A Lack of Frenzy; Tracking Time

A Lack of Frenzy; Tracking Time Free Online Research Papers I sleep, I play, and I work. These are the three things that consume most of my day, in that order. Sleeping, though I shudder to say it, actually consumes the largest dedicated chunk of my week, especially on the weekends. If there was any one activity that I wish I could find a way to do less of, it is that little time waster. Leisure consumes the next largest chunk of my day. According to Take Back Your Time, the goal is to spend more time doing leisure activities, but I am not sure if  ¼ of each day relaxing is considered ‘more’ or not enough. My leisure time is split between dedicated time with my wife, and relaxing with a solitary hobby. Finally, I work. Working is a necessary part of life, and everyone who has ever achieved anything in their lives has done copious amounts of it. There were no particular surprises in how I spend my time, weekly. Being personally chronophobiac means I have a pretty good handle of exactly how I spend every moment of my day. I have a work schedule, I have a sleep schedule, my wife has corresponding schedules, and we plan our time around each other as much as possible. I will admit, I spend far more time in the car and cleaning the house, and far less time on my homework, then I originally estimated; but, being less than 10% of my day each, they are hardly a major concern. If you look at it from a, â€Å"what is the highest, what is the lowest,† perspective, I believe my time expenditure was fairly close to my original forecast, especially in regard to my big three. One thing to keep in mind, I got sick the week I tracked my time. My wife got sick the following weekend. Still, the only real effect was the nine hours I did not spend at work; I spent asleep trying to recover. I considered tracking a different week, due to my illness, but decided against it. As much as we like to schedule our time, and take advantage of ‘free time’ or ‘natural rhythms,’ things come up. You get sick, relatives drop by, your best friend got caught cheating and now needs you to console them, a five car pileup delays traffic for a couple hours. I am a procrastinator, have been since high school; but, I am an effective procrastinator. I take my desire to read a book or play a game into account when deciding my day. I want to get the housework done, and I will, as soon as I am done with this chapter. And maybe the next one. I still get everything accomplished, on time, without undue stress or hassle. I leave my work at work; I dedicate what little time I have with my wife exclusively to her, and do not fret if chores run a little to the unfinished side. I am a night person. I am naturally more productive in the evening, more comfortable when it is dark outside, hate having to go to bed early for work. Unfortunately, work is the anchor of my daily schedule. I end my day at 10p.m. to begin my day at 4a.m., and it absolutely goes against my natural rhythm. I would like a job that was afternoon or evening, full time, and $14 an hour, and if you find one, please drop me a line. For that matter, I would easily settle for part-time, $10 an hour, no insurance or vacation. I have been looking for six months, and a day job is all anyone is willing to offer me. I have been in the military, I have worked for the United Parcel Service, I now work for Citizens Bank, and I have never had occasion to complain about a lack of vacation or sick time (PTO). From what I have seen, it is not a matter of companies not providing them; it is a matter of people not taking advantage of them. People come into work sick, saving their PTO for when they are â€Å"well enough to enjoy it.† People do not schedule vacation time so they can cash in the time at the end of the year. If someone does not take vacation to ‘decompress,’ it is their fault for not taking it; not a corporate conspiracy to undermine an employee’s social life. When I am sick, I call in. On the weekend, I spend time with my wife. The idea of a 24/7 lifestyle is, at best, an exaggeration. People blame the internet for sapping our free time, World of Warcraft for crippling our social lives, and commercials for society’s rampant consumerism. How about blaming the individual for not having the self awareness to turn off the machine? Consumerism is a product of greed mixed with sloth, not the orange tiger selling cereal. The only difference between the malls of today and the market squares of yesteryear is air-conditioning. If you just cannot resist the many tempting purchasing offers on the online, your problem is much bigger than the internet. People who are constantly plugged in are doing it to avoid a mass of personal issues that literally have nothing to do with the internet itself. Attempting to blame the internet, TV, or even society, for anything, is just another attempt to avoid personal responsibility for your own actions. An important question often posed, would I be willing to work fewer hours for less money? Absolutely not! I have bills to pay, a house to buy, a family to plan for, and not even recreation is cheap these days. Long hours and job dedication is not the evil corporation taking advantage of the poor, helpless worker, it is free market capitalism and the need to compete. In any service based industry, the two ways to compete are quality and quantity. The best way is to improve the quality of your employees, and thus, the quality (and the reliability) of your service. Look around, that is never going to happen. The other way is to improve the quantity of the service you can provide (thus lowering cost and ‘issue response’ time). That means longer hours. The acceleration of time is an individual problem, and must be dealt with on an individual level. A government that is created to manage our lives is socialism. It is a declaration that we, as individuals, are incapable of deciding for ourselves what is best, and an outside force must impose such a decision upon us. The free market is literally a reflection of the values and desires of the populace. American society is the way it is because the population has declared â€Å"this is how we want it† with every decision made for generations. I am sure anyone would say they wish they had more free time, but try finding someone actually willing to do something about freeing up said time. Something I would like to see adopted from Germany or Switzerland is not their labor laws, or their vacation time, but their attitude. From my time in Germany, I know firsthand that the general attitude about American workers is not that we are frenzied workaholics; but rather that we are lazy, incompetent, and inefficient. In countries such as Switzerland, England, or Japan, laborers feel lucky to be able to work at all. Americans see their employment as an imposed drudgery, only a bare step above slavery, and it is all the faceless corporations’ fault. If you did not have to work, what would you do with your free time? My friends and I have asked each other this many times, with our varied answers. Some would read, some would write, some would travel, some would go back to school, and some would work anyway, though perhaps with a different profession. Amazingly, none have ever said they would simply sit, and wait till their time ran out. What is free time for, if not for doing things? Is having the time and nothing to do with it but sit and stare at the clouds really an achievement? Americans do not work the most in the world, Korea carries that distinction. Americans are the highest paid employees in the world, with toys and debt to match. While certainly government or corporations are more or less responsible, if you are looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. Research Papers on A Lack of Frenzy; Tracking TimeThe Project Managment Office System19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionResearch Process Part OneBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan Free Online Research Papers Basketball is a team sport in which two teams try to score points against one another by putting a basketball through a hoop. It is played with twelve to fifteen people from each team but only five people on the court at a time from each team. Basketball was first played in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Basketball is one of the most popular and widely viewed sport in the world. There have been many great basketball players, but not as great as Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. On February 17, 1963 Michael Jordan was born to a middle class family in Brooklyn, New York. Although he was born in Brooklyn, New York, he moved to Wilmington, North Carolina at a young age and grew up there.(World Book 166) This shows that he must have missed his hometown. Michael Jordan was one of the five children of James and Deloris Jordan. Michael Jordan’s father, James Jordan, worked as a General Electric plant supervisor and his mom, Deloris Jordan worked at a bank. This shows that his parents had to provide for seven people while being not that rich. His father taught him to work hard and not to be tempted by street life. His mother taught him to sew, clean, and do laundry. This means that his parents loved him and cared for him. Jordan had two brothers and two sisters. Both of his brothers were older than him. Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan were his older brothers. He also had an older sister, Deloris Jordan, and a younger sister, Roslyn M. Jordan. (Pietrusza 10-11) Michael Jordan and his father both liked baseball as their first sport, but Michael Jordan followed his brother, Larry Jordan. Larry Jordan didn’t play in the NBA, but he played against Michael Jordan in his backyard. Michael Jordan was way shorter than Larry at that time. Larry was also stronger and bigger than him. Larry Jordan always beat him, but Michael Jordan never gave up.(Pietrusza 11-12) Michael on remarked: ‘It’s an instinct that makes me love to win and hate to lose at any game. My older brother Larry used to beat me in one-on-one basketball games. He’d say something about it and I’d get ticked off and fight him.’ (qtd in Pietrusza 11) This shows that Michael Jordan loved to play basketball and never wanted to give up. Michael Jordan modeled himself after Larry Jordan. Michael Jordan was now ready to go to high school. He went to Laney High School. He had one very big problem. He was like all the other Jordans, he was short. Michael Jordan was only five feet five inches. Then he began to grow quickly. When he entered high school he was five feet ten inches tall. Michael Jordan now had the jumping skills of his brother Larry plus his own height. This shows that he was working really hard to accomplish this. In his sophomore year he tried out for the basketball team, but he didn’t make it. He was shocked. He was a decent p0layer and he knew he was at least better than one competitor who had made the team. (Pietrusza 12) Jordan once recalled: ‘I went to my room and I closed the door and I cried. For a while I couldn’t stop.’ (qtd in Pietrusza 12)But when he got over the shock, he became more crazed to be a better player. This means that he really loves basketball and doesn’t want to quit. Michael Jordan was now determined to make the varsity team and prove his coach wrong. Actually, his coach wasn’t wrong at all. He knew that Michael Jordan was better that the last player he had picked for the varsity team, but he also knew that if Michael Jordan made it he wouldn’t get to play that much. This means that his coach actually wanted him to get better. The place for Michael Jordan to get better was on the junior varsity team so the coach put him on it. Michael Jordan gave all he had on the junior varsity team. He averaged 28 points per game as the team’s point guard. Michael was the best player on the JV team and he hoped he would be added to the varsity roster because the vars ity team was headed towards the state tournament, but he didn’t get picked. The next year he was no longer five feet ten inches tall, but he was six feet three inches tall and he was ready to be on the varsity team. He had made the varsity team this year. In Michael Jordan’s senior year he was in big trouble. Michael began to cut classes and he ignored hid studies. Laney’s principal called in James Jordan to tell him that Michael Jordan was excellent in sports but he also had to get his grades up. (Pietrusza 12-15) This means that Michael Jordan was lazy about doing his school work. When Michael was ready for college he decided to go to University of North Carolina after visiting several colleges. Michael Jordan was first nervous about being at UNC. He thought classes were difficult and the competition in basketball was tougher than anything he had ever faced before in his entire life. Soon Michael Jordan understood the Tar Heels coach, Dean Smith’s way of coaching. Dean Smith didn’t want a one man team, but he wanted a team that showed teamwork. (Pietrusza 15) This shows that the coach wanted all his players to do good. Michael Jordan’s teammates were quickly impressed by his skills and attitude. One of his teammates, Jimmy Black said: ‘I like Jordan’s overall game. He’s a competitor and a hustler and we need him on the floor.’(Pietrusza 15) This shows that Michael Jordan fit in right away with the rest of his team. Jordan was ready to play his first game and he did pretty good. After the game Michael said : ‘I felt real comfortable out there. I felt good on my shots. I did throw a bad pass, though, and I need to help out more on defense.’ (Pietrusza 15) The Tar Heels finished with twenty-four victories and only two loses. They were ranked as the nation’s number one college team. They were the favorite team when they entered in the NCAA tournament, but they barely got into the finals. There they faced the Hoyas and in the fourth quarter the Hoyas were leading 62-61. Coach Smith wanted Michael Jordan to take the last shot and he made it. Michael Jordan was also doing good in studies. He averaged a B. Jordan played well for the Tar Heels during his early college years. At the end of his junior year Coach Smith urged him to turn professional. Michael Jordan decided to skip his senior year and turn pro. He was ready for a higher challenge. (Pietrusza 15-20) He later revealed: ‘I had achieved everything possible on the college level and it was time for me to go and move on to bigger dreams and bigger goals, because I had achieved everything possible.’ (Pietrusza 20) Michael Jordan was now ready for the 1984 NBA draft. Michael Jordan didn’t want to be drafted any lower than fifth. Michael was drafted third to the Chicago Bulls. Michael Jordan wanted to be drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. (Pietrusza 21) This means that Michael Jordan doesn’t want to be on a losing team. After being drafted by the Bulls, Jordan said: ‘No, I’ve never been on a losing team before, but that doesn’t bother me. You don’t join any team expecting to go out there and lose. Chicago is a young team, and we have a lot of hard work ahead. The only way for the Bulls to go is up, and I’m really looking forward to making a contribution.’ (Pietrusza 22) Jordan was now ready to receive his contract with the Bulls. The Bulls gave Jordan a seven-season $6 million contract. Michael Jordan received the third highest amount ever paid to an NBA rookie. (nba.com/pla-yerfile/Michael_Jordan/) Michael Jordan was going to get more money because he lend his name to Nike to make Air Jordans. Michael Jordan played and won gold medal in the Summer Olympics. Michael played his first NBA season in 1984. His excellent performance won him NBA Rookie of the Year. This shows that Michael is getting to be one of the best players. Michael Jordan led in scoring almost every season. Michael Jordan won every major regular season award. In his first season with the Bulls, Chicago’s home attendance doubled. Soon Michael Jordan was popping u0p on television and in magazine ads and on billboards for such huge companies as General Mills, Coca-Cola, and Wilson Sporting Goods. Michael Jordan was everywhere. Fans voted him onto the 1985 NBA All-Star Team. It s hould have been a proud moment for Jordan, instead it wasn’t. Michael Jordan found out how much his teammates disliked him because he already became basketball’s biggest attraction. Before the game Jordan’s teammates decided to not let him get the ball that much. Phil Jackson took over as Bulls head coach. Jackson’s plan was to make a better-balanced offense instead of Collin’s plan to build the entire team’s offense around Michael Jordan. (Pietrusza 22-34) This shows that Jackson wanted a well-rounded team. Outside of NBA Michael had started to date Juanita Vanoy. In 1988 they had a son, Jeffrey Michael Jordan and in 1989 Juanita Vanoy and Michael Jordan married. They also had two more children. They had a boy and a girl. Their other son’s name was Marcus James Jordan and their daughter’s name was Jasmine Michael Jordan. The next season Michael Jordan and the Bulls made it to the Finals again. The Bulls were playing against th e Lakers. The Bulls beat the Lakers and Michael Jordan won the Playoff MVP honors. In the next season some teammates weren’t happy with Michael Jordan. President George Bush invited the Bulls to the White House. (Pietrusza 34-42) The whole team went except Michael Jordan. This shows that Jordan thinks he is higher than others. Once again the Bulls went to the Playoffs and made it to the Finals. They would go against the Portland Trailblazers. Once again they won and it was their second time. Michael Jordan joined the Dream Team and they made it to the Olympic Finals were they faced Croatia. At the end USA won. Now this was the third season Bulls made it to the Finals in a row and faced the Phoenix Suns. Although the Suns gave good competition, Jordan and the Bulls pulled off a three-peat and wont the 1993 NBA title. Michael Jordan started to hate basketball because if they lost they would blame it on him. After each game, Jordan couldn’t walk to his car and go home because fans were too crazy about him. After a while Jordan stopped going out. Then in 1993 another bad thing happened to Jordan. Jordan’s father was shot by two teenagers because they wanted to steal his $50,000 car. Michael Jordan was so sad that he decided to retire and fulfill his dad’s dream of playing baseball. Michael Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, but he didn’t do so well. In 1994-95 season Michael came back to the Bulls. Then right after he came back, the Bulls won the Finals twice in a row. Michael Jordan now had won five championships with the Bulls. Now, the Bulls were going for their second three-peat. The Bulls won again and they won six championships in eight seasons wi th Michael Jordan. After his contract ended with the Bulls, he went and played with the Washington Wizards for two years. Jordan did play well for the Wizards, but he didn’t win any championship with them. (Pietrusza 43-91) After Michael Jordan retired from playing basketball, he decided to partly own the Charlotte Bobcats. Now everybody says that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player and everybody wants to be like him. Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever. Research Papers on Michael JordanNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionThe Hockey GameTwilight of the UAWHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyWhere Wild and West MeetStandardized TestingComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito

Literature Review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Literature Review - Assignment Example Clinical symptoms of CHF include: breathing problems, fatigue, exercise intolerance and peripheral oedema, and frequent thirst. According to Donner et al. (2012, p. 442), some of the causes of heart failures include high sodium consumption, consumption of foods that are poor in vitamins, mineral and fiber, high intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, and simple carbohydrate. Among adults with over 65 years, CHF is the leading cause of hospitalization. Doris et al. (2007) argue that effective management of heart failure requires pharmacological management combined with non-pharmacological interventions. This position is significant in this literature review because of the need to evaluate the best option between pharmacological and non pharmacological management interventions. It will be vital to evaluate which option will provide the best management that will ensure no reoccurrence of hear failure in elderly patients. In this literature review, three themes stand out in the management of congestive heart failure namely; pharmacological treatment therapies, non pharmacological treatment therapies, and a combination of the two management therapies. PHARMACOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT THERAPIES Pharmacological management therapies involve administration of a drug to alleviate the symptoms of CHF. Diuretics such as furosemide, torsemide, bumetanide and thiazide are important drugs in the management of CHF. Administration of these drugs can either be through intravenous bolus every 12 hours or by continuous intravenous infusion. Debates still exist on the most effective way of administrating these drugs. Similarity Some studies have shown that administration by continuous intravenous infusion is more effective in the management of CHF. Differences However, these studies have received a fair share of criticism. Similarly it is not clear as to whether administration of high dose of diuretics is more effective in management of CHF than administration of low doses of diuretics. Th is means that current guidelines on administration of diuretics are based on expert opinion. This has resulted in variation in the mode of administration and the dosing. The integration/synthesis of the evidence There is still some controversy on the administration of pharmacological management therapies. This may have some negative impact on the treatment of CHF among elderly patients. For example, in a study done by Felker et al. (2011), it was observed that among patients with acute decompensated heart failure (HF), there no significant differences in â€Å"patients’ global assessment of symptoms† or in the change in renal function on administering diuretic therapy by bolus when compared with continuous infusion or at a high dose as compared with a low dose (p.797). These findings do not agree with findings of previous study, which recommended that continuous intravenous infusion is more effective than intravenous bolus. Critique of the evidence This leaves the medi cal doctor at a dilemma and thereby, no agreement on the best way to administer pharmacological treatment to patients. Unless this is done, varying expert opinion will still be used in the administration of diuretics by clinicians, and this poses a danger to the patients because such treatment will be based on try and error. NON PHARMACOLOGICAL CHF MANAGEMENT THERAPIES Non pharmacological CHF management therapies involve the use of non drug approaches to alleviate the symptoms (Kostis, et al., 1994).

Environmental health Epidemiology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Environmental health Epidemiology - Assignment Example Certain chronic illnesses tend to be common only among elderly women and rarely affects the young ladies (Brown, 2007). Addiction, substance abuse and treatment are dependent psychosocial variables. Alcohol and drug are big contributors to the development of chronic illnesses such as liver cirrhosis. Continuous use of alcohol results in increased cases of chronic illnesses and development of complexity during care provision for the sick. Alcohol is a dependent variable of chronic illnesses as in certain instances; alcohol disorders are associated with complex services for chronic illnesses and inconsistent attendance to treatment. Chronic illness can act as a functional limitation to an addict’s ability to access health care services for the treatment of addiction. On other cases there is increased interaction with the health care facilities and access of treatment. (Gordis, 2004) Social control is an independent variable of chronic illnesses. The degree of social control between married and unmarried men varies. The married are the most affected. Social control causes health behavioral change of the recipient. It tends to lead to an improved health behavior though one is at risk of suffering from psychological distress ( Hurtig,

Health policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Health policy - Essay Example On the other hand through managed care more incentives would be put into place in order to effectively manage various critical ill patients. This is therefore viewed as an advantage of managed care to critical ill patients who need quality and special care. I agree with the article in the sense that managed care will bring a lot of benefits especially among the critical ill patients. This is due to the fact that more incentives will be allocated to provide quality health care to critical ill patients at minimal costs to them. Reduction of costs through managed care is important as critical ill patients require a quality health care policy that will safeguard their interests. Therefore in my own opinion managed care as a health policy should be encouraged not only within the context of United States but globally due to the benefits associated with the managed care policy. Managed care has an intention of reduction of health care expenditure through various forms of economic incentives (Melanie,

Implementation Of Porters Value Chain And Lean Systems

Implementation Of Porters Value Chain And Lean Systems Porters Value chain is a concept that categories the generic value-adding activities of an organisation in to two divisions. One is primary activities that consist of inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing sales and services and secondary activities such as procurement, infrastructure, technological development and human resource. These activities are performed to add value to the product and to obtain a competitive advantage in the industry. Porter (1985 p.11) says that value chain is the internal linkage between primary and supporting activities and external linkage with customers and suppliers. Garment manufacturing is a process of converting the raw materials such as fabric trims into a finished readymade garments. In this fast growing competition and unpredictable economic situation, it is essential for a manufacture to continuously improve the quality, timely delivery and competitive price to sustain it market place. Mannan and Ferdousi (2007, p.2) believes that nowadays the key to competing in the international market place is to simultaneously improve both quality and productivity on continual basis. In todays competitive and concurrently changing business world, lean production has brought a lot of changes in the management practices to improve organisational effectiveness and customer satisfaction and ensures sustainability (Karim, 2008). Nowadays customers have more opportunities to choose so they expect more competitive price with better quality and less lead-time. A study by Sohal (1996, p.91) indicates that most western manufactures have been aware of the need to improve their performance and competitiveness for nearly two decades and they were using lean production system to take advantage. The main reason for adopting lean system is to reduce production resource requirement and cost, increasing customer responsiveness and to improve quality these all lead to gain a competitive advantage and long-term sustainability. Papadopoulou and Ozbayrak (2005) states that lean philosophy spread to Japanese factories after it was successfully implemented in the Toyoto motor company, then most of the developed and developing countries are reaping several benifits from the lean practice, but in Bangladesh the adoption of lean system is very slow. Nowadays many countries in the world have identified the essence of lean system and started implementing lean tools in their garment manufacturing process and observed incredible improvement (Mazany, 1995 and Bruce et. al, 2004). As Mamun and Afrin (2001) argues that the few firms that have adopted lean practice have experienced an overall improvement in the corporate performance. In this report we are going to implement lean system in a Bangladesh based garment export house to obtain competitive advantage in this highly influential global market and in a view to obtain long-term sustainability in concern with corporate social responsibility. Exim Exports and its Value Chain Exim Exports is an ISO 9001:2000 company that manufactures and exports knitted garments to overseas buyers. It is based on Dhaka, Bangladesh. The main process of Exim Exports is to purchase yarn and knit it into fabric through it suppliers and dye or print the fabrics and cut, sew and finish into readymade garments. It produces casual T-shirts for reputed brands such as Calvin Klein, SF, Nike, TopShop and River Island etc. These buyers are very concern about quality and timely delivery. Using Porters Value chain model an activity analysis is been conducted below. Activity analysis Activity analysis identifies the step by step process that a company perform to satisfy its customers. It also involves how the company recruit people with the skills to give the best service, how the company motivates the employees and it steam to perform at optimum level, how the company keeps up to date with the latest technology, how the company choose and develop technologies that give cutting edge, how the company gets feedback from its customers and how it is going to improve further. Porter (1985. p12) has split the organisational activities into primary and support activities. Fig .1. Exim Exports Value chain Primary Activities in Exim Exports value chain Inbound logistics Transportation for raw materials from supplier to factory i.e. Yarn purchasing. Store department handle these operations by purchasing the yarn from suppliers and transporting to knitters. Then the knitted fabric should be moved to knitting to dyeing or printing. These operations could be followed by several supervisors. Operations Knitting, Dyeing or Printing, Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing are the major operations. Knitting and Dyeing will be done outside the factory however the productions department, procurement and merchandising departments will be involved in this process. Outbound logistics Transportation for goods to deliver to customers agents, export documentation and accounts departments will be involved in this. Marketing and sales Merchandising team performs the marketing activities. Merchandising team is the communication platform between buyer and the factory in to get orders, sample approvals, fabric approvals and production approvals. Costing and order confirmations will be done my merchandising department. Service The goods are dually checked by the Exim Exports QA team and customer QAs to ensure the goods are as per customers requirement. However, in case of any customer compliance after selling the goods Exim Exports always work with the buyer to rectify the problems and will make sure to improve the discrepancies in future. Supporting activities in Exim Exports value chain Infrastructure Functional teams, organisational culture and resource are the main infrastructure that supports the core activities. Financial resource and other in-tangible assets of the company that add value to the product are into infrastructure. Human resource management Human resource handles all the general activities such as recruiting, hiring, training, compensating and dismissal of employees. Human resource department takes responsibility to maintain the whole production plant, machineries and adequate supply for required resource to the company. It also motivates the employees through incentives and other motivational aspects. Technological development The Company enjoys latest machineries and equipments that enable its production process. It invests more in the technological development according to latest advancement to obtain competitive edge. Procurement Purchasing or raw materials such as Yarn and Trims is been handled by an experienced team that could bargain with suppliers and profit the company. The team has good technical skills to save money through technical aspects. It ensures the quality of material is as per requirement. Fig . 2. Value chain analysis 1. Use of lean production in Exim Exports Exim Exports need changes in three major areas to improve its quality of product, timely delivery and to reduce wastages. First of all, at the area of Procurement Exim Exports enjoys an experienced team which is technically strong and has a good bargaining power with their suppliers and it can assure the quality of material that it purchase will be up to mark. However in this competitive economy it is necessary for the company to improve its communication with the production team to enable Pull Production to reduce wastage of time, money and resource. Poor communication between Fabric store and Production department leads to purchasing of fabric before requirement that to be stored as inventories or delay in fabric purchasing according to productions requirement that leads to waiting time delay in production cutting and stitching. According to the above needed changes to add value to the activities. It is necessary to implement lean system into this organisation to gain competitive advantage and sustainability. Mercado (2007) said that Under this highly competitive environment, garment industry has numerous opportunities for improvement through lean principles. To obtain a competitive advantage in this economy it is necessary to improve the quality, timely delivery and cost effective production. This could be achieved by using lean production tools. Empirical evidence shows that after implementing lean production in their organisation the companies identified variety of changes that took place within their organisation such as cultural change, education of workers and suppliers, empowerment of employees, relationship with suppliers, rearranging the manufacturing process and commitment to top level managers said Ferdousi and Ahmed (2009. p 110). 2.1 Value analysis and changes needed in Exim Exports value chain There are some main activities that should be concentrated to improve the performance of Exim Exports. They are, Procurement: Purchasing of yarn and trims, Procurement / Operations: Staking of fabrics and trims and movement of material between every process, Operations: Cutting, Finishing and Packing. Procurement The communication between the procurement team, production department and suppliers are not up to mark that leads to delay in materials or early purchasing of materials that should be stored as inventories. Inventory occupies the space and high inventory leads to wastage of money according to Time Value Money concept. So this is to be eliminated to improve the performance of Exim Export. Procurement / Operations Staking of fabric and trims are no up to mark. It leads to delay in organising materials while production starts. Poor staking also occupies more space and causes shortage of space for future materials. Movement of materials should be improved by reducing non-value adding movements and enhancing better material handling. Non-value adding motions are considered as waste which is to be eliminated. Operations Exim Exports enjoys skilled tailors and experienced supervisors and line managers. It dose have a good production planning team and effective execution. However the workers arent trained for multi tasking that leads to under utilization of employees which is again considered as waste. The supply chain between Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing should be improved to avoid inventories and delays that lead to wastage of time and manpower. Employees should be motivated to improve the efficiency. Better quality management approach is needed. 2.2 Recommendations to eliminate waste in the value chain of Exim Exports According to the above identifications and lecturer overview about the empirical evidence of benefits of lean system in garment manufacturing industry, it is recommended to introduce lean production system in this organisation. In the area of procurement it is essential to implement JIT system to eliminate wastage of time and inventories. 5S model can be implemented in staking materials and movement of materials in between departments. This could lead to reduction of non-value adding movements and increases the efficiency in pulling back materials from stored area. It is also recommended to implement Kanban in the production process (from cutting to packing) that could eliminate under utilization of employees and reduce wastage and delays. Exim Exports could develop Kaizen throughout the process for continuous improvement in all areas i.e. improvement in quality, improvement in efficiency and work flow, improvement in reducing wastage etc Introducing JIT in Procurement to enhance communication between Procurement team, Production and Suppliers Procurement team should not purchase the materials according to their own plan or feasibility. It is recommended to communicate with the production department i.e. cutting and plan to purchase materials according to their requirement. Early purchase lead to raising inventory level and late purchase lead to increase in waiting time. Cutting department will send signals to the procurement about the requirement of raw materials for the future production. So that stores could communicate with the suppliers and purchase the materials according to the current requirement. JIT enables good relationship with the suppliers that create flexibility. Introducing 5S Model in staking areas of Exim Exports to enhance efficiency in the work place 5S stands for Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain. It is the principle of improving safety, efficiency and employee morale by deciding what should be kept, where should be kept and how it should be kept that enables easy flow of materials and reduces bottle necks (Ferdousi and Ahmed, 2009). 5S should be implemented in the stores, cutting, stitching, finishing and packing areas wherever the materials are to be staked. 5S enables smooth flow of materials and it keeps the place neat and tidy. Standardized staking method enables employees to identify the right product on time and it eliminates the delay in searching. Introducing Kanban system of supply chain in Cutting, Stitching, Finishing and Packing departments Kanban system will enable an effective material supply between and within production units. Kanban enables multi tasking, so that a single operator can handle multiple operations. Human resource department will support in training and development of employees to ensure the workers are skilled enough to do multi tasking. Lakshmi (2009) says that Kanban uses a specific work space between operations to balance supply chain with demand. The space holds limited number of completed components in queue for next operation. If the space if full then there is no need to produce more, so that the operator can assist with other operations that may be slow. This resembles the pull production method with some buffers for next operation. It reduces over production wastage and increases employee motivation. Introducing Kaizen as a continuous improvement tool in Exim Exports value chain Kaizen is a continuous improvement tool. That can be used in all primary and supporting activities to maintain the standard and increase competitiveness sustainability. This can achieve by monitoring the progress of the current system and identifying the gap to improve the system. Kaizen deals with customer complaints and feedbacks that could enable continuous improvement in process. 3. Impact of above recommendations on the organisations resources and how above recommendations will ensure increased competitiveness, Long term sustainability and corporate social responsibility The above recommendations enable the company to eliminate wastages such as inventories, under utilization of employees, avoids wastage due to mistakes and uncertainties, delay in production, quality issues etc. These improvements have a direct impact of the companys resources. Inventories comprises of investment, storage cost and obsolescence. Carrying excess inventories may signal a lack of coordination and collaboration among supply chain partners as well as a lack of flexibility and agility to adjust to sudden demand shifts. This can result in increasing uncertainty about future earnings and their growth prospects, thereby negatively affecting the reputation of the firm and its market value (Singhal, 2005). Inman and Mehra (1993) identified that JIT adoption is correlated with the future financial success of the firm. Thus, if JIT adoption is viewed as beneficial capital expenditure, it will result in increased market prices. Kanban increases the flexibility of utilizing operators, reduce wastage due to over production, and reduce absenteeism and increases empowerment of employees thus leads to maximum utilization of companys resources. 5S model reduces the mistakes occur in production process such as wrong fabric cutting, reduces repetitive motion aliments that impacts the resource of the company (Lakshmi, 2009). Kaizen a continuous improvement tool increases the efficiency and reduces wastage that has a direct impact on companys resource. A case study by EPA (2003) indicates that the lean system enables reduction in resource requirement and cost of capital, increases customer responsiveness and improving product quality that boots the overall company profits and competitiveness. According to Yeung and Chan (1999, p.756) Manufactures are nowadays facing intensive global competition, they are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of modern management philosophy in providing with a competitive advantage in a free market system. Lean production and lean tools are the solution for achieving competitive advantage in this market place. The above recommended tools will enable the reduction in resource requirements and cost of capital by improving the utilization of employees, reduction of wastages, reduction of delays and avoiding mistakes that leads to loss of resource. It also ensures customer satisfaction by timely delivery and improved quality. Kaizen ensures the company is achieving competitive advantage against its competitors. Thus improved quality, reduced process cycle time, cut production cost and likely to improve delivery performance lead to customer satisfaction and sustainability. Lean systems have long realized the return from an engaged, well-trained, innovative workforce. By coordinating diverse production stages and management systems into a successful, enthusiastic, corporate culture, the vision and discipline of Lean-embracing executives transfer perfectly in Green transition. Lean provides a two-way channel, from the top down and then back up again, that fast tracks transition and reflects the foundational flow underlying Lean systems. Reduction of wastages enables a company to utilize the natural resources in the right way and making quality products increases the durability of the product which is one of the most important social responsibilities of the company. Corporations should take responsibility in reducing wastages of resources and should manufacture durable products that lead to less manufacturing and less pollution where lean system enables the same. 4. 1. Value stream mapping the framework to identify the types of wastages in both primary and support process Value stream mapping is a framework that could be used by the line-managers to identify the types of wastages in a value chain. The goal of value stream mapping is to identify, demonstrate and decrease the waste (Shingo, n.d). Value chain mapping identifies the non value adding activities in a process and eliminates wastage due to non-value adding activities. It focuses on visual maps the flow of materials and information from the time products come in the back door as a raw material through all manufacturing raw materials. In this frame work, the line-manager could be able to track the process flow and value addition to the product in every activity. Whenever a non value adding activity is identified then it is called as waste. Fig. 4. 1. Value stream mapping to identify the type of wastage Value-adding steps are drawn across the centre of the map and the non-value-adding steps be represented in vertical lines at right angles to the value stream. Thus the activities become easily separated into the value stream which is the focus of one type of attention and the waste steps another type. 4. 2. Identify the danger signals for each waste Upon the value stream mapping there are targets for a particular waste. If the actual figure exceeds the target a danger signal will be created. The danger signals of each waste can be identified by comparing the actual results with the targets. Using time study lead time of each and every process will be calculated and stored as a database. When the production starts the line manager could track the operations using the value stream mapping. Whenever the actual production status goes beyond the target a danger signal will be created. So that the manager could concentrate upon the particular operation where there is a need for improvement. There are lean tools such as Jidoka can be used to identify the danger signal. Whenever the quality turns out of control or wastage exceed the allowance a danger signal will be created that makes aware of the line manager. 4. 3. Framework that assists to respond to the danger signals Response to danger signals should be systematically handled. Once the manager noticed a danger signal, the manager should closely analysis and identifies the cause of wastage. Manager should ask themselves a few questions as a check list to ensure they are taking right decisions. First of all the manager should identify where the problem is? How the problem is been created? What is the impact of the problem in the value chain? Does it make economical sense to take a decision upon it? If the managers get answers for these questions then they could proceed with taking decisions. Then using Kaizen as a framework manager should take an appropriate solution to solve the current issue and ensures the system in running as per scheduled. Continuous improvement strategy should be taken in consideration before taking any decision. While taking decision the manager should consider about the current strategy that the company is pursuing. Conclusion While comparing and contradicting the Exim Exports value chain analysis and lecture review upon the current market situation and benefits of lean production in enhancing performance in the current market place it is recommended to implement Lean system in Exim Exports Value chain. JIT in Procurement enables a communication platform between stores, production and suppliers that lead to smooth flow of materials, without ant bottlenecks. Kanban in cutting, stitching, finishing and packing where an effective supply chain that enables pull production and reduces inventory. It is also recommended to implement 5S in the area of staking materials and kept ready to issue. So Based on the above analysis and discussion it is recommended that implementation of Lean system in Exim Exports Value chain will give overall profit to the organisation.

Evaluate The Ways in Which Emotion Might Enhance and/or Undermine Reasoning as a Way of Knowing Essay

To start this essay I will define the most important words as I understand them therefore emotion and reasoning will be defined and second I will explain the question. Emotion is what we feel as a reaction towards a person or situation for example: anger, love, and fear. Reasoning is logic, how we argument something, the way we make decisions or how we think and therefore it is how we react to situations. This question is asking us to explain how emotion can make it easier or harder to reason appropriately so it becomes a better or worse way of knowing. Emotion has a very big influence on most people’s way of reasoning sometimes it makes this reasoning more reliable and in other cases emotion makes it less reliable. In the following essay the question will be answered from both sites. Emotion might enhance and/or undermine reasoning in several ways for example when you are happy you reason in a positive way but if you are sad or in a bad mood you reasoning is more negative. For example a man that had been promoted in his job he has a car accident and his car is in a very bad state, he firstly will think about that his insurance will pay for the damage. In the other site if a man has been fired from his job and he has a car accident under the same conditions as that other man, the first thing he will think about is his bad luck and what he will do without his car and the last thing he will think about is about his insurance. Emotion might enhance reasoning as a way of knowing because it may encourage you to reason for example if someone really likes chemistry and enjoys the class, if the teacher asks a question then this person will reason faster to answer the question than a person that took the class only because the physics teacher didn’t accept him in the class. As well when a scientist is enthusiastic about doing an investigation because he loves the subject then he will do the experiment as accurate as he can but if he just does it because it is his job then he will do the experiment as fast as he can just to finish it. Emotion might also undermine reasoning because when emotions are involved people may do things wrongly without thinking about them correctly or without using any logic. A famous quote says â€Å"love makes blind† this means that love (an emotion) takes people to an unreal world and making their reasoning capacity limited. For example if a boy walks into a party and sees his girlfriend kissing his best friend and then she tells him that his best friend kissed her and she couldn’t push him away. Let’s say that the boy really loves his girlfriend then he will believe her even if the story is very unreal. This proves that emotion can make people reasoning unreliable and wrong. In my personal opinion I believe that emotion undermine reasoning as a way of knowing because it makes peoples logic limited and uncertain so the reasoning of this person is unreliable. Also emotions are not always encouraging for example let’s say a woman that works organizing parties lost her dog so she is depressed then she is not able to do her job because she can not think about anything apart from her lost dog. This proves that emotion is not very useful when it comes to reason.

Analysis and Evaluation of the Relationship Between Nora

Analysis and Exploration of the relationship between Nora and Torvald as portrayed in A Doll’s House As a reader, the relationship between Torvald and Nora seemed really interesting to me. While it appears one way on the surface, it is very different essentially. I chose to study this because I think, there is a great deal to explore in order to try and understand the marital dynamic between Nora and Torvald.There are so many things that go into why a relationship is theone that it is but I will focus on three very influential aspects in the book– the Victorian gender roles, societal expectations and the idea of image, as well as the individual personalities and beliefs both the spouses held. In assessing the relationship which Torvald and Nora share, it is most significant that we consider the Victorian gender roles at the time. In a time such as that one, both Torvald and Nora would be pressured and bred to mold themselves according to these gender rules.When you†™re raised a certain way and it is ingrained in you that you are expected to be a certain way, you will. Additionally, they would also expect their spouse to do the same. In Victorian times, there were two clear roles that a man and woman were supposed to play in a marriage. Essentially, the man was responsible for protecting, guarding and most of all, ensuring financial security for his wife. This can be observed in A Dollshouse several times. A blatant example is how Nora receives all her spending money from Torvald.Like a child, she receives allowances and sums of money to take care of the household expenses as well as for herself. To exemplify, I extracted an interaction between the couple that takes place when Torvald presents Nora with a sum of money. â€Å" Nora: Torvald, Thank you! This’ll keep me going for a long time! Torvald: Well, you must see that it does. † As a husband, Torvald also restricts her from doing things which he thinks aren’t good for her but she likes to do and these can be as trivial as eating macaroons.To quote Torvald, when he’s questioning Nora about whether or not she’s eaten macaroons and she denies the accusation, Torvald says â€Å"No, I know you wouldn’t, besides you’ve given me your word†. This little instance goes a long way in portraying his role in the relationship as someone who controls her and who is supposed to determine her actions. Another instance when Torvald acts according to his gender role is when he feels he needs to guide Nora to teach her how to dance for the Tarantella.And not only does he do that, but he revels in this role. When Nora presents a facade of desperately needing Torvald’s help to dance the tarantella, he says â€Å"This evening, I’ll be wholly and entirely at your service- you poor, helpless creature†. This leads me to talk about a womans role in the Victorian society and how it influences Nora in her relationship with her husband. If a husband was expected to provide for his wife, similarly, a woman was supposed to live it in gratitude and forever indebted to him.She was to abide by his standards and keep the house comfortable for him and essentially, be in his service all the time. This can really be observed in A Dolls House where Nora is constantly trying to be the ideal wife to Torvald. In Act 2 of the play, we can quote Nora saying to Kristina- â€Å"Sh! Here’s Torvald coming back. Look, go in and sit with the children for a bit- Torvald cant bear to see dressmaking. † She’s perpetually trying to appear a certain way, but to her own husband in her own home.When she’s undergoing hardships like when she was working because when they were in debt or when she’s distraught, she never lets him realize it. As a reader, one can observe this when Nora is describing to Kristina how she could not tell Torvald of her loan and says â€Å" [Torvald] would be terrib ly hurt and humiliated if he thought he owed anything to me. It’d spoil everything between is, and our lovely happy home would never be the same again†. This was also something that was expected of women in the era in that their personal struggles weren’t ever really shared with their husbands.This may seem really odd to us but at the time it may be because marriages in itself seldom took place because two people were in love, but because it was more of an arrangement for both of them to adhere to standards put up by society. So while Nora and Torvald do appear to be in love in its true form, we have to remember as readers, that he does keep in mind her background, her father’s past and this is because these things really mattered when choosing a spouse. He would never let it go. Even when they are having a completely irrelevant and pleasant discussion, Torvald finds a way to incorporate the unpleasant past of her family. Just like your father- always on t he look out for all the money you can get, but the moment you have it, it seems to slip through your fingers and you never know what becomes of it. Well, I must take you as you are- it’s in your blood. † This brings me to the second aspect that I studied which was holding up an image to society and adhering to its standards. This played a huge role in their relationship many times during the play so we can begin to understand how much it affected their marriage. The concept of â€Å"what will people think† arises so many times.The most notable occurrence demonstrating this is towards the end of the play when Torvald finds out about Nora’s lie and rather than trying to keep their relationship together out of genuine affection for Nora and him truly not wanting her to leave because he loves her, he wants her to stay and put up a facade as a married couple just so they still appear that way to society. This is really when we can see what their marriage really means to him. More than anything , it was something to show to society and perhaps this is why they always felt the need to be the ideal couple.It demonstrated his willingness to brush their problems under the rug to maintain an image to society. And doing this isn’t the way any healthy relationship should be, so from this we can conclude that his motive was elsewhere. And he says this too. â€Å"From now on, forget happiness. Now its about saving the remains, the wreckage, the appearance. † The marriage in itself meant less to him than appearance which really drives a reader to consider again how he interacted with his wife and the genuineness of their marriage as a whole.The idea of loving a woman like Nora was more important to Torvald than actually giving her the love she deserved and this is indicated when Nora says â€Å"You’ve never loved me, you’ve only found it pleasant to be in love with me. † Also, the idea of maintaining an image for s ociety comes in when Nora wants to kill herself instead of telling the truth about her debt. She doesn’t want society to look down upon her and her family, she doesn’t want Torvald to be looked down upon so she feels that is the only way out.And this shows how strongly she feels about society as opposed to herself and her husband as individuals. But Torvald seems to have a really determined moral compass. He feels strongly about crimes, lying and debt . He expresses this in act 1 when he says â€Å"Nora, you know what I think about that sort of thing. No debts, no borrowing. There’s something constrained, something ugly even, about a home that’s founded on borrowing and debt. You and I have managed to keep clear up till now and we shall still do so for the little time that is left. † Torvald makes sure that his wn views are heard in his relationship, which in this case only acted as a catalyst to Nora’s breakdown because she was doing and li stening to two different things. Lastly, I wanted to study Torvald and Nora’s own individual personalities and beliefs which probably play the most important role in their marriage. What else can explain the need for Nora to tell little lies like eating macaroons behind Torvald’s back or her strong notion to kill herself when she’s in debt and does not want it to affect her current family. Torvald’s aversion to debt and views about Nora’s family also come out in the same way.In a way , maybe their respective upbringings played a role in how they acted in their marriage. Nora was brought up being repressed, her father wanted to her to act a certain way and always ensured that his opinions were her opinions. From there she was married and experienced almost the same thing. And this constant repression and control over her life, indicated when Nora says â€Å"I’ve been your doll wife here, just as at home I was papa’s doll child†, might be what subconsciously drives her to do things like eat macroons and feel the need to hide such a thing such as a debt from her husband.Even in her initial conversation with Mrs. Lindt, she almost describes the whole experience of the secret loan as something exciting because for her it is that different because of what her life has always been. When Kristina inquires whether Nora obtained her large sum of money through the lottery, Nora responds â€Å"A lottery! Pooh-where would be the glory in that ? † In the same way, Nora experiences how her father was a victim of society when he was dishonest and committed a crime.. Just remember the wicked things they put in the paper about Papa- how cruelly they slandered him. † She doesn’t want the same thing to happen to her own family and this drives her to react the way that she does- because like anyone else her childhood affects her even in her adulthood Incidentally, Torvald’s strong opinions also infl uence their relationship in that she feels the need to hide things because she knows how he feels about them and he doesn’t make it appear as though he’d understand.His opinions were supposed to be hers and his beliefs were supposed to be Nora’s. † You arranged everything to suit your own tastes† says Nora in the third act,† and so I came to have the same tastes as yours.. or I pretended to. I’m not quite sure which. † His strong hatred towards loans and bad deeds are two examples of the same. The most important idea of their individual views is Torvald’s physical attraction and lust for Nora in that it really limits the depth of their relationship.She loves him for all the right reasons and genuinely accepted him as a husband and would sacrifice anything for him, even her life. The way he interacts with her though, is always a more superficial manner pertaining to her beauty and physical appearance rather than as a person. In their most intense moments of interaction we experience before he finds the letter, he speaks to her through a veil of desire and lust â€Å"When I watched you swaying and becokoning in the tarantella, it set my blood on fire till I couldn’t bear it any longer That’s why I brought you home so early. Rather than treating her on a human level, he objectifies her and treats her as a possession or incidentally, a doll – not his partner or equal. â€Å"How fascinating you are, you lovely little thing†¦ Maynt I look at my dearest treasure? At all the beauty that belongs to no one but me- that’s all my very own† Nora is something Torvald feels like he’s proud to own, rather than as a person on her own. Which is really what she struggles with in the end, herself as a person.How he talked to her and how he belittled her , how she was treated that way almost her whole life influenced the outcome of the play in that she finally realizes that s he’s her own person, not a counterpart to any man. â€Å" You’ve committed a grievous sin against me; its your fault I’ve made nothing of my life. †. This demonstrates Nora’s final revelation in the climax of the play. To conclude, id like to mention that a great deal goes into their marriage and how it ended in the play. But by studying a few aspects it gave me a better understanding as to why they were a certain way.

Mohandes Ghandi essays

Mohandes Ghandi essays Gandis legend began in 1888, when he traveled to England. There were several important influences that he encountered here: the Western material style of life, which he decided not to follow, and in the simple Russian way of living he found. It was here that he developed a sense of the presence of God in his life and the lives of men. Gandhi then returned to India and studied law in Bombay, but he quickly denounced it, feeling that it was immoral and could not satisfy one's conscience. Despite this, he used his schooling to help plead for Indian settlers in South Africa that were being oppressed by the white population. His personal experiences, including being ejected from a train, of not being allowed the same rights as others lead him to begin a movement to help his people. While in South Africa, Gandhi made himself poor so that he could identify with his the peasants. He then proceeded to start a colony that consisted of abused laborers. The colony became very large and many cities were crippled by the lack of laborers. The government reacted to this by jailing Gandhi several times along with many other of his followers. The war he fought was one without weapons, already Gandhi was on his way to starting his career of non-violent campaigns. The main idea behind Gandhi's teachings was non-violence. He believed that the killing of man or beast is an unforgivable sin. Many who promoted these teachings of Gandhi simply believed that it was their only option for resisting imperialism rather than having a moral conviction towards his teachings. He taught that the weapon that could be used was the conscience of the aggressor. In addition, he taught that one should act rather be held under subservience. Also, Gandhi strongly believed in upholding the caste system, believing that a person of one caste should stay a part of that caste. He also upheld the old Hindu tradition of se ...

Free Essays on John Of Guant

JOHN OF GAUNT (1340-1399) This prince, the fourth son of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, was born at Ghent (or Gaunt) in Flanders, in 1340. In his infancy, he was created Earl of Richmond and, by that title, admitted into the Order of the Garter upon the death of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, one of the original knights. In 1359, at Reading Abbey (Berks), he married Blanche, the younger of the two daughters and co-heirs of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, and upon the death of his father-in-law, in 1361; he was advanced to that Dukedom. He held also, in right of his wife, the Earldoms of Derby, Lincoln and Leicester, and the high office of Steward of England. Blanche, dying in 1369, the ambition of the Duke - who had taken an active part in the war carried on by the his brother, Black Prince, for the restoration of Peter, King of Castile and Leon - induced him to direct his views towards Constance, the elder of the two daughters of that monarch, then lately slain by his illegitimate brother, Henry of Transtamare, his successor under the title of Henry II. In 1372, the Duke married this princess and thus assumed the regal style of those kingdoms. These titular honours were ascribed to him in the writs of summons to Parliament from that year until 1386, when, by an arrangement with King John I of Castile and Leon, the son and successor of Henry, Catherine, the only daughter of the Duke of Lancaster by Constance, was betrothed to Henry, Prince of Asturias, his heir-apparent, and the crown settled upon the issue of that alliance. Although John of Gaunt had been engaged in warlike enterprises from his earliest years, yet his martial achievements did not increase the lustre of British glory or secure for himself the character of a great commander. In three expeditions into France, in 1369, 1370 and 1373, he gained no laurels and the peculiar misfortunes, which attended the last, when a considerable number of his ... Free Essays on John Of Guant Free Essays on John Of Guant JOHN OF GAUNT (1340-1399) This prince, the fourth son of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, was born at Ghent (or Gaunt) in Flanders, in 1340. In his infancy, he was created Earl of Richmond and, by that title, admitted into the Order of the Garter upon the death of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, one of the original knights. In 1359, at Reading Abbey (Berks), he married Blanche, the younger of the two daughters and co-heirs of Henry, Duke of Lancaster, and upon the death of his father-in-law, in 1361; he was advanced to that Dukedom. He held also, in right of his wife, the Earldoms of Derby, Lincoln and Leicester, and the high office of Steward of England. Blanche, dying in 1369, the ambition of the Duke - who had taken an active part in the war carried on by the his brother, Black Prince, for the restoration of Peter, King of Castile and Leon - induced him to direct his views towards Constance, the elder of the two daughters of that monarch, then lately slain by his illegitimate brother, Henry of Transtamare, his successor under the title of Henry II. In 1372, the Duke married this princess and thus assumed the regal style of those kingdoms. These titular honours were ascribed to him in the writs of summons to Parliament from that year until 1386, when, by an arrangement with King John I of Castile and Leon, the son and successor of Henry, Catherine, the only daughter of the Duke of Lancaster by Constance, was betrothed to Henry, Prince of Asturias, his heir-apparent, and the crown settled upon the issue of that alliance. Although John of Gaunt had been engaged in warlike enterprises from his earliest years, yet his martial achievements did not increase the lustre of British glory or secure for himself the character of a great commander. In three expeditions into France, in 1369, 1370 and 1373, he gained no laurels and the peculiar misfortunes, which attended the last, when a considerable number of his ...

Marketing Mix Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Mix - Assignment Example The Le Bistrot Pierre restaurant chain provides a wide array of dishes to be presented to its customers. It is found that the restaurant provides a wide range of dishes on appetizers ranging from vegetable to non-vegetable dishes. For instance, the vegetable dishes consist of items like tomato preparations, onion soups and mushroom dishes. In the non-vegetarian section the restaurant in the appetizer front presents its customers with items like snail dipped in garlic butter. (Pierre’s Bistro, 2010) The restaurant is widely known not only for its flavored dishes but also for its economical price ranges. It is observed that the restaurant provides two to three courses of lunch at highly affordable rates. The rates charged for the lunch sessions at the restaurant vary between ten to twelve pounds only making it highly attractive from the customer’s side. The customers can even order for a glass of wine before commencing on the lunch at a humble rate of fifteen pounds. (Le Bistrot Pierre, n.d.; Le Bistrot Pierre: Restaurant Views, n.d.; Le Bistrot, 2010). In regards to its distribution parameters the restaurant chain Le Bistrot Pierre has opened up its eight unit in Harrogate, a township in Yorkshire. It is also planning to open up with its ninth arm sometime later this year. The restaurant chain Le Bistrot Pierre claims that its newly opened arm would help attract huge footfalls for the presence of a bar cum dining space. It also states that it is promoting a space for the balcony purpose also in the restaurant. The restaurant chain has other operating units spread along different key areas of United Kingdom. They include areas like Nottingham, Leicester, Derby, Leamington Spa, Stratford-upon-Avon and Sheffield. (Chomka, 2010) The restaurant outlet of Le Bistrot Pierre situated at Leamington Spa is in the center of many shopping outlets and

Ethical consumerism Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethical consumerism - Coursework Example This report describes various meaning of consumerism and describes various approaches adopted by Cooperative group of companies in carrying out its social activities. The report concludes by providing the gap that exist the current study of consumerism. Ethical consumerism (also known as ethical purchasing, ethical consumption, ethical sourcing or ethical shopping) is a type of consumer activism that is based on dollar voting. This concept is practiced through positive buying where ethical products are given first priority. Ethical consumerism was first popularized by a UK magazine published in 1989 so as to produce rating tables which was inspired by criteria-based approach of the ethical investments movement. Ethical consumerism also means that several customers are willing to buy ethically sourced goods that are ethically made and distributed. On the other hand, an ethical consumer is someone who buys things that are ethically produced. Depending on the context used, ethical production means producing a product that is recycled, use of labor that is produced in facilities without using child labor and slavery, or producing food that is free range or organic raised. Therefore the whole idea of ethical consumerism movement is that you know what you are purchasing and that you buy products that are ethically produced since not knowing results to abuse and exploitation. Consumerism is used by other stakeholders as a tool for social change, basing on the theory that organizations make decisions basing on consumer demand. This idea is evidently limited by the massive power of large organizations which influence, if not create, consumer demand through branding and advertisement. Nevertheless, consumer power may be utilized to ensuring that companies are made accountable to the society; where common citizens in their consumer role can make companies to be accountable. Some authors (Ayglon 2009) regard consumerism as a tool for social change while others (Lang & Tahc