfectly match the need of their target customers. So, we can say that UNIQLO is generating benefits to customers and even give them benefits out of their expectation. iii) Suggest ways in which the brand can improve in its marketing strategies or activities. In this part, we should identify the relative weak area of UNILQO first, and then target the weakness to formulate improvement way. a) Design too simple This is what UNIQLO proud of, but meanwhile it might be its weakness. UNIQLO emphasizes a basic style clothes that can be worn for every day. However, the fashion trend runs too fast recently, customers might be tired of plain pattern of UNIQLO clothes. So, in the future, I think UNILQO can maintain its original design and also add a few more fashionable and trendy lines. A fashionable and high quality apparel should be successful because it merge advantages of H&M and UNIQLO itself. b) Brand Image UNIQLO’s concept is â€Å"Low price, high quality†. Due to this concept, it limits UNIQLO to build a â€Å"High End† image. This low end image make UNIQLO with less pricing flexibility. People will not buy a â€Å"low end† brand with a high price. In long term, apart from the original line and image, UNIQLO can expand its brand image towards â€Å"Middle end† or â€Å"High end† by expanding some attractive lines. It will definitely increase product’s attractiveness. c) Improve advertising and brand visibility UNIQLO is weak in advertising. Comparing to its competitors Zara and H&M,  these competitors are willing to spend much more on the public noise. Apart from product quality and store expansion, UNIQLO can expand the brand’s visibility and awareness with the aid of proper TV advertisement. d) Elderly market In the existing target segment of UNIQLO, elderly is not the main focus group. However, we can not underestimate the potential of this market, especially in some countries, such as Japan and Hong Kong, aging population is getting more. UNIQLO can put more resources on elderly by developing some specialist garment for people who need extra care. For example, heat-tech sweater is suitable them because elderly easily lose temperature. Also, UNIQLO can use its technology advantage to make some functional apparel to them like high elastic trousers which can provide protection from joint damage during walking. These functional products not only can attract elderly, but also can attract all age groups who need functional products. Moreover, they can invite some famous old celebrities to be the brand’s spoke person to increase the influencing power in this age group. Conclusion: Overall, UNIQLO is a very successful international fast fashion retailer in the world in both sale volume and inspiration in fashion. UNIQLO successfully use â€Å"Simple† to compete with others in this fast pacing fashion world. UNIQLO’s high â€Å"price to quality ratio† makes them very attractive to its target group, and penetrate brand image to more people. The existing brand’s activities are useful in expanding business and deliver benefit to customers. However in this challenging market, changes is the ever rules. UNIQLO should focus more the changing of people’s interest and the trend. Simple mix and match can be sword for brand building and harms if people change to pursue more fashionable styles. Reference: 1. http://www.fastretailing.com/eng/ 2. http://www.uniqlo.com/hk/ 3. http://www.zara.com/ 4. http://www.hm.com/ 5. http://www.gap.com/ 6. http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=324 7. http://www.slideshare.net/ 8. http://www.wikipedia.org