Social Stories Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Stories - Article Example In this case, five students were selected to help carry out the research. Two participants were dropped from the study due to various reasons. The first was dropped from the study as he was unresponsive to the social stories. The second was dropped due to unreliability during data collection. The criterion for selection of the participants included; First, they should be either male or female with ages ranging from 12 to 15 with an autistic disorder, Secondly their social, language and academic records of the past two years should be available, Thirdly, the students should not have Asperger’s syndrome, and lastly the participants had to be verified whether they have autism using the Gilliam rating scale. The social stories created were based on consultations with special education teachers, professionals, parents, and speech clinicians. To stories were each designed to prompt the targeted behavior. In the case of one participant (Ronnie), he would read about how to stand and play with the aid of pictures and photographs. Another participant (Bobby) learned about the inappropriate high vocal pitch. Bobby would learn how to use a young man’s voice. The third participant (Cathy) learned how to put her hands down. Each of the stories utilized pictures of the participants to analyze whether their behavior would be impacted by own pictures. The staff used to carry out the test involved special education personnel and students trained in the procedures for the tests. Their aim was to provide some guidance for the participants, which involved pointing at pictures, which would serve to prompt the participants into a reaction, which would relate to the image displayed.

Atmospheric Circulation on Venus Research Paper

Atmospheric Circulation on Venus - Research Paper Example The Venus atmosphere is in a condition of vigorous circulation and super-rotation (Hunten, et al. 685). In just 4 days, the entire atmosphere circles the planet which is faster than the sidereal day of 243 days of the planet. The super rotation is supported by the winds and they blow as fast as 100 m/s (360 km/h or 220 mph). Winds move up to 60 times of the rotation of the planet. On the other hand, the speed of wind becomes greatly slower as the elevation from the surface becomes smaller, with the breeze rarely reaching the speed of 10 km/h on the surface. Anticyclonic structures are near the poles and they are called vortices. Every vortex is double-eyed and exhibits a characteristic S-shaped pattern of clouds. These Venus don’t have a magnetic field. Its ionosphere disconnects the atmosphere from the solar wind and outer space. This layer that is ionized includes the solar magnetic field, providing Venus with a distinct magnetic environment. This is believed to be Venusâ₠¬â„¢s induced magnetosphere. Gases that are lighter including water vapor, keeps on being blown away by the solar wind through the induced magnetotail. It is believed that Venus’s atmosphere up to around 4 billion years ago was similar to that of the earth containing water on the surface. A runaway greenhouse effect may have been brought by surface water evaporation and subsequent rise of the levels of other greenhouse gases. Despite the severe conditions on the surface, the pressure and temperature of the atmosphere at approximately 50km to 65km above the planet’s surface is around the same as that of the Earth, hence its upper atmosphere almost the same as the earth’s in the Solar System, even more than the Mars’ surface. Because of the similarity in temperature and pressure and the fact that breathable air is a lifting gas on earth, the upper part of the atmosphere has been proposed as a section for both colonization and

Analyzing The Class System In Twelfth Night Duchess Of Malfi English Literature Essay

Analyzing The Class System In Twelfth Night Duchess Of Malfi English Literature Essay The feast of Twelfth Night where the play takes its name, was celebrated in a time when social hierarchies were turned upside down. That same spirit is alive in Illyria, and Shakespeare has created situations that create a comedic yet farcical tone to the play. I am going to compare and contrast the ways in which hierarchy class are used as plot devices, a means create comedic circumstance and for mistaken identity. Hierarchy is series of ordered groupings of people or things within a system, and in the case of twelfth night the constrains of time have to be taken into consideration, as the views of contemporary audiences would give the play a new interpretation and a loss of satire or comedic value. Feste as a means of a narrative feature if fairly incohesive in his role along the side of characters such as Sir Toby whose actions dictate the plays outcome (his manipulation of Sebastian) rather we know of his intellect although his career does not suggest that he is intelligent one who professionally Counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, Clown or one who has little or no reason or intellect although we see Feste as a sharp and witty jester Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. And because of his class no love like Maria is shown for minor roles (although in some adaptations all characters are connected for an orthodox happy ending) O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O, stay and hear; your true loves coming. .he is intelligent one who professionally Counterfeits folly for the entertainment of others, a jester, Clown or one who has little or no reason or intellect although we see Feste as a sharp and witty jester Better a witty fool than a foolish wit. And because of his class no love like Maria is shown for minor roles (although in some adaptations all characters are connected for an orthodox happy ending) O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O, stay and hear; your true loves coming. The almost farcical relationship between Sebastian and Antonio is created by Shakespeare for a hinted comedic effect or just for structure If you will not murder me for my love, let me be your servant. Antonios language can be seen as simply the expression of a purely platonic passion. However, Antonios words can also be seen as carrying an obvious homoerotic charge. It seems safe to say here that if Antonio were a woman, we would read her speech and actions as an unambiguous expression of her love for Sebastian and hope that he would return this love. In a play so concerned with bending gender roles-a play in which Orsino can seem to be attracted to Viola Malovolio portrays a classic image of a Puritan. As Olivias servant, he dreams of power and his status within the inner ring, and wants nothing else than to marry his mistress. This would have seemed absurd and impossible as there are societal normalitys that would prevent such an unfortunate marriage. Although social mobility was beginning to take place, there was still a division among the classes. It would have been quite out of place for a woman of Olivias status to marry one so far beneath her. Although for Malovolio, the situation of how it would be between him and Olivias uncle, Sir Toby Belch, if he had gained the hand of his mistress, he said, I extend my hand to him thus, quenching my familiar smile with an austere regard of control You must amend your drunkenness Malovolios presence in this scene adds a new uncertainty to the play and we start to loose the empathy we once had for the idiotic Malovolio rather we see his pretentious pompous way of displaying his false hope and misguided love. We can see why Maria doesnt feel cathartic about the plot and its unfitting end. The manor in which Malovolio speaks shows that he truly believes he deserves to be above his class and talks almost condescending to Sir Toby whose reaction shows his disapproval. Malovolios desire to rise above his class sets a course for his own demise though the relationship with Olivia; this shows the audience that Sir Toby and the others find his delusions to preposterous. Malovolio is an unsuitable match for Olivia not only of his unappealing personality but also because he is not of noble blood. He is within his class a lower class citizen and to Sir Toby a commoner, while Olivia is a woman of noble blood with money and a high social status. The Duchess (within the duchess of malfi) is an independent and defiant woman who has a strong personality and I think was urged on to remarry by her brothers threats and warnings not to remarry down her social status. I believe that she wanted to defy her brothers, she wanted to rebel, because thats in her nature. Websters primary source for his story (mostly true to history), William Painters  Palace of Pleasure(1567), shows less sympathy for the Duchess, taking a strict, moralistic tone, condemning her for being too lustful and for breaking the accepted rules of her social status Hypocrisy is woven of a fine small thread, Subtler than Vulcans engine: yet, believet,Your darkest actions: nay, your privatst thoughts,Will come to light. . Webster created, in the Duchess what Shakespeare never did, a tragic female protagonist (Juliet doesnt act on her own, Cleopatra shares the world stage with Antony) who represents a challenge to social hierarchy and  natural  order, violas situation was resolved also. As a woman she refuses to be subservient to men: she ignores her brothers commands not to marry, and she takes the initiative to woo Antonio. A rich widow presented a special threat to male-dominated families, as she was now free to marry of her own choosing for love, and to give the family wealth to another man. The problem in a rigid society. Her crime is choosing a husband not from the ruling class but from the upwardly mobile middle class (using the term very slackly). The ruling class, in the shape of Duke Ferdinand and the Cardinal, resist the idea of a woman making a free choice, especially when that choice transgresses class strata. It is necessary for her to be eliminated in order to maintain the status quo . In the case of the Duke an obsession with blood, breeding and pedigree tips over into murkily incestuous desire, a rage to control his sisters sexuality and eventual madness. Jane Eyre  is critical in the exploration of neo-Victorian Englands social hierarchy. Brontes exploration of the complicated social position of governesses is perhaps the novels most important treatment of this theme. Like Heathcliff inWuthering Heights,  Jane is a figure of ambiguous class standing and, consequently, a source of extreme tension for the characters around her. Paradoxically for Malvolio his treatment creates a comedic effect of his outcome due to his class and personality and similarly to Sebastians effect of the propulsion of the play and festes catalytical effect to the narrative, In her novel  Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontà « explores the possibility that class relationships have no absolute boundaries that cannot be crossed. Her protagonist Jane is placed in between economic classes and drifts among the lower, middle, and upper classes of Victorian England. Janes flexible class status allows her to evaluate other characters on their actions and personalities r ather than on their economic status and physical appearance. She forms deep relationships with members of the other classes and holds animosity towards individuals that others might respect based on their achievements in life but who did not act appropriately to Jane. Other characters in the novel judge Jane in much the same way as she judges them; they note her class status and physical appearance at first but then learn to appreciate her for her behaviour and thoughts. Brontà « ends the novel on a dramatic turn of events that completely flip Janes class status. Yet, Jane still remains the same character that we have seen throughout the entire novel. Charlotte Brontà « uses Jane Eyre as an example that class boundaries are not finite and that individuals can transcend them. Jane tends not to evaluate other people based on their class status. Instead, she evaluates peoples superiority or inferiority based on their behavior and forms either deep friendship or animosity based on it. During her childhood at Gateshead, Jane is more emotionally attached to the servant Bessie than to any of her wealthy family members. She bases her adoration on Bessies personal characteristics rather than her economic status. Fraiman tells us that during Christmastime, instead of yearning toward the genteel company, [Jane] would rather spend a quiet evening with Bessie (617) because of the motherly characteristics that Bessie displays towards Jane. Jane longs for the affection of a motherly woman rather than the glamorous company of her rich family. Janes characters disposition manifests, sophistication, education and higher status this would have been expected of an aristocrat, because Victorian governesses, who tutored children in etiquette as well as academics, were expected to possess the culture of the aristocracy. Yet, as paid employees, they were more or less treated as servants; thus, Jane remains penniless and powerless while at Thornfield. Janes understanding of the double standard crystallizes when she becomes aware of her feelings for Rochester; she is his intellectual, but not his social, equal. Even before the crisis surrounding Bertha Mason, Jane is hesitant to marry Rochester because she senses that she would feel indebted to him for condescending to marry her. Janes distress. This situation corresponds to that of Malvolio Jane herself speaks out against class prejudice at certain moments in the book. For example, in Chapter  23  she chastises Rochester: Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!-I have as much soul as you-and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. However, it is also important to note that nowhere in  Jane Eyre  are societys boundaries bent. Ultimately, Jane is only able to marry Rochester as his equal because she has almost magically come into her own inheritance from her uncle. Bronte distils a perfect argument of love and its aforementioned dependency on class distinctions; she has used her characters in a way that there is her own symbolic meaning behind the novel. Brontes has created a direct contrast with the two other texts I am studying, within twelfth night Shakespeares use of class as a means for separation and forbidden love have been used for comedic effect, not to question or contrive against any social limitations, the duchesses situation was not to question but create dramatic effect using class as a division and boundary. Paradoxically to viola and the duchess janes class indifference and ambiguous history created a journey of self discovery and because of her unknown class, a way of finding true uncontrived love was found. The idea of social distinctions setting apart relationships now is considered archaic because of its absurdity and because of the transition within tolerance and rationality, it matters little about wealth and social hierar chy Love in Jane Eyre is a predominant theme and is projected and differed through the hindrance of the class system and its effect on love. I find a similarity within Janes character to Shakespeares viola because of their social difficulties leading to a positive conclusion in both cases. Whereas violas characters social misconception is used primarily for comedic and satiric effect Janes in used as a reflection of the constrains of the written content at the time and like a Christmas carol it has been written to inform and to create a fictional account of how class hindrance can cause suffering and a struggle to achieve and apprehend whats achievable. Brontes used of a first person narrative also gives the novel connotations of factual accounts and gives the whole novel a theme of realism and not directly implied intolerance. The duchess similarly to Janes character is portrayed trough a struggle, also in the duchess of malfi is through love though the class divide. Because of the time constrains within this novel, a different connotation was meant in the meaning of the theme of love though hierarchy. Websters use of class was distinctively a means of a plot device similarly although slightly contrived to twelfth night whereas the plot seems so farcical to his contemporary audience and shocking in the case of the duchess of malfi. Jane Eyre, The duchess of malfi twelfth night all share the confidence that all the characters whose social class is effect when looking fro love are all female. This is partly due to some of the constrains within the novels such as Jane Eyre where a womans ability to choose a partner was dictated their parents and this meant that a class hindrance (neglect from Mrs. Reed and her children I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to visit you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick. Jane asserts her fiery spirit in her tirade, and she displays a keen sense of justice and a recognition of her need for love) made it harder than males to meet agreeable men. Whereas the duchess is of noble blood similarly to the situation of viola in that we know of her situation and the other characters are unaware of her noble blood and she fal ls in love below her class when in disguise as a man and a lower class than she is actually situated. the duchess is in love with a man from below her own class and because of the aforementioned time constrains this relation was seen as inappropriate and would have been contested by her family because of the effect on their families reputation and her future marital prospects.

The Homeless In England :: essays research papers

The Homeless in England Introduction I decided to study the homeless' situation before we went to England, so I tried to get information about it via the internet, but it was so much information that I soon gave up... When we got to England I thought about changing subject to the pub culture because it seemed easier to write about, but after a few days I had seen so many homeless people that I got used to it and therefor dared to talk to them and ask them questions about their situation and why they where homeless. Many people just walked right by the homeless without even look at them (rather the reverse, look another way), but other people stopped to talk to them and buy their paper. I've used the homeless people as sources and also their paper. When I came home I searched on the internet to get information and there was a lot of it, so I choosed some headings and took a closer look at them. Who's homeless? I thought, before I went to England, that every homeless person was that by his/her own choice, but after talking to them and read about it I know that some of the homeless is that by their own choice. They choose to be homeless for different reasons, like a protest against the society or just to try the homeless life. 25% of the homeless are war veterans and most of them from Vietnam. They are mentally traumatised by their war experiences, some of them are disable and others are just unable to find work so they can pay a rent. 25% of the homeless are children and many of them are alone. They're maybe run- aways who left home because there was no food at home, or because they're victims of rape, incest or violence. Many of them are "throwaways", whose parents tell them to leave home or won't allow them to return home once they've left. Many of the homeless are elderly people with fixed income, and I guess that's not the traditional image of homeless people. They receive about  £450 a month in benefits and if they pay  £350 for rent it's pretty logical that they can't live a decent life. Many elderly people are living in poverty in an apartment with no proper heating, no water etc., and many of the elderly homeless are afraid to go to soup kitchens or shelters, so they aren't seen on the streets. Myths There's a lot of myths going around about the homeless. Very often these myths are told by someone without any or with just a little knowledge about the

Difference Between Personal and Professional Ethics

. What is your perception of personal ethics Vs professional ethics? If different, can you explain the difference? A brief definition of personal ethics according to me would be an individual's belief about morality or conscience . It defines our stand on what is right or wrong. This branch of ethics gradually develops since our childhood and tend to emulate the things which are set as an moral value to us by our parents or guardians in the family. It can heavily be influenced from any major incident in our life. Again I believe every individual may have its own definition of code of personal ethics. It can overlap at times or it may conflict with one another as well e. g a vegetarian may find eating non veg food as a crime. Personal ethics can influence all different areas of life such as family,finances,religion or relationship. Here the individual has the liberty and the freedom to choose his/her own set of rules if his concience conflict with that of the sorrounding's. Professional ethics defines adherence to rules and regulation . Here the individual is expected to follow religiously, the code of ethics framed by the organization . It can be heavily influenced by the culture of the organization but it cannot change as frequently as the personal ethics. There may be at times where our personal ethics can conflict with our professional one ,for instance, when a judge enforces a death sentence on a criminal as per our law even if he is personally against death penalty. So by setting out expected behaviour in the form of professional ethics,professionals try to uphold a good reputation. On the other hand,professionals are also expected to be honest and respect the code of ethics by not getting involved in any conflict of interest. A conflict of situation may occur if an individual tries to achieve personal goal while at profession which ultimately leads to corruption. Coming across various range of people in personal and professional life , I generally find people carrying the same attitude in both sphere of life. In short ,there is definitely a line between personal and professional ethics,but that line to me is very thin and fine

Project Network Survey Essay

Besides the basic physical security of a site, the next most important aspect is controlling digital access into and out of the organization’s network. In most cases this means controlling the points of connectivity to the outside world, typically the Internet. Partitioning the boundary between the outside Internet and the internal intranet is a critical security piece. Any services not actually needed should be turned off so that they will not become avenues of attack for security threats. Different systems will have different services running by default. The firewall process can tightly control what is allowed to traverse from one side to the other. As with most aspects of security, deciding what type of firewall to use will depend upon factors such as traffic levels, services needing protection and the complexity of rules required. The difficulty for firewalls is distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate traffic. Firewalls, if configured correctly, can be a reasonable form of protection from external threats including some denial of service (DOS) attacks. If not configured correctly they can be major security holes in an organization. The most basic protection a firewall provides is the ability to block network traffic to certain destinations. This includes both IP addresses and particular network service ports. Many network devices and computer hosts startup network services by default, each of these services could represent an opportunity for attackers, worms and Trojans. Very often all of these default services are not needed. Doing port lockdown by turning off services reduces this exposure. Port 25: Is the virtual pathway that most e-mail traffic follows when it travels from your computer to a server. Port 25 can get clogged with spam e-mails when computers on a network become infected with a virus or other malicious software. Because of the potential threat our host computers sending spam email Port 25 will remain closed. Port 80: This is the primary port used by the World Wide Web (www) system. Web servers open this port then listen for incoming connections from web browsers. Similarly, when a web browser is given a remote address (like grc.com or amazon.com), it assumes that a remote web server will be listening for connections on port 80 at that location. This port will generally be open only when a web server of some sort is running on the machine. Due to the popularity of this port for malicious exploitation, it should never be open unless it is being actively and deliberately used to serve web pages. Port 139: Is typically used for file/printer sharing, including directory replication with Active Directory, trusts, remote access of event logs, etc. This port should be open. If you block port 139 on a Domain Controller you will kill AD replication. If you block 139 in a typical business network, you will lose the ability to do much of anything on a remote computer such as remotely manage clients/servers, install software, share printers, or files. Since the NetBIOS vulnerability is quite well-known a long time ago and heavily popularized, patches have been already released. The last remote exploits that targeted NetBIOS/139 were in the Windows NT/2000 era. Ports 1900 and Port 2869: These UDP port are opened and used by Universal Plug N’ Play (UPnP) devices to receive broadcasted messages from other UPnP devices. UPnP devices broadcast subnet-wide messages to simultaneously reach all other UPnP devices. UPnP Internet servers were found to have remotely exploitable unchecked buffers that would allow, in principle, remote malicious hackers. Microsoft Windows is vulnerable to a buffer overflow, caused by improper bounds checking by the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) service. By sending a specially-crafted HTTP request, a remote attacker could overflow a buffer and execute arbitrary code on the system with elevated privileges when combined with another exploit. Unused Internet servers and services should not be left running if they are not actively needed, for this reason this port should be closed until needed. Port 5357: This port is opened because  you have Network Discovery enabled in a Public Network profile. The port is vulnerable to info leak problems allowing it to be accessed remotely by malicious authors. This port should be closed if network discovery is not required. Port 6839: This port is not associated with any particular services and should be closed unless it is assoc iated and used. Port 7435: This port is not associated with any particular services and should be closed unless it is associated and used. Port 9100: This TCP port is used for printing. Port numbers 9101 and 9102 are for parallel ports 2 and 3 on the three-port HP Jetdirect external print servers. It is used for network-connected print devices. This port should remain open to allow print services. Ports 9101 and 9102: Is the Bacula Director. This TCP port is used for printing. Port numbers 9101 and 9102 are for parallel ports 2 and 3 on the three-port HP Jetdirect external print servers. It is used for network-connected print devices. This port should remain open to allow print services. Port 9110: SSMP Message protocol – This protocol is intended to be used to implement thread-to-thread messaging locally or over the Internet. Ports registered with IANA are shown as official ports. The same port number may be unofficially used by various services or applications. Unofficially or sometimes with conflict, the same port may be used by different applications. This port is not associated with any particular services and should be closed unless it is associated and used. Port 9220: This port is for raw scanning to peripherals with IEEE 1284.4 specifications. On three port HP Jetdirects, the scan ports are 9290, 9291, and 9292. It is used for network-connected print devices. This port should remain open to allow print services. Port 9500: TCP Port 9500 may use a defined protocol to communicate depending on the application. In our case we are using port 9500 to access the ISM Server. The ISM Server is used for exchanging backup and recovery information between storage devices. This port should remain open while services are in use. Port 62078: This port is used by iPhone while syncing. The Port used by UPnP for multimedia files sharing, also used for synchronizing iTunes files between devices. Port 62078 has a known vulnerability in that a service named lockdownd sits and listens on the iPhone on port 62078. By connecting to this port and speaking the correct protocol, it’s possible to spawn a number of different services on an iPhone or iPad. This port should be blocked or closed when service is not required  on the device. References Gibson, S. (n.d.). GRC | Port Authority, for Internet Port 139 . Retrieved October 10, 2014, from https://www.grc.com/port_139.htm Gibson, S. (n.d.). GRC | Port Authority, for Internet Port 2869 . Retrieved October 10, 2014, from https://www.grc.com/port_2869.html Gibson, S. (n.d.). GRC | Port Authority, for Internet Port 80 . Retrieved October 10, 2014, from https://www.grc.com/port_80.htm Gibson, S. (n.d.). GRC | Port Authority, for Internet Port 9101 . Retrieved October 10, 2014, from https://www.grc.com/port_9101.html HP Support document – HP Support Center. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://h20565.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay/?sp4ts.oid=412144&spf_p.tpst=kbDocDisplay&spf_p.prp_kbDocDisplay=wsrp-navigationalState%3DdocId%253Demr_na-c02480766-2%257CdocLocale%253D%257CcalledBy%253D&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken HP Support document – HP Support Center. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/kb/docDisplay?docId=bps53634&ac.admitted=1413144875821.876444892.199480143 Network Printer Ports. (2003, March 28). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc728404(v=ws.10).aspx networking – Is port 139 still vulnerable? – Server Fault. (2009, June 20). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://serverfault.com/questions/29065/is-port-139-still-vulnerable Port 5357 TCP on Windows 7 professional 64 bit? – Super User. (2009, October 18). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://superuser.com/questions/56781/port-5357-tcp-on-windows-7-professional-64-bit Port 62078 (tcp/udp) :: SpeedGuide.net. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://www.speedguide.net/port.php?port=62078 Port 6839 (tcp/udp) – Online TCP UDP port finder – adminsub.net. (2014, August 26). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://www.adminsubne t.net/tcp-udp-port-finder/6839 Port 7435 (tcp/udp) – Online TCP UDP port finder – adminsub.net. (2014, August 26).

Free Essays on Herland

Gilman’s Use of Masculine and Feminine Traits in Herland Throughout the story, Gilman shows the ideas of masculine and feminine traits in the early 1900’s. The all women civilization she creates in the story certainly shows the effects of the early 1900’s society has on masculine and feminine traits. Her interpretations of society brings allot to question. The most emphasized is that how both men and women are looked at in her created society and of 1915’s society. Some of the traits that Gilman shows have gradually progressed since her time. Herland reflects on the conception of society’s idea of masculinity and femininity in 1915. During Gilman’s time in the United States, it was an on going epic of constant gain for woman’s rights. She had used her idea of the equilibrium between masculine and feminine traits. She did this by taking away both of the traits, making sure that everyone would be equal. She had thought that by only having women in Herland and taking the sex appeal away from society. These women have no clue of trying to impress the other sex . Nor do they have any clue of what women of that time were thought to do. In the article Sex Before Gender by Bernice Habusman explains it all. She discusses that when the men come to Herland they believe in the very feminine nature that Gilman finds so destructive. This is extremely true. The three men are shocked by their none feminine nature. Habusman goes on to explain that the men believe that they can make the women express t he feminine traits that the women express in their society. Here I think that Gilman is trying to show that men have a tendency to take control over women. What they have to realize is that it has been two thousand years since these women have not been familure with sex in general as with dealing with men I do agree with some of the ideas of masculine and feminine traits of the early 1900’s. What has to be rea... Free Essays on Herland Free Essays on Herland Gilman’s Use of Masculine and Feminine Traits in Herland Throughout the story, Gilman shows the ideas of masculine and feminine traits in the early 1900’s. The all women civilization she creates in the story certainly shows the effects of the early 1900’s society has on masculine and feminine traits. Her interpretations of society brings allot to question. The most emphasized is that how both men and women are looked at in her created society and of 1915’s society. Some of the traits that Gilman shows have gradually progressed since her time. Herland reflects on the conception of society’s idea of masculinity and femininity in 1915. During Gilman’s time in the United States, it was an on going epic of constant gain for woman’s rights. She had used her idea of the equilibrium between masculine and feminine traits. She did this by taking away both of the traits, making sure that everyone would be equal. She had thought that by only having women in Herland and taking the sex appeal away from society. These women have no clue of trying to impress the other sex . Nor do they have any clue of what women of that time were thought to do. In the article Sex Before Gender by Bernice Habusman explains it all. She discusses that when the men come to Herland they believe in the very feminine nature that Gilman finds so destructive. This is extremely true. The three men are shocked by their none feminine nature. Habusman goes on to explain that the men believe that they can make the women express t he feminine traits that the women express in their society. Here I think that Gilman is trying to show that men have a tendency to take control over women. What they have to realize is that it has been two thousand years since these women have not been familure with sex in general as with dealing with men I do agree with some of the ideas of masculine and feminine traits of the early 1900’s. What has to be rea...

All About the Economics of Interest

All About the Economics of Interest What is Interest?: Interest, as defined by economists, is the income earned by the lending of a sum of money. Often the amount of money earned is given as a percentage of the sum of money lent - this percentage is known as the interest rate. More formally, the Glossary of Economics Terms defines the interest rate as the yearly price charged by a lender to a borrower in order for the borrower to obtain a loan. This is usually expressed as a percentage of the total amount loaned. Interest Types and Types of Interest Rates: Not all types of loans earn the same rate of interest. Ceteris paribus (all else being equal), loans of longer duration and loans with more risk (that is, loans that are less likely to be paid off) are associated with higher interest rates. The article Whats the Difference Between all the Interest Rates in the Newspaper? discusses the different variety of interest rates. What Determines the Interest Rate?: We can think of the interest rate as being a price - the price to borrow a sum of money for a year. Like almost all other prices in our economy, it is determined by the twin forces of supply and demand. Here supply refers to the supply of loanable funds in an economy, and demand is the demand for loans. Central banks, such as the Federal Reserve and the Bank of Canada can influence the supply of loanable funds in a country by increasing or decreasing the supply of money. To learn more about the money supply see: Why does money have value? and Why Dont Prices Decline During A Recession? Interest Rates That Are Adjusted for Inflation: When determining whether or not to loan money, one needs to consider the fact that prices go up over time - what costs $10 today may cost $11 tomorrow. If you loan at a 5% interest rate, but prices rise 10% you will have less purchasing power by making the loan. This phenomenon is discussed in Calculating and Understanding Real Interest Rates. Interest Rates - How Low Can They Go?: In all likelihood we will never see a negative nominal (non-inflation adjusted) rate of interest, though in 2009 the idea of negative interest rates became popular as a possible way to stimulate the economy - see Why Not Negative Interest Rates?. These would be difficult to implement in practice. Even an interest rate of exactly zero would cause problems, as discussed in the article What Happens if Interest Rates Go To Zero?

4 signs that your manager is the problemâ€not you

4 signs that your manager is the problem- not you Are you having problems at work? If so, you’re not alone, and it’s not something you should ignore. Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives at work- way too much time to be constantly unhappy or submerged in an uncomfortable environment. And the truth is, there’s a wide array of possible explanations for why you’re having issues- including many that aren’t really your fault, and might be a problem of poor management. Much like our family members, the vast majority of us don’t get to pick our bosses, which means that we’re often in the passenger seat regarding who we report to on a daily basis. In a perfect world, our managers would be great people and shining examples of professionalism, individuals whom we can aspire to emulate as we learn and grow on the job.Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and most of us aren’t lucky enough to work with perfect managers. In fact, some of us find ourselves wo rking alongside problematic managers who really exert a negative energy and adversely impact the ability of others to do their jobs.Does this sound like the situation you’re in? If so- or if you’re finding yourself unhappy at work and are unsure if the problem lies with you or your manger- then keep a lookout for the following 4 signs that just might indicate that your manager is indeed the source of the problem.Everyone is having similar issuesAlthough your knee-jerk reaction to a less than ideal work environment might be that the problem lies in others and not you, you should take a step back and try to gain some perspective on the situation. If you think your manager might be the source of your problem at work, then listen to what others are saying. If you’re the only one who’s having a problem with your manager, then maybe the situation isn’t as black and white as you think, and you may benefit from taking a deeper look at your involvement and role (hopefully in an effort to make improvements). However, if others are also reporting problems (or show dismay at how your manager does business on a daily basis), it’s a good indication that they are the problem- not you.Productivity is downOne of the truly unfortunate side effects of having a problematic manager is that not only are they difficult to work with, but they also tend to negatively impact the workflow and productivity of the department or team they lead. This impact can be profound and quite apparent- everything from decreased efficiency and productivity to poor intradepartmental and interdepartmental communication and collaboration can result from the ill effects of an unchecked managerial bad seed. If your team or department is in chaos and productivity is down- and your manager simply refuses to right the ship or is unable to- then it’s pretty clear that there’s a problem.People are unhappyWhen a team reports to a problematic manager and the situation goes unchecked for too long without a course correction, the end result is often a sharp dip in morale alongside an uptick in stress and anxiety- not a recipe for employee happiness. And when employees are unhappy, it’s hard to imagine anything positive, productive, or innovative resulting. If the people who report to your manager are unhappy, then it doesn’t take an HR professional to deduce that there may be a problem at the top that needs to be addressed.People are leavingAn extreme result of employees being too unhappy for too long is that they tend to jump ship and seek out opportunities on different teams, in other departments- and at other companies. Are you noticing a trend of employees who report to your manager fleeing their positions in droves? If so, then it’s a classic red flag that there’s an unresolved problem with your manager that needs to be addressed.If you’re having a problem at work, the only path to improvement is t o first diagnose the problem, including from where- or who- the issue originates. Use the signs covered here to help you determine if the problem lies in your manager, so you can start the process of working towards a satisfying resolution for you and your career.

Total and partial loss Marine Insurance Act 1906 Essay

Total and partial loss Marine Insurance Act 1906 - Essay Example Britain is the mistress of the seas, and its history is inextricably linked with the mastery of seamanship. The empire and its commerce were built upon transoceanic mercantilism, for which reason the UK has developed a relatively stable marine insurance law. Being well aware of the perils of the sea and the risks it poses to oceangoing vessels bearing valuable cargo, the development of marine insurance against losses due to oceanic misadventures is a natural development for a country like the UK. This paper shall treat specifically on the nature and types of losses that may be covered by marine insurance under the Marine Insurance Act 1906, and apply the provisions and jurisprudence concerning actual and constructive total loss to the case of Masefield AG (Insured) v Amlin Corporate Member Ltd (Insurer). The intention is to draw insight about the type of losses which marine insurance may or may not cover in the case of losses due to piracy. Marine Insurance Act 1906 s 56 The Marine I nsurance Act 1906 is a codification of the law of marine insurance as it existed at the turn of the century.2 It defines a contract of insurance as ‘a contract whereby the insurer undertakes to indemnify the assured in manner and to the extent thereby agreed, against marine losses, that is to say, the losses incident to marine adventure.’... (4)Where the assured brings an action for a total loss and the evidence proves only a partial loss, he may, unless the policy otherwise provides, recover for a partial loss. (5)Where goods reach their destination in specie, but by reason of obliteration of marks, or otherwise, they are incapable of identification, the loss, if any, is partial, and not total.’ 6 Actual total loss. From this enumeration, the kinds of losses which may be claimed against insurance are actual total loss, constructive total loss, and partial loss. Actual total loss is described in section 57, constructive total loss in section 60, and partial loss which is covered under sections 64 to 66, all under the Marine Insurance Act 1906. The Marine Insurance Act 1906, similar to common law, recognises only two principal kinds of loss – total loss and partial loss, pursuant to section 56 (1) and (2) of the Act. Actual total loss is defined in section 57 (1) as follows: ‘Where the subject-matter i nsured is destroyed, or so damaged as to cease to be a thing of the kind insured, or where the assured is irretrievably deprived thereof, there is an actual total loss.’7 This pertains to any subject matter insured, such as ship, cargo or freight. The first and last parts of section 57 originated from the observation by Lord Abinger made in Roux v Salvador,8 which constituted the basis of marine insurance was articulated in this manner: ‘The underwriter engages, that the object of the assurance shall arrive in safety at its destined termination. If, in the progress of the voyage, it becomes totally destroyed or annihilated, or if it be placed, by reason of the peril

Freedom of Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Freedom of Religion - Essay Example Freedom of Religion changed drastic over the years in the Colonies. Before the European came to America they obtained their own religion, but with the coming of the new pioneers and pilgrims a lot changed. In the period of the Religious wars in Europe many went to the new land to seek their religious freedom in America. From 1607 till now many came to build new settlements. Not to build the new perfect church as had happened in the UK (Church of England) but to establish to worship freely. For the Native there was a lot to achieved from this. Since the Spanish and French they where confronted with the force upon them to be baptized as Catholic. Therefor many events happened over the centuries to regain the religious freedom as we know it today. We can find them in the following headings: 1. Native Americans and the European religions; 2. Pilgrims arrive in the Colonies of America; 3. Bill of Rights, the freedom of religion in the First Amendment; 4. Freedom of religion today; ... If you can reconsider the facts it is not short from Genocide. They suffered hard under the strict religious regimes. Tribes where separated, they had no skills to write down their own history and white men to advantage of it. The history written by the white men most of the times makes it difficult to obtain information the religions of the Native Americans. Many of the knowledge is lost. Ruvolo (2008) mentions in his article the Iroquois as one Nation that had A highly intelligent culture, well organized that where living as well in the South Colonies as the North Colonies. Ruvolo (2008) calls them as surpassed in greatness only by the advanced civilizations as the Mayas, Aztecs and the Incas. There religion was based on the High Spirit and evil was not denied. Their rituals contained worship services which occurred in according seasonal periods over the year. The religion saved them from being wiped out because of the similarities. It is a rare sample. 14089 4 Pilgrims arrive in the Colonies of America After the Spanish, the English and the French the first settlers arrived around 1620. A journey taken by the pilgrims in a search for the perfect religion that could indeed satisfy the need of the people. In Europe wars drove the believers other then Catholic to the New World. While Marten Luther had translated the Bible, the Catholic where totally against the knowledge obtained from the translation. Europe tore apart when people could read for themselves. The article of Students from the University of North Carolina (2001) takes us to the first settlers, the Quakers and the Puritans who started the first thirteen Colonies based on their religious beliefs. They wanted to escape persecution yet some of it already

HY 1110-08F-2, AMERICAN HISTORY I (HY1110-08F-2) Essay - 6

HY 1110-08F-2, AMERICAN HISTORY I (HY1110-08F-2) - Essay Example In the South, non-legislative means were used to intimidate former slaves from integrating into white society. One of these groups was the Ku Klux Klan. This group began as a pro-American group, but quickly decided that pro-white American was the real purpose of their organization. Changes in society in the North were occurred also. The northern abolitionist groups, having achieved their goals, found new topics to focus their energies upon. Coupled with the religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening, these groups attacked the many ills they saw in society. Specifically, the temperance movement and the womens suffrage movement became prominent forces for social change after the Civil War. The status of women in society began to change as well. In the North and South, most members of society of both sexes felt that a womens primary responsibility was to her family and within her own home (Clinton 1999). But a growing number of women believed that this primary responsibility should not prevent them from enjoying the same civil liberties as men, especially in regards to voting. Womens voices began to be heard in more prominent ways after the civil

Nursing negligence and malpractice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nursing negligence and malpractice - Essay Example Hence, prompting both the institutions and respective professionals incur huge expenses when the affected decide to lodge pricey as well as complicated lawsuits demanding justice. It is due to this reason regimes like US has come up with reforms meant to govern and even determine these incidences for appropriate restitution of the affected people. However, due to the complexity of these incidences and their extending factors have rendered them multifarious to the extent the involved parties some do not get justice. Since, numerous cases end up dismissed besides the accused that include the professionals and their respective employers incur extremely high defense expenses. According to Carroll, Parikh and Buddenbaum (2012), US regimes that have ever took power their core concern encompassed ensuring accessibility of the healthcare by masses but not in ensuring balance in all its sectors. This is especially in terms of either negligence or malpractice cases whereby to date there are no effective factors meant to ascertain equitable restitution. Since, once there is a malpractice case and results to dismissal, dropped or withdrawn end up being approximately seven times pricey compared to that has gone to trial. Hence, to the side of insured and insurer turning to be a shortcoming without considering when the incident occurred one may not have resulted to doing it calculatedly. Carroll, A. E., Parikh, P. D., & Buddenbaum, J. L. (2012). The Impact of Defense Expenses in Medical Malpractice Claims. Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 40(1), 135-142.

Chapter 5 PhD Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Chapter 5 PhD - Literature review Example The robustness of the mathematical model presented before needs to be verified theoretically to ascertain the validity and reliability under various performance regimes. This chapter will look critically at the mathematical model presented before using sensitivity analysis methods that will target the various inputs to the mathematical model. The contention behind the sensitivity analysis is to vary inputs to the mathematical model as a means of measuring the change in the overall output. This would provide for the amount of variation that could occur in the output of the mathematical model in case that erroneous inputs are received. Firstly, a sensitivity analysis is carried out where perturbations are added to the input data (i.e. velocity, acceleration, and throttle position), and consumption is calculated during a drive cycle using the perturbed data. Then, artificial drive cycles are created, and fuel consumption is measured and calculated during the same drive cycle. In the artificial drive cycles, high and low velocities and accelerations are involved in order to study the limits until the mathematical relationship between fuel consumption and drive cycle parameters can be used. Sensitivity AnalysisSensitivity analysis is carried out in order to determine how any form of uncertainty in the output of a provided mathematical model could be traced back to the various inputs that are being provided. The apportionment of output uncertainty to input uncertainties in their respective contribution levels allows improvements on the mathematical model for bringing about greater reliability and validity (Saltelli et al., 2008). A sensitivity analysis may be performed for a number of reasons. Primarily, sensitivity analysis allows the determination of model robustness when faced with uncertainty in the inputs (Becker et al., 2011). In addition, sensitivity analysis allows gaining a deeper understanding of how various inputs are tied to the final output. As

Non tariff barriers to trade in IT products Essay

Non tariff barriers to trade in IT products - Essay Example Government regulation is essential because it is the only authority responsible in making sure that mechanisms that have been put in place to prevent new trade barriers are closely monitored. Conformity assessment is a tool used by governments in such a way as to allow the free movement of goods while at the same time making sure that the goods comply with set standards. During such assessments, only goods that comply with provisions concerning standards of a specific country are allowed into its markets and those that do not are sent back to their manufacturers for correction. In most cases, conformity assessments are done on a regular basis and it is required that these assessments be carried out according to the legislation that has been passed within a country. The government is therefore tied by these legislations and it cannot go beyond them when inspecting goods for conformity because to do so might result in serious legal action from the manufacturer. Manufacturers are also obligated to ensure that the products that they design and manufacture are done in a way that they conform to the requirements needed by the government. The need to ensure that products conform to requirements is supposed to motivate manufacturers to produce only the best products that they can because they have to be in line with legislation concerning technical harmonization (Reynolds 2009, p.21). Conformity assessment is a course of action that is taken before a product is allowed into the market and this is a procedure that is designed to ensure that it fulfils all necessary requirements. Legislations concerning this procedure are enforced by governments in such a way that it is performed in a manner that follows technical procedures as is specified in the specific legislation. Under normal circumstances, manufacturers are required to choose from among different procedures of conformity in a bid to

Chapter 5 PhD Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Chapter 5 PhD - Literature review Example The robustness of the mathematical model presented before needs to be verified theoretically to ascertain the validity and reliability under various performance regimes. This chapter will look critically at the mathematical model presented before using sensitivity analysis methods that will target the various inputs to the mathematical model. The contention behind the sensitivity analysis is to vary inputs to the mathematical model as a means of measuring the change in the overall output. This would provide for the amount of variation that could occur in the output of the mathematical model in case that erroneous inputs are received. Firstly, a sensitivity analysis is carried out where perturbations are added to the input data (i.e. velocity, acceleration, and throttle position), and consumption is calculated during a drive cycle using the perturbed data. Then, artificial drive cycles are created, and fuel consumption is measured and calculated during the same drive cycle. In the artificial drive cycles, high and low velocities and accelerations are involved in order to study the limits until the mathematical relationship between fuel consumption and drive cycle parameters can be used. Sensitivity AnalysisSensitivity analysis is carried out in order to determine how any form of uncertainty in the output of a provided mathematical model could be traced back to the various inputs that are being provided. The apportionment of output uncertainty to input uncertainties in their respective contribution levels allows improvements on the mathematical model for bringing about greater reliability and validity (Saltelli et al., 2008). A sensitivity analysis may be performed for a number of reasons. Primarily, sensitivity analysis allows the determination of model robustness when faced with uncertainty in the inputs (Becker et al., 2011). In addition, sensitivity analysis allows gaining a deeper understanding of how various inputs are tied to the final output. As

Laura Ashley Holdings Plc Essay Example for Free

Laura Ashley Holdings Plc Essay 1) How have changes relating to management and organisational structural affected a global organisation of your choice, over the last 75 years. Relate your findings to growth, distribution, and various external influences and strategies. 2) Undertake a SWOT analysis and explain its relevance in relation to your company and/or its sector Word Count 1250. Harvard Style Referencing. Bibliography Required. Global organisation Laura Ashley Holdings Plc has suffered differing fortunes since Bernard and Laura Ashley founded it in the 1950s. It has been involved in the designing, manufacturing, distribution and selling of garments, accessories, perfume, gift items, fabric, wall coverings, bedding, lighting, and furniture. Famed for its floral prints, the chain was highly successful during the early and mid 1980s but things changed in the early 1990s when various management and structural problems as well as those relating to growth, distribution, and various external influences such as global recession surfaced Laura Ashley herself died in 1985. There is a notable difference in the organisation up to and after this year. Up to 1985, it was a simply structured, steadily expanding organisation operating in a non-complex environment (complexity arises when there are numerous complicated environmental influences [Johnson and Scholes, 1989]). In the months and years after, many changes took place. Laura Ashley went public in flotation, acquired other companies involved in areas such as knitwear and perfume, made heavier investments in manufacturing and information technology (IT), moved towards segmentation with Mother and Child shops, exclusively home furnishing shops and unit shops (franchise operations). The organisation moved gradually away from vertical integration (it had always manufactured and delivered all goods itself) The Guardian reported that Laura Ashley was withdrawing from manufacturing by the end of the year in 1998. In order to facilitate growth, there was a shift from the simple functional organisational structure to a more complex divisional structure (which was  re-organised with every change of leadership). The most notable chief executives of Laura Ashley who were in place whilst and after problems developed were Jim Maxmin (1991-1994) and Ann Iverson (1995-1997). Each of these people were responsible for major overhauls within the organisation. Vora (1998) states, Laura Ashley has undergone various restructuring strategies and umpteen management upheavals, all to no avail, and all of which have decimated shareholder value and abused the brand name. As highlighted above, the major problems of Laura Ashley began to manifest in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first fall of profits were reported in the year to January 1989. It is important, then, to look at its success before this from its beginnings in the 1950s to 1985. One area to naturally consider is the key success factors of the organisation for this period i.e. what specifically can its success is attributed to. Key success factors are what an organisation must do well in order to be successful, be an effective competitor and satisfy stakeholder requirements (Thompson, 1997). Bearing this in mind, the key success factors of Laura Ashley up to 1985 are identified as high quality production, innovative designs, good brand management (the Laura Ashley name was and is strong), well placing of stores, creation of good atmospheres in stores, general design and creative competencies, staff training, creation of a vertically integrated structure and operation within a simplist ic organisational structure in general. Also, the Groups IT capabilities factored into the success as it was a source of competitive advantage e.g. they were an early adopter of electronic point of sale (Heath, 1996 as cited by Johnson and Scholes, 1999). These factors may also be interpreted as strategic excellence positions (SEPs), which can be described as the capabilities, which allow an organisation to produce better than average results in comparison with competitors (PUmpin, 1987). Thompson (1997) presents a particularly useful model that can be helpful in explaining the success of Laura Ashley up to 1985. The EVR congruence model, by Thompson, considers if an organisation is being managed effectively with regards to strategy. It represents the matching of an organisations resources (for Laura Ashley these would include plants, vehicles, IT systems  and locations) to the key success factors dictated by the environment (external factors such as opportunities and threats, stakeholders, competition etc). A determinant in matching these is the values of the organisation (again, in the case of Laura Ashley, these would include the lifestyle they promote/project, shop designs and atmospheres, product designs, the brand, staff training policy and the family culture). If the congruence (fit) between these three areas is great, then this indicates effective management of resources (Hamel and Prahalad [1993] comment that it is important for organisations to manage reso urces well in order to achieve objectives), strategy formulation and all-round success. It can be argued that the success of Laura Ashley up to 1985 can be attributed to greater EVR congruence. That is such things as the number of shops and plants, distribution systems, stakeholders, threats (including competition), products, level of vertical integration and so on fit together well in relation to the size, structure, culture and speed of growth of the organisation then. The key success factors are also indicative of this congruence. So that they can be developed to help ensure both present and future success, it is important key success factors are recognised and understood. One particular way Laura Ashley could do this is through a SWOT analysis. This reviews an organisations internal strengths and weaknesses and opportunities and threats in the external environment (Cole, 1996). This may be done for a particular moment in time or as an overview encompassing the past and present. As made clear, Laura Ashley has faced much change during its existence. Opportunities and threats come about as a result of constant change and the SWOT analysis can help to identify these and internal strengths and weaknesses relevant when dealing with change (Johnson and Scholes, 1989). This SWOT analysis can be used in relation to analysing the problems faced by Laura Ashley in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s. They can be greatly attributed to the weaknesses and threats identified. For example, fluctuations in the economy had a knock-on effect on the sale of property and hence on the sale of household furnishings. Also, high borrowing, wastage and forced discounting meant that, despite sales increases, shops were making a loss. The reorganisations in 1988, 1991 and twice in 1995 had their effect too they were costly and highlighted inefficiency. Chandler (1977) states that structures are not adapted until pressure of inefficiency forces the change and that this change process is usually a painful one often carried out by a different chief executive each time. Upon and after his appointment in 1991, Jim Maxmin found that the organisation lacked a core identity, clear strategies, empowered staff, thorough market research, efficient logistics, and many probl ems in the US such as limited growth, poor management and delivery problems. He responded with his Simplify, Focus and Act programme. This included reorganisation, institution of a Global Operations Executive (GOE) and Global Collection Development (GCD) which aided globalisation and marketing, encouragement to empower staff, an alliance with Federal Express Business Logistics to improve delivery and distribution systems, sourcing half of the organisations manufacturing to  the Far East (rather than in-house in Britain) and management replacement in the US. Before leaving Laura Ashley in 1994, Jim Maxmin commented that throughout the entire organisation, people has embraced the principles of the Simplify, Focus and Act programme and set about sorting out the operational problems which have plagued Laura Ashley (Maxmin, 1993 as cited by Warnaby, 1994). Ann Iverson was appointed chief executive of Laura Ashley in 1995. She was to spearhead the rush into the US and revamp the product range (Teather, 1999). Her observations found various problems all of which can again be attributed to identified weaknesses. It was found that the product range was too broad, there was no unified look to match globalisation, the supply chain was inefficient and problems continued in the US. Ann Iversons response included strengthening the alliance with Federal Express Business Logistics, opening larger stores in the US and reviewing marketing and sales. These changes were considered to be good as Laura Ashley restored dividend payments in 1996 for the first time since 1989. Ann Iverson was dismissed in 1997, however, mainly due to continuing problems in the US and the organisations image (Keynotes, 1997). Each of the changes mentioned came about from the organisations particular strengths (as identified) at the time. For example, whilst such things as restructuring and shop closures were happening, the strong name of Laura Ashley and strong customer loyalty were greatly relied upon. Bowman and Asch (1987) comment that the strengths of an organisation are a if not the determinant in how it handles weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Opportunities open to the organisation in dealing with its various problems can be identified as the opportunities in the SWOT analysis. Opportunities change and differ over time. For example, the alliance with Federal Express Business Logistics resulted from available opportunities at the time. A possible opportunity in the early 1990s would have been a speedier move away from vertical integration for example. Laura Ashley became totally vertically integrated in the 1970s and continued  to be so though gradually moved away from this in the 1990s completely in 1998. Vertical integration can be backwards e.g. manufacturer purchasing/owning supplier and forwards e.g. manufacturer purchasing/owning retailer Laura Ashley was both backwardly and forwardly vertically integrated everything from the supplying of materials and manufacturing to distribution and retail. The main benefits of this throughout the organisations development included greater control, greater ability to differentiate, the opportunity to achieve economies of scale (higher margins), assurance of supply and greater synergy. Despite this, there were numerous disadvantages particularly that it was costly and greatly increased operational leverage as well as the need to keep up with technological change. This tied up capital having long-term affects. It meant that there was not full concentration of key strengths (design and retail) on which key success factors are dependent (Thompson, 1997). Furthermore, vertical integration was inflexible (cheaper manufacturers could not be sourced) and sensitivity to decreases in sales increased. It was the cost aspect that had the greatest impact particularly in the face of costly expansion (especially in the US). Warnaby (1994) comments that vertical integration was responsible for financial problems in the early 1990s. The costs of vertical integration had an impact on the organisations ability to successfully expand internationally. Perhaps with the exception of a distinctive product look and the adoption of a divisional structure, Laura Ashley did not expand internationally applying Treadgolds keys/strategies each was applied/introduced incrementally as problems arose to highlight the need e.g. it was not until 1995 when Ann Iverson felt the need for a unified product look. This is indicative that the organisation was not particularly capable of embarking on such ambitious international expansion as it did. This is highlighted by the numerous problems faced by the organisation e.g. poor marketing/marketing strategy, inefficient logistics and lack of direction and clear strategy. Additionally, the paternalistic management style was not suited to rapid expansion and this coupled with high finance demands from vertical integration, reorganisation and early acquisitions further indicate poor planning in terms of development Laura Ashley has faced so many problems throughout its existence. Problems owing to management, organisational structure, logistics and rapid international expansion continuously came and went. In 1998 bankruptcy looked imminent but an injection of ?44 million in equity capital by Malaysian businessman Dr Kay Peng Khoo (giving his MUI property company 47.5% share ownership whilst the Ashley family retained just 9% [Gibbs, 1999]). He installed Ng Kwan Cheong as chief executive who made changes including the disposal of the problematic North American franchise (retail operations were sold to a management buyout team for $1 at the end of July, 1999 [Gibbs, 1999]), targeting of younger markets and investment in e-commerce (Abdullah, 2000). However, all of these changes looked to have no major impact in the Groups success with sales steadily decreasing from 1998. Whether or not Laura Ashley manages to achieve the sort of success it enjoyed in the early 1980s under its new management remains to be seen as does its survival. Chief Executive Ng Kwan Cheong refrained from placing false hopes, commenting in March of 2000 We have a lot of things to do. All I can say is we are moving in the right direction and things are changing (Cheong, 2000 as cited by Abdullah, 2000). REFERENCES Texts  · Bowman, C. and Asch, C. (1987). Strategic Management. Macmillan Education.  · Chandler, A.D. (1997). The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business. Harvard University Press.  · Cole, G.A. (1996). Management Theory and Practice (5th Edition). Letts Educational.  · Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (1989). Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. Prentice Hall.  · Johnson, G. and Scholes, K. (1999). Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases (5th Edition). Prentice Hall.  · PUmpin, C. (1987). The Essence of Corporate Strategy. Gower.  · Thompson, J.L. (1997). Strategic Management: Awareness and Change. International Thomson Business Press. Journals and Publications  · Hamel, G. and Prahalad, C.K. (1993). Strategy as stretch and leverage. Harvard Business Review, 71, March-April, pp75-84.  · Keynotes (1997), Keynote Market Report Clothing Retailing, 1997 Reports, p23.  · Treadgold, A. (1991) Dixons and Laura Ashley: Different Routes to International Growth. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. Vol. 19(4), pp13-19.  · Warnaby, G. (1994). Laura Ashley An International Retail Brand. Management Decision, Volume 32 (3). Other  · Abdullah, S.A. Turning around Laura Ashley. http://adtimes.nstp.com.my/archive/mar3.htm (09 December 2000).  · Gibbs, G. (1999) Laura Ashley bids farewell The Guardian Unlimited Archive. http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3904775,00.html (18 December 2000).  · Teather, D. (1999) Banks push Laura Ashley to quit US The Guardian Unlimited Archive. http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3855892,00.html (18 December 2000).  · Vora, K. (1998) Lessons from Laura Ashley. The Motley Fool: The Daily Fool, Evening Fool Tuesday, 03 March 1998, (online) (cited 04 January 2001). http://www.fool.co.uk/DailyFool/1998/DailyFool980303.htm . BIBLIOGRAPHY Texts  · Cole, G.A. (1997). Strategic Management (2nd Edition). Continuum.  · De Wit, B. and Meyer, R. (1994) Strategy Process, Content, Context: An International Perspective. West Publishing.  · Hatch, M.J. (1997). Organization Theory. Oxford.  · Palmer, A. and Hartley, B. (1996). The Business and Marketing Environment (2nd Edition). McGraw-Hill.  · Palmer, A. (2000). Principles of Marketing. Oxford.  · Porter, M.E. (1980) Competitive Strategy Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competition. The Free Press.  · Porter, M.E. (1985) Competitive Advantage Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. The Free Press.  · Wild, R. (1994) How to Manage (2nd Edition). BCA. Other  · Framed-Art Wholesale. Laura Ashley The History http://www.framedartwholesale.com/aboutLA.htm (20 December 2000).  · Herzog, J. (1997) Laura Ashley closure a strategic decision. Daily Yale News Online Friday, 12 September 1997, (online) (cited 20 December 2000). http://www.yale.edu/ydn/paper/9.12.97/I-1lauraashley.html .  · Hoovers Online. Laura Ashley Holdings Plc Company Capsule Companies and Industries http://www.hoovers.co.uk/uk?capsule/5/0,3042,90245,00.html?referer= (20 December 2000).  · Wetfeet. Laura Ashley Holdings Plc Company Profiles. http://www.wetfeet.com/asp/companyprofiles.asp (18 December 2000).  · Wright Investors Service. Research Report: Laura Ashley Holdings Plc Corporate Information http://profiles.wisi.com/profiles/scripts/corpinfo2.asp?cusip=C826EG930 (18 December 2000).

CSR and Corporate Identity

CSR and Corporate Identity Assignment Question : Outline a research question that can be investigated using qualitative methods. Describe a plan for how you will research that question. Your plan should include strategies for both data collection and data analysis. The rationale for the adoption of a particular form of data collection and analysis must be presented. 1. Introduction The purpose of this research is to investigate the gap between ideals and practices on corporate identity through corporate social responsibility (CSR) and build up practical findings to help corporations narrow the gap thus enabling them to enhance their CSR identity for both companies and employees. This study will focus on the case of large Korean corporations the so called ‘chaebol corporations (henceforth, chaebols). Chaebols are interesting cases to conduct CSR related research because chaebols use CSR for substituting their distorted corporate image and identity as ‘unethical, coming from illegal acts and unsound governance structure. In this sense, chaebols can be considered appropriate cases are currently grappling with a big gap between ideals and practices as the same pertain to their CSR identity. Exploring CSR identity and its effects on practice in chaebols will provide practical indications about the relationship between corporate identity strategy and its employees implementation and theoretical implications on chaebol related research. With multiple-case study strategy, this study will start by looking at corporate CSR identity on the organisational perspectives in case companies. Following this, the study will explore employees perception on corporate identity and CSR activities to identify and examine the factors that influence employee corporate identity and encourage employee participation in CSR activities. This is achieved using a triangulation method. This includes semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and documentary analysis. In this paper, I will design the research plan with methodological strategy, data collection strategy and data analysis strategy including rationales respectively. 2. Research Questions Assumptions Research Questions The research questions will focus on exploring how CSR identity is conceptualised by companies and employees and how that resulting identity influences CSR practices in reality. Thus, the primary research questions are as follows: Q1. How do corporations conceptualise their CSR identity ? Q2. How does corporate identity formed at the organisational level influence the ethical identity of employees? Q3. What are the connections between the organisational level identity of CSR and employees participation in CSR activities? Assumptions Assumptions grounded in the logic of multi-faceted model of corporate identity (Soenen and Moingeon 2002) and employee performances are as bellow. This multi-faceted model of identity is not a measurement and it provides 5 categories of identity. A1. Corporate identity of CSR will affect employees participation for social activities. A2. Employees participation in CSR activities will increase when corporate identity and their strategies are aligned. A3. Professed identity will not affect employees participation in CSR activities. A4. Employees participation in CSR activities will be influenced by four types of identities when they are matched with each other. 3. Research Design (1) Research Method and Justifications This research will be conducted with a qualitative method. According to Creswell (2003), the main reason of using the qualitative method for research is because of exploratory character of study. As this study focuses on the perspectives of both the corporation itself and that of employees about CSR identity and CSR activities, qualitative methods of research and analysis are adopted. A qualitative method enables in-depth exploration of the CSR identity and, simultaneously, aid in understanding the conceptual relationships between ideals and practice about CSR identity and CSR activities. Moreover, as corporate identity which is formed by socially agreed concepts, and CSR, which has discursively constructed concepts, are both rather subjective, and changeable depending on the particular organisation, qualitative approach is more appropriate to understand how these identities can be conceptualised and formed in an organisational context. Comparing to qualitative methods, a quantitative approach rather focuses consideration on measurements and quantities of the traits established by the people or events of studies (Murray 2003). (2) Epistemological Approach While much research used quantitative method mainly takes a position of a functionalist or positivist stance, qualitative research can take almost all possible epistemological positions (Gephart 1999 ; Symon and Cassell 2004). This research overall takes an interpretive epistemological view with technically along with realistic point of view. While this research focuses on the specific cases of chaebols, the aim is not a generalization of findings. Instead, the findings might represent chaebol related issues. Taking an interpretivist view, sampling of target cases will be purposeful (Daymon and Holloway 2002) rather than being statistically and randomly representative sample. (3) Methodological Strategy and Technical Epistemological Justification Case Study Strategy Justifications This research will take the multiple-case study strategy as its methodological research strategy. There are two reasons for choosing a case study. First, as mentioned above, CSR itself is a very arguable concepts and the impact of CSR can vary depending on corporations conditions (Cho and Hong 2009) and corporate identity matters as well. As case study methodology draws insight from data gathered in research ( Stern 1998; Borgerson, Schroeder et al. 2009), to explore CSR and identity on both organisational and employees perspectives, it is a useful method to understand matters within the organisation context and obtain in-depth and empirical knowledge on them. Secondly, the case study approach is for this research as it enables the use of interview methods and company documents to collect data (Yin 2003) and also, verify the validity of the collected data. As for more replicable evidence, this research is based on multiple-case study of chaebol corporations. Ten cases are sufficient replications to obtain external validity. Compared to single-case designs, the evidence which is derived from multiple-case studies tends to be more compelling and being more powerful (Hersen and Barlow 1976 ; Yin 2003). The case sampling strategy will be explained in the data collection section. Even though the level of analysis is organisational, the unit of analysis is individual for example, managers and non-managerial employees who are directly and indirectly related to CSR identity and CSR activities in their organisations. (4) Data Collection Strategy and Technical Epistemological Justification 1) Triangulation Method The methods to gather the data will be triangulation methods: semi-structured in-depth interviews, focus group interviews and documentary analyses. The triangulation method is helpful to get an external validity in this research. Data sets obtained from each of 10 multiple-cases will be triangulated as figure 1. Semi-structured in-depth interviews A semi-structured interview will be conducted with managers and employees in the CSR department and strategy department. These informants can provide more specific and in-depth knowledge about their own experiences in face-to-face interviews. Even though other methods such as telephone or internet interviews, can also be carried out under the qualitative interview paradigm (King 2004), this research which deals with Korean managers and workers requires face-to-face interviews due to the greater importance of Korean culture in which direct contact can aid in obtaining greater details of the thoughts and experiences of interviewees. Focus Group interviews A focus group interview will be held with managers in other strategy related departments and with employees who have experience in CSR activities. The motivation for adopting this approach is that it allows participants to discuss their thinking and ideas about the CSR strategy and CSR identity with their colleagues at which point the similarities and differences on the perceptions of the participants about CSR can be investigated with greater ease. The advantage of using the focus group interview method at this stage is that it enables participants to get an idea from their colleagues so that they can reflect back on their thinking and their own experiences (King 2004). The questions which will be asked in the interviews will vary depending on the targets. In managerial level interviews, interviewees will be asked about how they conceptualise and identify CSR in terms of the 4 categories of responsibilities as classified by Carroll (Carroll 1999). In the non-managerial level interviews, interviewees will be asked about how they define their corporate identity in terms of CSR and how these identities affect their CSR participation. All of the interviews will be tape-recorded with the interviewees permission for later transcription. Documentary Analysis With regards to the validity of data collection, I will use the triangulation method with documentary analysis in addition to the focus group interview and the semi-structured interview. With respect to the documentary analysis, I will use CSR annual reports which are organised according to reporting guidelines (e.g. GRI Guideline). These reports will be accessed via companies webpage. 2) Sampling Strategy The case companies will be selected according to the ‘Most admirable companies in Korea 2009 ranking complied by the Korea Management Association (KMA). This index ranks companies, according to a consumer survey and employee survey, in terms of the companies ethical image and identity. If ranked in the top level, the company is considered to be, to some extent, ethical and philanthropic and is considered to have CSR strategies and programmes that are more systematically designed than those of other companies. After selecting the 10 top ranked companies as sample cases, interview targets will be selected by a purposive sampling strategy. This is because CSR requires professional knowledge through strategy planning and implementation at the organisational level. In this sense, managerial levels and non-managerial levels in CSR related departments will be considered the target samples for semi-structured in-depth interviews. Those located in other departments will be the target sa mple on focus group interviews. I will contact these targets by email and telephone and in some of the aforementioned cases, have already established initial connections. 3) Epistemological justifications In terms of epistemological position, this research will have realist assumptions interviewees accounts are assumed to indicate awareness about their actual experiences of CSR involvement. This realist approach will make it possible to gather more accurate accounts by comparing the findings from the interview with the documentary analysis. In qualitative research, interview methods aim â€Å"to see the research topic from the perspectives of the interviewee and understanding how and why they come to have this particular perspective† (King 2004). As this research takes the realist approach, the interview will be more structured and systematically prepared compared to, for example, interviews conducted by constructivists or phenomenologists (Pawson and Tilley 1997). 5) Data Analysis Strategy 1) Template Analysis Epistemological Justification Analysis of this research will be conducted via the templates technique. According to King (2004), template analysis as a set of techniques that can be used in realist work. It admits a positivistic position and is particularly useful for research that aims to compare different or similar perspectives of target groups within an organisational context (King 2004). In this sense, this research which relies on realistic epistemological viewpoints and is aims to examine CSR concepts and identity strategy as perceived by corporations and employees, templates analysis provides the most suitable way to produce a list of theme codes which, in turn, derive the concepts and definitions of CSR identity from the informants own words within a theoretical framework thus enabling the analysis to develop new theoretical and empirical implications. As mentioned previously, this research will focus on how corporations and employees perceive CSR concepts and identity from their experience on corporations CSR strategy and implementation, which means the words and expressions coming from their own perceptions, can be extremely varied. Therefore, creating the initial template with a few defined codes (King 2004) and starting with this initial template will be a very helpful to guide analysis as well as to collect data. Compared to other techniques such as grounded theory and repertory grids, this research starts with a theoretical framework and needs organisational level analysis. Using the template analysis, the process of conducting research will proceed as follows. First, to construct the initial template, interview guides will be prepared from a literature review and informal anecdotal evidence from the authors own experience. This interview guide will include minimum information so as to gain more ideas from the interviewees. Thus, the initial template will begin in a simplified format and consist of the 3 highest-order codes and two or three subdivided lower-order codes. It will then be subject to a processes of insertion and deletion with changes in the higher-order classifications (King 2004) after the first focused group interviews. For this, at the beginning of the first focus group interview, interviewees will be asked to express their opinions and perceptions on CSR under the three highest-order codes and several lower-order codes following the brief topic guideline. They focus group interviewees can then proceed with their discussions. After each interview, the initial template will be edited and added with some new codes if the issues are not found to be covered by the presented codes. 4. Limitations Conclusions This study has limitations in terms of generalization due to the small sample size. This is because a small number of respondents cannot be representative of the entire companys view, even though the propositions are proved by the respondents. The findings from this qualitative study may, thus, be considered preliminary. Further research, conducted using larger samples and adopting longitudinal analysis can aid to make the findings of the present research more robust. Moreover, given their unique governance system and political background in social context (Kim and Lee 2003), at present, chaebol related research tends to be conducted with an institutionalist approach. However, in this research, these factors are excluded as the focus is being kept on the organisational and individual level of the perception making process. This study will show the gap of corporate identity between ideals and practices and how employees are influenced by corporate identity in CSR practices. By using qualitative approaches with a case study strategy, this research will have practical implications for managers who work in CSR departments, viz., it will identify how to connect their strategy to employees ethical identification and participation. Reference Borgerson, J. L., J. E. Schroeder, et al. (2009). Corporate communication, ethics, and operational identity: A case study of Benetton. Business Ethics: A European Review 18(3): 209-223. Carroll, A. B. (1999). Corporate Social Responsiblity. Business Society 38(3): 268-295. Cho, S. and Y. Hong (2009). Netizens evaluations of corporate social responsibility: Contents analysis of CSR news stories and online readers comments. Public Relations Review 35: 147-149. Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California, Sage Publications, Inc. Daymon, C. and I. Holloway (2002). Qualitative Research Method in Public Relations and Marketing Communications. London, Routledge. Gephart, R. (1999). Paradigms and Research Methods. Research Methods Forum 4. Hersen, M. and D. H. Barlow (1976). Single-case Experimental Designs: Strategies for Studying Behavior New York, Pergamon. Kim, B. and I. Lee (2003). Agency problems and performance of Korean companies during the Asian financial crisis: Chaebol vs. non-chaebol firms. Pacific-Basin Finance Journal 11(327-348). King, N., Ed. (2004). Using Interviews in Qualitative Research. Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. London, SAGE Publications Ltd. King, N., Ed. (2004). Using Templates in the Thematic Analysis of Text. Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. London, SAGE Publications Inc. Murray, T. R. (2003). Blending Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods in Theses and Dissertations. Thousand Oaks, California, Corwin Press, Inc. Pawson, R. and N. Tilley (1997). Realistic Evaluation. London, SAGE Publications Inc. Soenen, G. and B. Moingeon, Eds. (2002). The five facets of collective identities. Integrating corporate and organizational identity. Corporate and Organizational Identities: Integrating Strategy, Marketing, Communication and Organizational Perspectives. London, Routledge. Stern, B. B., Ed. (1998). Representing Consumers: Voices, Views and Visions. New York, Routledge. Symon, G. and C. Cassell, Eds. (2004). Promoting New Research Practices in Organizational Research. Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research. London, SAGE Publications Ltd. Yin, R. K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA, SAGE Publications.

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